The spirit of the 1980s was thriving and the kids flocked from all directions: rich kids from Mercer Island with plump shoulder pads, the group from the ‘burbs with bangs teased to the tip of the Space Needle, even the street urchins with heavy eyeliner. They came for the music, spun by a one-armed, one-legged DJ. They came to be seen. And later, when a conservative group of parents led a movement to shut down dance clubs and impose curfews on the city’s youth, they formed a protest akin to Footloose.
For the definitive part of the decade, Skoochie’s, a teen nightclub near Seattle Center, was the place to be seen. Now, for one night only, it’s the place to reminisce.
Holly Clausen is founder of a Facebook fan club called “Children of Skoochie’s.” Clausen is now 39 with two children of her own but has organized a Skoochie’s Resurrection. Former Skoochie’s kids will be spinning the ‘80s top dance hits on Saturday, Oct. 3, at Club one3one, 131 Taylor Ave. – the same building where Skoochie’s existed from at least 1983 until May 18, 1986. Half of the net proceeds from ticket sales will benefit YouthCare, a charity that provides housing, clothing and outreach to Seattle’s homeless youth.
A sudden uprising over teen nightclubs threatened Skoochie’s during the spring of 1985. According to news reports from the time, David and Maureen Crosby founded a group called Parents in Arms after their son ran away and became mixed up with drugs. They helped influence new restrictions on teen clubs.
Reports of alleged drug and sex abuse a club on Boren Ave. called the Monastery influenced the Seattle City Council’s decision to pass an ordinance that year restricting access to teen music clubs. Under the new rules, teens under 15 would have to be accompanied by a parent or guardian.
The Skoochie’s kids revolted. They called themselves the Youth Defense Campaign and rallied outside the municipal building on Feb. 4, 1985. But it didn’t help. One by one, the city’s clubs closed – The Monastery, Club Broadway, Oz, Gorilla Gardens and, of course, Skoochie’s. “While the law didn’t make it illegal to stage a dance for minors, it made it confusing, cumbersome and costly,”
Children of Skoochie’s, who are all well over 21, won’t have to worry about digging up their fake IDs for the reunion bash. And they can rejoice that their money will be helping today’s youth.
“There were a fair amount of kids at Skoochie’s who were living on the streets,” Clausen noted. “Many of them were rejected from their families for coming out as gay. YouthCare runs a shelter that accepts teens who are gay, lesbian and transgendered. It’s a perfect fit.”
Skoochie’s Resurrection
Club one3one, 131 Taylor Ave., Seattle
Saturday, Oct. 3, 2009, 9pm – 2am
Advance tickets are $20 or $25 at the door.
RSVP for the event at Facebook.
Ironically, you must be 21+ to attend. Proceeds benefit YouthCare.
