Introducing the first installment of 'Good Night Mr. Lewis,' the singular nightlife column by New York legendarian Steve Lewis, now on BlackBook.

“The disgrace of others often keeps tender minds from vice” -- Horace

For a long time I wasn’t allowed to contact Michael Alig, as I was finishing up my own ordeal. Then for a while, I didn’t want to talk to him. I didn’t necessarily want to look back, as I’ve spent so much of the last decade looking forward. Maurice Brahms, owner of the seminal clubs Infinity, the Underground, Bond’s Disco, and Red Zone, gave me a call a few weeks ago. He told me that Michael really wanted to see me and asked if I’d be up to it. I received a letter in early July from Michael that reconnected me deep inside. We were friends, we were partners, and despite the murder and Michael's futile attempts to frame me when he was working as a confidential informant for the DEA, I felt I had to face him. I told Maurice I would go, and he handled the arrangements.