Police discovered an air conditioning unit leading into the dressing room where people were trapped. ibid.
The shooter was hit eight times and died instantly. ibid.
What do you think makes a place hot? At 54, what was the phenomenon that was international? Studio 54: The Documentary, Sky Arts 2019
When you walked through those blacked-out doors you were in another world. ibid.
Anyone that was allowed in were totally free inside. ibid. dude #2
I love the nightlife. And I love seeing people have fun. There’s nothing that makes me happier than seeing people have a good time. ibid. dude #3
Enchanted Garden, 1976: All these extravagant parties. ibid.
Boom boom … The full blast of the sound came over you in a big way. ibid.
I like the Atmosphere at Studio 54. I’m ready to have a good time … It’s escapism … ibid. high-pitched Michael Jackson
Where you’re actually free. ibid.
Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager went on to create two hotels together and introduced the concept of the boutique hotel. Schrager has gone on to create 38 more and continues to revolutionize the hotel industry. ibid.
If I know anything about women, I’d say she’s too clever by half. The Blue Parrot 1953 starring John Le Mesurier & Dermot Walsh & Jacqueline Hill & Ballard Barkeley & June Ashley & Richard Pearson & Ferdy Mayne & Victor Lucas & Edwin Richfield & Arthur Rigby & Valerie White & Diane Watts et al, director John Harlow, rozzer to rozzer
He’s an American. They take over anything. ibid. bird to bird in Blue Parrot club
Is the joint always as gay as this? ibid. undercover rozzer in club to bird
Over the past thirty years ecstasy has become one of the most notorious drugs. No other illegal substance has had such an effect on fashion, music and how we party. Twenty years on from its acid house hey-day E and its crystal form MDMA still rank in the top three most popular illegal drugs in the UK. But for some people ecstasy has caused agony. How Drugs Work: Ecstasy, BBC 2008
Every year in the UK over half a million people use ecstasy. It’s become a big feature of British club culture ... Many users have swapped pills for the crystal form of the drug – named after its main active ingredient MDMA. ibid.
At the brain the molecules are carried through tiny capillaries whose walls are thick enough to protect the brain from most impurities. ibid.
MDMA, the main active ingredient in ecstasy, was first synthesised in Germany in 1912 and was originally intended to be used as a blood-clotting agent. ibid.
Tests have shown a huge variation in their quality. ibid.
At the 2009 Glastonbury festival John Ramsey’s test on confiscated pills showed that just 8% had MDMA. ibid.
Where one nerve meets another there are tiny gaps. Here the messages are relayed by the release of chemicals ... It releases the chemical Serotonin which affects our mood. Serotonin latches on to receptors on the neighbouring nerve cell starting a chain-reaction of feel-good messages. Normally excess Serotonin is reabsorbed into the nerve cell that released it but MDMA stops this process. ibid.
Results so far suggest ecstasy actually decreases the user’s ability to read negative emotions in others. ibid.
In this network a chemical messenger called dopamine transmits messages that control movement. It all results in a burst of physical energy. ibid.
No-one knows for sure if it causes significant long-term damage. ibid.
Ecstasy triggers a hormone that can make it difficult to urinate. So they can conserve more water than usual. Also people on ecstasy may drink more because they are dancing all night in hot sweaty nightclubs. This can raise the water levels in the body even further. High levels of water in the blood can cause massive problems when the blood reaches the brain – the cells swell with water causing the brain to crush against the skull. In catastrophic cases the swollen brain pushes down on the spinal column. ibid.
Getting too hot is another possible physical effect of ecstasy. ibid.
Experts think the big release of Serotonin in this part of the brain could be enough to stop the body’s thermostat working properly. ibid.
Many ecstasy users try to keep up until morning by taking more of the drug – but often the loved-up feelings elude them. That’s because there’s a limited supply of Serotonin available, and the massive release earlier has left the supplies depleted. The draining effects of the comedown don’t just last until after use. ibid.
The short-term depressive effects of ecstasy are well-known. But there are some that believe that far from causing depression, ecstasy can be used to treat it. ibid.
This year a major trial will begin testing MDMA in therapy for the Iraq and Afghanistan veterans suffering Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. ibid.
MDMA therapy remains controversial though. ibid.
It was the drug that took the nineties’ club scene by storm. For many users ecstasy remains the ultimate love drug. Yet organised drug gangs would kill for it. Drugs Inc s2e3: Ecstasy, National Geographic 2012
The active ingredient in ecstasy is MDMA. ibid.
Many users say the high starts with rushes of exhilaration and tingling sensations like butterflies. ibid.
Dehydration and overheating – the main cause of ecstasy casualties. ibid.
Ecstasy is also known as the love drug. ibid.
Days after taking the drug users can still suffer from mild exhaustion and Serotonin depletion. ibid.
Criminals will kill for a slice of the love drug market established to be worth more than $65 billion a year. ibid.
Mixing drugs at raves is common. ibid.
Ecstasy is making a comeback. ibid.
A popular club drug Molly. Drugs Inc s5e7: Molly Madness, 2014
Molly is powdered MDMA ... The buzz can last up to six hours. ibid.
A quarter of a million UK clubbers visit Ibiza every year. Since 1999 drug-taking in this group has trebled. Dealers call this island White Paradise. Drugland III: Ibiza, BBC 2004
Since the major English nightclubs opened for business in Ibiza in the late ’80s the White Island has become a dream destination for Britain’s young clubbing fraternity. ibid.
MDMA crystals are a powerful form of ecstasy that’s sold in small bags of white powder. ibid.
For the past thirty years ecstasy has become one of America’s top club drugs. It’s had a major effect on fashion, music and how we party. Drugged s1e3: High on Ecstasy, 2011
The crystal form of the drug … MDMA. ibid.
Temperature can rise rapidly without them noticing. ibid.
‘You never get all your stores back up to the way they were before you took MDMA.’ ibid. user
‘There’s just so much history here in Ronnie Scott’s. You can feel the spirit of the greats who’ve came in and out. This is one of London’s absolute essentials.’ Ronnie’s: Ronnie Scott and His World-Famous Jazz Club, BBC 2021
‘To run Ronnie Scott’s you really have to understand the legacy. Why it all started, what the ethos was of the founders of the club. It is a national institution.’ ibid.
The term G is short for a very very fast growing recreational drug in the partying and clubbing environment. And especially within the gay community. G is a clear odourless liquid which is very cheap and easy to get hold of in the UK. And a lot of people are now using it as a replacement to ecstasy ... If it is taken in high amounts or mixed with other depressants such as alcohol it can be quite dangerous. Deadliest Drugs: GHB, short film
GHB is rarely identified as the cause of death. Anecdotally, however, the number of young lives lost is alarming. In 2007, one London club alone saw the deaths of five young men and many paramedics say the number of casualties is increasing. ibid.