Mark Fleischman Reveals the Wild Days of Studio 54 and His Journey to Sobriety
It was a certain kind of music with a certain kind of beat and very danceable, and they opened all over the country discos and then all of a sudden, I think in 1980, people got tired of it and there were some articles about disco being dead and people, friends of mine, were coming over to me and knew that I had a contract to open studio, and they were saying: what are you going to do that? And I opened September, and in that time you'd think that something would have happened in New York, because something always does, people always fill in niches and it didn't.
Imagine stepping into the legendary Studio 54, where the music was electrifying, the celebrities were dazzling, and the parties were unforgettable. In this episode of 'New Books in Drugs, Addiction, and Recovery', host Marshall Poe sits down with Mark Fleischman, the former owner of this iconic nightclub. Fleischman takes us on a journey through the glitz and chaos of Studio 54, sharing tales of famous patrons, extravagant theme nights, and the relentless partying that defined an era.
But it's not all glamour and glitz. Fleischman opens up about his own battles with addiction, offering a raw and honest look at the darker side of nightlife. He reflects on how disco culture shaped the club scene in the 1980s, the devastating impact of AIDS on nightclubs, and his personal road to recovery through Rancho La Puerta and sobriety.
This episode isn't just a trip down memory lane; it's a candid exploration of the highs and lows of a life lived in the fast lane. Whether you're fascinated by pop culture history or interested in stories of personal transformation, this conversation promises to be both entertaining and enlightening.