Customer Reviews

Clubland: The Fabulous Rise and Murderous Fall of Club Culture

5 star:		(13)
4 star:		(9)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

During the 1990s, Frank Owen made a name for himself as a chronicler of the darker side of Manhattan night life, focusing especially on the always outrageous, often seedy, and occasionally criminal exploits of a small cadre of club owners and party promoters. His articles in the Village Voice managed to combine both some truly commendable journalism with a disarmingly naive dismay at the excesses of the scene; many of us read his pieces at the time with both uneasy recognition and palpable shock.

"Clubland" is the summation of this reporting, focusing on a trio of truly larger-than-life characters: promoter Michael Alig, who spearheaded New York's "club kid" scene; club owner Peter Gatien, who owned the Tunnel, the Limelight, the Palladium, and Club USA; and Chris Paciello, who fled New York to preside over the burgeoning Miami nightlife. Owen broke many of the stories and scandals surrounding Alig and Gatien; his reporting on Paciello is largely after-the-fact for the Miami period, but it's still remarkable how much new material he reveals and assembles.

Owen's coverage was and is superb and, for the most part, even-handed; he treats with an equally skeptical eye the abuses and foibles both of "clubland's" then-presiding influences and of overzealous law enforcement authorities. He also writes well, providing page-turning accounts of the murders, assaults, blackmail, drugs, and even government malfeasance that plagued Gatien's clubs and employees. Impressively gaining the confidence of nearly every party involved with the crimes and misdemeanors he describes, Owen skillfully fills in many of the details that were missing from the newspaper coverage at the time. Overall, then, this is a fascinating and well-researched book.

Where Owen stumbles, however, is his occasional (but thankfully sparse) tendency to use the examples of a few bad eggs to paint a tawdry picture of all of New York's nightlife. [Full disclosure: I knew or know a number of the people mentioned in this book.] As a result of his experiences, Owen is "more likely to view discos as institutions constructed on cruelty," and there are a number of other similar sentiments that pepper the book. It should be unnecessary to point out that dozens of owners and managers, hundreds of DJs and promoters, and thousands of club employees and patrons have never seen the inside of a courtroom, much less a jail cell. It's sad to see Owen, who is an excellent reporter, succumb to this sort of moralizing overreach; it is as simplistic as viewing Jayson Blair and Judith Miller as emblematic of all journalists, or as holding up a few rogue cops as examples of an "institution constructed on cruelty."

Another recurrent theme of Owen's book is the "fall" of clubland. Of course, many New Yorkers older than either Owen or me argue that the night scene fell after Steve Rubell went to jail and Studio 54 closed its doors (or, for that matter, after the heyday of the Copacabana or the Cotton Club). And it can't be news to Owen that there are still thriving, crowded, exuberantly joyous dance clubs in New York that a younger crowd surely believes is the best thing that's happened to entertainment. Even now, if a journalist like Owen were to scratch the surface, he'd doubtlessly find a few Mob-controlled elements and the scourge of drug abuse--only now, crystal meth has replaced Special K as the problem "party favor," just as ecstasy had supplanted cocaine two decades ago.

In fact, the scene described by Owen had moved past Alig and Gatien long before the duo's downfall in the mid-1990s. Except to a relatively small number of devotees, Alig had become embarrassingly passe as quickly as any other trend in this city; he and his peers often had difficulty filling even the smaller clubs. Many of us fled Alig's "Disco 2000" parties years earlier, moving to clubs dominated by a different set who spent their days working out in the gym and their nights (and mornings) dancing in abandon. And now, in Astoria, there is a more art-conscious and ethnically mixed "club kid" scene, presided over by some fresh faces as well as a few surviving denizens of Gatien's clubs.

In spite of these quibbles, Owen has no peer as a chronicler of the primeval "club kid" scene; what his reporting lacks, then, is historical perspective. "Clubland" is, however, a book of journalism, not of history; as such, it succeeds admirably at describing a comparatively narrow but inordinately visible slice of 1990s nightlife.

It is difficult to overstate the merits of "Clubland."
From a literary point of view, it is brilliantly written. Owen's nimble narrative voice effectively combines dispassionate reportage with vivid prose, sprinkled here and there with moments of subtle, geniune wit.

Personally, I cannot disagree more with Linus Van Pelt's libelous review (below). Clubland is, without a doubt, marvelously written, and extraordinarily readable (a distinct quality that the other 16 reviewers unanimously agree upon). In fact, I would say the most impressive aspect of Frank Owen's opus is the degree to which he brings utter lucidity to an underworld that is, by nature, impossibly shadowy and inextricable.

From a cultural perspective, Frank Owen has done a hero's task in writing this book. Not only did he (quite literally) risk his life to illuminate the shadowy depths of this sinister underworld, but he successfully wrapped his mind around a colossal kingdom of nighttime pleasures, and pieced together a lucid collage for all of us to comprehend. Owen's efforts have ensured that this epic moment in america's "forbidden" cultural history is accessible to all.

For anyone remotely fascinated by the nocturnal side of human nature, "Clubland" will terrify you, edify you, and give you a deeply humbling awareness of a world you rarely, if ever, get a chance to see for yourself... one that you probably wouldn't want to see for yourself.

Veteran journalist Frank Owen, regarding himself as "one of the last of the gonzo journalists", has probably written one of the most seductive moral tales brought to the press in a long time. With a list of characters ranging from the foolish to the fantastic, the absurd to the alluring, and delightful to the dangerous, set in the environs of New York City and South Beach, and coving a period of approximately 10 years within an immediate context of the last 40 years of the 20th century, he has managed to demonstrate the decadence and decline of western civilization with a stroke of linguistic genius amid an era of Caligula-like clowns and killers.

Coursing through this expertly written exposé, these character sketches become invaluable as the reader makes his way through the text. Not just a journalist, but a teller of tales like Hunter S. Thomson, Frank Owen works on many levels always starting with a very straight forward premise to be followed by social-historical and/or social-philosophical context and commentary, all woven with his own personal experiences in Clubland, becoming a filter and everyman as this tale is told.

"The era of Studio 54 that had been the scene of well-documented, glamorous decadence faded as a new empire of clubs - fueled by more potent drugs and an extreme culture of self-indulgence - stretched across American cities." To the point, Mr. Owen gives a very germane treatment of the decline of Western civilization in the latter half of the 20th century as seen through his experienced eyes in the Clubland of New York.

Excerpts from a review by:
Marc Mege
Real Detroit Weekly
May 21-27, 2003

After taking in an interest in the movie "Party Monster" I picked up "Clubland". Minutes after opening the book I was hooked. 36 hours later I was taken aback. The story and the little known details of the 90's Manhattan club culture came alive once again in my mind.
The story of Peter Gatien, Michael Alig and Chris Paciello is fascinating. A true journey through the best and worst of times.
Highly recommended+++++++++++++

I just love how the story came to be:

Frank Owen was hired by the Limelight's owner to write a story about The Limelight at the same time The Village Voice asked him to write about the drug scene in "clubland" so after five years, he came out with one hell of a book. We follow four of the most fascinating (and true) characters I have ever read about, how they started a revolution and were all connected, yet all so incredibly different.

I bartended in New York City for almost a decade, I knew the owners of many of the clubs mentioned in the book, I even knew one of the DEA guys in the book. I thought I knew it all. I found out I didn't know a thing. Frank Owen takes you there, he makes you understand how it all came together, while creating a mystery (rather the characters created the mystery, Frank Owen, simply knew how to string it all together, without it being confusing and making it extremely intriguing. )

Most important, he doesn't take a side (Like the movie and book Party Monster and how I am sure Gaiten will have his movie made) Owen stays wondefully true to all.

Even if you have never been to Manhattan, even if you never knew a Fed, even if you have no idea what The Limelight is/was...this book is worth it and by the end, you will know it all!

There was a time, that I sat in my mid Atlantic hometown and read Interview, subscribed to the Village Voice, and partied at local night spots that couldn't hold a candle to the New York club scene when it came to sheer decadence but they tried-- oh, how they tried. This was long before the Clubkids though. In fact I seemed to have missed this phenomenon entirely-- never even saw them on television-- until I ran into the movie Party Monster via a radio interview on NPR with Seth Green who starred in the 2003 movie Party Monster based on the documentary, that was based on the events surrounding the death of low level drug dealer at the hands of a party promoter.

Owens has done a fine job as a reporter. As a true outsider though, I have to admit that I wasn't all that surprised at the drugged out antics of the club goers (for some reason urine is always used for shock value) which really weren't that different from the earlier period or probably even now. It was the violence of the family connected thugs that I found disturbing.

Owen did well not to concentrate on Alig's murder of Angel. The information about the Florida club scene was interesting. There were things Owen talked about that I would have liked him to have expanded on, such as his theory about the fascination that mobsters and entertainment stars have for one another.

There were also some potentially hilarious scenes in the book such as when one of the informants takes two burly male DEA agents -- one of them in a dress with a slit up the side.

On the down side, though, the book seemed to end rather abruptly with some rather lightweight, but mercifully brief sermonizing about how the dance clubs were built on cruelty.
Well worth the read.

The pace of this book was amazing. It's unfortunate that a poor movie like "Party Monster" prevented Clubland from being made into one. With the right director and cast, there is no doubt in my mind that this would have been huge. The cast of true characters in this book are people you find yourself rooting against. It reminds me of "Goodfellas" one of the best movies of all time.

In 1994 I was 17 and working at Baskin Robins when a fellow employee told me if ever I was to venture to New York, I must go to the Limelight. Living in Metro Atlanta, I was used to Buckhead and Little Five Points as well as the Rave scene going on down there, but never had any idea about what went on else where. Needless to say, I never made it to New York, I out grew recreational oblivion and moved on to a "normal-less-chaotic" life but had watched documentaries on Alig and Peter Gaiten with interest of a life I once took advantage of. I also became quite frusterated with local news broadcasts about "new" drugs on the streets that had been around for quite sometime before everyone living in La La Land discovered they existed.
Anyway, I feel Frank Owen did a wonderful job telling the story of this culture from it's rise to it's fall. Having been in the middle of it all beginning with his article for the Village Voice on Special K, he had the upperhand when it came to compiling information on the individuals at the core of it all. I also liked the fact that he had knowledge about the trials in detail.
Who ever would have guessed this was going on at the time? I never knew what happened to the Limelight, why it all came crashing down to the point that, even in Atlanta, the whole scene had changed by the time I was 19. The fall of club culture didn't just affect New York and Miami, but most everywhere in between.

This book, to be colloquial about it, was OFF THE HOOK. I am one tough-to-shock reader, but there were passages in this book that had me literally dropping my jaw and gasping.

As I mentioned in my review of 'Disco Bloodbath/Party Monster', James St. James' frothy, breezy, and dishy account of the Alig fiasco, I enjoyed it immensely but was looking forward to reading Owen's book for a meatier, more in-depth examination of the seething underbelly of 1990s Manhattan. Happily, Owen does not disappoint.

Skillfully illustrating the gestalt of the era, Clubland offers us a nearly exhaustive account of Peter Gatien's nightclub empire and the shady-but-fascinating denizens slithering through one dank VIP room after another. Michael Alig is clearly the most well-known and notorious of Gatien's 'directors', but the story of wiseguy-turned-impresario Chris Paciello is compelling as well. Owen does a masterful job of keeping the Byzantine labyrinthe of squalid interconnectedness (reminiscent of Alig's infamous 'wheel of hepatitis') clear and understandable in a world that is anything but. What was most shocking is the sheer extent to which absolutely everyone involved seemed to be on the take in one way or another - a collection of ruthless, amoral characters all bent on getting one over on each other, the public, and even themselves.

While Paciello and Caruso, two promoters under Owen's microscope, were always tinged with Mafia flavor, the real tragedy seems to be that of Michael Alig and his crew of voraciously attention-hungry 'club kids'. Owen provides a riveting background portrait of Alig's Midwestern roots and past as a natural-born, from-the-cradle prankster and hustler nonpariel. How this demonic little genius, at age 22 the toast of Lower Manhattan, ended up as a pathetic, opiate-enslaved persona non grata is an epic tragedy. That bankrupt amorality does not equal flinty fabulousness may be the hardest lesson that Alig ever has to learn.

Having spent my time in the trenches of the demimonde, I understand all too well how what seems like just having a good time can turn dark beyond belief in an instant....my reaction to the 'downward spiral' of Clubland was the same as when watching the 'Party Monster Shockumentary'....overwhelming sadness at such great creativity, energy, and promise being squandered needlessly. Thankfully, Owen was able to bring depth and humanity to the players on the stage, as well as including minor characters (i.e, Gatien's wife Alessandra, several DEA snitches, murder victim Angel Melendez's brother, Johnny, and many more) that added greater context to the well-known, sordid story.

It would be easy to lay the blame for the tragedy at the feet of drugs, as plenty of junkies, convicts, other casualties of excess, and we as a culture, are wont to do. What Owen manages to illustrate is that this kingdom of glitter wasn't brought down so much by drugs as by greed, dark ambition, mercurial loyalties, and power. What was a groundbreaking movement was destroyed by an almost inhuman lust for power and status, expressed through money, drugs, and the threat of violence.

A five-star book, without a doubt.

Clubland: The Fabulous Rise and Murderous Fall of Club Culture, by Frank Owen

Being from Westchester NY and having been to all the clubs mentioned and knowing some of the people mentioned and at least knowing of most of them, the book sort of gives me the creeps. Reading about the craziness that went on behind the scenes puts the darkness of the NY nightlife in a different kind of light.

It is quite interesting to learn about Peter Gatien's twisted rise to NY City club mogul, especially being from a small Canadian mill town. The characters seem about right. For anyone that's been to the Limelight, Sound Factory or any other NY City underground type club during the time frame in the book can attest to the almost cartoon like figures lurking in the shadows and loosing it on the dance floors. The ambulances would line up out side the Sound Factory just before sunup and the doors would finally close around 2pm the next day.

I enjoyed the look into some of the players of the era and have to hand it to Frank Owen for the time and effort spent sniffing out the story, no pun intended.

By Kevin Kingston, author of: A 20,000% Gain in Real Estate

My Blog: The Real Estate Investors Blog
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