For Those Of You Who Remember Studio 54, I Would Love To Hear Your Stories

[romantico]

Posted: 10/1/08 at 11:00pm

I wish I was around during the days of Studio 54. I have been for a while now obsessed with the club and the people who practically lived there. HATED the Mike Myers movie and wish there was decent movie or even documentary about the place.I would love to hear any stories or just memories of those here who went there or any stories you care to share.








http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=eA5CAEx3D8s&feature=

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 10/1/08 at 11:37pm

Wow. Really? Believe me, it's only because you were never there. Had you gone, you wouldn't feel that way.

[romantico]

Posted: 10/1/08 at 11:42pm

Well that's why I am curious. How do you know I would have never felt that way? How do you know I would not have enjoyed spending an evening with friends at 54?

[Jane2]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:01am

I went there on a regular basis, and I'd be happy to tell you what I remember.

During that period of time, my life consisted of hanging out with my guy friends, taking drugs, and going out dancing to the clubs. I'll get to Studio in a minute, but the other ones were the Palladium, Area, the Mudd Club, Flamingo, the Saint, the Cock Ring, and the Monster.

I was lucky enough to have friends who never had to wait outside on line to get in, so we always went right in.

Studio was simply fabulous-the usual disco decor-disco ball, strobe lights, blasting music, guys all over the place doing fan dances. And there were always those who wore outrageous costumes. Boas galore,glitter all over the place. I think I used to put glitter on my face, but I always wore comfortable but cool outfits because all I inteded to do was dance. At one point in time, someone would bring out the poppers and we went wild. It was interesting, sometimes the guys would kind of hang out during a song, barely dancing, but listening. Then, at the point in the song which was the most fabulous, they'd do poppers, scream, and run onto the ance floor and knock it out! We would make the rounds of the place first, to check out who was there. Most of the time, the celebs were in the back VIP rooms doing drugs, so we didn't see all of them. But Andy Warhol was usually there with some cronies. In fact, he was everywhere.

I personally was there to dance my ass off, so that's all I remember. Never stopping. The drugs helped. Above the dance floor, there was a catwalk where that night's guest star would perform from.

the most fabulous time was when Sylvester was the star. I loved him! He came out on the catwalk in all his splendiferous hugeness and the place went wild. That same night, after his set was over, we were standing around in the bar, dishing the crowd to death, when I suddenly saw something breeze by in a rush. It was Sylvester, in a full length blackglama mink! He is the ONLY man who could pull that off.

I guess we stayed there til around 5 usually. When I finally would fall into bed, I felt great! It helped that I knew I had lost around five lbs. dancing.

[justagirl2]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:05am

Thanks, Jane. What an awesome experience to live through! I have to admit, I'm jealous.

I love that first picture. Bianca, Andy, Liza, all in one place. Wow!

[Jane2]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:07am

Justagirl, I'm so happy I was around here in the seventies and eighties. those were the best times of my life.

[romantico]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:09am

Now that's what I am talking about. GREAT story Jane! What is Studio 54 now? I know they have a club in Vegas but what went into where 54 use to be?

For some reason I really think I would have loved living in those times. I think the same if I had lived in the 60's and even the 40's. I swear I was born in the wrong decade!

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:11am

Um, Jane...?

You forgot to say what happened in the balcony.

Or were you so busy "dancing" that you never made it up there?

Hmmm...?

[Jane2]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:16am

PJ, I DID go up into the balcony, but only when I needed to cool down or come down a little from some drug that was a little too intense. I know what was going on there!

Romantico, Studio 54 is now a theater owned by Roundabout.

[brdlwyr]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:19am

I thought that there would be cow tipping and snipe hunting in the balcony, that is what we did in rural Kansas in the 70's.

[PalJoey]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:23am

It was fun to go up in the balcony to come down from drugs and dancing and fool around with someone I never met before, then go back down to my friends on the dance floor with a big smile on my face. ;-}

[Jane2]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:23am

brd, don't laugh, you're not so far from the truth.

At the Flamingo, another gay disco which used to be located in a bank building on the corner of Houston and Broadway, they'd have theme parties.

Every year, there would be a white party, black party, and so on. I forgot which party it was, but they had a huge live hog in a glass enclosed cage. I have no idea why, but the rumor was that the people gave it so many drugs once that it died.

[JohnBoy2]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:26am

The balcony was nothing. The show was in the alley!

[Jane2]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:27am

PJ, the balcony of Studio was the midtown meat rack!

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:45am

Well, I was only there 2 times, courtesy of Miss Liza Minelli, who was doing a Bway show at the time, called The Act. I think it was at the Majestic Theater, but didn't last too long. Anywho, it was sometime in the winter of 1978 that I was working at the Majestic, and Liza was really very friendly (I had met her elsewhere thru someone else), and offered to take me and a coupla friends to the Studio. Of course at that time she was really coked up, and we received as a "gift" a tiny, black velvet "purse" of coke and a sterling silver tiny spoon. I never used drugs except for weed, but highly cherished the gift, which I never used. It seems like a dream now, but it was like Jane2 said!! Back in the day, I was extremely svelte, so my outfit du jour entailed some strapless mini dress, platform heels and a huge boa! You had to be really stoned and it was non stop dancing...the music of the day was magnificent in that respect. It was a true microcosm of the world...politicians, Hollywood, old geezers, Park Ave, the gay boys and girls, artists, models, photographers, the jet set, anybody who was anybody all mingling in this dizzy atmosphere of music, sweat, sex and drugs. Never to be forgotten. Hail, Steve Rubell!!

[Jane2]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:48am

Excellent recap, Tiny-you really captured the mood.....

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 12:58am

Oh Jane2, you just reminded me re: The Monster!! After I graduated college in the mid 70's, I needed a p/t gig, and for a short time was the pianist at the Monster (downstairs). Even though straight, my gay "boyfriends" considered me a fabulous "fag hag"! I always took that as a huge complement, and it was at the Monster that I learned and improvised EVERY show tune known to man. I must say, however, that I was pretty naive about what was going on in the back room...

[Jane2]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 1:01am

Wow, we were probably in the same room at the Monster so many times and didn't know it! Those were the days.

remember Sasha the doorman?

[thetinymagic2]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 1:12am

it is a small (tiny!) world, Jane2. We're both (oldies but goodies), disco freaks, and love kasha and brisket. Who knew?

I never can explain to people what the 60's and 70's were like...you just had to be there. We were "left-wing commie pinko druggies", and proud of it. Oy, have times changed.
Of course, we're looking thru rose colored glasses now.

Yes, I remember that doorman.
Did you go to Limelight, also?? I LOVED that place!
Also Max's Kansas City, Fillmore East...

[Jane2]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 10:15am

Oh yeah, I totally forgot about "Slimelight." Hey, I lived up the block from it back then!

[Chevstriss]

Posted: 10/2/08 at 10:26am

a bartender currently at La Grenouille was a doorman at Studio 54. He's got fun stories. I'm acquainted with Mel Odom who was a regular. Alas, I never got to go. But I did meet Andy Warhol backstage at the Garden once.

Let's here some Studio 54 MARJOE escapades, y'all.

It is hard to explain to the younguns' how the 70s were different. I usually start with "well, ALL venereal diseases were curable, and ALL the women were on the pill. You can guess the rest".