He did take us to La Grenouille once, but it could have been so much more. Touching. 2023 JNews - Premium WordPress news & magazine theme by Jegtheme. In a controversial interview Steve made in 1978, he was quoted as saying that only the mafia made more money than the club brought in. Steve Rubell - Wikipedia As the story goes, they were making so much money . Studio 54 co-owner Steve Rubell stands in his office, which he claimed was ransacked by federal agents looking for drugs, in 1978. https://www.thefamouspeople.com/profiles/steve-rubell-47545.php. Its a shocking detailone that accurately depicts how exclusive Studio 54 really was, and how far the average New York City clubgoer might go for a chance at getting inside. It wasn't that disco was dying or the club became uncool, it was that the owners were complete crooks. After moving to Los Angeles, he wed Mimi in 1994 and partnered to open the hip-hop-centric Century Club in Los Angeles. The fall of Rome, let me tell you. Steve grew up alongside his younger sibling Donald. A pair of topless women parade across the dance floor during Folies Bergre night, circa 1977. It was crazy., According to Studio 54 documentary filmmaker Matt Tyrnauer, the club owners cleverly paid doorman Marc Benecke more than anyone else to make sure he wasnt tempted to take bribes. According to Rolling Stone, people would offer him anything to get in. Steve Rubell at Studio 54 circa 1979 in New York City. Steve gave a controversial interview in 1978, stating that only the mafia made more money than the club. But there is no shame in what I am doing. However, back then, discotheques and clubs were popping up everywhere, and it was a highly lucrative business opportunity. That 1980 date was also the beginning of the H.I.V./AIDS era, with the first cases surfacing about that time.. He is an alumnus of Syracuse University, where he graduated with a bachelor's degree and a master's degree in finance.