this was my next hang out after the funhouse. trippy time.

Richie,

Can you describe more of the club such as decor and the types of music heard? How about the DJs...?

If anyone has photographs from this or any other clubs of the era please feel free to Upload them to this site and they will be included. Thanks.

well, in '82 the funhouse turned to hardcore "house" so, for my friends and me so we needed to find a new home. we went to xenon one night just to try it out and we fell in love with the DJ. her name was Toni-c. she was playing the hills of katmandu. Toni was not the only dj there and some of the names escape me right now, but she was our fav.
so the music was a mixture of mainstream dance pop and dance-able rock in the earlier part of the night, which we did not like. from 12 to about 3am the crowd was a bit bridge and tunnel and they got most excited by flashdance stuff. after 3 though Toni-c would turn the place into the saint. funny how many straight people fell in love with that music not realizing they were intoxicated by gay disco!
xexnon was an old theatre on 44th street, similar to studio 54, but smaller. it was painted a disgusting peach color. it did have some decent lights and the biggest mirrored ball you ever saw. there was a neon mural that would pop down that had a neon dancing cowboy. there was also a neon pinball machine 30 feet tall that would also drop from the ceiling that when somebody bumped into padded flippers, it would shoot a neon ball upwards (i think, hard to remember) anyway it was seldom ever used. i think it must have broken early on and they never tried to fix it.
it was a trippy time because i was just coming out of the closet as AIDS came crashing down on us. i wound up losing so many friends and we were all so young. some songs fromn 83 and 84 i can't listen to becuse they take me back to a pretty sad time.
after 2 years, xenon was closed amid the usual scandals that plague discos. the best part was on the last night many of the people still there when the music stopped, looted what they could. i came away with 3 mirrored cubes that hung from the ceiling in the entrance. i still have them somewhere.
my disco days were far from over though. during that time i discovered the saint. W-O-W.

Tony Smith replaced by Brad LaBeu were two other prominent DJs at Xenon....I hung out at Xenon more than I would like to admit........Both were very good DJs that never got the "superstatus" recognition that they deserved........

Brad LeBea went on to do promotion work and was responsible for such acts as XENA, George LaMond and that diva....SHANNON........

Anyone remember Brad playing "Gomez Presley's THE LETTER???"

Or Don't You Want Me Baby by HLeague mixed into T-Connection At Midnight while that Silk Screen came up and the club opened up...

Wow! What Days.....

What about Tainted Love (Soft Cell) mixed into Lime's Babe We're Gonna Love Tonight.....I WILL NEVER FORGET THAT MOMENT......

Remember, Bananarama's REALLY SAYING SOMETHING??????

That was XENON.......Linda Clifford's Don't Come Crying To Me mixed into Don't Stop The Train mixed into the HOT TRACKS mix of ABBA THE VISITORS.....

OUCH!!!

Xenon was a magical place because it catered to a straight NYC crowd as well as the "slick" B&T's and well, just and...
The music was slighty as good as the music of THE SAINT, however, less High NRG and absolutely no SLEAZE or morning music......

You could easily hear songs like, Sharon Redd's "In The Name Of Love," "Q-Feel's - Dancing In Heaven," Duran Duran's Hungary Like A Wolf mixed into "Do You Wanna Funk," and what about that mix, "Carl Carlton's "Baby I Need Your Loving" mixed into the predictable, Angela Clemmons, Give Me Just a Little More Time....

Remember "Bobby O's - I'M So Hot For YOu," She Has A Way, Shoot Your Shot....

The College Rock sets, Stray Cats, SHATTERED - THE STONES, Elton John's Saturday Night's Alright For Fighting, Toni Basil's Micky..........Rod Stewarts' Tonight I'm Yours...The Cars - Shake It Up....Bonnie Tyler's Holding Out For a Hero....

With regards the the last night, and I WAS there for the LAST NIGHT....They hired the MOST HORRIBLE DJ ever, don't know his name but with all the good DJs that passed through XENON, why that guy......Scott Baio from Happy Days was there waving at the crowd.....

Majorly packed....

A Xenon reunion took place a bunch of years later with Patrick (One of the owners) graciously greeting XENON die-hards like me at the door....

Tony Smith returned to the 1200's and played stuff like "Michael McClory's I Wanna Love YOu , Let Me Love you.....

He played, Harlow's Take Off, mixed it into Romeo and Juiliet, he played Risky Changes and mixed into Don Ray's Standing In the Rain....

Real great stuff and the crowd was loving it.....Xenon was a place that in itself had it's own kinda MAGIC.....

Alex

where was the reunion?

At Xenon itself, though at the time Xenon was renamed SHOUT..........and it was basically a 50's and 60's club.....I believe the reunion took place in 1989.......Not sure, I would have to check my old club flyers.......

oh yeah, that's right. you have a great memory. did it have a car crashing through the back wall?

do i know you?

Yes, it did have a Pink Caddy crashing through the back........The mirrow ball was gone and the sound system s^&ked!
Oscar, the guy you hung with at Funhouse was bought back to DJ in what was an attempt to bring the Xenon magic back, however, though it was picking up momentum, the owners "chickend" out and scrapped the project within 4 weeks.

We may know each other, not sure....

I am a DJ myself and actually DJ'd w/Oscar at Studio and this particular attempt at bringng Xenon back....We worked with Bill Jarema (one of the Xenon promoters.)

I used to know Oscar from his toy store days and remember an attempt to open a new club down the street from studio. It failed but Oscar had a chance then to be the number one. I still have many of his tapes that he let me copy when I worked at a radio shack nexct door to him in West New York, NJ. Most of my friends refused to hit the clubs and this is nostalgia I never get to share with anyone.

From 1984 to 1986 I used to do my record shopping in Union City and Oscar used to tell me all the hottest new imports. Then Saturday nights was Studio 54, he played the hottest Hi-Nrg/eurodisco hits, I remember this group called FANCY performed CHINESE EYES & COME INSIDE, it was so rare to have groups like that perform in NYC. Anyway, we all knew what time it was when he played the intro to AT MIDNIGHT and was riding I WILL SURVIVE in the background and all the great classics he played during the night.

I did follow him to the new XENON but don't know what happened to him after that.

Does anyone know what is OSCAR "Captain Midnight" up to now days? Send him my regards.

Santi
The Disco Express
Enuma Recordings. Elizabeth, NJ

Santi...I called Oscar and told him to check out this site..........Oscar and I are best friends and he got a real kick out of your very nice comments....I am sure he will contribute to this page in the near future.....Chao all you disco KIDS!

This is Bernie, the owner and publisher of DiscoMusic.com. I want to thank all those who submitted info on Xenon and numerous other clubs. As this will become a permanent historical record it is important to keep comments on topic and directly related to the club in the entry-in this case Xenon.

It's good to see that old friends have gotten in touch with each other due to this space, but I must ask that everyone not clutter this space with personal chit-chat unrelated to Xenon. I've set aside the free forum for such general discussions and encourage you to continue the discussion there. Thanks for your understanding.

PS: If anyone has photos of Xenon and/or the DJs please upload them and I will include them on this page.

You guys have an awesome memory for the mixes...

Patrick wasn't really an owner, however (although he may have been cut-in after 80/81). Patrick (blond guy) was Peppo's eyes out in the club (but there was also a bouncer, Patrick, who later went to work the re-opened Studio. older, buffer, darker...wore a hidious Michelin Man long puffy coat off the rack at Macy's).

Anyway... blond Patrick was there to scout tail for Peppo...a prime recruiter of "Peppo's Boys."

I lost my card a few years back, but I still have the 4th Anniversary tank top!

Those were some of the best Thursdays and Sunday's of my life. Before 2 and Fridays and Saturdays were waaaaaay too b&t...during those times my friends and I would slink around the back of the club and just pretend no one else existed....very fun.

Take care, now.

P.S.

Closing the night with "Eyes In The Back of My Head" into Last Dance was pretty cool...

That Hot Trax mix of The Visitors was one of the hottest things around.

I could tell you boys stories about behind the scenes at Xenon....

I last saw Patrick in San Diego....about 10 years ago...

Anyway some of the DJ's were Preston Powell, Brad LeBeau, Toni Smith, Toni
Calandreo, and of course Jelly Bean Benitez....

Wonderful lighting done by Howie
Davidson and his whole crew.....
What a place!

Howard Stein of Au Bar and Palladium
and Peppo were the owners....of record.

Hey LightWoman....I wanna say your name is Chris??? We hung out many times at Chippendales w/Frankie...Not sure if you remember me...Green Eyes, Chris O'Donnell looking guy....I backed Frankie up on numerous occasions...We all partied together numerous nights....

I even hung out w/you at Xenon that last night when you were doing the lights and WOMAN, you were going off...! Do you remember me.........?????

Great to hear your comments...!

i remember lightwoman. you once did lights at the red parrot, then we went to the 103 diner next to the saint with toni colandreo. what is your name? i am wracking my brains!!!

anyway, you were one amazing lightwoman.

Anyone remember the "Blue parrot" on 13th and 5th around 1978-79?

I only remember the Red Parrot on 57th. Xenon was a cool club that we would go to on ocasional nights off working at the Ice Palace. It was more of a straight crowd though there was always a mix in New York during the 70's wherever we went. I have a memory of the large neon cowboy and pinball machine. The lights and sound were fabulous and we enjoyed dancing there a couple of nights a week. Xenon was a hot club. Another disco that in my opinion was similar yet not mentioned here was Electric Circus.

Hey Lightwoman ,
Are you Kat joi?
I remember you . I hope its you , you did lights for me at B square, the old Area. Is it you ...
With respect to Zenon; I wished I had heard Toni C. play there. The night I went the dj was using a telephone as a headphone. It was such a dramatic and energized place . I first heard the remix of Bohannan's Get on up and dance , And Vivian Vees "Remember" I loved the conversion of old theatres into discothques, balconys make the best vip spots.

OK, I'm sure I know a few of you. I have a guess who LightWoman is.

Howie D

howie, i think i must know you.

i still see toni.c. all the time, we are very close.
sometimes she packs up the vynal and does a gig somewhere. next time i talk to her i'll ask where she will be playing.

all you need to do is tell her you went to xenon and she will pull out all the old stuff. play it to death for you even if the rest of the crowd hates it. (which they usually dont)
anybody know where preston powell is these days?

with all due respect...there's alot of misinformation about Xenon here....even the spelling of my name...Tony Smith not Toni :)

Tony
Your forgeting the other Toni

Lightguy

Ok, stop the nonsense..........Tony Smith was the legend @Xenon........Toni (the female) was no where near as good a DJ as Tony Smith.........Tony Smith rocked at a reunion Xenon night in the late 80's.........Toni (the female) was very ordinary and whatever fame she gathered while at Xenon was not due to her talent, but due to the mystic of the club and the music that was played there that was bigger than DJs themselves....Tony SMITH was fabulous as was Brad LaBeau...........The rest of the Xenon DJs were just OK........NOT worth writing much about them........So I want...........Whomever wants to disagree w/me, can and should , no harm done in that, however, I made my case and it is the way I see things and that is that...............Ciao disco bunnies!

Umm, couple of corrections here. Doug Murray was the Technical Director at Xenon and responsible for the fantastic and ahead-of it's-time special effects that Xenon had to offer. Howie Davidson was a stagehand who was hired by Doug and Howie's job, along with the other stagehands (like Ray Howell and Eddie Kramer, et al) was to follow the stage cues that Doug set each night. On the infrequent occasions that Howie actually did appear alone in the lighting booth, it was only because Doug had the night off (a near-empty Sunday or Monday) or was in the bathroom. To think that Howie is actually on this site and didn't make this correction to distribute credit where credit is due is a little creepy.
Additionally, the only DJ with the name Tony associated with Xenon who is worth mentioning is the gifted and undersung Tony Smith who was breaking ground in his trademark lowkey style 30 years ago.

Wow! I recently walked by Xenon and that whole area was torn down with the exception of the front outside wall (brick with the old Henry Miller Theater inscription), which I guess they are keeping for the new structure. My youth was well spent there (and Studio) and back from '78 until '83 when I was a college student, hordes of us would be there at least twice a week, dancing until the wee hours. A great memory is the XENON 2000 calendar, which I and a bunch of friends are in. And in my mind Tony Smith was the greatest dj ever. He'd always play Feed the Flame for me, Blondie, Walking On Thin Ice, Dancer, new wave music... his selection of dance music was great. I remember following him to Magique for a while after he left Xenon. That's where I lost track. I remember all the staff and owners of Xenon, events, and the dramas and celebrities, and back then it was an ultimate good time. One especially good time was around '83) the night after a fashion show the dance floor opened and a swimming pool that was on the dancefloor flooded the dance floor, there was a foot of water and we all danced and laughed in it anyway. I've had the pleasure of growing up there with so many friends, many of which I'm still close to. We all still talk about what a time it was. And it was. :)

XENON calnedar? I was probably not in it. I am however in the STUDIO 54 one! I remember seeing France Joli perform. She wore a gold sequined jacket. THey made a big deal out of it .. intereviewed her in her hotel room... it ws great fun. I saw Cheryl Tiegs and Bill Boggs there, ate chocolate cupcakes and had someone lick my fingers! Does anyone recall GYPSY? ( Ithink pronouced YIPSY, not sure. "THIS person" could leap high up onto the speakers! Just like Peter Pan! XENON was fun togo to especially when STUDIO was closed. At least we could dance. I remember a song... in the forest ... ok its getting late.

Oh yes, I remember GYPSY! She was really a he, and she was always at Xenon in '78/'79 as I recall. I have to send my friend a link to this site because she has a great GYPSY story for you. She was taking a dance class and saw this man, and being bold as always -- she walked up to him and asked if he hung out at XENON and if his name was Gypsy! He turned several shades, but it was her. The Xenon Calendar featured several models including Appolonia and maybe Janice Dickinson.

I can't help but laugh at some of the comments. First the the "ligth woman" is one of 2 ladies. The first one was Corrine Hartman Riley, and the second one, as Howie D might know, became Mrs. Howie Davidson.
Patrick, is most likely Patrick McBride who was first a bartender and than the manager after the original manager, Taylor Alonso left Xenon.
Xenon was orignally designed by Adam Tihany, with the sound being done by Paramount Studio,and the "space ship" designed by the same man who designed the space ship in Close Encounters of the Third Kind. The color scheme of green and black was take from the dollar bill.
The renovation, which is where the pink comes into that is mention, was designed by Samuel Botero. The color scheme was, coral, and blue with highlights in gold and mirrors. It was inspired by the colors of Egypt as interpreted by Sam.
As to the owner, there were 2 on record. Peppo Vanini, from Lugano Switzerland, who went back to Switzerland and opened up a very exclusive club in St. Moritz called the Chesa Veglia. He asked me to come over and help him open it and run it . He would also open up a club in Milano and was asked to come down to Monte Carlo and open a club. (Peppo has know Princess Carolina and Pince Albert for decades)--In fact there is a funny story about Peppo calling the office one day when the Pope was visting New York City. Caroline and her then husband Philip Junot, wanted a private audience with the Pope. You can image how bizzar that sounds. Calling a disco to get a audience with the Pope. But we pulled it off. An a**'t to the Cardinal of New York, was in awe of meeting Grace Kelly's daughter. Princess Caroline wore the same outfit to meet the Pope that day, as she did the night at Xenon.(a black leather blazer, white blouse with a black velvet tie, black skirt and black heels--at night the black velvet tie was removed and the bouse a little more decoltee). Peppo now does PR and arranges events for the jet set.
Howard Stein, open up a restaurant called Prima Dona and then Au Bar.
The 2 silent partner were Larry Gang, an accountant, and Peter Schmidt a lawyer (who now is in prison after embazzeling 60 million from his clients).
The building itself was built for the play writer and owned by Henry Miller. His offices were Xenon's office .They were also used as avery very vip section. Very few people were allowed up into those offices during the night.
As to pictures of Xenon, The photographe Richard Manning and the AP photo Quinto are you best source. However, you may see Xenon in a Stallone's film "Nighthawk". Xenon is the location where Stallone first see Rutgard Howard(the bad guy) and chases him. You will also see Howard Stein and thelady who would become the 2nd Mrs Stein, Tawn Christian Stein, in that scene.
Xenon also put out a little 45 record. How many people remember that. (it was actually an invitation.)

I am one of the dancers that perform with gypsy and pierre, corey, J alexander
(America's Top Model Fame). Believe it or not I was stopped by two guys who throught my legs were fake!!! I know Howard and Peppo! John and Lynn worked the door, while gary (busboy) work the bar! I love Tony and Jellybean.I will be placing an ad for another reunion. I am known as the Coach! I almost forgot (Olive the bath room attendant knew many stories. Get in Contact with Me for trade stories!!! Let's make this reunion a blast from the past!!!!

i'm(pierre) was a regular feature dancer at xenon
78/79/80 and with GYPSY. i remember SINGER ROBERTA FLACK TELLING US THAT WE WHERE THE BEST SHE'S EVER SEEN. AND WE WHERE(SMILE)
TONY SMITH WAS THE BEST DJ EVER
HIS PULSE AND FEEL FOR WHAT U WANTED TO HERE WAS EXCELLENT

i had the pleasure of spending quite a few nights at xenon when i lived in nyc and have often wondered what ever became of the club. does anyone remember a guy named john warner ... was he the manager or part of the management team?

It almost seems like a very distant part of my life (The Xenon years) that is.
But after reading some of these articles it really brings back some great memories.
If anyone went Xenon during the first years they would Know me or at least had seen me.
I was the guy dancing in top of the speaker next to Tony S. by the water fountain with the orange shorts and the Superman shirt that always came of when Tony decided to bring to the climax.

wow the years of Xenon were amazing. i will tell you,,the real deal. It was the late 70's. and I was hosting a hige event outside of the Burlington Building on 6th ave and 52nd street from 12 to 2 PM. I was playing for a huge outdoor disco party. I was sponsored by the Lighthouse for the Blind, WABC and WNBC radio, and Howard Stein of Xenon. Xenon was just opening, I mean brand new. I went there during one of the first nights and I went up to introduce myself to the DJ and it was Tony Smith. We became very close friends, not just a weekend thing and years later was a guest at my wedding. Every Sat or friday (whenever I wasnt working you could find me at Xenon. Years later I would play there when it became Shout, City, etc.
It was a time of incredible dance music. Tony had an incredible feel for playing music at the right time and mixing it flawlessly. I became a regular at Xenon, meeting countless people in the upstairs "DJ backroom". People like Claudia Cusetta, Izzy Sanchez, Bruce Marcus, Brad LeBow...all promoting the music of the time...and then at 6AM after Xenon we all went to the Paradise Garage.thats another story...DJ Jeff Yahney

Does anyone remember the silver-painted Tin Woodsman and Silver Lady on opening night in 1978?

Great Memories.....Xenon was my home away from home....My greatest memory of Xenon was a night when the club was not too crowded was either a Monday or Thursday and was on the dance floor dancing and a nice looking man in a suit was dancing as well and since no one else was out there we danced together....after awhile he thanked me for the dance and introduced himself and kissed my hand.....I almost dropped to the floor.....It was Desi Arnez Jr......Also I have fond memories of the times I shared with Oscar (Captain12nite)...thanks for the memories Oscar....XXXX

I remember a silver painted couple, but not that the guy was a tin woodsman character. I believe the painted couple was comprised of the late Marc Stevens and the late Jill Monroe ...

Let's see now, Toni C.'s last name is spelled "Colandreo" which is me. My last name was shortened by the record industry long ago. Garcia, if you know Oscar then you should know that by the time I got to Xenon it was falling apart and they hired me to revive it and get back their celebrities which I did for a fat salary.

I was well established in the hipper, more underground scene. I was there as a favor to Preston and Jellybean my two good friends. They both worked for me at the Electric Circus where I also DJed. I was a techie, doing lights and sound there when Stein got hold of one of my tapes and hired me immediately. I didn't even tell him I was a DJ and people were calling to request me and the office thought I was playing tricks on them. That's how much I needed the "mystique" of Xenon.

Back in the day I was working with cutting edge technology so I needed the bucks to buy equipment. I really didn't want to work there since I was offered a night at Area which was THE club to be at, as well as Studio 54, and several other new places, but the money was too good to turn down. So I took it, and I had a great time when plaster wasn't falling on me or the air conditioning breaking down. Howard Stein forbid me to work anywhere else and called me his "personal rock star" bless his black little heart. Finally they ran the place into the ground. I stayed there longer then I should have because I loved my regulars, and the staff. I met some great people there.

I had two lighting women, Laurie and Sarah, both big fun. Cat Joi was also my friend but I worked with her at other clubs. I loved the whole tech staff, they were out of their minds and really a hoot. They shot plastic snow at me once which I still find in some records twenty years later. Xenon was just one of so many clubs I worked out that it's hard for me to remember all the names but have a lot of the invites some where. I bought in hip hop, future MTV acts, (which I also danced for at clubs for free drinks and a goof), and lots of local artists I was working with as well as becoming the resident Euro/Ameritrash Dj. Preston left for Club A and later hired me there. He also opened a great club called Bay Street in Sag Harbor. Howard coveted the Euro crowd which Kristina R. had at Club A and I was in a war between the two of them for a while. Later he opened Au Bar after Club A closed and got that crowd to his hearts delight. I was a working at other clubs by then and being a full time songwriter/musician/producer. ALL the DJ's were great. You couldn't work there if you weren't at a certain level even if you were doing "favors" for Peppo Vannini.

Each DJ had their own style. Tony (with a y) Smith was an excellent DJ and person who was fired for some ridiculous political reason. He definitely was "unsung." Brad LeBeau became a fantastic record promoter who promoted some of my records. I and Jellybean put out some great ones together and I've had a lot of success as a musician, writer, artist etc...Preston Powell was not only extremely creative, but inspired me when I was first demoing the tunes that established me as a writer. There were other DJ's who passed through some good, some god awlful. Oscar worked there only once when there was a scheduling conflict and no DJ's showed up. I used to comp him in with Richie and Donna, his friends, because they freaked out over the trance, electronic records I used to play like "The Hills of Katmandu." He used to be a great go go boy on the speakers especially if you played "La Bamba." I "broke" that is introduced a lot of records there before they were released to the public. That's because the weekends became more mixed and full of kids who buy records, that followed me there. Celebrities don't. My gay/artsy fartsy/fashion crowd came on the weeknights. The Dj's, Artists and dance music fans always supported me, still do, and I'm very grateful to them for a great career. They put up with all sorts of irritating things at Xenon just to hear me play.

I left there continued to work all over the city and the world. Europe is much better for dance music. I don't spin as much now except for favors and special gigs. I do T.V. film, act now and perform as a live musician. I've DJ'ed for benefits, Mardi Gras in New Orleans, Carnival in Brazil, Raves, and my favorite, the tiny BarRoom 432 where Johnny Dynell and Chi Chi Valenti continued the true art underground mixed with dance music at the Legendary Jackie 60. I've stayed close to my loyal gay crowd. All I know is half the boys of East New York were coming out to me in the booth at Xenon thinking no one knew they were gay when they ditched their girlfriends at four in the morning as I suddenly turned into a flaming queen with the music. Worked every time. Was it something in the water over there? Aids and drugs sadly robbed me of far too many people from that time to mention. I try to remember that I have their energy and the experiences that we shared in me, so I can pass it along when I make records, perform and still on occasion spin records.

guys + gals,

this is the first time i've visted this site and seeing names of songs i used to play and my fellow DJs' Tony C Preston Tony Smith + Jellybean brings back some very fond memories. thanks for remembering all of us as i hold those (days 23+ years ago) very close to my heart!

long live disco music ...

brad

I worked as busboy at Xenon back in 1981. It was a geat time, but I got drafted and had to go back to Sweden. After the military service was completed, I went to New York for a week. The first day I met Sharon (the beutiful hostess at Xenon). She invited me to the Goodbye Party at Xenon the night after.

At the party I met Patrik, Mark, Jeff and a few outher busboys and barkeepers from the old time. It was great to meet again, but also a bit sad as it was a cloosing party.

It was a very long time ago, but I still got the Xenon poster calendar on the wall where I now live in Germany. Somewhere I got some photos from the last night. Best pics though comes up inside with the right disco music!

I remember the names of two of the people in the picture. The person behind the young lady is Robert Steel and the person next to him is Peter Castro

Boy, does that photo Stefan posted bring back memories! I worked at Xenon from 1980 to closing night in 1984. I started as a busboy (wearing the standard red sweatsuit) and worked my way up the ranks to waiter and then bartender. Coming to NYC from a small town and getting to work in a hotspot like Xenon was an amazing experience. I have so many treasured memories of the energy that emanated from the dance floor, thanks to the great work of the DJs and lighting crew. The fact that it was built in the Henry Miller Theater, a classic building with a long history, gave it a very special atmosphere. Working there for so long gave me access to all of the hidden secrets of the club--the nooks and crannies where the celebrities and other VIPs hung out--and really made me feel like I was on the cutting edge of the nightclub scene. Some of my memories, those that are not already mentioned, include the fact that Thursday was F.I.T. night (the night when students from the Fashion Institute of Technology were given special treatment). I also have great memories of hanging out with Jay Alexander, back when he was called Alex and long before his reality TV fame, and of serving the likes of Andy Warhol, Sly Stallone, David Bowie, and Mick Jagger. The dance floor was always smoking, and the balcony always had “interesting” things going on. One thing that hasn’t been mentioned is the live performances featured at Xenon, including shows by Tito Puente, Menudo, and Run DMC. New Year’s Eve was always a treat, with giant ice sculptures on the dance floor. Whenever I hear a song from that era it takes me back. I will always remember the rock blocs that the DJs played, with songs like “Saturday Night’s All Right for Fighting,” as well as the music that signified that the bar would soon be closing, songs like “Tainted Love.”

I could go on and on, but I’ll stop here for now. I have really enjoyed hearing about my old friends and acquaintances—people like Toni, Jeff, Jellybean, Brad, Patrick and Howie. I have kept in touch with a few, and I know that several sadly are no longer with us. It is also very sad that the Henry Miller Theater is being demolished to make way for a high-rise office building, but at least the façade is landmarked and will remain a fixture on 43rd Street. I have many photos, invitations, and other memorabilia from Xenon that I will try to dig up, and perhaps post on the site, in due time.

Great hearing from you all!

yup I was one of em but proud to say I was soooo naive and dumb that nothing ever happened. I remember behind the big metal door (stage right in the back), where Peppo hung out with Calvin and Grace Jones blah blah. I was alllll starry eyed. Little NYU kid with an all access pass. The one guy in the middle of the pic is Dane Black, I dated his sister Bambi. Would love to know where they are. Anyway it's been a blast reading all of these. At the base of it all there were alot of very sweet people at that place that loved to dance.

I'm one of the guys in the picture, Peter Castro, the nerdy looking dude with the glasses. The guy next to me is Dane, a former busboy and the other dude is fellow former bartender Bob Steel. Xenon was perhaps the most fun job i ever had. I started there in Dec. 1979 as a sequined busboy and left a seasoned bartender in 1984, the year that photo above was taken. I began there while Evita was all the rage on Broadway and its discofied soundtrack all the rage on our dancefloor. There'll never be a club like it again. Pinball machines would drop out of the neon heavens and land next to dancers gyrating to Funky Town by Lipps. Not to mention the fake snow (clearly an homage to the abundant cocaine passing through nostrils by one and all) that dropped on you, sticking to your favorite nylon shirt. I have too many stories to go into here. But to this day, i recall all the great people that worked there and went on to bigger and better things. Has anyone forgotten that Philip Bloch, now a famed stylist started as a busboy there? ANd that Jay Alexander, now a star of America's Top Model, was best known for twirling to the music in his taffeta creations? Timmy Bascomb is now a big deal real estate honcho and Stuart Krasnow, a former busboy, has become one of TV's most successful producers. Where have you gone Brian Stiga? May God bless you all whereever you are. See you all in another life. And remember, we don't serve water at the bar. "There's a water fountain in the back, to the left."

I cant believe that I found this site, first I was trying to see if Jay Alexander was the same Alex that I knew when I worked at xenon. I was the coat check girl downstairs. What happened to all the other girls that worked there.. I'll always remember Elizabeth Foley, we became good friends over those years. Also there was Virginia and a few others that I have forgotten there names. If you all are out there or remember me write back. I've got so many good memories of xenon. I'll have to collect all my thoughts and post again on this site. Just reading all the above post brings back so many memories.

Back in '80 I was living with friends in Key West , and met with Peppo's entourage to fly back with them ( vaguely remember 'a contessa' (friend from Lugano) ,another Peppoboy (from Midwest-called Greg ) & an Italian filmdirector-friend of Peppo and P.'s assistant/friend ) . Had a great time visiting Xenon (still have the pass with the moving wheels) , and getting my back trampled on /massaged in the VIP-lounge by Peppo's chauffeur - a short Asian lady, whose name I forgot ..
Parties with C.K. & entourage etc etc - @ that age I was fresh meat & simply enjoyed.
Aware of my 'Peppoboy' label though , I split (in time) after a month back to FLA , but wished I had gone more to the club itself at that time..
I went also to AREA ( ' 85 I believe) on it's Narly-theme night ... now that was someting else.... ( fantastic)
Later started a club in L.A. called Powertools together with Matt Dyke,Brad Branson and Kathy Yueng.

Rio was the massage gal and Timmy was Peppo's worker/friend. I was probably there when she was walking on your back, lol. She was good too. Bout 4'11'' but strong.

It's really great to read your posts, they take me back to some really incredible times. While Studio 54 may have been the rage; it was plastic, while Xenon was real and so much more alive. My best friend, Bruce Capousso and I were introduced to Xenon in Feb 1979 by our friend, Lenny - who together with Danny Rizzo were the original Speaker Dancers and early Peppo Boys. Len was always dressed in tennis shorts and Danny was the one always wearing an Indian Loincloth and not much else...

Tuesdays and Thursdays were the most fun, especially the FIT-night parties. The music was the best...Toni C. I remember you coming in one night out of nowhere and just tearing the place up...I would leave at 7 in the morning dripping wet from nonstop jumping all night long.

I still remember Tony Smith and his frenetic mixes with the ocassional tossing in of punk classics like "Warm Leatherettes." Songs like "Wishbone" and "Hills of Katmandu" from Tantra have never left me since...Beginning that night in 1979, Bruce and I would continue to be there 3-4 nights every week until the night it closed...Thank you for bringing back such great memories.

Mike R.

Hey, it's me Timmy. Xenon was such a long time ago but still have great memories. I remember the after parties up at Peppo's country estate in Bedford and entertaining his unlimited guests down in Key West during the winter months. Riyo lives with her husband in Scranton, Pa. Her daughter, Christine J. Brandt has become a very hip jewelry designer. Miss the old party days and really miss Peppo. He showed me a world like no other.

I was at Xenon in 1981.I was 13 years old.Im a straight guy.All I can say is I never saw anything like it before or since.As an adult,I keep chasing the feeling I had hearing that music over that sound system in that huge room with the lights.I danced with myself and with everyone.Nothing mattered.The rest of the world would go away in a fog machine.Wow.Sometimes, I wish I could time travel back to Xenon.That was it in 1981.It had a huge influence on me as a musician.There were other clubs and then Xenon.

hello all you disco freaks.what great times we lived thru, The big X as it was refered to in union city in the 70's & 80's had to be the place to party in the city bar none including STUDIO. The big X with doorman Charles, Bryan, Big John come on kids I was 19 and on top of it, the pimball machines, laser beam hitting the mirrored ball + the music Tony Smith was spinning. Anyone know where Peppo, Santiago,Sean,Claudia,Howard are please e-mail.

WHERE ARE THEY NOW???

Xenon regulars:
1. Monique (sorry can't remember last name)= Adorable little French girl whose parents had a French restaurant in the east 70's or 80's. She was a regular at Xenon from 78-80/81.

2. Michelle "Fan Dancer" = Michelle always danced with a fan or two on the speaker under Tony's booth. She lived on West 73rd St. She/he was like a pied piper at Xenon... I remember one night I was with her/him and she walked in 22 people...lol. Michelle was a regular from 80-82/83.

Doormen:
1. Blonde Brian
2. Brunette Brian
3. Terry (I believe he was Brian's brother)
4. Roger - formerly of Studio
5. Marc - also formerly of Studio (of puffy coat fame) He was very short-lived at Xenon and I beleve he went to work for Howard at Rock Lounge for a while.

Hey all... I just found this link to an incredibly open and enlightening interview of Tony Smith in an on-line publication called DJHistory.com.

I hope this is OK to post Bernie...

http://www.djhistory.com/djhistory/archiveInterviewDisplay.php?interview_id=51

this is so funny to me, to hear so many stories about xenon. i lived with howard, we hatched the idea together to open up a club, and met peppo at a party, went to bedford to spend a weekend at his place with him and his then wife vicky (tennant) vanini. peppo got backers from italy in less than a week to wire the initial money and we began looking all over the city for a space. when we found the henry miller theatre it was used for porn movies, and it was in really bad shape. adam tihany was young and brilliant, and he was the funniest man i knew, and peppo wanted the color to be the color of money, just like jeffrey kiehl stated in his email.. jeffrey and gwen williams ran the office upstairs and at night it was taylor alonso and john warner (howards exwife helen's boyfriend that ran the door and managed the place. taylor and john knew each other forever from washington dc since they were kids. taylor and his wife patricia are still my very dear friends, and my seventeen yearold daughter is named after him. i still speak to john now and again as well. it was an amazing experience to have live through xenons' early years. i was a senior at nyu, a classical music major at the time, so it was a wild lifestyle to juggle. the upstairs parties at xenon, the celebrities that we hosted parties for, were so much fun, and so interesting, and it was such a life experience for me that i could not get anywhere else. i actually suggested the name xenon to howard when he returned from california to visit the creator of the spaceship for "close encounters of the third kind" to replicate for the lights on the dance floor. xenon was a type of gas used in one of the light bulbs, i thought is sounded cool, howard looked up the word, it meant fear of strangers, he liked that idea, and that was that. when i moved out of our 67th street apartment, i met elio fiorucci at a party at studio 54 and he offered me a job at his store on 59th street as the public relations director, and off i went, not knowing a thing about public relations, but ready for another adventure. i was all of 23 years old, and new york city was the coolest place in the entire world. it still is. everyone back then called me chrissy.

There from day 1, had the cool xenon card, had to be there before 11 .I'm the guy that made the anniversary shirts with Lenny, both of us were speaker dancers and were there almost every night great times some of the best infact. We were xtras in nighthawks. Went to an RPM photo exhibit at the milkbar (I think) and saw some great pics. The staircase was my favorite.

Rizzo!!!

How the hell are you?? If you scroll up, you'll see that I mentioned that many of the great memories I have of the early days at Xenon were of hanging out with you, Lenny and Bruce Cap when you and Len introduced us to Xenon. The best time ever was the Pele Party in either late 78' or early 79'!!

Hope you are doing well.

Mike R

Big Guy!! Timmly!!! it's Little Guy!!! Sean here!!! Where are you? Call me, I'm listed. I love coming to this page and soaking up all these memories- some of em not too "clear" if you know what I mean.. what a different time. Anyway, thanks Bernie and all of you for the bringin me back there.
ps I'm sorry I misspelled Riyo's name,, lol
Bedford, wild....
thanks Bernie

Mike R,
Missed your earlier message, hope all is well. dr

Hey Danny... write me when you have a minute. I found a picture of you and Lenny at Xenon on line which is hilarious that I want to send you that I don't think you'd want posted here...lol.

My email is jdent33@aol.com

Take care.

Mike

Back in my college days during the early 80's I'd get pretty wild and dance up a storm at Xenon on Friday and Saturday nights. I remember that nearly every night I was there, I'd end up dripping in sweat and dancing sanz shirt on top of one of the huge speakers that were on the dance floor. Those were the days when you felt like you wanted to dance like a maniac with Jenifer Beals in Flashdance! My friends always had a rough time getting my attention when it was time to leave. One thing I regret is that during the course of the night a fair amount of girls would be eying me while I was dancing, but I wouldn't get down to talk with them, because I was afraid of losing my spot dancing on the speaker. Today, I can't believe I would have ever placed dancing ahead of meeting girls! Where are all those girls now?

Xenon was a nice club but Infinity was the best.

These posts have brought me right back to 1979!! I worked at Xenon as a busboy first (when we still had the Fiorucci Red Overalls...anyone remember those?) I was horribly in love with Tony Smith, used to make up any excuse to bring him orange juice and hang in the booth for a minute or two. Peter Castro! Wow, worked with you before the first time I got fired! Anyone remember Taylor, manager, I think. And what was the Hawaiian Girls name who worked the ticket booth....loved her!

Bernie, can we post email addresses here so we can get in touch with other Xenon-ites?
Mike Festa
(2nd year anniversary invite, first row, second from the right, died black hair- what was I thinking!!)

Haha, these club kids today don't know what they missed. The days of Xenon, and Studio go down in the annals of history (no pun intended lol)as the true glory days of disco decadence. My boy Van and I would hit up the club every week, preferably a weeknight to avoid the weekend amateur masses. Man do I miss those party days and the women AHHHHH!!!!

Hey Danny R,you out there? remember me ,we go all the way back to the Fire and Ice Club days across the river..it was 78 or 79 and I remember your girl Laura with the killer bod and I know you remember our mtual party girl Bernadine ..the cute redhead...hope alls well with you dude!!!!

If remember that much about Xenon...you probably weren't there! Studio was too manic and Xenon had a very cool, even friendly group, great music and attitude. The calendar you mention was a poster from 1981...I just found it in storage with my door card taped to the back...if that card could talk...

Had a wonderful time at xenon,I remember most of u. I worked there as a
busboy,until patrick fired me for dancing behind the props. My friends couldnt understand why id skip the paradise garage for xenon?

HI MY NAME WAS PAUL I WORKED THE DOOR AT XENON .WOW ALL THE WONDERFUL TIMES CAME BACK WITH THIS SITE.I THINK OF KAREN JEAN AND HOW I HAD A CRUSH ON THAT WOWEN. I THINK OF ROGER, AND BRIAN AND WHAT A GREAT GUY HE WAS .BRIAN WAS A BIG GUY WITH A HEART JUST AS BIG.THE TIMES I HAD AT THAT CLUB WERE JUST TO GREAT TO TELL THEM ALL. I THINK ABOUT MEETING PAT BROWN WHO DIED IN THE WORLD TRADE CENTER ATTACK . I THINK ABOUT ALL THE PEOPLE WHO TOUCH MY LIFE AT THAT CLUB ,AND I FEEL GOOD .WELL GOOD NIGHT AND I HOPE WE MEET AGAIN .

Bernie:

Thank you for all the incredible memories this site keeps bringing back to all of us that were lucky enough to experience Xenon and thank you all for the great posts... please keep them coming.

Mike R

anyone know of the where abouts of Brian Stiga?

i think of xenon all the time! i made my husband down load so much great music - the gay dancing kind that brad played! brad was the best! i use to go to xenon at midnight every friday and saturday and when i got on the dance floor he would play " shes built, shes stacked! lol. he had a crush on me. brad if you read this do you remember the hot italian girl with black curly hair that danced all night, every single weekend? you once told me you wanted to lick my shoes! lol. do you ever hear from david? remember him? he was a dj too? i lived in xenon and dated all the hottest guys from union city!!! those where the days! lol...
i am still listening to the music today... i always have and always will! dane you look good too, remember me? gina!

I went to NYc on business when I was young, and went to discos every night. I started going to Xenon with Ron Lurie in the late 70's. I remember being the young innocent wide eyed girl from the south.....taken aback by the sights and scenes and celebrities there....talked to Robert Kennedy Jr., Egon von Furstenberg, Jerry Hall, and others. Went one Halloween night and a woman was led around the dance floor on a horse, she was naked. A young man was in a circle skirt. spinning around, with nothing underneath. There was a fabulous old lady who danced the whole time. Who were they? Is Ron Lurie still around? Went upstairs many times....special room, etc.......

Oh yeah, and a Betsey Johnson fashion show there......

I'm sad to say that I just heard that Howard Stein passed away this week from kidney cancer. My thoughts go out to him and to his family during this sad time.

GOD BLESS HOWARD STEIN AND HIS FAMILY WITH OUT HIM AND PEPPO I WOULDN'T HAVE THE WONDERFUL SON I HAVE TODAY. ITS A SAD DAY FOR NIGHTLIFE HISTORY

How sad... his name will live on thanks to the great memories we all have. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family.

I first meet Howard shortly before Xenon opened when I was part of the crew pulling wire and installing lighting in to the club. I can still remember standing on the ramped area leading to the dance floor from the front bar, meeting him for the first time.
I smile and laugh seeing in my minds eye, Howard looking up at me in the lighting booth from the dance floor. The night I tried hit him with a total dump of the snow bag. Somehow he knew what I was up to and just managed to move down stage and escape being buried in the avalanche of snow. It looked like he was surfing as the snow bellowed all around him. We later shared a good laugh about it.
I meet the mother of my daugther working at the club. I worked with some great people, in fact in our own way I think we where a family. Which is way so many people had such a good time at Xenon. When you came there you where in our HOME.
Howard was my boss but I always considered him a friend as well. I find myself deeply saddend by his passing. But will always remember him with a smile on his face and a warm place in his heart for me and I for him.

Howard D.
Lightguy

I just stumbled onto this site after hearing about Howard Steins' untimely death. Reading through all of the postings has been a walk down memory lane. In the early to Mid 80's Jay Bernstein and I Promoted parties at Xenon and than Studio 54. I spent the better part of my late teens dancing on those speakers and must admit that more than once I came close to falling off! Oscar "Captain Midnite" Padilla was our D.J. We brought him with us to Studio when our tenure at Xenon ended. I was a young kid back than and now have a few young kids of my own. Those days represented a very important part of my life and created memories that will last for a lifetime. Thanks!-Andy Epstein

Howie/Howard:

You are absolutely right... Xenon had that rare quality that the big clubs of the late 70's and early 80's lacked...it had that small club feel in that it really did feel like family and like being at home. This is what kept many of us coming back week after week and some of us coming back 2-3 times per week...lol. Man, those were incredible times!

Thank you and the entire Xenon family for making it all such a great experience for those of us that truly loved partying there.

STUDIO AND XENON WERE THE BEST BUT THERE WAS ALSO, BONDS, SAINT, ICE PALACE (BEST SUNDAY DANCES), CIRCLES, WELL I GUESS I DANCED TOO MUCH,(NO WAY), NOW ALL I CAN DO IS WATCH MY 3 KIDS DANCE AROUND THE HOUSE. ANYWAY THIS SITE BROUGHT BACK GOOD MEMORIES. TODAYS CLUBS CAN NOT COMPETE WITH THOSE GREAT DISCOS. SHOUT OUT TO ALL THE UNION CITY/WEST NY LATE 70 EARLY 80 KIDS.

The nights spent at Xenon and Studio 54 were the "Golden" age of New York nighta on the dance-floor. Even though I'm a Jazz musician, dancing has always been a passion, thanks in part to the magical moments made at Xenon; seeing Icons as Halston, Grace Jones, Sir Elton John, Michael Jackson, Disco Granny,etc. Can't imagine the dance party Howard Stein and Steve Rubell are having iin "Heaven", and wonder whose spinning and minding the velvet rope. Here's to the "GOOD TIMES", and never being left on line! So grateful I was there, and still here to dance to the new beats! www.bobbihumphrey.net

I was there every saturday night, in the early 80,s till the end in 84, always on the speaker, under dj booth, many fond memories at xenon, it was so funny always with a head band on and jazz shoes on. my favorite, divine, she has a way....., and hip hop be bop.

I WAS SAD TO HEAR ABOUT HOWARD PASSING AWAY. HE WAS A GREAT GUY ,WHO GAVE JOY TO A LOT OF PEOPLE . HE WILL BE MISSED MY PRAYERS GO OUT TO HIS FAMILY

I used to go to Xenons in the late 70's I used to hangout with a group of people mostly from NJ. Thier names were Ana, Hugo, Manny and Madeline.We also hungout with this blonde girl from Queens named Claudia. I still remember the GIANT mirror sculpture overus and the feather guns shooting.Xenons on Saturday and Ice Palace on Sundays. What a great time....

I was at Xenon’s only one night, Sunday night to open the DNC convention. My girlfriend was tired and stayed at the hotel. I hung out front for about 10 minutes before being invited in to a group of only 50 people in the place at 11pm. By 3am the placed was packed. People were dancing everywhere including atop the speakers. I'd never seen anything like it. Caroline Kennedy and a body guard (or two) walked by. Thanks to all for the memories.

Does anyone remember a punk club named "Canal 3" in SOHO around 1980? What was their story?

Devo,

Sorry, no. the only punk clubs I remember around that time were:

1. CBGB, on Bowery Street (3rd Ave) in the lower east side.
2. The Mudd Club, which was in Tribeca or Alphabet City.
3. Hurrahs (before it went Disco) - Upper east side...and,
4. Rock Lounge, opened by Howard Stein on West Broadway, just South of Canal. Not sure if it could actually be considered a punk club, but the music at the beginning was pretty decent.

I'm sure there were many more, but those are the ones I remember.

Howie D - I don't know if you remember me or not - it was such a long, long time ago. My name is Donna and I dated and lived with Timbo for a while. I think of him from time to time and wonder how he is, where he lives, is he happy...Have you kept in touch? I just stumbled upon this site today and the memories that have come flooding back in my mind are so intense - what a great time it was.

Donna, nice to hear from you. Sorry to say I have no idea what ever became of Timbo. But just today I ran in to Randy Briggs.

The internet has made it such a small world. Timbo is such a talented man. I still have artwork of his...and a few pictures from Xenon. I remember a lot of wild and crazy nights and memories that still make me smile! Randy, Toni, Andy, Joe Day, oh so many people. Good to share with you.

Donna

email me hd2008@optonline.net

My memories of Xenon 1980-1982

1. While attending NYU...I was a busboy, I remember Peter Castro, Stefan and a couple other names...the red sweatsuit outfits.
2. I remember sneaking in my brother and some friends before 11PM and "stashing" them on the roof...drinking early beers waiting for the night to unfold...
3. One night my brother was in the urinal taking a piss next to Christopher Reeves (God Bless His Soul)
4. I remember the B & T ladies and their unbridled enthusiasm they would exhibit in the balcony and on the fire escapes.
5. Served drinks (yes a busboy serving drinks) to Roger Moore up in Howard's office (God Bless His Soul), Steve Garvey at a John McEnroe concert...Yep, that happened...
6.Was face to face with Brooke Shields at her 16th Birthday...
7. Handled over a water to Lindsay Wagner, the Bionic Woman....She was hot.
8. Watched Tony Curtis dancing with his granddaughters on a regular basis...(He must have had a ton of affectionate granddaughters)
9. Got fired by Patrick and re-hired the same night when one of the bouncers found my brother stashed away one night before 11am.
10. I learned to dance at Xenon....What a fun, crazy one of a kind experience.

Couple last memories...
1. Simon Le Bon trying to bum a joint...me no have.
2. 2AM songs during my time were "Stomp" by the Brothers Johnson and "Funkytown" Lipps Inc.
3. After work trip to "Crisco's" the after house disco downtown...Huge Crisco can in the middle of the dance floor and an owner who constantly barked up the wrong tree with his recruitment pleas to join him in South America I believe...
4. Not making the cut for "Nighthawks" the Stallone, Hauer ...Billy De Williams movie.
5. St Pauli Girl

What a blast from from the past!! I remember in '77 thru '80 going w/ Kim and Diana. Partyin hard in the balcony and dancin to some great disco!! The BEST memories!! Gonna dig for some photos to post.

BTW- Kim and Diana, you guys rock!! FYI-my bro was topher. Anyone that say's holy s..., No f..... way email me :)

Leo, Sorry I cant place you at the moment,however i do remember laura and bernadine F&I was a good jersey club in the day. Sorry to read about Howie. xenon days were some of the best times of my life and so far I'm still around to talk about em.

Reading these, brings back memories, I'm 50yrs old now and I'm sure we are still thinking like when we were 20, remembering how good looking we were( I still am)( for fifty).I'm sure all of you are too. Its great to know Alex made a success of himself, high heels, hoops and a moustache paid off.I'm sure there are other success stories both large and small I'd love to hear them. dan r

Hey Xenon Alumni...do you have any Xenon photos or memorabilia you'd like to have live forever? I am a designer who's creating a permanent mural about the history of Henry Miller's Theatre/Xenon/Kit Kat Club that will be a part of the new building along West 43rd. We're looking for artifacts of the time that we can reproduce as part of the artwork dedicated to the wild days at Xenon...I'd love to hear from you. They sound like great times...thanks, Brandon

Great to see this site. I worked as a busboy, bar back [rear bar with Dale], and night receptionist in Howard's office upstairs from 1979-2001, while going to acting school. What i have read so far is very true about the bar and most importantly, the incredible people that I worked with and met such as Jellybean. Toni, TImbo, Peter, Pedro, and Michael C, among many others, was a blessing. Jellybean and Toni took me to the recording of Madonna's "Sidewalk Talk." Dale was the guiding godmother to young gays as well as the patron saint to many beautiful black and latino cab drivers. God bless his soul. Anyway, I'll write more later. I don't know if anyone has found it yet, but i remember that Playboy of Penthouse featured Xenon in a pictoral about disco during that time period. Would love to hear from old friends.

Xenon attracted more of a European crowd. I do believe the owners was a married couple by the name of Horowitz or Katz, I forget which. At the time David Friedlander did the flowers (I was dating him at the time).

One of my favorite moments was for the Birthday party for the owner of Zolie Modeling agency. I was then daing Gary White, one of the agency's bookers.
The owners were always very sweet to me and my boyfriends (whom ever I was dating at the time). When ever I went there, they were always kind enough to comp me and whom ever I was with.

I always found it strange to dance around those inflated "dolls" and there was always someone using them as a punching bag (guess they had ingested way too many party favors).

I remember also,the Playboy of Penthouse featured Xenon in a pictoral about disco.I was in it, the 1st person that told me about it was TONY SMITH THE BEST DJ THERE! Also, I remember when STEVIE WONDER came in late to the club and we met, myself and his assistant walked him down stairs to the mens room. after he asked me where it was, it was an honor and something i'll never forget.
WHAT MEMORIES!

Dan R ...good hearing from you man..and glad to hear you still look good at 50 lol hey I'm 49 and I can happily say the same lol... oh and yes F&I was a great club for its size ..but how about a few miles down - do you rememeber "Soap Factory" - another great club! good times..Laura and Bernie were great gals..Bernie and I spent alot of time together back then..would love to touch base if by some miracle you still keep in touch with either one..

Brandon, regarding your posting, I might have a few trinkets/artifacts you'd be interested in for the mural. How best to get in touch with you?

Hi discodan...

I'd love to check out your artifacts...drop me an email sometime at brandon@cgpartnersllc.com and we can talk.

We are at this point featuring a picture from the great photographer Toby Old, who used to shoot alot of the parties and scenes at Xenon. The more the merrier!

Hi, My name is Brandon McBride, my father is Patrick McBride (the blonde patrick, so talked about hear). He used to manage xenon. Anyway, he always tells these crazy stories about those days and I was wondering if I could get another persons view about how he was at that time. We used to live in San Diego but, now live in Dallas. Anyway just wanted to know what my father was like back then, he is doing fine and is retired now.

Brandon McBride

I can assure you he was as crazy as the rest of us. Last time I saw your father was at the Sports Arena swap meet in San Diego. Say hello for me.

Howie- My Dad would like you to contact him and catch up. Circlelove@aol.com
Thanks.

Brandon,I was there almost every night it was a wild time,but I always rememember your dad as well dressed usually a sport jacket solid as a rock nice guy, Say hello from dan of lenny & squiggy as we were sometimes refered as. I was squiggy , dan

Hello Dan! Thanks for writing. Wow, this is incredible. When my son showed me this site, a flood of wonderful memories came rushing back. Just connected and caught up with Howard,the lighting guy and now you. It's so funny after calling you both Lenny and Squiggy for so long, I don't know which one is Dan!I actually have the great tripod that one of you gave me years ago. It's still great. How are you both and what are you up to? You were as much a part of Xenon as the lights and music. Update me when you get a chance and please stay in touch.
Karen Jean bought a large ranch here in Texas last year and aside from a very good herb and spice mailorder business, raises Llamas and goats and chickens and donkey's and other animals. I've never seen her happier. Go figure. Raven does wonderful work saving endangered animals all over the world and she looks very happy too. Steven Minichello runs a successful catering business in New Jersey, I believe.
Sorry to hear of Howard Steins passing.Saw a recent picture of Peppo in europe. He got very heavy and old but still has that air about him. Last I heard of Roger Parenti was that he was in Coconut Grove Florida. Haven't heard from Brian Stiga, Virginia from the coatcheck,Timbo, the small Asian cashier, and many others and I would really like to. I see that most of the posts here are years old. If anyone is still on or checking in please contact me when you get a chance. My e-mail address is Circlelove@aol.com
I know all about Xenon because I was there from the first day to the very last minute so what I'm really interested in is your life and how Xenon affected it and your experiences since then. For six years, we danced and laughed and experienced so much and it was all good. Thank you all. Patrick

Patrick,Lenny must have given you the tripod , I was the better dancer LOL curly hair .We are both still married to women lol , he has two older sons and i have a13yr old son (trumpet player). Both of us are still teachers and work in the same school but not as close as we were. Funny I re met my wife at xenon after meeting her a year earlier on a very brief date we started to date steady and married. dan

Dan,
I'm happy to hear about your family. Say hello to Lenny for me when you get a chance.
Did your dancing evolve after Xenon as time went by or was that it? You were both great dancers.Patrick

Patrick:

It’s great to see you contributing to this site. My buddy Bruce and I were introduced to Xenon by Dan and Lenny in late 1978/early 1979. Bruce and I continued to be there every week, 2-3, sometimes 4 times per week through the very end. The fun we had, the people we met and the parties and music at Xenon were second to none.

Lastly, I was wondering if you had any Xenon pictures that you or your son could up load on to this site. Thanks for the great memories you helped create.

Take care.

Mike R.

Hello Patrick,
I don't know if you're going to remember me but you actually gave me my first start as a DJ in NYC. My name is Oscar (tall, skinny, latin guy) and I was a regular at Xenon Wed, Fri, and Sat nights. I was there one Wed night with a few buddies and Brad hadn't shown up to play so I offered my services until he did. Lucky for me, he never did. After that night, you had me as one of the backup DJ's for the club. After Xenon closed, Jay Bernstein and Andrew Epstein took me with them to Studio 54. I think the last time I saw you was at the Xenon reunion.
As you said before, those were some of the greatest times of my life. I am a teacher now and my students love hearing stories from back in the days.

Hello Oscar! Yes I remember you and I am thrilled to hear that you are a teacher. You were talented and self disciplined, a very good combination for teaching. What kind of teacher are you?

I teach Biology and Marine Biology. It's quite a difference from dancing on the speaker to El Watusi-La Bamba. LOL LOL LOL

Hey Dan -What subjects do you and Lenny teach?

Hey Patrick, I teach HS photography & art and lenny teaches english. We never really capitalized on the contacts and friends we met at Xenon as far as careers went, we were to busy having a great time.Peppo would get pissed if I brought a camera in, didn't want to disturb the celebs, that was RPM & Quinto"s job, but I did manage to squeeze a few off . I have some pics but wouldn't want to annoy anyone by posting them.Everyone is so respectable now. LOL

Hey Danny...

I knew you were a photographer, but did not know that you were also an art teacher... I married an art teacher/sculptor...lol... I just sent you an email...

Oh... and to answer Patrick's question on what everyone did after Xenon... I went to law school and am now a bureaucrat in DC... go figure...lol.

Take care.

Mike

Hi Oscar! Brad, Tony and Toni C! Pierre! What great memories! So sorry to hear about Howard. What a great place Xenon was!
We had such fun there....Howie was right,
it was very much a family.....hard to explain to those who never went....

HI lightwoman-SARA! IM TRYIN TO REMEMBER YOU. CAN U HELP ME? THOSE WHERE THE DAYS. IT WAS NOT ONLY A FAMILY BUT SO MUCH FUN,AND THE MUSIC! IT WAS REAL MUSIC THEN. SUCH A WONDERFULL TIME AND ERA.
PIERRE

hi patrick

fred &dave say hello

boy do we have a few stories from the outside

would love to hear from you

Fred- Are you the Fred and Dave from security??? If so -amazing! Either way, I can be reached at Circlelove@aol.com Thanks. Patrick

Fred and David nice to hear you guys are still running around. Not to long ago I was telling someone about one of the most scary car rides I have ever had. 43St to 15St real early in the AM with Dave at the wheel.

HD

Fred and Dave -Get in touch with me. Looking forward to reconnecting. Patrick

Memories, guys.

Joey Arias, Alex in Tafetta, Klaus Nomi, et al.

And Peppo and the famous back room and soho loft and house in bedford.

And Crisco Disco.

And Cocaine.

Lots of cocaine..

Hey LightWoman! Remember me, Alex who used to party w/you and Frank Hulihan at Chippendales and then