When it comes to discussing music, DJ Bus Station John approaches the subject with the passion and spirit of a Sunday morning preacher. "It's all about the music. This music needs to be heard. It needs to be witnessed. It needs to be celebrated," says the bearded keeper of rare disco. Bus Station John is celebrating a decade of routinely spinning records from what he considers dance music's halcyon period - the mid-1970s through early '80s.
In a city where club nights come and go faster than gays' right to marry, Bus Station John is proof that when you celebrate and share what authentically moves you, people will come. Case in point: The Tubesteak Connection at Aunt Charlie's. A narrow, dim Thursday night gathering spot for alterna-queers, this club night is nestled in a seedier section of town, which seems quite fitting for Bus Station John's vision. "It is important to me to help keep what few non-mainstream queer corners we have left alive, as well as our connection to old-school gay culture," he says. "At the same time, I realize that the magic of the music I love crosses all boundaries, and I'd like to share it with more people in new contexts."
Throughout our interview, DJ Bus Station often uses the words "old school" to describe the music and the distinct era he channels, through both the records he spins and his "old-school" presentation; creating club posters and flyers using scissors, glue sticks and Xerox machines. That commitment to channeling the analogue is consistently evident in his clubs, from the vinyl on the turntables (you heard me right- turntables, remember those?) to the no-cell-phone policy. "We didn't have phone booths on the dance floor back in the day, kids," says John. "It's about disconnecting from your handheld devices and connecting with the music and each other."
From his past clubs, including The Rod at Deco Lounge and Double Dutch Disco at The Transfer to his longest running club Tubesteak Connection and newest club Le Perle Degli Squallor at Hot Spot, DJ Bus Station John brings a variety of "non-scenesters" to his rapidly growing "non-scene" scene. "I think I managed to maintain an underground vibe, or as close to one as can exist in the internet age," he says.
DJ Bus Station John doesn't maintain a website or Facebook account, as he prefers word of mouth and good old-fashioned flyering- yet another example of his old-school charm. "Back in the day, you had to go out, live life and see where the evening took you. It took a combo of serendipity, urban savvy and word of mouth. That's how you find your scene!"
While many clubs prefer the high-gloss aesthetic, as he prepares to turn 50, DJ Bus Station John has found his niche: being exactly himself. He hopes his preference for most things old-school will help bridge the gap between generations. An assorted gaggle of folks pack the faded, often compressed confines of Aunt Charlie's, where you can find skinny jeans and thrift store threads mingling with plain tees and pornstaches to match the posterized porn imagery, and often clubgoers who actually were at clubs in the 1970s, like Donna Personna who was around during the Cockettes era, and even performed in their wacky 1972 film Elevator Girls in Bondage.
DJ Bus Station John says all are welcome. "I think the warmth of the music gives people permission to drop their facades, relax, let their hair down and commune together," says John. "My favorite nights have been a mix of heavy cruising, sweaty dancing and on select occasions, twentysomethings through 80-somethings finding intergenerational camaraderie under the same roof - not a common sight anywhere, and a vibe I'm very proud to have created."
There is a very real, honest quality to DJ Bus Station John, a quality that seeps into his clubs. He pays homage to the history of queer places and culture. He is not afraid to state his opinions, yet remains very humble, even after receiving a 2010 Bay Guardian Goldie Award and being named "Most Original DJ" by SF Weekly. He transforms spaces that were never intended to be dance clubs into vibrant miniature discos. All this from a man who didn't even start DJing until around age 40, which he says is proof that "Life can surprise you at any stage!"
DJ Bus Station John's current clubs are TubeSteak Connection, every Thursday at Aunt Charlie's Lounge, 133 Turk and Taylor; and Le Perle Degli Squallor, first Saturdays at Hot Spot, 1414 Market and Polk. For info and booking, contact [email protected]