If the video does not load, you can view it here: Inside Studio 54 teaser video
Enjoy this teaser video for the forthcoming book: Inside Studio 54: A Story of Sex, Drugs, and Rock ‘n’ Roll by Former Studio 54 Owner by Mark H. Fleischman.
If you want the whole story, email mark@studio54effect.com
(footage courtesy of E! Entertainment Television, VH-1, NBC and CNN)
In 1980, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager – Studio 54’s creators – were serving time in federal prison for tax evasion, and Studio 54 had been shut down by the government. I found myself in the precarious position of negotiating to buy the club while the two were incarcerated, which meant I often had to visit the two of them in jail as we were working out the details – an experience that wasn’t always the most comfortable of situations.
As a result, I had a need to blow off some steam after one such visit – and that led me to New Orleans, where I had the kind of debaucherous adventure that usually only happens in sex-soaked beach reads. I wouldn’t have believed the experience myself, had I not lived it. But read on, and you’ll get a little window into my world in the early 80s – wild, adventurous, and on the verge of owning the most notorious venue in night club history.
Here’s an image from a Black Tie event at Studio 54, where Steve Rubell and I greeted the beautiful actress Racquel Welch.
I’m sure the bartenders will remember Scotty taking down Mark Gastineau at the bar and the melee that ensued. Thought you’d enjoy this cartoon that appeared in the NY Post the following day.
The cartoon below is captioned: “Why go all the way to the Meadowlands when you can catch the Jets in action right here?”
Merry Christmas & Happy New Year to all!
Over the course of my tenure owning Studio 54, I had a wide range of interesting and sometimes wild people who worked for me. One of them was Hilary Clark, my very popular night time assistant who was with me from ’82 to ’84. Everyone liked her, particularly the men, two of whom were Ian Schrager and Tony Curtis. In the latest excerpt from my upcoming memoir, “The Studio 54 Effect“, you’ll read how Tony and Ian vied for her affections — and put me in the middle of it. (The picture below is of Hilary and Tony.)
I was always looking for new ways to make Studio 54 the talk of the town. One of the ways was unexpected – the launch of Studio 54 Magazine, a glossy rag that showed all the hot happenings going on after hours. Read on for some of the behind-the-scenes stories on the launch of the magazine, the parties it covered, and some of the notable celebrities that made its pages, as excerpted from my upcoming memoirs, “The Studio 54 Effect.”
Owning Studio 54 in the early 80s was all fun and games in the beginning, but just like with Steve and Ian, it came to an abrupt end for me as well. I’d been partying too hard and found myself mostly oblivious to the reality of what my day to day life had become. After two failed attempts at rehab I found myself at Rancho La Puerta, where I found my salvation, redemption and the warrior spirit to reinvent myself. It’s an incredibly special place to me, and one I continue to visit often. In fact, I’m headed there next week for Bar Method Week, which I’ve organized to share the ranch experience with our Bar Method clients.
In my latest excerpt from “The Studio 54 Effect,” I share how the party came to a close for me… and how “a new kind of party” was about to begin.
Here’s a little history on Rick and his inclusion at Studio 54 from “The Studio 54 Effect“:
This is a photograph 0f the first nightclub I opened in the mid-1960’s in mid-town Manhattan called “The Candy Store.”
This is Candy Johnson, the “Shimmy Girl” from the Beach Party Movies with Frankie Avalon and Annette Funicello, doing her act while the band members play their instruments hanging upside down from the trapezes. It was a wild scene.
Here’s an excerpt from “The Studio 54 Effect” about my experience with opening The Candy Store:
Inside Studio 54 