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. The group was notable for their elaborate and outrageous costumes and rampant drug use—in particular, ecstasy, ketamine, cocaine and heroin.
Michael Alig's notability and influence quickly grew, and at one point, he was on the payrolls of several clubs owned by Peter Gatien for simply showing up with his entourage, which attracted more customers with their antics. Michael Alig and the Club Kids also began holding illegal "outlaw" parties in various public places, including a donut shop, the old high line tracks, and the New York subway.
At the height of their cultural popularity, the Club Kids toured the United States and appeared on several talk shows, such as Geraldo, The Joan Rivers Show, and Phil Donahue.
The 1998 documentary film Party Monster: The Shockumentary and the 2003 feature film Party Monster (both directed by Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato), were based upon the memoir Disco Bloodbath by Club Kid James St. James, an autobiographical recount of his life, focused on Michael Alig and "Freeze" Riggs's murder of Angel Melendez.
The Club Kids gained international notoriety, and influenced party scenes around the world. Club Kid-themed parties still take place in various night clubs to this day.
I have not read "Disco Bloodbath", now known as "Party Monster", but I have seen the Shockumentary (click here to watch and "Party Monster" the movie (click here to see the trailer), and have done a little research on the "Club Kids" as a whole. It is a piece of Americana, seedy and debauched as it is, it is a part of American culture.
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