Playback ’95] “From Bondage, Sexy Actresses to Elephants”… “Mad Night” at GOLD in Shibaura

What did “FRIDAY” report 10, 20, and 30 years ago? In “Playback Friday,” we revisit the topics that were hot at the time. This time, we will look back at the article “The Last Night” in the August 4, 1995 issue, which was published 30 years ago, and discuss the “GOLDEN GOLDEN GOLDEN” in Shibaura, a famous restaurant in the Wangan area ! 　 The complete history of the crazy nights at GOLD in Shibaura, one of the most famous spots in the Wangan area.

The huge club “GOLD” in Shibaura (Minato-ku), which had been a symbol of the waterfront during the bubble era, closed its doors on July 18, 1995. The original lease for the building expired at the end of 1994, and although rumors had been circulating, the announcement was made only a week before the closing, in a flurry of activity. However, on the 15th, the last weekend night of the event, approximately 4,000 fans came to the venue to dance. This is an article that looks back on the history of “GOLD” while mourning its closing. All ages and titles are those of the time).

The number one in the incidence of fights and the success rate of pickups

Among the guests who came to the dance to say goodbye were Shizuka Kudo and Ramos of Verdi. No other club has been frequented by such cool celebrities as Takuya Kimura and Shinji Takeda, as well as Akira Kaku, a painter and spatial planner who has been involved with “GOLD” since its birth in 1989 and painted a mural just for the last day,

In New York, Paris, and London, there were clubs associated with the subcultures of the time, but in Tokyo, there were discos, but no clubs until then.

He says with a great deal of passion.

One of the symbols of the bubble economy was the large discos that gave birth to bodycon gals such as Maharaja and Turia. Juliana,” located in the same bay area, is particularly famous (technically, it opened in 1991, after the bubble burst). However, while the large discotheques up to that point provided “entertainment,” they did not offer culture or art. It was “GOLD” that established club fashion and house music in Japan. The bondage style, which until then had been merely “hentai” (perverted), was “fashion” here. The enthusiasm of the people who gathered at the venue gave “GOLD” an extra sparkle.

It was a “mecca for the underground.

“I think it was the number one place in the area in terms of the rate of fights, successful pickups, and on-the-spot sexual acts. I think it was the number one place in the city. (A DJ at a club in Tokyo)

Well, I heard so many stories about people having sex while standing on the rooftop of “Gold” during the heyday of the club. It was not only sex. Madonna, who came to Japan, once held a private party here.

In 1991, the first business was suspended due to “underage drinking. Even after the bursting of the bubble economy drove the “adult” customers away, “GOLD” continued to exist as a “sacred place” for the underground. Even the thong gals at “Juliana” were unable to compete in this regard. The director Terry Ito made the following parting comment to “FRIDAY.

GOLD” was like a “Koshien” for delinquents. Drugs, sex, fashion, everything was there, and all kinds of delinquents would go there to compete with each other. It’s a shame that it’s closed, but it’s a good thing.

GOLD” was built in a space that was originally an empty warehouse. Perhaps it was the “people” who gathered there that created the legendary space of that time.

Culture can only be born at night.

When it opened in 1989, at the height of the bubble economy, celebrities from all over the world were said to go to “GOLD” first when they came to Tokyo. The seven-story building, each floor measuring 463 m2, had an entrance and gallery on the first floor, a disco from the second to fourth floors, and a members-only bar, lounge, and even a kick-boxing venue from the fifth to seventh floors. Until then, discos mainly consisted of a dance floor, but “GOLD” had a large “space for non-dancers.

Not only was the venue exciting, but also the various events held there nightly. Not only did elephants appear at the reopening, sexy actresses and nostalgic stars were invited, but fashion shows by up-and-coming designers, SM and bondage shows, and other events were also held to add to the excitement.

In an era when social networking services and cell phones were not yet widespread, club culture was a culture born of “community. People who could only meet each other on the spot would meet in search of interesting things and create even more interesting things. Toshihiro Sato, who opened “GOLD” (currently president of Table Beat Co., Ltd.), said the following at an event held in November 2007.

Culture is born only at night. At night, social convenience and many other things are eliminated, and everyone’s individuality comes alive, and you can remove what you are carrying and meet people who are good for you there.

In the current Japanese club scene, large clubs are closing one after another due to the spread of social media and the COVID-19 crisis. The scene has visibly lost momentum. Will that fervor of the early 90s ever be born again?