The Wild History Of The 1970s Club Scene

Publish date: 2024-04-03

Studio 54 is legendary today, a symbol of the excesses of 1970s club life. It has become shorthand for the endless party that supposedly defined the whole decade. The 1970s are often perceived as a wonderful time between the strife-filled 1960s and the stress-filled 1980s, and Studio 54 is the cocaine-fueled, disco-dancing icon representing it.

But as Vice notes, the nightclub almost failed completely. After a splashy and well-attended launch, attendance fell off immediately, and the club struggled to get enough people inside to make a profit. It was a huge space and needed about 1,000 people inside every single night — not just on the weekends — if it was going to make a dime. The owners did everything they could think of, but for the first five weeks or so, they barely got by.

Then fashion designer Halston booked the club to throw a birthday party for Bianca Jagger, Mick Jagger's wife. As Vanity Fair reports, this included having a naked man covered in gold glitter leading Jagger around on the back of a white horse. Photos of the event were instantly everywhere, and suddenly, it was the place to be, with crowds thronging outside. The moment saved Studio 54, and to this day, Jagger has to explain to people that she didn't ride through the streets of Manhattan on the horse — she and Mick just walked in like regular people. Well, regular mega-wealthy and famous people, but still.

ncG1vNJzZmivp6x7qL7Up56eZpOkunB%2Bk3Jnam9fqbWmedaio51lmJ7AtbvRsmSonl2ptaZ5kHJuaatdmLm2roysmp6mlWQ%3D