tim cathcart 

Came across this after watching a 1st season episode of La Femme Nikita (and searching Queen St sets used in the episode…somehow led to this, abstruse, I know…). Amazing how it can all come rushing back in after all these years, those nights experiencing the influence of Mars and Jurgen and Jeff C and simply the quality of that scene…never to be replicated. Thanks, Denise. 
 
1:36 am on July 28, 2012 







Eric Alper

Absolutely one of the best stories I’ve read in Eye/The Grid, or anywhere else. Denise has created a document of thousands of people’s lives, and thank you for doing that. 

11:00 am on June 1, 2012 







Die J!
Mars 
I agree 100% with Michael X. Awesome article. You got it down. Makes me realize how much I really miss that place. Out of all the clubs I’ve ever done, it really was home.
Funny enough, I remember sneaking in with my friend and my fake I.D. when I was underage. It was a blizzard and the bouncer told me the party was cool. After I paid to get in there was nobody there. Then many years later, Michael X told me to go spin there cuz I needed a job (just got fired from Death or something…)–that an a combination of meeting Jason Levesque (the club’s later promoter). From what I heard, I was told it was a “gino bar”. Hahaha.. Then I met Pat the owner who said some homophobic thing to me and would constantly come into my booth (even on packed nights) and say “what is this shit, you suck!” It really pissed me off but put me in place and brought my stupid ego down. He also actually was a bigger fan of the “alternative” music than most of us. He stumped me a few times and always talked about going to Cure concert.. Years later he was one of my best friends and I go play soccer with him wearing my nail polish. Hahaha. After seeing the movie “Lords of the Dogtown”, Pat really was like that partying older brother who made everyone feel at home. Oh yeah, the first time I met Gio (another great guy), Pat told me he was a Go Go Dancer. I didn’t even know he was the owner…  
You know, I knew the place was magical but didn’t know the full extent of it (since 89!) until I read your article. You were so right about the music. I blew hundreds of dollars a week like a crackhead going to the secret bins of Play De Record, etc. to find new tracks to break in. Looking back, like all of us, I was spending $15 on a single to try to be the first one to play it and hope I wouldn’t clear the club out for the 5 minutes I tried the track out. I valued this over food–literally! That sorta craziness is gone now with MP3s. In fact, I switched my name to “Die J!” only because I wanted to separate what I did at Catch where I pushed new music from other nights I did where I would play “the classics”. Unfortunately, when Catch closed, I was doomed with that Die J! thing forever as that was my name for the other night I did. Haahaha! I think half of us waiting for the next 4 years in denial that a new Catch 22 was going to re-open. I didn’t even want to do any other gigs until this new club happened… 
BTW, what ever happened to Paul the bartender? I know Suzette got married and lives in Denver. I also heard Coz the door guy (you can’t forget him–the nicest guy around but had surprisingly the strength of Thor to stop a situation) became an accountant. I also was in NYC for 10 years but got married and move to L.A. about a year and a half ago. I just made my first feature film 
http://freakchic.com/2012/05/08/the-house-of-field-documentary-by-mars-roberge.aspx 
that I’m trying to get into this year’s Festival of Festivals. If it makes the cut, I’m hoping to do some sorta Catch thing the first or second week of September. Fingers crossed. 

8:46 pm on May 25, 2012 






Alec 

Really enjoying this series. Hope at some point you’ll do a piece on the heyday of the DanceCave, circa 89-94. Highly un-fancy and barely crosses that line between beer hall and nightclub, but we had a lively, diverse scene and great DJs, including Siobhan O’Flynn, Stephen Scott, Mr. Pete and a host of others. 

12:36 pm on May 25, 2012 







DJ Michael X 

You’ve done it again Denise. I truly think you put all of the pieces together for this part of Torontos’ Alternative/Electronic musical puzzle.
Thank you again for allowing me to contribute.
DJ Michael X 

11:42 pm on May 24, 2012








DAVID JAMES 

This series is touching my heart. The venues you are writing about bring back amazing memories for me. All the places you have covered truly have influenced my life and my decision to enter the music world. Thank you. When I read this I really feel like i’m back in the day. Would you consider gathering these stories in to a book? 

11:11 pm on May 25, 2012 







DJ Michael X 

Tim, Just wanted to say thanks for posting the video clip! 

2:50 am on May 26, 2012 







Denise Benson 

Thanks for the feedback & for participating, Michael.
David, happy to hear you’re enjoying the ‘Then & Now’ series. Thanks! And yes, the goal is to publish a related book. Many more stories to tell  

4:11 pm on May 26, 2012 







Die J!
Mars 
Denise, I’d buy that book!
All this nostalgia has me thinking how cool it would be if all these clubs had reunions the same weekend in their original locations (if possible, e.g dancing next to the burger stand in the Boom Boom Room) so we could go club-hopping like it was the early nineties all over again. Might seem like when the Earth stood still in the original Planet of the Apes… 

4:57 pm on May 26, 2012