#32 — James: Cat Club, '80s Dancing, Exoneree Compensation
What drives a person to dance like it’s their job?
Welcome to Mia’s Queue, a newsletter devoted to conscious culture — how tastes lead to connection and personal change. When I’m not exploring what that means in my own life, I chat with an undercover tastemaker infusing creativity and wonder into the world. Learn what lights them up, where they find inspiration, and what they think we should all be enjoying right now. Meet Agent 032: James Mink, an attorney in San Francisco.
One place I like to let loose with friends is the Cat Club in SOMA. On Thursdays, it’s “Class of 1984” — a no-cover night of eyeliner and fishnets, featuring music from The Cure, Dead or Alive, A-ha, The Smiths, New Order, Corey Hart...you get the idea. Hearing bands I’ve loved all my life on a club’s sound system is otherworldly. The people there make it extra fun too.
My attendance is erratic but any time I go I notice the regulars. One man’s energy astounds me. He dances so vigorously his blazer flaps like a flag at Live Aid; his HOKAs propel him onto his tiptoes. What drives a person to dance like it’s their job? You know I had to find out. Meet James Mink, a lawyer I approached in a nightclub.
Every time I've been to the Cat Club, you're there. Why?
Catharsis, collegiality, and cardio. I started going a decade ago during a really difficult period of my life and found that it was a great way to process, bodily, the intense emotions I was having. I found a community across a broad age demographic and felt a sense of shared purpose among the regulars who danced there. But it was still a "treat" I only gave myself about once a month.
Then maybe three years ago, I was trying to get more cardio. After forcing myself to do classes and activities for a few months, I realized forcing myself was silly when I could get in two hours of high-intensity interval training just by going to Cat Club every Thursday and doing something I already wanted to do.
For people who've never been, what's special about the Cat Club?
It's one of the most welcoming, community-oriented dance clubs I've ever been to. The staff is friendly, the DJs know their stuff, and the crowd is loyal to the club. During the pandemic shutdown, regulars crowdfunded to help keep the place afloat and the workers paid.
What do you love about ’80s music?
For me, the special feature of the kind of ’80s music played at Class of '84 is the dissonance between the manic danceability of the songs and their bittersweet, melancholy mood. Perfect example: "How Soon is Now" by The Smiths.
Who are your favorite ’80s artists and songs — and why?
Wow, even just limiting this to dance songs is difficult. I put together a playlist a while back with what I think are the best ’80s dance songs. It ended up being 161 songs long.
As may be obvious, I have trouble choosing. So here are 20 songs by other artists that always send me running for the dance floor from their first notes:
"Safety Dance" by Men Without Hats ("’Cause your friends don't dance and if they don't dance well they're no friends of mine")
"Walking on Sunshine" by Katrina and the Waves (note: this song is *fast*; you will be worn out by the end)
"Situation" by Yaz (anything with Alison Moyet is fantastic)
“You Dropped a Bomb on Me" by The Gap Band (one of the few over-five-minute songs on my playlist, but it's worth it; another one is "All Night Long" by the Mary Jane Girls)
"West End Girls" by Pet Shop Boys ("We've got no future; we've got no past")
"Come on Eileen" by Dexy's Midnight Runners — I guess DJs hate it (Cat Club's front DJ booth used to have a sign reading "Requests Welcome; Come on Eileen is $1,000") but it's so much fun to dance to
"Poison" by Bell Biv DeVoe (no one can stay off the dance floor for this one)
"Girls Just Wanna Have Fun" by Cyndi Lauper
"Anything, Anything" by Dramarama
"Cruel Summer" by Bananarama
"The Glamorous Life" by Sheila E.
"When I Think of You" by Janet Jackson
"Cars" by Gary Numan
"Let it Whip" by Dazz Band
"Goody Two Shoes" by Adam Ant
"I Want Candy" by Bow Wow Wow
"Let the Music Play" by Shannon
"What I Like About You" by The Romantics
"Dancing With Myself" by Generation X
"Into the Groove" by Madonna
What else are you passionate about?
⚖️ Exoneree Compensation
I draft and lobby for legislation providing monetary compensation and services to people who are released from prison after wrongful convictions. Most of the advocacy groups out there are understandably focused on getting folks out of prison, but people really struggle after they're released. Several years ago, my friend Jon Eldan started a non-profit called After Innocence that provides case management and direct services to exonerees across the country, and also advocates with and on behalf of the wrongfully convicted in state legislatures. So far, 37 states provide some form of statutory compensation, and we're focused on improving some of those statutes and enacting new ones in the states that don't have them. This year we've been working on bills in California, Delaware, Illinois, Michigan, and Pennsylvania.
❤️🩹 Recovery work on codependency
I've got addicts in my family, and Al-Anon has been a lifesaver in dealing with that, but also in working on codependency and boundaries in my relationships in general. I feel like codependent relationships are everyone's default unless we specifically choose to have more boundaried, interdependent relationships that allow everyone to grow and change.
✍️ Writing
I used to read my kids just about every book of mythology I could get my hands on, but the toughest one was the Bible — I couldn't find any kids' versions that weren't designed for believers, that just told the stories like stories. So I started going to a weekly Shut Up And Write session at Borderlands Bookstore/Cafe in the Mission (now up on Haight St.), and I ended up writing a whole book of Bible stories like they're folktales, the way I would've wanted to read them to my kids. I've sent my book of "bible stories for atheist children" to friends, but I haven't had much luck finding an agent so far.
✂️ Letterforms and collage
I can look at books on typefaces and screens of collages just about forever. They were most of my feed when I was active on Instagram, and I'd post my occasional attempts there too.
What rituals and practices do you have that feed what you're passionate about?
Showing up, every day. Sometimes this means a checklist; sometimes it's a to-do list; often it's just pausing for a moment to ask if what I'm doing is something I actually care about, or just a way of killing time.
I always keep a running notepad — usually just a text file open on the side of my screen to take notes on what I'm researching, things people said, quotes from things I'm watching, things I'm trying to write, etc. When I'm out in the world, I have a credit card-sized notebook and pen in my wallet and take notes with that.
Do you consider yourself a tastemaker?
I once put sauerkraut and apples in a cheddar quesadilla and it was amazing; if anyone reads that and tries it, I will claim the mantle of tastemaker.
Mia’s Queue is a free newsletter at the intersection of curation, connection, and personal change. Each edition is full of links hand-picked by authentic people who savor the hunt for the Good Stuff, always strive to be their best, and know that sharing is caring. Thanks for being here!
Love this! Cat Club is magic. And love this connection.
Great interview!