Remember Studio 54? Remember magazines? The nightclub that defined disco debauchery in Manhattan in the late 1970s had a legendary three-year run under the founders, Ian Schrager and Steve Rubell.
Reopened under new ownership in 1981, the club kept going—with the help of a 1982 specialty publication called “Studio 54: The Magazine.”
The first issue, from 1982, is a time capsule of early 1980s celebrity culture. Interviews with Peter Allen, Valerie Simpson, and a host of other stars fill the pages, along with lots of black and white shots of A-listers partying.
Studio 54 apparently stayed open as a nightclub until 1986, but the cache was gone. And the magazine? That’s a mystery. But based on the ad above, they had big plans to keep publishing!
Tags: New York City in the 1970s, New York City in the 1980s, New York Nightclubs, Studio 54, Studio 54 1970s, Studio 54 Magazine
Ephemeral New York 
September 14, 2021 at 2:44 pm |
I never went to Studio 54. But when it closed–and its magazine stopped publishing–it marked not only the loss of a venue, but of a spirit and a way of life. Studio 54 and other venues of the era existed in a world without online entertainment or dating. So, I don’t think anything like Studio 54 (or, for that matter, CBGB or other places) could be replicated, even if people wanted them.
September 23, 2021 at 4:48 am |
What kind of loss “of a spirit and a way of life.”
I agree the venue can’t replicated, but the people haven’t changed. Very much full of themselves.
September 14, 2021 at 5:18 pm |
Met Spousal Unit 1.0 on the dance floor during a Jerry Rubin Networking Event, which were held each Wednesday after work. It allowed ‘young professionals’ to come in and swap biz cards and stay for the night’s frivolities.
September 18, 2021 at 8:10 am |
The Paradise Garage was the downtown club where the music was the most important thing. It had the best state-of-the art sound system. It also was the longest running club in NYC.