Hannah Maguire

I don't believe them.

Right from the first night, the buzz surrounding Studio 54 was enormous.

So many people showed up for the opening night that all security staff had to be sent onto the street outside to control the crowd.

And every perfect party after that was even more electric than the one before.

Nile Rodgers, the literal poster boy of disco from Chic, called Studio 54 the most magical club that ever existed.

The queue was enormous every night, from bankers to street performers, all desperate to get in, like the damned looking into paradise.

That's not mine, I stole it from the documentary, but it's a good way of describing it.

Inside Studio 54, everyone was a star.

Not just a person.

Provided you could actually get in.

Like any hyped nightclub, the studio's door policy was as mysterious as it was strict.

Famously called a dictatorship at the door and a democracy on the dance floor.

There's lots of interview footage of Steve Rubell going on talk shows and talking about...

The key is to keep it secret, like Berghain.

You're never going to tell anyone what the thing is.

Keep everyone guessing.

But they were like, what we really didn't want is polyester shirts.

So we would say that they melted under the lights and that's why you couldn't come in if you were wearing one.

But obviously it just cancels out an entire group of lower income people.

If you were lucky enough to get past the doorman, who was not only good looking, he was paid more than anyone else, so he wouldn't take bribes.