The suits that tried to shove their corporate crap down our throats called it disco. Anyone with an ounce of non-conformity hated it for what it was: A simple, cookie-cutter formula for making hit songs that made lots of money for the corporate heads. We hated it with everything from Sex Pistols to Pink Floyd, Iggy Pop to Van Halen. Blue Oyster Cult to Kiss.

I listened to the radio only to hear the Stones or Zeppelin. I focused mainly on my eight tracks and guitar. I still remember the day I bought KISS Alive! II.

Still, it was impossible to escape disco completely. The Bee Gees, KC and the Sunshine Band, and Donna Summer infested every store, restaurant, and television show. Even some of the rock and roll magazines featured disco “artists.”

When disco died, however, it died hard. No radio station, post-1982 dared even mention a disco artist. So, twenty-five plus years pass, and I’ve heard not one disco song in its entirety. I thought it was a good thing.

A new Nashville radio station hit the airwaves about a month or so ago. This station plays everything from Faith Hill and Whitney Houston to Black Sabbath and Judas Priest. Anyway, I was driving home from work the other day when they played “Stayin’ Alive,” by the Bee Gees. I reached for the dial, but something stopped me. After listening to the entire song, something hit me like a rock sailing through my window going 85. The Bee Gees rock!

How they were grouped with all the other trash from the disco era is beyond me. For those of you who still think they suck, I challenge you to listen closely to “Stayin’ Alive” and find one flaw. They truly were awesome musicians. Then again, maybe I’m just getting old.