"A Night at the Disco": Connie Collins interviews Christian John Wikane

Galerie Fledermaus welcomes Christian John Wikane for the Palm Beach launch of his book A Night at the Disco (ACC Art Books). Emmy Award-winning journalist Connie Collins will lead a special Q&A with Christian. The event is FREE and open to the public. Books will be available for purchase courtesy of The Palm Beach Book Store. Please RSVP to reserve your seat.

The Guardian: "Disco brought together music, fashion and nightlife in a cultural phenomenon that conquered the world. In A Night at the Disco by Alice Harris and Christian John Wikane, the stars of the scene are documented in photos spanning the 1970s."

Vogue [Greece]: "Through photographs and personal narratives, [A Night at the Disco] maps glamour as the common language of an era of collective creative expression — one that extended beyond the night and left a lasting cultural imprint."

ABOUT THE BOOK

A Night at the Disco is a celebration of groundbreaking dance music from 1970–’79. An unprecedented collection of photographs of more than 100 artists, illuminating the styles and sounds from a decade that sparked a global phenomenon in music and culture. Exclusive comments from Donna Summer, Barry Gibb, Debbie Harry, Giorgio Moroder, founding members of CHIC, Labelle, The Trammps, Village People, Earth, Wind & Fire, and dozens more artists, songwriters and producers, offering fascinating insights that tell the stories behind the beats. From underground New York clubs to discothèques across the globe, A Night at the Disco illustrates how artists spanning soul, pop, disco, funk, jazz and rock defined nightlife during the 1970s and influenced popular music to the present day. With a foreword by Verdine White of Earth, Wind & Fire, this is a real treat for music, dance and disco fans everywhere.

ABOUT THE AUTHOR

Christian John Wikane is a NYC-based music journalist and essayist. Since 2003, he's interviewed more than 600 recording artists, songwriters, and producers, including Paul McCartney, Janelle Monáe, Donna Summer, Pete Seeger, Annie Lennox, Maurice White, Jimmy Scott, Carly Simon, and Kenny Gamble. He and filmmaker Sekou Luke currently produce the video series "Unscripted: Conversations with Christian John Wikane," which features his interviews with GRAMMY, Tony, and Emmy-winning artists, and have also produced "Unscripted Live" at the Apollo Theater, City Winery, and Lincoln Center (2024 "American Songbook" series). Christian's also a contributing writer for PEOPLE Magazine and was Contributing Editor for PopMatters online magazine from 2006-2023. He was also credited as a consultant for HBO's Emmy-nominated Tina Turner documentary, Tina (2021), as well as CNN's Dionne Warwick: Don't Make Me Over (2021) and HBO's Love to Love You, Donna Summer (2022).

Christian's had the distinct honor of curating and moderating several events on the main stage of the Apollo Theater for Apollo Education's "Live Wire" series, including "Legendary: A Conversation with Dionne Warwick and Melba Moore," "Bold Soul Sisters," a panel discussion featuring Nona Hendryx, Ruth Pointer, Kathy Sledge, and Rochelle Fleming, and "She's A Rebel: An Interview with Martha Reeves, Sarah Dash, and Joshie Jo Armstead." He's moderated two events for the Brooklyn Museum, "From Studio 54 to Number One" (2020) featuring Alfa Anderson, Linda Clifford, and Cory Daye, and "The Soulfulness of David Bowie" (2018) featuring Carlos Alomar and Robin Clark, and led an all-star panel for Stevens Institute of Technology's screening of CNN Films' Luther: Never Too Much (2024). He's also conducted a live Q&A with disco legends D.C. LaRue and Felipe Rose (original co-founder and Native of Village People) for Queer/Art/Film's screening of Thank God It's Friday (1978) at IFC Center.

Since 2010, Christian has authored extensive liner notes for more than 200 album re-issues by major and independent record companies in the U.S. and U.K., including more than a dozen releases for the Estate of Donna Summer. He's also conducted interviews for several BBC Radio documentaries, Sirius XM's Studio 54 channel, Chase Bank ("Inside Access"), and hosted/produced more than a dozen concerts at Joe’s Pub (the Public Theater), the Blue Note, Iridium Jazz Club, and Wölffer Estate Vineyard. He's guest lectured for Barnard College's "Harlem Semester" Program (2017-2025) and has presented at EMP Pop Conference, the Parrish Art Museum, Apollo Education's "Master Class" Series, and NYU Steinhardt’s Department of Music. He's the sole author of Casablanca Records: Play It Again (2009), a 50,000-word oral history that documented the 35th anniversary of Casablanca Records and the co-author of A Night at the Disco (2026) and What the Band Wore: Fashion & Music (2023) — "A Top 20 Pick of the Year” by The Wall Street Journal — published by ACC Art Books.

ABOUT THE MODERATOR

Emmy award-winning journalist Connie Collins is a seasoned communicator with more than 30 years of experience as a TV reporter, producer and anchorwoman for WNBC-TV news and WPIX-TV in New York City. She also produced segments for The Discovery Channel, The Food Network and hosted a Women’s Health Series for ABC-TV.

While a Contributing Editor for MORE Magazine, she authored the best-selling book, FIFTY CELEBRATE FIFTY.

The recipient of numerous state and community awards for her work in television, Collins later helped format WEHM-FM in East Hampton, New York and hosted a public affairs program. She also taught news writing at The New School in New York City, and is a seasoned public speaker.

As President of her own production company she produced educational documentaries for The Museum of Modern Art, The Museum of the City of New York and the MET.

The mother of two and grandmother to seven, the National Mother’s Day Committee named her an "Outstanding Mother of the Year" for serving as a role model for working mothers.

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Host or Publisher Sekou Luke and Christian John Wikane