Party Monster: a Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland , by James St. James, 287 pages With the recent release of Michael Alig from prison, I found myself saying, "Who?" I had no knowledge about the Club Kids culture of New York City in the '90s, so I read this true-crime tale written by James St. James. (Note: if interested in drag queen makeup tutorials, google James St James transformations on Youtube). James St. James writes of an incredibly decadent, superficial, drug-fueled nightlife, where the cast of characters is simultaneously sympathetic and repulsive, all at once. He describes at length the rise of Michael Alig, from shunned party-goer to the organizer of must-attend, blow-out bashes, where wild events would take place, all in a frenzy of tons of drugs. Alig, who comes across as someone who just desperately wanted to be loved, soon becomes addicted- both to drugs and notoriety, which soon spirals out of control, culminating in a night of murder and months of denial. The writing is very scattered and conversational, which I found engaging, but others might not. There are many funny events in this book, but those, combined with the shadow of addiction and murder, made me feel a little uncomfortable laughing. This was later turned into a movie with Macaulay Culkin.
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