A World Tailor Made for Polyester

Even to those who subscribe to the anything-is-possible maxim, the bill last Tuesday at the opening of Planet Polyester was still hard to fathom: the Village People playing a small, unknown nightclub in Garden Grove of all places? Could it be the Village People--those six men who donned silly, manly ensembles in the ‘70s and sang about manly endeavors? Hundreds of revivalists, most between the ages of 18 and 28, queued up at 8:30 p.m. to find out. Planet Polyester is held at the C’an, a nightclub in Little Saigon. On this Tuesday, in front of store windows lettered with Vietnamese writing, there stood a mix of those experiencing the ‘70s rehash trend for the first time and some who had been following it for years. The result was a mishmash of thrift shop specials, mall retro wear and plenty of Afro wigs that some carried off with hip ease, while others failed miserably.

Bottom line: Those who dared to dress in ‘70s garb and other fantasy wear played up the glam-slam of the Studio 54 years. That didn’t go unnoticed among promoters and the staff; as an incentive to dress disco in future weeks, they will pull folks from the line and let them in gratis.

What promoters Darryl Garcia and Matthew Laurent need to take note of are the series of glitches they hit that could break their club if the crowd decides not to pardon them.

First there was the decision by management of the C’an to temporarily halt entries at 9:15 and pass out plastic bracelets to the 50 or so people already inside the club who were over age 21. Apparently they were slow to realize the difficulty in distinguishing the under-agers from those of legal drinking age. That panicked those in line who had arrived early to skip the post-9:30 cover, not to mention creating confusion about why the line wasn’t moving.

Once patrons passed an airport terminal-like security check, they discovered the first error on the promotional flyer: no $1 drafts. The bar did make up for it by serving bourbon and Coke on the rocks for the same price.

The much-touted feature of the evening finally came on at midnight, but Garcia and Laurent did not deliver what they advertised. Instead of the Village People, they introduced an incredible simulation known as the Macho Men. Two were original members of the Village People, but that didn’t wash with the crowd of about 600, who came to see the authentic six.

Under little more than strobe lighting, the Macho Men lip-synced to Village People’s greatest hits and cavorted like middle-aged Chippendale dancers.

The show lasted little more than eight minutes and what ensued added to the overall kitsch appeal of the night. Boos and cries of “weak!” arose from patrons, many of whom turned to the exit demanding refunds. Several tried to rally the crowd to riot.

Orange County youths in a Garden Grove club ready to rage because they didn’t get to see the real Village People? The scene was surreal.

Fortunately, after half the club emptied, a fair amount of people stayed on to dance. Deejays Frank del Rio (an occasional presence on Power 106’s Sunday night Retro Show) and Robert Risque had done a fine job throughout the night spinning all the K-Tel hits and they continued to do so until closing.

And the biggest hit was the go-go dancer: 6-foot--something Tucker, who on opening night was suited up in a slim white jumper and a mighty ‘fro. He had all the right moves and everyone just dug him. Another fave: graffiti-artist Kane’s wild airbrush work that funked up the C’an’s spiffy decor.

As for Garcia and Laurent, they say they discovered at the “last minute” that the actual Village People would not be entertaining. In that case, they could have saved major face by informing patrons before they entered the club about the change.

They obviously felt the heat, though; the cover was lifted this past Tuesday in hopes of luring the masses back. And $1 drink specials will be in effect on a regular basis.

Rose Apodaca is a free-lance writer who regularly contributes to The Times Orange County Edition. * PLANET POLYESTER

* At the C’an, 14241 Euclid St., Garden Grove. * (714) 665-5406.

* Tuesdays only, 9 p.m. to 1:30 a.m.

* Cover: $5 for ages 21 and over; $8 for those 18 to 20.