"Still Breathing, Still Pouring"

"Still Breathing, Still Pouring" was the choice Sal Defalco made for the name of his autobiography. It hurts to think that title couldn't be used now but not as much as thinking of a world where the Legendary Savatore DeFalco never had his story told completely.

Sal had such a varied, wonderful and amazing life. I know because he asked me for help working on his autobiography. At first I merely tried to edit his manuscript, a tome of over 100 pages of stories that he had put together just in case he ever wanted to write a book.

To be honest, I didn't believe many of his stories at first. I thought they held some semblance of truth but I honestly felt he talked a far bigger game than he had ever played. I went home and Googled him; I didn't have to search past the first page. The pictures, stories, biographies, magazines, and court details were all over the place. The next day, I asked Sal if he needed help getting the story of his life organized. I drafted a roughly 10,000 word outline that consisted of the different eras of his life, the major events he wanted told, and the order in which he wanted them told. I did test samples of writing styles until I found something he felt represented him. In the end, I spent almost a year researching the 1970s, Disco, and Studio 54 that I sometimes feel that I lived through them. (In fact, I may remember it better than some of you do.)

"The Party Never Stops"

(I wrote this in 2010 as part of a reflective journal I needed for a school project. I needed to discuss current events, and that was the week that the CBS special aired with Sal and Claude. It sums up everything Sal meant to me)

I was really fortunate to work with a guy named Salvatore Defalco. He turned 54 this year, but he still bartended. My nickname for him was old man! Oh, the stories. He knew every famous person there was to know, blah, blah, blah. It wasn’t until he asked me for some help finding pictures from Studio 54 that an internet search showed so many stories I didn’t know. He was a fashion model, he was on magazine spreads, and he was in the Advocate, a gay periodical, twice. He won a first of its kind lawsuit in Atlanta against a nightclub that fired him for being HIV-positive.

The stories quickly changed from gossip to history. He knew people who rioted during Stonewall. He showed me movies I had never seen. Funny Girl! I grew up being open about my sexuality, but I wasn’t gay until I saw Funny Girl! He taught me about *my* culture, *my* history. And he helped me and many others when we found out our own HIV status, over the years.

R. I. P. Sal DeFalco

The guy in the picture is Sal DeFalco. He's someone I admire, someone I've gotten into trouble with and someone who always challenged me to be better than I was.

He has been fighting brain and lung cancer. He has taken a turn for the worse and is back in the ICU. The fabulous Jaclyn St. James is helping raise money for his care and  medical needs. By clicking the picture above, you will be taken to a GoFundMe website where you can offer a donation of any amount you can afford.

Sal is a wonderful friend. He taught me what being gay actually meant. He showed me how important it was to embrace, accept and love yourself.

Here is to you Sal and a speedy recovery old man! :D


Sal DeFalco passed away today. Though he is no longer with us, just like Studio 54, the party that Sal lived every day will never die.

Bianca Jagger Had Very Bad Breath

(This is an excerpt from a working biography titled "Still Breathing, Still Pouring" which I am working on with legendary bartender, Studio 54 groupie, and label whore Sal Defalco. This is all told from his real life perspective and please note it is a ROUGH DRAFT.)

Studio 54 was already famous throughout New York and the Tri-state area after their April 26, 1977 opening. It only took the disco a week to become world famous.

Even though I wasn't working there yet, every drip of gossip that came out of that place passed through my ears. My "date" for the Grand Opening, a very recognizable face from a very "fruity" and wealthy family in the New York area, rang me up to tell me about the next fiasco to come out of there.

May 2nd was Bianca Jagger's birthday. She was the epitome of a New York socialite, married to a rock star, fundraiser, charity organizer, jet-setter, party-goer. You get the picture. There was only one place spectacular enough for her to have her party at and only one person she would let design it. Studio 54 and Halston, of course.

Stevie didn't want to have the party on a Monday night. "Who the hell is gonna come out on a Monday night?" But then again, Steve Rubell did even more outlandish things and they still managed to turn to gold. This, my friends, is how we ended up with Bianca Jagger being lead through the doorways of Studio 54 on a white horse.