Contents:
- 54 BOMBED 1998. NOW IT’S BEEN RURRECTED AS A CULT GAY CLASSIC.
- DGS, DIS, AND A DEAD BODY: FIVE OUTRAGEO STUD 54 STORIIN HONOR OF NETFLIX’S HALSTON, A LOOK BACK AT THE FAMO 1970S NIGHTCLUB—A FAVORE HNT OF ANDY WARHOL AND CHER, WH A SNDALO HISTORY TO MATCH.BY JULIE MILLERMAY 14, 2021FROM GETTY IMAG.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEAS NETFLIX’S HALSTON REMDS , STUD 54 WAS A FEVER DREAM OF EXCS. BUT THE REAL-LIFE NIGHTCLUB—WH S GLAMORO VIP GUTS, PLENTIFUL DGS, AND BALNY SEX—WAS SOMEHOW MORE OUTRAGEO ACTUALY THAN ULD EVER BE NVEYED ONSCREEN. HALSTON, ANDY WARHOL, LIZA MNELLI, MICK JAGGER, CHER, DAVID GEFFEN, JACK NICHOLSON, AND MICHAEL JACKSON REGULARLY PACKED THE BANQUETT. SNTILY CLAD DANCERS GYRATED ON AN TOMATED BRIDGE THAT MOVED BACK AND FORTH OVER THE DANCE FLOOR. CLUB FOUNRS STEVE RUBELL AND IAN SCHRAGER PROVID PREMIUM GUTS WH PREMIUM E AND SPENT UP TO $100,000 ON A SGLE NIGHT’S PARTY R. AND SWEATY ATTEN ENGAGED ANONYMO TERURSE ON THE BALNY—WHICH WAS FAMOLY VERED BBER SO THAT ULD BE EASILY HOSED DOWN AT THE END OF EACH EVENG.ANYTHG WENT—SO MUCH SO THAT, WHEN I ASKED HALSTON BGRAPHER AND STUD 54 REGULAR STEVEN GA FOR HIS CRAZIT STORY ABOUT THE CLUB, HE OFFERED AN ANECDOTE SO RISQUé THAT WE NNOT PRT FULL HERE. (IT VOLVED BODILY FLUIDS EXPELLED PETIVELY THE STUD 54 BASEMENT. THE PRIZE: A PAID TRIP TO ST. BARTS.)“HEY,” HE SAID AFTER MY STUNNED PSE, “YOU ASKED.”“NOTHG ULD SHOCK ME ANYMORE,” ADD GA, WHOSE BOOK SIMPLY HALSTON IS THE BASIS FOR NETFLIX’S LIMED SERI STARRG EWAN MCGREGOR AS THE LATE FASHN SIGNER. “NEW YORK WAS VERY, VERY LOOSE AT THE TIME. A LOT OF STUFF WAS GOG ON NEW YORK CY THAT YOU JT ULDN’T BELIEVE. IT WAS REALLY DIFFERENT. THE FALL OF ROME, LET ME TELL YOU. STUD WAS A REFLECTN OF ALL OF THAT.”AHEAD, FIVE OUTRAGEO ANECDOT THAT PAT A PICTURE OF STUD 54 ALL OF S GRATUO GLORY.GAG ENTRY AT ALL COSTSIN HALSTON THE SIGNER LEARNS OF A PERSON WHO DIED AN AIR SHAFT WHILE TRYG TO SNEAK TO STUD 54. THE ANECDOTE SEEMGLY STEMS OM STUD 54 ASSOCIATE BAIRD JON, WHO TOLD THE LAST PARTY THOR ANTHONY HAN-GUT THIS HAD ACTUALLY HAPPENED: “THIS GUY GOT STUCK A VENT TRYG TO GET . IT SMELLED LIKE A T HAD DIED. HE WAS BLACK TIE.” JON ADD, “PEOPLE WOULD CLIMB DOWN OM THE BUILDG NEXT DOOR FULL MOUNTA-CLIMBG GEAR…TRYG TO GET TO THE URTYARD.”DOORMAN MARC BENECKE TOLD THE BBC, “AT ONE POT YOU ULD BUY MAPS WHICH CLAIMED TO SHOW HOW TO GET THROUGH TUNNELS UP OM THE SUBWAY SYSTEM. IT WAS CRAZY.”ACRDG TO STUD 54 DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER MATT TYRNER, THE CLUB OWNERS “CLEVERLY PAID DOORMAN MARC BENECKE MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE TO MAKE SURE HE WASN’T TEMPTED TO TAKE BRIB. HE SAID HE DIDN’T—BUT THAT DIDN’T MEAN PEOPLE WOULDN’T SHOVE THEIR HANDS HIS AT POCKET AND LEAVE DGS AND MONEY THERE.”ELIZABETH TAYLOR’S BIRTHDAY PARTYWRG FOR VANY FAIR, STUD 54 REGULAR BOB COLACELLO CLARED TAYLOR’S 1978 BIRTHDAY THE CLUB’S “MOST AMAZG PARTY OF ALL…THE ROCKETT PERFORMED AND THEN PRENTED THE MOVIE STAR, WHO WAS STANDG ON A FLOAT OF GARNIAS BETWEEN HALSTON AND HER THEN HBAND, SENATOR JOHN WARNER OF VIRGIA, WH A KE THAT WAS A FULL-SIZE PORTRA OF HER. AS TAYLOR GAMELY CUT A GOOD LUCK SLICE OM THE BUTTERCREAM BOSOM, WARNER FLED THE PAPARAZZI.”“A DOZEN WELL-ENDOWED HUNKS, NAKED BUT FOR SEQUED POSG-POUCH, AND SOME WH JOTS DANGLG OM THE RNERS OF THEIR MOUTHS, STTERED GARNIA PETALS THE UPLE’S PATH AS THEY ENTERED,” WROTE TAYLOR BGRAPHER DAVID BRET THE LADY, THE LOVER, THE LEGEND. “THE DANCG AND FUN NTUED UNTIL THE EARLY HOURS, THE ATMOSPHERE HEAVY WH THE STENCH OF POPPERS AND ELIZABETH BEBOPPG WH A BEVVY OF GAY PORN STARS, UNTIL WARNER PUT HIS FOOT DOWN AND SAID THAT THEY WERE LEAVG.”ANDY WARHOL ALSO WROTE A LS-THAN-FLATTERG REP OF THE SHDIG HIS JOURNAL. FROM THE ANDY WARHOL DIARI: “LIZ LOOKED LIKE A—BELLYBUTTON. LIKE A FAT LTLE KEWPIE DOLL…. DIANA VREELAND WAS THERE, AND PEOPLE WERE BEG BROUGHT OVER TO LIZ—SHE WAS THE QUEEN. I MET A QUARTERBACK. BOB WAS WATCHG BIAN [JAGGER] TAKE POPPERS AND HE SAID TO DIANA VREELAND, ‘IT REALLY BE MORE LIKE PAGAN ROME EVERY DAY,’ AND SHE SAID, ‘I SHOULD HOPE SO—ISN’T THAT WHAT WE’RE AFTER?’”THE DIS-DANCG SEPTUAGENARIANTHAT WOULD BE “DIS SALLY,” A “SPRIGHTLY THG HER LATE SEVENTI WHO DANCED LIKE A THIRTY-YEAR-OLD, AND WAS ACPANIED BY A HANDSOME YOUNG MAN NAMED JOHN ON HER ARM,” WROTE MARK FLEISCHMAN INSI STUD 54. “SHE WAS A RETIRED JEWISH LAWYER WHO BEME A JUDGE AND SUDNLY WENT CRAZY DUE TO THE BATN OF E AND THE STUD 54 EFFECT. BUT BACK THE DAY, SHE WOULD DANCE NONSTOP—OM MIDNIGHT TO 5:00 A.M. MANY NIGHTS A WEEK, TAKG ONLY BATHROOM AND E BREAKS.”AS NEW YORK MAGAZE REPORTED AT THE TIME, “A TY, 77-YEAR-OLD LAWYER NAMED SALLY LIPPMAN WAS MOURNG THE ATH OF HER HBAND WHEN SHE HAPPENED UPON THE DIS SCENE AND CHANGED HER LIFE. DRSED TIGHT PANTS AND HIGH-TOP SNEAKERS, SHE BEME DIS SALLY, A STAR AT STUD 54 AND XENON WHO’D DRAW AN DIENCE OF ADORG FANS AS SHE GOT DOWN ON THE DANCE FLOOR.”IF YOU NEED VIO EVINCE OF THE WOMAN HERSELF, BEHOLD: HERE IS DIS SALLY ALONGSI HER 25-YEAR-OLD BOYIEND-MANAGER.MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MADONNA TURNED THE LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN SET INTO A THREE-RG CIRCBY ER CARLSONHOLIDAYS AT STUD 54“HALLOWEEN WAS ALWAYS THE BIGGT NIGHT OF THE YEAR, DRAWG CROWDS OF OVER 2,500,” RELLED FLEISCHMAN. “ONE YEAR, WE SPENT $50,000 TRANSFORMG THE MA ENTRANCE HALL TO A HNTED MANSN THAT CLUD LIVE MONSTERS JUMPG OUT AT OUR GUTS AS THEY MA THEIR WAY ACROSS RICKETY BRIDG THROUGH A GRAVEYARD, WHILE HOWLG AND OTHER VERY STRANGE LOUD NOIS PLAYED THE BACKGROUND.” DCRIBG ONE PARTY, FORMER MOL KEV HALEY TOLD VANY FAIR 1996, “AS YOU ME UP THE RAMP THE FOYER, YOU LOOKED THROUGH LTLE WDOWS TO LTLE BOOTHS WH MIDGETS DOG THGS. THE ONE THAT STICKS OUT MY HEAD HAD A MIDGET FAY EATG A FORMAL DNER.”AHEAD OF THANKSGIVG 1978, RUBELL ATTEMPTED AN DAC HOLIDAY EVENT FOR WHICH VALENTO FOOTED THE BILL. RUBELL “HAD THE WAERS DRSED UP LIKE PILGRIMS AND HE WAS SERVG TURKEY,” RELLED WARHOL HIS PUBLISHED DIARI. “HE SAID HE HAD TO EXPLA TO VALENTO WHY HE WAS DOG THAT WAY. HE SAID HE TOLD HIM, ‘WELL, YOU KNOW AMERI WAS DISVERED BY AN ITALIAN’…THE ONT OF STUD 54 WAS RATED LIKE THE ONT OF A BOAT. I LOST HALSTON BUT I FOUND HIM A LTLE LATER EATG A TURKEY LEG, AND HE MA ME HAVE SOME. THE LAST PLACE YOU WANT TO EAT MEAT OM IS A DISTHEQUE, BUT LATER I SAW STEVIE EATG THE TURKEY, TOO, SO I GUS WAS OKAY.”FOR CHRISTMAS, ACRDG TO INSI STUD 54, SCHRAGER PUT TOGETHER DIS-APPROPRIATE HOLIDAY GIFTS: “BAGGI OF E…EACH ONE HAD A RIBBON ON , ALONG WH RDS ADDRSED TO SUCH FAMO NAM AS CALV KLE, BIAN JAGGER, ANDY WARHOL, HALSTON, AND SO ON.”AN OVER-THE-TOP EXTHE NIGHT BEFORE RUBELL AND SCHRAGER WENT TO PRISON FOR RPORATE TAX EVASN, THE DUO THREW A PARTY AT WHICH RUBELL WORE A FRANK SATRA–STYLE FEDORA AND SERENAD THE CLUB WH “I DID IT MY WAY.” “WHEN I LOOK BACK AT NOW,” SCHRAGER SAID 2018’S STUD 54 DOCUMENTARY, “ WAS SO PREPOSTERO. WHAT WERE WE THKG?”MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MADONNA TURNED THE LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN SET INTO A THREE-RG CIRCBY ER CARLSONPER THE LAST PARTY:STEVE RUBELL AND DIANA ROSS WENT UP TO NTROL CENTRAL, THE DJ BOOTH…DIANA ROSS BEGAN TO SG OUT OVER THE CROWD. “SHE WAS BLZED. TOTALLY TRASHED,” CHRIS WILLIAMSON SAYS. REALDO HERRERA, WHO WAS THERE WH CAROLA, SAYS, “IT WAS RATHER MOVG. TOUCHG. STEVE HAD THIS PASSN FOR DIANA. HE HAD EVERY SGLE SONG HIS R.”ROSS PRODD AN EVEN MORE TRASHED RUBELL TO SGG HIMSELF. HE LNCHED TO AN ENTHIASTIC RENDN OF “I DID IT MY WAY.” A B TOO ENTHIASTIC, FACT. “HE BASILLY FELL OVER THE THG AT ONE POT,” ROGER PARENTI SAYS. “WE HAD HIM BY THE ANKL. HE WAS HANGG OFF THE DJ BOOTH. HE ULD HAVE KILLED HIMSELF.”FEDS HAD PREVLY DISVERED $600,000 GARBAGE BAGS, 300 QUAALU PILLS, AND E DURG A RAID OF THE CLUB. THE DISVERI, WHICH WERE REPORTED THE PRS, DISAPPOTED STUD 54 REGULARS WARHOL AND HALSTON, BUT FOR SURPRISG REASONS. PER THE ANDY WARHOL DIARI:“HEARG HOW MUCH MONEY STEVE ACTUALLY HAD, HE ULD HAVE BEEN TREATG SO WONRFULLY. HE ULD HAVE BEEN SO GENERO AND SPENDG SO MUCH, AND HE JT WASN’T. HE DID TAKE TO LA GRENOUILLE ONCE, BUT ULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH MORE…. WHAT HALSTON’S BEEN MOST UPSET ABOUT THE STUD 54 BT IS THAT THE IRS AGENTS DISVERED ANOTHER LTLE ROOM THAT NOBODY KNEW ABOUT, AND HALSTON IS HURT BEE HE’S SUCH A CLOSE IEND AND STEVE HADN’T TOLD HIM ABOUT .”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR — AFTER JEN SHAH’S ARRT, HOW CAN WE KEEP ENJOYG REAL HOEWIV?— BARRY JENKS ON BRGG THE UNRGROUND RAILROAD TO TV— HOW SWIMMG WH SHARKS TRIED TO WARN US ABOUT STT RUD— QUIL LEMONS’S 2021 VANY FAIR OSR PORTRAS— ANDREW MCCARTHY ON PRETTY PK AND THE BRAT PACK— THE 2021 OSR CEREMONY WAS A NOBLE, DOOMED EXPERIMENT— ELLT PAGE FALLY FEELS “ABLE TO JT EXIST”— FROM THE ARCHIVE: THE UNSKABLE JENNIFER ANISTON— NOT A SUBSCRIBER? JO VANY FAIR TO RECEIVE FULL ACCS TO AND THE PLETE ONLE ARCHIVE NOW.JULIE MILLER
54 BOMBED 1998. NOW IT’S BEEN RURRECTED AS A CULT GAY CLASSIC.
Co-owner Steve Rubell was gay, which uld expla why stead of the bty women you might expect, the bartenrs at the club were all hunky guys.
“First of all, the gay subject matter, that’s a huge thg, ” he ntued. Plucked om the behd the velvet rop outsi Stud 54 by the club’s lechero gay owner, Steve Rubell (Mike Myers his first and bt dramatic role), he leverag his sex appeal by flirtg wh any and everyone — and sleepg wh most — to land a job at the club, work his way up to bartenr and leverage that for a short-lived place among Gotham’s upper-class ele. “But they didn’t tt the ci (where the dience for a dark, edgy die movie would be); they tted out malls Long Island and plac like that, and that dience was spl between the ol people who loved and the homophob the dience.
At this pot, Christopher turned to the Miramax rep silently eavdroppg on our terview to make sure he was allowed to say “homophob.
DGS, DIS, AND A DEAD BODY: FIVE OUTRAGEO STUD 54 STORIIN HONOR OF NETFLIX’S HALSTON, A LOOK BACK AT THE FAMO 1970S NIGHTCLUB—A FAVORE HNT OF ANDY WARHOL AND CHER, WH A SNDALO HISTORY TO MATCH.BY JULIE MILLERMAY 14, 2021FROM GETTY IMAG.SAVE THIS STORYSAVESAVE THIS STORYSAVEAS NETFLIX’S HALSTON REMDS , STUD 54 WAS A FEVER DREAM OF EXCS. BUT THE REAL-LIFE NIGHTCLUB—WH S GLAMORO VIP GUTS, PLENTIFUL DGS, AND BALNY SEX—WAS SOMEHOW MORE OUTRAGEO ACTUALY THAN ULD EVER BE NVEYED ONSCREEN. HALSTON, ANDY WARHOL, LIZA MNELLI, MICK JAGGER, CHER, DAVID GEFFEN, JACK NICHOLSON, AND MICHAEL JACKSON REGULARLY PACKED THE BANQUETT. SNTILY CLAD DANCERS GYRATED ON AN TOMATED BRIDGE THAT MOVED BACK AND FORTH OVER THE DANCE FLOOR. CLUB FOUNRS STEVE RUBELL AND IAN SCHRAGER PROVID PREMIUM GUTS WH PREMIUM E AND SPENT UP TO $100,000 ON A SGLE NIGHT’S PARTY R. AND SWEATY ATTEN ENGAGED ANONYMO TERURSE ON THE BALNY—WHICH WAS FAMOLY VERED BBER SO THAT ULD BE EASILY HOSED DOWN AT THE END OF EACH EVENG.ANYTHG WENT—SO MUCH SO THAT, WHEN I ASKED HALSTON BGRAPHER AND STUD 54 REGULAR STEVEN GA FOR HIS CRAZIT STORY ABOUT THE CLUB, HE OFFERED AN ANECDOTE SO RISQUé THAT WE NNOT PRT FULL HERE. (IT VOLVED BODILY FLUIDS EXPELLED PETIVELY THE STUD 54 BASEMENT. THE PRIZE: A PAID TRIP TO ST. BARTS.)“HEY,” HE SAID AFTER MY STUNNED PSE, “YOU ASKED.”“NOTHG ULD SHOCK ME ANYMORE,” ADD GA, WHOSE BOOK SIMPLY HALSTON IS THE BASIS FOR NETFLIX’S LIMED SERI STARRG EWAN MCGREGOR AS THE LATE FASHN SIGNER. “NEW YORK WAS VERY, VERY LOOSE AT THE TIME. A LOT OF STUFF WAS GOG ON NEW YORK CY THAT YOU JT ULDN’T BELIEVE. IT WAS REALLY DIFFERENT. THE FALL OF ROME, LET ME TELL YOU. STUD WAS A REFLECTN OF ALL OF THAT.”AHEAD, FIVE OUTRAGEO ANECDOT THAT PAT A PICTURE OF STUD 54 ALL OF S GRATUO GLORY.GAG ENTRY AT ALL COSTSIN HALSTON THE SIGNER LEARNS OF A PERSON WHO DIED AN AIR SHAFT WHILE TRYG TO SNEAK TO STUD 54. THE ANECDOTE SEEMGLY STEMS OM STUD 54 ASSOCIATE BAIRD JON, WHO TOLD THE LAST PARTY THOR ANTHONY HAN-GUT THIS HAD ACTUALLY HAPPENED: “THIS GUY GOT STUCK A VENT TRYG TO GET . IT SMELLED LIKE A T HAD DIED. HE WAS BLACK TIE.” JON ADD, “PEOPLE WOULD CLIMB DOWN OM THE BUILDG NEXT DOOR FULL MOUNTA-CLIMBG GEAR…TRYG TO GET TO THE URTYARD.”DOORMAN MARC BENECKE TOLD THE BBC, “AT ONE POT YOU ULD BUY MAPS WHICH CLAIMED TO SHOW HOW TO GET THROUGH TUNNELS UP OM THE SUBWAY SYSTEM. IT WAS CRAZY.”ACRDG TO STUD 54 DOCUMENTARY FILMMAKER MATT TYRNER, THE CLUB OWNERS “CLEVERLY PAID DOORMAN MARC BENECKE MORE THAN ANYONE ELSE TO MAKE SURE HE WASN’T TEMPTED TO TAKE BRIB. HE SAID HE DIDN’T—BUT THAT DIDN’T MEAN PEOPLE WOULDN’T SHOVE THEIR HANDS HIS AT POCKET AND LEAVE DGS AND MONEY THERE.”ELIZABETH TAYLOR’S BIRTHDAY PARTYWRG FOR VANY FAIR, STUD 54 REGULAR BOB COLACELLO CLARED TAYLOR’S 1978 BIRTHDAY THE CLUB’S “MOST AMAZG PARTY OF ALL…THE ROCKETT PERFORMED AND THEN PRENTED THE MOVIE STAR, WHO WAS STANDG ON A FLOAT OF GARNIAS BETWEEN HALSTON AND HER THEN HBAND, SENATOR JOHN WARNER OF VIRGIA, WH A KE THAT WAS A FULL-SIZE PORTRA OF HER. AS TAYLOR GAMELY CUT A GOOD LUCK SLICE OM THE BUTTERCREAM BOSOM, WARNER FLED THE PAPARAZZI.”“A DOZEN WELL-ENDOWED HUNKS, NAKED BUT FOR SEQUED POSG-POUCH, AND SOME WH JOTS DANGLG OM THE RNERS OF THEIR MOUTHS, STTERED GARNIA PETALS THE UPLE’S PATH AS THEY ENTERED,” WROTE TAYLOR BGRAPHER DAVID BRET THE LADY, THE LOVER, THE LEGEND. “THE DANCG AND FUN NTUED UNTIL THE EARLY HOURS, THE ATMOSPHERE HEAVY WH THE STENCH OF POPPERS AND ELIZABETH BEBOPPG WH A BEVVY OF GAY PORN STARS, UNTIL WARNER PUT HIS FOOT DOWN AND SAID THAT THEY WERE LEAVG.”ANDY WARHOL ALSO WROTE A LS-THAN-FLATTERG REP OF THE SHDIG HIS JOURNAL. FROM THE ANDY WARHOL DIARI: “LIZ LOOKED LIKE A—BELLYBUTTON. LIKE A FAT LTLE KEWPIE DOLL…. DIANA VREELAND WAS THERE, AND PEOPLE WERE BEG BROUGHT OVER TO LIZ—SHE WAS THE QUEEN. I MET A QUARTERBACK. BOB WAS WATCHG BIAN [JAGGER] TAKE POPPERS AND HE SAID TO DIANA VREELAND, ‘IT REALLY BE MORE LIKE PAGAN ROME EVERY DAY,’ AND SHE SAID, ‘I SHOULD HOPE SO—ISN’T THAT WHAT WE’RE AFTER?’”THE DIS-DANCG SEPTUAGENARIANTHAT WOULD BE “DIS SALLY,” A “SPRIGHTLY THG HER LATE SEVENTI WHO DANCED LIKE A THIRTY-YEAR-OLD, AND WAS ACPANIED BY A HANDSOME YOUNG MAN NAMED JOHN ON HER ARM,” WROTE MARK FLEISCHMAN INSI STUD 54. “SHE WAS A RETIRED JEWISH LAWYER WHO BEME A JUDGE AND SUDNLY WENT CRAZY DUE TO THE BATN OF E AND THE STUD 54 EFFECT. BUT BACK THE DAY, SHE WOULD DANCE NONSTOP—OM MIDNIGHT TO 5:00 A.M. MANY NIGHTS A WEEK, TAKG ONLY BATHROOM AND E BREAKS.”AS NEW YORK MAGAZE REPORTED AT THE TIME, “A TY, 77-YEAR-OLD LAWYER NAMED SALLY LIPPMAN WAS MOURNG THE ATH OF HER HBAND WHEN SHE HAPPENED UPON THE DIS SCENE AND CHANGED HER LIFE. DRSED TIGHT PANTS AND HIGH-TOP SNEAKERS, SHE BEME DIS SALLY, A STAR AT STUD 54 AND XENON WHO’D DRAW AN DIENCE OF ADORG FANS AS SHE GOT DOWN ON THE DANCE FLOOR.”IF YOU NEED VIO EVINCE OF THE WOMAN HERSELF, BEHOLD: HERE IS DIS SALLY ALONGSI HER 25-YEAR-OLD BOYIEND-MANAGER.MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MADONNA TURNED THE LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN SET INTO A THREE-RG CIRCBY ER CARLSONHOLIDAYS AT STUD 54“HALLOWEEN WAS ALWAYS THE BIGGT NIGHT OF THE YEAR, DRAWG CROWDS OF OVER 2,500,” RELLED FLEISCHMAN. “ONE YEAR, WE SPENT $50,000 TRANSFORMG THE MA ENTRANCE HALL TO A HNTED MANSN THAT CLUD LIVE MONSTERS JUMPG OUT AT OUR GUTS AS THEY MA THEIR WAY ACROSS RICKETY BRIDG THROUGH A GRAVEYARD, WHILE HOWLG AND OTHER VERY STRANGE LOUD NOIS PLAYED THE BACKGROUND.” DCRIBG ONE PARTY, FORMER MOL KEV HALEY TOLD VANY FAIR 1996, “AS YOU ME UP THE RAMP THE FOYER, YOU LOOKED THROUGH LTLE WDOWS TO LTLE BOOTHS WH MIDGETS DOG THGS. THE ONE THAT STICKS OUT MY HEAD HAD A MIDGET FAY EATG A FORMAL DNER.”AHEAD OF THANKSGIVG 1978, RUBELL ATTEMPTED AN DAC HOLIDAY EVENT FOR WHICH VALENTO FOOTED THE BILL. RUBELL “HAD THE WAERS DRSED UP LIKE PILGRIMS AND HE WAS SERVG TURKEY,” RELLED WARHOL HIS PUBLISHED DIARI. “HE SAID HE HAD TO EXPLA TO VALENTO WHY HE WAS DOG THAT WAY. HE SAID HE TOLD HIM, ‘WELL, YOU KNOW AMERI WAS DISVERED BY AN ITALIAN’…THE ONT OF STUD 54 WAS RATED LIKE THE ONT OF A BOAT. I LOST HALSTON BUT I FOUND HIM A LTLE LATER EATG A TURKEY LEG, AND HE MA ME HAVE SOME. THE LAST PLACE YOU WANT TO EAT MEAT OM IS A DISTHEQUE, BUT LATER I SAW STEVIE EATG THE TURKEY, TOO, SO I GUS WAS OKAY.”FOR CHRISTMAS, ACRDG TO INSI STUD 54, SCHRAGER PUT TOGETHER DIS-APPROPRIATE HOLIDAY GIFTS: “BAGGI OF E…EACH ONE HAD A RIBBON ON , ALONG WH RDS ADDRSED TO SUCH FAMO NAM AS CALV KLE, BIAN JAGGER, ANDY WARHOL, HALSTON, AND SO ON.”AN OVER-THE-TOP EXTHE NIGHT BEFORE RUBELL AND SCHRAGER WENT TO PRISON FOR RPORATE TAX EVASN, THE DUO THREW A PARTY AT WHICH RUBELL WORE A FRANK SATRA–STYLE FEDORA AND SERENAD THE CLUB WH “I DID IT MY WAY.” “WHEN I LOOK BACK AT NOW,” SCHRAGER SAID 2018’S STUD 54 DOCUMENTARY, “ WAS SO PREPOSTERO. WHAT WERE WE THKG?”MOST POPULARAND JT LIKE THAT: MICHAEL PATRICK KG KNOWS WHEN THE AUDIENCE TURNED ON CHE DIAZBY CHRIS MURPHYSARA RAMIREZ ISSU STHG RPONSE TO ANTI–CHE DIAZ PROFILEBY SAVANNAH WALSHHOW MADONNA TURNED THE LEAGUE OF THEIR OWN SET INTO A THREE-RG CIRCBY ER CARLSONPER THE LAST PARTY:STEVE RUBELL AND DIANA ROSS WENT UP TO NTROL CENTRAL, THE DJ BOOTH…DIANA ROSS BEGAN TO SG OUT OVER THE CROWD. “SHE WAS BLZED. TOTALLY TRASHED,” CHRIS WILLIAMSON SAYS. REALDO HERRERA, WHO WAS THERE WH CAROLA, SAYS, “IT WAS RATHER MOVG. TOUCHG. STEVE HAD THIS PASSN FOR DIANA. HE HAD EVERY SGLE SONG HIS R.”ROSS PRODD AN EVEN MORE TRASHED RUBELL TO SGG HIMSELF. HE LNCHED TO AN ENTHIASTIC RENDN OF “I DID IT MY WAY.” A B TOO ENTHIASTIC, FACT. “HE BASILLY FELL OVER THE THG AT ONE POT,” ROGER PARENTI SAYS. “WE HAD HIM BY THE ANKL. HE WAS HANGG OFF THE DJ BOOTH. HE ULD HAVE KILLED HIMSELF.”FEDS HAD PREVLY DISVERED $600,000 GARBAGE BAGS, 300 QUAALU PILLS, AND E DURG A RAID OF THE CLUB. THE DISVERI, WHICH WERE REPORTED THE PRS, DISAPPOTED STUD 54 REGULARS WARHOL AND HALSTON, BUT FOR SURPRISG REASONS. PER THE ANDY WARHOL DIARI:“HEARG HOW MUCH MONEY STEVE ACTUALLY HAD, HE ULD HAVE BEEN TREATG SO WONRFULLY. HE ULD HAVE BEEN SO GENERO AND SPENDG SO MUCH, AND HE JT WASN’T. HE DID TAKE TO LA GRENOUILLE ONCE, BUT ULD HAVE BEEN SO MUCH MORE…. WHAT HALSTON’S BEEN MOST UPSET ABOUT THE STUD 54 BT IS THAT THE IRS AGENTS DISVERED ANOTHER LTLE ROOM THAT NOBODY KNEW ABOUT, AND HALSTON IS HURT BEE HE’S SUCH A CLOSE IEND AND STEVE HADN’T TOLD HIM ABOUT .”MORE GREAT STORI FROM VANY FAIR — AFTER JEN SHAH’S ARRT, HOW CAN WE KEEP ENJOYG REAL HOEWIV?— BARRY JENKS ON BRGG THE UNRGROUND RAILROAD TO TV— HOW SWIMMG WH SHARKS TRIED TO WARN US ABOUT STT RUD— QUIL LEMONS’S 2021 VANY FAIR OSR PORTRAS— ANDREW MCCARTHY ON PRETTY PK AND THE BRAT PACK— THE 2021 OSR CEREMONY WAS A NOBLE, DOOMED EXPERIMENT— ELLT PAGE FALLY FEELS “ABLE TO JT EXIST”— FROM THE ARCHIVE: THE UNSKABLE JENNIFER ANISTON— NOT A SUBSCRIBER? JO VANY FAIR TO RECEIVE FULL ACCS TO AND THE PLETE ONLE ARCHIVE NOW.JULIE MILLER
In 1977, Stud 54 opened and beme one of the world’s most famo diss wh a fn of gay, bisexual, and straight patrons. Owners Steven Rubell and Ian Schrager moled the club after New York’s gay nightclubs, which were settg the trends for mic and dance.
Rubell and Schrager wanted to create a new nightclub that replited the energy of New York’s gay clubs, which were more dance oriented and sexually charged. They were spired after visg Le Jard at 110 Wt 43rd Street ( the basement of the now-molished Diplomat Hotel), a gay nightclub that beme one of the first to blur the le between gay, bisexual, and straight spac. Among the sign team were many gay men that clud archect Stt Bromley and those who later died of AIDS: terr signer Ron Doud, sound signer Richard Long (also for the Paradise Garage), and graphic signer Gil Lser (known for his award-wng poster for “Equ”).