Images capture the ‘sheer insanity’ of ’70s roller disco Flipper’s where Cher and Jane Fonda went


It was the 1979 hot spot where celebrities like Cher, Elton John and Nile Rodgers went but that also welcomed the wannabes: Flipper’s was the anti-Studio 54.

‘Los Angeles was roaring,’ photographer Craig Cisco Dietz recalled. The city was a ‘very different world’ with a ‘fun spirit. It was the last hurrah in many ways.’

The open atmosphere, Dietz said, was due to the skating disco’s owner, whom people called Flipper, but whose real name is Ian Ross. ‘He is the man. It was his passion. His dream,’ Dietz told DailyMail.com about Ross, adding that the casual and caring Englishman set the tone for Flipper’s.

Ross, known for helping to found pirate radio station Caroline in the 1960s, married Roxana ‘Bunty’ Lampson and the couple has six children, including model Liberty Ross. When Ross moved to the United States in 1978, he told the New York Times that he had to check out the Empire Roller Disco in Brooklyn.

‘I got myself to Flatbush by subway because a yellow cab wouldn’t go,’ Ross told the Times. ‘And it was a complete epiphany: a wall of noise, heavy funk/disco type music and probably 900 people going around this wooden rink dressed in gold and silver and glitter and turbans and God knows what.’

Inspired, Ross opened Flipper’s the next year in West Hollywood.

The rink’s publicist got Dietz a job taking photographs and he spent over a year documenting it.   

‘Flipper’s was just the funniest place to go to in LA – bar none,’ he said, ‘to get drunk, to get high. People came there to get crazy, to have fun, to skate, to be a part of the scene.’

Dietz’s photographs are part of a new book called Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace 1979-1981, a retrospective that Liberty Ross undertook.

In 1978, an Englishman named Ian Ross came to New York City and headed to the Empire Roller Disco in Brooklyn. The Flatbush rink opened in 1941 and remained a popular spot throughout the decades. By the 1970s, it was such a hot spot that Cher throw parties there and skated with the legendary Bill Butler, whose nicknames include Brother Bounce, the Godfather of Roller Disco and other monikers, according to a 2020 New York Times profile on the skater. Ross would open his own roller disco called Flipper's in Los Angeles in 1979. Above, three skaters embody the decade's fashion at Flipper's

In 1978, an Englishman named Ian Ross came to New York City and headed to the Empire Roller Disco in Brooklyn. The Flatbush rink opened in 1941 and remained a popular spot throughout the decades. By the 1970s, it was such a hot spot that Cher throw parties there and skated with the legendary Bill Butler, whose nicknames include Brother Bounce, the Godfather of Roller Disco and other monikers, according to a 2020 New York Times profile on the skater. Ross would open his own roller disco called Flipper’s in Los Angeles in 1979. Above, three skaters embody the decade’s fashion at Flipper’s 

Photographer Craig Cisco Dietz was there to chronicle the scene, which included celebrities, artists, musicians, rockers and wannabes, 'who got in,' he said. Dietz, who was born in LA and attended UCLA, told DailyMail.com that 1979 was a 'very different world. Los Angeles was roaring.' There was a fun spirit that permeated the city, he said. 'It was the last hurrah in many ways.' Above, an image of Flipper's skating rink with its stage, center, where bands like Le Roi and the Lifters, played

Photographer Craig Cisco Dietz was there to chronicle the scene, which included celebrities, artists, musicians, rockers and wannabes, ‘who got in,’ he said. Dietz, who was born in LA and attended UCLA, told DailyMail.com that 1979 was a ‘very different world. Los Angeles was roaring.’ There was a fun spirit that permeated the city, he said. ‘It was the last hurrah in many ways.’ Above, an image of Flipper’s skating rink with its stage, center, where bands like Le Roi and the Lifters, played

Dietz said Ian Ross was a casual and caring guy who set the tone for Flipper's. The photographer said he spent over a year documenting the roller disco and did not see fights or aggression. Ross, known for helping to found pirate radio station Caroline in the 1960s, married Roxana 'Bunty' Lampson and the couple has six children, including model Liberty Ross. Above, the couple's eldest son Atticus, a musician and composer who won an Oscar with Trent Reznor for their original score for the movie The Social Network, Bunty and Ross

Dietz said Ian Ross was a casual and caring guy who set the tone for Flipper’s. The photographer said he spent over a year documenting the roller disco and did not see fights or aggression. Ross, known for helping to found pirate radio station Caroline in the 1960s, married Roxana ‘Bunty’ Lampson and the couple has six children, including model Liberty Ross. Above, the couple’s eldest son Atticus, a musician and composer who won an Oscar with Trent Reznor for their original score for the movie The Social Network, Bunty and Ross

'I got myself to Flatbush by subway because a yellow cab wouldn't go,' Ross told the New York Times. 'And it was a complete epiphany: a wall of noise, heavy funk/disco type music and probably 900 people going around this wooden rink dressed in gold and silver and glitter and turbans and God knows what.' Above, a woman shows her skates while the woman, center, sports a Seditionaries t-shirt, part of the collection of Vivienne Westwood, a designer, and Malcolm McLaren, who managed the Sex Pistols. The pair, who were dating during the 1970s, ran a shop called SEX in London

‘I got myself to Flatbush by subway because a yellow cab wouldn’t go,’ Ross told the New York Times. ‘And it was a complete epiphany: a wall of noise, heavy funk/disco type music and probably 900 people going around this wooden rink dressed in gold and silver and glitter and turbans and God knows what.’ Above, a woman shows her skates while the woman, center, sports a Seditionaries t-shirt, part of the collection of Vivienne Westwood, a designer, and Malcolm McLaren, who managed the Sex Pistols. The pair, who were dating during the 1970s, ran a shop called SEX in London

Roller skating had been around since the 1800s, but in the 1970s, it blossomed as a pastime, and, for some, a way to get around. In 1941, the Empire Rollerdrome opened across from Ebbets Field, then the home for the Brooklyn Dodgers, the baseball team. The family that owned the rink ‘purchased the speaker system from the 1939 World’s Fair, and installed it in the space,’ according to Brownstoner.

Roller skating had always been coupled with music with Brownstoner noting that early rinks had organists. The Rollerdrome changed hands but continued to be a popular spot throughout the decades and became famous for signature styles such as the Brooklyn Bounce, according to the article. 

Disco, a genre of dance music that flourished in the 1970s, became paired with roller skating and roller discos sprung up. In Flatbush, the rink was renamed Empire Roller Disco and traded in the organist for a DJ. Robert ‘Big Bob’ Clayton, a legend who spun there for years, called it ‘the birthplace of roller disco.’

‘I used to go to Empire in ’69, but I wasn’t worried about DJing in the skate world, I went there because I liked the hustle. I’d go there and dance, I’d skate for the first two hours, then the next two hours, I would hustle in the middle,’ he told RA, a platform for electronic music.

‘You’ve never seen anything like it before,’ Ross told the Times about Empire Roller Disco, which closed in 2007 and is now a self-storage facility.  

Artists, rockers and musicians flocked to Flipper's. Above, Chalo (Charlie) Quintana, second from the right, and some pals. Quintana was a drummer for the 'punk band Social Distortion, but he first came to fame as the teenage drummer for the Plugz, the groundbreaking L.A. punk group that was among the first to be started by local Latino musicians,' according to his 2018 obituary in the Los Angeles Times. He died at the age of 56

Artists, rockers and musicians flocked to Flipper’s. Above, Chalo (Charlie) Quintana, second from the right, and some pals. Quintana was a drummer for the ‘punk band Social Distortion, but he first came to fame as the teenage drummer for the Plugz, the groundbreaking L.A. punk group that was among the first to be started by local Latino musicians,’ according to his 2018 obituary in the Los Angeles Times. He died at the age of 56

The new book about the rink, Flipper's Roller Boogie Palace 1979-1981, was undertaken by Ian Ross' daughter, Liberty, according to The New York Times. Liberty Ross is a model who is married to Jimmy Iovine, an influential record executive who co-founded Beats with Dr. Dre. 'Obviously, I don't remember anything firsthand,' Liberty Ross, 43, told the Times. 'This thing kept happening, though, that whenever I mentioned that my dad was Flipper, people's memories would come flooding out.' Above, cool kids hanging out at Flipper's

The new book about the rink, Flipper’s Roller Boogie Palace 1979-1981, was undertaken by Ian Ross’ daughter, Liberty, according to The New York Times. Liberty Ross is a model who is married to Jimmy Iovine, an influential record executive who co-founded Beats with Dr. Dre. ‘Obviously, I don’t remember anything firsthand,’ Liberty Ross, 43, told the Times. ‘This thing kept happening, though, that whenever I mentioned that my dad was Flipper, people’s memories would come flooding out.’ Above, cool kids hanging out at Flipper’s

Celebrities like actor David Naughton, above with a friend, also came to Flipper's. Naughton was on a short-lived 1979 TV series called Makin' It. He then portrayed one of two American backpackers who tangled with a supernatural creature in England in the film called An American Werewolf in London, which was released in 1981

Celebrities like actor David Naughton, above with a friend, also came to Flipper’s. Naughton was on a short-lived 1979 TV series called Makin’ It. He then portrayed one of two American backpackers who tangled with a supernatural creature in England in the film called An American Werewolf in London, which was released in 1981

Dietz called Ian Ross, known as Flipper, 'the man.' The roller disco was Ross' dream and passion, Dietz told DailyMail.com. Ross, left, is above with some friends at his place. Dietz said he had the owner's permission to take pictures and he got the job through Flipper's publicist, Nan Miller. 'Flipper's was a beacon for diversity. I went there to take pictures and have fun'

Dietz called Ian Ross, known as Flipper, ‘the man.’ The roller disco was Ross’ dream and passion, Dietz told DailyMail.com. Ross, left, is above with some friends at his place. Dietz said he had the owner’s permission to take pictures and he got the job through Flipper’s publicist, Nan Miller. ‘Flipper’s was a beacon for diversity. I went there to take pictures and have fun’

Dietz, the photographer, is a LA native who went to UCLA and studied film. He told DailyMail.com that he worked in Hollywood but wasn’t cut out for it.

Nan Miller, a publicist, got him the job at Flipper’s, he explained. ‘Flipper’s was a beacon for diversity. I went there to take pictures and have fun.’

The skating rink took up the majority of Flipper’s space. There was a DJ booth in the back. Surrounding the rink were booths – Ross had his own – and the main bars, Dietz said. ‘Bands would play in the middle of the roller rink on an elevated stage.’

Le Roi and the Lifters played frequently at the venue with Dietz calling them the house band. Other smaller bands played as well and musicians – like artists and everybody else – flocked to Flipper’s to be part of its scene. His images, Dietz said, captured the ‘fun, organic, natural-looking images of the sheer insanity happening at Flipper’s.’

The photographer went to the spot probably once every other week and said he did not see fights or aggression. Dietz would go without his camera but recalled he had better access with it. He shot with a minimal flash and did not sneak photographs – noting that some people were reticent. ‘I would never just walk up and stick my camera in someone’s face.’

Because celebrities like Jane Fonda went to Flipper’s, the paparazzi were stationed outside – they weren’t allowed in, the photographer recalled. He estimated that he took around 1,500 images and would then send the contact sheets to Miller, the publicist, who would then mark which ones she wanted him to print with a colored grease pencil. Those 8 by 10 prints would be used for publicity.

Dietz was very protective of his images but about five years ago, he said there was a tremendous interest in the photographs and a push for Flipper’s to reopen, which may happen next year. Skating never really went away, but the pandemic did spur some to buy a pair of skates or rollerblades.

Dietz said he wasn’t interested in taking pictures of people skating or on skates.

‘I concentrated on the flip side of Flipper’s.’

Looking at the images now is akin to looking at a family photo album for him because of the memories it sparks, said Dietz, who has lived in Mexico since the 1990s. However, some of it does remain fuzzy, which he blames on the French liqueur he was imbibing at the time.

‘My memory of Flipper’s was clouded by Chartreuse green or yellow.’

Dietz was the informal house photographer for over a year and he estimated that he took around 1,500 images. He told DailyMail.com that black and white was the perfect medium to capture Flipper's. Dietz went to the rink without his camera as well but said he had better access with it. He then sent the contact sheets to Nan Miller, the publicist, who would then mark which ones she wanted him to print with a colored grease pencil, which is the blue seen above. Above, Le Roi and the Lifters with a woman. Dietz said they were a local band that played often at Flipper's

Dietz was the informal house photographer for over a year and he estimated that he took around 1,500 images. He told DailyMail.com that black and white was the perfect medium to capture Flipper’s. Dietz went to the rink without his camera as well but said he had better access with it. He then sent the contact sheets to Nan Miller, the publicist, who would then mark which ones she wanted him to print with a colored grease pencil, which is the blue seen above. Above, Le Roi and the Lifters with a woman. Dietz said they were a local band that played often at Flipper’s

'I was able to shoot with a minimal flash,' Dietz explained about his process. He did not sneak photographs and noted that some people were reticent. 'I would never just walk up and stick my camera in someone's face.' Flipper's had a mirror with its name and Dietz said he saw people either coming or going. He would approach people and tell them: 'I like the way you're dressed, let's snap a picture.' Above, a couple in front of Flipper's mirror

‘I was able to shoot with a minimal flash,’ Dietz explained about his process. He did not sneak photographs and noted that some people were reticent. ‘I would never just walk up and stick my camera in someone’s face.’ Flipper’s had a mirror with its name and Dietz said he saw people either coming or going. He would approach people and tell them: ‘I like the way you’re dressed, let’s snap a picture.’ Above, a couple in front of Flipper’s mirror

Above, Smutty Smiff, Jerry Nolan and Dibbs Preston at Flipper's. Smutty and Preston were part of a band called the Rockats, which hailed from England and were part of the punk scene in New York City that included CBGB and Max's Kansas City. Nolan was the drummer for the influential punk band the New York Dolls. Smutty, according to the New York Times, was one of Andy Warhol's favorites and was invited to the Factory, and Robert Mapplethorpe took photographs of him

Above, Smutty Smiff, Jerry Nolan and Dibbs Preston at Flipper’s. Smutty and Preston were part of a band called the Rockats, which hailed from England and were part of the punk scene in New York City that included CBGB and Max’s Kansas City. Nolan was the drummer for the influential punk band the New York Dolls. Smutty, according to the New York Times, was one of Andy Warhol’s favorites and was invited to the Factory, and Robert Mapplethorpe took photographs of him

LL Cool J once rapped: 'Don't call it a comeback.' While interest in skating and rollerblades has increased during the pandemic, many who already engage in the activity say it never went away. Sales of roller skates and rollerblades have increased. Dietz told DailyMail.com that a revival of Flipper's may open next year. Above, a woman wearing white gloves chats with a fellow skater at Flipper's

LL Cool J once rapped: ‘Don’t call it a comeback.’ While interest in skating and rollerblades has increased during the pandemic, many who already engage in the activity say it never went away. Sales of roller skates and rollerblades have increased. Dietz told DailyMail.com that a revival of Flipper’s may open next year. Above, a woman wearing white gloves chats with a fellow skater at Flipper’s

Laisser un commentaire