Club Kids

Club Kids

The Club Kids were a group of young New York City dance club personalities first established by Michael Alig, James St. James, Julie Jewels, DJ Keoki, and Ernie Glam in the late 1980s. The group was notable for its members’ flamboyant behavior and outrageous costumes. The movement began to decline when Rudolph Giuliani was elected mayor of New York in 1994, targeting the city’s nightlife industry.

About Club Kids in brief

Summary Club KidsThe Club Kids were a group of young New York City dance club personalities first established by Michael Alig, James St. James, Julie Jewels, DJ Keoki, and Ernie Glam in the late 1980s. The group was notable for its members’ flamboyant behavior and outrageous costumes. The movement began to decline when Rudolph Giuliani was elected mayor of New York in 1994, targeting the city’s nightlife industry with his Quality of Life campaign. It eventually collapsed after Alig was arrested for the killing and dismemberment of his roommate and fellow club kid Andre \”Angel\” Melendez, and Peter Gatien was charged with tax evasion and deported to Canada.

At the height of their popularity, the Club Kids toured the United States and appeared on talk shows including Geraldo Rivera, Joan Rivers, and the Phil Donahue Show. As the 1990s began, a younger group of dynamic personalities were discovered and mentored by Alig. Many of these primary Club Kids lived together communally in large apartments at the Chelsea Hotel and Hotel 17, then the Hotel 17 Prom, and then the 17 Prom 17. Many Club Kids have made long-lasting contributions to mainstream art and fashion. The Club Kids’ aesthetic emphasized outrageousness, \”fabulousness\”: and sex. Gender was fluid, and everything was DIY.