Party Monster: A Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland

I'm not really into drugs. It's just not my scene. Suffice it to say that when it comes to drugs, James St. James and I have different opinions. In his memoir of his days as a New York City club kid in the late 80s/early 90s, Party Monster, he gleefully recounts his experiences doing LOTS of drugs, with ketamine as a special favorite. But the drugs aren't really the focus of the book. The focus is really on the murder of Angel Melendez, a crime that marked the end of the reign of the Club Kids. It's not a who-dunnit, as the murderers, Michael Alig and Robert Riggs, are identified right at the beginning through Alig's own confession to St. James. We even know how and partially why. What's left is the context.To give us that context, St. James tells his own story. An earlier arrival on the scene than Alig, St. James tells us how he came to occupy a fairly high rung on the social ladder of the nightclubbers, introducing us to the people whose asses he kissed to get there. Just a short while later, Alig arrived and St. James tells us how he at first watched and then became a friend and sort of mentor to Alig as the younger man engineered his own meteoric rise up the hierarchy. And part of what Alig brought with him, along with a new group of hangers-on, was drugs. Well, there were already drugs obviously. But more drugs, and harder ones. The kind that let two strung-out junkies, high on a cocktail of pills and their own sense of importance and untouchability, brutally murder a drug dealer, shove his body in the river, and carry on with their lives like they're going to get away with it. And they very nearly do: despite the fact that Melendez is a missing person and Alig and Riggs' involvement in his disappearance is an open secret in their community, it isn't until the body is found that the police actually take any action.I've never been one to find substance abuse memoirs especially appealing...reading about someone's experiences taking a lot of drugs doesn't really do much for me. But St. James' arch, gossipy writing style makes it about as good as it can be. And while there's no doubt after reading it that he mostly enjoyed the experiences, he doesn't shy away from exposing the less glamorous side of it. Like groups of addicts ripping the radiator out of an apartment wall because they think they remember someone dropping a bag back there, a scene he renders darkly humorous while still exposing as pathetic. Indeed, it's St. James' strong writing that makes this book workable overall. 20somethings drinking and dancing and getting high out of their minds wearing weird costumes is something that seems like it would make a decent essay but would be tiresome at book length, and yet the way St. James tells his story makes it mostly pretty fun to read. This is not great literature, but it's an interesting, well-told account of a very particular time and place.

" I was there " No seriously I was a gogo boy during this era. I had met a lot of the people in the book. Not dropping names but let it be known. If I had not known these people then I don't think this book would have been interesting to me. The shroodle language wouldn't have made sense nor would the campy drag queen humor used by the author. However " I did " so I got a kick out of this book. Angel sold bad drugs. I can't tell you how I know ...but I know. IMO his look was more bridge and tunnel than club kid.I give credit to James St. James for having a heart and a conscience and letting it show in this book. He was honest about feeling second to Michael and often being dissed by fellow colleagues. To me James St. James was iconic. I remember him as the guy who let me into The World nightclub when I was 17 :) Some of the writing is infantile in this book but so were the players. Then all of a sudden it gets serious when James gets personal and heartfelt about what kind of caos was caused by the excess of not only drugs * but the yearning to belong. I think that is wear gold lies in this book. Everybod wanted club kid status and to be rained with drink tickets. These people were superstars to many club goers. However in reality they themselves were lost souls from flyover country yearning for the same affection as those worshipping them. This is a good read for that lesson alone. The club scene will always be part of my story. I started when I was 13. Thats what you do growing up in NYC. An era of excess wonderful music and false friendships. I could do without the false friendships but the music and style...NEVER. It lives with me everyday.

Personally, in the early 90's I was enchanted with club kids, but would never let them in my apartment for fear that several somethings would turn up missing. James St. James' wonderful book lets me know I probably did the right thing. Although the story regularly digresses from Michael Alig and Robert Rigg's murder of Angel Melendez, he does so with purpose, and the book is an intriguing read. He shows how Alig transformed from an unwelcome wannabe to a creative force in New York's club scene to a heroin-addicted nightmare. Similarly, He explains Freeze's (Robert Rigg) three phases as well from a reticent but clever costume designer to a "well-respected" drug dealer to a practically homeless ball of anger. Instead of blaming it all on Michael's upbringing like most authors would, St. James finds that changes in the music, the scene and, most particularly, the drugs of trend led a lot of club kids, particularly Michael Alig, down a path of darkness. Not that Michael was very nice to begin with. St. James relates that Michael's first "superstar" was Christina, an ugly drag queen. By foisting her on the club scene, he hoped to garner approval from everyone who enjoyed making fun of her. Some have argued that both club kids and St. James' book are too self-absorbed to warrant any warm feelings. It is true. However the author makes himself very three dimensional, focusing on his foibles as well as his successes. And his moral conflict is depicted beautifully. On the one side Melendez, an acrid drug dealer (probably connected to a dangerous cartel) was hurting so many people that death didn't seem like a bad fate for him. (After all, St. James argues, no one arrested Dorothy even though she accumulated a body count of two wicked witches.) On the other hand, Melendez' murder was particularly brutal (a drano injection), and Michael's callous reaction was to go on a shopping spree with Angel's money. The book sheds light on a fairly secretive world and shocks the reader. However, it is also, bizarrely, entertaining. For example, when James' is trying to come to terms with Angel's death he finds himself approaching dogs and saying "Hello, little doggie! Aren't you the sweetest thing? I bet you wouldn't ever inject anyone with drano, would you?" Admittedly, I've been fascinated with this scene since the days of Project X magazine and films such as Paris is Burning, but even for the uninitiated, I suspect they'll find that this book is such a good read that it won't take them any longer to get through than would seeing the movie.

Horribly good fun to read. Really trippy. I've only just stumbled on this whole scene/culture/horror. Read it on one plane ride to New York and 'donated' leaving it in my seat. Hope the recipient enjoys too.

I’m going to read this again, again...it was truly a belly laughable read.

I literally couldn't put this book down. I absolutely love the writing style of James St James, he is very funny and writes in such a unique way. I would recommend this to anyone.

Great book, definitely a must if you're interested in New York night life in the 80s and 90s. James has a different kind of writing style that I love and find rather funny! The book arrived on time and in good condition despite being second hand.

I really enjoyed this book!! James St James is a talented writer and i would definitely read more of his stuff after reading Party Monster.