Skip to main content

Reply to "Party Monster - Michael Alig"

Bridgette, I can totally understand why you'd be interested in the 80's/90's NY club scene. There was a lot of excitement, color, and creativity. What I find unfortunate is how much credit for this is being given to Michael Alig.

The whole "Club Kid" thing was really an extension of what was first being done in small East Village Venues such as the Pyramid. Flloyd, Sister Dimension, Lahoma, Olympia, and many other freaks were doing their thing way before Disco 2000. When the small venues became successful there were quite a few promoters who got the idea to bring the freaks into large clubs as entertainment. There were zillions of these promoters, the most prominent being Michael Alig, Lee Chappel, Susanne Bartsch, and Larry Tee. There were lots of wild, crazy, demented parties that had nothing to do with Michael.

Michael was a smart promoter with some good ideas, but he didn't create the scene. It started before him and, had he never come to NY it would have all still happened in some form or another.

I'm sorry to be coming down on someone you look up to, but you see, Michael Alig chopped up a nice guy named Angel, filled him with Drano, and chucked him in the river. Throwing some cute parties hardly compensates for that. Making a cult hero out of a murderer is pretty awful.

I've been here since 1987. I saw it all. I never went to clubs for the drugs. I was turned on by the visuals. I live for elaborate freakishness. Michael's own looks were always an afterthought; a quick box over his mouth, a clown nose, etc. It was cute, it was clever, it was NOT genius. Genius was: Kabuki Starshine, Olympia, Keda, Sacred Boy, Sister Dimension, Leigh Bowery, Little Kenny, Walt Paper, Astro Earl, Richie Rich, Sophia Lamar, Amanda Lepore, and many others. Michael hired all of these people, he didn't create them.

Listen, I'm not on any Jerry Fallwell soap box about morality. I'm all for fun, sex, and freedom. But, I do believe in treating people respectfully. One night at Limelight, Michael peed in his drink, and, to amuse me I guess, walked around offering it to his unsuspecting "friends". This was after he'd recently come down with hepatitis, a disease that stay with you for a while and can still be spread. It was obvious right there that he was not a very nice person.

So maybe a few years in jail have humbled him. Maybe he truly is sorry. Fine, so he's sorry. I still don't think he deserves to be put up on any pedestals. Maybe you'd feel differently if he killed your friend.
×
×
×
×