As we leave this century, I wonder what history will say about the 1970’s. Last night, I saw a documentary about the late great STUDIO 54. The owner (Steve Rubell) apparently made a ton of money by skimming, until caught by the IRS. After he went to jail, the place slowly died. I really wished I had been around at that time-from all accounts, it was a pretty wild scene-was it true that the doorman decided who go in to boogie? Any body out there been to Studio 54?
It was crowded, it smelled bad, and the drinks were too expensive.
There was a perpetual line of losers and geeks outside who thought their coolness quotient would magically increase if they got in, and who believed the hype. The doorman was responsible for keeping out riff-raff, defined as anyone who looked like they wanted to get in.
One of my stupider evenings.
I second DrFidelius. I was too young to go, but my Mom went - and her opinion was quite similar.
It was really strange from the outside (during the day, anyway), you’d never know it was there. I passed it a million times before I looked up and noticed the sign. Just a plain building with small 54 sign hanging there. Maybe that was part of the charm. You enter this ordinary, unassuming, industrial looking building, but on the inside was this different world where anything goes. The lights, the music, the drinks, the drugs, the fantasy. Kind of a grown-ups “Through the Looking Glass”.
I would have liked to have gone, just once, to see it for myself.
Ah, disco–I will always be grateful to it for getting people out dancing again (the early- and mid-70s were a deadly time for nightlife).
Me, I didn’t hit New York till '81, and Studio was socially dead by then. Now, Limelight and Palladium in the early- to mid-80s . . . Gee, if those walls could talk. I was there every weekend, dancing, flirting, meeting all kinds of cute Wall Street Yuppies. Happily for me, New York nightlife died on the vine just as I was getting too old to stay out all night anymore.
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- Studio 54 was quite a bit before my time (as far as clubbing goes). Did anyone else notice that Diana Ross seems to appear -somewhere- in every photo ever taken there? How is Diana doing these days? - MC
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Way too young to hit 54 when it was the original 54 i went a few times when it really sucked. they let anybody in there. NYc nightlife is still alive and kicking in the form of The Sound Factory, Tunnel, Twilo, to name just a few. The doormen decide who gets in (right away as opposed to an hour or more line, if at all, depending on the night)
Basically its your ‘level of notoriety’ at the club. make enough appearances, where the right clothes, mingle with a few ‘ins’, bouncers, etc. be a party person, and you are a VIP, which gets you in immediately, cheaper cover(sometimes none) and access to vip lounges, dj booths, etc. etc. Its wild, it’s hip, it’s just tons of fun.
so you found a girl who thinks really deep thoughts. what’s so amazing about really deep thoughts? Tori Amos