last night I watched my video tape of VH1's "Behind the Music: Studio 54"

[Cory Ander]

and I wondered if very many disco.com members got in there during its heyday? 1/7/2011

[JussiK]

I was very young, very blond and wore the very latest from Milan (extremely fashionable baggy pale blue as opposed to trad tight deep blue Fiorucci jeans, neon yellow t-shirt) so into the Studio 54 I strutted late July 1979. I stayed for an hour as I did not want to waste valuable dancing time in that old people's home posing as a disco. Didn't accept any blowjobs up on the balcony, either. She was sort of pretty in a bland debutante kind of way but her brains seemed to be running down from her nose. Fancy having some of that dribbling on your shaft? No thanks.

[boogienights]

I love that that is the toned down version Jussi! Obviously I never got to 54.But the photos I have seen do seem to show a lot of older people.They certainly didnt look like they could boogie.But what was the actual club like? It looked like the lights and stuff were amazing!

[JussiK]

The club itself minus the clientele was stunning. New York back then was absolutely the centre of the universe and the effects and the music in that hall made the club a vortex of the whole New York experience, for a tourist at least. It was blinding, throbbing and insanely excessive - for the first 4 minutes. You floated thru it like it was an oversensory bubblebath, until the people around you began to take shape. Very soon, the glitziness and the posing started to irritate and all that was left was the fun of seeing old people (everyone over 25) and celebs dance badly, act ridiculously and generally make fools of themselves.

The music was good but not as fantastic as it was in many other places. The sounds at Ice Palace were more euro and at the legendary Paradise Garage, they were darker and more powerful. At the Studio 54, I quess the music was a mix of every style happening at that time. I can't judge as I was not an insider of course. But what I can say for sure is that the REAL action was elsewhere. Still, I got to see Diana Ross fall over a sofa. Yes, there were sofas in Studio 54, all along the walls, and people were drinking champagne lounging on them. You get the picture.

[BrunoRepublic]

Obviously I never went there. But I think it's worth nothing that from all that's been written about Studio 54, it's clear that the place was famous not for what was there, but who was there.

I've never thought much of the cult of celebrity... but for the people who are into stargazing, it must have been the be-all and end-all.

[boogienights]

Don't suppose you remember the songs played in the hour you were there? I actually watched the movie "54" on New Years Eve (was rather quiet compared to the years of old!) and I realised I really do quite like it.Of course its not perfect, but its pretty entertaining and it is a good selection of music.Its funny that you saw Diana fall over a couch Jussi. Apparently Bianca Jaggers birthday party there in '77 was a blast...

[JussiK]

I do remember hearing Patrick Hernandez: Born To Be Alive at the Studio as well as Love de Luxe: Here Comes That Sound Again. These were spinned everywhere, including the radio stations and the Paradise Garage. You loitered around Times Square, and heard Born To Be Alive blasting thru the door of Melody Burlesque. This place had a 70 yrs old woman in blue overalls outside the entrance, she was grabbing men and trying to usher them inside. She was grinding her hips incessantly and repeating "ssss-sss-ssHOWtime, sss-sHOWtime" all night long. My hotel was just around the corner and I walked past the joint all the time and there she was, every time. Why did I not photograph her? Why isn't there a massive photograph book out focusing on all this lamentably lost street life, everything that made New York so great back in the day? Taschen, take note. - Most of the tracks heard in clubs were new to me and I had no idea what they were, so Ipeople like me had to go into the stores and try and sing them to the clerks. Much of the time I did get the correct vinyls even though my singing voice is horrible.
Yes, I saw Diana, I repeat that fact every change I get, not having seen too many world class celebrities in the flesh. She was drunk. That's why she fell. Her hair was wild, and her eyes were looking into all directions at once. Just before she fell, she attempted a couple of dance steps to show to the person sitting on the sofa, rising both of her arms to the level of her head. That's when she lost her balance.
So, it was great of course going to 54, in a way.

[boogienights]

Im a tad jealous...I had read that 54 was fairly commercial in its music choices, not that I think commercial is a bad thing.I like disco from all its offshoots.I bet that on some obscure site there is a picture of said lady,Jussi.She sounds cool.I love out there folk myself.In Brisbane we have an attention whore called Marilyn Monroe cos she dresses exactly like her and is always keen for a photo.Unfortunately shes one of few that are out there..Im guessing it was harder to find music you liked then...no internet..but no doubt more satisfying. Diana is known for liking a drink isn't she? I havent seen too many celebs either...I must say I am surprised you only stayed an hour.I probably would have stayed the whole night, hoping for more moments of Diana-falling-down like variety...

[JussiK]

Harder to find music you liked back then? Not for anyone living in the western world. Look - pure disco was pop chart material. If something makes commercial sense the market is immediately flooded with more of the same. Finding great disco was the easiest thing in the world because there was so much of it, everywhere. There was way too much of gotta-get-this stuff for most fans or djs to buy. The majority of record stores had disco sections, just like they have dance/electronica/rap sections today. Even gas stations sold disco comp cassettes filled with Baccara, Patrick Hernandez and Boney M for the less demanding. Certainly, getting hold of new desirable 12"ers was somewhat harder than just walking into any store for a new album and a couple of sevens. Still, there were the import sections and specialist import stores for disco music only. In a city the size of Helsinki there were 3 of those, so in bigger metropolises, there was really a lot of choice. As there was no internet people living in less populated areas had to order their vinyls by phone or by regular mail, after checking the latest realeses out from Record Mirror, Blues&Soul or the Billboard magazine.
The kind of sound in heavy demand today usually did nothing during the 70's. I bought the Skyline's Land of Death album on a slow day, never played it and threw it away as useless a few months after. Makes me want to cry.
- One hour was quite enough at the Studio. It was New York remember, and just a 20 min subway trip away, there were places where ther real dancers went like 12 West, Paradise Garage or the Flamingo. Or you could just walk a few blocks east and you were at the Ice Palace!