#THE HIGH KEY GAY BESTIE OF THE 70S?????

[lumpsbumpsandwhumps]

I love the statement that you left because no one informed you about the cast of the Barbie movie. Amazing. I’m going to use “no one told me Micheal Cera was in the Barbie movie” as my go to excuse for as long as humanly possible now.

Every time you guys don't tell me about an upcoming movie starring Michael Cera I extend my hiatus another month

[where-ls-my-mlnd]

“So I’m not trying to insinuate that I have a preference, but what club are we heading to anyway?” The odd phrasing of that question makes me laugh to myself as I put the key into the ignition, and the sound of the car engine slowly rumbling to life fills my ears, resounding and warmly familiar. I’ve always found that sound to be soothing; it means that escape is imminent, it means the desire to explore and go anywhere but here is about to be quelled in a matter of seconds. I should really glance over my shoulder or at least check the rearview before practically fucking speeding out of this park, but I don’t bother. We’re the only people here, alright? It ain’t no thing. Nobody’s in danger. “No preference? Yeah, me either,” I say, more about my choice in partners than in nightclubs. I crack up a little at the joke; no else finds it funny because no one else understands what I mean by that, and that’s fine by me, hell, that’s what makes it so funny. “We are headed to Studio 57. I’ve never been. But I saw that it was a play on Studio 54 and I almost lost my shit. You ever heard about Studio 54?” He takes a drag from his cigarette. “Yeah, I’ve heard of it. Why?” Oh, bitch... “Oh, no shit?! Really?! Damn, I didn’t think you would have. Oh my god, it was a once-in-a-lifetime phenomenon. Lemme break it down for you. So these two dudes Steve and Ian were, like, besties and what not, both grew up middle class in Brooklyn, went to the same college where they met each other. Their respective careers didn’t satisfy either of them too well, so they rather fortuitously became business partners when Ian had to act as Steve’s attorney to get him out of a legal situation where he had fucked himself pretty good. They were really determined, really idealistic, really wanted to find that one thing that could propel them into financial abundance, some kind of solid, eternal stability. Ian was very enchanted by the idea of owning a nightclub, just could not shake this dream so he and Steve turned this old theater on West 54th Street into a nightclub, and that’s where they got the name. The renovation cost $400,000 and took just six weeks, which, you know, gives you an idea of how illegal it was. Didn’t have permits or nothing, no liquor license either. They felt it would be easier to get a series of one-day catering permits. From the day Studio 54 opened it was a massive fucking success. It defined an era. It was emblematic of so much more than just a nightclub. It captured what was possibly the most care-free and jovial part of the ‘70s. The Vietnam war was finally over, Nixon had fucked off out of office, disco was at an all-time peak, lots of people had recently become unshackled by the sexual revolution that was going on. I mean, no one had a fuck to give about anything, it was— it was a strangely idyllic and picturesque time. A continuation of the ‘60s, except the ‘80s were fast approaching, and people were gettin’ a little sick of quaaludes and started going gaga for uppers like coke. This is a huge part of why Studio 54 was so popular. It was practically a coke den. Another contributing factor to its success was the influx of celebrities that flooded it nightly. We’re talking people like David Bowie, Debbie Harry, Michael Jackson, Cher, Diana Ross, Tina Turner, Mick Jagger and his eight thousand wives, Elton John, Andy Warhol, Truman fucking Capote randomly, Elizabeth Taylor also randomly...and that ain’t even all of ‘em. It was fucking crazy! They had such high demand that they had to turn a lot of us commoners away. There were some normal people, but there were also celebrities, performers, drag queens...this is also what separates it from other nightclubs. They never turned away gay people. You were always allowed in if you were gay. Hell, gay guys could fucking kiss on the dancefloor and nobody cared. And this was the ‘70s! For a lot of people, that was probably their first time seeing anything like that: gay people just existing, having a good time and living life just like anyone else. That’s so beautiful to me. To think that...it was a haven for inclusion and acceptance when the streets were not. You could masquerade as straight if you were gay, but if you were trans, you were putting your life at risk every time you walked down the streets of New York. But you were safe at Studio. Everyone was safe, everyone was welcome and wanted. It was some sort of utopia, that’s for sure. I might be lookin’ at it through rose-colored shades, but the way I see it, it earned its fame through being unique. There had never been a club like it before, and there will never be a club like it again. It was...exceptionally elaborate, unparalleled in its grandeur and glamour. Shamelessly, even proudly hedonistic, a little corrupt, for sure —but also so very free and joyous, and unifying. They celebrated everything and everyone. But life ain’t just one huge party, no matter how much I wish it were. It ended after a while, ‘cause it was always gonna eventually. There’s much debate about this — some say it happened ‘cause Steve ran his big fucking mouth to the press and said that profits are astronomical and only the mafia does better, some say Studio was already being watched and what Steve said ain’t got shit to do with it. Anyway, the place was raided by the IRS in late ‘78. They had a warrant to search and seize any and all records relating to the club’s finances and found 300 fucking quaalades in a vault and busted Ian for coke possession. But then they lawyered up so hard, lemme tell you. Thirty seven lawyers were working on behalf of Ian and Steve. I guess that kind of backup is necessary when you get caught skimming 2 to 3 million dollars. They got a 12-count indictment, only admitted to 2 counts of tax evasion and the government said fuck it, we’ll drop the rest. They were only sentenced to serve 3 and a half years in prison and to each pay a $20K fine, but got out within a year.”

I release a heavy sigh, having damn near talked myself out. I watch the city lights illuminating the night sky and feel briefly overwhelmed by the amount of thoughts in my head.

“I don’t know, I guess that means something,” I pause. “All that glitters is not gold. I’ve wondered a lot about...why they did everything they did. Some people think they’re inherently bad, or just plain stupid. Or they were so self-absorbed and arrogant that they wanted it all, and never could’ve imagined a world where they didn’t get it. I don’t like those theories too much. It feels very surface-level. You know, the desire to overindulge is often born out of a deep dissatisfaction and sadness. What are you trying to cover up if not unhappiness? Like— happy people can still be greedy. It’s often those who already have the world and then some that are greediest. But there’s something to be said about the utter blindness that overtakes you when you’re drowning in emotion. They wanted a way out of their current situation, you know? They wanted to make it big real, real bad and it’s ‘cause they were compensating for something. Steve loved the fame, was a whore for it, probably loved it more than the money. Ian loved being respected as a businessman and getting to live out his passion and be good at it. There’s something deeper here. These were two very lost people - one more so than the other. They thought that Studio 54 would guide them to a better place, the place they had yearned to be in their whole lives but they just ended up falling off the deep end. It’s sad. They should’ve known better. The american dream is a lie. Everyone who chases the american dream usually ends up living a nightmare. And you know I don’t think Shakespeare wrote any of his work, but if he did — he was really onto something when he said these violent delights have violent ends.”