A Monument to NYC's Forgotten Disco Civil War

In the summer of 1978, disco fever in New York City reached new heights when dance floor battles turned into all-out brawls. Instead of volleying dance moves, New Yorkers were trading blows. It was the bridge and tunnel crowd versus the city's Disco purists during what would explode into the nation's second largest Civil War, the Disco Civil War. Have you forgotten about this dark chapter of New York City history?

If so, you would be forgiven...because it never actually happened. The NYC Disco Civil War is the latest fake historical event to be memorialized in sculpture by Staten Island-based artist Joe Reginella. Reginella is known for his series NYC Urban Legends, of which this is the seventh installation.

NYC Urban Legends started in 2016 with a monument to a giant squid attack on the Staten Island Ferry. Other memorialized hoaxes included a tugboat UFO abduction, a bootlegging bulldog, and the most recent sculpture from 2024, the man who introduced rats to NYC.

Reginella keeps a running list of ideas that he pulls inspiration from, and each story is based on just enough true New York City history and pop culture references to leave passersby scratching their heads and wondering if they should believe what they are seeing.

This newest work, titled 4 on the Floor, features four different figures locked in a violent battle while bedecked in classic 1970s attire: striped bell bottom jeans, an ascot, platform boots. The title is a play on the musical term "four on the floor," which refers to the driving drum beat created when the bass drum hits every quarter note in a 4/4 time signature—a technique used heavily in energizing dance music.

Characters from classic 1970s television shows and movies—Juan Epstein from Welcome Back, Kotter, John Travolta's iconic suit from Saturday Night Fever, William H. Macy's character Little Bill in Boogie Nights, and Ralo from Sanford and Son—served as models for the four figures. The composition of the sculpture is based on the famous photograph and subsequent sculptural portrayal of the raising of the flag of Iwo Jima.

"When I design my sculptures, if they look absurd to me, I know I got something and I'll build the story around it," Reginella shares. While some might be put off by the violent nature of the sculpture, Reginella has found that most people seem desensitized and simply shrug it off. "I thought it'd be a great commentary on today's social temperature, with people throwing around the phrase ‘Civil War.’ You can see how ridiculous it is with people dressed in bell bottoms and platform shoes. It goes with some New York City folklore that I make up, but it's also a sign of our times."

Reginella crafts each piece in his Staten Island studio (which Untapped New York members got a virtual tour of in 2023). He first sculpted each individual figure out of clay, then put them together to make a mold and cast them. In the end, the work comes together in four pieces: three parts make up the base and the sculpture sits on top. It all comes apart to fit onto a cart that Reginella uses to transport the work from his studio to the ferry and finally to The Battery in Manhattan for display.

We met up with Reginella to observe some reactions. Standing a few feet away, he gets a kick out of how people respond. "Sometimes some people right away will say, 'This is not real,' and someone will say, 'There's a guy who does these things,' and then I'll say hello." But for the most part, he hangs back, watches, and often chuckles.

As we were staked out, we saw a family approach and a young boy excitedly said the sculpture looked like something they had just seen in a museum. The group walked away confused. One man stopped for a moment, read the plaque, and proudly recognized it as a hoax. A woman paused for contemplation and simply stated, "That's new, never seen that before," before going on with her day.

Your best chance to spot the sculpture is on Saturday and Sunday mornings along State Street, just outside the entrance to The Battery near the SeaGlass Carousel. Reginella brings the sculpture out sporadically until the weather gets too cold. Let us know if you spot it by tagging us @untappedny and @joe_reg_sculpt on Instagram!