James St. James
James St. James | |
|---|---|
| James St. James (center). Ingrid LaLa (left) in 2015 James St. James (center). Ingrid LaLa (left) in 2015 | |
| Born | James Clark August 1, 1966[1] Saginaw, Michigan |
| Occupation |
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| Genre | True crime, fiction |
| Notable works | Party Monster |
James St. James (born James Clark; August 1, 1966) is a television & internet personality, author, celebutante, frequent collaborator with Mathu Andersen, and former "Club Kid", a member of the New York City club scene in the late 1980s and early 1990s.[1] St. James was known for a lifestyle of excess that included heavy drug use, partying, and bizarre costumes that first brought him to national attention as the subject of television appearances and interviews. He wrote Disco Bloodbath (now published under the title Party Monster) that was later made into the feature film Party Monster (2003), starring Macaulay Culkin as Michael Alig and Seth Green as St. James. His life was the subject of the documentary Party Monster: The Shockumentary (1998).
Early life and education
James grew up in an affluent family in Saginaw, Michigan, where he lived with his mother after his parents divorced.[citation needed] In the summer, he would stay with his father and younger and older siblings in Fort Lauderdale, Florida, until he moved to Fort Lauderdale for high school.[2]
Career
St. James appeared many times on television talk shows to discuss the Club Kids during the 1980s and 1990s, including The Oprah Winfrey Show, The Phil Donahue Show, The Jerry Springer Show, Geraldo, and The Joan Rivers Show. [3]
Publishing debut
St. James's debut book, Disco Bloodbath (1999), is a memoir that describes his life in the club scene and documents the infamous rise to fame of Michael Alig and Alig's and Freeze's killing of Andre "Angel" Melendez.[4] The film Party Monster: The Shockumentary (1998) was released prior to but is based on events in Disco Bloodbath, as is the film Party Monster (2003).
Freak Show and the 2000s
St. James curates art shows at the World of Wonder Gallery for the production company World of Wonder, makers of both Party Monster: The Shockumentary (1998) and Party Monster (2003), and blogs regularly on World of Wonder's website, the WOW Report. In the 2000s, St. James has made regular appearances on America's Next Top Model, cycles 5, 7, & 11, presenting contest skill challenges to the aspiring models. St. James also appeared in season 2, episode 9 of RuPaul's Drag Race, where he interviewed the top four contestants on a red carpet before they walked the runway.[5] St. James currently has a podcast, Night Fever, on Spotify and Apple Podcasts, which he co-hosts with Fenton Bailey and Randy Barbato.[6] The podcast includes leading New York nightlife figures of the '70s, '80s, and '90s.[7]
Bibliography
- St. James, James (1999). Disco Bloodbath: A Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland (August 11, 1999 ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 288. ISBN 0-684-85764-2. (Now published under the title "Party Monster") recreated as the feature film Party Monster starring Macaulay Culkin as Alig and Seth Green as St. James.
- St. James, James (2007). Freak Show (May 17, 2007 ed.). Dutton Juvenile. p. 298. ISBN 978-0-525-47799-0.
Filmography
Film
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1998 | Shampoo Horns | James | Film | |
| Party Monster: The Shockumentary | Himself | Documentary Film | ||
| 2002 | Uncut: The True Story of Hair | Additional Crew | Documentary | |
| 2003 | Party Monster | Writer | Film | |
| 2015 | Glory Daze: The Life and Times of Michael Alig | Himself | Documentary Film | |
| 2018 | Freak Show | Writer | Film |
Television
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1990 | The Joan Rivers Show | Himself | "People Who Dress to Get Attention" | |
| 2000 | American Justice | Season 9, Episode 10: "Dancing, Drugs and Murder" | ||
| E! True Hollywood Story | Season 4, Episode 16: "Death by Disco" | |||
| 2003 | 20/20 | Himself - Friend of Peter | ''Party Monster/Party Monster and Murder" | |
| The Sharon Osbourne Show | Himself | |||
| 2005 | Season 2, Episode 2: "#2.2" | |||
| America's Next Top Model | Season 5, Episode 3: "The Girl Who Needs a Mircacle" | |||
| 2006 | The Tyra Banks Show | ''America's Next Top Transsexual Model" & "Transsexual Top Model" | ||
| America's Next Top Model | Season 7, Episode 8: "The Girl Who Wrecks the Car" | |||
| 2008 | Season 11, Episode 9: "Now You See Me, Now You Don't" |
Web series
| Year | Title | Role | Notes | Ref. |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2013 | Transformations: with James St. James | Himself (host) | 6 seasons, 189 episodes | |
| 2016 | Hey Qween! | Himself | Season 4, Episode 12: "James St. James" |
References
- ↑ 1.0 1.1 Peter Rivendell (August 1, 2007). "James St James". gayfortoday. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
- ↑ Steven Frank (May 16, 2007). "Interview With James St. James". afterelton.com. afterelton. Archived from the original on February 20, 2008. Retrieved 2008-03-27.
- ↑ "After Dark: Meet James. St. James, Original Club Kid And Nightlife Icon". HuffPost. 2014-09-14. Retrieved 2024-10-28.
- ↑ James St. James (1999). Disco Bloodbath: A Fabulous But True Tale of Murder in Clubland (August 11, 1999 ed.). Simon & Schuster. p. 2222. ISBN 0-684-85764-2.
- ↑ "RuPaul's Drag Race (Season 2)". RuPaul's Drag Race Wiki. Retrieved 2024-11-19.
- ↑ "Night Fever on Apple Podcasts". Apple Podcasts. 2024-07-31. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
- ↑ "Night Fever". Spotify. Retrieved 2024-08-06.
External links
- "James St. James". Worldofwonder.net. Archived from the original on 2009-04-19. Retrieved 2009-04-24.(St. James's Online Blog)
- 1966 births
- 20th-century American male writers
- 20th-century American non-fiction writers
- 21st-century American non-fiction writers
- American male non-fiction writers
- American memoirists
- Club Kids
- Living people
- People from Saginaw, Michigan
- Writers from Fort Lauderdale, Florida
- 21st-century American male writers