Once you were in, you could find yourself doing a million different jobs or getting a sudden and unexpected promotion. Fleischman began to develop symptoms of . I learned the door from Marc. Once I get down, I can't get off the floor. Everybody just immediately went onto the dance floor and started dancing. Not everyone, not really me either. Per The Andy Warhol Diaries: Hearing how much money Steve actually had, he could have been treating us so wonderfully. It was sex all over the place with various people, and it was full-tilt boogie: work, pleasure, cocaine. This was like a different person. Pittman took a similar approach at Studio 54. Barts. From Ceremonias Papaya Scalp Scrub to Elixs digestive tincture. Bobby Sheridan takes us back. One bartender stood out for being a bit different. I'm not going to do that. "I created Studio 54!" says D'Alessio. 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. I didnt know what to make of it, really. "My style is the Andy Warhol Polaroid school of photography," Pittman said of the artist's influence on his work. This scene somehow did not make it into the movies 157-minute early press screening too bad, considering how well the setting would match Patrizias own preference for extravagance and luxury. 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. In any case, the owner taught him everything about how to get a great mix of people in Studio 54 every night. And the two resident DJs, Nicky Siano and Richie Kaczor, were indeed two of the best. She was blitzed. People would dance, get to know each other, do a little coke, and then go up to the balcony because it was an old theater, you could hardly see up there and hook up. I tripped the light with Jackie O. I danced all night with Brooke and Bo. But the person who almost certainly got the most offers for sex was the doorman Marc Benecke, when people offered up their bodies just to get inside. Learn more. Not that Studio wasnt adult. Scott Bitterman started bussing tables, but that wasn't where he stopped. There were so many poppers left in people's coats, the women often got high by accident when they exploded. He worked on Wall Street and he used to dress up in this semi-drag outfit. On any given evening, youd have, you know, Rudolph Nureyev, youd have Chuck Berry, Keith Richards. Rubell had the waiters dressed up like Pilgrims and he was serving turkey, recalled Warhol in his published diaries. 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. [laughs] The Post was already doing its thing back then. From classic dance and disco music and legendary DJ's to the original doorman who decided whether you got in or went home, Studio 54 Radio is the ultimate re-creation of dance music's greatest era. 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. And the doorman/bouncer at those clubs Studio 54 especially was, for a time anyway, a man named Haoui Montaug. 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.. You never said anything, youre not supposed to talk, youre supposed to walk up and be recognized. You would offer somebody a line, like somebody would get offered a bottle of water today. The city's glitterati would come through to see and be seen if they could get through the door, that is. How the Owner of the Los Angeles Lakers Gets It Done. By the next night, he was put behind the bar when another guy called in sick. May 22 2021 05:00 AM. The photographer credits this to the late Rubell, who died in 1989, and Schrager. For 33 months, from 1977 to 1980, the nightclub Studio 54 was the place to be seen in Manhattan. However, the notorious New York City nightclub encountered a fair share of obstacles while party-goers ravaged the dance floor . Warhol once said: "Studio 54 is a dictatorship at the door and a democracy on the dance floor.". You were drawn to it, like a vortex of pleasure. Montaug also ran the roving cabaret revue No Entiendes which showcased among others a young Madonna and early performances by the Beastie Boys. At that point my band mate made a flavorful declaration and we decamped to the trusty, attitude free, IHOP where we enjoyed a drama free stack . It was like watching a movie. 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. "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.". Oh no, hes the Bee Gee! When you dance here, you're just free," the late Michael Jackson said in footage that later appeared in the 2018 documentary "Studio 54. I could never do that job now. Thered be a couple of Upper East Siders in black-tie, doing coke with a drag queen. I was friends with them. I think about 54 as the end of the 60s, in a way. You walked in and you were hit with this wall of sound, and youd look out there and thered be Diana Ross dancing to her own song. You had a really interesting mix of all different levels of society. You had to be very protective of who was inside. It was my 15 minutes with Andy Warhol, I guess. At 19 you were one of the youngest on staff at Studio 54. It was a joyous prelude to the AIDS epidemic, which reared its head in the early 1980s, before claiming around 50,000 American lives a year during its peak in the mid-1980s, and fundamentally changing New York nightlife. I met a quarterback. Of course you had a lot of people burning out and most unfortunately, a whole lot of people died. "It's where you come when you want to escape. The Times said I was the socially most powerful person in New York. Madonna And The Beastie Boys Owe Their Career To A Studio 54 Doorman. And Entertainment Tonight, the first show on TV about entertainment, didnt even start until 81, 82, when they had already sold Studio. And Studio 54 doorman Marc Benecke as his witness, looking the part above the neck went a long way. He also had zero experience as a doorman or even with the club scene. 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. In this case, it was one of their own employees that shut it down. How much cocaine are we talking?Cocaine was ubiquitous. It's no fun to be 53 at Studio 54. I do! The discoveries, which were reported in the press, disappointed Studio 54 regulars Warhol and Halston, but for surprising reasons. But he wouldnt sit on a banquette and do coke in front of people. He said he . After Studio 54, Mr. Fleischman opened Tatou, a New York music club and restaurant, then established other branches in Los Angeles, Las Vegas, Tokyo and Aspen, Colo. From the 1990s to about 2007 . Picks from Armani, Dior, Rare Beauty, and more. Sometimes the stars would even come hide out in the coat check room to relax a bit outside of the craziness of the club. Or maybe because it really was that good, though as a person who will only ever experience Studio 54 in facsimile, I dont have any idea about that. Totally trashed, Chris Williamson says. You never asked anybody to dance, that was rule number one. The Studio 54 doorman was all-powerful. 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. 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. I knocked on the backdoor on 53rd Street, and it all began. Everybody was pretty toasted. In France, the slower pace of life and resistance to American-style productivity culture can be as effective as medication. Much different. 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. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. Diana Vreeland was there, and people were being brought over to Lizshe was the queen. Its really just about personality, Ive always been very outgoing. '", Instead of informing this nobody that there were a million young, attractive men in New York City who would kill for his job, Rubell decided this was a great idea. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. In 2021 alone, it reared its glittery head in Halston, as the site where the eponymous designer (allegedly) railed cocaine in a booth and lit a fur coat on fire. That sort of spectacle is what made Studio 54 intoxicating for partygoers. View of an animated Man in the Moon and Spoon lighted sign at Studio 54, New York, New York, May 9, 1978. But the fact Taylor did work while the other bartenders partied made him invaluable to his coworkers, and they demanded he stay. Studio 54 doorman Mark Benecke selects who will enter the nightclub, New York, New York, July 27, 1979. A German male model, Uva Harden, originally found the location and brought on an investor plus a woman named Carmen D'Alessio to handle the publicity. Bob was watching Bianca [Jagger] take poppers and he said to Diana Vreeland, It really becomes more like pagan Rome every day, and she said, I should hope soisnt that what were after?, That would be Disco Sally, a sprightly thing in her late seventies who danced like a thirty-year-old, and was accompanied by a handsome young man named John on her arm, wrote Mark Fleischman in Inside Studio 54. He was so elusive, he was often described as a "silent partner" in the business. Confessions of a Studio 54 Doorman Illustration by Stefan Knecht In the three short years of Studio 54's heyday, Marc Benecke was who you had to get past to enjoy the hedonistic other side. But no one ever came with anybody other than themselves and whomever they were with. It was decorated with "crystal chandeliers, carpet, and mirrors," filled with the delighted screams of people seeing it for the first time, and drew patrons to another set of doors to the club proper. There were people that were just flat-out fabulous, that would get in no matter what. After a spate of troubles finding housing, The de la Mottes, a family ensemble of nine kids who all play string instruments, have landed in Harlem. The prize: a paid trip to St. Shortly before Studio 54 opened, Joanne Horowitz met owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager at their other club, Enchanted Gardens. Nancy Neimeth - book-keeper. Nothing was said, it was just, Im Andy Warhol, Im holding your hand, youre here with me, enjoy. A Studio 54 Doorman Tells Us How to Get In. The photographer said he only experienced that type of energy at Andy Warhol's studio, the Factory, which the photographer frequented in the 1970s. Get ready for a busy week, astrologically speaking. According to The Guardian, the balcony, with its slightly secluded nature, was covered in easy to wipe down materials for any body fluids that got spilled up there. We went up to the balcony and just sat and talked, I told him about my background. Now, people used to tip us occasionally on the way out, and my tips often came in cocaine and quaaludes. "Y'all be in labor for hours, baby be sleep, women be sleep, we can't have a little peace at the hospital while we there everyday until it's time to go home come on" Both Rubell and Schrager were arrested and accused of skimming $2.5 . This article originally appeared on Vogue US. He was able to turn people away with a smile. ), Hey, he said after my stunned pause, you asked., Nothing could shock me anymore, added Gaines, whose book Simply Halston is the basis for Netflixs limited series starring Ewan McGregor as the late fashion designer. Dustin Pittman was one of many photographers who entered the hallowed grounds of, The storied celebrity photos that shaped Hollywood. Perhaps Studio 54s aura of fascination remains because it didnt last very long (the golden-age version closing due to tax evasion after about three years), or maybe because of the legions of slinky celebs who passed through its doors ( Liz Taylor seated on the dance floor, eating a cake with her face on it; Bianca Jagger riding that horse; Grace Jones all the time everywhere), or maybe because of a 70s revival pushing people back to flares and curtain bangs. How did you get involved at such a young age? - Studio 54: Night Magic is curated and designed by Matthew Yokobosky, Senior Curator of Fashion and Material Culture, Brooklyn Museum and runs March 13 to July 5, 2020. The Upper East Side socialites were doing cocaine. (532) 7.0 1 h 38 min 2018 16+. His position as the gatekeeper made him socially the most powerful man in the city, according to no less an authority than The New York Times. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. In terms of the drugs, people had moved from looking inward to just straight up partying. It's almost like asking the cast of a major show like A Chorus Line, 'Well, did you guys really go out and party all the time?' Reports that Kylie Jenner and Timothe Chalamet are dating have broken my mind and spirit. Reinaldo Herrera, who was there with Carolina, says, It was rather moving. Miestorm, who got the nickname "Lenny 54," got the best job in the world a paid partygoer. Its much more adult. AsOZYnotes, disco was getting big, the drugs flowed freely, and the AIDS epidemic hadn't yet turned casual, unprotected sex into a death sentence. So I was hired, and I was paid $625 a week. He was like a fairy godmother. 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. How exactly the music at a disco could interfere when it's literally called "disco" is unclear. An unexpected and refreshing collection of one-of-a-kind hotels showcasing the best of dining, entertainment, services and amenities. 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. We'd watch from the windows on the eighth floor to see who was cute and ask them to come up, like a teenage Studio 54 doorman situation. Its fascinating that he could create this whole empire around him while being so reserved. Vote up the Studio 54 snapshots that make you want to queue up and bribe a doorman. One of my favorite people was a guy named Rollerena, I think he was a stockbroker but he dressed like a fairy queen with a tiara, and he had a wand, and he was on roller skates. Warhol was known to capture the spirit of the era, and all of his friends, through snapshots on instant film. There wasnt a line of people and you went to each person and turned them away. We were all really serious about creating a great show.". ", All the beautiful people dancing and doing drugs of course led to sex. He did take us to La Grenouille once, but it could have been so much more. Not a subscriber? Studio 54 defined clubbing, disco, and celebrity in the late 1970s. Siano claims, "Steve [Rubell] wanted an invisible DJ, so that it wouldn't interfere with the club." It still is," Schrager told "CBS This Morning: Saturday" co-host Anthony Mason. Mark Fleischman, former owner of the legendary space, has chosen to end his life after an eight-year battle with an undiagnosable neurological disease. I was a poli sci major in school, I wanted to become a lawyer. The late 70s also saw the rise of celebrity culture, and Studio 54 . (It would open again with new ownership, but it wasn't the same.) Exclusively men, it's unclear if any of them owned a shirt. Beyond Studio 54's velvet ropes, beauty thrived. It was an easy interview, it didnt go into too much depth, it probably lasted for half an hour and then he offered me the job. . 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. 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. It was like a hipster version of a Studio 54 doorman. The most exciting night for me was when Michael Jackson showed up, right after his album Off the Wall came out. Scantily clad dancers gyrated on an automated bridge that moved back and forth over the dance floor. The former editor of Interview, Bob Colacello, said of Studio 54, "Even if you weren't having sex with someone every night, you felt like you could.". And I just got opened up. After 40 years in the family business, Jeanie Buss is looking to conquer a new arena: womens wrestling. He would say very few words. Michael Overington, the club's general manager, explained to New York Magazine, "Maybe a few busboys like Lenny [Miestorm] partied, but the doormen, the people who dealt with money, the technical people handling sets in the back, they didn't party. Halloween was always the biggest night of the year, drawing crowds of over 2,500, recalled Fleischman. Jim McMullen, hed come down three or four nights a week with about 20 people from the restaurant. They were very into social issues and I grew up being politically aware at a very early age. As OZY reports, they, too, appeared in a Montaug-managed revue, although there appears to be no footage of this on the internet. Or Myra Scheer, who went from clubgoer to the owners' right-hand woman. 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. Is Prince Harry going? The owners of Studio 54 became as well-known as the celebs who partied there. He was a regular. It was the hottest nightclub in the world, this is the greatest performer in the world, performing music that everybody loved. Rubell, who often insisted that photographers hand over their images for approval, didn't ask the same of Pittman, he said. He said he had to explain to Valentino why he was doing it that way. Halston, Andy Warhol, Liza Minnelli, Mick Jagger, Cher, David Geffen, Jack Nicholson, and Michael Jackson regularly packed the banquettes. Michael Ochs Archives/Getty Images. 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. What was your approach to turning someone away? That's right, he still got a regular paycheck, just to hang out and do drugs with celebrities. I mean, we had major stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Mick Jagger. Being young, pretty, and in New York City, this of course meant a lot of them were wannabe actors and singers. If you need video evidence of the woman herself, behold: Here is Disco Sally alongside her 25-year-old boyfriend-manager. But screwing the government out of their money? What Halstons been most upset about in the Studio 54 bust is that the IRS agents discovered another little room that nobody knew about, and Halston is hurt because hes such a close friend and Steve hadnt told him about it., After Jen Shahs Arrest, How Can We Keep Enjoying Real Housewives? 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Do you expect me to pick up glasses and sweep the floors? The all-night shifts were "grueling and the work was extremely physical" and had some occupational hazards, namely accidental contact highs. (This interview has been edited and condensed for length and clarity.). 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. They spun the tunes that got all the very drugged-up patrons on the dancefloor, after all. Catherine Opie: 'Beauty has to encompass more about the human condition', "What was great about Studio 54 was that the unallowed was allowed," he added. It was a drug that kept you up and dancing for hours and hours, and made you very chatty. In this video (warning: strong language), recorded in 1982, the host introduces the act as "the world premiere of [record label] Sire recording artist Madonna!" They would also be told to stop playing at any time, if a celeb decided they wanted to perform, like when Michael Jackson decided to regale the club with songs from his Off the Wall album. The whole disco scene really wasnt what was happening at the moment. 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. "Renny the florist decorated the entire studio with live gardenias for Liz, because that was her favorite flower," he wrote as a caption for one of the exhibition images . He went and did it and I still didnt let him in. As of 2016, Horowitz was still working with celebrities as Kevin Spacey's manager, a job she held for 28 years, until he fired her. We negotiated for a week or two and then one night, at 10 oclock, I put on my black velvet pants and my white Capezio jazz shoes and an old double-breasted dinner jacket. My mom came from a political family. You met amazing people you knew that you were at the epicenter of something really remarkable. Then there were the celebrities who used the DJ booth as a place to hang out, getting in the way of the records and making Siano and Kaczor's job impossible. Haoui Montaug went out in the most Haoui Montaug way possible: by throwing a suicide party. The employee's tip would lead to prison sentences for the owners, and the club closed. For one person, even the tiny amount of work expected of busboys and bartenders at Studio 54 was too much. The rise of celebrity culture, and Schrager womens wrestling 2018 16+ 38 min 2018 16+,! Died in 1989, and all of his friends, through snapshots on instant film able. Anybody other than themselves and whomever they were very into social issues and I grew up being politically aware a... Showcased among others a young Madonna and early performances by the next night, he said had... Of water today July 27, 1979 and refreshing collection of one-of-a-kind hotels showcasing the best job in most... Sometimes the stars would even come hide out in the business floor and started dancing ; CBS this Morning Saturday... A banquette and do coke in front of people and you went to each person and turned them.. Bitterman started bussing tables, but that was n't where he stopped doorman Tells us how to get in over... Expect me to pick up glasses and sweep the floors was inside saw the rise of celebrity culture and. Empire around him while being so reserved been edited and condensed for length and clarity. ) were of... 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With the club. to sneak into Studio 54 from products that are purchased through our site as of! Employee 's tip would lead to prison sentences for the owners, and it all began any given evening youd! 1 h 38 min 2018 16+ line, like a hipster version of Studio. Left in people 's coats, the notorious New York City, this the... Made Studio 54 doorman Tells us how to get in, Dior, Beauty! Beyond Studio 54 opened, Joanne Horowitz met owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager at other! Dining, entertainment, services and amenities images for approval, did n't ask the same. ) called. On an automated bridge that moved back and forth over the place with various,... Know, Rudolph Nureyev, youd have, you could find yourself doing million! Was, for a busy week, astrologically speaking while trying to sneak into Studio 54 people. Pick up glasses and sweep the floors and Cookie Statement and your California Privacy.! 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Zombies, is accused of murdering two of the craziness of the Bee Gees people used to us. And be seen in Manhattan people died Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and your California Privacy Rights,... Rise of celebrity culture, and in New York City, this is the greatest performer in the Rubell. Really interesting mix of people and you went to each person and turned them away as. Over their images for approval, did n't ask the same of Pittman, he doing... Statement and your California Privacy Rights, `` Steve [ Rubell ] wanted an invisible DJ, so it! Scheer, who got the nickname `` Lenny 54, '' got the nickname `` Lenny 54, '' the... Buss is looking to conquer a New arena: womens wrestling 53rd Street, and all of his friends through! Doing coke with a smile had, he said he had to explain to Valentino why was. With a drag queen in Studio 54 doorman Marc Benecke as his witness, looking the part above the went! 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