Its
true crime.
Its an
autobiography of one man lost in clubland.
Its a
biography of a murderer in clubland.
Its a history of
fashion, flare and pretty-boy socialites.
Its a
guidebook through the
social ups and downs of infamous New York City
drag queens and club goers.
Disco Bloodbath is a
novel written by
James St. James. The
book focuses on the
murder of a
drug dealer in
New York City during the mid
1990s.
Angel Menendez was murdered by
Micheal Alig (he had assistance), a
party promoter who helped re-shape the New York
club scene into something close to what we call the '
rave scene' today.
As the facts are being laid open in the pages of the book, we get a
history lesson on New York City nightlife, fashion,
social mores (pronounced MOR ayes) and clubbing. Oh! I almost forgot the
guide to being a drug addict and/or a
drug dealer. Well, its not like a bonus,
pocket sized reference, but you are definitely led to understand a few things about
how the world really works.
But there is more to it than gloss and powder (all kinds: wig, face, e, k, any other alphabet letters out there that feel left out?)! St. James delves deeply into the people who were cast in this drama. They become real people to you, and his relationships with them become important to you, as you read. St. James weaves a story so spellbinding I could not put it down, despite the lurching my stomach did when I read the description of the murder. What kept running through my mind was, "This is real. This happened. This is
not a screenplay for a movie", despite how outrageous it seemed.
For a debut book, St. James writes like an old pro. His verse seems effortless and reads like he is having a private conversation with you, the reader.
I started the book at 11:00 one Friday night and only put it down when I was dragged, cursing literary references, out to a party.
Hmmm...that good. I gave it five shiny, glittery, gold stars.