You wanna hear some stories about what happened at the door? It was the hottest nightclub in the world, this is the greatest performer in the world, performing music that everybody loved. 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" Like Berlin's Berghain today, Studio 54 was very famous for its door policy, which was: fun-loving. 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?' 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. He basically taught me everything: what to look for, what not to look for. ", This scheme to get out of real work, well, worked. I'm not going to do that. Once he told a guy to go to Bloomingdale's and buy the same blazer Benecke was wearing. He used to hide his costumes in different nooks and crannies in the city because there was no way he could changeespecially in those daysfrom his job on Wall Street. "It's where you come when you want to escape. 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. 2023 Vox Media, LLC. It just wasnt gonna work. The law was willing to look the other way on that stuff. 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. Hed show up with Cheryl Tiegs and Christie Brinkley, and all the models of the day, and I let them all in for free. And Studio 54 doorman Marc Benecke as his witness, looking the part above the neck went a long way. All rights reserved. Steve had this passion for Diana. A year earlier, Rubell added, he wouldn't have let himself in. People felt like the key to happiness was maybe not getting married, but maybe having multiple partners. Join Vanity Fair to receive full access to VF.com and the complete online archive now. 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. The photographic work of Dustin PIttman -- the focus of this feature . Across generations, photographers have provided eclectic answers. 2hrs. "It was an assault of the senses," he said. Steve Steckel - head of security. And the doorman/bouncer at those clubs Studio 54 especially was, for a time anyway, a man named Haoui Montaug. 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. Knowing his time was coming to an end and not wanting to die suffering, the former bouncer invited some of his closest friends to his apartment, including Madonna, who joined by telephone (viaNew York Magazine). What made the atmosphere special, the photographer said, was the co-mingling of people from all walks of life. I can only wonder, as I ogle all the reproductions from my dumb little couch: Is this sufficiently swinging? Nothing sets the mood like dust and crochet shirts. Are we getting it? It was really different. Robin Platzer/Twin Images . 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? Are there maybe, lets say, surprising celebrity interactions that stick out in your mind?Yeah. It was crazy., According to Studio 54 documentary filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer, the club owners cleverly paid doorman Marc Benecke more than anyone else to make sure he wasnt tempted to take bribes. Thats really what happened. Are you glad you quit the higher-paying job at Jim McMullen to do Studio?Oh, well, yeah. But before you went in there, you had to check your coat. Pittman took a similar approach at Studio 54. For 33 months, from 1977 to 1980, the nightclub Studio 54 was the place to be seen in Manhattan. 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. 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 . It was like a big boxing ring with ropes all around, and you had three or four bodyguards around you, and people would just walk up. (The downside the drugs became a serious problem until he finally realized years later he needed to sober up.). There wasnt a line of people and you went to each person and turned them away. We went up to the balcony and just sat and talked, I told him about my background. People got off on that. He said he . Diana Vreeland was there, and people were being brought over to Lizshe was the queen. Its fascinating that he could create this whole empire around him while being so reserved. 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. . Everybody was pretty toasted. Perhaps because, as Taylor put it, "Steve [Rubell] wanted all big, gay, muscle-bound bartenders, and I was, like, this Jewish straight boy from Queens," the owner was unimpressed when he noticed and tried to fire him. Each EDITION property is completely unique, reflecting the best of the cultural and social milieu of its location and of the time. It was of the times, of that moment. My mom came from a political family. New comedy specials from John Mulaney and MoNique join freshmen series starring Keri Russell, Ali Wong, and Steven Yeun next month. But asthe director of a documentary on the club said, "For something that was so brief, Studio 54 had a disproportionate impact on the people who went there." 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. 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. He gave us nicknames: his was Biff, and my nickname was Bunky. The photographer that captured the disco and diamond dust of legendary club Studio 54, The photographic work of Dustin PIttman -- the focus of this feature -- is part of the exhibition 'Studio 54: Night Magic' at the Brooklyn Museum, which is temporarily closed. It was pretty awesome. "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 . Madonna And The Beastie Boys Owe Their Career To A Studio 54 Doorman. She was a retired Jewish lawyer who became a judge and suddenly went crazy due to the combination of cocaine and the Studio 54 Effect. Studio 54. 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. Even R. Scott Bromley, the architect who designed the indoor space, did the hard work actually hammering it all together. And two of the acts who appeared in his shows were Madonna and the Beastie Boys. By submitting your email, you agree to our Terms and Privacy Policy and to receive email correspondence from us. The Upper East Side socialites were doing cocaine. For even more privacy, there were mattresses in the basement, but assumedly the employees weren't cleaning those every night. 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.". According to The Hollywood Reporter, she basically created a new job when she mentioned to them she had a subscription to Celebrity Bulletin, which, in the days before the internet was how one found out where celebs were staying. ]I kept Barry Gibb waiting for half an hour. You had to be very protective of who was inside. But most celebrities knew there would be paparazzi there, and they could be on Page Six the next day. Hotels that dont act like hotels. George Kennedy: [ singing ]"All the hip joints knew my face. The next day, a picture of Cher leaving the club covered the New York Post. It was a haven of illicit sex, illegal drug use, and the wildest parties the city had ever seen. Theres a solar eclipse in Aries, Taurus season begins, and Mercury goes retrograde once again. Their uniform was apparently various stages of undress. During this time, you can visit and enjoy the museum's. I brought these questions to Robert Bobby Sheridan, who worked the door at Studio 54, alongside Marc Benecke, from just after its opening to around the time of the bust, in 1979. This crowd is made up of well-known, successful individuals: Fashion designer Halston and actress Bianca Jagger are on the left, followed by film director Jack Haley Jr. and actress Liza Minnelli in the back right. And the two resident DJs, Nicky Siano and Richie Kaczor, were indeed two of the best. According to The Independent, he said that he "sometimes" took them up on it. Everything You Ever Wanted to Know About the Coronation. Not at all. How different was the vibe once Ian and Steve left? Simone Kessell Wants to Throw a Very Kiwi Dinner Party, Living Abroad Helped Me Cope With My Tourette Syndrome. If you need video evidence of the woman herself, behold: Here is Disco Sally alongside her 25-year-old boyfriend-manager. Since everyone knew, at least vaguely, what was up, this made it easy for an unhappy employee, mad about his treatment by the club, to squeal to the feds. You met amazing people you knew that you were at the epicenter of something really remarkable. He would say very few words. It's no fun to be 53 at Studio 54. Women would dance, showing their breasts, and guys would wear assless chaps, right? 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. Enter the coat check girls. Next Airs Today at 3 pm. If somebody came up and they were really drunk and acting obnoxious, no they wouldnt get in. Every party has to end sometime, even one as awesome as Studio 54. That remains in my mind as a real crystalline memory of that time. The crowds only grew as the club's popularity did. 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. There were so many poppers left in people's coats, the women often got high by accident when they exploded. He had this drag queen muse. Mick Jagger at the club for Bianca Jagger's birthday party. Club owner Steve Rubell asked him what he was doing for the summer and hired him on the spot. Privacy Policy and Kyle Richards, 54, explains HOW she stays so skinny after denying she uses weight loss drug Ozempic: '1 hour of alternating between walking at 3.5mph and running at 6mph' Teen spirit! 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. There were people like Carmen D'Alessio, who claims almost all the credit for making the club a hit but didn't hang out with the other employees, saying that, "Studio didn't impress [her]." It was six nights a week, from 10 at night until 4 in the morning. Vanity Fair may earn a portion of sales from products that are purchased through our site as part of our Affiliate Partnerships with retailers. For one person, even the tiny amount of work expected of busboys and bartenders at Studio 54 was too much. The city's glitterati would come through to see and be seen if they could get through the door, that is. It serves as a hook for House of Gucci, Lady GagaasPatrizia Reggiani shimmying under the clubs strobing lights in the trailers. I grew up in the West Village, in the late fifties and sixties, when this area . Benecke wanted to be a lawyer, according to the Edition Broadsheet. Since then, the photographer said, there's never been another club like it, though many have tried to recapture the spirit (including Rubell and Schrager, who opened the nightclub Palladium after their stints in jail). The all-night shifts were "grueling and the work was extremely physical" and had some occupational hazards, namely accidental contact highs. 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. To revist this article, visit My Profile, then View saved stories. The Supreme Court Pauses Abortion-Pill Restrictions. Did people try to bribe you to get in?Yeah, sure, people offered money, but you would never accept that, because if you did, then theyd show up the next night with all of their friends, everybody whod been in their wedding. "My style is the Andy Warhol Polaroid school of photography," Pittman said of the artist's influence on his work. Cocaine was the marijuana of the disco era. A distant cousin of mine had a bouncer contract for 54. According to Disco, Drugs & Decadence: The Rise and Fall of America's Premier Discotheque. Sometimes the stars would even come hide out in the coat check room to relax a bit outside of the craziness of the club. ), 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. It was before cell phones and before TMZ and all the media outlets that we have today. (It involved bodily fluids expelled competitively in the Studio 54 basement. They might be very high on coke when they arrived, but they were on pretty good behavior. Like Studio 54 itself, Tyrnauer's doc thrives on access. It's no fun to be 53 at Studio 54. I said, Hi, Rod, and he walked in. . Studio 54 The Documentary - Official Trailer. It was my 15 minutes with Andy Warhol, I guess. How do Brits feel about King Charles? Nearly 35 years after her underappreciated romantic comedys release, the Oscar nominee returns to the Lower East Side. 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. People would do amyl nitrate on the dance floor, poppers, and also quaaludes. Perhaps it was the blank slate Benecke offered that Rubell liked. Actor Alec Baldwintold Interview he worked there for two months in the fall of 1979. Once he knew us, we were in." . People would come from out of town to come to the club, and it just wasnt necessarily a good fit. A new study shows people are hungry for more entertainment if Hollywood (and the movie theaters) can get out of their own way. The man did, but the doorman still didn't let him in. Weve been on this long journey to figure out what happiness is. Of course, we took him inside, gave him the royal treatment, made up for it a little bit. I mean, we had major stars like Elizabeth Taylor, Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, Mick Jagger. You would offer somebody a line, like somebody would get offered a bottle of water today. It had to be later than 1976 because Studio 54 didn't open until 1977. Feds had previously discovered $600,000 in garbage bags, 300 quaalude pills, and cocaine during a raid of the club. And Entertainment Tonight, the first show on TV about entertainment, didnt even start until 81, 82, when they had already sold Studio. ", What makes a man? Every night, hopefuls crowded the rope outside Studio 54, masochistically waiting for the approval of a doorman (like Mark Benecke, seen here) or Steve Rubell. The bartenders at McMullens were making $800 or $900 a week, because it was so successful. Self. There were people that were just flat-out fabulous, that would get in no matter what. 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. Was it as extreme as its been written about? 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. Hed have dinner in fairly large groups and you could get a sentence out here and there, but in general, he was more of an observer than a participant unless he knew you really, really well. People Magazine was barely three years old when Studio opened. The owners of Studio 54 became as well-known as the celebs who partied there. This email will be used to sign into all New York sites. I do! My style was preppy with a bit of an edge. . Shortly before Studio 54 opened, Joanne Horowitz met owners Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager at their other club, Enchanted Gardens. On April 26, 1977, Studio 54 opened its doors and introduced the world to a new era of nightlife. (532) 7.0 1 h 38 min 2018 16+. Hotels that feel different because they make you feel something. Weve rounded up the best looks from celeb events this week, including Jenna Ortega, Troye Sivan, and Devin Halbal. I learned the door from Marc. The late 70s also saw the rise of celebrity culture, and Studio 54 . Instead of doing a Red Bull they would do a line. Not everyone who worked at Studio 54 was just there to have a good time. Not everyone, not really me either. You\'ll receive the next newsletter in your inbox. I was a poli sci major in school, I wanted to become a lawyer. He was like a fairy godmother. "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.". What were we thinking?, Steve Rubell and Diana Ross went up to control central, the DJ boothDiana Ross began to sing out over the crowd. (It would open again with new ownership, but it wasn't the same.) From The Andy Warhol Diaries: Liz looked like abellybutton. "A lot of the clubs had their energy, their excitement," he said in a phone interview. "(I'd) back off a little bit and feel the vibe, and then document things," he said. The employee still remains unknown. The Ultimate Guide to Covering Up Your Zits. It wasnt exclusive, really, it was inclusive of people who were of that moment in Manhattan, with an appreciation for diversity, with an eye for fashion. 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. He did take us to La Grenouille once, but it could have been so much more. They saw me behind the bar, and they asked Jim McMullen about me. He could also be a jerk though. A lot of art-world personalities went to Studio 54, but was Studio 54 a part of the art world? It was a drug that kept you up and dancing for hours and hours, and made you very chatty. To underscore the Studio 54 doormens influence: Andy Warhol once described their reign over the entrance as a dictatorship, while Benecke says the New York Times once called him the most socially powerful person in the city. Steve Rubell, a co-owner of the club, reveled in mixing beautiful "nobodies" with the glamorous by hand-selecting guests from the crowds outside the . Barts. Oh no, hes the Bee Gee! but now my hip joint's been replaced. Photo: Michael Norcia/Corbis. Rubell, who often insisted that photographers hand over their images for approval, didn't ask the same of Pittman, he said. It wasn't their idea to open a new disco. What does it feel like looking out at that crowd?Well, its overwhelming, but you feel safe because youve got a lot of security. This was like a different person. It was like watching a movie. The 25 Best Shows on Netflix to Watch Right Now. Studio 54 has gone down in history as the ultimate nightclub, a place where everyone who was anyone went to get down, boogie, and be seen. I remember there was a couple who came and one of them would be on a leash, and I think the woman was topless. Located in gateway cities throughout the world, these are hotels where youll find guests rubbing elbows with locals because theres no better place to be in the moment. 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. "I only want fun-looking people in here," said the club's co-owner, who grew up in Brooklyn long before it became fashionable. Are you getting a good picture? Considering Studio 54 was a nightclub, and people tend to go to nightclubs to dance, you'd assume the DJs there would be close to royalty. And, perhaps to make Miestorm more entertaining, he also gave him his first quaalude. Club founders Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager provided premium guests with premium cocaine and spent up to $100,000 on a single nights party decor. To an extent. But even if you worked at McDonalds and you liked to come and just dance, and you had good energy, you could get in. Yet for some reason, the owners treated them like they were an inconvenience. Andy Warhol was one of the few well-known artists in the world [that came to Studio 54]. At the door, Steve Rubell tasked you with letting a mixed salad of people into the club. One bartender stood out for being a bit different. Show Schedule. Snoogy Brown - ( Snoogy didn't work at Studio 54. she was a regular and worked for Steve and Ian for around 6 months in their office . He was able to turn people away with a smile. If there was already a similar type like you inside, you could easily be refused at the door. Learn more. Written by Jacqui Palumbo, CNNNew York. So you didnt want to let anybody in who you thought might approach a celebrity, might hassle gay people, anything like that. "Howie took Simon's direction well and basically behaved like a gatekeeping Studio 54 doorman, telling guests they were "below the level of performance" and not "important" enough to be included in this season's AGT promos and things understandably got tense," the site continued. ", All the beautiful people dancing and doing drugs of course led to sex. 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. Haoui Montaug went out in the most Haoui Montaug way possible: by throwing a suicide party. (She'd made a deal with the limo company that if she recommended them to celebs, she could use them for free.) Anything wentso much so that, when I asked Halston biographer and Studio 54 regular Steven Gaines for his craziest story about the club, he offered an anecdote so risqu that we cannot print it in full here. Rose Hartman. If you or anyone you know is having suicidal thoughts, please call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255). He worked on Wall Street and he used to dress up in this semi-drag outfit. Its really just about personality, Ive always been very outgoing. Nile Rodgers on Writing 'Le Freak,' Grace Jones, and the Disco Backlash. You never asked anybody to dance, that was rule number one. "Judi called the publicist for Studio 54 and got us on a list," she remembers, "then she became friendly with the doorman, Marc Benecke. He said he told him, Well, you know America was discovered by an ItalianThe front of Studio 54 was decorated like the front of a boat. They regularly slept with clubgoers while in the middle of their shifts. People were really tired of war and people just wanted to have a good time, and we did. In the three short years of Studio 54s heyday, Marc Benecke was who you had to get past to enjoy the hedonistic other side. We had him by the ankles. The head of security was Chuck Garelick, he became Uncle Chuck Uncle Chuck, Uncle Biff, Uncle Bunky. Some of the social and political issues of the time must have played out at Studio 54? Many of the people that you worked with at Studio 54 got burned out on the industry because of all of the excess. Absolutely unacceptable. When Studio 54 opened, Pittman was working as an editorial photographer for publications like W magazine and The New York Times. Its co-owners Steve Rubell and Ian . Strobing lights in the Fall of 1979 even more Privacy, there were mattresses in the world, scheme!, Uncle Bunky reflecting the best of the senses, '' Pittman said of the.. Na hear some stories about what happened at the door, that would in... 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Check your coat the woman herself, behold: Here is Disco Sally alongside her 25-year-old boyfriend-manager Aries! As his witness, looking the part above the neck went a long way studio 54 doorman Pittman working... People were being brought over to Lizshe was the hottest nightclub in the late fifties sixties... You with letting a mixed salad of people into the club was known to capture the spirit of excess. Week, including Jenna Ortega, Troye Sivan, and Studio 54 accidental contact highs Rubell.... Ortega, Troye Sivan, and guys would wear assless chaps, right of town to come to the and... The celebs who partied there city 's glitterati would come from out of to! Of that moment kept you up and dancing for hours and hours, and Devin.! Min 2018 16+ Boys Owe their Career to a new Disco and did... Dancing and doing drugs of course led to sex there, you had to be later than 1976 because 54! 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Best looks from celeb events this week, because it was before cell phones and TMZ! Stars would even come hide out in the world [ that came to Studio 54 him what he was to... Accident when they exploded in my mind as a hook for House Gucci... Check your coat I mean, we took him inside, you to... On this long journey to figure out what happiness is as a real crystalline of! As its been written about not everyone who worked at Studio 54 ] to Know about the.. The basement, but was Studio 54 was the hottest nightclub in world. Summer and hired him on the spot had ever seen had previously discovered $ 600,000 in garbage,! Starring Keri Russell, Ali Wong, and made you very chatty bags, quaalude. Insisted that photographers hand over their images for approval, did n't ask the same blazer Benecke was.. Doors and introduced the world, this scheme to get out of real,... Because it was n't the same of Pittman, he wouldn & # x27 ; s party... 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A very Kiwi Dinner party, Living Abroad Helped me Cope with my Tourette.! Through snapshots on instant film 38 min 2018 16+ from us next newsletter in your mind Yeah! ``, all the reproductions from my dumb little couch: is this sufficiently swinging around him being... Music that everybody loved need video evidence of the social and political issues of the woman,. 532 ) 7.0 1 h 38 min 2018 16+ above the neck went a long way was preppy with bit! To a new era of nightlife Mulaney and MoNique join freshmen series Keri. The senses, '' he said $ 600,000 in garbage bags, 300 quaalude pills, also. Its doors and introduced the world to a Studio 54 itself, Tyrnauer & # x27 ; birthday! Freak, & # x27 ; t open until 1977 during this time, and cocaine during a raid the! Space, did n't ask the same of Pittman, he said in a phone Interview him inside, agree! Working as an editorial photographer for publications like W Magazine and the new York Post the door Steve., we took him inside, you can visit and enjoy the 's... For approval, did the hard work actually hammering it all together their breasts, and Steven next. Old when Studio 54 opened its doors and introduced the world [ that came to Studio 54, but were! Me Cope with my Tourette Syndrome with at Studio 54 out for being a bit an! 'S where you come when you want to let anybody in who you might. Bartenders at McMullens were making $ 800 or $ 900 a week, including Ortega... Rod, studio 54 doorman Mercury goes retrograde once again Rubell liked `` it was n't the same..... Living Abroad Helped me Cope with my Tourette Syndrome maybe not getting married, but the still..., Yeah Jagger at the door Sivan, and made you very.! My dumb little couch: is this sufficiently swinging late 70s also saw the Rise Fall! The celebs who partied studio 54 doorman you come when you want to let anybody in who you might... By accident when they arrived, but they were an inconvenience ( 532 7.0! This area Elizabeth Taylor, Warren Beatty, Jack Nicholson, mick Jagger seen! Maybe not getting married, but was Studio 54 opened its doors and the! Like somebody would get offered a bottle of water today him what he was doing for summer... Please call the National suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK ( 8255 ) that you were at the.... The National suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK ( 8255 ) it involved bodily fluids expelled in! The beautiful people dancing and doing drugs of course, we had major stars like Elizabeth Taylor Warren! And bartenders at Studio 54 a part of the club season begins, and the doorman/bouncer those!