Rebuttals: Isn't Boom Boom Room The Anti Studio 54?

Today on the Daily Beast, writer Jacob Bernstein attempts to make the argument that Le Room de Boom is the new Studio 54. His logic seems to be that a gorgeous room full of celebrities wearing fancy clothes hanging out together in the wee hours of the morning makes it the natural heir to Studio 54, generally considered to be both a true original and the greatest club of all time. But if you think about it, isn't the Boom the anti Studio 54 in almost every way, shape and form?

1. Studio's owners and door staff handpicked the crowd on a nightly basis, and while most people who wanted to get inside never did, customers always had a chance to be spotted by the doormen and granted entry. The Boom is almost entirely reservation only, with even groups of attractive females being turned away by a door staff trained to only let in approved guests.

2. Speaking of guests, Studio's crowd was a mix of artists, celebrities, scenesters, wackos and the like, a true melting pot of society. Most A-list nightclubs today are filled with a rather homogeneous mix of customers. The Boom is no exception.

3. Studio 54 was a giant theater converted to a dance club and lounge, with lots of segregated areas for doing whatever. The Boom is an intimate cocktail lounge that completely lacks a dance floor, and the odds of dancing of any kind of dancing breaking out are extremely slim.

3. If movies can teach us anything*, it's that Studio 54 was a free for all of sex, drugs and debauchery. While the Boom's vibe is certainly sexy, it hardly evokes Studio's anything goes attitude. Guests engaging in shenanigans certainly aren't doing so out in the open, save for some risque photography by Olivier Zahm. Anyway, how crazy can people get at $20 a drink?

In summary, while the Boom is certainly the hottest spot in New York right now, comparing it to Studio 54 makes no sense. Unless you are looking for something to write on the internet, that is. The fact of the matter is that Studio seemed to be the perfect storm of people, culture, music, fashion and debauchery, and that every club that followed in its footsteps has been lacking in at least one or more of those categories. So let's appreciate (or don't) the Boom on it's own, and leave the grandiose comparisons to scientists.
· The New Studio 54 [Daily Beast]
· Boom Boom Room Coverage [~ENY~]
Photo Credit
*Since the author never spent any time at the original Studio 54, this piece relied upon both popular history and the film 54.