Speaking as an inveterate clubber, I loved the question, John. Some clubs are incredibly beautiful in their decor, others are little rat holes that people are drawn to because of who goes there or who performs there.
Upon letting the imagination roam, I came to an incredible realization. My ideal club had already existed for a short period of time. It was started by one man, a club manager, who had an idea for a club where life experimenters could gather every Friday and partake in their activities. Every week had a different theme, and the dress code required that people wear anything but street clothing. Every week, he would try to find a geographical location for this event, and word would go out by telephone and email to the growing band of participants. We never knew where we would end up every week--a dingy basement with a drain in the middle of a concrete floor, the penthouse level of a high-rise, a pleasant back room in a coffee house. Artists hung their art on the walls, poets scribbled onto the bathroom walls, performance artists took over a stage area and did their thing. Fashion devotees spent hours devising and creating new outfits, with the help of local fashion designers. The leather folk did demonstrations. 'Freak performers' like contortionists and fire eaters roamed the rooms hoping to shock and delight. Every week, a different place, and new activities based on who actually showed up. Along the way, people bonded, forming friendships that last to this day.
That, I realize now, represents my ideal club--a moving, living, creating club that exists partly in geographic space and partly in the minds and hearts of those who visit it.
Kathryn Aegis