They werent the only pair to do this, either other couples covered themselves in gold inside Studio 54 and did the same, twirling barefoot among the throngs of partygoers. She explained: There was always something crazy happening at Studio 54, whether it was snowing, or there was a bridge for dancers to use so they could groove in the air, it was. Co-owner Ian Schrager told Variety: To work at Studio 54 a few things were required. Not much is known about what his wife got up to, but Williams was known for turning into the life of the party after ingesting certain substances. Liza Minelli was a mainstay at Studio 54, so much so that it was as if she lived on the dance floor. In an interview with The Guardian Blondie singer Debbie Harry tried to set the record straight about how often she went to Studio 54. The streets were so packed with people that wanted to get into the Studio that attendees were literally being thrown inside. 29 Wild Photos From The Drug-Fueled Heyday Of Studio 54. But at Studio 54, the party was just getting started. Margaret Trudeau was the wife of the Canadian Prime Minister at the time, and she loved to let loose. For his 50th birthday in August 1978 Warhol received 5,000 free drink tickets and a garbage can full of $1,000 worth of brand new single dollar bills. In 1977 the New York scene was such a sprawling organism of parties, dancing, and punk rockers, and Harry was one of the artists who was in the middle of it all. Right: A pair of women get funky on the dance floor during November 1977. It would be decades before New York City's smoking ban forbade smoking in indoor spaces. 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.. Dancers showcase a performance on metallic cushions amid a curious crowd at a New Years Eve party. 30. Clubgoers dance amid light towers on the dance floor at Studio 54 on May 15, 1978. She was an actress and human rights activist who was married to Rolling Stones singer Mick Jagger at the time. A man dangles a cigarette inside Studio 54, 1977. " Gene was able to capture how celebrity rubbed up with regular folks in the most unpretentious and remarkable way that was the wonder of Studio 54, she explains. They were like queens on the dancefloor.". He saw the club as a place where people became objects rather than something flesh and blood. Her hair is blonder and bigger than ever. Diana Ross, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Cher, Truman Capote, and Andy Warhol were all among its regulars, but Studio 54 was more than a celebrity hotspot and beacon of New York nightlife. Co-owner Ian Schrager said it was like standing on stardust, and one club goer said: Joanne Horowitz was the clubs publicist and she played a major part at getting celebrities through the door. And, who can forget the iconic image of Bianca Jagger riding a white horse through the clubs entrance? Nightlife anywhere was sure to have drugs involved were talking about the 1970s, here. Then Covid Trapped Them There. One of the men on the scene was Gene Spatz, a pioneering paparazzo and street photographer who most people have never heard about. Club founders Ian Schrager and . Dancer Rudolf Nureyev initiates nine-year-old Ricky Schroder into the delights of disco dancing at Studio 54 in New York on Sunday, April 2, 1979. A star-studded New Years Eve at Studio 54: Halston kissing Diana Ross, Jack Haley Jr with his wife Liza Minnelli, Bianca Jagger, and, of course, Andy Warhol. Come anytime you like, and youll get in. After the invitation she became an institution and showed up whenever she was free. Of course, playing it cool was a necessity when inside the club. Simply by virtue of being outside the club someone like Streisand could paint themselves as a cool celebrity rather than a stodgy A-lister who sat in their penthouse reading Russian literature all not. The dancers kept throwing their coats at the workers and the ticketing system stopped working altogether. Whether its Elton John partying with drag queen Divine, or Bianca Jagger riding a white horse here, Vogue shares the most glamorous and grittiest moments captured at the New York hotspot in the 70s. According to one of the doormen in a documentary about the club, they made sure that the club at least have 20% gay men, 10% lesbians and trans people, and the rest of the crowd could be whoever. While speaking with Harper's Bazaar, Minelli explained that she didn't know and didn't care for the Studio's plans to spin her records while she danced for an audience of onlookers: Even though Andy Warhol and Bianca Jagger look quite chummy here this would be one of the last times that they were friendly. Here you can see her leaning back as she dances, seemingly overjoyed by the music and the ambiance of Studio 54. Even if Bowie was in the normal person phase of his career, he was always looking for new sounds. Actress and model Margaux Hemingway celebrates her 24th birthday in style. Even if you werent having sex with someone every night, you felt like you could, says former editor of Interview, Bob Colacello. A playful, intimate moment between a pair of partygoers, circa 1978. The people who crowded around the club every night came from all walks of life - from bankers to drag queens, but for the few hours that the sun was down they all just wanted to have a good time. She wrote: Studio 54 wasnt just the most banging party in Manhattan because someone unlocked the doors and tossed on a mixtape. Thankfully for Rubell, they only found a small amount of cocaine on his partner, who was subsequently released. May 14, 2021. In 1977, at the height of the disco craze, a club opened at 254 West 54th Street in New York City. Bokfrlaget Max Strm/Hasse Persson Studio 54. In 1978, Studio 54 was lucky enough to host her 46th birthday party. Left: A performer on stilts manages to bust a move in 1981. Its disco days, though, were short-lived and the club closed its doors in 1980 these archival photos are a snapshot that only a lucky few had the pleasure of experiencing. He captured that era in my lifetime, and I hope someone is having that type of fun again. Studio 54 is a shadow of its former self. The rise and fall of Studio 54 happened as if an unseen force was holding down the fast forward button on the clubs success. While most folks just stood outside and waited to be noticed, there were a few enterprising clubgoers who attempted to enter the party by more creative means. She once said, I didnt dance for 50 years because my husband didnt like it, she said. The late 70s also saw the rise of celebrity culture, and Studio 54 provided that too, with Liza, Michael, Andy, Bianca and Diana regulars. Studio 54: heady daze of disco decadence in pictures, Original reporting and incisive analysis, direct from the Guardian every morning. From all the stories about the club it sounds like everything was dusted in a fresh layer of cocaine. Sometimes the venue hired dancers or had fashion models walking the crowds. It was relatively common for famous figures to throw their birthday parties inside Studio 54. Steven Stills is playing the drum, and 300 other people are in attendance. Rebecca Schoenkopf. When photos of the night appeared in the paper the next day everyone had to be at the club. Despite spending only $400,000 on preparations for the nightclub, owner Rubell indicated Studio 54 made over $7 million in profits in the first year. Noted wild child Drew Barrymore has lived more lifetimes than anyone should, and pretty much all of them are cool. New York Daily News Archive / Getty Images. Jupiter's exhibit, which opened last . More like this An Ultimate Guide To The Music Of . Club founders Ian Schrager and Rubell were sent to jail in 1980. If you wanted a place to let loose and perhaps engage in some public nudity, then Studio 54 was the club for you. In the aftermath of the Vietnam war, Rubell said people were tired of being serious everyone went out and went wild. One night when the club didnt have anything specific planned they used some free pieces of clothing that they were given from one of the local brands. CREATIVE. Getty Images. Studio 54 had an intense door rule that made it hard for people to get in regardless of who you were. It was more than just a club, it was a place that gave magic to a city that desperately needed it in an era when gas prices were rising and people were losing their jobs. In front is famous artist Andy Warhol. For all its inaccessibility, Studio 54 produced some of the most iconic images of nightlife in the late . Cold hard cash, baby, even professional provocateur Andy Warhol. But in the '70s it was just another night at Studio 54. Diana Ross, Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis, Cher, Truman Capote, and Andy Warhol were all among its regulars, but Studio 54 was more than a celebrity hotspot and beacon of New York nightlife. She explained that they were shoving their party in everyones face because America needed to have their own excesses reflected back at them. Whether it's Elton John partying with drag queen Divine or Bianca Jagger riding a white horsehere, Vogue shares the most glamorous and grittiest moments captured at the New York hotspot in the 1970s. Debbie Harry of Blondie arrives with her friends to the nightclub in 1981. The two had funneled nearly $3 million in less than two years. The two are engaged in intimate conversation and posed in a relaxed manner, with Furstenbergs stiletto-clad foot thrust over the edge of the seat. Aside from the dancing and debauchery, one thing that everyone remembers about Studio 54 is the clubs interior design. A costumed party-goer at a Halloween event sporting a platinum blonde wig, 18th-century-inspired face paint, lace bustier, and white bow tie. He explained: In her book, Ill Never Write My Memoirs, Grace Jones explained how the coked out decadence of Studio 54 was a microcosm of the rest of the country. If you Google Judi, one of the top results is a photo of her with Andy Warhol ("he used people," she told me) at Studio 54, taken by her friend Meryl Meisler. Before the co-owners went to jail they threw a party to end all parties called The End of Modern-Day Gomorrah. They only invited a small crowd of about 2,000 revelers many of them A-list celebrities. One of the most fascinating aspects of Studio 54 is the way that it allowed normal people to rub elbows with famous people. June 1, 2017. These photos show what really happened at Studio 54, with celebrities like Mick Jagger, Grace Jones, and Andy Warhol leading the way. Years after this photo was taken, the diaries of Andy Warhol were released and they didn't paint Bianca in a kind light. The high ceiling of the building allowed for such displays, though they must have been quite careful not to step on anyones toes. The nightclub was typically packed full of people. Grace Jones wrote about it in her book, saying: Rick James of Super Freak fame was a legendary party monster throughout the 70s and 80. For that reason, his photos are not only fine art, they are history. The whole thing cost them $400,000 - thats $1,690,376.24 in 2019. It happens to the best of us. It must have felt like a raw, unbridled energy was unleashed in Manhattan every Saturday night. All That's Interesting is a Brooklyn-based digital publisher that seeks out stories that illuminate the past, present, and future. The nightclub threw an annual Halloween party and expected guests to wear the most shocking, over-the-top costumes that you could think of. When sone of the party people poured the trash can over his head he freaked out and grabbed al the cash to make sure he got it all. A guaranteed internet breaker, if it had been invented. Pictures from Studio 54 show Bianca Jagger, the then-wife of Mick Jagger, straddling a stunning white beast in her . Debbie Harry, dressed in a black turtleneck and black glasses, sticking her tongue out for a photo; a tuxedo-clad Sterling Saint Jacques swinging around Shirley Bassey. One club goer told Vanity Fair: The opening night of the club was so crazy that it made national headlines. Throughout its three-year lifespan under Rubell and Schrager, Studio 54 served as a lab to experiment with everything from illicit drugs to gender. Images of nightlife in the paper the next day everyone had to be the... This an Ultimate Guide to the music of singer Debbie Harry tried to set the record straight about how she... 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