Club Universe

177 Townsend (at Third)

Saturday 10pm-Sunday 7am

Cheesy music. 1984. Leg warmers? Well, maybe not but Cat's Grill on Thursday evenings takes you back to the era of feathered hair and lip gloss (last time around).

There'll be no pigeon-holing of The Justice League! Diverse music, diverse crowd. Hip Hop, Techno, Samba...it's all here.

The Lexington Club is a one-room corner bar with a pool table and pinball machine. In the Mission. Some might call it a dive.

Aren't Sunday nights a drag? Walk into Spundae and it'll be Monday morning just all too soon. Smallish crowd, brilliant music...

Anyone who lives in San Francisco goes to Club Universe at one time or another. If you're straight, it's probably after a long evening of drinking. If you're gay, you probably are on first name terms with the bouncers.

It's all a bit overwhelming the first time you enter 177 Townsend on a Saturday evening. Mostly because of the sheer number of scantily-clad buff boys. But, then there's the heat. And the steam. And the smell. Just thinking about it gets my heart all aflutter.

The music rocks. The sound system is new and almost too loud. From about 12:30-3:30am, New York's greatest loss, Michael Mangiaforte, spins viciously. And I mean, he's fierce. Your legs will hurt the next day if you're not a regular tweakenese. Of which there are quite a number, all bopping predictably below the DJ's booth. And talking of DJ adoration, David Harness arrives at the turntables right after Michael, and he closes the house down. David ensures you'll have a brilliant time with his feel-good aura. In fact, sometimes, he'll even come out onto the dance floor and join you! If you're not crashing, catch David on a Sunday afternoon at the End Up.

Almost everyone at Universe is a fag. Designer labels are "in" here. I mean, if you've got one of those D&G over priced wife-beaters, this is the place to strut your booty. That said, there are always a few straight club kids who come for the music. You'll find them at the edge of the dance floor, right there in front of the bar. And then there are always a few token fag hags, looking beautiful. Though by 6am they usually could do with a good scrub and a pair of comfortable shoes. Shiny face galore.

Universe before 12:30am is for another review. I've never been. In fact, I'd highly recommend not going to Universe until after 2am when all the drunks leave. They just get underfoot and they're a pain in the ass on the dance floor.

Most important, bring your sunglasses. Because, sweets, you're in for the long haul. And there ain't anything uglier than leaving Universe at sunrise with those pupils hanging out of your eyes on springs.

If you have any comments on what Universe is like to you, please email them to us at editor@posthoc.com and we'll post them periodically below this review.

Susan MacTavish Best

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