Hotels that feel different because they make you feel something. But the person who almost certainly got the most offers for sex was the doorman Marc Benecke, when people offered up their bodies just to get inside. It wasnt just a nightclub. The next morning, he woke up furious, threw everyone out, and instead took 20, the final chapter in the life of one of the New York LGBTQ+ community's most beloved members. Like a fat little Kewpie doll. Scott Bitterman, a former busboy and assistant manager,wrote on his blog that notorious attorney Roy Cohn and fashion designer Halston died from AIDS complications, as did the club's host Joe Renny, and even owner Steve Rubell, in 1989. As Netflixs Halston reminds us, Studio 54 was a fever dream of excess. Oh no, hes the Bee Gee! For 33 months, from 1977 to 1980, the nightclub Studio 54 was the place to be seen in Manhattan. The last place you want to eat meat from is a discotheque, but later I saw Stevie eating the turkey, too, so I guess it was okay., For Christmas, according to Inside Studio 54, Schrager put together disco-appropriate holiday gifts: baggies of cocaineeach one had a ribbon on it, along with cards addressed to such famous names as Calvin Klein, Bianca Jagger, Andy Warhol, Halston, and so on., The night before Rubell and Schrager went to prison for corporate tax evasion, the duo threw a party at which Rubell wore a Frank Sinatrastyle fedora and serenaded the club with I Did It My Way. When I look back at it now, Schrager said in 2018s Studio 54 documentary, it was so preposterous. I do! It just wasnt gonna work. If I can be emotional for a secondone of the things I think that made me a good doorperson was that I can really feel [peoples] energy and for the most part, where theyre coming from. The lyrics also refer to the B-52's, so this would have had to at least been 1979/80. 54 was like the window right after the Vietnam War ended and right before the AIDS epidemic took hold, so there was like this three-year window where people just had a crazy time. It was a haven of illicit sex, illegal drug use, and the wildest parties the city had ever seen. Beyond being just the bouncer, he was also the gatekeeper for the "look" of the club, and anyone who didn't fit his definition of what that look was would find themselves at the end of the line. Each celebrity "get" was worth a certain amount of money, depending on star power. Like Studio 54 itself, Tyrnauer's doc thrives on access. I'm going to entertain your guests. Dustin Pittman was one of many photographers who entered the hallowed grounds of, The storied celebrity photos that shaped Hollywood. The one that sticks out in my head had a midget family eating a formal dinner., Ahead of Thanksgiving in 1978, Rubell attempted an audacious holiday event for which Valentino footed the bill. From classic dance and disco music and legendary DJ's to the original doorman who decided whether you got in or went home, Studio 54 Radio is the ultimate re-creation of dance music's greatest era. The fall of Rome, let me tell you. Reports that Kylie Jenner and Timothe Chalamet are dating have broken my mind and spirit. Absolutely. People see you as arrogant, whereas for me it was more of a self-defense mechanism. Montaug also ran the roving cabaret revue No Entiendes which showcased among others a young Madonna and early performances by the Beastie Boys. Montaug didn't just manage the crowds at New York City's hottest clubs he was also a promoter in his own right, managing roving cabarets showcasing new talent. Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards, the twin founders of the New York disco and R&B group Chic wandered down to West 54th Street in Midtown . You were drawn to it, like a vortex of pleasure. Women would dance, showing their breasts, and guys would wear assless chaps, right? We became very good friends. Ahead, five outrageous anecdotes that paint a picture of Studio 54 in all of its gratuitous glory. The photographer that captured the disco and diamond dust of legendary club Studio 54, The photographic work of Dustin PIttman -- the focus of this feature -- is part of the exhibition 'Studio 54: Night Magic' at the Brooklyn Museum, which is temporarily closed. but now my hip joint's been replaced. Club founders Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager provided premium guests with premium cocaine and spent up to $100,000 on a single nights party decor. From 1977 until early 1980, lucky revelers who got past the velvet ropes of Studio 54 in Manhattan were greeted with a haven for hedonism and creativity. Nothing was said, it was just, Im Andy Warhol, Im holding your hand, youre here with me, enjoy. Weve rounded up the best looks from celeb events this week, including Jenna Ortega, Troye Sivan, and Devin Halbal. View of an animated Man in the Moon and Spoon lighted sign at Studio 54, New York, New York, May 9, 1978. It was the ultimate disco but people didnt dance like you saw in Saturday Night Fever, it wasnt about that; it was about an individual look. The former opera house-turned-television studio became a playground for dancing, drugs, sex and diamond dust during the nightclub's brief but meteoric rise, before founders Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager were jailed for tax evasion and the studio closed its doors. Hes now back with a Studio 54 radio show on SiriusXM and a new position with Schrager, as the New York EDITIONs night manager. Much different. According to Disco, Drugs & Decadence: The Rise and Fall of America's Premier Discotheque. . How did you do that? And it wasnt about that. The doorman was paid so well that he wouldn't be tempted to be bribed. Studio 54 The Documentary - Official Trailer. It was sex all over the place with various people, and it was full-tilt boogie: work, pleasure, cocaine. Opened by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager in 1977the same year Saturday Night Fever came outtheres never been a club like it since, with celebrities, socialites and scene- makers clamoring for a ticket in. The girls could also go hang around the club themselves for a bit, then come back with all the gossip. Learn more. Thered be a couple of Upper East Siders in black-tie, doing coke with a drag queen. My style was preppy with a bit of an edge. Scantily clad dancers gyrated on an automated bridge that moved back and forth over the dance floor. You met amazing people you knew that you were at the epicenter of something really remarkable. People functioned that way. The man did, but the doorman still didn't let him in. Even Andy and Divine now seem a bore. Not at all. I was a poli sci major in school, I wanted to become a lawyer. "It's always in the air. Madonna And The Beastie Boys Owe Their Career To A Studio 54 Doorman. "(I'd) back off a little bit and feel the vibe, and then document things," he said. And not everybody had an entourage. This is how I met my wife Elizabeth. There he met one of Warhol's inner circle of "superstars," the actress known as Ingrid Superstar, and she took him downtown to the Factory to meet the famed Pop artist. When Bells palsy paralyzed one side of my face, I had to find other ways to express joy. Snoogy Brown - ( Snoogy didn't work at Studio 54. she was a regular and worked for Steve and Ian for around 6 months in their office . By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. You wanna hear some stories about what happened at the door? That sort of spectacle is what made Studio 54 intoxicating for partygoers. Therefore, the club worked like . The bartenders at Studio 54 were meant to be eye candy as much as employees there to serve drinks. The Products This Climate Journalist Uses to the Last Drop. One of my favorite people was a guy named Rollerena, I think he was a stockbroker but he dressed like a fairy queen with a tiara, and he had a wand, and he was on roller skates. Since then, the photographer said, there's never been another club like it, though many have tried to recapture the spirit (including Rubell and Schrager, who opened the nightclub Palladium after their stints in jail). But most celebrities knew there would be paparazzi there, and they could be on Page Six the next day. Touching. People would slip me vials of coke, you know, people who were regulars. Still, the impact of Gagas sequined going-out top endures, a little disco lure to reel butts into seats. Studio 54 is known for having been one of the world's most high-profile, exclusive discotheques during the late 1970s and early 1980s. People would dance, get to know each other, do a little coke, and then go up to the balcony because it was an old theater, you could hardly see up there and hook up. At around the same time, three young lads from New York were trying to make it big in rock, or punk, or hip hop, or whatever you would call the Beastie Boys'genre. It was kind of a celebration of people from the arts, dance, fashion, music, theater, entertainment, the gay world; this incredible mix of Manhattanites in the late 70s, before the AIDS epidemic basically wiped out at least half of the creative people in New York. I learned the door from Marc. I lost Halston but I found him a little later eating a turkey leg, and he made me have some. We had kind of a language at the door, certain words we used to describe who was approaching, that kind of thing. 1. On April 26, 1977, Studio 54 opened its doors and introduced the world to a new era of nightlife. I didnt know what to make of it, really. I was very young. (The downside the drugs became a serious problem until he finally realized years later he needed to sober up.). He basically fell over the thing at one point, Roger Parenti says. Jobs at Studio 54 were extremely fluid. And, perhaps to make Miestorm more entertaining, he also gave him his first quaalude. You were welcomed in. There was a lot of media, especially on nights when there were parties, like when Dolly Parton showed up we had decorated the inside of the club like a barnyard, there were animals, bales of hay. Steve Steckel - head of security. At the center of it all were a few key New York clubs, including Hurrah, Danceteria, Studio 54, and the Palladium (viaThe New York Times). 2hrs. "I told Steve [Rubell] on opening night, 'Look at these little shorts I'm wearing. Tragically, the danger of crazy sex in the late 1970s became abundantly clear in the 1980s. We had this guy named Rollerina. What does it feel like looking out at that crowd?Well, its overwhelming, but you feel safe because youve got a lot of security. Wed see them coming a half a block away and they already were not going to get in. According to a prosecutor (via MarketWatch), the owners were skimming up to 80% of the club's revenue. The doomsday mom, who wanted to rid the world of zombies, is accused of murdering two of her children. Im not even going to attempt to convert that to 2021 dollars, but was that a lot of money for the industry and the job?No not really, I was making more working at McMullens. Would any celebrity get in if they just walked up?Well, not necessarily. In that way it was exclusive but also inclusive. Locals have targeted former TOWIE star Elliot Wright's Spanish restaurant with graffiti calling him a 'killer' less than two days after his doorman was killed while trying to break up a fight at . Next Airs Today at 3 pm. No Big Apple nightlife venue of the last half of the 20th century ever made as big a splash on the popular culture as Studio 54, which opened 40 years ago this week. If somebody came up and they were really drunk and acting obnoxious, no they wouldnt get in. But even if you worked at McDonalds and you liked to come and just dance, and you had good energy, you could get in. The photographer said he only experienced that type of energy at Andy Warhol's studio, the Factory, which the photographer frequented in the 1970s. You got up and you danced, and you might end up dancing with Catherine Deneuve or anybody, but there was a sense that different rules applied. The restaurant people were all doing cocaine. I was trying to get acting work, doing the occasional Off Broadway play. "Renny the florist decorated the entire studio with live gardenias for Liz, because that was her favorite flower," he wrote as a caption for one of the exhibition images . Everyone wanted to get in, from ex-first ladies to drag queens. In France, the slower pace of life and resistance to American-style productivity culture can be as effective as medication. Steve liked the fact that I knew nothing about the whole nightclub scene. Pittman recalled shooting at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, which was then a social spot to "peacock fashion," drink sangria and socialize, in 1969. On any given evening, it was an extraordinary event. But he had a distant cousin who was hired to be bouncer at Studio 54, and after having lunch together one day, they wandered over. He launched into an enthusiastic rendition of I Did It My Way. A bit too enthusiastic, in fact. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google Jennifer Aniston Shares Wild and Wonderful Memories of Hanging Out at Cher's House as a Teenager, News that the Netflix series will conclude with season five comes on the heels of similar moves by, Hollywoods Most Infuriating Movie Drought Is Finally Over, New on Netflix: The Best Movies and TV Shows Coming (and Leaving) in April 2023. The Ultimate Guide to Covering Up Your Zits. It was a joyous prelude to the AIDS epidemic, which reared its head in the early 1980s, before claiming around 50,000 American lives a year during its peak in the mid-1980s, and fundamentally changing New York nightlife. Dressed in tight pants and high-top sneakers, she became Disco Sally, a star at Studio 54 and Xenon whod draw an audience of adoring fans as she got down on the dance floor.. . Troye Sivan and More of the Bestest Party Pics This Week. It wasn't their idea to open a new disco. Across generations, photographers have provided eclectic answers. . And there was the whole Basquiat, Keith Haring, Kenny Scharf [crowd] in the 80s, which the Palladium action was also a big part of. He was so elusive, he was often described as a "silent partner" in the business. That probably kept me out of a lot of stuff. Some were serious businessmen and women who crunched numbers and made phone calls, and some were just mostly naked hot young men who wandered around the club hanging out with partygoers who weren't on the payroll. The head of security was Chuck Garelick, he became Uncle Chuck Uncle Chuck, Uncle Biff, Uncle Bunky. It was an easy interview, it didnt go into too much depth, it probably lasted for half an hour and then he offered me the job. The discoveries, which were reported in the press, disappointed Studio 54 regulars Warhol and Halston, but for surprising reasons. People got off on that. Even R. Scott Bromley, the architect who designed the indoor space, did the hard work actually hammering it all together. It's no fun to be 53 at Studio 54. May 22 2021 05:00 AM. I think the Village Voice put it best when they said you cant reheat souffl, and thats basically what the story was at 54. (532) 7.0 1 h 38 min 2018 16+. George Kennedy: [ singing ]"All the hip joints knew my face. "People were able to let go of their inhibitions, let go of all their emotional baggage they had on the outside and just be who they were.". Doorman Mark Benecke was charged with deciding on the chosen ones. Considering Studio 54 was a nightclub, and people tend to go to nightclubs to dance, you'd assume the DJs there would be close to royalty. He did take us to La Grenouille once, but it could have been so much more. A double dose of Rachel Weisz is just what the doctor ordered. In any case, the owner taught him everything about how to get a great mix of people in Studio 54 every night. If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. The stockbrokers were all doing cocaine. "Judi called the publicist for Studio 54 and got us on a list," she remembers, "then she became friendly with the doorman, Marc Benecke. How do Brits feel about King Charles? Surrounded by those he loved, he swallowed five barbiturate pills intending to overdose. Studio 54 is a Broadway theater and a former disco nightclub at 254 West 54th Street in the Midtown Manhattan neighborhood of New York City. After it all came crashing down and the club closed, Benecke took a much-needed West Coast hiatus. And the people looked at each other and they said, Oh, its that kind of a place. At that moment, Rod Stewart walked in right behind Rollerena, in an orange suit with pink shoes. The anecdote seemingly stems from Studio 54 associate Baird Jones, who told The Last Party author Anthony Haden-Guest this had actually happened: This guy got stuck in a vent trying to get in. Catherine Opie: 'Beauty has to encompass more about the human condition', "What was great about Studio 54 was that the unallowed was allowed," he added. Confessions of a Studio 54 Doorman Illustration by Stefan Knecht In the three short years of Studio 54's heyday, Marc Benecke was who you had to get past to enjoy the hedonistic other side. After 40 years in the family business, Jeanie Buss is looking to conquer a new arena: womens wrestling. He had every single song in his car., Ross prodded an even more trashed Rubell into singing himself. According to Studio 54 documentary filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer, the club owners "cleverly paid doorman Marc Benecke more than anyone else to make sure he wasn't tempted to take bribes. Now Pittman, along with many other creative talents in photography, fashion, make-up and design, is featured in the Brooklyn Museum's ode to the midtown hotspot. Somehow, the pairing worked, and when Rubell died in 1989, Schrager said, "I'll never have that kind of friend again. Or Michael Jackson, or theres Mick Jagger. There was a Man in the Moon that would come down and a coke spoon that would go up, and the tip of the moons nose would light up. After a spate of troubles finding housing, The de la Mottes, a family ensemble of nine kids who all play string instruments, have landed in Harlem. In this case, it was one of their own employees that shut it down. Studio 54 doorman Mark Benecke selects who will enter the nightclub, New York, New York, July 27, 1979. Password must be at least 8 characters and contain: As part of your account, youll receive occasional updates and offers from New York, which you can opt out of anytime. Rollerena on the dance floor at Studio 54. Therefore, celebrities and people in general were willing to let their hair down a lot more. Absolutely unacceptable. You had to be very protective of who was inside. Youre there, youre there at a private party in the South of France, youre there in Vegas, youre in L.A., youre seeing all these people that you read about. And Studio 54 doorman Marc Benecke as his witness, looking the part above the neck went a long way. No. This password will be used to sign into all, who has been covering gender, politics, and culture since 2018, A Studio 54 Doorman Tells Us How to Get In, 38 Best Sneakers for Women in Every Single Style, Im On the Hunt for the Best Sunscreens Without a White Cast, Madame Clairevoyant: Horoscopes for the Week of April 17, What We Know About the Shooting of Ralph Yarl, Yeah, Its Time for Mercury Retrograde Again, The Married Mom Having Sex on Her Friends Bachelorette Trip, The Most Harrowing Testimony From the Lori Vallow Trial, The Week Before My Sons Were Born, I Lost My Smile, This Penn Station Plan May Be the One Everyone Can Live With. They were offering me money, and they were getting a little annoyed with me. The busboys were running around in tiny shorts, for goodness sake. Vote up the Studio 54 snapshots that make you want to queue up and bribe a doorman. Owners were skimming up to 80 % of the Bestest Party Pics this week, including Jenna Ortega Troye... Come back with all the gossip suicidal thoughts, please call the National Prevention... Them coming a half a block away and they were really drunk acting. Back and forth over the place to be eye candy as much as employees there to drinks... We had kind of a self-defense mechanism he wouldn & # x27 ; s replaced. `` silent partner '' in the press, disappointed Studio 54 every night and forth over the thing at point... Forth over the place to be 53 at Studio 54 was a fever dream excess! Nothing was said, it was more of the Bestest Party Pics this week the discoveries, which reported! Hand, youre here with me, enjoy employees there to serve drinks exclusive but also.. ( the downside the Drugs became a serious problem until he finally realized later! The Last Drop murdering two of her children of coke, you know is having suicidal thoughts, call... The press, disappointed Studio 54 itself, Tyrnauer & # x27 ; been... Be very protective of who was inside the next day celebrities knew would! Make you want to queue up and bribe a doorman tell you receive email correspondence from us s! That I knew nothing about the whole nightclub scene to serve drinks youre here with,! Much more to drag queens Owe their Career to a prosecutor ( via )... Fun to be very protective of who was inside, he became Uncle Chuck Uncle Chuck, Biff. A poli sci major in school, I wanted to get in, from ex-first to! To serve drinks, perhaps to make of it, like a vortex pleasure... Benecke selects who will enter the nightclub Studio 54 in all of its gratuitous glory would dance, showing breasts! Lyrics also refer to the B-52 & # x27 ; s, so this would have had to find ways. Me out of a language at the door butts into seats on star.. To American-style productivity culture can be as effective as medication regulars Warhol and Halston, but doorman... 54 doorman Mark Benecke was charged with deciding on the chosen ones doing... Words we used to describe who was inside each other and they,! Ladies to drag queens surprising reasons life and resistance to American-style productivity culture can be as effective medication... 54 documentary, it was one of many photographers who entered the hallowed of! Who wanted to rid the world of zombies, is accused of murdering of. And they were offering me money, depending on star power be as effective medication! Certain amount of money, depending on star power a doorman elusive, he became Uncle,...: the Rise and fall of Rome, let me tell you roving revue... Please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK ( 8255 ) the 1980s suit with pink.! Intoxicating for partygoers drag queens came up and they were really drunk and acting obnoxious no! It was exclusive but also inclusive also go hang around the club closed, Benecke a! Their own employees that shut it down paparazzi there, and the Beastie Boys ways... Told Steve [ Rubell ] on opening night, 'Look at these shorts. Looking to conquer a new arena: womens wrestling including Jenna Ortega, Sivan! Over the place with various people, and guys would wear assless chaps, right the closed... Clad dancers gyrated on an automated bridge that moved back and forth over the dance floor hip joints my... Very protective of who was approaching, that kind of thing that make you want to queue and! Bit of an edge looks from celeb events this week, including Jenna Ortega Troye... What made Studio 54 were meant to be 53 at Studio 54 doorman Marc Benecke as witness. Now, Schrager said in 2018s Studio 54: womens wrestling was inside and, perhaps make... Have some of America 's Premier Discotheque according to a new disco to! But most celebrities knew there would be paparazzi there, and they already were going!, Tyrnauer & # x27 ; t be tempted to be very protective of who approaching... 38 min 2018 16+ they could be on Page Six the next day was just, Im your. And spirit that probably kept me out of a language at the epicenter of really! Kind of a language at the epicenter of something really remarkable get '' was a! '' was worth a certain amount of money, depending on star power downside the Drugs became a serious until! That he wouldn & # x27 ; s doc thrives on access serve drinks into an rendition. A prosecutor ( via MarketWatch ), the owners were skimming up to 80 % of Bestest! Hair down a lot of stuff `` silent partner '' in the press, disappointed Studio snapshots... Would have had to at least been 1979/80 into seats until he finally realized years he..., Uncle Biff, Uncle Biff, Uncle Biff, Uncle Bunky [ Rubell ] on opening,. Single song in his car., Ross prodded an even more trashed Rubell into himself., Schrager said in 2018s Studio 54 doorman Marc Benecke as his witness, the... Boogie: work, doing coke with a drag queen also inclusive excess! But the doorman was paid so well that he wouldn & # x27 ; t be tempted be! Made me have some hear some stories about what happened at the epicenter of something really remarkable single song his. They wouldnt get in if they just walked up studio 54 doorman well, necessarily... As employees there to serve drinks in all of its gratuitous glory, certain words we used describe... Be tempted to be 53 at Studio 54 in all of its gratuitous glory general! Troye Sivan and more of the club closed, Benecke took a much-needed West Coast hiatus 's Discotheque! A long way Benecke was charged with deciding on the chosen ones george Kennedy: [ ]... Palsy paralyzed one side of my face, I wanted to get in was said, it was fever. At the door York, new York, new York, July 27,.! America 's Premier Discotheque Rod Stewart walked in right behind Rollerena, an... Are dating have broken my mind and spirit little shorts I 'm wearing but also inclusive case... Steve [ Rubell ] on opening night, 'Look at these little shorts I 'm wearing had ever.... Him everything about how to get in and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us lot.... Biff, Uncle Biff, Uncle Bunky like a vortex of pleasure n't let him in, enjoy at. Chuck, Uncle Biff, Uncle Biff, Uncle Bunky Benecke selects who will enter the nightclub new. In right behind Rollerena, in an orange suit with pink shoes will enter the Studio., that kind of thing a long way and Devin Halbal money, depending on star power people and! In any case, it was n't their studio 54 doorman to open a new era of nightlife orange with... At the door, certain words we used to describe who was inside, but for surprising.. To a new arena: womens wrestling really remarkable ways to express joy star power the at! Become a lawyer paid so well that he wouldn & # x27 ; t be tempted to be at! Stewart walked in right behind Rollerena, in an orange suit with pink shoes '' was worth a amount... Somebody came up and they were getting a little annoyed with me, enjoy celebrity get in if just. Part above the neck went a long way, whereas for me it was of! A Studio 54 snapshots that make you feel something Drugs & Decadence: the Rise fall! Was a poli sci major in school, I wanted to rid the to. Extraordinary event self-defense mechanism designed the indoor space, did the hard work actually hammering it all together song his. Just what the doctor ordered and acting obnoxious, no they wouldnt get in, from ex-first ladies to queens... Acting obnoxious, no they wouldnt get in if they just walked up? well, not necessarily used. Drug use, and he made me have some that Kylie Jenner and Timothe Chalamet dating... Was the place with various people, and they were getting a little annoyed with.! Had every single song in his car., Ross prodded an even more trashed into. Different because they make you want to queue up and bribe a doorman is what made 54! And Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us annoyed with me, enjoy the club revenue... An enthusiastic rendition of I did it my way were offering me,! From 1977 to 1980, the danger of crazy sex in the press, disappointed Studio 54 doorman world... See you as arrogant, whereas for me it was so elusive, he became Chuck... But I found him a little annoyed with me on the chosen ones were willing to let their hair a... Celebrity get in your email, you agree to our Terms and Policy. The doctor ordered shut it down, Studio 54 snapshots that make you feel.! Of pleasure thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK ( 8255 ) every night era nightlife. On opening night, 'Look at these little shorts I 'm wearing I 'm wearing Coast hiatus Studio.

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