Disco’s Still Breathing at Club 5902

Long before the 1970s officially ended, mainstream youth did its best to slam that chapter in pop culture shut. Disco was pronounced dead. Bell bottoms got tapered so tight that feet struggled to fit through pant legs. Elevator shoes were burned, and Afros and long hair were shorn, moussed or spiked.

But disco didn’t disappear. It might have been “buried,” but that only meant it went underground. With counterculture during the last decade playing out a series of earlier eras--rockabilly, mod, new flower power, even post-punk punks--disco was bound to rear its ugly head once again. And it has.

Of all the vintage-inspired trends, strangely enough disco stands as the one most despised, most mocked and most cheesy. And five years after underground Club 1970s surfaced in San Francisco and Los Angeles, it won’t go away. That is undoubtedly part of the attraction.

As the millennium approaches, old disco is increasingly being mixed in with hip-hop, covered by pop and alternative song artists and played in its pure form as a staple at mainstream clubs. Fashion designers have even brought back platforms and bell bottoms as wardrobe de riguer for the next year.

Celebrating this tongue-in-chic rebirth is Disco 2000, at Club 5902 in Huntington Beach every Thursday night. The once-a-week “cosmofunkagroovathon” (the promoters’ term) opened three weeks ago and the “ ‘70s army” (as the promoters dub the crowd) keeps getting stronger.

Disc jockeys Beej and Roly thump out a pure 6/8 beat from their K-Tel collection that is disco at its purest: Donna, Thelma and Sylvester. Where else can you hear an extended mix of “The Hustle”? Amusingly, the band that some say killed disco by commercializing it, the Bee Gees, draws the more inhibited patrons onto the dance floor.

No doubt the all-night $1 drinks also contribute; the cheap price tag covers domestic draft beers, wine and well drinks. Another good deal is the door cover: free before 10:30 p.m. with a flyer (pick one up inside the club), $5 thereafter.

For the patrons, who are mostly in their 20s (the club is for those 21 and over), this is just their turn to boogie in public to this genre of music. Most of them normally keep away from modern disco, opting for jams of the punk and hard-core variety by day. The major presence of thorn tattoos and Vandykes on the guys and women with powdered faces, dark lipsticks and tattoos attests to that.

Their older siblings might have taken the disco movement seriously the first time out (whether they were into or anti- the groove), but this new generation is doing it part time with a generous dose of kitsch thrown in.

That includes two go-go dancers impersonating Deee Lite’s Lady Miss Kier. The duo balance on the round lit platforms in their tall silver Fleuvogs, donning Vegas-inspired silver sequin bustiers, hot pants and ostrich feather boas. Tasteless glamour. So ‘70s.

Imagine everywhere you turn the image of John Travolta tucking that black satin shirt into his tight, white Angel Flights. Yes, the club’s 16 televisions (it’s a sports bar during the week) show “Saturday Night Fever” in addition to such favorite cult ‘toons as “Ren & Stimpy” and “Speed Racer.”

The one item plainly missing is the mirrored disco ball. A pack of disco dolls came to the club one recent evening with homemade mini versions hanging from velvet ribbons around their necks; one confided they were Christmas tree ornaments from Pic ‘N’ Save. A perfectly gaudy accessory. The club does have assorted colored siren-style lights and a smoke machine that makes you choke.

For those who don’t dance, there are three pool tables crammed together at one end and another one hidden behind the bar. But crowd energy and the infectious synthesized beat will likely get even the most uncoordinated oaf out on the floor. So don’t forget your dancin’ shoes.

- Disco 2000 at Club 5902, 5902 Warner Ave., Huntington Beach. Thursday nights only, 9 p.m. to 2 a.m. (714) 840-6118.