Party Monster is Bailey and Barbato's first foray into cinema drama bttt ‘storytelling is storytelling is storytelling.‘ declares Barbato. ‘The documentary was almost like research for the film.' The movie does follow a whole range of slightly strange but ultimately fascinating projects. The pair produced (‘hannel 4's 'I‘lie xii/um (Hill .loe Show. and a clutch of celebrated documentaries: llit’ lives ol'liunnrv I'irve about the rise and fall of the wife of a US TV evangelist. ('leoi'uge. exploring the allure of that most womanly of chasrns. and a History of (lay Hollywood. l‘or the tnost. their output has always been schlock and expose in its foctrs and almost always kitsch or fun in execution.
It‘s easy to criticise Party Monster for being all over the place but that's kind of the point. To portray a life of clubs. drugs and hedonism in a diligent. linear way would be misleading people into thinking much of this was organised and planned. It‘s clear so much of the time the Alig and the club kids were making it up as they went along. This doesn’t ease the discomfort when the film takes a sharp turn in the final third.
‘At the end of the film you're so implicit. you‘re a co- conspirator in what has happened because you‘ve been laughing along and loving it and even though he‘s naughty you indulge what he does. The filtn plays a trick on the audience and I don‘t think the audience like that.”
Party Monster is. at heart. a buddy movie. Two people inextricably linked: dependant whether they like it or not on each other for continued existence. just like Butch and Sundance. Thelma and Louise and of course. Turner and llooch. The difference here is that these were real life buddies. And with real life buddies come real life murders to match so the fade to white as Butch and Sundance make a heroic dash into a hail of bullets doesn‘t quite compare to Angel‘s hacked up torso floating among the detritus in the Hudson River. The directors have other ideas on it all too.
‘ln a way the movie is all about celebrity but also how we all like to judge because it makes us feel more comfortable about ourselves. livery movie you see it‘s like “this is the good guy. this is the bad guy" and there is no in-between which makes you feel more comfortable because you're part of the good guys. but that‘s just not the way life is.‘
()dd to think after so many laughable attempts to bring club land and movies together — Hronon Dollie gets an
honourable exception in the face of (ilitter. Last Days of
Diseo and Sorter] — that it would be this relatively insignificant story that would make a respectable movie.
‘And had the murder not happened it probably would have been lost in the mists of time. In a way it gave the club kids their passport into history.‘ says Bailey.
St James laughs at the irony. ‘And this is in spite of our efforts at the time. We spent all out time all our jumping up and down like monkeys trying to get attention”.
Party Monster is on selected release from Fri 17 Oct.
18 THE LIST 16—30 Oct 2003
Making it upjas they go along:
Party Monster is all over the place, biit that's the point
Michael Alig knew how to indulge in a fun night out but how would he rate on our sliding scale of party people?
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