STUDIO 54 [1977 - 1979]

In April 26, 1977 - just off Broadway, at 254 W. 54'th Street, Manhattan, New York - THE most wellknown Disco of all times opened up it's doors for the very first time. The club would soon become the "home" of the rich, the famous and the fashion pack. The club was [of course] - Studio 54.
But . . . Even before the club and its prominent guests "moved in", this now legendary address was already the home of one of the worlds greatest Disco labels - West End Records.

The Club was located in an old theatre and TV studio. In 1927, when the building was just built it was the home of the "San Carlo Opera Company". It was then followd by theatres like "the New Yorker", "Casino the Paris", "Federal Music Theatre" to finally in 1943 become a TV studio of Columbia Broadcasting Co. [CBS]. CBS used the place as a soundstage for radio and television and from this studio successful shows like the Johnny Carson show, Beat the clock and $ 64000 question were broadcasted. The CBS people called the place Studio 53, since it was their 53'rd studio.
Because of the premises former use as a TV studio the name for the new club was first ment to be just the Studio, bus since it was used to be called Studio 53 by CBS and it was located in W. 54'th Street someone came up with the name Studio 54. The choice wasn't hard - this WAS the name!!!

Many people had been interested in turning the old theatre into a nightclub. But it wasn't until the two [to become] owners, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager, saw the place something really happend. They loved the place at once and only a week after they first saw it they had signed the lease. Both Steve and Ian had been working in the nightclub business before they managed to hit it off big time with "the Studio". They had also been in the restaurant business for a long time and they currently owned a club in Queens, called the Enchanted Garden.
In the Enchanted Garden Steve and Ian had a very talanted DJ playing, a guy who is the pioneer DJ - Nicky Siano. Nicky started playing at Steve and Ian's club in 1976 and about two weeks be fore they opened up Studio 54 they hired Nicky as one of the new clubs two resident DJ's. The other resident DJ was a guy called Richie Kaczor.

For the Premier night of the Studio 54 the guys hired this girl and party promotor named Carmen D'Alessio to invite the "right" people for the grand opening. Steve and Ian had met her at their former partner Maurice Brahms' club Infinity. Carmen got the job as the new clubs PR manager and she had also been working with Steve and Ian earlier at the Enchanted Garden.
Time went closer and closer to the opening night, some 5000 invitations was out and people was working day and night to get the place ready in time...
Then in April 26, 1977 - THE day was there. People was still working in the club when some of the invited people started gathering outside the club. And about half an hour late the club opened up it's doors for the first time. There wasn't much people enterning at this "early" hour, but within a couple of hours the place was crowded and outside the doors it was chaos. Even people with invitations couldn't get in!

The club was huge, about 100 meters long and 80 meters wide, but it still had it's theatrical feel, not only by the spectacular people who went there, but also because of the balcony and stage was still there. In the balcony there was sitting areas with tables and beneath the balcony was the huge parquet dance floor with all it's strobe-lit columns that descended from the ceiling and its pumping music. Around the dance floor there was silver banquettes and the mirrored diamond-shaped main bar was located under the balconies, close to the dance floor. In the basement was a room not anyone could enter - the VIP room.

Richie Kaczor was the DJ playing this opening night and the first song he played was "Devil's gun" by C.J. & Co.. Richie was also the DJ playing in the weekends and Nicky Siano played the second night and in the weeknights. Nicky couldn't play weekends at "the Studio" since he owned his own popular New York club - the Gallery and was playing there in the weekends. It was also Nicky who played the night of the famous Bianca Jagger birthday bash in May 1977, in which she rode into the club on a white horse led by a naked body-painted guy.
What's surprising is that while a DJ like Larry Levan was wellknown among the crowd of the Paradise Garage, not many people knew the names of the resident DJ's of Studio 54.
Nicky worked at Studio 54 for about half a year, then he actually got fired because he preffered to spend hours in the bathroom getting high on drugs insted of getting high on playing records in the DJ booth. This Nicky told me himself when I got the chance to speak to him, but for the record I also wanna tell that he stopped taking drugs many many years ago.
Nicky also had so many memories from the Studio that it would take a whole book to tell it all, but when he played the famous Birthday bash for Bianca Jagger was probable his most precious memory. That night was really a blast, he told me.
He also told me a little about the owners of Studio 54, Steve and Ian. "Steve was straight when I met him . . . ? Ian was always the level headed business man, and he was straight, all the time... I love them both, Steve and Ian were really good to me, and I will always consider them great supporters and friends." He thinks a little more and continues; "Yes, there was also this celebrity lounge at 54 that made sodom and gomora look like kindergarden !" [ Ooops - I guess we don't wanna know what went on in there ! ]

The Studio also had it own door policy, they wanted to get a perfect mix of people which actually ment that even celebrities was stopped at the door and didn't get in. This young guy, Marc Benecke ruled the door and was instructed by Steve to mix a perfect sallad every night. That way it didn't really matter if you was famous or not - you just had to fit it at this time. The doorman Marc even became more famous to the guests of the 54 than Ian Schrager. Steve was also often in the entrance selecting people to let in and it's said that Steve once didn't like the shirt a guy was wearing. He told the guy he wouldn't get in with that shirt on, the guy asked if he could get in if he took it off. Steve said yes and the guy took it off and was allowed to enter the club, bare-chested. So it was really just a question of matching what Steve and Marc was looking for to add to the sallad.
This was what happened to Nile Rodgers and Bernard Edwards of Chic, when the guys were contacted by Grace Jones who wanted to work with them for her next album. She invited them as her guests to her gig down at the Studio 54. It was New Years Eve in 1977, the guys were all dressed up, it was snowing and freezing cold . . . When Nile and Bernard got to the club the doormen couldn't find their names on the guest list. Nile and Bernard explained that they "were" Chic and that Grace was expecting them. But the doormen just wouldn't let them in . . .
In anger they went back home to Nile and in just 25-30 minutes they wrote a whole song they called "Fuck off". It went like this... "aaahh Fuck off". They just know this was a hit song and they [of course] had to change the title to be able to release it. So they changed the text and that line to "aaahh Freak out" and their biggest hit was a fact - "Le Freak". The song topped the US charts for 6 weeks and "Le Freak" became Atlantic Records biggest selling single ever. It also became the 3'rd biggest single in the music history. It's still the most sold record ever in Canada and the single sold over 6 million copies only in the US. But after 6 million copies sold of the single, Nile and Bernard choose to stop the single to not have it cut down the album sales. Who knows how big it would have become if they hadn't stopped it!?

But Nile and Bernard got their revanche... About one year later to this episode at Studio 54, everything releated to the club and its name was a big industry and at this time Ian & Steve was credited as Executive Producers of this Casablanca Records double LP called A night at Studio 54. The top tune and first song out of this album was no less than - "Le Freak". Ian & Steve thanked their guests like this in the album; "To all our guests at Studio 54, whose energy made this record possible . . . Our sincere Thanks !"
Beside the great Chic track the album included other great Disco songs regulary played in the club like; "I love the nightlife [Disco round]" [Alicia Bridges], "Let's all chant" [Michael Zager Band], "Y.M.C.A" [Village People], "Last dance" [Donna Summer], "I love America" [Patrick Juvet], "Instant Replay" [Dan Hartman] and "[Push, push] In the bush" [Musique].
One fun detail to know about the Patrick Adams act Musique [with Jocelyn Brown on lead vocals] was that they shot their video for "[Push, push] In the bush", in the club.

Another fun detail is that besides "Le Freak" which originally was a hate song of Studio 54, there was also many other songs mentioning or reffering to this "Disco Mecca". Dennis Parker wrote this great Disco song "New York by night" in which he sings; "At Studio 54, people waiting at the door, can't get in - just can't win . . . This is N.Y. by night, this is N.Y. by night so get ready for the time of your life . . .". Amanda Lear got famous for her song "Fashion Pack in it she sings; "Hastling at the door to get into Studio 54 . . . Liza dancing on the floor and Bianca walking through the door". There was also others, but I can't recall them right now.
As said before, everything related to the club and the Studio 54 name was a big industry. You could even buy yourself a pair of Studio 54 Jeans. The stitching on the back pockets, which every brand try to find it's own unique one, even said 54 in the studio's logo style.

The name and the special Studio 54 logo became wellknown in no time all over the world. The brilliant logo was designed by a guy named Gilbert Lesser.
Almost as famous at the logo was this sign of the "Man in the Moon" inhailing cocaine [???] from his silver spoon that was hanging on the wall in the club. Unfortunatly inhailing coke and using other drugs was quite common in the club, but this wasn't something special for Studio 54. At this time drug abuse was kind of common in all clubs. Drug use was like a lifestyle back then. Probably all the money and all the clubs famous and regular guests attracted people selling them.
Some of the regular guests at Studio 54 was people like Andy Warhol, the designer Halston, Diana Ross, Liza Minelli and lots and lots of others. Other people seen at the club was; Elizabeth Taylor, Michael Jackson, Brooke Shields, Warren Beatty, Calvin Klein, Bianca & Mick Jagger, Salvador Dali, Madonna and Elton John.
Not all of these famous people had to try to get in through the main entrance. No, there was actually a VIP entrance on the back side of the club, from 53'rd street. This was the entrance where the staff and the true VIP's got in.
Beside all the famous guests of the Studio 54, the club also managed to get all the best DJ's to play there as well. Everyone played there, famous DJ's like; John "Jellybean" Benitez, Tom Moulton, Tony Humphries and Tony Carrasco and many others.

The party went on great for the club and people was saying this was the best thing that had ever happened and this would last forever . . . But as everytning else, the story of Studio 54 also had an end. In December of 1979 the IRS arrested Steve and Ian for withholding of taxes and the clubs was also said to be a central for cocaine distribution. The two owners never thought they would have to go to jail, but they were sentenced to three and a half years in prison and in February 1, 1980 they were in behind bars. After having informed on and turned in some of their ex-partners and compeditors they got their time cut down to 13 months.
The clubs liquor licence expired in February 28, 1980 - just 28 days after Steve & Ian went to jail and a new licence would take 18 months to get. This was devestating to a club like 54: No booze = No guests. And papers claimed it was Sylvester Stallone who had the last leagal drink. Then in March, just days after the licence expired the club died and was closed down.
The club was then sold to Mark Fleischman who re-opened Studio 54 in September 15, 1981. Steve and Ian was out of jail and was even working in the club again for a while as consultants, as part of the deal. But the club never could revive its former popularity and lots of the famous people seen in the studio before Steve and Ian got busted, was never seen there again. Mark run the place for some four years and in 1986 he desided to close down the Studio 54.
Steve and Ian had left long before this to get into the hotel business and they where also involved as consultants in some nightclub projects. But they never got the same attention as they got at the "original" Studio 54. And in July 1989 Steve died of AIDS related complications.

What happened to the club? Well it actually became a strip club for a couple of years. But in October, 1994 it was re-reopened as Studio 54 again. For this re-opening the new owners managed to bring in old Disco stars like Gloria Gaynor, Vicki Sue Robinson and Sister Sledge to perform. The new opening was a success and the club run for some months when the owner suddenly took all the money and left. And the club went into bankruptcy in the beginning of 1995.
It was said the place would be turned into something else, but the club was still there and it was used for special ocations. I know for example that people like Gloria Estefan made special performances in the club.
I was in New York in October, 1998 and I just had to walk by this famous address and at that time - the 54 logo sign was still there above the entrance. But just some weeks later the sign was torn down and was replaced by a sign for a musical that's now playing there.

Since talking 'bout Studio 54 . . . There was 2 new movie releases out in 1998 trying to capture the magic and the great music of this famous Discoteque. One was a film called The Last Days of Disco and it was directed by Whit Stillman [director of "Metropolitan" and "Barcelona"]. The story is about Studio 54 in the late 1970's/early 1980's and the people who hang there. The soundtrack, however, is the star of the film: featured prominently are "Good Times", "Le Freak" and "Everybody Dance" by Chic, as well as "I'm Coming Out" by Diana Ross and "He's The Greatest Dancer" by Sister Sledge and some other classic Disco songs. The film is a veritable Nile & Bernard tribute in itself !
The other movie was just called "54" and was the life story of the late Steve Rubell with most attention on Studio 54. Steve was played by Mike Meyers [Waynes World] and the ever so great Neve Campbell also had a leading role in the picture together with Lauren Hutton. Some of the scenes for the movie was actually shot at the original Studio 54, that was some exterior and lobby scenes. With this movie it came no less than 2 albums with great music, of course there was one Chic track - "Dance, dance, dance". Other of the great Disco songs on the albums was; "Keep on dancin'" [Gary's Gang], "the Boss" [Diana Ross], "Vertigo/Relight my fire" [Dan Hartman R.I.P], "Move on up" [Destination], "I got my mind made up" [Instant Funk], "Don't leave me this way" [Thelma Houston], "Come to me" [France Joli], "Take your time - do it right" [S.O.S Band], "Spank" [Jimmy "Bo" Horne] and "Heart of glass" [Blondie].
VERY inspired by the "54" movie is Pet Shop Boys' video to their new hit song "New York City Boy", released in october 1999. The storyline is similar to the movie - This guy dreams about going to Manhattan and to the Studio 54. Finally he gets there and everyone is there, Bianca Jagger on her white horse, Andy Warhol - yes, everything you could expect. It's a great video. The song itself is [according to the guys] a tribute to Village People and it is really breathing classic DISCO. The "Boys" have been working with famous remixer David Morales and together they have made a GREAT song!
Rumour has it that the Pet Shop Boys will start their new tour in Studio 54, which will be turned into a club again for just this occation...

Even though Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager's imperium only lasted for 33 months it was an orgy in music, money, glamour and drugs. There was endless number of unforgetteble parties and all the "right" people was there.
Studio 54 is an Icon of the Disco era and it was without any doubt as important to Disco as the engine is to a car, without it - it wouldn't run. The club was the Center of the Disco Universe, along with some other clubs and of course all the great artists and labels whom the club would have been nothing without. But without clubs like Studio 54 the whole Disco era wouldn't probably have been as huge as it really was. The suites of this great era still influence the music and nightlife today. The Disco era set the standards for the clublife and music today.
Rumour has it people wanna open the club again sometime in the year 2000, but that is yet to be confirmed. Since the club still is there and the interest for Disco and the Studio 54 is high right now, it really doesn't seem unlikely . . . We'll see . . .

This was the story about THE most famous club of all times . . .

Studio 54 - the Center of the Disco Universe!
© Discoguy [discoguy@hem1.passagen.se] 1999.