All language subtitles for Dark.Sanctuary.The.Story.Of.The.Church.2025.1080p.WEBRip.x264.AAC-[YTS.MX]

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Oh man.

Let's move.

Oh my-- I've never
seen it like this.

Jeez.

It's a lot bigger than
I remember it being.

This slab up here,
this is the stage.

When I died, I wanted my ashes
to be like ground up like grind

up a part of this and put my
ashes into this middle section

because I thought this
would be here forever.

[THEME MUSIC]

I've never seen a
nightclub like this.

It had a feel.

JOE VIRUS: There's chandeliers.

There's stained glass.

There was this
mystique about it.

There's mystery in the air.

This is my place.

This is my home.

JBABE: It was just
like an orgasm of life.

It was, I think,
summer of '86.

We're all skateboarding
out in my driveway.

And we all had the jam
box out there cranked up.

And then it went to
the stupid commercial.

It came back from that
with a chainsaw ripping.

We're all shouting, "Timber!"

Because DOA had a song
called Lumberjack City.

No, timber happens, and we're
like, what the hell is going on?

And all of a sudden this
like kick drum just kicks in.

We hear this howling.

It sounded like the
devil was like coming

through the speakers.

We run into the garage
and get the phone.

We're calling the station
and waiting for 15 minutes

like for them to answer.

And finally, somebody
answered and we're like, hey,

you started this set off
with there was a chainsaw.

It sounded like the devil.

What was that?

They're like, that was
skinny puppy chainsaw.

It was just mind blowing.

And I'm like--

And it was that moment when
I started wearing black.

DON NEDLER: I was a kid.

I was about 11 years old, and
there was a lounge near my house

where I grew up.

And I used to ride my bike
over there after school.

And they would be
setting up the club.

And the band would be
rehearsing and they'd

be putting the ashtrays out and
washing down the rubber mats.

And I thought, this is
the coolest thing ever.

This is what I want to
do, right then and there

that I wanted to be in
the nightclub business.

I worked at a club called
After The Gold Rush.

I was 18.

And I would do shitty jobs,
cleaning the bar mats,

scrubbing the floors.

Terrible jobs.

But I was there all day,
every day by myself.

And so I used to go into the DJ
booth and I would play records.

And I sort of taught
myself how to DJ.

And one day, the DJ was sick.

I said, I can do it.

They're like, you?

And I'm like.

And they said, all right.

So I DJed.

And After The Gold
Rush, it was like 1976.

It was the disco era.

And I just got up and
banged it out, man.

I hit a home run
because I thought

the coolest job in this
whole nightclub is the DJ.

Well, now I really
have the coolest job.

Well, I just picked
up the new Stevie Ray

Vaughan live from
Montrose CD, so I'm

more into rock and roll
and rhythm and blues,

but I also like dance music.

I was a DJ for 10 years
before I was a club owner.

Oh yeah.

RON STANLEY: If you were in
Deep Ellum in the early 80s,

it would not look like
what it looks now.

At that time it was
warehouses, cheap rent.

It was just kind of a
shadow of its former self,

being the famous Deep
Ellum of the 1930s.

[LOUIS ARMSTRONG, "DALAS BLUES"]

LOUIS ARMSTRONG: (SINGING)
I got the Dallas blues

and I'm feeling
mighty, a bit mighty.

I mean sad.

I got the Dallas blues and
I'm feeling mighty sad.

Deep Ellum has just such
as incredibly rich history

from blues being there,
and that sort of--

80s when it was sort
of being revived,

making it a kind of destination.

There was no Goth scene.

In the time we
called it industrial.

Goth, really, I don't
think was coalescing yet.

And it really took
the clubs to do that.

Clubs that were operating
in those early 80 years

were a reaction to the
prominent way in which Dallas

thought of itself.

All of those people
who didn't fit

in to a sort of
traditional nightclub

would find people like
them at the start.

DON NEDLER: The Starck
Club was groundbreaking.

What they did was really
innovative and way ahead

of its time.

Philippe Starck
designed the space.

It was an incredible space.

Everything about
it was glamorous.

Many people who went to star
Starck spent like all day trying

to figure out what to wear.

There were certainly
some people who

were dressed somewhat in Goth.

But musically, I think
the Starck Club really

broke new ground.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

RON STANLEY: It's music
that was descendant

of synthpop and disco.

DON NEDLER: That music that
was so innovative and so

progressive, we incorporated
a lot of it into The Church.

Starck set a tone that
the church and Lizard Lounge

sort of carried on.

Everything about
Starck Club inspired me.

Everything.

JOE VIRUS: In 1988,
dad decides that we're

moving back to Arlington.

And it was like the first
couple of weeks of school.

I'm in English class, and
this guy would show up late.

And he had this just total
disregard for everything look.

He just looked cool.

I see that he's wearing
a Skinny Puppy shirt.

And I look over.

I'm like, dude, you
like Skinny Puppy?

He's like, yeah.

You know Skinny Puppy?

And I'm like, yeah.

And I show him my book.

I had drawn the
logo on the cover.

A couple of weeks
later, he's like,

hey, what are you
doing Friday night?

Well, there's a party,
you should come.

And I'm like, OK, cool.

And I go to this party.

I'm like scared.

And I'm looking at
everybody, and they all

look like heavy
metal rock stars.

And the girls all look
like rock star video girls.

I look up, and there's my friend
coming through the front door

with ice.

I'm like, dude, I don't
know anybody here.

I thought this was
like high school party.

He's like, oh, no, this is
Vinnie and Daryl's place

from Pantera.

He leaves again, and
I'm just sitting there.

And all of a sudden this girl
falls out of heaven or something

into my lap.

And then she says, hey,
let's go to Empire.

And I'm like, OK.

I'm like, I don't
know where I'm going.

And I got to be
home by midnight.

And it was like the long way
to get to downtown Dallas.

It's just so unreal.

It's unreal how big these
buildings are all lit up.

And it's beautiful.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

So we pass downtown, and
we go into this bridge.

And then everything is
like lower buildings.

They're like two,
three story high,

but like a lot more neon
and a lot of graffiti

and a lot of punk
looking people.

And I'm like, oh, this is cool.

What is this?

And she said, oh,
this is Deep Ellum.

And we're driving
through, and I'm

seeing people with Mohawks
and different colored hair.

And I'm just like,
I'm tripping out.

But I got scared
because all of a sudden

it went from being this
neon jungle of punk

and new wave looking
people everywhere

to nothing but warehouses.

And I'm like, they're
going to kill me.

They're going to tie me
to a pole and kill me.

And we turn down
from good Latimer.

We turn on to Swiss Avenue.

As we turn the corner,
I realized that, oh,

there's another club here.

And we walk in and my mind
is completely blown away.

There's chandeliers.

There's stained glass.

I look at the spiral
staircase going up

to the second floor with this
little chandelier hanging there.

And I'm like, this is gorgeous.

This is amazing.

There are all these
people dancing.

And I hear the music.

I'm like, this
place is so awesome.

She goes, this is
just the entryway.

And I'm like, OK.

And she takes me in.

And it was just this big room
with moving lights everywhere,

disco balls.

The music was Lucretia,
My Reflection.

I remember the song.

This is my home.

I want to be here.

I want to be here.

And this was 2424 Swiss.

JEFF K: To me, Empire at that
location at 2424 Swiss kind of

became the club extension of my
radio show, pre Lizard Lounge.

It's 3:30, and you're listening
to KNON 90.9 FM Dallas.

My name is Jeff K. Time
once again for Thud Slap.

Everything I
played had to have

that kind of electronic
almost aggro beat, bands

like Xymox, Tackhead,
The Neon Judgment.

Well, there was only
one place in Dallas

that those bands played
and that was Empire.

JEFF K: That's right.

We're here with Xymox.

And remember, folks, they're
playing this evening at Empire.

It's good to have you.

How is it in Dallas today?

Pretty hot, isn't it?

WOMAN: Oh, yes, yes.

JEFF K: Too hot for you?

BAND MEMBER: I'm melting.

JEFF K: You're melting?

Well, that's interesting.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

DON NEDLER: I got a phone
call from a guy named

Frank Rigney who told me I
heard from a real estate broker

you were looking for
a space in Dallas.

And I have a space.

Originally, it was a
trolley car repair station.

And it wasn't so much
a repair station.

It was like a parts depot.

There's a trolley
track that runs right

in front of the place.

In the 1940s, it became
a furniture warehouse.

And in 1974, Frank Rigney
redesigned that space

to convert it from a furniture
warehouse into a dinner theater.

And they brought in this
baccarat chandelier,

which when you walk into that
space, it's breathtaking.

It was really opulent.

It was a beautiful room with
the red carpet, the red drapes

and gold chains.

I mean, it was very
Gothic looking.

And it was 2424 Swiss Avenue.

What's up, Joe?

Good to see you, man.

How you doing, man?

Doing good.

Doing good.

It's been a while
since I've been in here.

It's emotional walking in here.

Obviously it stirs
up some emotion.

I spent 28 years in this room.

I was here every night.

I remember the first night I
had the keys to this building.

My partner and I sat in chairs
right here and right here

and just looked
around this space.

And we couldn't
believe it was ours

because I had come in here in
1988 when it was the Empire.

And I love this space.

And I just wouldn't
have believed you

if you told me then
three years later,

I would be operating a Lizard
Lounge out of this very room.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

JOE VIRUS: I was
still in high school.

And I heard about this
place called the Lizard

Lounge that was opening.

The advertisements were all
techno and it was just like--

RADIO: Tonight the Lizard Lounge
presents tickets are only $5

for over 21 at
the lizard Lounge.

2424 Swiss Avenue
live The Lounge.

I've never been more nervous
in my life, but we did it.

And we opened December 19, 1991.

It was packed.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

And I connected with
a guy named Jeff K.

And Jeff was a guy who
really opened my eyes

and taught me
about rave culture.

It really all starts with
the first two performances

that Don and I
worked on together,

and that would have been
the prodigy in 1992.

And then later that
same year, Moby.

The first artist that really
got my attention was Moby.

RADIO: He is considered
by many to be one

of the true pioneers of techno.

Moby.

And he's coming to
the Lizard Lounge.

When we booked Moby, we
had 1,000 people in line.

And I'm out in
front of the club.

I saw Moby walking
under the freeway.

He came up and he said,
man, that's some line.

I said, this is the line
of people who can't get in.

And he said, well, what
are you going to do?

I said, I have no idea.

When it was time for Moby
to show up to the venue,

he saw so many
people that he said,

you know what, why
don't we do two shows?

That really gave
me perspective

as to how significant
the whole EDM scene is.

And I saw the
future right there.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

JOE VIRUS: Don really had
his finger on the pulse,

knowing what was going to be
the next big thing, the Lizard

Lounge, techno,
DJs as rock stars.

He predicted all
that you would get.

Paul Van Dyk, Armin van Buuren,
Steve Aoki, LMFAO, Dead Mouse,

tons of Moby, Moby.

Don was one of
the first people

to start bringing
electronic acts to Dallas.

He would bring the people
to perform that were

just records up until then.

No one had seen them perform.

No one had knew what they
looked like and everything.

You would get high level
DJs like Paul Oakenfold.

I love that venue.

That venue, the setup, the
white is pretty intense

to perform there.

The Dallas crowd are fantastic.

They're really into
electronic music.

This city was a pioneer
in club culture.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

MAN: Club culture.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

DON NEDLER: Guy named
Larry Siegel called me up

and he said, hey, I've
got the space in Miami.

I know you've got that
Lizard Lounge concept.

We think it's a good fit.

And we went to Miami and we
opened the Lizard Lounge.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

On Sunday night, there was
a nightclub called Velvet.

And inside Velvet, they had
a night called The Church.

I thought the music
was incredible.

It was heavier, harder, deeper.

Yeah, way darker.

CARLOS MENENDEZ: It wasn't
particularly a Goth club per se,

but it was a big
ingredient of the night.

You had your college kids.

You had your Goth kids.

You had your hip hop kids.

And everybody got along.

And we loved The Church.

We went there
every Sunday night.

But eventually, the Lizard
Lounge in Miami failed.

When I came back to
Dallas, I was broke.

And I said, we had this
experience in Miami.

Let's try to take
something positive from it.

So I reached out to Carlos
Menendez and I said, look--

I wanted to create the feeling
I got when I walked into Miami,

and the idea that we took
forward was The Church.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

The Church breathed new
life into the Lizard Lounge.

Slowly but surely, just
grabbing any customer

we could get to tell them we
got this really cool thing

happening on Sunday night.

You should come check it out.

The way that I would describe
the church to people from out

of town that want to know
what our club's like, I said,

watch any of those movies
from the late 90s when they go

to this massive club with
all these people and vinyl

and spikes and leather and
really cool looking clubs.

The church was that in red.

There was this
mystique about it.

There's mystery in the air.

Magic.

There's also decadence and
debauchery and indulgence.

But there's this energy and
this connection between everyone

there.

Because you would see
all kinds of people,

punks, and new wavers and goths.

Everybody was like
their super selves.

I remember hearing
about The Church.

I was in my last
year of high school.

It was 1994 and there
were radio ads for it.

RADIO: Give her what she
knows, not what she does.

An industrial strength dose
of divine intervention.

Sundays at The Church.

It's one of the
few times that the ad

rings true because it was all of
these people sort of ironically,

wearing a religious clothing.

But we didn't really have
a religion, of course.

There were several Satanists.

They had this
huge, massive statue.

And he's looking
down at the crowd.

And it's just menacing and huge.

You see how everything is
designed and decorated.

All of that plays a part in
creating this atmosphere.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

DON NEDLER: We
presented ourselves

like we were really a church.

And I think to
some degree that's

where the sense of community
started to come in.

Walking into that
club for the first time

and seeing that dance floor and
how many people that were there

dressed up.

There was no hot topic.

The women, they would have
to make their own clothes.

You're either in gowns that
you probably got at Goodwill

and made look
Victorian and Gothic.

Lots of long, flowy skirts.

Lots of electrical tape
covering private parts.

People who knew who
they were and seemed

very accepting of everyone.

You had people that were
non-binary and people that were

binary.

You had drag queens.

You had people
that were straight.

You had people that were gay.

We had a guy that
used to do pony play.

He had these pony hooves,
and he had a saddle.

And people used to ride
him around the club.

The whole idea
behind the church

is always sort of like misfits
island, everyone Welcome.

And it was like that
in the very beginning.

The fact that there's
this club for outcasts.

And that's what I think
most people-- most of us

were in high school and
middle school and stuff.

It's funny now that
I come here, and I

was an outcast in high school.

I never was popular.

And all of a sudden
I'm popular now here.

People like to dress up and
play a personality, especially

a dark personality.

I had a guy when we first
opened The Church that

used to dress like a Unabomber.

He had a hoodie and
sunglasses, and he used to hide

and dart around corners.

He also dressed as Ed Gein.

He would dance on
the dance floor

with the shovel and the hat.

A real shovel.

And then there
were the people that

were playing masquerade
all over the place,

and they were dressed
like vampires.

They'd all have their
notebooks with them,

keeping track of everything.

And it's like, oh,
don't talk to me.

I'm invisible.

OK, so.

DON NEDLER: We
learned that there

are a bunch of people who don't
fit in to mainstream society.

And The Church was becoming
the center of community

to the Gothic alternative
crowd in Dallas.

Honest, this is the
best club in America.

And it's ironic that
it's in Dallas, Texas.

There's a stereotypical
view of Dallas, Texas.

Yeah, we're Kennedy killers.

We're Cowboys.

And that's probably
been the fertile ground

that has bred The Church.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(SINGING) I would
follow you forever.

I was raised in a very
conservative Southern Baptist

family, and I'm Wiccan.

So it never really--

I never really fit in my family
or in the town I grew up in.

We hold no bias towards
religion, race, creed,

or anything.

Anybody is welcome.

Our main goal is
that you have fun.

I work railroads.

I make steel.

I work in steel factories
and stuff like that,

but no one-- everyone there,
it's like everyone's in a suit

and hard hats.

No one expects it.

There is nothing more exciting
and passionate than the fact,

getting under the
spotlights, center stage,

hearing the music
pounding behind you,

and feeling that energy
come up through your veins.

Rule number one of
dancing is don't give

a damn what anybody thinks.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Can you do it tighter
in the middle there, baby?

Hey, man.

Thank you.

How you doing?

[MUSIC PLAYING]

In 1997, I moved
into my own place,

first time living by myself.

And I bought this
dry erase board.

I mapped it out a
weekly schedule.

Sunday at the top, it
said, take over The Church.

And then you'd go down to
Thursday, take over the church,

because I want it
to be the DJ there.

And one night I'm there, and
Leo, the general manager,

is there.

And I knew him already.

I had already met him before.

But I would go up
to him like, hey,

man, so when you
want a real goth DJ,

a real DJ here, give me a call
because I felt that there was

a lot of music
that wasn't getting

played that needed to be played.

So I was like, I want
to take over The Church.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LORD BYRON: I don't
remember the first time

I walked into the space.

I actually cannot remember.

I don't have a very good
memory for a lot of reasons.

What I do remember
was the atmosphere.

It was club lighting.

It was a feeling of
these are my people.

Helen used to be
Don Edwards' wife

asked me if I would be
interested to DJ at The Church.

And Don created a night for me.

It was called PTL.

Praise the Lord.

And my DJ name and still
is today is Lord Byron.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

It was no secret to everybody
about how much I used to drink,

but I did that abusively
while working at The Church.

And my last night at The Church
was during an alcoholic blackout

where I was informed I was
throwing music or records out

into the audience.

I ripped Helen's
earring out of her ear.

And then friends threw me into a
vehicle and got me out of there.

And that was my last night.

I disconnected from
night light completely

until I ended up
with my fifth DWI,

and that's when I got sober.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

About 3 and 1/2 years
into my sobriety,

I really miss nightlife and not
as a patron, but I wanted to DJ.

I wanted to be a part of that
energy the way that I used to.

I initially approached Don
about the idea of Panopticon.

I said, listen, I'm
sober, and I would

love to have an
opportunity to DJ again.

I'm not even sure he fully
believed me at that time.

I mean, I don't
blame him at all.

I don't blame anybody.

I'm not sure anybody
who knew me really

knew that I could be sober.

And also the early days
of Panopticon, I just--

I was sober.

I wasn't social.

I couldn't talk to anybody.

So I led a very closeted life.

Later I was dating who's
now my husband, Yuri.

And through that relationship
I was able to come out.

After I was able to
bring Gary into the mix

and walk into my own club night,
holding the hand of somebody

that I truly cared
about, I felt like I

could breathe, not just in my
club night, but just in my life.

I was honest with everybody.

And I was so well embraced.

It was like not even a big deal.

I look back and it
was kind of ironic

because I created this night
called Panopticon, certainly

inspired by The Church, which
is a safe space for everybody.

I just still wasn't comfortable
enough in my own skin.

I can see how people
have struggled

with alcohol and drugs
and mental illness,

and it's just not
always the easy thing.

Panopticon just evolved into
one of these safe spaces

for people too.

I didn't know it.

I didn't put a sign out there.

It made me feel really
good that Panopticon turned

into this place of non
judgment and anybody

could walk into the
doors of Panopticon

just like at The Church and
feel they could be themselves

without judgment,
without prejudice.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

It was nice to go
into The Church

because I didn't have
to explain who I was,

and nobody ever asked.

But I could have gone to
The Church from day one

and explained who I
was, and everybody would

have loved me just the same.

[PHONE RINGS]

One day I get a phone call.

It's Leo from The Church.

And he's like, hey, you
still want a DJ here?

And I'm like, of course.

He's like, all right.

Let's start you the first
Thursday of January.

And I'm like, OK, cool.

All right.

All right, cool.

See you there.

So I'm like, oh,
this is the start.

This is the start.

This is the start of everything.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

LORD BYRON: Joe is absolutely
a master at his craft,

and he's great about bringing a
room together and just bringing

power into a dance floor.

JOE VIRUS: I always felt like
I was going to get fired.

That they're trying to
replace me because Don

never really talked
to me before.

I had this weird
intimidation factor with him.

One night, tanked the
room, nobody in there.

So I'm like, OK, I'm going
to play Baby Got Back.

Crowd went nuts.

And I'm just like,
this is awesome.

So then Clint comes over to
me, and he's our door guy.

Clint comes running
over and says,

hey, Don wants to see
you outside real quick.

And I'm like, shit,
I'm getting fired.

I'm getting fired.

Don's calling me
out on the carpet.

I get out there
and he's like, Joe,

what made you decide to
do this Goth hop thing?

Well-- and he's like, well,
whatever you're doing,

keep doing it because
that's awesome.

And I'm like, oh, I didn't die.

I do remember a
lot of nights where

there wasn't a
packed dance floor

and I'm like waiting for Don to
come running down the stairs.

But you know what?

I never used the dance floor as
a barometer of success for a DJ.

If you're not going for it, and
you're not dumping your dance

floor, you're just not trying.

You can't be afraid
to try something new.

I felt like we needed to
inject new life into The Church

to start reaching
a broader audience.

Live music, we felt,
was really important.

Man, so many bands.

It was fun.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Well, I think, first of all,
the history, the location,

the background of all
the bands that played in.

I think the more everybody
plays there, you walk in

and it has an aura about
it, the whole feeling.

I was very surprised
to see this kind of club

with this kind of decoration
and beautiful elements in it.

It's important to
us as a band to give

the audience an experience
rather than just put on a show.

It was very easy at The Church
to create the kind of atmosphere

that we like to create.

It makes me so happy
just thinking about it,

and I would get so
excited when we had

a show booked for The Church.

The Church was just
so spectacular looking.

And it just looks sort of like a
place where vampire royalty were

assembling for a ball.

I kind of knew
like, OK, this is

one of these clubs
that is going to become

part of our weird history.

It was like a very anything
goes kind of place,

and I love that about it.

All types, all
different flavors.

It was just fun.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

And that's this.

In '86, I told my mom and dad,
I'm like, I want to play synths,

I want to play keyboards, and I
want to sound like Skinny Puppy.

I'll leave it, I'll leave it.

Turn it down.

Let's get this going.

Don Nadler called me
in 2009 about Cevin Key

from skinny puppy
wanting to do a DJ gig,

and I was like, hell,
yeah, jump on it.

Do it.

Yes.

Don got us in touch.

So he asked if I
had any synthesizers

I could bring to the club.

I think I brought my pro one
out that first-- no, no, I

don't think we-- because we
didn't know each other yet.

CEVIN KEY: You did
bring the-- no, it is.

You brought the pro
one the first time.

The first time.

CEVIN KEY: Listen, I
signed your synthesizer

and played it in the set.

My hero, my
keyboard hero is going

to play my keyboard, that I got
because my keyboard hero plays

that in his studio.

Somehow I end up back in
the coat closet with cKevin.

I remember the first
time I brought you out

for that first gig.

I took you back into
one of the coat checks

to show you this package I
got from this guy, Danny Blue

from Vancouver.

And he showed some pictures of
you hanging out with Al Nelson.

I think one of your first
girlfriends was there.

And one of the pictures,
and there was a--

Oh god, I remember this
now, you showing me that.

Because what was really
weird is that guy

you got the pictures
from was the guy that

formed the original underground
scene of late night clubs

and raves in Vancouver.

Oh wow.

I didn't know that.

So I was how is it
you got these pictures.

How does a guy in Dallas,
Texas, have pictures of me

from before I was
even in Skinny Puppy.

This is crazy.

And that's when we kind of
like opened up a little bit

and started talking.

We had him back three
or four other times.

That first time was amazing.

[CHEERING]

He's gonna ask you a question.

All right.

Do you guys want one more?

Only at The Church.

I can't think of another
Dallas establishment

that could house that type of
energy or that type of event.

It's just like, what's
the right size of room

and the right ceiling
height, the right speakers,

the right dance floor.

You had the bass,
you had all the bass.

You had everything.

One more time give
it up for cEvin Key.

Telling 13 or 14-year-old me
that I'd be hanging out with

that dude, I wouldn't believe
you in a million years.

So really glad that we
brought him out in 2009,

and that we got to bond
over some silly pictures.

And cKevin's just a
really sweet person.

Anytime you can
lure a celebrity

like that in, your
street cred goes way up.

One day I'm sitting
up in the office

and I see a Black
Ferrari pull up

with a very tall guy and
a very short blonde girl.

And I'm looking at the camera.

And I said, that looks like
Dennis Rodman and Madonna.

And they rang the
doorbell, and I let him in.

And I stood over here.

And I said, what
can I do for you?

And they said, well, we
heard this place is for sale.

I said, well, it's not
for sale, but it could be.

But we never did the
Lizard Lounge deal.

But there was a deal with
Dennis and Madonna and I.

The Cure came in one
night, played pool.

Pet Shop Boys came in one
night after a concert,

signed a piece of Lizard Land
stationery with their logo.

Trent Reznor was one.

I don't remember
how we did that.

I think that would just happen.

And movies were filmed there.

Keys to Tulsa was filmed there.

Queen of the South filmed there.

Walker Texas Ranger
filmed there.

I knew that Ozzfest
was coming to town,

and Marilyn Manson
was on the tour.

And I knew that he
was engaged to Dita.

I knew that I could
book Dita that night,

and we would
probably set the trap

to lure Marilyn
Manson into the club.

So we were there
on the dance floor

and someone came in from
the smoking porch and said,

tour bus has just pulled up.

And I'm like, OK, whatever.

But we can no
longer dance anymore

because it's too crowded.

And then we all just start
looking up and we're like,

oh, it's the Marilyn
Manson band, OK.

And that weird moment of like,
we want to dance to your song,

but you're here.

So we're just like, hi.

Back in the day,
people would say, well,

what are you guys
doing for Halloween?

I said, Halloween.

Well, I mean, is it going
to be a Monster's Ball,

or is it going to be
this, could be that.

That's when I got the idea
for Halloween on Halloween.

We do Halloween on Halloween.

And we only do it on
Halloween because every night

is Halloween.

But Halloween is Halloween.

Oh, hell yeah,
only on Halloween.

We were for many years, the
biggest, baddest Halloween

party.

We were always packed.

There was always a line that
went down the street to come in,

always the best costumes.

Doesn't matter
what day of the week

it is, it's still
a Church Night.

But Halloween on Halloween,
one of the simplest things

we've ever done, and in my
mind, still the most clever

because it's Halloween.

You don't have to do anything.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

We would always
try to get people

to dress to come to the
Church, and we're always

looking for ways to get them
to dress and participate.

And we thought it would be fun
to do a fetish ball as a one

off, one time dress up event.

Little did I know that was like
the biggest attraction we'd ever

create.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Hansel Von Quenzer
was the producer

of the first fetish ball.

The first show
was real low tech.

The skits that I wrote
were pretty basic

for fetish BDSM stuff.

It mainly consisted of
whipping and flogging,

putting people on the
leash, some toilet stuff.

And then the other part was
me running around trying

to find the props.

And then part
three was me trying

to find models that were
willing to do this type of thing

on stage.

How much did Hansel tell you?

I mean, not in a sexual way.

I just meant in a legal way.

Oh, I'm already on?

Fantastic.

You're going to cut
all this into it.

Great, you're going to use this.

Fantastic.

Thanks.

OK, so first fetish ball was
exciting and interesting.

So it's maybe 8:00.

Doors open at 9:00.

And we have all the
models on stage.

And so we're rehearsing.

And Hansel has some big
kind of skit planned out.

I'd showed up to
work on the ball,

and I was working on some
choreography and some props

and stuff.

We're kind of trying
to figure it out.

So it's gotten very
complicated and everyone's

a little confused.

We were about
to open the doors.

And then the doors
get busted open.

A detective showed up.

And he says, I'm here.

I'm looking for
Hansel Von Quenzer.

I said, hold on.

He said, hey, Dallas Police
Department is out here.

They want to talk to you.

Hansel goes.

We're like, oh.

And so everyone's just looking.

And we're not
knowing what to do.

I'd done a lot of radio
interviews for the fetish ball,

and I guess somebody had tipped
off the police or something.

We were five minutes
from opening the doors

for the first
Dallas fetish ball,

and the producer of the event
had just been carted off.

He straight up arrested me.

And if I remember right,
Angela Ryan stepped up.

I just let us all
out in the fashion show

and kind of just took over.

I guess they thought if maybe
they arrested the guy that

was producing the ball
that they could maybe

stop the ball somehow.

But the ball went on anyways.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I think that people
are maybe initially drawn

to it just because it's edgy.

Like anyone that's kind
of interested in pushing

the envelope or things
that are taboo like might

start to discover this.

Pampa, Texas.

It's up by Amarillo.

I come here every year
just for the fetish ball.

5 and a half hours, six hours?

So.

When I started the
fetish ball in 99,

for the first three
or four years,

it was predominantly
Church people.

But then it started
to attract people just

from the BDSM fetish community.

And what was the motto that
we talked about earlier,

anybody can come.

We had an older guy named Craig.

And he used to come in
wearing like a banana hammock

and nipple clamps with
weights, and he used

to come to the fetish ball.

We had a guy who used
to wear a diaper.

You want to wear a
diaper, wear a diaper.

You want to live out your
fetishes, you can do that here.

So what kind of robot are you?

I'm an assembly
line robot, actually.

This is a sex robot.

A sex robot?

Oh, look at that.

Well, now, easy now.

That is the Peter.

That Peter gets a little red
when you rub it that way.

Of course, when
we first started

bringing in rubber doll
in the mid to late 2000,

she was really big because
she was very attractive.

She wore all latex,
and she would

shoot this confetti
popper that would

be like the orgasm of the show.

I think that when someone
goes to a fetish ball like that,

there's so many elements going.

There's so much going on.

And then you add drinks to
that, and the parties going on.

And that's the success of it.

HANSEL VON QUENZER:
We didn't want

people to just show up and
watch the fetish people perform

on stage.

I wanted people to show up
and actually participate.

I am the mistress
of the wheel of pain.

It's a fun game.

Who doesn't love games?

You come up on stage, and
you're up there under the lights

and everybody's looking at you.

And you spin the big wheel, and
ooh, what's it going to land on?

What's it going to be?

Ooh.

We had the wheel of pain.

We had the flogging bench.

I set up a lube booth.

And then once that
happened, people

started coming up with all
sorts of other ideas like,

you'd toss the ring and
it would land on a dildo,

and you would win a prize.

Every little nook and cranny
that you went into, there

was something happening.

You turn around,
like there's people

trampling some dude in a cage.

Turn around over here,
someone's getting tied up.

There's just people
dancing everywhere.

I mean, it was the best
party I'd ever been to.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

(SINGING) Under my skin

Under my skin

Under my skin

Under my skin

Under my skin

I want to know where we're going

I want to know where you've been

You want to know what it
takes to get under my skin

I want to know where we're going

I want to know where you've been

You want to know what it
takes to get under my skin

[CHEERING]

S&M isn't necessarily
just about pain.

Pain is just one little
stop on that spectrum.

There's bondage.

There's sensory play.

S&M is very much a form of
therapy for a lot of people.

For me, it's not sexual.

And it is to a lot of people.

And I understand that.

And I explain to them whenever
I first start playing,

it's not going to be that way.

Safe, sane and consensual.

And if someone doesn't want
to play, you don't play.

A client of mine, he was a
large, muscular, like football

player type build.

And I dressed him up
like a little schoolgirl.

And I put on my little
latex nun outfit

with my giant flaming
purple strap on,

and I tied him to
the stripper pole.

And I made him suck my cock.

And I probably threw
him down on the floor

and humped his little ass too,
like humped him like a bitch

because he was a bitch.

So I made him my bitch right
there in front of everyone.

It was 2006, and I went on the
very first Girls of the Church

Calendar Night.

Every single person was
like their own runway.

It was just like an
eye gasm of life.

The first opportunity
I had to actually model

was at The Church.

One of my friends, she just
kind of came up to me one night,

and I should introduce
you to somebody.

Do you know Hansel?

And I'm like, no.

She led me over to
him and introduced me.

And she was like, you
need to put him in a show.

He told me to get on his
site, make a profile.

I think we actually did a
photoshoot at Hot Topic.

Back then everybody used to
hang out in the girls' bathroom.

You met everybody in
the girls' bathroom.

Hansel came in there.

I guess he was looking for
me and he asked about, Hey,

do you want to do fetish ball?

And it just felt I
was just like, yes.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Walking across the stage for
the first time is amazing.

When it came down for my walk
and hearing them, it was like,

this is where I belong.

[CHEERING]

Will, he was the photographer of
The Church for years and years.

And he said, hey, you need to
enter the Girls Church audition

thing.

I'm like, what are you
talking about, it's girls.

I'm not going to do that.

I'm a boy.

I'm not going to do it.

And he's like,
no, there's people

who would love for
you to be involved.

And they think you should.

You represent the church.

I really like that he
didn't fit into one category.

And to say Girls of
The Church back then

and JBabe being a part
of it was groundbreaking.

They did choose me because
I do represent The Church.

And I do know that
there were people

who was upset I was a part of it
because I don't have a vagina.

But I don't think that
is a problem at all.

The calendar represents
the faces who are there.

DON NEDLER: Well, when we first
began doing Church events,

I wanted to come up
with a positioning line

to let people know
a few words that

sort of describes who we are.

And the words we chose were
enter without prejudice.

Without prejudice
means coming as you are

and not giving a fuck
about anybody else.

Once you step
through these doors,

you cannot come in here and be
awful to people for the things

that they like or the way
that they look or the way that

they're dancing or
anything like that.

Try to understand where
they're coming from,

maybe understand what they're
going through in life.

Come in without any
preconceived ideas

about what you're going to see.

Don't be judgmental
about anybody.

Nobody's going to be
judgmental about you.

HANSEL VON QUENZER:
Having that as a slogan

is sort of a
reinforcement of the fact

that you're allowed to come
here and be who you want to be,

not how you have
to pretend to be

when you're around your family.

In my 9:00 to 5:00, I
can't dress the way I do.

The real me comes
out at The Church.

Enter that prejudice is
exactly what it sounds like.

If you want to be prejudiced
towards somebody dressing up

or the bondage or
everything that everybody

does in this scene, then
you're don't need to be here.

Basically.

Yeah.

Get the fuck out but in
a nice way, with a smile.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

The vampire
aesthetic and concept

before it became a goth
thing was about our inability

to understand death and
change and transformation.

Being a trans woman who
identifies with the vamp

aesthetic and like
I'm transitioning,

I'm finding something new, I'm
becoming something different,

it very much blended
into who I was.

I think I must have first found
the goth culture in probably

1997.

It was an interesting
year for me

because my father
had passed away.

And I had a different
group of friends

that were the Goth,
spooky kind, and they

were able to help me understand
that death is a part of life,

and you don't have to
be alone in that moment.

One of the things
that I had to learn

when I was doing my therapy
when I started transition

was my therapist said,
make a list of things

that you want for
yourself and you want

in a partner, essentially
a path for me.

And that path involves helping
others because others are there

for me.

I want to pay it forward.

And you roast the seeds.

Well, I've been
eating the pumpkin.

You can cook these.

So the Dance Vampire Court is
the only vampire court nonprofit

in the country, and we
run great charity events

and be a source
for the community

to be able to show we're here,
we're doing good for others.

We all started at The Church
with the Bleeding Hearts Ball

so many years ago.

The first time I went
authentically as Danielle

to The Church, it
was kind of a blur.

It was kind of anxiety riddled.

I'm in there touching my
makeup in the women's restroom.

There was a girl on a
bench there complaining

about her boyfriend,
and we were just

like giving each other advice
and gassing each other up,

going, oh, you look amazing.

This is a place where you
can relax, vent, touch up

your makeup, and always get
good, healthy compliments

from other women.

And that is something that was
very reaffirming gender-wise,

which wasn't taken in a bad way.

When your slogan is
end without prejudice,

it makes it feel like you're
able to be yourself there.

And that was what I needed
at a point in my life.

And moving forward
with my vampire court,

we're looking for a new venue.

We're finding new venues like
we can do a Bleeding Hearts Ball

here, but it's not The Church.

And there's just-- there's
so much of the ambience

of the location that
we don't recognize

that we miss until it's gone.

'98, my friend Chris Metz came
in and Chris Metz looked like

the villain from The Crow.

The long flowing black hair.

Beautiful, dude.

One night, Chris walks into the
club holding a brown paper bag.

He had shaved his head.

He's like, hey, man, I
want you to have this

because I don't
need this anymore.

I'm like, OK.

And I didn't know
what was in the bag.

I opened up the bag.

The rarest, most hard to find
Sisters of Mercy merchandise,

like picture disks on
vinyl, CD box sets.

And I'm like, dude, this is like
your prized possessions, dude.

I can't take this from you.

This is your stuff.

I don't want-- I
can't take this.

Dude, you have to take it.

I don't need it anymore.

So that night he comes in and
hangs out with me in the booth.

I had met this girl
before he walked in.

Her name was Chris.

I introduced her to Chris,
and they started talking.

I get home, I do my
nightly ritual, go to bed.

I get woken up a
couple hours later.

It's the girl Chris.

Joe, Chris is dead.

And I'm like, what the fuck?

What?

What do you mean Chris is dead?

She goes, his mom called me
because she found my phone

number in his jacket.

She walked in the room,
and he shot himself.

And I was like, what the fuck?

Sorry.

I don't think goth
has ever driven anyone

to kill themselves.

But I think that people
with suicidal ideation

might very well seek out goth.

So I think that's where
the crossroads are.

I don't think the crossroads
are someone who's bright

and chipper suddenly
goes to a goth club

and starts wearing
black lipstick

and then suddenly is suicidal.

I just don't think that happens.

When I was 17 years
old, living in a town

where people told
me on a daily basis,

you should kill yourself,
do this town a favor

and kill yourself.

Do the school a favor
and kill yourself.

Do your family a favor
and kill yourself.

And not ever having met anyone
from outside of that town,

I just assumed that
everyone else in the world

was like the people in my town.

And subsequently I felt that I
was like they said, a weirdo,

and I didn't deserve to live.

People who are depressed
who find the goth scene,

if their experience
is anything like mine,

where you spend a lot of
your time dancing in a club,

feeling really free
to express yourself,

being surrounded by people
who are also really creative

and also dressed
really wildly, who

are open minded and
accept you the way

that you are will
more likely than not,

I think, put aside the
thoughts of suicide,

realizing that there are
good people in this world

and there is fun to
be had in this world

and there is beauty to be found.

And if there's one thing that
I have learned from performing

here year after year
after year, if there's

one thing I've come to expect
and to always, always feel

is the incredible sense of
understanding and togetherness

that this community
has and acceptance.

So New Year's Eve, I'm there,
and DJing in the DJ booth,

and I hear some buzzing over
here with my friends talking.

And I heard my friend
Jasper's name get brought up.

And I'm like, hey,
where is that fool, man?

He'd be the first person
to come up here and try

to kiss me at midnight.

Where is where's Jasper at?

Oh, you haven't heard.

And I'm like, what?

And it's like, he died.

He ODed.

And I'm like, what?

LORD BYRON: Anybody
that knew Jasper just

knew he was one of the coolest
people you'd ever want to know.

He knew everything
about alternative music.

He was a musician himself.

He was just a beautiful person.

JOE VIRUS: After
Jasper had passed away.

I kind of learned the
phrasing of these.

Did you hear about, or have
you heard about, or whatever,

that usually meant did you
hear that so-and-so died.

After a lot of my friends
died, I said, fuck this,

I don't want to
lose more people.

I don't want to be close to
anybody because everybody dies,

and I can't handle it.

And I'm having a hard
time dealing with it.

It's hard going to a club
trying to have a party when

the people you used to party
with at that same club are gone.

Everybody in this picture is
dead except for me and this guy

here with the skull mask.

This is my friend Brad,
who died of cancer.

And these two took their
own lives separately,

different times, years apart.

I could picture my friends
where they would be hanging out.

And every once in
a while, there'll

be some guy with a leather
jacket on and bleach blonde hair

walk by, and I
think it's Jasper.

Like, boom, that's Jasper.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

When you start talking
about supernatural stuff,

we've had countless
film crews of people

that come to measure
ghost sightings that

have come through the building.

Big John, the head
of security there

claims to have seen the
spirit on certain nights.

I didn't actually take it.

One of my staff members took it.

He just took the picture
because of how the lights

were shining through the smoke.

And then he looked at the
picture after he took it.

And that's when
he saw that image.

And he kind of freaked out.

It was at the
end of the night.

We were all outside.

And me and Joe were
standing there talking.

Club closes, Big John leaves.

He's the last guy.

He had the keys,
locked everything up.

And Clint and I are talking
and all of a sudden, we hear.

And we were like, did we lock
somebody in the building?

And we're like, huh?

OK, second time.

And we're like.

He gets on the
phone, hey, Big John,

can you come back
here with the keys?

We lock somebody
in the building,

I hear somebody banging.

And it was very, very loud.

It wasn't like just
a little knock.

It was straight up the
whole door was shaking.

Someone was definitely
inside a building.

Joe didn't want to go in.

He was like, no, I'm
not going in there.

JOE VIRUS: I'm like, I'm
going to step outside.

I'll catch anybody
if they run out.

And me and John
searched the building.

And we shouted out.

We searched every corner
upstairs, offices,

dressing room, and literally
did not find anybody in there.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

This was a stair line.

So at this level was
the DJ booth right here.

You see this black line.

So coming out to here, this
was the staircase going up.

And so the DJ
booth is over here.

So I would be DJing.

And out of the corner of
my eye, I would see a kid.

And I remember the
like a white t-shirt.

I couldn't see hair.

I didn't see the hair color,
but blue jeans, like big baggy

jeans, run up the stairs.

And when he got to
this section here

would trip and then
continue running

and disappear halfway
up the staircase.

Across the way, I would
see somebody standing

in front of the doorway going
up into the dressing room,

and I would see a figure with
long gray or blonde hair,

just all in black
standing up there.

And nobody would be there.

One of the popular ghost stories
here was an old guy in a top hat

and a suit sitting at a table.

And he was always
there writing poetry.

But that was really a
guy named Christopher.

I've never seen
a ghost in my life.

I mean, my theory
on that is if there

is another world that
we're not part of,

it's like it's on a
different radio frequency.

And there are those
of us that are not.

JOE VIRUS: I feel that maybe
it's a residual haunting there.

Like when you listen to
a tape, a cassette tape,

if you recorded something
that had a heavy bass tone

or like a kick drum, that was
really hard in this one point,

and then you record over
that, you'll get a drop out

of that kick drum again.

I kind think that might
be it with the building.

Like maybe the way
that the couches were,

maybe the material of the
wallpaper, maybe the bricks

and the wood itself
captured some--

and the kid falling, that
might have been his like--

one of his biggest embarrassing
moments of his life.

And maybe that
registered like a kick

drum on the magnetic
field of the club.

There are so many people
through, in and out those doors.

And so many people with
heightened emotional responses

to things going on.

All those kind of
things are boom.

Yeah.

Yeah.

You just keep feeding it and
feeding it and feeding it.

It's like a
rechargeable battery.

And one night I'm
in the hallway here.

This used to be just a
hallway with double doors

that swung into this
whole big area back here.

So I'm here talking to--

CAMERA MAN: What's going on?

I heard something.

CAMERA MAN: What was that?

I don't know.

It sounded like it
was right there.

I don't see anybody or anything.

I hear footsteps.

That's so weird.

There's nothing you can
hear footsteps in here.

OK.

All right.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

So several years
ago, I met the club

and I had a guest DJ spinning.

And I walked outside to get
some fresh air because it

gets stuffy in there.

You get the fog machine going.

And so I walked
outside, but there's

this guy, this like drunk
guy, didn't look Goth at all.

And he says, Hey, DJ Virus.

Hey, man.

And he comes and puts
his arm around me.

And I'm like, what's up?

And he's like, I just
bought this place, man.

And I got a question,
what are you

going to do when I
bulldoze your club?

And I'm like, who the
fuck are you, dude?

Don't be an asshole.

I don't fucking know you.

What?

Who the fuck-- get
in your fucking limo.

Take your fucking
hooker off with you.

I yelled at him.

He got in his limo and took off.

And Don called me up and said,
hey, what did this guy say?

What'd he you look like?

And I described him to him.

And he's like, OK, so yeah, this
guy did-- he did buy the club,

but we're not going anywhere.

We're not going anywhere.

He would come in unannounced
in the middle of the day

with investors trying to sell
the building, which is not cool.

First of all, it's a
violation of our lease.

It's a four wall lease.

We're responsible for everything
from the roof to the foundation.

I couldn't buy the
Lizard Lounge property.

The only defense
posture I could take

was to buy the property adjacent
and stop any development.

But I knew I couldn't
stop it forever.

I just knew I
could slow it down.

When Westdale
bought the building,

we were afraid they
wouldn't work with us.

But they did.

But they said, we're
building a high rise for Uber

across the street, and we're
going to take your parking lots.

And they were going
to use the parking

lots as staging for the
construction of the high rise.

I agreed to it because I didn't
want to lose Lizard Lounge,

but I knew at that point
our days were numbered.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

I was in the office and I got a
phone call from Onisha Rigney.

She was the original
landlord's wife.

She was the designer who did
the grand crystal palace dinner

theater.

She called me and
said, Don, I need

to come get that chandelier.

I'm going to sell it and leave
the money to my godchild.

I said, you can have
it, but I need time

to replace it because I
had to scramble to explain

to people why someone's
ripping the heart and soul out

of our nightclub.

The one thing around
here you could

do-- you could break a chair.

You could break a window.

Railing.

You could break a rail.

And I'm probably just
going to ask you to leave.

But the chandelier
was a touchy subject.

Yes.

That's the only thing that's
remained constant in the club

and the pinnacle
of the club itself.

Like if the club was a church,
that would sort of in a way,

be the altar because everybody
dances under that chandelier.

The chandelier was somewhat
of the mascot of The Church.

Even though it didn't run
around and pump people up,

it sure did reflect
the lights nicely.

Who else can
say that they were

clubbing underneath
that kind of opulence?

The person they get married
to, like they come in the early

90s and they meet the
person for the first time,

the chandelier was there.

I didn't replace it.

I decided it can't be replaced.

We just decided we're
going to let it go.

Yeah, I think it was very
emotional when they took it out.

It was gut wrenching for us.

And we were determined
to get it back.

One way or another we
were going to get it back.

My plan was I was going to
try to buy it at auction.

Don had put out a
fundraiser type event

to raise money to buy
back the chandelier.

What other club has that type
of commitment from their patrons

to spend their own hard earned
money, not just only visit it,

but to preserve it?

I finally made a deal.

We bought the
chandelier for $7,000.

And we rehung it.

We had all the spotlights down
on it, shining different colors,

so that it would glisten.

It was just beautiful.

And it was very emotional.

It was a proud moment that the
scene came together like that.

And then it was a big
dance party afterwards.

And looking back on it, it hurts
now knowing that everything

was gone right after that.

REPORTER 1: President
Donald Trump

declared a national emergency.

REPORTER 2: And today
Governor Gregg Abbott

declared a state of
disaster in Texas.

Parts of North
Texas are seeing

an increase in positive cases.

Dallas County has more cases
than anywhere else in the state.

REPORTER 1: A heightened
sense of urgency.

REPORTER 2: Closures
of large events.

REPORTER 1: No visitors allowed.

REPORTER 2: The number
of cases should not

spike if people don't
gather in huge groups.

That Sunday before I was
my last show at The Church

and I just played my heart
out, had fun, went out

to eat with friends
like I always did,

and came home not realizing
that was the last time

I was going to be
in that building.

I knew months before
the pandemic hit the US,

I had a bad feeling
because I watched

what was happening in Europe.

We all saw what happened.

In March, we got the shutdown
order from the governor.

JOE VIRUS: They kept sending
out the shutdown, the lockdown

for longer.

And around April or May,
I see a post on Facebook.

And I called Don right away.

I'm like, Don, what's going on?

He's like, yeah, we're
having to shut down.

I remember feeling
like it's not even real.

Like if The Church ends and
if that space shuts down,

I mean it's like truly the
end of something monumental.

I mean, how does that end?

It was during
lockdown in COVID.

So I got out my phone and I
found the Spotify playlist

that Joe Virus did.

And I just danced in my
backyard on the patio,

smoking my clove in
memoriam of The Church.

And it hurt.

I basically grieved
like I had lost somebody.

It was a death to me.

The church was who I was.

It was created, who I became.

It was my home.

It was the only
place I felt safe.

And I definitely feel
like I've lost something

that was very important to me.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

We cleaned the club out.

And then we decided that
we would give everybody

an opportunity to come back in.

And I think it was really
important for The Church

community to have closure.

JOE VIRUS: And there
was a line of people

all the way around the building,
outside down the street.

People wanted to go in and
pay their last respects.

And that was the last
time I went there.

We did that last walkthrough.

That was like a viewing.

It was like a viewing at
a funeral allowing people

to go in.

And I just stayed
in the dressing room

and wrote my name on a
wall that was eventually

going to be torn down and just
cried until they forced me out

of the building.

I mean, there will be
people 40 years from now

when you talk to them,
that'll remember being there.

I didn't think it would
affect me, that and--

I've sort of made peace
with the emotional part

and the emotional
component of this building.

I've let it go.

At the end of the day for me,
I have so many great memories

here, and that's
what I carry forward.

I don't dwell on what I lost.

I like to think
back on what we had

and all the great
things we did here.

We immediately went
out and started

looking for a new location.

And that's when I acquired
the Italy club because I

knew when I looked at
it'll do that, The Church

would do well there.

I was really upset
that he was going

to reopen The Church already.

And that he was going to
call the night at It'll

Do The Church.

I'm like, dude, why.

Let's let The Church
die infamously.

Let it die legendary.

Let The Church die, the
name die with the building.

And It'll Do.

We're back to our roots.

And we're really more of
what we were originally,

which is just a place to
dance, drink, and socialize.

I hated it when I walked
in there the first time

when I first saw it.

I'm like, man, no,
this place, no.

But now it's like with
the people and the vibe

and the music and the lighting,
it just, yeah, it works.

It felt like being at home
again in a different home.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

Listen, I support
Joe in his decisions.

There are personal
decisions that he

has to make for his life.

And I support him
and encourage him.

I wish him the best.

And I'm sure it'll
be good for him.

But we're going to miss him.

It's weird to talk about.

I don't know what to
say, so give me a second.

It is what it is.

It's time.

Oh my God, it's been so long.

So long, Byron.

You look great.

You both do.

What's up?

Movers come on Wednesday.

And we leave Thursday.

Right now that this is the
last time in a long time

I'm going to see these people.

This could be the
last time I get

to play my heart out to them.

All my whole shit.

Everybody's fucking here.

What the fuck?

The question I'm getting
all night long is like, why?

What happened?

What happened?

Is it a job?

Is it whatever?

No, I'm just-- I just always
dreamed of living in California,

always wanted that.

And my wife always wanted
a mid-century modern home.

And we found a mid-century
modern home in California.

Fucking yay.

And I'm going to go and do what
I can to take over California.

So I'm going to miss
you all so fucking much.

And we'll see what happens.

We'll see what fucking happens.

I want to play some fucking
three T's because it's

just that good right now.

I love you.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

OLGA: Hey, this is
Olga from Skinny Puppy,

and you are being
infected by one

of the most disgusting diseases
by DJ Virus at The Church.

CEVIN KEY: Hi,
this is cEvin Key.

And you're listening to
Joe Virus at the church.

ANDY: Hey, it's Andy
from Comic Christ.

You're listening to Joe
Virus at The Church.

RONAN: Hi, this is Ronan.

Welcome to the
House of our Lord.

Welcome to The Church.

You're listening to the
beautiful sounds of Mr. Joe

Virus.

GINGER FISH: This is ginger
fish from Marilyn Manson.

And you are listening to
Joe Virus at The Church.

BILL LEE: Hey, this is Bill
Lee from frontline assembly.

And you are being
sonically accosted

by listening to Joe
Virus at The Church.

GROOVY: This is Groovy, man,
from my life with the thrill

kill kult. And you're
listening to Joe Virus.

MAN: (SINGING) I whisper
your name across them.

It's so natural that it
looks unnatural, I guess.

It looks-- it reminds
me of Angkor Wat.

But that's a temple
that was made by man.

This is just made by weather.

I lived in Euless
out in the Metroplex,

and I really pretty
much just went

shopping, went to
restaurants, went to the club,

and that was it.

Here, I come here maybe
once a week just to chill,

just to come out here.

And sometimes I'll just park
in the parking lot over here

and just sit and look at it.

Sometimes I'll get
up and wander around.

I miss my friends.

I miss the club.

I really miss the club.

I miss the crowd.

Both clubs.

I miss 2424.

I miss It'll Do.

I miss the crowd there.

I don't miss the traffic.

I have a good, group
of friends here.

An awesome-- we're like a
family, supporting each other.

It's just awesome.

I get to hang out
with them a lot.

I moved here to a
desolate desert,

and I'm not alone anymore.

And I was more
alone in a big city.

That's what I'm trying to say.

Yeah, exactly what you said.

So if I had to put
the story, the legacy,

the story of The
Church into words,

it's really difficult for me.

But I really think
it's just about how

one venue, one
place, one building,

one night in this one building,
how it brought all these lonely,

ostracized, the weirdos, the
freaks, the geeks, the nerds,

the lonesome, the lonely,
the sad, the forgotten

and the displaced people.

The building gave us all a hug.

It brought us all in
and pushed us together

in a way that I've never
felt that anywhere.

I tried to be tough about
it all, the whole time.

I really missed being--

I miss it so much.

Fuck.

I'm looking for a brick to take.

I want a piece of the building.

Yeah, this one's good.

This is my brick.

I just missed this place.

I love this building.

I don't want to let it go.

[MUSIC PLAYING]

MAN: (SINGING) Welcome

We live on the other side

We live on the other side

When cities sleep

We come alive

When cities sleep

We come alive

In our secret place

We congregate

In our secret place

We congregate

Every night to celebrate

Every night to celebrate

Enter without prejudice

Enter without prejudice

No sacred words
mean more than this

No Sacred words
mean more than this

Just take a seat
and listen close

Just take a seat
and listen close

Enjoy some spirits
with the ghosts

Enjoy some spirits
with the ghosts

You, you belong
to the night time

Moving through the shadows
of the street lights

You dance till the
moon starts to fall

You run from the lightning

You belong to the night

You, you belong to the nigh time

Moving through the shadows
under street lights

You dance till the
moon starts to fall

You run from the light when
you belong to the night

Echos of the sound and lights

Echos of the sound and light

Shadows dance in pure delight

Shadows dance in pure delight

the rhythm is what pulled you in

The rhythm is what pulled you in

Don't let this feeling ever end

Don't let this feeling ever it

You, you belong to the nigh time

Moving through the shadows
under street lights

You dance till the
moon starts to fall

You run from the light when
you belong to the night

You, you belong to the nigh time

Moving through the shadows
under street lights

You dance till the
moon starts to fall

You run from the light when
you belong to the night