71. The Inferno (The Station nightclub fire)
Incompetence and negligence lead to a devastating loss of life at a concert in West Warwick, Rhode Island.
Prelude: A fight in the E2 nightclub in Chicago triggers a deadly stampede.
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Original music for Swindled is written and performed by Trevor Howard (Deformr).
Comments (37)
Now I remember why I couldn't finish this one. It's your utter contempt for music the victims of of the fire enjoyed. Hair metal doesn't rank at the top of any of my playlists -- I preferred classic rock even when bands like Great White were in their heyday -- but it has to be taken in a certain context, just like disco and the teenage death ballads of the late 50s and early 60s. "Teen Angel" comes across as weird and creepy to us but we weren't teenagers at the time. I was a young teen when hair metal was popular. Looking back, it wasn't something most of us took seriously. It was pop. We thought it was cool and fun but ultimately forgettable. Part of the attraction, at least for a cis het girl (and I was by no means a superfan), was the androgyny: These men were beautiful with their teased hair and makeup, but at the same time they exuded raw male sex appeal. This isn't something you can understand, and I didn't understand it at the time, but the 80s were full of very sexy, very pretty men making popular music, including the originator of the trope himself. This is already too long and nobody is ever going to read it. I really wanted to hear your take on this horrific event and the miscarriage of justice that followed, but I just couldn't get past your contempt for something that didn't even matter. Say what you like about asshole Jack Russell. He certainly deserves it. The fans didn't, and don't. Still love your work and will continue to support it, but this one just hit me wrong.
just letting you know i read it! i think to some extent we have to acknowledge when we sign up for Swindled that we're accepting ACC's personality and voice alongside the neutral content (as much as content like this can ever be neutral), and we may occasionally find things we love inside his crosshairs. I'm a huge fan and was a big part of Tumblr culture during Dashcon, and of course I knew ACC was going to have fun mocking fandom things like Superwholock. I think, though, that's part of the social contract of the podcast: today he may be mocking something you enjoy, but tomorrow he'll be mocking something else and you'll find it hilarious. As long as he's not mocking anyone's inherent identity (which he never ever does nor would he), there's an element of comedy that's kinda fair game. but all that said i appreciate your explanation of why this era of music appealed to you. i definitely think androgyny and blurred gender/sexual roles is a huge part of the appeal of pop music still today (just look at BTS!), and of course nobody should ever be ashamed for enjoying it. It's all in good fun. :)
Skipped this episode when it first released but I think I’m finally ready to listen to it.
This ones crazy!
Excellent episode. Again. This story always plagues my dreams. Knowing a few people that lost friends in that fire, seeing the horrific footage. Appreciate all the added info and content surrounding this. With every episode I agree more and more with your “postcards only” sign-off. Xoxo
Awe, did you guys hear your mention within the introduction of "Invisible Choir's" latest free episode? It made me giggle. Your show is fantastic.
Normally, I feel like ACC has to connect the stories somehow and what got me was when we switched gears to the mattress fire story. Here's a reporter who knows about fire safety and then--bam! Turns out he owns this club on the side and they were there that day to shoot some B-roll footage of what fire safety in clubs looks like. Talk about a kick in the junk, wow. The live audio was tough to listen to. This might be the most brutal episode yet. I'll have to amend my promotion of Swindled as "true-crime but the kind where *usually* nobody dies (and no one is held accountable)." plenty of death this season. ACC, you are the best.
The MGM Grand fire is just as infuriating as the station nighclub one. What makes the station nighclub so sad though is the raw footage you can watch. You see it go from a normal night out to an absolute disaster. Could've happened to anyone. So so sad.
thank you so much for covering this one! fire safety is one of those things i’m a nag about - you don’t have to have any personal experience with fire-related incidents to feel really gripped by the seriousness of it.
So happy to see an episode! I know you're on break right now and hope you're enjoying it! Thanks for all you do!
No frickin gerbs. But in all seriousness, this episode hit me hard. Unbelievable how devastating this fire was.
This is really a brilliant episode. Rarely does a podcast have the emotional impact that this one does. The hard work is evident. I am so glad you’re doing what you do, CC.
I was living in Romania when the fire happened at the Colectiv club in Bucharest. More people died in the hospital due to infections and contamination than those who perished in the fire. Some victims were flown to Western European countries where doctors were shocked to find infectious bacteria they hadn't seen since the 70s. The system failed those victims twice.
That's so sad and horrible! It would be good to cover that case.
Your best work. That was brutal.
Devastating! 😢😢😢😢😢
So heartbreaking
What a good and hard to listen to episode.
I used to play in a band. We were on the road that night in Los Angeles so the news came to us in the wee hours. I remember feeling corroded inside - a working band and their aging fans brave a snowy night ~ all just trying to squeeze a few more drops out of rock and roll. 100 Joe & Donna Six-Pacs met as horrible a fate as you can possibly immagine, just because rock bands aren't any good at following rules and club owners are cheap as fuck. ...and everybody knows this: These two forces have been butting heads nightly since the first band stepped into the first club. No one expected that classic war of attrition to burst into flames. ACC, I truly appreciate you highlighting this story that most have forgotten.
I remember this event but your retelling of it gave my goosebumps. Such devastation :(
Concerned Citizen, you really are the best. This is horrible per usual.
Probably the most excellent episode so far. The one I cried through. Original audio bits were the most moving parts of the episode.
This is truly an amazing experience of a podcast. My father was killed in a work accident when I was a kid and I've been obsessed with learning about these types of incidents of neglect and tragedy ever since. Every story you've covered are ones I've already researched up and down and around, and somehow you still cover aspects of them that I've never heard. You give them a type of humanity that is hard to maintain after reading about disaster after disaster after disaster. The E2 nightclub tragedy is a heavy one for me. So was the Station Nightclub. And you covered them so thoroughly in such a short time. I really hope you know how impactful you are. I truly love this podcast, I appreciate your knack for storytelling and narration, and I am always engulfed by the sound design and music. You and Trevor are truly remarkable and I have to thank you up and down for providing this experience.
Well said. I thought the foam salesman and Great white in general got off lightly here though. The owners were an easy target for anger and the tour manager of the band got charged but without doubt the foam salesman and the reckless decision to use pyrotechnics were gross negligence. Ordering foam to insulate a building should not require further clarification from the seller that the foam isn’t highly flammable. I have sympathy with the owners on this.
Heartbreaking!
Ive seen the video of this and hearing it explained like this is wild . Great episode.
The level of detail, research, and storytelling is astounding
This was a brutal listen
Man the ending was a triple kungfu kick to the face. 😬
Amazing job
this was tough
Damn! The ending got me.
Dope, thanks for the new episode ACC
Before I listened to this episode, this came to mind: have you considered doing an episode about the warehouse fire in Oakland in December 2016?
This exactly came to my mind too!
Hello CC fyi, I live about 7 mins from that place and my friend lives about 500 feet from it. The place itself is in such a weird area. Def not a place that would ever seem like a good place to host a nightclub. I remember when that happened. Like it's my first tragedy I remember I believe I was like....7. yeah. Saw the news right after I watched Spy Kids. Yeah I'm dating myself but I though you wouldn't mind a local perspective.
Now I understand the need for more time…sigh