The 1980s was an era with many faces... and a lot of hairspray. The Russo-American Cold War instilled fear into the hearts of millions and dominated the world of geopolitics. New trends began to emerge making conservative heads turn. Only the zoot suit of the 1920s held a candle to the wildness in fashion that erupted and made the Mohawk seem mundane. Terms like “Rap” and “New Wave” were cemented into the minds of Generation X as Reagan and his Contras dominated headlines. Michael Jackson and Madonna’s fans watched their videos in awe on the new cable powerhouse MTV. Bill Murray was Ghost Busting while Flock of Seagulls shocked the United States with outlandish hair. 

And there in the middle of this vast land was Dallas often called The Belt Buckle of The Bible Belt. While most of Texas looked inwards, Dallas opened one eye towards New York and its European counterparts across the pond. The state’s second largest city had become the cosmopolitan capital of the south, as well as home to the largest fashion show in the world. Neiman Marcus provided armor for the fashion army, real estate boomed, and millionaires were made. The American Dream seemed to be at its zenith. 

Dallas was the epicenter for 1980s counterculture. The heartbeat of the city was the Starck Club – Shangri-La for the rich, the famous, the uber hip: movie stars, rock stars, sports celebrities, Dallas debutantes, politicians – and anyone else who had the attitude and duds to convince the phalanx at the front door to let them pass. The then legal drug, MDMA or “Ecstasy”, was adding euphoric fuel to the fire. Starck was the earthquake that would shake the world with the emergence of the new progressive subculture that would soon be known from Los Angeles to Detroit to London to Ibiza as Rave. 

This Starck Project will focus on the club as a microcosm of the 1980s. Music, fashion, politics, culture, and designer drugs each played a role in the drama which made Starck Club the hegemonic nightspot of the 1980s. Eight Six Eighty-Six, LLC has created a partnership with the Woodall Group to produce a documentary from the vast array of material available on the Starck Club from 1982 - 1989.

 The Woodall Group is comprised of Blake Woodall, the Starck Club Founder, Greg McCone, the Starck Club General Manager, and David Hynds, the Starck Club Video Artist.