Michael Alig Writes to Steve Lewis

Following is a letter sent by infamous New York party monster Michael Alig to our new nightlife columnist Steve Lewis.

16 JULY 08

DEAR STEVEN,

HOW ABOUT THIS?! FACEBOOK HAS EVEN CONNECTED YOU ... WITH ME! I READ WITH A GIGANTIC SMILE YOUR GREAT TELLING OF A VERY FONDLY REMEMBERED NEW YEARS EVE AT RED ZONE ... AND ITS VERY FUNNY BECAUSE OF COURSE IVE WRITTEN ABOUT THIS EXACT SAME NIGHT IN MY BOOK! ITS INTERESTING, SEEING THINGS DESCRIBED FROM TWO DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS ... THEN PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER ... RATHER LIKE THAT NEW MOVIE, VANTAGEPOINT, THAT THEY SHOWED HERE LAST WEEK ... OF COURSE, MY VERSION FOCUSES ON THE EMBARRASSING (AND REGRETTABLE) BOTTLE THROWING INCIDENT WITH VIVIANE ... I WANTED TO SHOW YOU AN EXCERPT FROM MY BOOK TALKING ABOUT THAT NIGHT:

JAMES, KEOKI AND I HAD GOTTEN VERY DRUNK AT QUICK AND, SOMETIME AROUND 1AM I STUMBLED DRUNKENLY INTO A DINNER PARTY VIVIANE WAS HAVING IN THE RESTAURANT AT RED ZONE WEARING ONLY A WHITE PANTY GIRDLE AND A PAIR OF GLUED-ON BOOBIES ID CUT FROM A BLOWUP SEX DOLL. I THOUGHT I LOOKED PRETTY CUTE, AND I MAY HAVE, FOR A NIGHTCLUB ON NEW YEARS EVE. BUT VIVIANE IS A QUIET, UNASSUMING FRENCH WOMAN OF TASTE AND ELEGANCE. I SIMPLY DID NOT FIT IN AT HER DINNER PARTY, FULL OF CULTURED EUROPEANS AND OLDER NEW YORKERS AND, ALTHOUGH I DONT REMEMBER HER EXACT WORDS, SHE MUSTVE LET ME KNOW THIS WHEN I CAME BARRELING IN WITH JAMES AND KEOKI, FALLING DOWN AND SPILLING A HALF-EMPTY BOTTLE OF CHAMPAGNE. WORDS WERE EXCHANGED, AND IN MY STATE OF INEBRIATION I WAS SO OFFENDED THAT I STOOD UP AND HURLED THE REMAINING BUBBLY IN VIVIANES DIRECTION, NARROWLY MISSING THE DELICATE WOMANS FEET AND SENDING SHARDS OF GLASS ACROSS THE FLOOR. I PROBABLY SCREAMED A LOT OF VENGEFUL, HURTFUL THINGS, THEN LEFT THE CLUB WITH JAMES AND KEOKI, SULKING. IT WAS BEYOND GROSS. IN FACT IT WAS THE LOWPOINT OF MY DRINKING CAREER AND, THE FOLLOWING DAY, ID BUT THE SLIGHTEST RECOLLECTION OF EVEN BEING AT RED ZONE. WHEN ID HEARD WHAT ID DONE I WAS EMBARRASSED I COULDNT EVEN LOOK VIVIANE IN THE FACE. I DIDNT GO TO THE CLUB AGAIN FOR DAYS.

WELL SO OKAY, THERES PART OF MY VERSION OF THAT NIGHT!! ISNT IT GREAT, SEEING THE TWO VERSIONS? I LOVE THE WAY IT BRINGS THE WHOLE THING INTO PERSPECTIVE. I WISH I COULD GET MORE PEOPLE LIKE YOU ... INVOLVED IN MY BOOK, GIVING QUOTES, DIFFERENT VIEWPOINTS, ETC. MAYBE ONE DAY YOU CAN COME SEE ME ... IM NOT TOO FAR FROM MANHATTAN, MAYBE TWO HOURS BY CAR OR TRAIN. I WOULD LIKE THIS VERY MUCH!

I WOULD ALSO LIKE TO THANK YOU ... FOR SAYING SUCH NICE THINGS ABOUT ME IN YOUR BLOG. YOUR ASSESSMENT OF ME ... BECOMING DARTH VADER ... AFTER FALLING SO HEAVILY INTO DRUGS ... WAS SPOT ON. BUT IT WAS YOUR RECOLLECTION OF ME ... AND OUR FRIENDSHIP ... BEFORE I BECAME A DRUG ADDICT ... THAT REALLY GOT TO ME. WHATEVER OUR MINOR CREATIVE DIFFERENCES IN OPERATING NIGHTCLUBS- - AND REALLY, THEY WERE MINOR, AS ULTIMATELY WE BOTH HAD THE SAME IDEA OF WHAT MADE A CLUB HOT –UNDERNEATH IT ALL, I HAVE ALWAYS CONSIDERED YOU ONE OF MY CLOSE AND TRUE FRIENDS ... SOMETHING I HOPE WILL COME ACROSS IN MY BOOK. I WOULD BE HAPPY TO HEAR FROM YOU ONE DAY, STEVEN! I THINK YOU WOULD BE PLEASANTLY SURPRISED ... TO FIND ONCE AGAIN THE OLD ME BACK AGAIN. MY ADDRESS IS:

MICHAEL ALIG 97A6596
BOX 999
COXSACKIE CORRECTIONAL FACILITY
COXSACKIE, NY 12051

<3 Xxoo
Michael

PS
Today I went before the parole board for the 2nd time! It was grueling ... having to go back + relive that terrible, terrible morning ... I was feeling like shit when I got back to my room + then I saw Maurice’s letter w/ your blog + after reading it my whole day turned around ... Just wanted to thank you for sharing that with me!

<3 M