One of the many reasons that the Chelsea hotel is so Legendary is the amount of famous and infamous residents that have called the Chelsea “home”. Many of these guests would create works of art, poetry and even films while residing there. Others spent their time at the Chelsea, getting up to more.. nefarious activities. It’s all part of what makes The Chelsea Hotel so fascinating..

You just never knew who your neighbor at the Chelsea might be…

Enter, Club Kid and Party Monster, Michael Alig.

Michael Alig was the King of the club kids, living a life of indulgence and excess in NYC during the late 1980’s and throughout the 1990’s. Rocketing to international prominence for his over the top party’s and antics, Alig and his club kids appeared on many of the morning and afternoon talk shows, like Geraldo, Donehue and Joan Rivers. The outrageous antics and over the top looks, made the club kids a match made in heaven for daytime talk shows of the day.

Alig would be launched from fame to infamy, after the 1996 murder and dismemberment of one his lieutenants, Andre Angel Melendez. Both Alig and Robert Freeze Riggs would be charged and convicted for the Murder of Melendez. Son of writer/director, Paul Auster, Daniel Auster was charged for the robbery of Angel Melendez (after he was murdered) for the amount of $3k.

But there was a time after the murder.. and before his arrest where, Alig on borrowed time, plotted a nervy comeback, with a new inner circle, and it would all take place at the Legendary Chelsea Hotel.. in 1998. During the literal fall of clubland.

Before he lived there, Michael was no stranger to the Chelsea. He had visited and stayed there many times over the years. (several times to visit, resident Christina Superstar before her passing in her room in the summer of 1989.) The Chelsea, at the time, was home to all types. Artists, musicians, dealers, transients and more.

Before the murder of Angel Melendez, Michael Alig had been caught in possession by DEA agents, who had been watching Alig closely, as part of their investigation into his boss, Peter Gatian at the Mega Club “Limelight“. They had been building a case against him specifically, since their initial raid of the Limelight in 1996.

Initially Michael Alig agreed to help prosecutors, by testifying against Peter Gatian in exchange for Immunity from prosecution.

After the murder of Melendez, and under the influence of drugs, Michael confessed to multiple people in and out of his circle. It wasn’t long before, people began to notice that Angel was missing and the rumor of Alig’s confession exploded.

Then on June 25th 1996, “The Village Voice” ran with the cover story “A Murder in clubland?” detailing the rumors that has been circulating about the now MIA Angel Melendez.

Frank Owen wrote “some say promoter Michael Alig killed Angel Melendez some say it’s a hoax Frank Owen investigates P 29”

Now, under mounting scrutiny and (self inflicted) gossip; Alig made the decision to flee New York, with fellow Club Kid, Gitsie Haataja. The Pair made their way to visit friend and fellow club kid, Screamin Rachel in Chicago. Michael would later describe this visit as “a big mistake”.

Shortly after the visit, Screamin Rachel recorded the song “Freedom/Murder in Clubland” She said of Freedom “There’s a little backwards loop in the song “Michael, where’s Angel? Michael where’s Angel”.”

Although Rachel would later say, in comments on Retro Room episodes that Michael never confessed to her.

By now, the pair fleeing NYC, amounted to not much more than a road trip, that was cut short, by Alig’s severe withdrawal symptoms, that started shortly after they left, when his supply ran out. A visit to his mother, then the local methadone clinic, allowed Alig to get as far as Chicago. Weeks after fleeing New York, Michael had returned; and worse for ware.

Having lost his gig as a Party Promoter at Peter Gatian’s, “Limelight“. Where he threw his weekly party “Disco 2000” Michael and some of his remaining “kids” moved in with Brooke Humphries. Into the suite she was renting on the third floor of the Chelsea. Humphries; neighbors remembered Brooke as being a friendly, affable type of person. Her apartment (according to neighbors), that she was subletting, had recently become a sort-of flophouse for club kids, with over the top, gay men in outrageous outfits would be seen at night by neighbors parading through the halls, but they would spend all day sleeping, out of sight.

Brooke Humphries told the party monster documentary “No money Not a dime to his name so then we start looking around and the press is just out of control at this point. Him showing up in New York is like front page news on every newspaper in the fucking city.”

And Michael Alig fit right in… to the apartment.. and at the Chelsea.

While living with Brooke at the Chelsea, Michael started to plan a comeback. A party that Alig would call “The Honey Trap“. Humphties told the party monster documentary “The name of the party came from an article one of the first articles that came in the paper and had the picture of the limelight on the entire cover and the cover said cops label limelight a honey trap”

“Then once we started, Honeytrap It’s almost like he got rejuvenated And had a purpose and had a goal And he really was quite amazing He was home every night You know and always working on the party like a Trojan I mean, just a Trojan.”

They released promo Jars of honey, with custom labels, advertising the event. Although, in hindsight the Honey Trap was one of his most famous Party’s, ultimately the event was, both unsuccessful at reviving Aligs career and was a financial failure.

Now, Michael’s time as a free man was running short. He was days away from being arrested and charged for the murder and dismemberment of Angel Melendez.

It wasn’t long before the police showed up at Brooke Humphries apartment and her neighbors at the Chelsea got a front row seat to what transpired next. The police had Humphries sitting in a chair and they were questioning her, where is Michael Alig? Her apartment door was left open during the search and subsequent questioning. But, Michael was not there, and Humphries was left to deal with the police solo and in from of a group of curious neighbors.

But, Michael Alig having sensed that the jig was up; fled the Chelsea (and NYC) and was rotating his nights between a few different places, for the last weeks, including a motel room, he was staying at, with a boyfriend; Brian McCauley where the police finally apprehended him. Although, Brian McCauley told the Party Monster Shockumentary “Brooke kinda didn’t want him living there anymore because he was too much of an expense you know she took care of him for a really long time and she kind of got tired of it i’m never tired of taking care of Michael so I told him to move in with me.”

After the police searched her apartment. Humphries was allegedly evicted from the Chelsea by Stanley Bard according to the book “Legends of the Chelsea Hotel“. Allegedly after being found in possession, She struck a deal, to testify for the prosecution in their case against her and Aligs former boss, “Limelight” owner, Peter Gatian; for drug racketeering.

But according to Frank Owen writing for the Washington Post, “Humphries did indeed make a strong impression during the course of the trial, but not in the way Adelman predicted. Two days before she was due to take the stand, Humphries was charged with making a false statement to federal officials; she had told them that she had not resumed selling drugs in violation of her cooperation agreement with prosecutors. Humphries had previously pleaded guilty to drug charges, and, in exchange for leniency, was helping the government against Gatien.“

Ultimately, Brooke Humphries was left off the witness stand, by prosecutors.

As for Michael Alig, He flipped on prosecutors and refused to testify against Peter Gatian. This was a crushing blow to the prosecution who was intending to make Alig a star witness. They had built much of their case on information provided by Alig, although Michael’s murder charge, was a nail in the coffin of his credibility as a witness, anyway.

He got sentenced to 10 to 20 years for murdering Angel Melendez in 1998. While in prison, Alig reportedly said of his confessions to “everyone” about murdering Angel.  “I know why I blabbed. I must have wanted to stop me. I was spinning out of control. It’s like the old saying ‘What do you have to do to get attention around here – kill somebody?'”

Michael Alig was released on parole in 2014 after serving 16 years in prison. he dabbled in different ventures like painting (with witch he had some success) and writing, but ultimately he ended up back into the nightlife scene at club “Rage“.

He had some success relaunching himself and the “club kid” scene, but this also lost him the support of many of his friends and supporters, who felt they could not stand by while he walked down the same path again. This scenario would repeat itself, when word began to circulate that he was using again.

but Michael Aligs most notable post prison venture was the web series “the Peeew” that he co-hosted with fellow former club kid Ernie Glam.

The show began mere days after Aligs Parole in 2014 and ran all the way up to his passing 6 years later. It’s “warts and all” approach, to talk TV, was very on brand for Alig, who often leaned into his notoriety on camera.

Former Club Kids, James St. James, Keoki, Olympia and photographer John Simone all made appearances on the Peeew.

Over the years, old demons re-emerged and Michael began to succumb to his addiction and was visibly beginning to deteriorate, when Ernie Glam announced he was leaving the show, shortly before Aligs passing in 2020.

He died on Christmas day 2020, 6 years after being paroled from prison. He was 54 years old.

If you you know what Apartment Michael Alig an Brooke Humphries lived in, on the third floor don’t keep it to yourself, let me know in the comments!