If you didn’t know, Fat Sam’s is the biggest nightclub in Dundee (and perhaps all of Scotland). This massive complex spans about a city block and houses five separate spaces all with their own characteristics, feel, differentiating music genres, and bars.
For two weeks my team of trusty apprentices and I tackled the behemoth task of capturing the social space of Fat Sam’s. We documented, interviewed, reveled and danced till the wee hours of the morning every night; some would envy us, others would pity us.
Why is Fat Sam’s called Fat Sam’s?
We asked the crowd this question on several nights. Almost every answer came back… “Actually, I don’t really know.” Here are some of the more inventive answers.
Fat Sam is a nickname given to a really big American that happened to be friends with Ben and Jerry. If you didn’t know Ben and Jerry started the now world famous ice-cream brand. Well Fat Sam was very envious that Ben and Jerry were so successful that he moved overseas to Dundee to open the biggest club that he could.
The namesake of Fat Sam’s was originally coined from the historical reference to being Rubenesque. As most people know the term Rubenesque is derived from the seventeenth century painter Peter Paul Rubens that is known for painting fleshy and plump subjects. During Ruben’s time period being bigger was better. Wealth and status was equated to how well fed you were showing that you can afford to eat well. Thus Fat Sam’s is called Fat Sam’s to describe the wealth and status of the clientele that revels in this establishment.
Fat Sam’s draws the imagery of a jolly and happy man. He surrounds himself with a lot of friends. He is carefree and not fixated on his weight, living freely indulging on all worldly pleasures that come his way.
Fat Sam’s is called Fat Sam’s because there is a fat bastards picture on the wall of the club.
THE REAL ANSWER
Fat Sam’s the nightclub is actually named after a Bugsy Malone character. Bugsy Malone is a 1976 musical film based in Illinois. The film follows a gangster war between Fat Sam’s gang and Dandy Dan’s gang. The actors were played by children giving quite a strange juxtaposition between the occasional dark subject matter.
DID YOU KNOW
Fat Sams is open seven days a week pumping out the tunes and providing the late license for people to let loose and throw some mad shapes on the dance floor till 2:30am?
Wednesday is predominantly student night. A double-decker busload of revelers is shipped in this night from St Andrews. Drinks are insanely cheap and the music is a mix of top 40’s remixes and dance anthems that even the hardest of critics can’t help but tap a foot to.
Fridays and Saturdays generally see all the areas open in the club. Each room has a unique feeling catering to separate clientele groups. The main room has top 40’s and popular tunes re-mixed to a club sensibility. The first floor room plays hard house with the most insane tracking light system and smoke machine action. The room is set up like a dance pit with the surrounding area acting like a coliseum-esque viewing area, to view from and also to be viewed. Karma is on the top floor playing feel good sing-a-long, dance-a-long tunes. Get yourself a gin and tonic and belt out some Dolly Parton followed by a marathon of Abba songs. I have a feeling that most of the songs are requests to the DJ.
WRAP UP!
Fat Sams was awesome. It was great to film there. Our team and I were very careful with how we interacted and dealt with the space. We were very obvious that we were filming a project with matching t-shirts, giant light, reflector, tripod and camera’s. The staff were a accommodating with wearing cameras and getting involved with being interviewed and suggesting segments we can edit into the videos. The most amazing part was the amount of interaction that we received from the revelers. Almost every time we turned on the camera or the spotlight it was like moths to a flame! Everyone wanted to be on camera. My team sort of became the official club photographers and videographers. There’s something quite interesting that has come out of this internet social networking phenomenon where people desperately want to be documented as having a “good time”. It comes back to the argument that if there is no evidence does that mean it didn’t’ exist or never happened? I suppose souvenirs operate in the same way of memory and recall.
“FAT SAMS ROCKS! THIS IS THE PLACE TO BE!!! WHOOOOOOO!”
-All the party people in Fat Sam's
Thank You to: Gus, Collin, PK, Norah, Adam, Elaine, Claudette, Beatte, James, Oliver, Kevin, Ricky, All the Bouncers and Security.
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