James St. James

About James St. James

James St. James (born James Clark, August 1, 1966) was a Club Kid of the Manhattan club scene in the late 1980s/early 1990s and the author of Disco Bloodbath (now published under the title Party Monster). He was notorious for a lifestyle of excess that included heavy drug use, partying, and bizarre costumes.

James was born into a well-to-do family in affluent Sagamore, Michigan., where he lived with his mother after his parents divorced. In the summer he would stay with his father in Fort Lauderdale, Florida After reading Andy Warhol’s book, Popism: The Warhol Sixties St James decided to move to New York in 1984, where he studied performance art at New York University for two years before being absorbed into New York's club scene. St. James lived the high life as a celebutante after becoming a close friend of nightlife icon and columnist Michael Musto.

James became sort of a mentor to Alig, although at first he and the other Club Kids shunned the newcomer. Undeterred, Alig soon created his own scene by gathering up other creative rejects of the nightlife world, copying St. James' flamboyant style with self-promotion and innovative, themed parties. Alig eventually grew on St. James, and St. James morphed from celebutante to Club Kid while helping Alig create the new scene. Alig and St. James threw many parties together, eventually setting up the Disco 2000 club night at the New York club The Limelight. St. James wrote several columns, most famously for the short lived New York City-based gay publication OutWeek during the magazines two year life span between 1989-1991.