Studio+54

Brian Dance **Studio 54**

Studio 54 was an extremely popular nightclub/disco during the 70s, in New York. It was the most popular club of the time and many celebrities went there. It was notorious for the heavy drug use and the sex that would happen inside the club. **History**

Studio 54 came into existence as the hottest nightclub in April, 1976 on 254 W. 54th St. Manhattan, New York. The club owners were Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. (Dittmer, 2006) “If the 1970s was a decade of heedless optimism, then Studio 54 was its glittering epicenter. During its reign as New York's number one hot spot to see and be seen, it was the place where paparazzi mingled with celebrity, where high-brow danced with low-brow, where pop art and fine art talked into the wee hours of the morning.” (Haden-Guest, Kummer, Quinto, & Sartogo, 1997) Some of the celebrities that were regulars at the club were Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger, and Andy Warhol, but many more went there as well. (Gaff, 1978) The club had a hot run for about ten years until, the owners Rubell and Schrager were found guilty of liquor license infractions. Both went to jail and Studio 54 was never the same. When they got out, the club did not reopen. (Brenner, 1981) **The Club Scene** The club was “open” to all people but the majority of people who actually got in were famous actors, musicians, and politicians. It was the club that everyone was talking about, so tons of people would try and get in. It was extremely hard for normal everyday people to get in and the line would be enormous. Only the very good looking people amongst the crowd were let into the club to be able to party with the celebrities and other A-listers. Some people would wait in line just to be around there because many celebrities would come, and these people could say they were there and saw them. (Gaff, 1978) Owner Steve Rubell wanted his club to be diverse because then it would be popular to all kinds of people. Most of the times he would be at the front door letting certain people in, so he was one of the deciding factors of whether you were good looking enough, or worthy to be in there. (Dittmer, 2006) Other instances would be that the doorman would let women in who either flashed them or did other sexual favors. “The doorkeepers at Studio 54 possessed the power to separate the elect from the damned, granting access to a fantasy realm where the blues realities of the outside world had been declared magically irrelevant.” (Hanson Werner, 2006) Inside the club, there were many levels. There was the first floor where the main dance floor was and the majority of the people partied. The main bar was also on the main floor. It also had balconies that overlooked the dance floor and this is where more of the VIPs would be and there were even more secret rooms that some of the more important people would have access to. There was plenty of alcohol, and there was also a heavy drug scene at the club. Most of the drug use would be on the upper levels of the club. Cocaine was the most used, but other club drugs were used as well. (Dittmer, 2006) The excessive drinking and drug use led to sexual activity that would happen in the clubs, mostly in private VIP type rooms, but sometimes outside of those rooms as well. This was not prohibited by the club either. It was a normal occasion for two people to hook up inside the club. With the alcohol and accessibility to drugs, sexual encounters were easily made between people. **Studio 54 Trends and Present Time** Studio 54 was one of the biggest and most popular clubs ever, and many nightclubs have modeled themselves after it. There are many nightclubs all across America these days, but Studio 54 in the 70s was the one that ever made it big, and made it a popular scene. The seventies was a transition period with the combination of disco music and more drug use, sexuality was explored more and it was not looked down upon as much as it had in the past. Even homosexuality was exhibited more in public and it was also a scene in Studio 54. “Disco dance floors these days were colorful places not only packed with people of ethnicities and colors, but also with gay people and drag queen.” (Dittmer, 2006) This is why some people even looked down upon the disco scene because they did not want to be tied in with a diverse group of people. While for others it was a way to explore themselves in which they would not have been able to in previous decades. Even nowadays, some clubs are not that diverse. In Las Vegas MGM Grand opened a club called “Studio 54” which is modeled off the original.(studio54.com) There was also a movie made called //54,// directed by Mark Christopher in 1998 starring Mike Meyers, Ryan Phillippe, and Salma Hayek. (imdb.com) Brenner, Marie. (1981, March 18). The boys from studio 54 are back- sort of. //New York Magazine//, p. 18. Dittmer, Lars. (2006). //Studio 54:admission policies as a form of individualism in new york//. Germany: University of Potsdam. Gaff, Don. (1978, June 28). Focus at studio 54 is on the outside. //Prescott Courier//, p. 70. Haden-Guest, Anthony., Kummer, Niels., Quinto, Felice, & Sartogo, Domitilla. (1997). //Studio 54: the legend//. Ney York: te Neues. Hanson Werner, Craig. (2006). //A change is gonna come: music, race & the soul of america//. University of Michigan Press. [Image] http://www.drakkar91.com/54/ [] []