Some names from the past vaguely ring a bell. Where did I know that from again? The Club Kids, for example. Famous and infamous in the 80s and 90s. The name resurfaced when Lisa Edelstein landed a leading role in the wildly popular series Dr. House MD She was part of the extravagant group the Club Kids.
Contents
- Who were the Club Kids?
- Who belonged to the Club Kids?
- The sequel
Who were the Club Kids?
The Club Kids were a group of young partygoers led by mainly Michael Alig and James St. James in the late 80s and early 90s. They were famous for their extravagant outfits, make-up and hairstyles and their shocking drug use, mainly consisting of ecstasy, ketamine and heroin. Many were assigned nicknames by leader Alig. Almost all the men in the group were homosexual.
Michael Alig’s influence and celebrity grew rapidly. At a certain point he was on the payroll of various clubs owned by Peter Gatien. All he had to do was show up with his entourage of Club Kids to attract more people to the clubs. When they felt they needed some more variety in New York nightlife, Michael and the club kids started setting up illegal parties in public places like a donut shop and the New York subway. During their heyday they toured America and visited various talk shows such as Geraldo and The Joan Rivers Show.
Disco Bloodbath: A Fabulous but True Tale of Murder in Clubland is a 1999 book written by James St. James about his days as a celebutante in Manhattan. The book provides a lot of information about the rise of Michael Alig. His fall also does not go unexposed. In 1996, he murdered fellow club kid Angel Melendez, who was also his roommate, over an argument over drugs. He is currently incarcerated in Rikers Prison with a sentence of 10 to 20 years. St. James served more or less as Alig’s mentor in the Manhattan club scene. The name of the book was later changed to Party Monster: The Shockumentary, after the film adaptation starring Home Alone actor Macaulay Culkin. Marilyn Manson also plays a role in this film. Despite high expectations, the film was not a hit.
Michael Alig was first eligible for parole in 2006. He submitted a request for this, but this was rejected after the jury watched the film Party Monster. He is now working on his autobiography under the title Alig-ula.
Who belonged to the Club Kids?
In addition to James St. James and Michael Alig, the following people can be counted as Club Kids:
- DJ Keoki (former partner of Alig)
- Angel Melendez (Alig’s dealer who he later killed)
- RuPaul (Drag queen and known from American TV in the 90s)
- Amanda Lepore (Transsexual model and businesswoman)
- Sophia Lamar (Transsexual model and actress)
- Robert ,Freeze, Riggs
- Lisa Edelstein (Actress from the popular series Dr House)
- Astro Erle
- Keda
- Sacred
- Jenny Talia
- Kabuki
- Lahoma
- Desi Monster
- Richie Rich (Currently successful fashion designer)
- Traver Rains (Also successful fashion designer)
- Walt Paper (tattoo artist and piercer)
- Christopher Comp
- Spygirl
- Cynthia Hadje
The sequel
After the rise and fall of the Club Kids, many moved on with their lives and were never heard from again. However, several remained active in New York’s nightlife scene, including Amanda Lepore, Sophia Lamar, Richie Rich and Astro Erle.
The club kids also gained international fame and had influence within the club scene in various countries. A few examples of this are the clubs Vegas, Donnas Delight and Delicious.
House actress Lisa Edelstein was perhaps the most famous former Club Kid. On the club scene, the daughter of wealthy Jewish parents was known as Lisa E. At the age of 18, she came to New York to study theater at the Tisch School of Fine Arts before falling into the world of the Club Kids. James St. James nicknamed her , Queen of Downtown , and is mentioned in his book Disco Bloodbath.