Inside Studio 54

by Mark Fleischman

  Bianca knew she had a higher calling than party girl, and in 1981 she began what has evolved into her thirty-year campaign for human rights, social and economic justice, and environmental protection throughout the world. Bianca is the founder and chair of the Bianca Jagger Rights Foundation. She serves as a council of Europe Goodwill Ambassador, member of the Executive Director’s Leadership Council of Amnesty International USA, and a trustee of the Amazon Charitable Trust. But it was Studio 54 that gave her the platform on which to get started. Studio 54 was a positive effect in Bianca’s life.

  Nile Rodgers, a member of the Black Panthers at age sixteen, had a girlfriend who always got into Studio 54, but he couldn’t get in without her. He was leader of the group Chic, and they were becoming known after the release of their big hit “Everybody Dance” but hadn’t reached the point of superstardom. Nile was turned away from the door more than once and it pissed him off. On New Year’s Eve after being rejected once again, he returned home with Bernard Edwards, a fellow band member and writing partner, and together they wrote a song called “Fuck Off,” which was later changed to “Freak Out” and became the huge hit “Le Freak” with the well-known lyric “Just come on down, to fifty-four, find a spot out on the floor.” It was number one on the Billboard Hot 100 charts and remained at number one on the disco charts for seven weeks. After that, Nile was treated with more respect at Studio 54. He went on to write and produce for Madonna, Sister Sledge, Diana Ross, and David Bowie. In 2014, Nile Rodgers picked up two Grammy Awards, including Record of the Year for Daft Punk’s “Get Lucky,” which he cowrote with Pharrell Williams. In his memoir, Le Freak, Nile wrote: “By not getting what we wanted, we got much more than we ever imagined.” Nile harnessed the positive energy of Studio 54 and rode it past the moon to another galaxy.

  Then there was Joanne Horowitz. Back in the day, Joanne was responsible for bringing in many celebrities to Studio 54. She was paid on a sliding scale ranging from $30 to $250 depending on the celebrity and their level of importance to the press. She brought in major stars like Cher, Michael Jackson, and Warren Beatty—and for the first time photos of celebrities could be seen on the front pages of the New York Post and the New York Daily News; rather than “blurbs” about them buried in the gossip pages. Today, Joanne manages the very successful career of Kevin Spacey. Back in the day, she arranged for him to get into Studio before he became a star. The effect Studio 54 provided Joanne with was another positive channel through which to work her skills.

  The Studio 54 Effect provided DJs Nicky Siano, Tony Smith, Robbie Leslie, and, my personal favorites, Frank Corr and Leroy Washington (the only two resident DJs at the club during my reign) with another venue in which to work their magic—Sirius XM Radio’s Studio 54 station. And let’s not forget all the DJs who claim to have played at Studio 54—and never did—and how they have benefited. One very well-known DJ who did play at Studio, on occasion, states on his résumé, “In fact, I’ve played at Studio 54 more than any DJ ever—probably about five hundred nights over the course of six years!” Bullshit. Leroy Washington, who played brilliantly night after night, played Studio more than any other DJ beginning in 1978. He worked the Studio 54 Effect to the bone. He always came through for us. He is a devoted father, plays Studio 54 events around the world, owns a successful tour company in St. Thomas, Virgin Islands, and can be heard on 107.3 six nights a week 10:00 p.m. to 6:00 a.m. Leroy Washington and Nicky Siano were the DJs chosen to play at the Sirius XM Studio 54 Launch Party in Manhattan in 2011.

  Frank Corr knew exactly how to work the Studio 54 Effect to his advantage—then and now. He does podcasts and guest spots with Eagle Radio on Live365.com, plays guest spots at Ft. Lauderdale’s hottest gay club, Hunter’s in Wilton Manors, and is the owner and host of a group of hot vacation rental properties, also in Wilton Manors, a destination that has enjoyed worldwide popularity in the gay community.

  Joey Hunter worked the Studio 54 Effect to a positive max for himself and his models, always taking care to protect the image of the Ford Agency. Years later, after leaving Ford, he became president of Modelwire, the company that developed the software program widely used by the modeling industry today.

  Peter Beard became famous for his incredible photos and diaries of Africa, the New York arts scene, the fashion world, Hollywood, and the Kennedy clan. Peter enjoyed his nights partying with us and used the power of the Studio 54 Effect to showcase and share his body of work with the world.

  As a result of the Studio 54 Effect, Rudolf Piper became my partner in several nightclub ventures down the road and is now a major nightclub impresario in Brazil.

  Couri Hay dabbled with the decadent lifestyle that was an element of the Studio 54 Effect, but was careful and survived to do extraordinarily well with his own successful PR firm.

  Rick Ferrari partied hard with the Studio 54 Effect during those days, but was strong enough to overcome his addictions and has created a successful Hollywood career as both a manager and an agent.

  Michael Fesco, the promoter who produced so many memorable nights (my favorite was “Black Night”) always kept it together making the Studio 54 Effect work for him. Michael has garnered much respect in the gay community over the years. This year, 2017, will mark Michael’s twenty-first season as the host of “Sea Tea” America’s only gay sailing Tea Dance. The Tea sails on ships from Hornblower Cruises out of New York City’s West Side Pier 40—Sundays from June to September. Check it out at seatea.com.

  Billy “Tootsie” Tuetsos was loved by everyone and very much in demand by the hottest models of the day. He was in the middle of it all when he was with his girls—and he was always with his girls. He advised them, dressed them, escorted them, and protected them. The agencies trusted Billy and he was paid handsomely for his services. The Dynamic Trio of Studio 54 was Patti Hansen, Billy Tootsie, and Shaun Casey. Some days he commandeered the couch and telephone in my office at Studio and worked the Studio 54 Effect the same way…when it suited him and to his advantage. After Studio 54 closed, Billy moved to Ft. Lauderdale and was tragically struck down and killed while riding his bicycle.

  Michael Redwine produced numerous hit parties for me at Studio 54 and today enjoys a very successful and lucrative career in real estate in Atlanta, Georgia. He partied hard at Studio 54, leaving all the negatives of the Studio 54 Effect behind, gleaning only the positive, and looks back on it all with humor and joy.

  Dahved Levy and his mentor Frankie Crocker produced and promoted many successful Saturday nights at Studio 54. Dahved has always had a laser-like focus in life and worked the positive angle of his experience at Studio to the max. He continues to produce and promote concerts and special events through his very successful website Caribbean Fever, and he owns the upscale cocktail lounge Dick and Jane near the Barclay Center in Brooklyn. You can hear Dahved every Sunday on New York’s WBLS radio, 107.5 the number-one-rated Caribbean show in the world, and in 2016 he signed a major deal with Biggs and Roc Nation. Dahved recently shared this with me—“Studio 54 was my eye-opener to the world of entertainment. I met people and saw things there that I never imagined. It made me think outside my box.”

  Carmen D’Alessio rode the Studio 54 Effect like a rocket to the moon and never looked back. With contacts and style, she has continued on in her very successful career creating events in New York and around the world for more than thirty years now since Studio 54 closed.

  Beth Ann Maliner enjoyed her time at Studio 54, working the effect to her advantage and creating memories she will have forever. When Michael Overington left Studio, Beth Ann joined him at The Palladium. In 1985 she moved to Landenberg, Pennsylvania, married, and raised two children. She oversees and manages research dollars in the College of Education and Human Development at the University of Delaware. I saw Beth Ann with her family in tow at the SiriusXM Radio Studio 54 Launch Party in Manhattan in 2011. She hasn’t changed a bit and looked so happy.

  The
Harris Sisters played hard but worked the Studio 54 Effect to the max. They consider themselves fortunate to have experienced such a unique and exciting place and time in history and were very lucky to have survived it. So many didn’t and they wouldn’t change it for the world. Their very talented brother, George Harris III aka Hibiscus, succumbed to AIDS in 1982—an early casualty of the dreaded disease. The Harris Sisters enjoy spending time with family, maintaining the lifelong friendships they established at Studio 54, performing as The Screaming Violets and writing books. At present, the Harris Sisters are busy promoting their book Caravan to Oz, narrated by Tim Robbins.

  John Blair dabbled here and there but remained clean for the most part and today he continues to be one of the most successful promoters in New York’s gay community. John worked the Studio 54 Effect to his advantage.

  Nikki Haskell didn’t do drugs but she did do press and as a result of the Studio 54 Effect she walked away with a much higher profile. In later years she made a lot of money with a weight-loss product and now anticipates hosting another TV show.

  Alison Gertz, the lovely sixteen-year-old department store heiress, had everything to live for. She was a frequent guest at Studio 54 and often hung out and partied in my office. She was friends with my various assistants and a delight to have around, experimenting with all the effects Studio had to offer. Ali had a crush on one of Studio’s beautiful bartenders, Cort Brown. Ali’s whole life lay ahead of her—college, a career, marriage, family. No one could have predicted that an ill-fated night of sex with Cort would end her life. Ali was a virgin when she and Cort became intimate in the summer of ’82. Six years later, at age twenty-two, Ali was diagnosed with AIDS. It turned out that Cort was a carrier of the deadly HIV virus. Cort died in the mid-1980s. Alison died in August of 1992. She was just twenty-six years old.

  We all felt the effects of Studio 54. But Studio’s shirtless bartenders were in the center of everything all night long, every night. Men and women, old and young, wanted to fuck them, cuddle them, support them, tie them up, take them down, get them high, talk to them, befriend them, convert them to straight, convince them they were gay, admire them from afar or from behind a drink at the bar. And maybe, just maybe, take them home and love them for a night. Their job made each of them vulnerable to the Studio 54 Effect. Some had an easy transition to life without Studio 54 and others found it more difficult to adjust. L. J. Kirby was the star of the show, but by 1988 he had had enough of city life and moved to Arizona for the weather and a place where he could enjoy flying gliders and airplanes and riding motorcycles both on and off road. He is devoted to his two young sons, raising them as a single father. L. J. Kirby, John Bello, Scott Baird, Oscar Lopez, George Alvarez, Bob Farrell, Robert Ziehm, Dennis Lazalle, Cort Brown, John O’Connor, Steve Toal, Ron Baruchian, Greg Gurch, Alex McArthur, Sal DeFalco, and identical twins Steve and Jon Learn all worked the Studio 54 Effect positively, then and now. You can only imagine some of the stunts the twins pulled on the girls at the main bar. George Alvarez went on to TV and acting—General Hospital for eight years and Guiding Light for nine. Alex McArthur appeared as Madonna’s boyfriend in her “Papa Don’t Preach” video. Studio’s handsome Italian, Sal DeFalco, worked the effect of Studio into a force to be reckoned with back then and since, giving more interviews regarding Studio 54 than any other bartender.

  Studio 54’s busboys, Danny Lopez, Oscar Lopez, and Joe Puga, were such an important part of our success at Studio. They worked their asses off. They were hot, shirtless, in tight shorts and sneakers, and all the celebrities liked and appreciated them. Oscar Lopez was a college kid. He had never smoked a joint in his life and then one night he brought a drink order to Truman Capote, Calvin Klein, and Mick Jagger who were hanging in the basement. Mick said, “Hello, mate,” and passed a joint to Oscar. Oscar was about to decline, determined to make it through college and dental school, but changed his mind, said “fuck it,” and joined the party. Eventually, Oscar was doing lines of coke next to the cash register behind the bar, along with the other bartenders, but over time he managed to keep the drugs, glitter, and glam in check. Balance was the key to survive Studio 54. They are all very happy in their chosen careers and family life. Oscar lives in Miami and over the years has enjoyed crossing paths with my partner Stanley Tate while dining out. Oscar pursued his dream of becoming a dentist and has a very successful practice in Miami. They all worked the Studio 54 Effect and had big fun with it.

  Our head of security, Chuck Garelick, gleaned all that he could from Studio 54 and worked it to his advantage, becoming vice president of Special Events for a security company working such high-profile events as the Victoria’s Secret Fashion Show, Sports Illustrated’s Swimsuit Issue runway launch, and New York City’s Times Square Ball Drop on New Years Eve. In a recent conversation with Chuck, he said: “Not only did I pick Margaret Trudeau’s bra up off the floor of the DJ booth back in the day but DJs Nicky Siano and Roy Thode off the floor as well.” They loved their Tuinals and Quaaludes.

  In 1977, Michael Overington was hired as a bathroom attendant at Studio 54. He used his talent and ingenuity to forge ahead, becoming vice chairman of Ian Schrager’s hotel group. He is happily married to Lisa from Studio’s coat check and a proud father of two. Michael worked the Studio 54 Effect big time!

  I had a great staff. Some employees returned to work at Studio 54 after I reopened it and others were new hires. Skip Odeck, David Miskit, Norval Johnson, and John Griffith were there to give Michael O. the support he needed as day and night managers—and believe me, working at Studio 54 wasn’t always easy or glamorous. It was hard work.

  David Miskit was a great guy and a very valuable employee. He stepped in as night manager at a crucial time for Studio. He was eventually scooped up by Ian Schrager—David works at the PUBLIC Chicago.

  Skip Odeck was the heart and soul of Studio 54. After many years as night manager, he left New York and moved on to Cameo Nightclub on South Beach in Miami and then to Ian Schrager’s Delano Hotel. A trusted and valued employee, he is respected and admired by coworkers wherever he goes. Skip kept it all under control at Studio both professionally and personally. Studio was a positive in his life.

  Norval Johnson enjoyed every moment he worked at Studio 54 and then moved on to music videos and television as a production designer, working with Rod Stewart, Whitney Houston, Barbra Streisand, KISS, Run-DMC, and Aerosmith. In a recent interview, Norval mentioned how much he enjoyed designing the set used on Chappelle’s Show in a skit that takes place at Studio 54 with Rick James and Eddie Murphy. He is presently preparing for a gig with Kevin Hart. Norval enjoys the ocean and the redwoods in Mendocino County, California, where he lives with his wife and daughter and looks forward to the annual Studio 54 Alumni Reunions.

  Studio 54’s tech crew, headed by Neil and Harold Wilson, was unsurpassed and at the top of its game. They were responsible for the sound, lighting, sets, and fly rails. As Neil said, “Making sure the right plug goes into the right hole. Studio was all about the show and the show was LIVE—night after night. Every night was a major event. We took our work very seriously and I am proud of the fact that with all the insane stuff that went on around us every night we never had one mishap. Operating the bridge and all the many moving objects—no one was ever injured.” After Studio closed, Neil joined Grace Jones on her yearlong World Tour as her lighting and technical director. He loves what he does and had this to say: “As a nonunion guy, Studio 54 was a chance for me to run a Broadway House.” He worked and lived in Rio de Janeiro for twenty-five years with his wife, a Brazilian ballerina. He returned to New York with his three sons and is raising them as a single father.

  Melina Brown left Studio to work for Steve and Ian when they took over the Executive Hotel. In time, she and Snoogy moved on to motherhood, enjoying happy and successful lives. Melina lives in Connecticut on a small working farm and rescues dogs from New York City’s high-kill shelters. She is the presi
dent of her grandfather’s foundation—The Radio Drama Network.

  Snoogy and Melina were at Studio from the beginning and will always treasure the memories of a time when it governed their lives both night and day. They each worked the positive effect of the experience.

  Marc Benecke and Myra Sheer (Steve Rubell’s former assistant) successfully launched The Marc and Myra Show on the Sirius XM Radio Studio 54 channel, keeping the memories alive and discussing the effects of Studio 54 on every life that stepped within. They both worked the effect in a most positive way.

  My production assistant and friend Denise Chatman, whom I reconnected with in 2011 at the Studio 54 Sirius XM Radio Launch Party in Manhattan, made me laugh when she told me she jumped at the opportunity to work in the kitchen with Ina Garten at Barefoot Contessa in East Hampton, anxious to leave the insanity of the Studio 54 Effect behind. She took her Rolodex with her and considers Studio 54 to be the greatest learning experience of her life and motherhood the most rewarding. Denise enjoys marketing and promotion projects, booking DJs and Studio 54 events around the world, and personally DJs at her fundraisers for the Wounded Warrior Project.

  The “Girls of Studio 54” and my valued assistants Shelley Tupper, Hilary Clark, Gwynne Rivers, and Victoria Leacock partied hard, sometimes burning the candle at both ends, making headlines and creating a stir. They were given unlimited access to everything: drink tickets, Quaaludes, cocaine, the basement, my office, and the most coveted of all—the Studio 54 guest list. They each embraced different aspects of the Studio 54 Effect and when it was over they moved on to careers and motherhood using all that they had gleaned to their advantage—holding tight to their cherished memories of the wildest party ever.