Studio 54 was a legendary New York City disco located on West
54th St. It opened on April 16, 1977 and
closed in December, 1979. It was operated by the flamboyant, openly gay, publicly visible Steve
Rubell and retiring, straight silent partner Ian Schrager. Hedonistic Rubell was known
for hand selecting guests from the always huge mobs outside, mixing beautiful "nobodies" with glamorous celebrities in the same
venue. "Studio", as it came to be called, was inside of an old theater; the balconies were notorious for sexual encounters, and
drug use was rampant. Its dance floor was decorated with a depiction of a man-in-the-moon that included an animated coke spoon.
During its heyday it played a formative role in the growth of disco music and nightclub culture in general, and was one of the first nightclubs to blur the distinction
between "straight" and "gay" nightlife.
The disco was depicted in the 1998 movie 54 and parodied in the
2002 movie Austin Powers in Goldmember
as Studio 69.
Some of the celebrities who frequently inhabited the club included:
and many others
The club reopened in 1982, under different owners. It still attracted the regular night
life, and celebrities such as Boy George, Drew Barrymore, Madonna, Janet Jackson, Alec Baldwin, LaToya Jackson, Jody
Watley, David Lee Roth, Jennifer Grey, and Cyndi Lauper. It finally closed for
good in 1985, due to changing tastes.
External Link
Fanbased site of Studio 54 (http://www.disco-disco.com/clubs/studio54.html)
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