The Orginial Club Kids

The Club Kids are a group of clubbers that were founded by Michael Alig and James St. James during the late 80s in New York. The outrageous outfits and attitudes to match found them national fame and television commercials. The following posts document the lives of the most famous, original Club Kids.

Michael Alig

Born in Indiana, 1966, Michael Alig journeyed to New York for study, working at Danceteria as a bus boy. He eventually found himself under the mentor of socialite James St. James and club-owner Peter Gatien and soon rose to fame in New York nightlife. Eventually Alig gained protégés of his own including Richie Rich and Amanda Lepore.

In 1996, however, Alig’s reign on the club scene came to an abrupt end when he and his friend Robert ‘Freeze’ Riggs murdered Andre ‘Angel’ Melendez after an argument about a drug debt. Alig claims he was under the influence of substances and the events surrounding Angel’s death were cloudy. Alig and Riggs pleaded guilty to manslaughter and were sentenced to 10-20 years in prison.

James St. James

Born in Michigan, 1966, St. James grew up in a well-off family. In 1984, he moved to New York to study performance art at NYU. He was soon taken by the New York club scene and, after becoming friends with nightlife icon, Miachel Musto, he began to live the luxury lifestyle of a socialite.

Though he initially shunned Michael Alig, he eventually saw potential in the partygoer and the two collaborated to throw parties together. They were responsible fore setting up a club night at popular New York City club, ‘The Limelight’ called Disco 2000. St. James also wrote articles for OutWeek magazine as well as a book called Disco Bloodbath, a tell all book about Alig’s rise to fame and the killing of Andre ‘Angel’ Melendez.

Richie Rich

Born in New Jersey, Rich studied theatre in San Jose, California before touring with the Ice Capades and moving to New York City. Come the mid 90s, Rich was a permanent fixture on the club kid scene with Michael Alig and James St. James. Rich was a keen designer; he would create outfits for himself and the Club Kids. He was also a club promoter and party host and released two singles ‘MAGIC’ and ‘Collision’ before touring across Europe and Japan.

Amanda Lepore

Born a male, in New Jersey, Lepore was granted sex reassignment surgery aged 17. Lepore underwent surgery aged 19 and relocated to New York to establish her career as a nightlife socialite. Lepore would spend her days working in a nail salon and a cosmetic salesgirl. One night, whilst hosting at Bowery Bar, she met David LaChapelle and thus was the beginning of their professional relationship. Lepore was LaChapelle’s ultimate muse.

Lepore describes that being a Club Kid started out as good, clean, fun. It was all about dressing up and being expressive through style.

 - Introducing the Club Kids. 2014. - Introducing the Club Kids. [ONLINE] Available at:http://marcosbatuecas.tumblr.com/post/5199813830/introducing-the-club-kids. [Accessed 04 December 2014].
Michael Alig - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2014. Michael Alig - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Michael_Alig. [Accessed 04 December 2014].

James St. James - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2014. James St. James - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/James_St._James. [Accessed 04 December 2014].

James St. James « Look at this Club Kid. 2014. James St. James « Look at this Club Kid. [ONLINE] Available at: http://lookatthisclubkid.com/?p=313. [Accessed 04 December 2014].

Richie Rich (designer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2014. Richie Rich (designer) - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Richie_Rich_%28designer%29. [Accessed 04 December 2014].

richie rich « Search Results « Look at this Club Kid. 2014. richie rich « Search Results « Look at this Club Kid. [ONLINE] Available at:http://lookatthisclubkid.com/?s=richie+rich. [Accessed 04 December 2014].

Amanda Lepore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. 2014. Amanda Lepore - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. [ONLINE] Available at:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Amanda_Lepore. [Accessed 04 December 2014].

. 2014. . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.xojane.com/beauty/xojane-amanda-lepore-interview-if-i-didnt-take-hormones-id-be-extremely-self-destructi. [Accessed 04 December 2014].

amanda lepore « Search Results « Look at this Club Kid. 2014. amanda lepore « Search Results « Look at this Club Kid. [ONLINE] Available at:http://lookatthisclubkid.com/?s=amanda+lepore. [Accessed 04 December 2014].
 Amanda Lepore Pictures, Photos & Images - Zimbio . 2014. Amanda Lepore Pictures, Photos & Images - Zimbio . [ONLINE] Available at:http://www.zimbio.com/Amanda+Lepore/pictures/pro. [Accessed 04 December 2014].

Leigh Bowery

Leigh Bowery, born in Australia in 1961, was a London based fashion designer and nightlife personality. He is now recognised as one of the most influential art and fashion figures of the 80s and 90s in London and New York. He’s impacted some of the world’s greatest fashion designers such as Vivienne Westwood, John Galliano and Alexander McQueen and also pop icons such as Lady Gaga and the Scissor Sisters.

Growing up, Bowery felt alienated from his suburban surroundings. He studied a fashion course at high school and in 1980, moved to London, something he’d dreamed of doing for a long time.

Bowery loved the club scene and became recognised for the eccentric outfits he’d wear, all his own designs of course. He befriended two other clubbers and the three of them, Bowery, Barnes & Walls, moved in together and stormed the London club scene in Bowery’s designs. They were known as the ‘Three Kings’.

Notorious for his nightlife flare, Bowered opened a disco nightclub called Taboo in 1985, London’s version of Studio 54. It was known for breaking all the rules and embracing pansexual identities. Bowery also found success with designing, showing collections at London Fashion Week and New York and Tokyo.

Through the social empire he’d created, Bowery got connected with the art and theatre circles of London and joined into performance art, often wearing his signature show stopping outfits and accompanying makeup. He also posed nudes for some of Lucien Freud’s later portrait artworks.

Though he was openly and obviously gay, Bowery married long-time friend Nicola Bateman in 1994 before passing away 7 months later from an AIDS-related illness.

. 2014. . [ONLINE] Available at: http://www.biography.com/people/leigh-bowery-20943343#early-life. [Accessed 04 December 2014].
Leigh Bowery - Pictify - your social art network. 2014. Leigh Bowery - Pictify - your social art network. [ONLINE] Available at:http://pictify.com/105452/leigh-bowery. [Accessed 04 December 2014].

LeighBowery | kfb207contemporaryfashion. 2014. LeighBowery | kfb207contemporaryfashion. [ONLINE] Available at:http://kfb207contemporaryfashion.wordpress.com/designers/leigh-bowery/leighbowery/. [Accessed 04 December 2014].