Our culture correspondent PHILLIP HILL reveals all
Coxsackie Correctional Facility is a three hour drive north from Manhattan, located in the low outlying hills of the Catskill Mountains. While the architecture of the facility is reminiscent of a boys’ prep school — complete with a long driveway leading to a redbrick Federal-style main hall with a bell tower — the ribbon razor wire and double layered chain-link fence wrapped around the compound immediately identify it as one of New York State’s maximum security prisons. Coxsackie is, in fact, what is known as a “Max B” prison (differing from a “Max A” on levels of security, surveillance, and inmate record), and it had, for the month and a half before I visited on February 17, been home to prisoner 97A6595, Michael Alig. Known more prominently as the King of the Club Kids but also, for Coxsackie’s administrative purposes, as the perpetrator who pleaded guilty to manslaughter in 1997 for the March 1996 murder of former Limelight employee and reputed drug dealer Andre “Angel” Melendez.
About a year ago I thought what a good idea it would be to bring him to London and shake things up a bit. So now that he's being released, that's what I'm going to do. Michael has done his time. He has served the sentence handed down to him by the American courts. He will be released in a few days, and we can now reveal that we have been in discussions at THE RED LIGHT DISTRICT that have been ongoing for some months (with various 'friends' of prisoner 97A6595 and with Alig himself). We know that bringing such a figure of notoriety to London is bound to cause controversy, and any hope of smuggling him into the country without the press getting wind now seems unlikely.
So, keep your eyes peeled for a real NYC club legend arriving in town later this year. This looks set to be an incredible experience, and we will of course be posting an interview here.
more news as it comes
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Ok after reading this I still don't get why would you bring this guy to London. I mean apart of "the incredible experience" and the press getting wind.
ReplyDeletePhillip was writing an article about his club night. Usually we'd be a bit stricter about writers plugging their events, but the Alig story was too good not to feature.I assume the reasons you gave above are possibly the only reasons anyone could have for bringing a convicted murderer to the uk club scene. Let's see what happens, but i'm sure this story will have a fascinating outcome.
ReplyDeleteAll best,
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