Although I don't have any direct quotes from this article in my paper, it was influential in helping me to decide what to focus on and how to structure my essay. It touches on all of the important points from the original use of the studio, the door policy, the acceptance of gays, tax evasion, and many more important points that led to Studio 54's icon status.
18 Matching Annotations
- Dec 2018
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nypost.com nypost.com
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And a new Studio 54, or anything like it, would be impossible today. Rents are much too high for such a gargantuan dance venue. The city is more family-oriented than the anything-goes whirl of the late ’70s. Neighbors wouldn’t allow their cleaned-up block to be used as a staging area for debauchery. There’s less tolerance for open drug use and sexual-favor-trading between employees and clubgoers who’d do anything to pass through the velvet rope.
I appreciate this paragraph about why another Studio 54 could never exist, my paper contrasts this idea by explaining why Studio 54 worked so well in the 1970s. The mentions of the tolerance of sex in the club also relates to my paragraph about the sexual revolution and openness to experimentation in Studio 54 as well as cultural factors that led to this.
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The mob scene at least solved a mystery: How could a dance club large enough to hold 2,000 at a time be “exclusive”? The secret of Studio 54 was that the doormen let in just about anyone who was gay, while male-female couples and women alone faced tough scrutiny at the velvet rope. In the pre-AIDS era, the gay club scene accounted for no small part of Studio 54’s clientele
Again this relates to my paragraphs about the entrance policy and the inclusion of gays in the tossed salad that was the Studio 54 clientele.
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You didn’t need coke or furtive sex to get high on its singular allure of depravity and decadence, although many denizens merrily and regularly doped themselves up and indulged in high-risk amorous encounters.
Although I have decided not to include a full paragraph about the drugs at Studio 54, out of fear that it will become too much of a focus in this paper, I do recognize the importance and plan to include some hints at it. I enjoy the way that Steve Cuozzo managed to do just this by seamlessly mentioning the drugs and moving onto the more important points of his article
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enetrate for those neither boldfaced nor “connected” that I had little confidence a friend and I would get in. Claudia Cohen, The Post’s Page Six editor at the time, had supposedly put the fix in for me. But as we fought our way toward the velvet rope, through gridlocked limos and howling scenemakers, I expected standard Studio 54 door abuse — which included splitting couples up (“he can go in, but not the chick”) and an alleged dismissal of Frank Sinatra along with his retinue of bodyguards.
Again this focuses on the door policy and how strict it was even if you had "connections." This was one of the most important pieces of the Studio 54 puzzle and there is a reason that every source has mentioned it and why I feel I need to include it in my paper. This was the first taste of Studio 54 that anyone experienced (or the only taste) and it set the scene for everything that you would experience once inside.
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books.google.com books.google.com
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I find this particular article interesting because the author, Dan Dorfman, was originally a finance writer for New York Magazine, so he took those skills to dig deeper into Studio 54's finances to describe the admission prices, original capital invested, etc. Some argued that this article was the beginning of the end for this reason, pointing to the finacial inequalities of what they were making and should have been making and quoting "The profits are astronomical, only the mafia does better.
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"where all classes, the gays and the chic people could mix in an exciting atmosphere...that's what Studio 54 is all about."
This explains that even the location made for a more interesting mix of people where fashion, eccentricity and personal differences were valued. It relates to the idea of a tossed salad, the perfect blend of different people with different personalities and from different walks of life.
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"unlike the nattily attired creme de la creme who flock to Studio 54..."
This paragraph does a great job of describing Steve Rubell with his carefree attitude about everything other than Studio. Nothing else mattered to him, Studio 54 was his baby and he eventually was willing to give all of himself to it
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"There he was, at 11:30 pm at West 54th Street near Eighth avenue, manning the Studio 54 entrance as he usually does"
This describes the atmosphere outside the doors and what it was really like for Steve Rubell as he stood outside, denying entrance for the majority and allowing access for the chosen few. It relates to the ideas presented in many of my other sources about the cutthroat nature of the door policy and the need for exclusivity
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www.actuporalhistory.org www.actuporalhistory.org
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I started skating all over the city. I started small. I started in small areas, but I was in the Village and people were saying, “Oh, you can’t—.” Some people were saying to me, “You can’t do this. This is not normal.”I says, “Well, the hippies are doing their thing and having a blast. Why can’t I do what I want to do?”“Well, no one’s ever done this before.”I says, “Well, I’m the first. I have to do what I have to do.
This proves my point that although Elton John was playing on the radio and there were gay clubs, this was still a time where most people weren't accepted. But as he said, the hippies are doing their thing, and it felt that in the 1970s most people were exploring what was most meaningful and valuable to their happiness. This was one of the main goals of Studio 54.
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So the secretary to the president of the company, this elderly lady about seventy-two years old, drew up a petition, and no one saw what she wrote on the petition. She just had the petition, and she went around wanting everybody to sign the petition, but basically what it was about was that she was going to do a letter and send it to President Richard Nixon and tell him what a wonderful job he was doing. There was seventy people in that office. I was the only one who would not sign that petition. I never gave it a second thought. She came to me and she says, “Will you sign this petition?”I says, “No.” I went back to my work.Then the next day, she came back and she says, “Are you going to sign this petition?” And she started getting on my case about this petition.And I said, “No, I don’t want to sign this petition, because I don’t think we should be in Vietnam.” She made these very unpleasant comments about me, said I was unpatriotic, ungrateful. I said, “Let me tell you something. All of a sudden, you’re the expert on the war in Vietnam, yet when I was over there, no one knew what was going on, but yet you know all about what was going on. I do not want to sign your petition. I fought for the right to say no.
Although it isn't directly related to my paper about Studio 54, I find this section valuable in its own right as a case describing the freedom of choice and freedom of speech that was so abundant at this time. It reminds me of a quote, "“It’s not unpatriotic to denounce an injustice committed on our behalf, perhaps it’s the most patriotic thing we can do.” There is value in speaking out about your beliefs and that is exactly what Rollerena did throughout her time in NYC
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Rollerena was the Fairy Godmother of New York City, and she was sexless. She wasn’t looking to get picked up. She was different, unique. I mean, I dressed up
This is what made Rollerena iconic and what even helped her celebrity to live on today (in certain circles). The idea that she was different and just looking to have fun and be herself was emblematic of the 1970s in and of itself and the confidence to do so is valuable in its own right
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two hundred people came up to me, straight people, all walks of life. “We’re so glad you’re here.” It
I love this idea that so many people felt the need to connect with Rollerena, as explained in other points in the interview, she wasn't always accepted but the energy of Studio 54 helped people to value each other's differences and abnormalities
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Although this interview was created with a focus on a biographical history of Rollerena's life and her contribution to AIDs research, it offers great insight into what was happening during the 1970s and societal influences that allowed Studio 54 to become a success.
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etd.ohiolink.edu etd.ohiolink.edu
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Since this paper was written with the goal of proving Studio 54's lasting influence it offers me a lot of information about why it is still relevant. The infamous demise of Studio 54 is discussed in detail, while citing its influence on media and celebrity culture. This paper is also relevant because it discusses what is happening at large in society and current events that influenced the time.
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hen Cher’s image graced the cover of The New York Post and The Daily News it marked the first time a celebrity face trumped that of a fashion model in the media (47). Discotheques changed the way paparazzi shot celebrities; now they were all in one place, the chase was removed, and so was the classic ten feet of space between the camera and the subject. (Haden-Guest 1997b, 45)
One of my main focuses of the paper is to show that yes Studio 54 represented the 1970s and was emblematic, but it is also to show the lasting impact and that although the club closed it still lives on. This is one of the media practices that changed as a result of Studio 54 and has lived on through today.
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The result was a dynamic of extreme dictatorial exclusion and selectivity at the door but instant democracy once you were admitted.
This specific sentence describes the idea that I am trying to convey overall in my paper. It explains that although it was exclusive at the door, once you entered the club it became a free for all where you could do as you please and unleash your inhibitions to be the real you. This relates to my theme that Studio 54 represented the freedom of the 1970s
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In New York City there were separate straight clubs and gay clubs until disco successfully integrated the two in an environment defined by music and style. Lawyer Ian Schrager and restaurateur Steve Rubell’s partnership and investment in Studio 54 produced an environment of the most intense and extraordinary celebrity and eccentricity that club culture had ever seen. Schrager noticed, not just the size and vigor of the gay culture he saw about him but the general mixing and melding of different groups of people, the breaking down of social barriers of race and class, and the sight of people willing to stand in line, often in rotten weather, for the privilege of spending their money awed him (Haden-Guest 1997a, 10)
Studio 54 understood the importance of uniting the gay and straight populations and by doing so helped to create a feeling of acceptance throughout the club and influenced the population to feel the same. The idea of people waiting in line to spend their money aligns with my paragraph about the door policy and how many people would be turned away each night as well.
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