To mark the memory of those glory days of legal ecstasy use, big hair and 12-inch singles that never seemed to end, the Kessler Theater announced a reunion party to be held on Sunday, May 12. It was so hotly anticipated that it sold out within hours. (The Kessler has added a more chill pre-party set for the night before, with tickets still available, and the Texas Theatre will air the long-awaited documentary The Starck Club on Friday, May 10, and Sunday, May 12.)
But judging by the Facebook groups “Starck Club Survivors,” “Starck Club Friends,” “Starck Club Documentary" and “Starck Club Revisited,” there’s still not quite enough Starck to go around. Since the reunion was announced, members have been peppering their feeds with images of their gloriously eye-lined youth and YouTube links to dancefloor classic spun by the club’s late DJs, Go-Go Mike DuPriest and Rick Squillante.
The East Dallas gallery Ephemeral Space is also leaning into nostalgia with its latest art show, Starck Art, which opens Saturday, May 4, and runs through May 18. The show presents the collection of David Hynds, who was there for the entire lifespan of the club, including tickets, fliers, tees and invitations the artist has been hanging onto for decades.
According to Hynds, the art show was in the works before the reunion was booked.
“When the club closed, [all the material] went into boxes, but by that time, I’d been so familiar with it, I wasn’t going to throw it out,” Hynds says. “I went to one of the openings of Ephemeral and thought, ‘I’ve got a lot of paper stuff, and that’s definitely ephemeral.’ So I talked to [co-founder] Jason Cohen about doing the show and mentioned it.”
Hynds’ friend and colleague Mark Ridlen (DJ Mr. Rid), who spearheaded the Kessler event, mentioned that it was coming up on the Starck’s anniversary. So the duo got busy pulling everything together with perfect timing.
Looking back, Hynds couldn’t have predicted his unusual job would become a lifetime obsession. He was delivering furniture and working as a part-time film editor when he had the opportunity to edit some footage for a new nightspot.
“The first day I worked was the opening night investor party where Grace Jones and Stevie Nicks played,” Hynds says. “I was watching Grace Jones perform and wanted to check the feed in my office. The bar had an exit right across from my door, and I almost got run over by Grace Jones dressed in a gorilla suit!”
Soon, he ran the “entertainment behind the music” during the club’s opening hours from Thursday through Sunday. In the very beginning, Starck didn't show music videos as it did later; instead, it opted for unique visuals that weren’t intended to match the beat.
Hynds roped in another colleague with a film background, Suzie Riddle, to fill in when he was sick. The video was so crucial to the club’s vibe that the owners sent the duo to the New Music Seminar in New York, where they discovered work from artists such as William Wegman to add to their roster of strange and unusual clips. They also started producing their own pieces to add to the mix.
David Hynds’ elegant drawing of the club’s sunken dance floor is available on a brand-new tee.
Ephemeral Gallery
Soon, Hynds was creating fliers and tickets for the Starck’s many events and concerts, starting with 1984’s Republican National Convention in downtown Dallas.
“They had the slide projectors and asked me to a do a set of slides with the [Republican] elephant, and I think it's the first art piece I did,” he says. “The next one was for a New Year’s event invitation. I did a line drawing with a spilled glass of Champagne and the [Starck logo] dancing man, and after that, they started using me all the time.”
From rodeo and psychedelic parties to concerts by Jones and the Red Hot Chili Peppers, Hynds created everything the club needed. He even crafted three-dimensional props, such as a mechanical skeleton band made out of foam core for a Dia de los Muertos event.
Raiders of the Lost Starck
As he often had leftover fliers from the print runs, Hynds began stashing away tickets and artwork. That way, when he was sourcing video artists, he would have something to send along to let people know what the Starck was all about.When the club closed in 1990, it was all packed in boxes until it was time to pull it all together for Ephemeral. Hynds has curated framed pieces dedicated to theme parties and musical events, which take over three walls of the gallery. Featuring a mix of fliers, artwork and tickets, these will retail for from $30 to $650.
The promotional videos he made will be on view at the back of Ephemeral’s space. Sixty limited-edition VHS tapes containing a Starck promo clip along with surprise footage from everyone from Lene Lovich to house band Happy TVs will be on sale for $87.50.
Hynds also printed a series of new T-shirts ($36.50) with vintage designs and new graphics marking the 40th anniversary. A few of Phillipe Starcks’ original furniture pieces will also be on view, although he says he’s not quite ready to let those go.
With collectors and fans worldwide reaching out for a little piece of the club, Hynds is confident the show will sell well. But for him, it just feels good to spread the love for a moment of freedom and creativity to the people who experienced it firsthand.
“I was thinking that after I’m gone, my kids are going through my stuff, and they won’t know what to do with all of this,” he says. “It’s better to put it in the hands of people now. My motivation is just to move it onward and get it out in the world for the people who still remember this to enjoy.”
The opening of Starck Art will be 5–8 p.m., Saturday, May 4, at Ephemeral Space, 203 S. Haskell Ave. The show is open Saturdays, 11 a.m. – 5 p.m., through May 18 and by appointment during the week.
