By Rick Kaempfer
DISCO DECONSTRUCTION
O
n July 12th the Chicago White Sox
will be celebrating the 40th
anniversary of one of the most
famous stunts in radio history. On that
day in 1979, WLUP radio morning per-
sonalities Steve Dahl & Garry Meier went
onto the field of Comiskey Park between
games of a White Sox doubleheader with
the Detroit Tigers to blow up a crate of
disco records as part of their “Disco
Sucks” campaign. The event, known as
Disco Demolition, became much more.
The White Sox expected a crowd of
about 20,000 people and were shocked
when the attendance exceeded 50,000 and
the capacity of Comiskey Park by a large
answered this question a million times,
but in retrospect, did you have any idea
we'd still be talking about that night 40
years later?
Steve: I thought I was going to get fired
for inciting a riot that I didn’t incite. The
fact its part of Chicago music and sports
history is something that I’m very proud
of.
Rick: Considering how iconic that night
has become, does it surprise you that
every time it's mentioned, the people that
were pissed about it at the time somehow
emerge? They emerged when the White
Sox first announced this anniversary ear-
Steve and Garry circa 1980
16 illinoisentertainer.com july 2019
margin. Young rock and roll fans, drawn
by the 98 cent ticket price (to match the
radio station’s frequency), and the specta-
cle of seeing their favorite radio personal-
ities actually blowing up records, brought
their disco records and threw them onto
the field. After the explosion, fans
stormed the area and created a riot, tear-
ing up the grounds, ripping out the bases
and destroying the batting cages. The
White Sox had to forfeit the second game
of the doubleheader because the field was
ruled unplayable. Riot police had to be
called in to disperse the crowds.
News of this event spread far and
wide and made an even bigger star of
morning man Steve Dahl. It also caused
Dahl quite a bit of trouble at the time but
has since become the thing he is remem-
bered for most in his career. He still hears
about it all the time some forty years later.
Full disclosure: About a decade after
the Disco Demolition, I produced Steve &
Garry’s show on the Loop for a few years.
I wasn’t there when it happened, but I
have witnessed the change in people’s
attitudes about it. The fact that the White
Sox are choosing to honor the date, for
instance, is something that would have
been unheard of when I still worked on
the show.
I recently caught up with Steve Dahl and
got a chance to ask him about the date
that will live in infamy for him. lier this year. How can they still be pissed
at the Sox forfeiting a meaningless game
40 years later?
Steve: The people who emerge these
days seem to think it was homophobic
and racist. Most of them weren’t even
alive when it happened and have no idea
what they are talking about. We were on a
radio station owned by a U.S.
Congressman (Cecil Heftel from Hawaii).
There was no way they would let us do
something that would jeopardize the
license like that.
Rick: Congrats on the big anniversary
night coming up with the White Sox. I
was living in Germany when Disco
Demolition happened in 1979, and it
made the newscasts there. That's how big
of a story that was. I know you've Rick: At one point, you were banned from
Comiskey. Now they are celebrating you.
That has to make you feel good.
Steve: I wasn’t technically banned. It just
didn’t seem like a good idea to show up
Rick: I remember when you and Garry
were celebrating your tenth anniversary
together (1989). I called up Jimmy
Piersall and asked him to be on the show
to talk about your anniversary and what
he thought about Disco Demolition all
those years later. He nearly deafened me
with an angry profanity-filled tirade. Did
you and Jimmy ever make up?
Steve: Jimmy went to his grave, hating
me. I’m still in counseling.
Rick: You've probably personally heard a
million stories from the many fans that
were there that day. What are some of
your favorites?
Steve: I always like hearing about the
guys climbing the foul poles, the imagi-
nary base-running, and the couple mak-
ing out at second base.
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