Dennis Parker: How a gay porn icon from the 1970s invented indie disco
Dennis Posa was known by many names. Initially studying to be a carpenter, a chance audition secured him a role in a touring theatre production of The Trojan Women and suddenly, a whole new career path that he was genuinely passionate about was at his feet.
The trouble was that path had also been set for millions of people, and while Posa had the ability (he trained at New York University and at the Herbert Berghof Studio), opportunities to make it as a professional actor were few and far between. In his 20s, he went back to work as a carpenter before he got his first big break in 1975. However, it was in a medium he might not have expected, one that the name of the film slightly gives away by being called Boy ‘Napped.
Yes, Posa’s big break was in a gay porn film. He took the name Wade Nichols and, for the next few years, enjoyed a celebrated career in adult entertainment, appearing in straight and gay porn alike, as he also discovered himself away from the screen as well.
He came out as gay in his private life and struck up a relationship with disco producer and the Svengali behind acts like The Village People, Jacque Morali. Nichols was musical himself and a talented singer; it only made sense for him to make a record of his own.
Morali stepped behind the boards for his boyfriend, and together, they made the record Like an Eagle in 1979, which was released the same year on Casablanca Records. Keen to make a name for himself away from the world of porn, Nichols released the record under the name Dennis Parker, which would be his stage name for the rest of his career. Like an Eagle was released just as the disco bubble burst in a big way, so it wasn’t quite the mainstream breakthrough he was aiming for, but it was a hit big enough to redirect his career.
Parker joined the cast of the soap opera The Edge of Night and was a working actor for the rest of his career, but while Like an Eagle went fairly under the radar at the time, as the decades went on, its reputation only grew. Everyone from Todd Terje to The Last Shadow Puppets’ Miles Kane has all hailed the record, and in particular its ode to cruising of the title track. LCD Soundsystem’s James Murphy is a particular fan of the record, dropping it into several DJ sets of his and even working on a cover of the song sung by his LCD Soundsystem bandmate Nancy Whang.
Which is just as well, because the story of Dennis Parker doesn’t have a happy ending. Parker was a gay man living in New York in the 1980s. He didn’t last the decade, and while there are some differing stories as to the specifics, the broad strokes involved the obvious reason. Whether it was an AIDS-related disease or the rumour that went around at the time, that he’d been told he’d contracted the disease and took his own life rather than suffer through it.
A truly sad ending to a life lived to its fullest, but his epilogue is one filled with hope. He was recognised for bringing joy to people with his music, and while anyone can get an on-and-off gig on a soap opera to pay the bills, it takes someone truly special to be truly inspiring… Generations of indie-disco floorfillers owe a debt to him, so next time you’re picking the playlist for a party, give it a spin, you won’t regret it.
Ignore that instruction, James, we all know you already will!