Runester

I had an epiphany on the way to work today. I was listening to DJ Irene (techno-dance stuff) and driving through the winding New England roads towards Moving Day at the office (we should be in our new office space before the end of day).

I remembered an episode of CSI where there was this cool Las Vegas dance club that would have “The Blitz” every night at midnight, in which they’d try to simulate the chaos and fear of the German bombing runs on London, while revelers danced beneath the light show.

So, I’d like to open a club named “Club Armagedon” – preferably in Detroit. I’d have the place decked out in post-apocalyptic kitsch. I’d make sure that the staff worked hard to get everyone as involved as possible – No Wall Flowers or Poseurs! I envision giant video screens on all of the walls, with small computer monitors inbetween. The video screens would show a constant video mantage of end-of-the-world scenes from movies, documentaries, etc. War, famine, pestilance, crime, earthquakes, floods, tsunami, and on and on. On the small computer screens would be the scrolling text of the worlds end-times prophecies. I’d have Revelations, Nostradamus, Egyptian Book of Dead, tales of the Nordic Ragnarok, Mayan & Aztec prophecies, etc.

The idea is for the feeling of impending doom, of the absolute futility of the human condition to build and build through out the night. Then, at midnight, the screens would show nuclear explosions and mushroom clouds as the floor shakes. Finally, absolute dark and quiet for at least ten minutes (which should feel like eternity after that audio-visual barrage). Then, the silence is broken by the cries of a newborn baby, and the image comes up on the video screen of a baby being handed to it’s mother. The atmosphere should then change to one of triumph as images of spring time, life, growth, and hope are displayed and the party get’s cranked up several notches and instead of dancing and revelling in the death of a world, everyone is celebrating their survival and the continuance of hope.

I’m thinking the entire atmosphere can be enhanced with smoke machines and certain lighting effects, but also something that generates the appropriate odors. If I could get the dance floor to have the slight aroma of cordite during the gunfire and explosions, or of rotten eggs during scenes of disease and decay … and then, of course, of spring time and fresh air and salt seas and fresh rain … I think it would have a prfound psychological effect on the revelers.

In my fantasies, anyway, this whole experience would be cathartic. To face all of the worst life and humanity has to offer, especially in an age of terrorism and constant dread, only to come out on the other side alive and joyful for being so … well, that’s powerful stuff. In fact, it might be powerful enough to influance people into being more positive, more hopefull, and much more energetic in their efforts to affect positive change.

Let’s call it, “A party with a mission!”