Gatien, a self-described lapsed Catholic, writes that when the church learned of his plans, the Episcopal bishop of New York gifted him with a three-word, worth its weight-in gold review: We are horrified.. His wife is Alessandra Gatien (m. 1994), Adrienne Gatien (m. 1984-1994), Sheila Gatien (m. 1972-1978) Peter Gatien Net Worth His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. Portrayed over the years as a genius and a hustler, a megalomaniac and a Sphinx, he is looking forward to the chance to control the narrative for a change. His wife is Alessandra Gatien (m. 1994), Adrienne Gatien (m. 1984-1994), Sheila Gatien (m. 1972-1978) Peter Gatien Net Worth His net worth has been growing significantly in 2020-2021. Gatien quipped, Luckily, college tuition in Canada is 20 per cent the price in the U.S.. He married his high school sweetheart and had two daughters, but America and disco beckoned. Peter Gatien. Her entourage was always a nightmare She was trouble.. Theyre really good for the energy, and I often saw sort of rough looking guys from Brooklyn or the burbs and all the sudden theyd be mixing and theyd realize These people arent so bad. Then the AIDS crisis hit, petrifying the city. In the more than 30 years he lived in America, he had never bothered to obtain citizenship. The owner of three of Manhattans largest nightclubs was accused yesterday of turning two of them the Limelight and the Tunnel into virtual drug supermarkets, The New York Times reported on May 16, 1996, peddling the drug known as Ecstasy to a clientele made up largely of college students and teen-agers., Mr. Gatien does not deny the Ecstasy use in his clubs; the drug was everywhere in the 90s nightlife, he said. From the late 70s to the late 90s, Peter Gatien reigned as New York's "King of Clubs", running four of the city's most hedonistic playgrounds which operated seven nights a week during that time.With Limelight, Tunnel, Palladium, and Club USA, Gatien brought Babylon back to life, introducing spaces where innovative and influential new forms of music, fashion, art and culture could flourish. People Projects Discussions Surnames continuing the post below, the influential sub-cultures in NY were first the Diggers, early squatters who helped fellow travelers (1960s), and then the real squatters (punks and homesteaders), the yippies (who recently lost out to developers), and of course the bohemians who created the abstract foundation that we rest on no doubt, there was drug use and drug use probably accelerated the development of the abstract in the face of educational oligarchy and its anti-abstract hegelianism (thesis, antithesis, synthesis maintained in powerful abuse centers called schools and universities) The left coast established psychedelica with music such as Vanilla Fudge, the Chocolate Watch Band, and, of course, the Grateful Dead. Amazon has also bought a memoir written by Gatien that covers his rise and fall as a club owner, which editor Laura Van Der Veer and Little A will publish in the fall of 2020. Small $175.00 Medium $375.00 Large The longest period of time in which The Limelight remained closed was from 1996 to 1998. It didnt matter that, by the time it happened, Alig had long since been fired by Gatien. But, according to Gengo, Morgenthaus office in Manhattan took over the case and Gengo and Tomis had to fight to be kept on as investigators. It was just merciless, daily. In particular it was the late Jack Newfield, a Post columnist, who spun any crime that occurred at one of the clubs into an assault on Gatiens character. Your work defined my youth and all of my most memorable relationship and I will always love you for it Peter! The whole [club kid] movement got tainted because of what he did, Gatien says. The Limelight lived up to its . And then the tax man got him. For the past three years he has split his time between Toronto and New York, where he lives in Hells Kitchen. The biggest gut punch of them all came in 2003, when Gatien was deported. As Datwon Thomas, the editor of Vibe, wrote in 2018: You couldnt go to the notoriously badass function that took place on Sunday nights if you were faint of heart. Peter Gatien (born August 14, 1952) is a Canadian club owner and party promoter. His only remaining connection to New York City is his former lawyer Benjamin Brafman. This is the perfect example of what happens when the government loses, says Brafman. I think Peter went through a time when he was justifiably bitter, says Brafman. Alessandra, Gatien's third wife, is his dispositional antithesisan elegant, gregarious film producer fifteen years his junior, outfitted tonight in Paltrow-casual style, with jeans and a black. McMahon added that he had done some digging that proved to him Daniels novelist father had some influence with Morgenthau. After they arrested Alig and Riggs, the two cops were told to stand down and all their files on the case mysteriously disappeared from their office, Gengo told The Post last week. In "Black Mirror," when two Vermont teens are kidnapped on their way home from a basketball game, the team is led to a wayward pastor and . (During our interview Gatien opts for a pair of electric blue Christian Dior shades instead, saying I dont wear a patch much anymore, if at all.). Morgenthau died in 2019. When a New Jersey teenager was found dead at home after a night of partying at the Limelight, his politically connected parents caught the attention of Giuliani never mind the fact that the medical examiner later concluded the cause of death was suicide by hanging. In the novel, Mark goes from a sweet boy to a troubled, dangerous teenager who upsets his father and scares his stepmother. Eight years later, Im still fighting for justice, Untold stories from the early years of Second City, the group that changed comedy, Inside the Ontario years of Elon Musk, the worlds most absurd billionaire, I spent five years in a white-power gang: Inside the twisted world of Torontos white supremacist movement. I was only in there once I wanted to see what all the hubbub was about. So, how was it? Downtime is spent kicking it with his eldest daughter, Jen Gatien, a filmmaker who lives downtown, or walking around Central Park. Riggs was not reachable for comment.) Everything was in a state of disarray, Alig said. Owner Naiome Ram at Jue Lan STEPHEN YANG. None of it would have probably happenedif he hadnt lost his eye when he was six-years-old. I either did it for too long or had more strength than I realized or maybe it was a combination of us sitting on top of him and he couldnt breathe or whatever it was, he just stopped writhing., Alig added, Wed been up for four days. A third eye for spotting talent was honed early, too, as he recalls one of the first gigs he booked, an up and coming local group called Rush. Mr. Gatien, who was then living with Alessandra and his two daughters in a handsome townhouse on East 63rd Street, off Fifth Avenue, made a point of staying clean during work hours. So, how much is Peter Gatien worth at the age of 70 years old? However, because he is part Native Canadian, Gatien has since been able to visit the United States again. Social butterfly: The nightclub mogul Peter Gatien, right, with George Michael in New York City in the late 1980s. What we learned after the jump. The New York Post back then was literally a newsletter for him, says Gatien. (Photo by Arnaldo Magnani/Getty Images) Embed PURCHASE A LICENSE Standard editorial rights Custom rights How can I use this image? As it happens, both Gomez-Rejon and Sacha worked for Pileggi's late wife, filmmaker Nora Ephron. One night, Gatien claims, one pestered a busboy so much, the worker finally sold him a joint just to shut him up. Det. Peter Gatien, 67, says over the phone from his Toronto home. Was it looser than anywhere else in town? Directed by Billy Corben. He now lives a quiet life in. Over the years, there were attempts to break into boutique hotels, and write an Entourage-esque series about a 1990s club kingpin. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time After his arrest, the legal odyssey lasted two and a half years until he was acquitted of all drug charges in 1998. Find Peter Gatien stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. It was a strange case from day one, Gengo said. Updated. Bernie Sanders' New Book It's OK to Be Angry About Capitalism Tops Charts on First Day (He was always uncool, Gatien says of the current commander in chief, with a dyspeptic smile.) Autor de l'entrada Per ; Data de l'entrada calexico west port of entry hours; 12 month libor rate 2021 . Peter Gatien was named the Club King. I think the Peter Gatien acquittal still stands out in my mind as one of the most thrilling, says Brafman, who would later win legal battles for P. Diddy and Dominique Strauss-Kahn. Under the guise of improving New York City's "quality of life," the club scene was targetedand Peter Gatien's empire became a major focus of the administration. After an five-week trial, the jury cleared the Club King in just a few short hours. We've received your submission. The main dance floor of the Limelight in 1993. It was, in other words, perfect. Peter Gatiens income source is mostly from being a successful . God bless you and your family xo. He is best known as the former owner of several prominent New York City nightclubs, including Club USA, The . Perched palely on a tall stool, rocking dark sunglasses or his signature eye patch, the New York Times review read, the gangly club kingpin remains largely an enigma.. Brafman was so sure of the cracks in case that he didnt bother calling any witnesses for the defense. Just the raw energy, the exuberance, he said, sipping an iced tea. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. Robin Byrd. My whole thing was always that to try to get an eclectic crowd in the place, you need a gay presence, he says. But I also think Peter has mellowed out over the years. And yet, the Gatien story is a real black eye for New York. We just sort of accepted that the outside world had been ravaged by AIDS and crack and you created these little utopian microcosms in nightclubs., It used to be a lot more egalitarian back then, says Gatien. As part of his new Quality of Life initiative, Giuliani went after hot dog vendors, buskers, jaywalkers, street artists and squeegee men. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. I had subpoenaed him, McMahon said. The Tunnel was lionized as raps lost city of Atlantis in the 2016 documentary The Hip-Hop Nucleus., And a 2011 documentary, Limelight, offered a kaleidoscopic look back to that sordid netherworld, but Mr. Gatien was not exactly effusive in the film. . Born and raised in Canada. Try Audible Premium Plus free Riggs told the judge at his sentencing that, What I am certain is that all of us involved, myself, Michael Alig, Daniel Auster and Angel Melendez, are victims of the same hideous evil, whose name is drugs.. [6] In addition, he was later arrested on tax evasion charges after a series of club raids; he was acquitted of most of the charges. The place drew a hell of a mass from the jump. Daniels death was the final sad act in a dark life marked by chronic drug abuse and bookended by two tragic drug-related deaths the last one 26 years ago. . He writes about the night Biggie died, when Funkmaster Flex played Hypnotize before a crowd of 2,000, crying silently. No, absolutely not., My mind-set was, the drug wasnt good for business, in that people dont drink on Ecstasy, he said. She wasnt making that up in her books, St. James told The Post about Daniel. Dance club owner Peter Gatien and wife Alessandrs Kobayashi casually walk along a city street November 25, 2001 in New York City. The New York Limelight, of course, had to go even bigger. He opened his first club in the mill town of Cornwall, Ontario, when he was in his early 20s and managed to lure a young band from Toronto band by the name of Rush for its opening week, he says in the book. Soon he split his time between Ontario and South Florida, where he acquired a run-down bar called Rum Bottoms and rechristened it the Limelight. Gatien was also the executive producer of the film The Bronx Tale. People didnt even have cellphones. With his memoir, The Club King, published on April 1, he hopes for a degree of catharsis after an epic rise and fall, but also to celebrate a lost New York, when clubs felt mysterious and transgressive, luring the misfits and outcasts from the citys creative underground, and every night felt like a Mardi Gras on Mars. Also learn how He earned most of networth at the age of 68 years old? In 1978, he opened another Limelight, in Atlanta, Georgia, that would come to be known as the Studio 54 of the South. In a Tiger King-style flourish, Gatien built an enclosure beneath the glass dance floor and stocked it with a live panther. It all dovetailed with the rave music coming over from London at the time. By the time the case went to trial in 1998, the prosecution felt it had enough to convince a jury that Gatien was a menacing crime boss who orchestrated an elaborate drug ring. Coolness could always be found at one of Peter Gatiens mega-clubs. He now lives a quiet life in a three-bedroom apartment in Toronto with his third wife, Alessandra, and has spent the bulk of the last two decades trying to put his life back together. Peter Gatien is a Businessperson. His wife is Alessandra Gatien (m. 1994), Adrienne Gatien (m. 1984-1994), Sheila Gatien (m. 1972-1978) Peter Gatien income His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2021. A meeting was arranged at which Daniel told DA investigators that hed heard Alig and Freeze plotting to stick up Angel for his stash the day before his death.But, Owen writes, the DA decided the junkie Daniel was an unreliable witness.. They were doing ecstasy and free-basing cocaine and there was a lot of GHB and ketamine around.. In 1999, he pleaded guilty to tax-evasion and paid over a million dollars in back taxes a sum he likens to a rounding error given the amount of dough that was rolling in back then. Today he cringes at the idea, but the big cat roaming under dancers feet presaged his preternatural ability to drum up press and controversy an ability that would make him, but later destroy him. I think Peter brought a lot of culture and talent to this city., Even Siegel, the Mayors Quality of Life speechwriter, describes current New York as pretty bland. So maybe Gatien has a right to feel wronged by Giuliani, after all? A myth was always perpetuated about the Canadian expat losing it during a hockey game, but actually baseball was to blame. Under the guise of improving New York City's "quality of life," the club scene was targetedand Peter Gatien's empire became a major focus of the administration. Not long after McMahon subpoenaed Daniel to testify at Aligs trial, the DAs office abruptly lowered their plea offer for Alig to what McMahon said he wanted: a sweet deal to plead guilty to first-degree manslaughter. Known as Manhattan's king of clubs, Canadian Peter Gatien was the man who . Today he splits his time between Toronto and New York City, enjoying a home life with his wife, Alessandra, his four children, and his two grandchildren. The Fugitive Task Force on FBI: Most Wanted has gone after quite a list of bad guys, but with the February 14 episode, these agents investigate their most disturbing case yet and it leads to Remy Scott (Dylan McDermott) going undercover as a priest. St. James chronicled Aligs rise and fall as King of the Club Kids in his book, Disco Bloodbath, which was the basis for the 2003 film Party Monster, starring Macaulay Culkin. Between sips, he spoke with some disappointment about his return to New York, which had blackened both his eyes and then bounced him nearly two decades ago like a drunk from a bar. On April 15, Daniel was arrested andcharged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and endangering the welfare of Ruby. You couldnt match his creativity or foresight if your life depended on it. The accident also resulted in a settlement from the school, which Gatien used in part to open a denim shop in 1971, which he called the Pant Loft. And Mr. Gatien, with his icy demeanor and swashbuckler eye patch, is no longer the King of Clubs, as he was hailed by The New York Post in his 90s heyday. The nightclub was a sewer. How the hell would he know what the Limelight was like? [Melendez] fell back and there was me and Daniel Auster and Riggs all piled on Angel. Mr. Gatien was acquitted of his drug-racketeering and conspiracy charge in 1998 but was deported to Canada after pleading guilty to subsequent state tax-evasion charges. Gatien, 57, the legendary night-life impresario who owned the Limelight, Palladium and Tunnel, also produced "A Bronx Tale" starring Robert De Niro. Seriously, at a 45 deg angle up the side of a gothic church! He was prosecuted in what became a witch hunt and huge failure on behalf of the us federal system and despite being cleared of charges was spitefully deported for a minor tax issue. Its a young mans game., Peter Gatien, the 90s Club King, Wants His Final Say, https://www.nytimes.com/2020/04/02/style/peter-gatien-limelight-tunnel-club-kid.html. You dont see it anymore.. Not to mention all the gadabouts who played and partied at his other joints, from Prince to Axl Rose. Its not as good as it used to be, I can tell you that right now, he says. After that, he turned a former country western bar into a rock club called Aardvark and booked the band Rush to perform. It was the last of an era: predigital, pre-social media, he said. Sex, Drugs, and the Glory Days of NYC Nightlife: Peter Gatien Looks Back 01 April 2020 by Shawn McCreesh Rolling Stone If there's any truth to the old William Blake line about the road of excess leading to the palace of wisdom, then Peter Gatien may be the wisest cat in New York. No one wanted to party. Squeaky-clean isn't exactly the image that comes to mind when you think of Peter Gatien. Afterwards, Gatien did all he could to beef up security, even hiring a former special narcotics prosecutor to monitor his clubs. Straight like that. We want to hear it. Bettmann/CORBIS Alig's arrest, conviction and sentencing took place amid Morgenthau's. Few people know the evolution of NYC nightlife better than Peter Gatien, the one-time nightclub impresario who at his '90s peak ran four Manhattan mega-clubs: Club USA, a Blade Runner-meets . His wife and daughter are the classiest people you will ever meet It is a devastating sin that the system chewed him out this way. 2023. After spending 17 years being shuttled between state penitentiaries, followed by nearly three years. "I live a quiet life here," said Mr. Gatien, 59, in his deep near-monotone, as his two dogs, Che and Xaver, nuzzled his leg, and his wife, Alessandra, a 44-year-old film and television. Peter Gatien, who holds the lease on the John Street property, left Hingson Corp., his original backer, to find new sources of funding after the club failed to open in June, 2006. As the investigation widened, undercover agents were soon swarming Limelight, some, he writes in the book, dressed in highly unconvincing drag, or wearing dog collars. $14.95 per month after 30 days. Director Billy Corben Stars 50 Cent (archive footage) Lisa Michelle Axelrod Jay-Z (archive footage) See production, box office & company info Watch on Dox with Prime Video Channels More watch options Add to Watchlist 5 User reviews 17 Critic reviews 57 Metascore Videos 1 Trailer 2:05 The stunt prompted the ire of a local animal rights organization, but the buzz also lured the likes of Rod Stewart and Andy Warhol, he writes. We will update Peter Gatien's Height, weight, Body Measurements, Eye Color, Hair Color, Shoe & Dress size soon as possible. The cops never got to speak to him. New York magazine was born in 1968 after a run as an insert of the New York Herald Tribune and quickly made a place for itself as the trusted resource for readers across the country. Five things the New York Times learned about Peter Gatiens quiet Toronto life. The DAs office offered few details about the case when The Post asked about it last week. He is from Canada. Anyone can read what you share. He was born in Cornwall on August 08, 1952. Related Couldnt interview him yourself? The one-eyed club impresario is back in the city he once called home and ready to tell his story. Times change. In them, fashion designers found inspiration for their next runway show and record execs found their next big hit. Rather, hes got a tale to tell, one filled with fabulousness and tabloid phantasmagoria and it aint boring. If everybody is super-sequins, its boring. Next to the $12 million in real estate and his three Limelight nightclubs, Peter Gatien says his biggest asset probably has been his naivete. Suddenly, Gatien writes, I had the hottest act in the country.. Peter Gatien (born August 8, 1952) is a Canadian club owner and party promoter. In 2003, Gatien lived alone in a $1,200 one-bedroom apartment on King West, waiting a year before his wife and son would make the trip from NYChis wife, Alessandra, wanted their son to. In anticipation, the New York Times sat down with Gatien at his Queen West apartment wherein, it seems, the once fast-paced life of a New York club overlord can very quickly turn to a life of quiet reflection. why is this newsworthy or even remotely interesting? In 1976, in his early nightclub forays, Gatien spotted . One such character was promoter Michael Alig. The Limelight was temporarily locked up for a week . Daniel threw water on [Melendezs] face and he didnt wake up. Gatien alleges that he parted ways because investors were unwilling to update the space regularly, telling the Times, If you want something to be an institution, you have to keep investing in it. Unfortunately, investors Ari Kulidjian and Stephen Katmarian are unwilling to comment, which means unsatisfying rumours about Gatien not running things properly remain. Gatien was born in Cornwall, Ontario, the third of five brothers. A thriving downtown press corps had to go out seven nights a week to tell readers the who, what, when, where, and why of cool. I always got a lot of gratification standing in the back of the balcony, seeing 3,000 below waving their hands in the air., At Limelight, he added, we had people in sequins showing up alongside people in tuxedos coming from a dinner at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Gatien, 68, once the undisputed king of nightlife in the city known for excess, was dressed casually in a car coat, hoodie, and blue jeans, with New Balances on his feet and chunky white . With his wife and youngest child he had since remarried, twice still in New York City, he was suddenly alone and back in Canada, where it all began. [4], A 1996 federal investigation attempted but failed to link Gatien to the sales of party drugs,[5] especially ecstasy, in his clubs, but his acquittal in 1998 left him with huge legal fees. We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 8 August. The ghost of notorious nightlife king Peter Gatien is still haunting the site of his old Limelight club a war has erupted between a new hot . Gatien was born in Cornwall, Ontario, the third of five brothers. He is a member of famous with the age 70 years old group. I knew that by some definition both Teddy Giles and Mark were insane, examples of an indifference many regard as monstrous and unnatural; but in fact they werent unique and their actions were recognizably human.. Ralph Gengo and retired Det. At the time of Rubys death, he was living with his partner, Zuzan Smith, 25, who told police that Ruby was alert and awake when she left to go to work that day. Leaning over the massive bar at the center of the room, Sean Combs and Jermaine Dupri used to compete to see who could line up more empty Cristal bottles, Mr. Gatien writes in the book. Gatien was acquitted of his drug-racketeering and conspiracy charge in 1998 but was deported to Canada after pleading guilty to subsequent state tax-evasion charges. New York magazine contends that soon after Angel's disappearance, Gatien's wife, Alessandra, went to Alig's apartment, removed his remaining belongings, and bolted it shut a scenario that. I lived the NY scene in the 90s and Peter WAS the NY scene. But he eventually succumbed to the temptation and business pressures. and the suburbs, and it was Asian and it was African American, it was Caucasian, it was straight, it was gay and in hindsight it was really precious, but at the time it just seemed normal. Peter Gatien was born on 8 August, 1952 in Cornwall, Canada. Reproduction in whole or in part strictly prohibited. Its a young mans game, he says. Interview: Notorious Club Owner Peter Gatien Talks About The "Limelight" Documentary & Hip-Hop's Best Party Ever. Mr. Gatien, too, no longer looks quite so swashbuckling, his razor cheekbones now softer, his eye patch (worn since childhood, after he lost an eye in a baseball game in which a broomstick was being used as a bat) now replaced by dark glasses. Gatien was also the executive producer of the film The Bronx Tale. He is from Canada. Theres not even a sketchy neighborhood in Manhattan anymore., Gallery: Photos of Limelight, Tunnel, Roxy. The world in which Gatien operated was crawling with characters of ill repute. Every boldface name of the roaring Eighties partied there, from Madonna to Donald Trump. He was very low on the totem pole. He is greatest referred to as the previous proprietor of a But former friends of Daniel said they were shocked that his life ended in such a way, even knowing his dark past. On Buzzlearn.com, Peter is listed as a successful Businessman who was born in the year of 1952. As a result there was no trial and no call for Daniel to testify. He thinks Brooklyn is OK, but isnt interested in getting back in the game. No, this prodigal son has not returned from Canadian exile to whine about the Wall Street invasion of Williamsburg or the death of Dean & Deluca. Either way, he saw enough to fill a book, and thats precisely what hes done. He wasnt like Im gonna shoot everyone! [He shot] just the marquee, and then he kept walking. If you wanted to meet someone iwho mattered in Ny back then, Peter was the only man who would probably know him or her. [7] However, because of his partial Indigenous ancestry, Gatien has since been able to visit the United States again. But people dont fight on Ecstasy, either, so its not like youre having blood baths like with people drinking too much tequila.. After many years in the wilderness of Toronto and a short-lived and somewhat successful stint overseeing a club there Gatien was allowed to return to New York. Peter Gatien went on to become an innovative entrepreneur, working over decades to learn the club business, push the right boundaries, and create an inclusive atmosphere where people could come together and let loose. Thats when we got that sinking feeling in our stomach.. At last, in 1983, Gatien made it to New York. I remember agonizing about paying Moby three hundred dollars, thinking Is this guy really worth it? Gatien says with a laugh. They dont like to lose, and because theyre the government, they find a way to win., Shaking his head, Gatien says If I had to do it over again, when I got acquitted, I should have picked up my tent and moved out of the city., Giuliani did not return multiple requests for comment for this story. Five things we learned about Peter Gatiens quiet Toronto life, Peter Gatien, Club King Without a Club [New York Times], After my husband tried to kill me, I was forced to flee Kenya. Daniels father Paul reportedly had some connection to the Manhattan DA that led to a meeting where his son gave information on the killing, which may have helped him avoid more serious charges. I feel like the baby was the final victim of that Club Kids and drugs era, Ramon Fernandez said. Photo by Steve Eichner) New York City after dark in the '90s was an ecstatic fever dream fueled by club kids' outrageous fantasies, and as house photographer for Peter Gatien's four iconic . The city was such a smoldering pile of rubble then that he was able to purchase the abandoned Church of the Holy Communion in Chelsea for just $1.6 million. The Limelight and Tunnel are long gone. Peter Gatien at his short-lived London Limelight, in 1987. Then Donald Trump arrives, without a date but with two bodyguards. The DA wanted to get Gatien and they wanted Alig to help them do that, said Ramon Fernandez, director of the documentary, Glory Daze: The Life and Times of Michael Alig. They didnt care about this [Hispanic] Angel Melendez. I have an American citizen wife. The club veteran was unceremoniously shipped to the city in 2003 after serving time for state-sales-tax evasion in the United States, the. The trial was a fabulist farrago from the start. [8], Gatien relocated to Toronto, where he opened a 55,000-square-foot (5,100m2) entertainment venue, Circa. Ten days after the murder, with the corpse decomposing in the bathtub, Alig chopped up Melendezs body and he and Riggs threw the torso in an Amana TV box into the Hudson River. I tell him he sounds shockingly at peace with the way things have ended up. (He paid some club employees in cash.). In the 90s, Gatien made NYCs Limelight an institution for creatives who wanted to party (hard) and express themselves by wearing outrageous outfits, including Madonna, Michael Musto, Chloe Sevigny, Michael Alig and James St. James. Take a look at the following table for more information. Limelight Billy Corben's docu about onetime Manhattan nightclub kingpin Peter Gatien is a fairly wobbly walk down a Memory Lane littered with feathers, leather and empty coke vials.