Mineshaft (gay club)

Description

Among those who frequented the Mineshaft were Jack Fritscher, who was present at its opening night and attended hundreds of times, Fritscher's lover Robert Mapplethorpe, who took many pictures of the Mineshaft and was at one point its official photographer ("After dinner I go to the Mineshaft."), gay erotic artist Rex, and Annie Sprinkle, who said she was one of three women ever allowed in. (One of the other women was Camille O'Grady.) Manager Wally Wallace (born James Wallace) said that he turned away Mick Jagger, and a bouncer turned away Rudolf Nureyev. Vincente Minnelli, Rainer Werner Fassbinder, Rock Hudson, and Michel Foucault got in.

There was no sign on the entrance; the exterior has been described as "grimy". The location had previously been used by a gay bar, Zodiac. The entrance to the club was up a flight of stairs, on the second floor. The door was manned by someone who rejected anyone wearing preppie clothes or cologne. Originally the Mineshaft was on that one floor (and with a scat room, which was soon abandoned as too extreme). It soon expanded to the first floor beneath, cutting a hatch in the middle of the (second) floor which gave access down rough stairs to a recreation of a jail cell, the back of a truck, dungeons, and a room containing spotlighted bathtubs in which men could let other men urinate on them.

The Mineshaft operated from October 8, 1976 until it was closed by the New York City Department of Health on November 7, 1985, although tax problems played a significant role in its closing. The bar had a roof deck, clothes check, dungeons, slings, cans of Crisco and other services. There was a wall of glory holes. Nudity or minimal clothing was encouraged. After it closed, six men, associated with both the Mineshaft and an affiliated heterosexual club, the Hellfire, were charged with a variety of crimes. Four pleaded guilty, former New York City police officer Richard Bell was convicted, and the sixth fled the country to escape prosecution.

According to Jack Fritscher, Jacques Morali drew his inspiration for the four archetypes of the Village People from the Mineshaft's dress code. Glenn Hughes, the original leather biker of the Village People, frequently attended.

The existence of the Mineshaft was widely known among gays who never visited; it has been called a "mythic[al]...space".

Dress code

A sign said the following:

The Mine Shaft dress code

as adopted by the club on October 1, 1976
is to be followed during the year 1978.

Approved dress includes the following:
Cycle leather & Western gear, levis
Jocks, action ready wear, uniforms,
T shirts, plaid shirts, just plain shirts,
Club overlays, patches, & sweat.

NO COLOGNES or PERFUMES
NO SUITS, TIES, DRESS PANTS
NO RUGBY SHIRTS, DESIGNER SWEATERS, or TUXEDOS
NO DISCO DRAG or DRESSES

NO HEAVY OUTTER [sic] WEAR IS TO BE WORN IN PLAYGROUND

Popular culture

The Al Pacino movie Cruising was intended to depict gay cruising as it existed at the Mineshaft, though the bar is not named in the movie. Since the Mineshaft would not allow filming, scenes from the movie were filmed at the Hellfire Club, which was decorated to resemble the Mineshaft. Regulars from the Mineshaft appeared as extras. Scenes were shot in streets and other locations near the Mineshaft. Pacino attended as part of researching his role.

A bar called the Mineshaft does not appear in the 1970 novel Cruising by Gerald Walker, which, with substantial changes, was the inspiration for the 1980 film of the same name and this did model club interiors on the real Mineshaft.

Freddie Mercury wears a Mineshaft T-shirt in the official video for the Queen song Don't Stop Me Now.

The images and posters for the club were created by the erotic artist Rex.