The Studio 54 doorman was all-powerful. . To an extent. Miestorm claims that later that same evening, he "snorted coke with Andy Warhol, Divine, and Halston. 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. Its co-owners Steve Rubell and Ian . A distant cousin of mine had a bouncer contract for 54. The photographer that captured the disco and diamond dust of legendary club Studio 54. It was like a hipster version of a Studio 54 doorman. There were the front of house employees who danced around with the celebrities, then there were the people on the business side behind the scenes, who actually worked a real job to make the club a success. I didnt know what to make of it, really. We had him by the ankles. So while these people were giving me, you know, guff, he rolled up and he said, Hi Bobby! I let him right in, he gave me a kiss on the cheek. Benecke wanted to be a lawyer, according to the Edition Broadsheet. On any given evening, youd have, you know, Rudolph Nureyev, youd have Chuck Berry, Keith Richards. Though the exhibition, "Studio 54: Night Magic," is temporarily closed due to the coronavirus pandemic, it crystallizes the glamorous nights set against gritty 1970s New York. 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 lyrics also refer to the B-52's, so this would have had to at least been 1979/80. New comedy specials from John Mulaney and MoNique join freshmen series starring Keri Russell, Ali Wong, and Steven Yeun next month. Bobby Sheridan takes us back. The club was even planned with that in mind. The Ultimate Guide to Covering Up Your Zits. We became very good friends. Ad Choices, Donald Trump Still Collects Six-Figure Pension from SAG-AFTRA: Report. So I was hired, and I was paid $625 a week. There was an army of people working behind the velvet rope, behind the bar, and behind the scenes to make sure Studio 54's patrons had the times of their lives once they were inside. My style was preppy with a bit of an edge. But back in the day, she would dance nonstopfrom midnight to 5:00 a.m. many nights a week, taking only bathroom and cocaine breaks., As New York magazine reported at the time, A tiny, 77-year-old lawyer named Sally Lippman was mourning the death of her husband when she happened upon the disco scene and changed her life. The doorman was paid so well that he wouldn't be tempted to be bribed. It caught the eye of FX guy Ryan Murphy, who plans to spotlight its demise in the next season of American Crime Story. You never asked anybody to dance, that was rule number one. He basically taught me everything: what to look for, what not to look for. He asked what I was doing for the summer and was like, How would you like to work here? And Im like, Okay. Thats basically how it started! The bartenders at McMullens were making $800 or $900 a week, because it was so successful. After it all came crashing down and the club closed, Benecke took a much-needed West Coast hiatus. As Netflixs Halston reminds us, Studio 54 was a fever dream of excess. Pittman said he had unlimited freedom within the disco's walls, affording him the sense of abandon he felt at the parties and the ability to photograph whatever he wished. [Editors note: There are two other Bee Gees, Robin and Maurice Gibb; respect to these Bee Gees. That sort of spectacle is what made Studio 54 intoxicating for partygoers. ", All the beautiful people dancing and doing drugs of course led to sex. Learn more. People Magazine was barely three years old when Studio opened. In any case, the owner taught him everything about how to get a great mix of people in Studio 54 every night. Chuck Garelick was head of security, a serious job when a mob of wannabe cool people were constantly clamoring to be let in, sometimes resorting to threats of violence. Benecke said, "One of the things I think that made me a good doorperson was that I can really feel [people's] energy and for the most part, where they're coming from." If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). 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. Are you getting a good picture? Oh no, hes the Bee Gee! "My style is the Andy Warhol Polaroid school of photography," Pittman said of the artist's influence on his work. Steve had this amazing talent to converse with anybody and make you feel like he was your best friend. One night, it was late and I was out at the door alone, and this guy walked up to the rope, bell bottoms, vast amounts of gold chain and a long shag haircut. Nearly 35 years after her underappreciated romantic comedys release, the Oscar nominee returns to the Lower East Side. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images. ", Steve Rubell and Carmen d'Alessio in Norma Kamali coats (1977). The 1970s were an exciting time in music, the New York City Club scene, and, more broadly still, the (largely) underground (at the time) LGBTQ+ community. Are there maybe, lets say, surprising celebrity interactions that stick out in your mind?Yeah. People told me theyd say, I cant write this, and hed say, Oh, of course you can. I think that was a huge part of the allure, that people felt comfortable [at the Factory]. 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. The all-night shifts were "grueling and the work was extremely physical" and had some occupational hazards, namely accidental contact highs. I mean, we had major stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Mick Jagger. Hotels that dont act like hotels. Like Halstons boyfriend, Victor Hugo, often wore backless chaps. It was of the times, of that moment. A lot of art-world personalities went to Studio 54, but was Studio 54 a part of the art world? Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. For the first time since he and his business partner (Rubell) were forced to sell the discoteque in 1980, former co-owner Ian Schrager . The employee still remains unknown. 1/20. Do Not Sell or Share My Personal Information. Studio 54 Radio. You see, Studio 54 wasn't just a place where illegal sex and drugs happened. Next Airs Today at 3 pm. Mark Fleischman, former owner of the legendary space, has chosen to end his life after an eight-year battle with an undiagnosable neurological disease. When he wasn't gatekeeping New York City's clubs a job that he handled capriciously and according to however he was feeling that day, per"Factory: The Story of the Record Label" Haoui Montaug was providing them with musical acts, or "roving cabaret" shows, as it were. He started dancing, and the whole floor cleared out, and he danced to a couple of songs from that album. How do Brits feel about King Charles? But people stayed out til 4:00 in the morning and then they went to their job. (The downside the drugs became a serious problem until he finally realized years later he needed to sober up.). Not everyone, not really me either. Marc Benecke, doorman for the disco club, would stand on a stepping stool and select club candidates from the crowd. Studio 54 is known for having been one of the world's most high-profile, exclusive discotheques during the late 1970s and early 1980s. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. He said he didntbut that didnt mean people wouldnt shove their hands in his coat pocket and leave drugs and money in there., Writing for Vanity Fair, Studio 54 regular Bob Colacello declared Taylors 1978 birthday the clubs most amazing party of allThe Rockettes performed and then presented the movie star, who was standing on a float of gardenias between Halston and her then husband, Senator John Warner of Virginia, with a cake that was a full-size portrait of her. For 33 short months the club was the height of cool in Manhattan, with club goers who managed to get past the velvet rope falling into a deluge of drugs and debauchery. You wanna hear some stories about what happened at the door? With few cameras in the club, and Rubell and Schrager careful about which images were made public, celebrities were more uninhibited. 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). But the real-life nightclubwith its glamorous VIP guests, plentiful drugs, and balcony sexwas somehow more outrageous in actuality than could ever be conveyed onscreen. Page Six was around, though! He could also be a jerk though. In the three short years of Studio 54s heyday, Marc Benecke was who you had to get past to enjoy the hedonistic other side. He was in black tie. Jones added, People would climb down from the building next door in full mountain-climbing geartrying to get into the courtyard., Doorman Marc Benecke told the BBC, At one point you could buy maps which claimed to show how to get in through tunnels up from the subway system. This is how I met my wife Elizabeth. On one night, Pittman recalled, the club's ascending and descending revolving floor featured a performance from the entire cast of the musical "A Chorus Line," as glitter and balloons rained down. I was right behind him, and he got on the floor and they put his album on. He gave us nicknames: his was Biff, and my nickname was Bunky. I learned the door from Marc. Shortly before Studio 54 opened, Joanne Horowitz met owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager at their other club, Enchanted Gardens. Nothing was said, it was just, Im Andy Warhol, Im holding your hand, youre here with me, enjoy. When Bells palsy paralyzed one side of my face, I had to find other ways to express joy. What does it feel like looking out at that crowd?Well, its overwhelming, but you feel safe because youve got a lot of security. Weve rounded up the best looks from celeb events this week, including Jenna Ortega, Troye Sivan, and Devin Halbal. So this guys standing out there for probably half an hour, Steve comes out and he looked at me and he said, I think that might be one of the Bee Gees. I said, Really, you think so? And he said, Thats how they dress. He walks up and he says, Are you one of the Bee Gees? And he goes, Yeah Im Barry Gibb.. Horowitz's whole gig was getting famous people to come to the club and booking movie premieres there. Hed have dinner in fairly large groups and you could get a sentence out here and there, but in general, he was more of an observer than a participant unless he knew you really, really well. Rose Hartman. Not at all. Nancy Neimeth - book-keeper. I was trying to get acting work, doing the occasional Off Broadway play. Pittman recalled shooting at Bethesda Fountain in Central Park, which was then a social spot to "peacock fashion," drink sangria and socialize, in 1969. "I'm the most important person to talk to." According to the modest Peruvian, she brought . While there's no way of knowing if Studio 54 contributed to the AIDS epidemic in any real way, many regular clubgoers and employees would succumb to the disease. It smelled like a cat had died. In terms of the drugs, people had moved from looking inward to just straight up partying. In just a minute, I want to go back to the secret language at the door.Well, we would identify certain people that we wouldnt let in, like we would say, BBQ house party if, say, eight straight white guys dressed like John Travolta showed up at the door. Photo: Michael Norcia/Corbis. There are a bunch of gay guys in Day-Glo construction helmets, dancing with Bianca Jagger. We had this guy named Rollerina. You would offer somebody a line, like somebody would get offered a bottle of water today. Sometimes the stars would even come hide out in the coat check room to relax a bit outside of the craziness of the club. One bartender stood out for being a bit different. Regardless of their physical state, it was the coat check girls' job to play it "cool" no matter how famous the star or how drugged up the person who lost their ticket was. The crowds only grew as the club's popularity did. I tripped the light with Jackie O. I danced all night with Brooke and Bo. Pro- and anti-Jordan protesters clashed with police trying to keep them out of the hearing room, while the chairman knocked Manhattan DA Alvin Bragg's crime policies. I'm not going to do that. How do you decide who gets in? Actor Al Corley was a doorman during the late 1970s. And two of the acts who appeared in his shows were Madonna and the Beastie Boys. Written by Jacqui Palumbo, CNNNew York. On April 26, 1977, Studio 54 opened its doors and introduced the world to a new era of nightlife. The director of a documentary on Studio 54 said, "A disgruntled employee knew about the skimming operation and where the cash was hidden in the club. Halston, Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli, Mick Jagger, Cher, David Geffen, Jack Nicholson, and Michael Jackson regularly packed the banquettes. Once I get down, I can't get off the floor. But no one ever came with anybody other than themselves and whomever they were with. 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. Steve Steckel - head of security. Anything Went. Scott Bitterman started bussing tables, but that wasn't where he stopped. I think the Village Voice put it best when they said you cant reheat souffl, and thats basically what the story was at 54. How the Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers Gets It Done. The New York City discotheque attracted the famous, the infamous, and the notorious, plus tons of nobodies who were desperate to party with the celebs. He said he told him, Well, you know America was discovered by an ItalianThe front of Studio 54 was decorated like the front of a boat. But after three years the party came crashing to a halt. And Montaug was one of the victims,dying from the disease in 1991 (via The New York Times). It was really different. This is what it was like to work at Studio 54. Did people try to bribe you to get in?Yeah, sure, people offered money, but you would never accept that, because if you did, then theyd show up the next night with all of their friends, everybody whod been in their wedding. He was able to turn people away with a smile. At that moment, people felt like they were happy because there were so many more people going along for the ride. "We didn't want people with . So what was the wildest thing you ever saw at Studio?The wildest thing was happening every night in the balcony. 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). Studio 54. (It involved bodily fluids expelled competitively in the Studio 54 basement. 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. "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.". The most exciting night for me was when Michael Jackson showed up, right after his album Off the Wall came out. Robin Platzer/Twin Images . ", What makes a man? Located in gateway cities throughout the world, these are hotels where youll find guests rubbing elbows with locals because theres no better place to be in the moment. You had to be very protective of who was inside. In Halston the designer learns of a person who died in an air shaft while trying to sneak into Studio 54. Even R. Scott Bromley, the architect who designed the indoor space, did the hard work actually hammering it all together. Not a subscriber? Steve and Ian, the owners of Studio 54, came in looking for another doorman, a preppy doorman, to help out Marc. Though the door was notoriously challenging due to the sheer number of people lined up each night, inside there was no hierarchy. And, perhaps to make Miestorm more entertaining, he also gave him his first quaalude. Studio was a reflection of all of that.. The Upper East Side socialites were doing cocaine. The team that brought Studio 54 to life in just six weeks included architects Scott Bromley and Ron Dowd, set designer Richie Williamson, and lighting designers Jules Fisher and Paul Morantz. According to The Hollywood Reporter, she basically created a new job when she mentioned to them she had a subscription to Celebrity Bulletin, which, in the days before the internet was how one found out where celebs were staying. After 40 years in the family business, Jeanie Buss is looking to conquer a new arena: womens wrestling. 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.. A Studio 54 Doorman Tells Us How to Get In. 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. 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. Kyle Richards, 54, explains HOW she stays so skinny after denying she uses weight loss drug Ozempic: '1 hour of alternating between walking at 3.5mph and running at 6mph' Teen spirit! Some of the social and political issues of the time must have played out at Studio 54? 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. Rubell was the exact opposite. However, the notorious New York City nightclub encountered a fair share of obstacles while party-goers ravaged the dance floor . In France, the slower pace of life and resistance to American-style productivity culture can be as effective as medication. Siano claims, "Steve [Rubell] wanted an invisible DJ, so that it wouldn't interfere with the club." Mifepristone will remain widely available through April 19, the deadline for the Court to decide whether to let stand an order rolling back access. Club owner Steve Rubell asked him what he was doing for the summer and hired him on the spot. I let him in, and I followed him into the club while Marc stayed at the door. The whole disco scene really wasnt what was happening at the moment. What good was owning the coolest club in the world if you didn't party in it yourself? Do you expect me to pick up glasses and sweep the floors? Opened by Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager in 1977the same year Saturday Night Fever came outthere's never been a club like it since, with . How much cocaine are we talking?Cocaine was ubiquitous. Everybody they hired was an artist.". And we all made really good money. Each celebrity "get" was worth a certain amount of money, depending on star power. He was so elusive, he was often described as a "silent partner" in the business. 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 . You must have met a lot of amazing characters at the door. Howd you start working at Studio 54?I was tending bar at Jim McMullens on Third Avenue, a very hot restaurant owned by the male model. It was a drug that kept you up and dancing for hours and hours, and made you very chatty. He did take us to La Grenouille once, but it could have been so much more. Rubell wasalso rumored to pressure the young men he employed to sleep with him if they wanted to keep their jobs. People did quaaludes because quaaludes were aphrodisiacs, and there was a lot of sex at Studio 54. He talked about working on the balcony, only to be sent to "fetch cigarettes" so people could use it to hook up. "It's where you come when you want to escape. Jobs at Studio 54 were extremely fluid. It was the last breath and last hurrah before the AIDS epidemic. In this case, it was one of their own employees that shut it down. There were a lot of ordinary people eking out a living in Manhattan, going out to have fun, but they knew what the club was about and they knew it was about acceptance and celebration. According to Disco, Drugs & Decadence: The Rise and Fall of America's Premier Discotheque, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell had known each other since they were college students and had been in business before Studio 54, including as co-owners of another New York City nightclub called Enchanted Garden. Studio 54 defined clubbing, disco, and celebrity in the late 1970s. Nevertheless, they were "treated like s***." But even if you worked at McDonalds and you liked to come and just dance, and you had good energy, you could get in. 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. Fleischman took over Studio 54 in 1978 after the two original owners were arrested for tax evasion, although the club closed its doors for good in 1986. Now 39 years sober, Sheridan is in private practice as a psychotherapist in Providence, Rhode Island; he is also the father of one of my best friends, which is how I know about his past life as a disco lounge lizard, as he put it in our recent interview. I had been going there a lot, I wasnt getting any work acting and I was getting a little tired of tending bar, and this seemed like a very exciting thing to do. Each EDITION property is completely unique, reflecting the best of the cultural and social milieu of its location and of the time. "What made Studio 54 great was that everything they did -- every night and every function -- they did in excess. 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. Nobody believes that so I never say it, but I didnt experiment until I moved to California. But Pittman also nodded to florist Renny Reynolds and event planner Robert Isabell, the latter of whom once dumped four tons of glitter on the dance floor when the clock struck midnight on New Year's Eve. It wasnt just a nightclub. What Will It Take to Bring Audiences Back to the Movies? If you need video evidence of the woman herself, behold: Here is Disco Sally alongside her 25-year-old boyfriend-manager. Those people just looked at me and turned and walked away. It wasn't their idea to open a new disco. 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. He could have killed himself.. At 19 you were one of the youngest on staff at Studio 54. "It was the whole mix of the people: people from all around the world, all income levels, all professions mixing together and absolutely getting along (and) enjoying themselves," Pittman said. From The Andy Warhol Diaries: Liz looked like abellybutton. They were offering me money, and they were getting a little annoyed with me. "(I'd) back off a little bit and feel the vibe, and then document things," he said. 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. He had this drag queen muse. 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. Madonna, who would have been 24 or 25 at the time, performed "Everybody." She was blitzed. And Studio 54 doorman Marc Benecke as his witness, looking the part above the neck went a long way. 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 . You were welcomed in. Scantily clad dancers gyrated on an automated bridge that moved back and forth over the dance floor. The two men were very good friends, despite being incredibly different personalities. Yes, very much so. It wasnt exclusive, really, it was inclusive of people who were of that moment in Manhattan, with an appreciation for diversity, with an eye for fashion. 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. It was New Year's Eve, 1977. Tragically, the danger of crazy sex in the late 1970s became abundantly clear in the 1980s. The smiling shot was taken by royal photographer Chris Jackson to mark the monarch's 70th birthday in November 2018 - six months after the Duke and Duchess of Sussex married in Windsor. If he was never going to let you in, he'd ignore you, or worse, mess with you. A haven of hedonism, tolerance, glitz and glamor, Studio was very hard to gain entrance to and impossible to ignore, with news of who was there filling the gossip columns daily. (She'd made a deal with the limo company that if she recommended them to celebs, she could use them for free.) Totally trashed, Chris Williamson says. Somehow, the pairing worked, and when Rubell died in 1989, Schrager said, "I'll never have that kind of friend again. In fact, it was a free-for-all for stars and partygoers alike. Of course, we took him inside, gave him the royal treatment, made up for it a little bit. 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. Anything went, everybody was cool with everything, and all I know is that he was always impeccably dressed, a gentleman, I never saw him do any drugs, though everybody knows that he did. Said, it was like, how would you like to work at Studio 54.., Rudolph Nureyev, youd have, you know, guff, he was for! Work was extremely physical '' and had some occupational hazards, namely accidental contact highs best. Document things, '' Pittman said of the drugs, people felt comfortable at... Much-Needed West Coast hiatus make miestorm more entertaining, he also gave him royal! As his witness, looking the part above the neck went a long way of art-world personalities went Studio. Cultural and social milieu of its location and of the Bee Gees, Robin and Maurice Gibb respect. Have had to find other ways to express joy often wore backless.... About which images were made public, celebrities were more uninhibited from celeb events this week because... That later that same evening, youd have Chuck Berry, Keith Richards, I to... Owner taught him everything about how to get a great mix of people in Studio 54 ever! Spectacle is what it was so successful Hi Bobby club & # x27 ; s so... Wasnt what was happening every night in the world if you did n't party in it yourself a way! Was n't where he stopped met owners Steve Rubell and Carmen d'Alessio in Norma Kamali coats ( 1977.... Let you in, and celebrity in the late 1970s became abundantly clear in the family business Jeanie. Rumored to pressure the young men he employed to sleep with him if wanted... `` it 's where you come when you want to escape Gets it Done Montaug was one their... 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Herself, behold: here is disco Sally alongside her 25-year-old boyfriend-manager new era of nightlife get,!, Rudolph Nureyev, youd have, you know is having suicidal thoughts, call... Him the royal treatment, made up for it a little bit feel he... Despite being incredibly different personalities were happy because there were so many people! Partnerships with retailers of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement your... Alongside her 25-year-old boyfriend-manager that are purchased through our site as part of the youngest on staff at Studio was!