I used to work at a dance club called One Step Beyond in the late 80s. It was a job. I could earn money while taking people's money at the door or storing their coats. I can't get that time out of my mind even if I tried. I have to dig deep and try to remember what it was like to be there. Maybe it will be research for a later story. Maybe I'll just put on some dance music and remember the club. What I do know is I missed it so much, I built a virtual club tribute to it back when the internet was morphing into what it is now. 

Back when AOL was king, at the turn of the 21st century, I built the virtual One Step. I used pictures from my last day of work there. I'd taken pictures on one of those 35mm cameras just to remember for myself. The place I'd basically called home, made friends, lovers, lost first loves, and that had revolved around most of my life up to that point. 

I'd met bands that played the place, like Rankin' Rodger, or even passed out flyers for a show we sponsored for Erasure. More on that later. 

But most of all, the beat of the place has stayed within me. I guess it has with most people that went to the place. It was our "Cheers". Our place to gather, make friends, forget about the real world, which was full of possible nuclear war at any moment. People would swing back and forth in slow dirge/goth dancing, cigarette dangling from a hand, with The Smiths playing in the background. 

This was our church. This was our sanctuary. One Step Beyond. There was no other place like it. 

At least for us. Because as I've searched through videos on YouTube for anything remotely showing what it was like, all that remains is an old fashion show on a Monday night. The theme was "Trash", and all the fashion had been made from that. I'd kill to find my mixtape from one of the DJs that had worked at the place. He'd made it for a gift. 

As I'm writing, I'm remembering more, and the stories will come out. Maybe they'll form into something. Because you see and witness a lot when you take people's money or take their coats, and have to stand for several hours in between the rush at the beginning of the night and closing time, you observe a lot.

What will follow are some of these memories. These memories of One Step Beyond, a dance club, that hosted a lot of alternative bands like the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Nina Hagen, and more.

One Step Beyond. Like the song by Madness, which of course, it got its name from. At least the song would be played once a night. And because of this, it was a mecca for the mods that would come on Two Dollar Tuesday. I could do an entire story on that. The times I would get change scraped together from the back of the car just to pay the $2 cover to get inside. Or the bag of pennies, which I'd count out, because it would make the person wait to make sure I had the entire amount of $2 to get in. Because really, if you're paying in two hundred pennies, any cashier should make you wait. I laugh at this now. Maybe that's why I should get this all down. Because sometimes you can't make this stuff up. 

Like the time when the security guards came running in for me to call the police because there was a problem in the parking lot, and then rushed back out. I was on the phone with the dispatcher telling them all that I was told, which of course, was confusing since all they'd stopped to tell me was to call the police. Turned out there was a person with an axe going after one of the security guards. Good times, right? Crazy times. It was the 80s.

So, get out your blacks, lace gloves, eyeliner, leggings and tulle skirts, it's time to dive back into the late 1980s I knew. Complete with DJ'ing at the college radio station and working at a night club. Return with me back to the 80s. Enjoy!