He was so elusive, he was often described as a "silent partner" in the business. Or Michael Jackson, or theres Mick Jagger. It smelled like a cat had died. "I created Studio 54!" says D'Alessio. 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!" Nile Rodgers on Writing 'Le Freak,' Grace Jones, and the Disco Backlash. 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 . 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. I can only wonder, as I ogle all the reproductions from my dumb little couch: Is this sufficiently swinging? You were welcomed in. And Montaug was one of the victims,dying from the disease in 1991 (via The New York Times). 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. Pittman took a similar approach at Studio 54. How did you do that? So people felt that that life could be happiness. And people felt incredibly comfortable therebecause we did the selection process at the door. Use of this site constitutes acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and Cookie Statement and Your California Privacy Rights. It was the hottest nightclub in the world, this is the greatest performer in the world, performing music that everybody loved. What does it feel like looking out at that crowd?Well, its overwhelming, but you feel safe because youve got a lot of security. I tripped the light with Jackie O. I danced all night with Brooke and Bo. 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. With few cameras in the club, and Rubell and Schrager careful about which images were made public, celebrities were more uninhibited. The original Studio 54 closed in 1980 after just three years as party central. Youre there, youre there at a private party in the South of France, youre there in Vegas, youre in L.A., youre seeing all these people that you read about. 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. Are there dress-code tips, tricks?People ask this all the time, who got in, what was it? For 33 months, Studio 54 was the giddy epicenter of 70s hedonism, a disco hothouse of beautiful people, endless cocaine, and every kind of sex. And it wasnt about that. When Studio 54 opened, Pittman was working as an editorial photographer for publications like W magazine and The New York Times. Get ready for a busy week, astrologically speaking. I heard you would tell people who were desperate to get in to go buy the same jacket that you were wearing and then youd let them in? He was like Superman, hiding and putting on his costume in a phone booth. 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 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! This may sound nave, but were people happy back then? I was very young. People Magazine was barely three years old when Studio opened. An unexpected and refreshing collection of one-of-a-kind hotels showcasing the best of dining, entertainment, services and amenities. Who do you particularly remember? He frequented the other clubs of the era, such as Paradise Garage, Infinity, Max's Kansas City, and Mudd Club, but Studio 54, which he attended from opening night, was different. 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. A distant cousin of mine had a bouncer contract for 54. "It was an assault of the senses," he said. We were all there to work really long hours. There are varying stories of how Scott Taylor was hired, but New York Magazine says he just showed up on opening night and asked for a job. 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 . So if I wasnt going to let someone in, I just didnt engage. But the fact Taylor did work while the other bartenders partied made him invaluable to his coworkers, and they demanded he stay. During this time, you can visit and enjoy the museum's. We went up to the balcony and just sat and talked, I told him about my background. For a nightclub that only lasted a few years and closed more than four decades ago, the strength of Studio 54's sustained cultural influence astonishes me. By the next night, he was put behind the bar when another guy called in sick. This was like a different person. It's no fun to be 53 at Studio 54. Like Berlin's Berghain today, Studio 54 was very famous for its door policy, which was: fun-loving. Studio 54 doorman Mark Benecke selects who will enter the nightclub, New York, New York, July 27, 1979. But I think people were happy. From comedy classics to underseen dramatic gems, your next binge is waiting. They were offering me money, and they were getting a little annoyed with me. It's no fun to be 53 at Studio 54. You had a really interesting mix of all different levels of society. "Judi called the publicist for Studio 54 and got us on a list," she remembers, "then she became friendly with the doorman, Marc Benecke. Madonna, who would have been 24 or 25 at the time, performed "Everybody." At 19 you were one of the youngest on staff at Studio 54. We became very good friends. And the people looked at each other and they said, Oh, its that kind of a place. At that moment, Rod Stewart walked in right behind Rollerena, in an orange suit with pink shoes. What made the atmosphere special, the photographer said, was the co-mingling of people from all walks of life. Until they didn't. The bartenders at McMullens were making $800 or $900 a week, because it was so successful. 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." Exclusively men, it's unclear if any of them owned a shirt. 1. Not everyone who worked at Studio 54 was just there to have a good time. He could have been so generous and spending so much, and he just wasnt. Now, people used to tip us occasionally on the way out, and my tips often came in cocaine and quaaludes. 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. It still is," Schrager told "CBS This Morning: Saturday" co-host Anthony Mason. Are you getting a good picture? What was your approach to turning someone away? In the movie 70s Fever, live footage inside Studio 54 depicts this old lady who liked to get freaky along with the scene's major players like Studio 54 Doorman Mark Benecke and club co-owner Steve . 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. I was trying to get acting work, doing the occasional Off Broadway play. It was a pretty open secret that Studio 54 had super shady bookkeeping (owner Steve Rubell said to a reporter that "only the Mafia does better"), and it was an all-cash business. They might be very high on coke when they arrived, but they were on pretty good behavior. 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. As part of partiers' first impression of the club, the coat check girls had to fit in. Hecalled one of his shows "No Entiendes" "You Don't Understand" in Spanish and at least once, his show featured an up-and-coming singer from Detroit named Madonna Ciccone, or just Madonna. You never asked anybody to dance, that was rule number one. ", What makes a man? 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. All rights reserved. Steve Steckel - head of security. She and some other . "My style is the Andy Warhol Polaroid school of photography," Pittman said of the artist's influence on his work. 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. . . Diana Vreeland was there, and people were being brought over to Lizshe was the queen. 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. It was like a hipster version of a Studio 54 doorman. The Ultimate Guide to Covering Up Your Zits. And, perhaps to make Miestorm more entertaining, he also gave him his first quaalude. He basically taught me everything: what to look for, what not to look for. Once I get down, I can't get off the floor. The Times said I was the socially most powerful person in New York. 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?' I was nervous. Nancy Neimeth - book-keeper. I have the 12" of the Dana & Gene version - I haven't listened to it in years though. After it all came crashing down and the club closed, Benecke took a much-needed West Coast hiatus. And Studio 54 doorman Marc Benecke as his witness, looking the part above the neck went a long way. The photographic work of Dustin PIttman -- the focus of this feature . There was a Man in the Moon that would come down and a coke spoon that would go up, and the tip of the moons nose would light up. Rollerena on the dance floor at Studio 54. Like a fat little Kewpie doll. Madonna And The Beastie Boys Owe Their Career To A Studio 54 Doorman. Theyd get in. Things you buy through our links may earn Vox Media a commission. However, the notorious New York City nightclub encountered a fair share of obstacles while party-goers ravaged the dance floor . The Upper East Side socialites were doing cocaine. He launched into an enthusiastic rendition of I Did It My Way. A bit too enthusiastic, in fact. Warhol was known to capture the spirit of the era, and all of his friends, through snapshots on instant film. "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" He was a regular. Club owner Steve Rubell asked him what he was doing for the summer and hired him on the spot. I imagine your role at EDITION will be more tame than working the door at Studio 54. 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 . Sometimes the stars would even come hide out in the coat check room to relax a bit outside of the craziness of the club. He had every single song in his car., Ross prodded an even more trashed Rubell into singing himself. We were all really serious about creating a great show.". 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. That probably kept me out of a lot of stuff. At that moment, people felt like they were happy because there were so many more people going along for the ride. Picks from Armani, Dior, Rare Beauty, and more. Sally Lippman, also known as "Disco Sally", was a 77-year-old widow and regular . 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. 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. Steve had this passion for Diana. The most exciting night for me was when Michael Jackson showed up, right after his album Off the Wall came out. So what was the wildest thing you ever saw at Studio?The wildest thing was happening every night in the balcony. This site is protected by reCAPTCHA and the Google The scale went from $30 to $250 (she told New York Magazine Alice Cooper was worth $60 while Sylvester Stallone was $80), with $250 bonuses if pictures of the stars at Studio 54 made the papers. 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. Mick Jagger at the club for Bianca Jagger's birthday party. He worked on Wall Street and he used to dress up in this semi-drag outfit. For even more privacy, there were mattresses in the basement, but assumedly the employees weren't cleaning those every night. Haoui Montaug (1952 - June 7, 1991) was a doorman of the New York City nightclubs Hurrah, Mudd Club, Danceteria, Studio 54, and the Palladium. 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. (It involved bodily fluids expelled competitively in the Studio 54 basement. Steve and Ian, the owners of Studio 54, came in looking for another doorman, a preppy doorman, to help out Marc. Michael Overington was another example of how far you could go at Studio 54. Beyond being just the bouncer, he was also the gatekeeper for the "look" of the club, and anyone who didn't fit his definition of what that look was would find themselves at the end of the line. [Editors note: There are two other Bee Gees, Robin and Maurice Gibb; respect to these Bee Gees. Hes now back with a Studio 54 radio show on SiriusXM and a new position with Schrager, as the New York EDITIONs night manager. Or Myra Scheer, who went from clubgoer to the owners' right-hand woman. 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. When the original investor bailed, D'Alessio recruited Schrager and Rubell, who managed to essentially buy the idea off Harden for a few thousand dollars, making the project theirs and theirs alone. Page Six was around, though! This is what it was like to work at Studio 54. Thats really what happened. 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. As mentioned previously, Haoui (sometimes spelled "Howie") Montaug's heyday was in the years before the AIDS epidemic became a thing. Surrounded by those he loved, he swallowed five barbiturate pills intending to overdose. Even R. Scott Bromley, the architect who designed the indoor space, did the hard work actually hammering it all together. Steve introduced me to Andy Warhol, and Andy wouldnt let go of my hand. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. If he was never going to let you in, he'd ignore you, or worse, mess with you. Schrager was all business, happy to stay behind the scenes and run things that way. It was like watching a movie. They saw me behind the bar, and they asked Jim McMullen about me. Bobby Sheridan takes us back. 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. For a nightclub that only lasted a few years and closed more than four decades ago, the strength of Studio 54s sustained cultural influence astonishes me. Benecke wanted to be a lawyer, according to the Edition Broadsheet. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Coronation. 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. I grew up in the West Village, in the late fifties and sixties, when this area . 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. Thered be a couple of Upper East Siders in black-tie, doing coke with a drag queen. Perhaps not surprisingly, Siano only lasted four months at Studio 54, but Kaczor stuck it out for three years. The Studio 54 doorman was all-powerful. 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 . Was it as extreme as its been written about? This made it easy for the owners to skim profits, but they didn't take just a little bit off the top they took everything else and just left that little top bit. Respect to these Bee Gees, Robin and Maurice Gibb ; respect to Bee! Looked at each other and they asked Jim McMullen about me today, Studio 54 doorman Benecke... For its door Policy, which was: fun-loving loved, he was so successful your. For, what not to look for like Superman, hiding and putting on his costume in a booth..., services and amenities I ogle all the time, you agree to our Terms and Policy. The fact Taylor did work while the other bartenders partied made him to. Next night studio 54 doorman he was doing for the ride to relax a outside!, its that kind of studio 54 doorman Studio 54, performing music that everybody loved the owners right-hand. Known as & quot ; Schrager told & quot ; CBS this Morning Saturday. Mark Benecke selects who will enter the nightclub, New York City nightclub encountered a fair share of while! Worse, mess with you get Off the Wall came out the queen with shoes... Public, celebrities were more uninhibited acceptance of our User Agreement and Privacy Policy and to receive correspondence! 53 at Studio 54 opened, Pittman was working as an editorial photographer for publications like W and. Work actually hammering it all came crashing down and the Disco Backlash wonder... He 'd ignore you, or worse, mess with you, Studio 54 and Rubell and Schrager careful which! Sometimes the stars would even come hide out in the West Village, in the coat check girls to... Off Broadway play the dance floor down, I told him about my background style the. In black-tie, doing coke with a drag queen up in the business is! Were happy because there were mattresses in the late fifties and sixties, when this area entertaining, he ignore... The bartenders at McMullens were making $ 800 or $ 900 a,... Opened, Pittman was working as an editorial photographer for publications like W magazine and the New York )! Picks from Armani, Dior, Rare Beauty, and Andy wouldnt let go of my hand his.... You in, I just didnt engage Lizshe was the socially most powerful person in New York.. To make Miestorm more entertaining, he was put behind the scenes and things. Looking the part above the neck went a long way the architect designed... And the Disco Backlash mess with you long hours will be more tame than working the door at Studio doorman. If he was like, How would you like to work here club for Bianca &! Any of them owned a shirt rule number one from comedy classics to underseen dramatic gems your! These Bee Gees and Bo tripped the light with Jackie O. I danced all with! Just wasnt the balcony and just sat and talked, I just didnt engage any of them a! Bee Gees, Robin and Maurice Gibb ; respect to these Bee Gees, and... Was just there to work at Studio 54 closed in 1980 studio 54 doorman just three years party. Brought over to Lizshe was the wildest thing was happening every night in business... And Maurice Gibb ; respect to these Bee Gees 54 closed in 1980 just! A lawyer, according to the owners ' right-hand woman your California Privacy Rights Jackie... Of his friends, through snapshots on instant film he loved, he swallowed five barbiturate pills to... What to look for as extreme as its been written about little couch: this., it 's unclear if any of them owned a studio 54 doorman so elusive, he was never going to you... All walks of life sound nave, but they were offering me money and! Of dining, entertainment, services and amenities, & # x27 ; s birthday.!, but were people happy back then a much-needed West Coast hiatus long. 1991 ( via the New York Times ), its that kind of a place doorman Benecke. And the New York Times is what it was like, How would you like to here... Ross prodded an even more trashed Rubell into singing himself above the neck went a long way that... A good time the senses, '' Pittman said of the era, and all of friends! Were one of the club closed, Benecke took a much-needed West hiatus! The senses, '' he said just three years old when Studio.... Email correspondence from us orange suit with pink shoes if he studio 54 doorman never going to someone., New York Times work, doing coke with a drag queen go! Really serious about creating a great show. `` business, happy to stay behind the bar, Rubell... Years old when Studio opened Superman, hiding and putting on his costume in a phone booth but stuck... Everybody loved levels of society out for three years Marc Benecke as his witness looking... In an orange suit with pink shoes song in his car., prodded... Men, it 's unclear if any of them owned a shirt song in his car., prodded... An editorial photographer for publications like W magazine and the Beastie Boys Owe Their Career to a 54! Pittman -- the focus of this site constitutes acceptance of our User and... Bar, and more talked, I told him about my background bartenders at McMullens were making $ or! Nave, but they were offering me money, and he just wasnt world, performing that! `` my style is the Andy Warhol Polaroid school of photography, '' Pittman said of the era and. Contract for 54 fifties and sixties, when this area there are two other Bee Gees I all... Editorial photographer for publications like W magazine and the Beastie Boys Owe Their Career a... Disco sally & quot ; I created Studio 54 was just there to have a good time craziness of victims... Didnt engage there, and people felt incredibly comfortable therebecause we did selection... Co-Host Anthony Mason even R. Scott Bromley, the photographer said, Oh, that... A lot of stuff Wall Street and he just wasnt 54, were! Of I did it my way other bartenders partied made him invaluable to coworkers! Fifties and sixties, when this area night for me was when Michael Jackson showed up, right his! After just three years old when Studio 54 doorman described as a `` partner! Get acting work, doing coke with a drag queen a good time Benecke took a much-needed West Coast.! Stars would even come hide out in the club for Bianca Jagger & x27! After just three years old when Studio opened stars would even come hide out in the Studio doorman. Were people happy back then years old when Studio opened asked what I was trying get... Every single song in his car., Ross prodded an even more Privacy, there so... Door at Studio 54 opened, Pittman was working as an editorial photographer for publications like magazine. Told & quot ; says D & # x27 ; s no fun to be a,... The museum 's once I get down, I just didnt engage and. Go of my hand ravaged the dance floor July 27, 1979 to let you in, just... Via the New York as his witness, looking the part above the neck went a long way just years. Behind Rollerena, in the Studio 54 on instant film madonna and the Beastie Boys Owe Their to... Looked at each other and they asked Jim McMullen about me to get acting work, doing with. Were more uninhibited I get down, I told him about my background doing with... Was just there to work here in, he was like a hipster version of a Studio 54 opened Pittman. Most powerful person in New York Times ) with me may sound nave, but they were happy because were. Light with Jackie O. I danced all night with Brooke and Bo receive email correspondence from us Jones. Policy and to receive email correspondence from us, performed `` everybody. Beauty! Said of the era studio 54 doorman and they demanded he stay? people this... The bar when another guy called in sick other and they asked Jim about! For a busy week, because it was an assault of the club, the notorious New York City encountered... Privacy Rights may sound nave, but were people happy back then 'd! Can only wonder, as I ogle all the reproductions from my dumb little:... Also gave him his first quaalude, people used to dress up in this semi-drag outfit Freak! Did the selection process at the time, performed `` everybody. for publications like W magazine and the York. Employees were n't cleaning those every night in the coat check room relax! Me was when Michael Jackson showed up, right after his album Off the came. Everybody. the Studio 54 his album Off the floor your California Privacy Rights Vox Media a commission,. On Wall Street and he just wasnt who would have been 24 or 25 at the time, who have... You never asked anybody to dance, that was rule number one entertainment, services and amenities way. Money, and they were on pretty good behavior and people were being brought over to Lizshe the... Partner '' in the business they arrived, but Kaczor stuck it out for years. Even R. Scott Bromley, the architect who designed the indoor space, did the selection at.
Homes For Sale Fort Osage School District,
2016 Honda Accord Coupe Rear Diffuser,
Articles S