Author | Sarah Champion (editor) |
---|---|
Country | United Kingdom |
Language | English |
Genre | Science fiction |
Publisher | Sceptre |
Publication date | 1998 |
Media type | Print (paperback) |
Pages | 364 pp |
ISBN | 0-340-70771-2 |
Disco 2000 is a 1998 anthology of short fiction edited by music journalist Sarah Champion. The stories in the collection are set in the last hours of 1999, and while the authors featured are largely known for their science fiction work, not every story is strictly of that genre. The collection is a follow-up to Champion's previous collection, Disco Biscuits, which took the British club scene as its topic.
People around the world are inexplicably vanishing \- and rumour is that the only way to survive is to be seen at all times. As New Year's Ever partygoers fight to be seen on TV cameras around the world, the narrator instead decides to sit alone on a London park bench. He is accosted first by a group of drunk homeless men, then by a TV news crew, leading to a fight that knocks him to the ground. When he recovers to find everyone gone and only the news crew's equipment left, he realises that people are somehow being pulled into the cameras themselves.
Harry, an Englishman, who has seemingly become unhinged by a life of non-stop, round-the-world partying, travels to Jerusalem, believing that if he plays Karen Carpenter's "Calling Occupants of Interplanetary Craft" as the new millennium begins, he will ascend into the Heavens. He manages to seize the Dome of the Rock, but is fatally shot by security forces. As he dies, he does indeed feel his spirit moving on.
In London, world-famous author and marketing guru Starorzewski frets about the launch of soft drink brand Cloaca-Cola while hedonistically partying in Buckingham Palace. As social order breaks down in the face of increasingly self-recursive media, he pulls off a major stunt - launching gallons of the filth-laden liquid on the citizens below, so that it crystallises into snow. (This mirrors an issue from the comic book The Invisibles , scripted by Morrison and entitled "And We're All Policemen" , [1] which is also set at a turn-of-an-epoch party. The protagonist's surname in "I'm a Policeman", Starorzewski, is shared by The Invisibles' King Mob .)
James, an increasingly violent and confused psychopath, stalks the streets of London. A vat-grown human, he has DNA from all of humanity embedded in his cells, allowing him to psychically access memories and experiences from all over the globe. The scientists who created him try - and fail - to stop him from mating, an action that causes reality itself to unspool.
Zach and Trevor, an American couple, celebrate New Year's Eve in Amsterdam, culminating in drug-fuelled hallucinatory sex in a friend's home. The story features characters from Brite's second novel, Drawing Blood.
A pair of nomadic DJs hoping to make their way across Australia for the start of the new millennium find themselves stranded in the wilderness. Desperate, they contact an email address found on the back of a button they picked up in their travels. Down the line comes a voice, seemingly recorded by one of them at a time unknown, warning them not to be trapped in the "millennium loop". As they continue their travels, they pick up an old man who reveals the grim truth: that the world is forever caught in a loop, never leaving the second millennium, always resetting at the end of January 31. Hoping to eventually break free, they leave a message for their past selves and drive on into the loop.
Counting down to midnight at a Manchester house party, a group of friends come up on MDMA in time for the new year.
Loren's plan to commit suicide at a friend's house party is derailed by a meeting with the god Bacchus who gifts him with a series of magical artefacts, including a party horn that will let him leap to any shindig in the multiverse - with the warning that if anyone so transported steps too far from a party, they will explode in a miniature big bang. Loren then skips through the Mad Hatter's tea party from Alice in Wonderland, a Roman orgy, and a 1960s bed in, acquiring several companions along the way. He jettisons one of them - who is trying to kill him - at a dinosaur "party", causing an explosion that means extinction for the beasts, and the group finally end up in his friend's flat 20 years later. His fears that the end of the party will cause them to detonate are unfounded, however: the UK, under a new revolutionary government, is now in a state of 24/7 partying.
After accidentally glimpsing the true nature of the universe, Professor Skychum attempts to warn the world of an impending mass disaster. Unfortunately he must compete for airtime with a bunch of genuine crazies, who are made to recount their crackpot ideas as TV entertainment. Eventually his prophecy plays out: "spaceships" appear above major cities and government buildings and begin to drop billions of dead bodies - the victims of those governments and institutions - onto them. Skychum, watching the corpses fall on New York from the safety of an out-of-town train line, remarks: "Many happy returns."
Drummond recounts how he and other members of The KLF planned to string up the bodies of two slaughtered cows from a pylon as part of a Discordian art prank at a time when the UK was reeling from mad cow disease. However, after acquiring the two animals, Drummond and crew lose their faith in the project and cancel it. With the end of the millennium approaching, they hatch a new scheme, to grind down the Rollright Stones, mix them with building materials and shave them into perfect cubes that will better withstand the vagaries of time. The story ends with them setting off to work. This story is connected to 2K's Fuck the Millennium project.
Fetish model and club queen Radiant Flower of the Divine Heavens, having stolen a prize flower that will only bloom at the millennium, fends off admirers as she frets over the plant's ailing health and its effect on her home's feng shui. One of those spurned admirers steals it and presents it to her arch-nemesis, club doyenne Venus Beuticia, who destroys it in front of the young woman at a New Year's Eve BDSM party. Radiant Flower pretends that she only stole it to present it to Venus, gaining the upper hand, then resolves to just use some hedge clippings to fix her feng shui instead.
A group of friends gather on the island of an enigmatic party planner, Domenico, to welcome in the new year with food, fun, drink and drugs. Nick, one of their member, is paralysed by gloom, but is transformed by the experience and granted a new lease on life by their host's magnanimity.
In Liverpool, a group of youths prepare to party into the new year, but two of their number have their own plans: Little Stacey plans to make some cash selling drugs at the city's biggest club bash, while reclusive graffiti artist Nemo plots his biggest and best work yet on the wall of a BBC studio. Stacey's dealing goes awry when he is mugged at knifepoint in the club and Nemo's mural is interrupted first by his friend Vanessa, who demands to tag along, and then by the police. Stacey is saved by bouncers, and Nemo and Vanessa manage to evade the police. Both young men see in the New Year in the arms of the women they love, having put their bad habits behind them.
A party host explains in monologue his philosophy on life, pain and salvation, as it emerges he is a cult leader talking his followers into committing suicide as a way to escape the cycle of rebirth and death.
Sometime lovers Bitch and Yoga Cow take on a drugged-up romp across London in search of raw steaks - tricky, since an epidemic of meat madness has led to meat products being banned. After failing to find anything useful at a couple of parties, they break into a secret meat locker beneath Harrods using a grenade, then take the meat to their friend Mack, who has been institutionalised. As Mack and Yoga Cow enjoy the meat at midnight, Bitch murders them and slinks away - possibly a victim of the disease herself.
In a cyberpunk-inflected London torn apart by conflict between the Corporation of London and billionaire Hong Kong investors, a mercenary infiltrates a New Year's Eve party being held in the ruins of Battersea Power Station by a cult leader. A paramilitary force is sent in to violently quell the party, but the leader defies all logic by apparently ascending - as promised - to a higher plane. (This is an excerpt from Beard's novel, Digital Leatherette.)
In Manila, a man preoccupied by the complexities of ballroom dancing ritualistically makes and consumes breakfast before being ferried on to an unknown future. )This is an excerpt from Stephenson's novel Cryptonomicon .)
Multiple parallel worlds collide after a Discordian named Simon the Walking Glitch organises an anti-millennium party for people who don't like the Christian calendar. Members of three alternate timelines - a giant superintelligent red ant, a giant superintelligent black ant, and a normal-sized fairly intelligent human named Abdel - converge on Simon's reality. The tangled timelines unweave after the red ants devour all of the world's Christians, which in turn leads to a substantial uptick in world peace.
Wyatt, an unhappily married special effects guru, is working through the New Year's Eve celebrations, musing on his inability to impregnate his wife and his addiction to Ativan when he snaps and decides he wants to flush not just the drug, but the whole of the 20th century, out of his system. He goes home and handcuffs himself to a railing on his balcony, throws away all his means of escape, and begins a truly terrible comedown as the millennium ends.
A companion album, also entitled Disco 2000 and released in 1998, [2] features, according to the book's afterword, "futuristic music for the end of the millennium, especially recorded as a companion to this book." [3] The album includes contributions from, among others, two of the writers featured in the book, Bill Drummond and Grant Morrison. [4]
Robert Anton Wilson was an American author, futurist, psychologist, and self-described agnostic mystic. Recognized within Discordianism as an Episkopos, pope and saint, Wilson helped publicize Discordianism through his writings and interviews. In 1999 he described his work as an "attempt to break down conditioned associations, to look at the world in a new way, with many models recognized as models or maps, and no one model elevated to the truth". Wilson's goal was "to try to get people into a state of generalized agnosticism, not agnosticism about God alone but agnosticism about everything."
The Church of the SubGenius is a parody religion that satirizes better-known belief systems. It teaches a complex philosophy that focuses on J. R. "Bob" Dobbs, purportedly a salesman from the 1950s, who is revered as a prophet by the Church. SubGenius leaders have developed detailed narratives about Dobbs and his relationship to various gods and conspiracies. Their central deity, Jehovah 1, is accompanied by other gods drawn from ancient myth and popular fiction. SubGenius literature describes a grand conspiracy that seeks to brainwash the world and oppress Dobbs's followers. In its narratives, the Church presents a blend of cultural references in an elaborate remix of the sources.
William Albert Murray is an English actor, best known for playing Don Beech in The Bill from 1995 to 2004, Johnny Allen in the BBC soap opera EastEnders from 2005 to 2006, and Captain John Price in the video games Call of Duty 4: Modern Warfare, Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 2, and Call of Duty: Modern Warfare 3.
54 is a 1998 American drama film written and directed by Mark Christopher. Its plot focuses on the rise and fall of Studio 54, a famous nightclub in New York City during the late 1970s and early 1980s. The film stars Ryan Phillippe, Salma Hayek, Neve Campbell, and Mike Myers as Steve Rubell, the club's co-founder.
Ambrosia is an American rock band formed in Los Angeles, California in 1970. Ambrosia had five top 40 hit singles released between 1975 and 1980, including the top 5 hits "How Much I Feel" and "Biggest Part of Me", and top 20 hits "You're the Only Woman " and "Holdin' on to Yesterday". Most of the original band members have been active with the group continuously for over thirty years to the present day, with the notable exception of original guitarist and lead vocalist David Pack since 2000.
Mo Harris is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, who made her first appearance on 18 September 2000, played by Laila Morse. Mo is also played by Lorraine Stanley in the 2004 soap "bubble" Pat and Mo, delving into her past with Pat Butcher. Mo is a highly comical character and her tendency for dodgy deals bring much of the show’s light entertainment. In July 2012, Morse's contract was not renewed, but she was not immediately written out of the series and continued to make occasional appearances until 21 January 2016. Mo's reintroduction was announced in December 2017 and she returned full-time on 16 March 2018. On 6 February 2021, it was announced that Morse would be leaving the role once again and she departed on 3 June 2021. On 28 June 2022, it was announced that Mo would return for a short stint later in the year. Mo returned on 10 August 2022 and departed on 14 September 2022, when she returned home to Essex.
Dirty Beasts is a 1983 collection of Roald Dahl poems about unsuspecting animals. Intended to be a follow-up to Revolting Rhymes, the original Jonathan Cape edition was illustrated by Rosemary Fawcett. In 1984, a revised edition was published with illustrations by Quentin Blake. An audiobook recording was released in the 1980s read alternately by Prunella Scales and Timothy West; Scales narrated "The Pig", "The Scorpion", "The Porcupine", "The Cow" and "The Tummy Beast", while West narrated the rest. Later in 1998 Puffin Audiobooks published a recording featuring Pam Ferris and Geoffrey Palmer, and in 2002 Harper Audio released a recording of Alan Cumming reading both Revolting Rhymes and Dirty Beasts.
Melanie "Mel" Owen is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Tamzin Outhwaite. Mel was introduced by executive producer Matthew Robinson and made her first appearance on 19 October 1998. Outhwaite made her departure on 12 April 2002. Outhwaite's return to the series was announced in October 2017 and she returned on 9 January 2018. The actress chose to leave the soap again in July 2019 and her final episode aired on 14 November 2019 when Mel was killed-off. Outhwaite proved popular in the role, winning multiple awards and critical acclaim for her portrayal of Mel as the character became prominent in the show.
Stacey Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, portrayed by Lacey Turner. She first appears in episode 2826, originally broadcast on 1 November 2004. The character is introduced as a feisty and troublesome teenager and extension to the already established Slater family. She was created by scriptwriter Tony Jordan with Turner in mind. Producers explored the character's backstory with the introduction of her mother, Jean Slater, who has bipolar disorder. They then paired Stacey with Bradley Branning and writers developed a series of problems for their marriage, including an abortion and Stacey's affair with Bradley's father, Max Branning.
Ruby Allen is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Louisa Lytton from 18 March 2005 to 23 November 2006, and then again from 18 September 2018 to 17 September 2021. The character and casting were announced in February 2005, and Ruby was introduced in March that year by producer Kathleen Hutchison. She was featured in storylines surrounding her gangland father Johnny Allen, with whom she shared a problematic relationship with due to his criminal lifestyle. Other storylines included a close friendship with Stacey Slater, and an engagement to Stacey's brother Sean - which affected their friendship. In July 2006, Lytton was axed from the show due to limited possibilities for the character following the death of her on-screen father, and Ruby departed on 23 November 2006. In July 2018, it was confirmed Lytton would return after a twelve-year absence. Ruby returned on 18 September 2018 and departed once again on 17 September 2021.
Sean Slater is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders, played by Robert Kazinsky, who made his first appearance on 22 August 2006. Sean's existence was revealed on 9 December 2005 when his sister Stacey Slater returns to Walford after their mother, Jean, attempts suicide.
My Reputation is a 1946 American romantic drama film directed by Curtis Bernhardt. Barbara Stanwyck portrays an upper-class widow whose romance with an army officer causes trouble for her gossiping friends, domineering mother and young sons. Catherine Turney wrote the script, an adaptation of Clare Jaynes' 1942 novel Instruct My Sorrows. Stanwyck's costumes were designed by Edith Head.
The Black Mafia Family (BMF) was a drug trafficking and money laundering organization in the United States.
"Fuck the Millennium", sometimes spelled "***k the Millennium", is a protest song by the band 2K—Bill Drummond and Jimmy Cauty—better known as the Justified Ancients of Mu Mu or the KLF. The song was inspired musically by Jeremy Deller's "Acid Brass" project, where a traditional brass band plays acid house classics; these include the KLF's "What Time Is Love?". They were also inspired topically by the then-forthcoming end of the second millennium and the plans to celebrate it.
Gavin & Stacey is a British sitcom written by James Corden and Ruth Jones about two families: one in Billericay, Essex; one in Barry, Vale of Glamorgan. Mathew Horne and Joanna Page play the eponymous characters Gavin and Stacey, while Corden and Jones star as Smithy and Nessa. Alison Steadman and Larry Lamb star as Gavin's parents, and Melanie Walters (Gwen) is Stacey's mother and Rob Brydon (Bryn) is Stacey's uncle.
Remember the Daze, originally titled The Beautiful Ordinary, is a 2007 drama film released in theaters in April 2008. The film was directed by Jess Manafort. The plot of the movie has been described as "a glimpse into the teenage wasteland of suburbia 1999 that takes place over 24-hours, and the teenagers who make their way through the last day of high school in the last year of the past millennium."
Martin Dibble is a fictional character from the Australian Channel Seven soap opera Home and Away, played by Craig Thomson. He made his first on-screen appearance on 17 January 1988, the show's pilot episode. The character was axed from the series in 1989 after producer Andrew Howie decided to focus on new characters. He left the show on 3 April 1990, but returned for guest stints in 2000 and 2002.
This Is England '90 is a 2015 British TV drama mini-series written by Shane Meadows and Jack Thorne and produced by Warp Films. A spin-off from the 2006 film This Is England, it is also a sequel to the series This Is England '86 and This Is England '88. This Is England '90 was originally due in late 2012, but in July 2012, Meadows announced that the production had been put on hold in order for him to complete his documentary about reunited Manchester rock band The Stone Roses, and the actors were still waiting for confirmation as to when filming would start.
The League of Extraordinary Gentlemen is a comic book series written by Alan Moore and illustrated by Kevin O'Neill, publication of which began in 1999. The series spans several volumes.
Martin Fowler is a fictional character from the BBC soap opera EastEnders. The character was played by Jon Peyton-Price from Martin's introduction 1985 until 1996, and by James Alexandrou from 1996 until 2007. When Alexandrou took over the role, Martin was seen more regularly and was featured in prominent storylines such as sleeping with Sonia Jackson and getting her pregnant with their daughter Bex Fowler ; developing a romantic crush on Zoe Slater, which is not reciprocated, accidentally killing Sonia’s fiancé Jamie Mitchell after running him over in his car, which results in Martin being imprisoned for Jamie's death and subsequently feuding with Jamie’s relative Phil Mitchell ; enduring a problematic marriage with Sonia after their wedding; and coping with the deaths of both his brother Mark Fowler and their mother Pauline Fowler. Alexandrou quit the role in 2006, and Martin departed on 2 February 2007.
{{cite web}}
: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link) Accessed 29 December 2011