September 9, 2012
I really wanted to talk the Limelight documentary because I loved it so much; I admire the success story on how Peter Gatien made it to become this club icon, and it was important to learn how the club scene began in New York City. After watching this, I learned that The Limelight revolutionized clubs from all over the world.
I don't go to clubs, but watching this documentary made want to start to, and wished I was old enough around the 80's and early 90's to have gone to the Limelight. It just looked so cool to be part of a culture movement like that.
I asked my older brother -- who was old enough around that time -- if he ever been to the Limelight, and he simply said: "Yup". Then, I asked my mom if she been there before, and she said: "Oh yea, I've been a couple times. It was a real nice club." -- Unbelievable ... Why the hell was I born so damn early to have missed this ?!
Peter Gatien: The story of him becoming this incredible business man from losing an eye as a kid from a hockey accident and gaining 13,000 from it, is amazing. Him losing an eye is the reason for his success, basically.
The success story is great, but the creativity is what I love the most. Having a New York City club in a church, are ideas that will never be forgotten.
The church is on a perfect spot in Manhattan. It was on an avenue; like Gatien said, anything that's on a avenue is great because people and cars past by it every second.
Before I saw the documentary, I've pasted by that church -- which is originally named the "Church Of The Holy Communion And Buildings" -- many times and never thought much of it and I didn't know it use be a historic nightclub. Now, after watching the documentary, I want to past by it every time. I'm captivated by it.
The Limelight church is now a marketplace where they sell clothes, cheaply-made ($50.00 dollar) sunglasses, and sneakers -- as if Manhattan doesn't have enough of that ... Not only is it a waste of a good spot, it's always EMPTY ! Nobody buys in there. No one. They removed the Limelight club for clothes ? ... Something that's not original in New York; something that we have plenty of, in New York...
And I can't even stay in the store for long -- so I can visualize the place -- because five different people who work there either stare at you or ask you what I'm looking for, because you're the only one in the store. Comes to show you how much 'business' it's making... O_O
If Gatien saw what happen to his once goldmine, he would have tear come down his eye. And not an emotional tear, a disgusted tear.
Would Limelight Be The Same, If It Was Around : I think so. It would have been the only club that's actually a club. Like "Lord" Michael Caruso said toward the end of the movie, all clubs nowadays are lounges. In the Limelight you see people standing or dancing and communicating with others.
If you have lounges in clubs -- in a generation where people have become more antisocial than ever -- you're gonna have people sitting down with the friends they came with and distance themselves from everyone else, which makes everything boring. In the Limelight, you were forced to socialize with others, even if you didn't want to.
I believe music is not the same anymore, because of the Limelight not being around.
In the 90's, 55% of the music was techno. And in the Limelight, that was the only club where you can hear techno music. Now, in 2012, techno music is still going strong and at times is the only music genre we have that's good, today. Even pop and R&B singers use techno beats, now.
With Gatien deported from America, I hope his son buys the Limelight church one day, and redue his father's legacy in the future. It would only be right.
Everything I pass by the Limelight church, there's always someone looking at and reminiscing about it. And they look at it as to say: 'Damn, what a shame'.
