Williams appears to be accepting a drink from the jolly character. Its like mixing a salad, he explained, or casting a play. Doorman Marc Benecke, then a 19-year-old student at Hunter College, served as Rubells deputy. At Studio 54, anyone with a good attitude (and good style) was welcome. But that picture started the ball rolling. Not only did she love a good time, but she also knew how to master the dance floor. We think of him as a gentleman of the paparazzi [of that era], she says. Studio 54: Candid photography captures all the bacchanalian revelry, Oliver Reed as a prototype Alex from A Clockwork Orange in These are the Damned, I Have No Desire To Be Nico: Post-Punks Muse Of Manchester, Linder Sterling. After they were found guilty and sentenced to three and a half years each, they threw one last huge party the night before they went to prison. And, of course, disco music was blaring. 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Each morning, massive portions of the previous nights take would be stuffed in garbage bags and hidden above ceiling panels, or smuggled home to Rubells apartment and concealed in a hidden compartment. Steve Rubell, co-owner of Studio 54, and fashion designer Halston in the club's DJ booth, 1978. We knocked on the door. Ian put it together in three days. Studio 54 was the place to be in its heyday. He captured that era in my lifetime, and I hope someone is having that type of fun again. One of the most memorable soirees was held in honor of Dolly Parton. The picture that forms is that you had to see it to believe it. At this point, the club had been closed down and reopened under new ownership. Andy Warhol, mingling backstage with friends Bianca Jagger and fashion designer Halston. To achieve the perfect blend of guests for his nightly party, he often stood on a stepstool outside, selecting members of the crowd for admittance with a subjectivity that bordered on heartless. This wouldnt be the only time Studio 54 went above and beyond for New Years. According to the Guardian, the owners helpfully supplied mattresses and everything. With famous and wealthy people as the main guests of the venue, expensive drugs were seemingly in ample supply at all times. In the very, very far left you can see me I didnt know that I was in the picture., Persson on this photo: "I think this is the same horse Bianca Jagger turned up on for her birthday in 1977. I called various places and it was impossible, he told Haden-Guest. The next thing we knew, these guys were out of a car across the street. Read 10 of the wildest stories from Studio 54, including the time Bianca Jagger rode a white horse across the dance floor. Here we see one of those notable moments where an elderly woman is dancing with a young man. Here, see a selection of exclusive images of Spatzs work for the first time. What made Studio 54 different, however, was that drugs were practically encouraged inside. And then you went into the main part of the club and he had all these old convertible cars of the Fifties.. Then, all of a sudden it just hit me. . Studio 54 Photos And The Debauchery That Ensued 54 Decadent Photos Of Studio A Story Debauchery And Dancing Groovy History E And Disco A Brief History Of Studio 54 Flashbak Studio 54 Dj Reveals The Stars Nights Of S And Boogie At Legendary Club Mirror Studio 54 15 Things We Learned About The Hedonists Mecca From New Doentary Independent The head guy, Marc Benecke, was just 19, but his position made him one of the most important people in New York. Enjoy these Studio 54 photos? Now an animal rights advocate, Bianca told the Financial Times (via the Guardian) that she didn't show up on the horse. According to friends, Warhol said it was the best present he had ever received. Youd stumble into half-hidden rooms filled with a few people who seemed to be sweating because of something they had just done, or were about to do. Security men brandishing walkie-talkies discreetly patrolled the area, removing any uninvited gawkers. For that reason, his photos are not only fine art, they are history. A throwback to the heyday of authentic New York nightlife, the room also boasts wonderful lighting by Tony winner Ken Billington and the best sound in town . The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Once you found yourself inside the hallowed grounds of Studio 54, the next place you wanted to go was the fabled basement; a cavernous, dingy, decidedly unglamorous space decorated with damaged banquets, pillars of rolled carpet and set pieces from past parties. PHOTOS: Newly Released Studio 54 Collection Offers Rare Glimpse Into A Party Legend. I remember where this guy had really screwed himself up and they got a stretcher. Although he had broken his neck and left wrist, he took pleasure in the fact that he had actually made it inside. The club also had doves and a snake present for visitors on different nights. Giancarlo Giammetti threw a circus-themed birthday party for his business partner, fashion designer Valentino. Ian Schrager may be writing the last word on Studio 54 with his coffee table tome for Rizzoli. He used to joke, If I wasnt the owner, I wouldnt be allowed in. Owner Steve Rubell is standing in his office in this photograph after, he claimed, federal police raided the area in search of drugs. According to Haskell, the non-drinking, non-dancing mogul had business reasons for making the scene. He was a non-entity. If you found yourself fortunate enough to make it inside Studio 54 in 1978, you mightve come upon a scene like this one. Diana Ross serenaded the owners from the DJ booth, and Liza Minnelli sang New York, New York. Rubell, donning a Sinatra-like fedora, piped in with a spirited rendition of My Way, which played on repeat during the night, as did Gloria Gaynors Studio 54 anthem I Will Survive. From a mechanical platform high above the dance floor, Rubell addressed his guests with an emotional speech. After those three years, the experience of partying at Studio 54 just wasnt the same. All very un-PC. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time You were also welcomed with open arms if you were a drag queen. He was sort of spaced-out, he told Haden-Guest. To this day the nightclub remains a thing of legend, even if it has been transformed into a theater. Model Bianca Jagger holds doves at a party thrown by fashion designer Halston in 1977. The spectacle is complete with their revealing outfits, but by Studio 54 standards, their dress is modest. According to a New York Times article from the time, one night they were finally figured out and told they couldn't serve booze. As an environmentalist and an animal rights defender I find the insinuation that I would ride a horse into a nightclub offensive., The key of the success of Studio 54 is that its a dictatorship at the door and a democracy on the dance floor, club regular Andy Warhol once observed, and Steve Rubell ruled the velvet ropes with an iron fist. Another thing it often had, as a result, was strange performances. Rolling Stone reportedthat when Dolly Parton came to town for a concert, the owners decided the best way to make a country singer feel comfortable was to turn the club into a farm. There were "horses and donkeys and mules running through the club," as well as chickens in a pen. (Quaaludes, a prescription sedative with hypnotic effects, were huge in the '70s and classily known as "panty droppers.") Debbie Harry of Blondie arrives with her friends to the nightclub in 1981. We would have this situation where people would climb down from the building next door in full mountain-climbing gear with ropes tied around their shoulders, Studio 54 associate Baird Jones explained to Haden-Guest. Nina Hagens Nunsexmonkrock: Greatest (and weirdest) unsung masterpiece of the postpunk era? They served copious amounts of alcohol, played the loudest music and sometimes had mini food fights on the dancefloor. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. Even if you werent having sex with someone every night, you felt like you could, says former editor of Interview, Bob Colacello. Id go there a lot with dates and with friends, and with lots of people, he told The Washington Post in 2016. There were few places in history crazier than Studio 54. Studio 54's golden age came to an end when the federal government came after Schrager and Rubell for tax evasion. He was never on the dance floor, Studio 54 busboy Richie Notar recalled in a 2017 BBC radio documentary. Club founders Ian Schrager and Rubell were sent to jail in 1980. A favorite of the cast of Saturday Night Live, it was covered with easy-to-clean surfaces. It wasn't subtle: Hung from the roof of Studio 54, dangling over the dance floor, was a giant crescent moon with a face, a cocaine spoon moving to and from its nose. Then . The following February, just before they were due to serve their time, Rubell and Schrager threw one last bash, billed as The End of Modern-Day Gomorrah. This final blowout was intimate compared to most nights, with just 2,000 of Studio 54s most faithful, including Richard Gere, Halston, Reggie Jackson, Andy Warhol, Lorna Luft and Sylvester Stallone. In case you dont recognize her, thats Dolly Parton at an afterparty in Studio 54. Actress and model Margaux Hemingway celebrates her 24th birthday in style. This photograph offers a glimpse into New Years Eve at Studio 54. It first opened its doors in 1927 as the Gallo Opera House. A couple relaxes next to a comatose man, 1978. It wasnt until he was gone, and I had brought everything home and put it in storage, that I began to open up these envelopes and discover his work.. While these two women may not have been the craziest partiers, they certainly appreciated a good night out. Studio 54 is the one nightclub from the '70s everyone remembers. Mick Jagger and his then significant other Jerry Hall entering the club. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. Actor and author Chris Lawford shares a dance with Mick Jagger's wife, Bianca. For 33 months, Studio 54 was the American bacchanal, an unprecedented mix of glamorous sophistication and primal hedonism. The star-studded club, renowned for its debauched, Caligula-style orgies of excess, was seen as the height of glamour. 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There was a 1950 Chevy convertible that got a bit trashed because people climbed in and burned the seats, says Reynolds. A car whizzed by. But the party was wild.. Rogers says this was a reaction to people seeing images of the glamour of places like Studio 54 while their real lives reflected the worst financial recession since the Great Depression. Nothing would compare to the nightclubs glory years in the 1970s and 80s. They agreed to bring these cars up. Six big-finned classics were parked on the dance floor, but minutes before opening the fire marshal cited a major hazard: The cars hadnt been drained of gasoline. This photo shows a man dressed in drag with fake (and appropriately sequined) breasts on his chest. It wasnt just the celebrities known to enjoy partying who indulged in a night out at Studio 54. A look back at the epicenter of NYC nightlife, presented by Getty Images. The party went off without a hitch, save for a minor incident. This kind of debauchery came to be expected of the venue and marked its no-holds-barred approach to nightlife. Posted on April 12, 2017, 9:16 pm. Finally it became CBS's Studio 52 from 1942 to 1976. Nightlife anywhere was sure to have drugs involved were talking about the 1970s, here. Even so, it gave visitors a rush of adrenaline to watch them twirl in the air from below. And they were not quiet about it. There didn't seem to be any rhyme or reason for who gained entrance and who didn't. For Valentines Day, Studio 54 was transformed into a garden with flowerbeds, picket fencing and a group of harpists. Asshole! I looked and there was a rifle pointed at me. Even a brief sampling of these parties is enough to scramble the senses. You might not think of famous authors as the rowdiest group of people, but Truman Capote didnt fit into any stereotypes. The owners knew they needed celebrities to keep coming, and they knew celebrities liked free drugs. 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