GreenState
Studio One Forever Gets Its Due
By Josh Freeman
June 12, 2026
A Disco Landmark Gets Its Due
Stepping out of the elevator on the second floor, you could hear the disco emanating from the lounge. I was half expecting to walk into a room full of people dancing and getting down, but instead I found a group of folks, both entertained and deeply invested in the film playing on the back wall.
An eclectic mix made up those who traveled in to see the special airing of Studio One Forever, a documentary about the legendary West Hollywood gay nightclub that changed and molded the queer scene in Los Angeles and influenced the world.
The documentary takes you on a journey from the good times to the great times, albeit through some very dark times. As someone unfamiliar with the space, I found it eye-opening to get a glimpse of what that atmosphere really felt like from the people who were there.
From interviews with icons of the scene like Bruce Vilanch and Chita Rivera, you get a feel for both the spirit and the energy that location held, and from Lance Bass about what a location like this means to history. It wasn’t the uprising of Stonewall, or the visibility of The Castro; it was the next evolution and more of a celebration, and for that, it has earned its place in history. Find it streaming on Amazon.
