An anonymous OCThen reader asks if anyone remembers The Basement, a dance club in the Orange Circle...
Does anyone remember a dance/disco place called The Basement? It was located in the Orange Circle? I can remember my sisters getting dressed up in either their satin pants or chemin de fer jeans and satin jackets and going down there. Hilarious!
I'm a blogger and internet marketer, motorcycle rider, and craft beer lover.
I wonder if that is the same place that we used to dance at around 83-85? I thought it was called 'The Circle' I remember having the best times there as a 16 year old.
ReplyDeleteI remember that it was called Circle City! It was on the second floor, so definitely not the basement. We also used to go to Cloud Nine & Studio K at Knotts Berry Farm and Nightscape, a club where Main Place is now.
ReplyDeleteYou are RIGHT Circle city AND it was on the 2nd floor, just seemed like a basement.
ReplyDeleteI had the best times at Circle City. I also remember Nightscape. Dang that was a long time ago. What about Club Post Nuclear in Laguna Beach? The building still stands, I think it is a restaurant now?
ReplyDeleteI so remember the basement - saw Martha Davis (Motels) there...wish it was still there so others could enjoy.
ReplyDeleteYes, I remember "The Basement"! I remember always seeing the sign down at the Orange Circle. Wasn't the sign in black with red letters? I never did go there.
ReplyDeleteEvery Friday & Saturday night was spent at Circle City from 1980-82. Also, does anyone remember Ichabods in Fullerton, or Noah's Ark in Long Beach. A great club for the under 21 crowd. I also went to Cloud Nine at Knotts Berry Farm. I met my husband there and we've now been married 25 years.(Boy, now I feel old.)
ReplyDeleteYes! Another Circle City, Nightscape, Cloud 9/Fiesta Village, The Kingdom alumni member here... Then when we turned 21 it was off to L.A & Hollywood clubs; Ariel, Dirtbox, Alice's House, Scream, Ground Zero...
ReplyDeleteCircle City rocked... there were the mods, the Teds (rockabilly) and the New Romantics.. It was the coolest all ages club in OC. We also went to "The Kingdon" in Buena Park and would go up for some LA fun at the 321 Club, Florentine Gardens... fun times
ReplyDelete1982/84 I used to clean Circle City during the day for free cokes,free admission and a say on what the DJ played. Although the owner nixed my Social Distortion single affter one spin.
ReplyDeleteAnybody remeber Circle City's 500pound flashlight wielding bouncer from N.Carolina = Larry Boswell I think.
How about when the 3'oclck played there?
As I remember Circle City changed it's name to Nightscape moved to a club that used to be called American Bandstand in Fashion Square thats now Main Place.
My friend Marc Wood use to clean up that place as well.
DeleteLost touch with him.
I remember both the Basement and Circle City Disco well - I was a co-owner of both in 1977 through July of 1999. I was in my early 20s then and it was a great time. I still recall the names of many of our teenage employees.
ReplyDeleteJim
i remember walking up the stairs up the side of the building, there was only 3 rooms ( i think), a drinking room, smoking room and the dance floor, pretty minimal. Always had a good time sneaking boone's farm in and smoking djarums. Does anyone remember angie, a little punk girl with a mohawk?
ReplyDeleteThe Circle City Disco was in the circle..One of the coolest places in the OC! It was owned by a guy named John Schroeder and his wife..It later move near Santa Ana and was then called Nightscape..Then the owner was again moved the club and changed the name..It was then called Sensations,Zzapp and Kaliediscope. I was the dj for Zzapp and Kaliedascope!
ReplyDeleteSomeone mentiond Noahs Ark in Long Beach WOW that place was a blast it was my first DJ job 1977.
ReplyDeleteThen i moved on to the LA nightclub scene.
I also danced the night away at Knotts "Cloud 9" 1976-1978
DjRick
Hi I danced the nights and weekends away in "the Basement" and Disneyland , Knotts 3 dance floors Cloud nine, The airfield eatery and fiesta village, I was a regular from 76-79 , Wow what fun ! anyone wanting to get in touch from those days e-mail me @ mrmrszero@comcast.net
ReplyDeleteWow!!! Noah's Ark a used to live right down the street,it was my hangout when I was a teenager. Anybody remember me as a big Afro and light skined? I was there every freaking week.LOL
ReplyDelete20+ years later I still love rockabilly, the music, the dancing and the styles...Circle City will forever be a fun memory.
ReplyDeleteI remember going to Ichabod's in Fullerton back in the mid 70's and I distinctly remember going there to watch dance contests (before punk) and Louis who is on Dancing with the Stars would dance fabulously and win the contest quite often. He was cute and he danced so well. Funny, his bio these days says that he is 37, but I don't think so! I saw him all the time back then,he was a regular at Ichabods. State College & Chapman.
ReplyDeleteSo...do you think Louie is 50??? He doesn't look it at all! Perhaps it was a look alike!! Sounds like fun times!!
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember a dance place called The Teen Canteen on Chapman near Harbor? Live bands like The Johnson Brothers from Santiago High and The California Sun's. Both bands I think had at least one almost hit on the radio. Am of course!
ReplyDeleteWe would get a group from college to go to "The Basement" every Thursday night during the '77-'78 school year. There were non-alcoholic drinks and Quadraphonic Sound. It was far out!
ReplyDeleteI remember Angie...I think I have a formal picture of her with a guy named Tony I dated. Anyone remember Danny Martinez? I wonder where he is now...Circle City was the best! Cloud 9 was nice during the summer. I remember gathering change out front to get enough money to get in! ahhh the memories!
ReplyDeleteYeah I remember good ol Circle. Those were the days. I was one of the Bouncers. Used to sit at the back door. I do believe it was 81/82 or 82/83. In my time there was Chad and Jeff the DJ. Then there was Janet who used to twitch that thang. LOL Margie, Ann (My 1st wife) :-) Yeah those we're some nice times. If you think you might know me from circle, feel free to drop a email: Danny@DannyBetancourt.com
ReplyDeleteJamie Yerger, chuck and Aldo.
ReplyDeleteCircle City, Nightscape,Sensations,Zzappand Kaliedascope all were owned by John and Stephanie Schroeder..
ReplyDeleteOMG you guys have brought back some great mem.s I was a bouncer, cook, ast. manager at Ichabods Fullerton back in the 70's. Met my wife there and some great friends. Where are they now???
ReplyDeleteAnd don't forget JAGG in Lake Forest!! Now Captain Creams.. I went to Circle City, Nightscape, Night Shift and then Jagg.. I was a Hopeless New Romantic. There was a guy at Circle City who used to call me Saltina, and I never knew why.. God! I miss those days of Aqua Net Extra Super hold in the pink and white can, L'Oreal Le Grand Kohl eyeliner, dyeing my hair blue-black and all time it took getting ready.. I even miss my little red scooter!! Ah! The 80's!! I'm almost 45 now, and miss every minute of it!! Loves and kiss, kiss Bang, Bang to all the 80's kids!! Love, Susan!
ReplyDeleteWow, were old! I remember Noahs Ark! We were there every Fri & Sat doing our 'steps'. Does anyone remember a pop lockin gruop called 'playground' from circle city? When we got 'older' LOL we moved on to Oasis on Pacific Coast Highway. Later days 'Live Bait' (great name) ha ha ha ...
ReplyDeleteFor the first time since we (John & Stephanie Schroeder) got out of the teen nightclub business in 1990, I Googled my past nightclubs. I found this blog and saw one post (11/07/08) that had to come from Tony Stewart. He was our only DJ who worked all three clubs, Sensations, ZzapP and Kalidascope. I can set the record straight on a few things.
ReplyDeleteThe Basement was prior to Circle City Club, but was located around the corner from us. They were never owned by the same operators. It went out of business in the late 1970s. Circle City opened in 1979 and I bought it with a partner in late 1981. The partner (Eric Alvarez) left to pursue other interests in 1983. The lease was up in 1984 and we moved it to Santa Ana where a long-standing alcohol nightclub had lost their liquor license and closed their doors. We opened there in October 1984 as Nightscape. The city bought the property under Eminent Domain and leveled the shopping center to make way for the Santa Ana Main Place mall.
In 1985, I convinced Anaheim's city council to let us open Sensations in Anaheim. That did well until Videopolis and the $99 annual pass at Disneyland came to be in 1987. We re-opened as ZzapP in 1988 and started the television show under the same name that same year. A gang shooting in July 1989 caused us to change the name again to throw off the reputation of being a dangerous place. I sold out in early 1990 and the place did not stay open for long after that.
I never looked back and never had a desire to open another location. Going 9 years without a weekend off is no fun at all. (smiles)
Someone mentioned Larry Boswell (head bouncer) at Circle City Club. I'd like Larry to contact me if anyone knows him. You can look up ZzapP on Facebook as I posted some pictures and videos there for the folks that care to see them and remember.
Just last September we took a vacation and met up with Chazz (Keith Gaither) in Nice, France. Anyone who remembers him ( aka: Mr. K at ZzapP?) will want to see him at 41 years old in our latest pictures on Facebook. He is doing great, still with a beautiful lady (Britta) he met at ZzapP, and is quite a successful businessman in Germany these days.
Was Circle City above Watsons? What is there now?
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