Oral History of Michael Veeck, interviewed by Kieran Walsh Taylor, 17 November, 2008

Title

Oral History of Michael Veeck, interviewed by Kieran Walsh Taylor, 17 November, 2008

Description

Michael Veeck was born in Tucson, Arizona in 1951 and is co-owner of the Charleston Riverdogs baseball team. He is the son of Bill Veeck (1914-1986), the colorful if not always successful owner of the St. Louis Browns, the Chicago White Sox, and the World Series champion Cleveland Indians (1948). Michael Veeck inherited his family’s love of baseball, but may be best known as the originator of one of baseball’s most infamous promotions—“Disco Demolition.” What began as a light-hearted gag to blow up disco records symbolizing the death of the 1970s dance craze, ended in a riot at Chicago’s Comiskey Park and considerable damage to the stadium and playing field. In this interview excerpt, Veeck details the planning of “Disco Demolition,” and boasts of his role in hastening disco’s demise. The interview took place during a “US Since 1945” course at The Citadel.

This interview is part of the COHP's “Charleston and the Long Civil Rights Movement” series. These interviews explore how community activism continues to shape modern life in the South. The digital recordings and transcripts are part of The Citadel Oral History Program Collection at The Citadel Archives & Museum.

Listen to the audio on the Lowcountry Digital Library.

Source

Charleston and the Long Civil Rights Movement
Special Research

Publisher

The Citadel Archives & Museum

Date

Rights

Materials in The Citadel Archives & Museum Digital Collections are intended for educational and research use. The user assumes all responsibility for identifying and satisfying any claimants of copyright. For more information contact The Citadel Archives & Museum, The Citadel, The Military College of South Carolina, Charleston, South Carolina, 29409.

Format

application/pdf

Language

English

Type

Text

Identifier

https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/193

Coverage

Charleston (S.C.)

Duration

20 minutes

Interviewer

Kieran Walsh Taylor

Interviewee

Michael Veeck

Location

Charleston, South Carolina

Collection

Citation

The Charleston Oral History Program at the Citadel, “Oral History of Michael Veeck, interviewed by Kieran Walsh Taylor, 17 November, 2008,” The Citadel Archives Digital Collections, accessed March 29, 2024, https://citadeldigitalarchives.omeka.net/items/show/193.