In the mid-’70s, French dance composer Jacques Morali and his business partner Henri Belolo took out an ad in a musical street press. It read: “Macho Types Wanted: Must Dance And Have A Moustache.” A few nights earlier, Morali, who was also the creator of novelty act The Ritchie Family, had attended a costume ball at Les Mouches, a gay disco in Greenwich Village in New York, which at the time was renowned for its high-level homosexual population. Having just begun working with singer/actor Victor Willis, Morali and Belolo saw the opportunity to create a disco group based on the masculine stereotypes and fantasy personae of the gay men of Greenwich Village.
The concept for Village People was sold to Casablanca Records before the members had even been found. Morali’s first recruit, Felipe Rose (the ‘Native American’), came from a serendipitous meeting in which the two literally bumped into each other on the street. Alex Briley (who began as an athlete but then took on a soldier persona) was hand-picked by Willis, while Mark Mussler (the original construction worker), Dave Forrest (cowboy), Lee Mouton (leatherman), Willis (cop) and Peter Whitehead (one of the group’s early songwriters) rounded out the band. Thus, by 1977 – at the very height of disco – Village People had officially come into being.
“You weren’t even born back then,” laughs Alex Briley when reminiscing on the group’s formation. “It’s a really heart-warming thing to realise that people from younger generations, perhaps in their 20s, still want to hear Village People. People from all walks of life and all ages love disco. It’s such a welcoming genre.”
Indeed, the appeal of Village People’s infectious take on camp disco traverses generations. Since the release of the band’s 1977 self-titled debut, Village People have put out nine studio albums, selling over 100 million records worldwide. Their penchant for catchy musical motifs and suggestive lyricism resulted in some of the most ubiquitous hits of disco’s golden era, including ‘Can’t Stop The Music’, ‘Macho Man’, ‘In The Navy’, and of course, ‘Y.M.C.A.’. But Village People’s glory days aren’t necessarily a thing of the past.
“To put it simply, 2014 was just another great year for us,” says Briley. “We got to travel to so many countries and perform for so many different people. Of course, we played at a lot of places in the States, but it’s always a great honour that our job allows us to visit so many different people. We had a chance to visit Colombia, we had a chance to visit Chile, and we even got to visit Russia. We always look forward to getting out and experiencing new audiences, wherever that might be. It was a really busy year – but that’s a good thing.
“Over the course of our career, we’ve revisited and toured so many places, but every single time we get to experience a new audience,” Briley adds. “We’re always looking forward to returning to some countries and also exploring new and different territories. The only difference is that children of the fans from the ’70s are coming to see us now,” he laughs.
Refreshingly, Briley and his bandmates aren’t afraid to indulge in their hits when it comes to performing live. “I’d have to agree with the audience, and when we’re performing there’s no doubt that ‘Y.M.C.A.’gets the biggest reaction out of all of our hits,” he says. “Songs like ‘Y.M.C.A.’, people enjoy hearing it because it reminds them of great times they’ve had in the past. It really just gets the crowd going. But then again, you never know. It depends where you’re playing. Sometimes ‘Macho Man’ gets the biggest response, sometimes it’s ‘In The Navy’. When it comes down to it, our music is just non-pretentious, no-frills fun. I really enjoy performing each and every song that we have.”
This month sees Village People return to Australian shores for a run of headline performances alongside a late-night slot at Golden Plains Festival. “One thing that we’ve always enjoyed about coming to Australia is the energy that you get from the audiences,” Briley says. “Whether it be Melbourne, Sydney, Adelaide or Perth, the energy is just like no other country on the planet.
“I remember one of the first times we ever played in Australia. We all noticed how nicely the crowd was dressed, as if they were going out for a fancy dinner or something. By the end of the night, the women had kicked off their heels and were dancing on tables, the men [were] throwing away their shirts, ties and jackets. We’ve visited Australia so many times. We’ve had some wonderful times and met so many wonderful people. We’re going to hit that stage with as much energy that we can muster up and just have a really good time.”
And while Briley is soon to reach his 40th year with the group, he admits that he doesn’t see Village People halting their commitment to spread the good word of the disco gospel anytime soon. “How long will the Village People stick around? Well, that all comes down to how long people want to hear from us,” he laughs. “We’ve been doing this for well over 35 years but it’s never showed any signs of slowing down. Our touring schedule for the rest of this year is really jam-packed. We’re really lucky to be able to do what we do, and to have been able to do it for so long.”
Do the Y.M.C.A. with The Village People onThursday March 5 at Enmore Theatre.
