Studio 54

...Then they work the wall

They work the pipe
They work the floor
'N they work the wall some more
In Serious Leather
In Serious Chains
In Serious Clothing
From when they come downtown
From the ruins of Studio '54
To twist 'n frugg
In an arrogant gesture

To the best of what the 20th Century has to offer...

- extract of lyrics from Mudd Club, on the FZ album You Are What You Is

Studio 54 opened in Manhattan in April, 1977 at 254 West 54th Street, between Broadway and Eighth Avenue. Created from the vision of Valentino public relations agent Carmen D'Allessio, (a renowned PR motivator among the "A" list jet-setters and celebrities across the United States, South America and Europe) the club was run by ex Enchanted Garden party-organisers Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager. The building, once occupied by CBS' Studio 52 and Scepter Records and now tenanted by the West End record label, was given the name Studio 54 based on its street location. D'Allessio then effected introductions to Rubell and Schrager from her jet-set list, including a pre-launch dinner with Andy Warhol, Halston, and Calvin Klein. The club became a magnet for the paparazzi as the 'in-place' for celebrities to be spotted letting their hair down.

In its short three-year history '54', as it became known, embodied the hedonism and excesses of socialite disco-fever in New York. Its balconies were the scene of sexual encounters, drug use was rampant and the dance floor was the site of a large mural of the Man in the Moon, complete with an animated cocaine-spoon that moved back and forth to its nose.

Rubell would add to the frenzy by hand-selecting the club's occupants from the long queues at the door, mixing 'nobodies' with renowned celebrities. One such 'unknown' stood in the waiting crowd wearing a muscle-vest bearing the words "Fuck Studio 54," which gained him lifetime membership from Rubell, impressed by such chutzpah. However, Rubell rocked the boat by publicly declaring Studio 54 had made $7 million in its first year and "only the Mafia made more money". Arrests of Rubell and Schrager followed, accusations abounded about a White House member sniffing cocaine in the club's basement and, after its closure in February 1980, drugs and cash were found in its walls- resulting in Rubell and Schrager spending 13 months in prison.

Thus, New York witnessed "...the ruins of Studio 54"

Studio 54 was the subject of a movie titled 54 in which Mike Myers played the part of Rubell
In 1985 Steve Rubell converted the defunct concert venue the Palladium into a nightclub.

See also

• The Mudd Club
• Steve Rubell
• Valentino Garavani
• Andy Warhol