Michael Alig
Encyclopedia
Michael Alig is the co-founding member of the Club Kids
, a group of young clubgoers led by long time best friend James St. James
and Alig in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1996 Alig was convicted of the murder of Andre "Angel" Melendez in a confrontation over a drug debt.
from which he later dropped out. He began working at Danceteria
in 1983 as a bus boy. A natural at throwing parties with little or no resources he soon began to rise in New York's party scene. Alig was mentored by socialite James St. James
and club owner Peter Gatien
while rising in popularity and prominence in the national underground club scene. Alig was also influential in the early promotion of his then boyfriend DJ Keoki
who studied under DJ Brian Telfair, top DJ at the time in Alig's and Gatien's clubs, most notably the New York club The Limelight
, owned by Gatien and designed by Ari Bahat. In Sept 1995 the Limelight was closed by the police on suspicion of drug trafficking, but subsequently reopened several times during the 1990s. In September 2003, it reopened under the name "Avalon".
, Charlie "Dash" Prestano, Amanda Lepore
, RuPaul
, and many other Club Kid personalities . The Club Kids' outrageousness resulted in their appearing on the news and the television talk show circuit—they appeared on the Geraldo Rivera
show five times.
, Alig and his friend Robert "Freeze" Riggs murdered Melendez after an argument over many things including a long-standing drug debt. Alig has claimed many times that he was so high on drugs that the events are quite cloudy. On December 9, 1996, Riggs confessed to police that on March 17, 1996:
Then according to Riggs he hit Melendez a total of three times on the head. Then Alig grabbed a pillow and tried to smother him. When Melendez was unconscious Riggs went to the other room and when he came back he noticed a broken syringe on the floor. However, Alig's story was that he injected Melendez with Drano
, while Riggs claims that Alig poured it down Melendez's throat and duct-taped his mouth closed. Since Alig and Riggs did not know what to do with the body they put it in the bath tub that they filled with ice. This kept the body from rotting, but after a few days the body began to smell. After discussing what they should do and who should do it, Alig injected himself with heroin. He then cut the legs off the corpse, put them in a garbage bag, then stuffed the rest in a box. Afterwards he threw the corpse into the Hudson River
.
. Although no names were used, Musto's reports included the details of the murder. Musto had previously reported on Alig's firing from the Limelight and noted the buzz about a missing club person. On April 27, 1996, the New York Post
s "Page Six" column ran a lead item about the murder mystery, citing Musto's reporting as well as a New York magazine piece quoting an evasive Alig. Over the coming weeks, the Village Voice continued to report and make accusations about Melendez's murder; however the police department was not that concerned about the disappearance of a Colombian drug dealer.
Through September, the police had still not questioned Alig about the murder; they were focused on his business partner Peter Gatien
, wanting Alig to testify against him. Since several months had passed many people believed Alig would get away with it, until a dismembered torso was pulled from the Hudson River at Staten Island
. James St. James recounts how Melendez's brother was baffled by the callousness and indifference of the police and of the scenesters Angel had considered friends.
In the fall of 1996, to escape the scrutiny of the media, Alig fled New York. He and some of his close friends took a road trip to Denver, Colorado, stopping in Chicago
and his hometown, South Bend. While in South Bend, he saw his mother for the first time in three years. Once in Denver he missed New York too much and moved back into the city, trying to make a comeback at another midtown night club by hosting a new party night, called Honey Trap.
In November 1996, the coroner reported the body had been identified as Melendez. Every rumor was confirmed by the appearance of Melendez's body and the police could not ignore it. Alig fled New York, staying in a hotel in New Jersey with boyfriend Brian McCauly before the police surrounded the location. In December 1997, Alig and his accomplice Robert Riggs pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison for Melendez's death.
While in prison, Alig told Musto, "I know why I blabbed. I must have wanted to stop me. I was spinning out of control. It's like the old saying 'What do you have to do to get attention around here - kill somebody?'
.
Parole
Alig became eligible for parole
in 2006. His first parole request, in November 2006, was denied, allegedly after parole officers watched the fictional movie based on Alig's life Party Monster, starring Macaulay Culkin
. He was again denied parole in July 2008. His next parole hearing date is in July 2012 and has his conditional release date set for November 30, 2013.
and the 2003 feature film Party Monster starring Macaulay Culkin
as Alig and Seth Green
as St. James. The events are also covered in St. James's memoir, Disco Bloodbath
, re-released with the title Party Monster after the release of the movie of the same name. Alig was interviewed while in prison for Limelight (2011 documentary) directed by Billy Corben. His case was also featured on the TV series American Justice
.
Prison CD
In June 2001, David M. Lambert of the British artists' collective The Satori Group visited Alig at the Clinton Correctional Facility
in Dannemora, New York. He made recordings that were used in the creation of A Terrible Beauty featuring Michael Alig, a nine-track music CD using samples from the documentary Party Monster, original lyrics and Alig's vocals, among other content.
Prison Phone call transcripts between Alig and St. James
Club Kids
The Club Kids were a group of young New York City club personalities mostly led by Michael Alig and James St. James in the late 1980s and early 1990s...
, a group of young clubgoers led by long time best friend James St. James
James St. James
James St. James is an American television personality, author, celebutante and former Club Kid of the Manhattan club scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s.James St...
and Alig in the late 1980s and early 1990s. In 1996 Alig was convicted of the murder of Andre "Angel" Melendez in a confrontation over a drug debt.
Underground club scene
Alig moved to New York to attend college at Fordham UniversityFordham University
Fordham University is a private, nonprofit, coeducational research university in the United States, with three campuses in and around New York City. It was founded by the Roman Catholic Diocese of New York in 1841 as St...
from which he later dropped out. He began working at Danceteria
Danceteria
Danceteria was a well-known four-floor nightclub located in New York City which operated from 1980 until 1986 and in the Hamptons until 1995. Throughout its history, the club had seven different locations, three in NYC and four in the Hamptons...
in 1983 as a bus boy. A natural at throwing parties with little or no resources he soon began to rise in New York's party scene. Alig was mentored by socialite James St. James
James St. James
James St. James is an American television personality, author, celebutante and former Club Kid of the Manhattan club scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s.James St...
and club owner Peter Gatien
Peter Gatien
Peter Gatien was the owner of several New York nightclubs, including The Limelight, Palladium, Club USA, and Tunnel. He was once dubbed as the "King of New York Clubs", during his time in New York City.-Life and career:...
while rising in popularity and prominence in the national underground club scene. Alig was also influential in the early promotion of his then boyfriend DJ Keoki
DJ Keoki
Superstar DJ Keoki is an Electronic music,among other genres DJ. Born in El Salvador and raised in Hawaii, Keoki reached 'Superstar' status shortly after moving to New York City.-Bio:...
who studied under DJ Brian Telfair, top DJ at the time in Alig's and Gatien's clubs, most notably the New York club The Limelight
The Limelight
The Limelight is the name of a chain of nightclubs that were owned and operated by Peter Gatien, located in Atlanta, Hollywood, Florida, and London, and formerly in New York City and Chicago.-History:...
, owned by Gatien and designed by Ari Bahat. In Sept 1995 the Limelight was closed by the police on suspicion of drug trafficking, but subsequently reopened several times during the 1990s. In September 2003, it reopened under the name "Avalon".
Alig's Club Kids
Alig's other protégés included Gitsie, Jennytalia, Robert "Freez" Riggs, Richie RichHeatherette
Heatherette is a fashion company and design house run by and former Club Kid Richie Rich, located in New York City. Heatherette came out with a bang in 1999 when they began collaborating on t-shirts and leather goods as a hobby on their living room floor...
, Charlie "Dash" Prestano, Amanda Lepore
Amanda Lepore
Amanda Lepore is an American model, nightclub hostess, fashion icon, performance artist, and transgender icon. She has appeared in advertising for numerous companies, including M.A.C. cosmetics, Mego Jeans, The Blonds, Swatch, CAMP Cosmetics, and Heatherette, which has used her likeness on...
, RuPaul
RuPaul
RuPaul Andre Charles , best known as simply RuPaul, is an American actor, drag queen, model, author, and singer-songwriter, who first became widely known in the 1990s when he appeared in a wide variety of television programs, films, and musical albums. Previously, he was a fixture on the Atlanta...
, and many other Club Kid personalities . The Club Kids' outrageousness resulted in their appearing on the news and the television talk show circuit—they appeared on the Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera
Geraldo Rivera is an American attorney, journalist, author, reporter, and former talk show host...
show five times.
Murder of Angel Melendez
Andre "Angel" Melendez worked at the Limelight, and after the bar's closure by federal agents, Melendez was fired. With no job he moved into Alig's apartment. Increasingly affected by substance abuseSubstance abuse
A substance-related disorder is an umbrella term used to describe several different conditions associated with several different substances .A substance related disorder is a condition in which an individual uses or abuses a...
, Alig and his friend Robert "Freeze" Riggs murdered Melendez after an argument over many things including a long-standing drug debt. Alig has claimed many times that he was so high on drugs that the events are quite cloudy. On December 9, 1996, Riggs confessed to police that on March 17, 1996:
Then according to Riggs he hit Melendez a total of three times on the head. Then Alig grabbed a pillow and tried to smother him. When Melendez was unconscious Riggs went to the other room and when he came back he noticed a broken syringe on the floor. However, Alig's story was that he injected Melendez with Drano
Drano
Drano is a drain cleaner product manufactured by S. C. Johnson & Son.- Crystal Drano :According to the National Institutes of Health's Household Products Database, the crystal form is composed of sodium hydroxide , sodium nitrate, sodium chloride , and aluminum.The power crystals are simply colored...
, while Riggs claims that Alig poured it down Melendez's throat and duct-taped his mouth closed. Since Alig and Riggs did not know what to do with the body they put it in the bath tub that they filled with ice. This kept the body from rotting, but after a few days the body began to smell. After discussing what they should do and who should do it, Alig injected himself with heroin. He then cut the legs off the corpse, put them in a garbage bag, then stuffed the rest in a box. Afterwards he threw the corpse into the Hudson River
Hudson River
The Hudson is a river that flows from north to south through eastern New York. The highest official source is at Lake Tear of the Clouds, on the slopes of Mount Marcy in the Adirondack Mountains. The river itself officially begins in Henderson Lake in Newcomb, New York...
.
Investigation of the disappearance
While Alig was in rehab, rumors of Alig's involvement in Melendez's death were reported in the Village Voice by Michael MustoMichael Musto
Michael Musto is an American columnist for the The Village Voice, where he writes La Dolce Musto. Musto was born in Brooklyn to an Italian American family. He attended Columbia University graduating in 1976. During his studies, he was a theater critic for the Columbia Spectator...
. Although no names were used, Musto's reports included the details of the murder. Musto had previously reported on Alig's firing from the Limelight and noted the buzz about a missing club person. On April 27, 1996, the New York Post
New York Post
The New York Post is the 13th-oldest newspaper published in the United States and is generally acknowledged as the oldest to have been published continuously as a daily, although – as is the case with most other papers – its publication has been periodically interrupted by labor actions...
s "Page Six" column ran a lead item about the murder mystery, citing Musto's reporting as well as a New York magazine piece quoting an evasive Alig. Over the coming weeks, the Village Voice continued to report and make accusations about Melendez's murder; however the police department was not that concerned about the disappearance of a Colombian drug dealer.
Through September, the police had still not questioned Alig about the murder; they were focused on his business partner Peter Gatien
Peter Gatien
Peter Gatien was the owner of several New York nightclubs, including The Limelight, Palladium, Club USA, and Tunnel. He was once dubbed as the "King of New York Clubs", during his time in New York City.-Life and career:...
, wanting Alig to testify against him. Since several months had passed many people believed Alig would get away with it, until a dismembered torso was pulled from the Hudson River at Staten Island
Staten Island
Staten Island is a borough of New York City, New York, United States, located in the southwest part of the city. Staten Island is separated from New Jersey by the Arthur Kill and the Kill Van Kull, and from the rest of New York by New York Bay...
. James St. James recounts how Melendez's brother was baffled by the callousness and indifference of the police and of the scenesters Angel had considered friends.
In the fall of 1996, to escape the scrutiny of the media, Alig fled New York. He and some of his close friends took a road trip to Denver, Colorado, stopping in Chicago
Chicago
Chicago is the largest city in the US state of Illinois. With nearly 2.7 million residents, it is the most populous city in the Midwestern United States and the third most populous in the US, after New York City and Los Angeles...
and his hometown, South Bend. While in South Bend, he saw his mother for the first time in three years. Once in Denver he missed New York too much and moved back into the city, trying to make a comeback at another midtown night club by hosting a new party night, called Honey Trap.
In November 1996, the coroner reported the body had been identified as Melendez. Every rumor was confirmed by the appearance of Melendez's body and the police could not ignore it. Alig fled New York, staying in a hotel in New Jersey with boyfriend Brian McCauly before the police surrounded the location. In December 1997, Alig and his accomplice Robert Riggs pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to 10 to 20 years in prison for Melendez's death.
While in prison, Alig told Musto, "I know why I blabbed. I must have wanted to stop me. I was spinning out of control. It's like the old saying 'What do you have to do to get attention around here - kill somebody?'
Prison
While incarcerated, Alig is prisoner #97A-6595. While in the New York prison system, Alig has been moved around from prison to prison, including time in the mental ward at Rikers IslandRikers Island
Rikers Island is New York City's main jail complex, as well as the name of the island on which it sits, in the East River between Queens and the mainland Bronx, adjacent to the runways of LaGuardia Airport. The island itself is part of the borough of the Bronx, though it is included as part of...
.
Parole
Alig became eligible for parole
Parole
Parole may have different meanings depending on the field and judiciary system. All of the meanings originated from the French parole . Following its use in late-resurrected Anglo-French chivalric practice, the term became associated with the release of prisoners based on prisoners giving their...
in 2006. His first parole request, in November 2006, was denied, allegedly after parole officers watched the fictional movie based on Alig's life Party Monster, starring Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Carson Culkin is an American actor. He became widely known for his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He is also known for his roles in Richie Rich, Uncle Buck, My Girl, The Pagemaster, and Party Monster...
. He was again denied parole in July 2008. His next parole hearing date is in July 2012 and has his conditional release date set for November 30, 2013.
In popular culture
The events of Michael Alig's years as a club promoter up to his arrest were portrayed in the 1998 documentary Party Monster: The ShockumentaryParty Monster: The Shockumentary
Party Monster: The Shockumentary is a 1998 documentary film detailing the rise of the club kid phenomenon in New York City, the life of club kid and party promoter Michael Alig and Alig's murder of fellow club kid and drug dealer Angel Melendez. Produced by World of Wonder and based in part on the...
and the 2003 feature film Party Monster starring Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Culkin
Macaulay Carson Culkin is an American actor. He became widely known for his portrayal of Kevin McCallister in Home Alone and Home Alone 2: Lost in New York. He is also known for his roles in Richie Rich, Uncle Buck, My Girl, The Pagemaster, and Party Monster...
as Alig and Seth Green
Seth Green
Seth Benjamin Green is an American actor, comedian, voice actor, and television producer. He is well known for his role as Daniel "Oz" Osbourne in Buffy the Vampire Slayer, as Dr. Evil's son Scott in the Austin Powers series of comedy films, Mitch Miller in That '70s Show, and the voice of Chris...
as St. James. The events are also covered in St. James's memoir, Disco Bloodbath
Disco Bloodbath
Disco Bloodbath: A Fabulous but True Tale of Murder in Clubland is a 1999 memoir written by James St. James about his life as a Manhattan celebutante and club kid. The book specifically chronicles his friend Michael Alig's rise to fame and his subsequent murder of fellow club kid and drug dealer...
, re-released with the title Party Monster after the release of the movie of the same name. Alig was interviewed while in prison for Limelight (2011 documentary) directed by Billy Corben. His case was also featured on the TV series American Justice
American Justice
American Justice is an American criminal justice television program on the A&E Network, hosted by Bill Kurtis. The show features interesting or notable cases, such as the Selena Murder of a Star, Scarsdale Diet doctor murder, the Hillside Stranglers, Matthew Shepard, or the Wells Fargo heist, with...
.
Prison CD
In June 2001, David M. Lambert of the British artists' collective The Satori Group visited Alig at the Clinton Correctional Facility
Clinton Correctional Facility
Clinton Correctional Facility is a New York State Department of Correctional Services state prison for men located in the Village of Dannemora, New York. The prison itself is sometimes colloquially referred to as Dannemora, although its actual name is derived from its location in Clinton County,...
in Dannemora, New York. He made recordings that were used in the creation of A Terrible Beauty featuring Michael Alig, a nine-track music CD using samples from the documentary Party Monster, original lyrics and Alig's vocals, among other content.
External links
- Interview with Michael Alig
- December 1988 cable TV interview with Alig and Keoki
- "Party Boy in a Cage" by Johnathan Van Meter for New York magazine
- "Prison Life Boredom Behind Bars" by Michael Alig for Paper magazine
Prison Phone call transcripts between Alig and St. James