October 8th, 2009

The Gallery

Winston: How did the Gallery begin?

Nicky Siano: It began out of the passion to want to provide a place … I wanted a place that really blew my mind. The only way to do that was build something that I had in my head that I thought when I am dancing. It was really about pleasing me more than anything.

Winston: It’s the type of thing where if you are having a good time everyone else is

Nicky Siano: Exactly

Winston: What was your fist inclining of the disco craze beginning?

Nicky Siano: I guess it was the original New York magazine article that came out in ‘74 – so it was written in ‘73.  I was doing interviews for it and I started to realize that we were moving in a direction where we were going to influence the music industry in a certain way. Especially when we found out that the records that we were playing were ultimately winding up on the radio in the top 10 f format.  We were playing them first before the radio – it was the first time in history that anything like that had happened. When I was doing that article I realized that was happening. I guess sometime in ‘73 or ‘74 I released we were going to have a really big impact on the record industry.

Winston: By that time the Gallery had been going a few years?

Nicky Siano: Yeah, about a year and a half.

Winston: There is a Gallery movie you are working on…?

Nicky Siano: Yeah it was shot at the Gallery in 1976 and 77. We are just editing it together and finishing it up. It’s really horrible in New York right now. It’s really hot and really muggy. People outside … everyone is walking around really lethargic because the heat is so intense.

Winston: Lighting and the sound system was a major element in the Loft , the Gallery  and Paradise Garage becoming so big…

Nicky Siano: It also was we were very lucky that we were in a time where we could have a private membership club. It provided a very unique experience because every week it’s the same people over and over. People became friends and it became like a watering hole for a certain likeminded people. The comradery that grew out of the Garage, the Loft and the Gallery is still going on. The people that made friends at the Gallery are still friends. It was a time when we were able to have private membership and only dealt with a certain crowd.

Winston: It all changed when disco got bigger and bigger

Nicky Siano: Exactly, the bigger it got the more place that were available – people were like why would I want to have to go through all these rules and join this club when I have 10 other places I can to go to . Why did we have longevity? Because we were better than the rest.

Winston: Also you had your single Kiss Me Again by dinosaur L …

Nicky Siano: The artist name was dinosaur L the singer was Miriam Valerie and a lot famous people were on there like David Byrne of Talking Heads, Arthur Russell on cello and also he was the co producer. It was like a studio band. My favourite part is the ending bit where they sort of just let loose and go crazy.

Winston: How did that come together?

Nicky Siano: Arthur Russell was a Gallery devotee. He came up to me and said “you know we can make a record”. I decided to do it – I put up the money for it. Arthur and I were the catalyst for the whole project.

Winston: I guess you wouldn’t get the same records sales as you did now?

Nicky Siano: No, It was at a time when just being a disco record sold. That out of the box – if it was a disco record it would sell.

Winston: That was essentially the downfall, for a while anything that had disco in it would sell.

Nicky Siano: Then the record companies started putting “disco” into all the garbage they wanted to sell – that’s what led to down fall.

Winston: It sort of got to point where there was a backlash to it

Nicky Siano: Truly

Winston: What were you reasons to stop DJing the first time?

Nicky Siano: That was basically a drug issue – I was heavily addicted to drugs. I got clean and going to the clubs was a real trigger for me. I stopped for a while and during the time that I stopped I just moved in a different direction. I just went with what was in front of me which was working with people with AIDS (Ed note – as a social worker). That was given to me I didn’t go after it. It sort of came up. I would say it’s like a spiritual journey. When you are open to things you never know what’s going to happen.

Winston: And you by chance came back to it

Nicky Siano: Well again I was working with people with AIDS in 1996 I felt really burnt out.  ‘83 to ‘96 I did nothing but work with people with AIDS. During the 80s it was a very bad period where people were dying on a daily basis. By ‘96 I was pretty much burnt out on doing that. I was sitting at home going” I can’t do this anymore” and the phone rang and it was the people from Body and Soul – they asked me to play at this thing in New York . I came to do it and that was it – my focus shifted again.  So again just being open to what life has for you instead of deciding what you want to do let the universe put you in the place where you need to go. It’s usually better than what you though you wanted for yourself.

Winston: That occurred at a resurgence of interest in garage or disco music?

Nicky Siano: It’s like that 20 year itch; I was there right on time. Now it’s sort of moving on, I want to move on. I was so passionate about playing again. I still have that passion but it’s different and grown into something else.  Like the things I never got to do in my life like writing. I did write a book along the way and written several screen plays. I really didn’t spend enough time doing that- now I want to.

Winston: That’s the reason for retirement from DJing?

Nicky Siano: It’s not the end of anything it’s just the change in focus. All creative people get to this point – where they doing a creative job if you get to a point where you go “ok I have sung this song 30 000 times what am I going got do next – will I continue to sing this song or will I find a new song or go and act in a movie”. Creative people have several venues that they can work within. If they are given time they can explore anyone because people who are creative want to try different things with their energy.

Winston: How do feel about the current re-edit culture?

Nicky Siano: I am all for improving things but with these remixes and re-edits I just end up playing the original 99 percent of time. So many things have been re-done but I want to hear good new stuff.

Winston | 3 Comments

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