I've blogged a lot about Studio 54, the legendary late '70s nightclub. For just a few short years, from 1977-1980 (basically the Carter Administration), it ruled nightlife in NYC and -- and the world -- in a way that no other place has before or since. It has a cultural hold on the popular imagination that defies time and memory.
Why is Studio 54 remembered so long after it's short reign and sharp demise?
Mainly: the stories. Lots and lots of stories about the wildness and debauchery that seemed to go on there night after night. Many of these stories (okay, all) involved celebrities -- and sex, drugs, boogieing, big hair, and everything else you can imagine.
But it's also a "last gasp" story about a time and place that was pre-AIDS, pre-Reagan, pre-gentrification, pre-just about everything we know today. It was a time of innocence (that wasn't) that was just about to be lost -- and it led us, for better or worst, to where we all today.
The ironic thing about Studio 54 is that it was actually a failure. It blazed bright for a very short time before the owners went to jail for tax fraud and the party ended.
To paraphrase Donald Trump, I like things that last. Things that endure because they're based on a solid foundation, on something of substance. Something like the Manhattan Cocktail, which I'm sure they served up at Studio 54 and that people still drink today. For me, that's something worth celebrating.
The ironic thing about Studio 54 is that it was actually a failure. It blazed bright for a very short time before the owners went to jail for tax fraud and the party ended.
To paraphrase Donald Trump, I like things that last. Things that endure because they're based on a solid foundation, on something of substance. Something like the Manhattan Cocktail, which I'm sure they served up at Studio 54 and that people still drink today. For me, that's something worth celebrating.
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