I first went to the Gold Coast (Still open today) back in the 80's. It was then owned by a man named Bruce Detloff. There was a picture of him hanging above the bar with his hands in front of him with gold rings on every finger. They have a enlarged version of this picture on the other side of the bar now. Bruce was a sleazy type of guy from everything that I was told and was into running male prostitution rings, drugs, etc. He was found murdered in his apartment with all his fingers cut off! The Gold Coast is a stripper bar. Most of the strippers today seem like they are straight and just doing it for the money. Be careful where you park if you go there, I recommend valet, it is in a bad neighborhood. Also check out my other blog: motorgay.net
I think all of Detroit is dangerous with the unemployment being so high. And as I learned in other states, druggies will kill for whatever money you may have on you. It's a different world from the good old days, isn't it? You cannot have fun by watching over your shoulder all the time.
ReplyDeleteDrugs, Infested strippers, and really bad neighborhood pretty much sums this bars description up
ReplyDeleteclub gold coast is starting to step their game up, it isn't the infested trap house it once was but i don't expect anyone to take my word for it just check it out for yourselves :)
DeleteThis shithole belongs in the ghetto where it is. What a toilet. Majority of the crowd is 60+ disgusting old trolls lusting after crack-addicted, ravaged 20-something strippers. Makes me embarrassed to even be gay. Gross!!!
ReplyDeleteAs mentioned, GC is in a rough area and people have been mugged and shot - valeting your car is advised.
ReplyDeleteDefinitely a uniquely Detroit venue and not for everyone. Interesting cross section of people - some real sketchy people and some of the same folks you see in Pronto or Soho. It's not uncommon for "deals" to be going down in the bathrooms on the other side.
It's certainly one of the more shady places that I've been. Like anywhere, it's what you make of it and can be fun when you're with a good group of people.
Sorry, but there is simply NO EXCUSE for the debauchery that gays think they have to subscribe to. We will NEVER be accepted as long as gays have no morals and continue this type of behavior. Whatever happened to committed relationships.....oh, I forgot....BORING!!!! 'nuff said.
ReplyDeleteI grew up on E. Outer Drive and Conant and remember this bar/club very well back in the 70's and 80's. And not once have I ever heard of people being mugged or assaulted in the immediate vicinity of the GC, correct me I'm wrong. Sure you have your hustlers always hanging around the area, name one gay club and/or bar in the US that doesn't have that. I have found memories of the GC and I always stop by there when I visit.
ReplyDeletei'm trying to find out about funeral arrangements for the bartender that just past away, 248-872-8175
ReplyDeleteDennis Ashby was laid to rest on Monday , family only attended, there was a memorial on Monday Sept 27 th, at the rainbow room on 8 mile in Detroit. he will be dearly missed. look in Merta Magazine to see more coming soon thats (metra magazine online)
ReplyDeleteWe are not second rate citizens, and we should not have to go to downtown area, sleazey , dangerous areas to go to a bar, it time we say hell no and fight for our right, to go to a gay bar in suburbs, instead of murder capitals like Detroit. I would not cross eight mile , if you paid me to , its nothing but a drug and murder city.
ReplyDeleteI went to the Club Gold Coast in the 90's , the owners name was Jerry. He had cleaned it up and started to make a mark on Detroit. Does anyone know what happened to him?
ReplyDeleteRetired and enjoying life 12/26/2021
DeleteFirst let me say Bruce Detlof was not found dead in a apartment he had a huge gorgeous home in Palmer Park that most of you fags would never be able to afford, and his finger was not cut off. People need to get the facts before opening their mouths..........
ReplyDelete...Thank you....I lived in the apt right behind Bruce's lovely home...and from my window could look down on the back yard...Bruce WAS OK I never knew him well...he was nice to me...friendly and real..RIP Bruce..!
Delete...........Donn
Thank you, I knew Bruce to and his partner Danny Scheck. They where good guys. Bruce just wanted to very rich he was'nt happy with the money he made at
Deletethe Bar and Race Tracks he work at. Rest in peace Bruce, I'm sure you'er your daughter and wife miss you.
I visited Detroit for this first time in the spring of 2009. I spent a few hours at GoldCoast I really enjoyed it. Some of the dancers were beautiful - and not too pushy either. The bartender, who I know was Dennis Ashby and has sinced passed away was nice guy. A real class act. I was alone and at the bar all night - I don't think I was ever treated in such friendly way in any bar ever - he really stood out and made my visit there really enjoyable. People like him are few and far between. He will be missed.
ReplyDeletesome of you up tight suburbanite bitches need to keep your rascist asses in the suburbs, this is one white faggot who would never live in the strip mall infested boredom of the suburbs. ya the gold coast is not in the best of nieghborhoods, but you should never judge a whole city based on one shady nieghborhood. and if it wasn't for over a million racsist people who were to hateful and afraid to live near a black family detroit wouldn;t look so abandoned today, so keep your tired up tight selves north of 8 mile and do the rest of us a favor.
ReplyDeleteResponding 12 years 'after-the-fact', but THANK YOU - Perfectly Stated! I'm White / Gay-- Grew up in suburbia & moved back into the city after college, Mid-70's. Friends/family fell back in horror when I did. I loved living in an integrated neighborhood, the solid, historic architecuture, the vibrancy while my friends hid their white bread asses under their beds for fear of pumpernickel beyond Telegraph or 8 Mile. Now that the City is "cool again", they are all suddenly "afficionados" on Detroit. Ya, really? Where've ya all been the last 50 years???
DeleteHell if Detroit bar managers and owners would stop making deal with Detroit cops and the cocaine dealers maybe the Detroit gay bars would have a better image. just a idea
ReplyDeletefuck u gc is a coke bar dumbass, or used to be now its a pedophile bar happy?
DeleteWOW!!!! Who ever you are that posted this don't know what you are talking about. you must be anti - gay and hater!!!!!!! This place is friendly, great people, and drugs????? Sure if you do them you can find them just like you can at any other bar. But saying that is just wrong.-
DeleteSeedy club!! ... I had the chance to visit a month ago and I didnt like it at all!! ... the atmosphere there was weird! ... old men walking around holding hands with the nakey dancers! ... and the guy on the picture is CREEPY! ... sorry to say its the worse bar in detroit! i really enjoyed all the others
ReplyDeleteYes. You were the guy from some other country in Latin America !
Delete..I never went to this bar much..but knew Bruce a~bit..
ReplyDeleteHe lived in the same appt building as I in Palmer Park..He worked second shift and one evening we met in the hall way..he invited me in we chatted for hours, I found him very nice and down to earth we talked about music, people ,likes, dislikes..when I heard about his death it was sad..RIP~~Donn
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ReplyDeletei havent been to gc in 2 years its a creepy pedophile dad/son bar now
ReplyDeleteWhen Bruce owned the bar he contributed a lot of money to gay organizations in the 70's and 80's. Bruce like to make fun of himself and the way he looked. He looked that way on purpose. Bruce acted like a big queen but it was all a show. Bruce could be one mean motherfucker if you fucked with him. Bruce did meet 2 guys who he took home and the murdered him. No fingers were cut off. They robbed him of his money, jewlery and drugs. The GC was the GC, it could be a fun place. Yes they had hustlers, drug dealers, etc but what bar doesn't. No one deserved to die like he did.
ReplyDeleteI used to go to the GC in the late 80's with my friends on Thursday nights (I forgot why). Bruce was still running the place but we hardly ever saw him. They used to play the "Time Warp" for us because my friends and I were big into the Rocky Horror Show at the time. You could get a $2.00 pitcher of (watered down)beer at the bar and cocaine in the bathroom. I sold really skinny joints there for $2.00. You would think those little white fags never saw good weed before. Good times, good times.
ReplyDeleteThat place is a sleazy coke-den. Does anyone remember that Canadian blond stripper named Jagger? He was a real roid-head.
ReplyDeleteJagger danced privately for me when he worked at the Happy Tap in Windsor. I was at the club when he danced for the first time. The dancers got fully nude on stage. The private dances were in everyone's view so they were a bit tame. Jagger always wore a towel so he could swing free underneath. He also did this thing...tapping my cock with his knee...that drove me wild. I knew him before he went overboard on steroids. I often wonder how he is. I know he found a daddy.
DeleteI forgot to mention that the dancers danced one dance where they stripped and then came back totally naked and fully hard and erect!
DeleteIs there anywhere like that now?
Bruce Detloff whom we called Bruce & Toner, due to his Blonde Hair & his love of Vodka & Tonic !! Thegood ole days are missed - A former Detroiter & Drag Performaer, Ms. Marie LaVoie !!
ReplyDeleteRIP Bruce. You did a lot for the gay community in the 1970s when I frequented your bar often with many fiends. Yes, it was a dangerous neighborhood, but not like today. Many white people had not yet run screaming toward 8 Mile Road at this point in time. Blacks and whites got a long a lot better than they do now. As a former Detroiter, I believe that Detroit's race problems are unique to the city. I don't experience in San Francisco the animosity that exists between the races in Detroit. It gets more depressing every time I visit...
ReplyDeletemy goodness...so much scandal about one bar. Since I was there back when Bruce opened the bar let me enlighten a few of you.....never once was my car broken into, never once was I acousted, never once was I bothered, Bruce had security in the parking lot. Bruce himself had an image to protect; thus his flymoyant behavoir. He was a good man. His downfall was he liked young good looking (rough) men and found the wrong ones.....Lets remember everything the Bar (Bruce) did for all of us back in the day....it was Bruce that started the bowling leaque on Sundays....which did so much to unite the Gay Community in Detroit. You all can say what you may, but unless you were there in the day it is only that...you saying what you want to say...I know better.
ReplyDeleteBruce's death was tragic, he was shot in the chest. 10th precinct had no interest in solving the murder, because they didn't "know" him, and he was gay! We called the detective and he had no interest of the information we had. On Dec 23, we had some jewelry he ordered. He had a group of people at his house, and he had put his gold jewelry in a drinking glass. This was unusual, as we suggested he should put it in a safer place. He said "what will they do, kill me?
ReplyDeleteHe was not sleazy but quite the opposite. We spent days with him in Las Vegas, and he never ever acted inappropriate.
He liked to please people. He rented the Bob-lo boat, for charity for AIDS! If his murder would have taken place at the Gold Coast, the 11th precinct would have beaten doors down to solve his fate. I feel his murder was not over drugs or other lovers, but Poker machines.
Yes the guy he was in with, wanted him dead. Guess what, that guy was an x-cop, who set up my other friends, big time.
So my thanks to the DPD 10th precinct, and a shout out to Roger........
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ReplyDeleteI met Bruce and small group of his friends in the late 1980's in Toledo Ohio at a mutual friends house. Bruce invited few of us to Detroit and a few day later I called Bruce he said come on up. When I got to Bruce's house he was entertaining a large group of friend. Bruce introduced me to his friends then showed me to my room and I was given every courtice. I am very happy I got to know Bruce he helped me change my view of gay men. I can tell you he was First class all the way. His only fault was he was to trusting. Bruce you are missed much love T
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I am looking to hire topless waitress gold coast to make my birthday party more exciting and enjoyable for my friends and other guests.
ReplyDeleteWhat happen to that STRIPPER ROBERT?
ReplyDeleteWHAT EVER HAPPEN TO A STRIPPER NAMED ROBERT HE WORKED THERE ON AND OFF?
ReplyDeleteI went there in the early 90s and usually had a blast. I was painfully shy so I usually drank too much. Anyway, don't think we are talking about the same "Robert" but there was a dancer by that name back then who could kiss like nobodys business. I had a terrible crush on him back then. For awhile he was the boyfriend of another dancer named Kenny who was also very friendly.
ReplyDeleteEd
I used to go to the GC in the late 80's early 90's met the love of my life there, Robert Gary Phillips. We moved to Florida in the early 90's and lived happily ever after. I knew Bruce he was awesome, didn't like the tall Italian he called his boyfriend but his ex wife and kids were cool. I miss the GC.
DeleteMy ex of long ago and I used to hang out at the GC a lot in the 80s and 90s and never had any problems. I stopped going to the club when I stopped going to bars in 93, but never once had any problems. If anyone remembers a very fem guy named Sven who lived in Detroit and used to hang out at GC and GiGis and could provide an update to him, I'd appreciate it very much.
ReplyDeletei was taken here a lot by my brother and his playmate (wink wink) .
ReplyDeletei had a lot of fun here but i was still sort of "coming out" and was quite shy .the guys saw me watching them so closely them i'd get a flash of their cocks and I'd blush so red ,they knew it too , so i think they made it a game to make me blush ...:)
I remember going to the GC. Worked briefly as a dancer, Mark was the manager and Keith was the dj. One night the bar got raided and we all had to go to court. Bruce took care of it. Tuesdays were great...did the GC first and then headed to the Gas Station for wet jockey contest hosted by Lady T Tempest. Loved it.
ReplyDeleteHey I think I remember lady T
DeleteWas her name Dylan ?
Not sure if you remember working with him but was curious . Heard slutty things hope you can fill me in
Does anyone remember Scott Clark and annie
ReplyDeleteDoes anyone remember the infamous, QUACK? He was about the most sexually-addicted person I have ever known. He loved the GC, or as he called it, The Coast of Gold.
ReplyDeleteWho was he
DeleteIf you're looking for entitled or overweight addicts and twinks then look no further.
ReplyDeleteSounds like someone didn't have a great Valentine's Day =P
DeleteQUACK wow do I
ReplyDeleteWho was he
DeleteClosed for good ...
ReplyDeleteSome individuals have such lack of respect for the strong trend setters that have made it possible for so much change to take place over 50+ years. I danced at this place in the 80's under the stage name TJ. Bruce Detloff made it possible for us to put together a benefit show to raise funds for the burial of a close friend. I will always have fond memories of my early days at thee Club Gold Coast. Btw, the Great Late Rita Porter would never have bartended at a place with a poor reputation. That must say something for what the club was like in "our"day. Maybe, just maybe it's these newer generations that ruined it. If so, and if that's the case, thanks for the respect to my generation for destroying it. I now live in San Diego California and have not been back in many years. But this place was GREAT in my day.
ReplyDelete