In Lifetime’s biographical drama film ‘Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story,’ Lisa Lisa’s life changes for good when she visits Boombox Basement to meet the popular DJ John “Jellybean” Benitez to inquire about a chance to perform. During this visit, she garners the attention of Mike Hughes, who invites her to join his music group, paving the way for the formation of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam. She also meets her best friend and sister from another mother, Toni Ménage, for the first time at Boombox Basement. Even though the nightclub is a highly integral part of Lisa’s life in the movie, we won’t be able to visit the establishment in reality!
Boombox Basement is a Fictional Nightclub Based on a Real New York City Establishment
Boombox Basement is a fictional nightclub that did or does not exist in Manhattan, New York City. The establishment we see in ‘Can You Feel the Beat: The Lisa Lisa Story’ was most likely set up by the movie’s production department inside a studio facility. Having said that, Lisa Lisa did meet Mike Hughes for the first time in a nightclub in New York City, which paved the way for the formation of Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam. This nightclub was the legendary “Funhouse,” also known as The Fun House. As the movie depicts, John “Jellybean” Benitez was the resident DJ at the place between 1981 and 1984.
Back in the day, The Fun House was located at 526 West 26th Street in New York City. It informally competed against the legendary nightclub Studio 54, which is presently a Broadway theatre. The establishment was opened in March 1979, and Joe Monk served as the principal owner with three friends. Even though it struggled to gain attention right after it was opened, the arrival of Jellybean as the resident DJ changed its face. The establishment soon became popular among the Puerto Rican and Italian American communities of New York City, emerging as an alternative option to Studio 54.
In an interview given to John Leland for the book ‘Angel Heart: The Making of Lisa Lisa,’ Lisa described the nightclub as “a young place, no liquor served in that place at all, so I kinda liked it.” The Fun House was located at the heart of the freestyle music culture of the 1980s, which the works of bands like Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam have represented. In the 28,000-square-foot space that belonged to the nightclub, customers/guests had a great time listening to music and dancing.
“It was quite like a youth club inside, not like a normal, dingy nightclub. For the clubbers, at least, there were no drugs. It was all about the dancing and the peacocking,” Peter Hook, a former drummer of the English rock band New Order, told the New York Post about The Fun House. The establishment even hosted revered and celebrated figures such as Paul Simon and Penny Marshall and superstars such as Sylvester Stallone and John Travolta. The Fun House was eventually shut down in 1985, a year after Jellybean left the place as the resident DJ. Even today, the nightclub’s legacy is celebrated by New Yorkers through regular reunions and merchandise dedicated to the place.
Read More: Alex “Spanador” Moseley: Where is the Lisa Lisa and Cult Jam Member Now?