Old Glory Days.... Gone And Forgotten? + Gay Club Memories (compiled)

[Guest -jixiang-]

The Pan Pacific one was called "Rascals"...

Wow you guys really can remember all these place name. That was long long time ago 25 year back or so. was young then now LKK

[Guest -FeDEX-]

Wow you guys really can remember all these place name. That was long long time ago 25 year back or so. was young then now LKK

How many can remember the public toilet along Balestier Road (near the present Boon Tong Kee).....

[cock brand]

The Pan Pacific one was called "Rascals"...

Ah yes, Rascals ! Thanks.

Remember those sunday nights........dancing the night away........

And also the in the former Leisure Drome in Kallang, whats the name?.

And Boom Boom Room in Bugis Village where Kumar the queen perform nightly.

And yes, how can I forget the old National Library..........the adult section upstairs.

Seems like yesterday

[Guest D62CDD]

The lounge at Forum Hotel - cruising place for high class gay

[Guest Lezard Cheung]

Hee hee, when I first come out, my time is Plaza Sing (PS), Boat Quay (we refer to it as River), Niche, Legend & Mamota. (Plums @ Hyatt & the coffee house @ Dynasty Hotel after Niche or Legend, if no money, then it is Kentucky at Shaw Cinema, After Mamota, it will be Kentucky near Nicoll highway.. hahaha.)

[chubaholic]

There was a membership health club in the building next to Peace Centre called Karakara, patronized by Japanese. Many chubby-chasing locals joined the club to try to pick up the Japanese expatriate uncles.

Oh I love Marmota. It was the place to see and be seen on Sunday nights in the hey days. The man-watching continues after the disco at Kallang KFC. Time flies. 歲月不饒人

Speaking of discos, I remember Legends@Lucky Plaza.

Edited March 3, 2009 by gachi_muchi

[Guest Guest]

fancy no mention of

bistro bar of tropicana (now demolished)

and shaw center???

[Guest guest]

fancy no mention of

bistro bar of tropicana (now demolished)

and shaw center???

oh u forgot to add in changi village. when the drag would dress as sexy gal and suck the commodores and straight guy there. the famous drag queen call christmas tree and another popular one known as the SQ queen. those were the good old days. drag queen christmas tree already left the earth.

[abang]

Yes Mamota .... in 1984... It was so sad that I'd to book into camp every Sunday night and must take Bus 14 which passed through the Leisure Drome area... that 25 year ago.. how time flies..

My haunt included:

My school's swimming pool and the lifeguards... (no I wasnt from ACS!) in the mid 70s

Hong Lim Park in late 70s and early 80s

Niche in the mid 80s

Singapore River in the late 80s and early 90s (before it is rebranded as China Square)

Shaw Centre with the old Lido in the early 80s

Plaza Singapura with the old Yaohan in the early 80s

Big Splash and Fort Road beach (now inaccessible anymore) in the 80s, 90s and up to a few months ago

Sentosa in the early 80s where you have to take a ferry across

and to a lesser extent... outside Hilton Hotel, giving the professional money boy a run for the money... of course, I was too valuable to charge a fee..I was very young then and suffered a bout of Pinkerton Disease (think Puccini's Madam Butterfly).

=================

I had very fond memories of Hong Lim because of the open air hawker centre across the street. I could walk there from my place in 5 mins....

Sentosa was a different place altogether at that time. There were sun dunes nearer to the golf courses... seduced my company 2IC there (successfully)...

Edited March 4, 2009 by abang

[koolkai]

Wow! I didnt realise there are so many cruisy places in Singapore. I stumble upon some of them by chance but I was too young and scared to want to do anything though I was being cruised

[Guest Lezard Cheung]

. the famous drag queen call christmas tree. those were the good old days. drag queen christmas tree already left the earth.

wah.. I remember one we at Marmota nicknamed "Christmas tree" cos this uncle in woman clothes wore those christmas tree metallic ball decorations as earrings. sometime he no drag and look very uncle.

never seen him around for a long long time. dunno if we are talking about the same one...

[GachiMuchi]

Yah, I think I saw that person in Studebaker many many years go. He was really a classic, will sure to leave an impression in your mind after you see him with his big mirrored disco ball ear rings, with mixed of half drag half man look. Just stands out in the crowd.

[banyan]

Oh yes...... I remember Marmota! I frequented the place almost every Sunday nite and came home 2-3 am Mondfay morning until my mom grumbled saying no girl friend and yet stay out so late.... ha ha..... Miss dancing to the tunes of Dancing Queen, Square Rooms, YMCA and the whole lot of retro songs, together as one with all the PLUs! Felt so good to belong!

Miss the good old days!

[sendtoken82]

I rememeber when I was in Upper Primary school lower secondary time, I always go to (old) national library. Will stay in the toilet (Level 1 and Level 3), as there are many "glory" holes on the wall between the cubiles. Especially the cubiles just beside the urinal, can get to see all shapes form differnent ppl ... From the "Glory" hole, I remember that sometimes will get to see the guy in the next cubile shaking his c**K, that time still young dunnoe what is masterbate. Only will watch and "enjoy" the "show".

Also at the Farrer park swimming pool, the open concept showers ... sometime will be able to see guys bathing naked ...

My very first physical encounter was at the old Plaza Singapura, just a few months before the major renovation ...

I guess that's how I "cultivate" my orientation . . .

Cheers

[cock brand]

Oh yes...... I remember Marmota! I frequented the place almost every Sunday nite and came home 2-3 am Mondfay morning until my mom grumbled saying no girl friend and yet stay out so late.... ha ha..... Miss dancing to the tunes of Dancing Queen, Square Rooms, YMCA and the whole lot of retro songs, together as one with all the PLUs! Felt so good to belong!

Miss the good old days!

Yeah! maybe we were actually dancing on the floor side by side then., haha.

And the DJ will always put on some cha cha number and the all gals will go wild with their nimble fancy footwork.......cha cha cha........cha cha cha

[Guest guest]

wah.. I remember one we at Marmota nicknamed "Christmas tree" cos this uncle in woman clothes wore those christmas tree metallic ball decorations as earrings. sometime he no drag and look very uncle.

never seen him around for a long long time. dunno if we are talking about the same one...

yes is him . the only christmas tree who drag at gay club . not only him many old timer some were gone too.,

[Guest easy]

SOMETIMES too horny, go cruising for fast sex. men were more horny then because not easy to get sex.

can even get grabbed, got pants pulled down and banged against the backlane wall in 15 min flat

just love this type of animal sex like my friend said like ching sou.

[Guest Clubber]

My first cruising experience starts in RP where I molested many men. It was at Plaza Singapura (with old Yaohan) that I get to have real intimacy inside the toilet and sometime followed men to their home for sex and foreigners will also brought me to their hotel room for muak muak!! I was a priced catch during those days. Now old liao cannot walk reqularly so have to just stay inside the suana waiting instead of cruising.

[IkuTube]

The posts here really bring smiles to my face! :clap: :clap: :clap: Haha, those were the days eh! And, how they were kept with such cherished memories.

There was also a sunday disco at punggol, rite?

[maturemedium]

not forgetting the old Balesteir Public toilet the food centre.

[cock brand]

Actually I had wanted to post this song in the other thread - Songs That Stir My Emotions"

But I think posting it here is maybe more appropriate.

I would like to delicate this song to all fellow members and especially to Gachi Muchi who started this thread (and also because I wanted to).

Its an old song and a very nice song. Listen to the lyrics, I think it was written for alot of of us here.

Hope you all like it.

Here you are :

For you guys

[VOCE]

And also all the shopping malls with Japan shops like "Yaohan" and "Kinokuniya".... All full of cruiser... For example kinokuniya in Liang court, Yaohan Plaza Singapura, Yaohan in Bukit Timah Plaza... Kinokuniya in Raffles City etc... May be most gays like Jap

[Guest guest]

And also all the shopping malls with Japan shops like "Yaohan" and "Kinokuniya".... All full of cruiser... For example kinokuniya in Liang court, Yaohan Plaza Singapura, Yaohan in Bukit Timah Plaza... Kinokuniya in Raffles City etc... May be most gays like Jap

the famous river vally swimming pool . where uncle sit and watch cuties shower .and gay suntanning wearing leslie cheong old fashion dark glasses.

[Guest gay]

The lounge at Forum Hotel - cruising place for high class gay

thought many went to hyatt hotel for supper and cruising after the disco at far east plaza niche.

[Guest guest]

thought many went to hyatt hotel for supper and cruising after the disco at far east plaza niche.

during the old days the disco love to play song sung by rick asley (gay singer), together forever and never gonna give u up.

[loool]

What are some of your memories of the burgeoning gay night club scene in Singapore?

 

Let's share any interesting/infuriating/sordid memories!

 

For me, I did my first oral HIV test at a club (wonder whether they still do this). The last time I went, I ironically found myself in a toilet cubicle with someone else. 

[G_M]

Changed the topic title from 'Nightclub memories' to "Gay Club Memories" so that no one is confused the Nightclub for str8 and the clubbing scene for gay.

[SomeGuyInSg]

Falling off the stage (plenty of times).

Falling unconscious off the stage (once).

 

Pulling my shirt off.

Pulling other people's shirt off.

Pulling other people's pants off (once).

 

Puking lying down. Puking seated. Puking standing up. Puking in yoga positions.

 

Good days of those drink drunk drama.

[Guest Guest]

Having someone jerked me off in the public on the dance floor in open sight.

[PaterTenebrarum]

In the late 1990s, there were two gay clubs in Chinatown. One was Niche at Pagoda Street and the other was Taboo where Play is now. Taboo back then was a bar, with a non-smoking room. It was NOT a disco. It was a bar.

 

BUT before that, there was Vincent's at Lucky PLaza and two karaoke bars: Inner Circle and Babylon.

 

And of course there were the Sunday night gay nights. The first one I went to was Heartthrob at the Melia at Scotts Hotel, I remember Musicworld. Then I think that it moved to Studebaker's at Pacific Plaza, then Studebaker's became Venom, then it moved to Centro.

 

I remember starting my partying on Thursday night at Velvet Underground, then Friday at Zouk and Taboo, and ditto on Saturday night and going to the Sunday night parties after dat.

 

 

Then there was the HUGE gay dance parties - the Nation parties. I attended all the Nation parties in Singapre. The first one was at Fantasy Island on Sentosa, before the event moved to the Musical Fountain. 2001-2004, I think.

 

I used to dance on podiums all the time and used to push ugly people off! Damn. The Singapore party scene back then as wild. Singapore at one point was a gay party destination. There was even an article in TIME magazine on it.

 

Fuck, I feel old and I WAS a wild child. But I call it living. Can't live like that now and I sure had fun.

Edited June 19, 2013 by PaterTenebrarum

[Blacque]

Having someone jerked me off in the public on the dance floor in open sight.

 

When the hell did that happen? I smelled cum on the dance floor once. 

[Blacque]

Falling off the stage (plenty of times).

Falling unconscious off the stage (once).

 

Pulling my shirt off.

Pulling other people's shirt off.

Pulling other people's pants off (once).

 

Puking lying down. Puking seated. Puking standing up. Puking in yoga positions.

 

Good days of those drink drunk drama.

 

LOL the flower-pot puking stance. 

[Butterscotch]

The last time I went, I ironically found myself in a toilet cubicle with someone else. 

 

This happened to me plenty of times previously too, both boys and girls hahaha!

[loool]

When the hell did that happen? I smelled cum on the dance floor once. 

 

haha, if theres enough people in the crowd...anything goes...

[glowingember]

Lol think we can roughly gauge the age by the clubs we patronized.

 

My first club was Rascals and only Sunday nights were meant for gays. I can't forget the lad who danced on the speakers. Somehow, he looked like he was born to dance. It's a very Madonna-Lucky Star kind of step-dance but in a manlier way. As the next day isn't a rest day, Sunday night clubbing wasn't a good idea. Luckily my clique consisted of students and air-stewards, so it was Go West and Sandy Lam on Sunday nights. It was quite liberating to go to Rascals then as that seemed to be the only place where gays can enjoy themselves and be free. However, we were also worried of police raiding the clubs on the pretext of checking for drugs. 

 

After Rascals, it was Heart Throb but the joyous feeling was no longer the same for me.

[Butterscotch]

When the hell did that happen? I smelled cum on the dance floor once. 

 

IIRC apparently there was this one time a guy was wanking on the stage/platform. He was escorted out of the club by the guards.

[Guest Guest]

never see people wanking on stage before....too extreme.....must be damn desperate....

 

guys putting their hands into others pants....then yes.....

 

 

[Guest Duh]

In the late 1990s, there were two gay clubs in Chinatown. One was Niche at Pagoda Street and the other was Taboo where Play is now. Taboo back then was a bar, with a non-smoking room. It was NOT a disco. It was a bar.

 

BUT before that, there was Vincent's at Lucky PLaza and two karaoke bars: Inner Circle and Babylon.

 

And of course there were the Sunday night gay nights. The first one I went to was Heartthrob at the Melia at Scotts Hotel, I remember Musicworld. Then I think that it moved to Studebaker's at Pacific Plaza, then Studebaker's became Venom, then it moved to Centro.

 

I remember starting my partying on Thursday night at Velvet Underground, then Friday at Zouk and Taboo, and ditto on Saturday night and going to the Sunday night parties after dat.

 

 

Then there was the HUGE gay dance parties - the Nation parties. I attended all the Nation parties in Singapre. The first one was at Fantasy Island on Sentosa, before the event moved to the Musical Fountain. 2001-2004, I think.

 

I used to dance on podiums all the time and used to push ugly people off! Damn. The Singapore party scene back then as wild. Singapore at one point was a gay party destination. There was even an article in TIME magazine on it.

 

Fuck, I feel old and I WAS a wild child. But I call it living. Can't live like that now and I sure had fun.

 

Other than taboo, zouk I've not heard of the other bars (clubs?) you mentioned.

[PaterTenebrarum]

Boys boys boys...lets go bk to the topic. Btw...Taboo has gone thru three incarnations. And of cos I remember Happy...the club where Play is now. Then there were clubs like the Gate. But older gay guys I spoke to talked of clubs like Marmota, Chinoiserie and the Hangar. wSome of my frens are transsexuals who used to be at the original Bugis Street. They often sigh when they talk abt their youth n say dat partying in SG is sterile now. I do agree somehow.

[G_M]

Hello people,

If you going to bitch, I will throw you guys out.

NOW, GET BACK TO THE TOPIC.

[iamziz]

Don't we all smile as we reminisce the old days?

 

[loool]

wow, never knew that the gay clubbing scene stretched so far back!

[seiya]

In the late 1990s, there were two gay clubs in Chinatown. One was Niche at Pagoda Street and the other was Taboo where Play is now. Taboo back then was a bar, with a non-smoking room. It was NOT a disco. It was a bar.

 

BUT before that, there was Vincent's at Lucky PLaza and two karaoke bars: Inner Circle and Babylon.

 

And of course there were the Sunday night gay nights. The first one I went to was Heartthrob at the Melia at Scotts Hotel, I remember Musicworld. Then I think that it moved to Studebaker's at Pacific Plaza, then Studebaker's became Venom, then it moved to Centro.

 

I remember starting my partying on Thursday night at Velvet Underground, then Friday at Zouk and Taboo, and ditto on Saturday night and going to the Sunday night parties after dat.

 

 

Then there was the HUGE gay dance parties - the Nation parties. I attended all the Nation parties in Singapre. The first one was at Fantasy Island on Sentosa, before the event moved to the Musical Fountain. 2001-2004, I think.

 

I used to dance on podiums all the time and used to push ugly people off! Damn. The Singapore party scene back then as wild. Singapore at one point was a gay party destination. There was even an article in TIME magazine on it.

 

Fuck, I feel old and I WAS a wild child. But I call it living. Can't live like that now and I sure had fun.

yes those were the days and will go every sunday where the club scene is, wed at mambo, and fri/sat will be down at zouk, velvet underground, tabs, why not....

 

very fond memories  and was really amazed at how we used to have fun

[PaterTenebrarum]

I also remember that the original BoonBoom Room was in Bugis and just next door was this disco called Ding Dong Agogo. Boom Boom Room was a huge hit cos of Kumar but he could not appear in drag cos I think appearing in drag onstage was a huge nono back then. DingDong Agogo was a flop though. Boom2 Room moved to Far East Square after that but it never quite captured the glory of the old Bugis days.

 

Besides the gay clubs, there was also fun straight clubs where some gays liked to go.  Lets just say I started partying very young- since I was 15.

 

Back then, there was the Fire disco teadance at Orchard Plaza - for kids <Banned Words> years old, from 2pm to 6pm every Saturday. Very popular with young gay teenagers. I was at my bisexual stage back then.

 

In the 1990s, there was no age limit to smoking so kids as young as 12 (and even younger) were already happily puffing away. We could even smoke inside shopping malls and inside Changi Airport! (old timers like me will of course remember this). Cigarettes back then came in small boxes with 10 sticks per pack. Bought my first pack at 13- Salems. As a kid, you could smoke  and no one cared.

 

So, Fire teadance was like kids gone wild. No alcohol was allowed so we smoked and danced and tried to pick up girls.We danced to music by acts like the C+C Music Factory and Blackbox. We did stuff like the running man and other old school hiphop steps (I CAN STILL do them now and demonstrated them to my interns who looked shocked that somebody my age could still dance like that)

 

After Fire teadance, a whole group of us would go to MacDonalds Centrepoint to just bum around, smoke and pick fights. It was openair then with stone tables.

 

I was quite a paikia back then - almost joined a secret society as teadances were usually where members were recruited. And I could fight! Can still fight now. Hehehe! Old habits die hard though Im much mellow now. Im known to get into fistfights with straight guys when they really piss off, though I refrain from doing so now cos I have a career to think of.

 

Because I looked old for me age, I could sneak into nightspots. I remember going to clubs like Zanzibar (at what used to be Le Meridian hotel at Orchard) and Bibis at the second floor of Peranakan Place.

 

Then there were the places where gayboys used to buy their clothes (and cruise while shopping!)

 

I remember buying clothes from this little boutique called Studio EFX  in Wisma Atria. No one cruised there though all the clothes there were either very tight, or sheer or both.

 

Party boys also bought their stuff from Glamorette and Gaultier Jeans at the Promenade, a shopping mall where the new wing of Orchard Paragon is! The clothes were were fabulous but very expensive.

 

Then there was NEXIS. At Scotts Shopping Centre. This place was pretty cruisy and it sold a lot of tight clothes and tank tops cathering for gay boys. Nearly all gay boys used to wear the ribbed tight t-shirt from NEXIS. Met my first bf there.

 

NEXIS then moved to Ngee Ann City when it opened in...lets see...1992, I think, with Studio Tangs. It used to be where Kinokuniya is now, If Im not mistaken. But business was not going too good so both Studio Tangs and NEXIS closed down.

 

Other famous places to buy gayboy clothes include Flyers inside Centrepoint and SAGA at Park Mall, which showcased clothes by local designers.

 

Ohhh...and anyone remember Opera Cafe at Boat Quay? A very chichi cafe where artsy gayboys used to go to gossip and check out the other patrons.

 

One of my exes and I also used to like going to the Coffee Club at Boat Quay. It was huge.  Very chichi and atas back then with a lift and rooms with different themes. Our favourite waiter then is now a  very popular icon in the partying scene.

Edited June 22, 2013 by PaterTenebrarum

[Guest Guest]

Oh wow… memories...

 

afternoon Tea Dances were very popular when I was in secondary school in the late 80s.

 

I used to frequent the tea dance at Rumors at Forum Galleria. 

 

The music was awesome…. Depeche Mode "Strangelove", New Order "Bizarre Love Triangle", Erasure "A Little Respect", and all the Stock/Atkin/Waterman stuff like Kylie and Bananarama... 

 

hahaha…. we thought we were so cool imitating the sign language from New Order's "True Faith" video… and also the choreography from Bananarama's "I Heard a Rumor".

 

My first "nighttime" clubbing experience was Warehouse along Havelock Road in 1990. My friends and I managed to sneak in although we were underage. It was a mixed crowd, but with a large PLU contingent. Madonna's "Vogue" had just been released and I remember so vividly, when the DJ played that song (and also Malcolm McLaren's "Deep In Vogue") all the sistas would screeeeaaaam and rush to the podium to vogue their asses off. That was seriously the most amazing thing I had ever seen in my life… but I was only a suaku 16-year-old at that time… LOL…

 

 

One of my exes and I also used to like going to the Coffee Club at Boat Quay. It was huge.  Very chichi and atas back then with a lift and rooms with different themes. Our favourite waiter then is now a  very popular icon in the partying scene.

 

hmmm... are you referring to Bernice?

[Guest Hello Haze]

During Niche far east plaza time and legend Lucky plaza time here was also a club called Pastel mixed club but lots of gays at top level Promonade, only for members but the annual membership fee was only $300, back then seems like a lot of money. My friends and I shared and bought a few membership cards and went there together a lot, I was the youngest in the group haha, each member were allowed to bring 3 guests so that makes a big group of us. Many old timer Singapore male models of the 80's hang out there. Remember Xanadu in Shangri la? It became gay on I think was thursday. Hollywood East in Furama became gay after awhile. Can you imagine I started clubbing back then and all the way till when Zouk started and then later Taboo, Water Bar, Why Not, remember "Why Not?" came up I was still clubbing and NOW I'm still clubbing but of course not that often anymore, I started young so even now I'm still not that old yet. I think clubbing is fun. It is a shame most matured guys in Singapore stopped clubbing mostly either because they loose interest, they thought they should move on, or they felt embarrassed that they are too old or they ran out of energy. When I was working abroad I had more friends around my age and older who love to party once in a while, there were significantly more matured guys, mainly white guys where I lived drinking and partying in the club letting their hair down you can tell they were really having a great time.

[Guest Guest]

During Niche far east plaza time and legend Lucky plaza time here was also a club called Pastel mixed club but lots of gays at top level Promonade, only for members but the annual membership fee was only $300, back then seems like a lot of money. My friends and I shared and bought a few membership cards and went there together a lot, I was the youngest in the group haha, each member were allowed to bring 3 guests so that makes a big group of us. Many old timer Singapore male models of the 80's hang out there. Remember Xanadu in Shangri la? It became gay on I think was thursday.

 

 

 

Oh gosh, I do remember Pastel at the old Promenade(with the spiral walkway) and Xanadu at Shangri La, although I never went to either. I was still too young then and those 2 places were waaay too atas. 

 

 

 

 

 It is a shame most matured guys in Singapore stopped clubbing mostly either because they loose interest, they thought they should move on, or they felt embarrassed that they are too old or they ran out of energy.

 

hahaha... I'm one of those guys you're talking about. I'm turning 40 soon and stopped clubbing years ago.

 

I have a group of friends in their 40s and some even past 50 who still club frequently and I seriously don't know how they manage it. They often go on the Atlantis gay cruise (the one from LA to Mexico) and I see the photos they post on Facebook of themselves partying, topless and wearing hot pants, waving glow sticks in the air... and I'm like... aiyo... char bors... so old liow still so hiow..... hahaha... 

 

but then I realize I'm probably the one getting "old" and have to chastise myself for being ageist and so judgmental. lol...

[Guest matured gay]

40 plus still clubbing okay what (bonus if you still look young ), some maybe go take ippt can still get gold, but of cos must cut down on alcohol....old body cannot drink so much liao and if you do smoke, shld seriously consider quitting. you go topless.....might still have young guys going ga-ga over you..

 

50s i dunno.....if still look 40 plus....why not...

[PaterTenebrarum]

I quit partying cos Im partied out. From the Sydney Mardi Gras to the Sleazeball to the White Party, Black & Blue, Ibitza and Mykonos..and countless pride parties. Been there, done that. Now settled down. . but in the right company, the old me often resurfaces. KL used to have great parties too. There used to b huge dance parties in KL and this club callled Backroom...Im 36 going on 37. Ive moved on, I guess.

[Guest matured]

I quit partying cos Im partied out. From the Sydney Mardi Gras to the Sleazeball to the White Party, Black & Blue, Ibitza and Mykonos..and countless pride parties. Been there, done that. Now settled down. . but in the right company, the old me often resurfaces. KL used to have great parties too. There used to b huge dance parties in KL and this club callled Backroom...Im 36 going on 37. Ive moved on, I guess.

 

great! so what are u busy with currently? theres definitely much more to do than just clubbing....