Among the stories we’re most proud of publishing over the years, it’s the ones of the Chicago underground legends that really bring a sense of pride to everyone — from the writer to the editor to the publisher and reader.
One of Chicago’s most beloved DJs, Psycho-Bitch, is the subject of one of those stories, insanely popular with readers looking for the origin story of one of Chicago house music’s superheroes. Recounting how she first met her “bestest best friend of ever,” she told us:
There was a gay bar right by O’Hare called Celebrity Club. It started out as a mixed bar – gay men and women. When Hunters opened nearby all the boys went to Hunters and all the women stayed at Celebrity Club. This place was tacky beyond imagination! However I met some great people there who I am still friends with today – one of them being my bestest best friend of ever, Teri Bristol. To this day I tease Teri because Human League’s “Don’t You Want Me Baby” was huge back then and the first line in the song is “I was working as a waitress in a COCKTAIL BAR when I met you.” That is exactly how I met Teri. She was the waitress, but ended up playing records because the DJ there got fired. I had been collecting records since I was a child and at this point I already had several hundred 12″ singles in addition to albums, cassettes and 8 tracks. Teri was playing the records the club had so I would bring her really good dance stuff. A lot of it was heard on the WBMX mixes as well as different clubs in the city: Medusa’s, Neo and SmartBar to name a few. I recognized instantly that Teri had a gift but she was so shy.
From such humble beginnings are legends made, right? And Teri and Psycho-Bitch are legends.
They will be back together on stage at one of those “different clubs in the city” and — from that era at least — one of the last ones standing: Smartbar, along with fellow powerhouse DJ T. Mixwell this Saturday, December 18 2021. Tickets are on sale here.
