The Club Kids were a group of young New York City dance club personalities popularized by Michael Alig, James St. James, Julie Jewels, Astro Erle, Michael Tronn, DJ Keoki, and Ernie Glam in the late 1980s, and throughout the 1990s would grow to include Amanda Lepore, Waltpaper (Walt Cassidy), Christopher Comp, It Twins, Jennytalia (Jenny Dembrow), Desi Monster (Desi Santiago), Keda, Kabuki Starshine, and Richie Rich. The group was notable for its members' flamboyant behavior and outrageous costumes. In 1988, writer Michael Musto wrote about the Club Kids' "cult of crazy fashion and petulance": "They ... are terminally superficial, have dubious aesthetic values, and are master manipulators, exploiters, and, thank God, partiers." The group was also recognized as an artistic and fashion-conscious youth culture. They were a definitive force in New York City's underground club culture at the time. Several Club Kids have made long-lasting contributions to mainstream art and fashion. According to former Club Kid Waltpaper, "The nightclub for me was like a laboratory, a place where you were encouraged and rewarded for experimentation." However, Alig was plagued by heavy drug use. He began adding drug dealers to the Club Kids roster and Peter Gatien's payroll, and increasing numbers of Club Kids became addicted to drugs. The movement began to decline when Rudy Giuliani took office as mayor of New York in 1994, targeting the city's nightlife industry with his Quality of Life campaign. It eventually collapsed after Alig was arrested for the killing and dismemberment of his roommate and fellow club kid Andre "Angel" Melendez, and Peter Gatien was charged with tax evasion and deported to Canada. Members The group, which Alig estimates included up to "750 in the early 90s at different levels", consisted of Michael Alig; Julie Jewels and Michael Tronn (among others), who helped organize the early Outlaw Parties; and Alig's mentor/friend/rival James St. James (born James Clark). Others were the following: Astro Earl (also styled "Astro Erle") Susanne Bartsch Christina Superstar Christopher Comp Screamin Rachael Cain Clara the Carefree Chicken, the mascot of Alig's weekly Disco 2000 parties Dan Dan the Naked Man David Alphabet Desi Monster (Desi Santiago) Lisa E (Lisa Edelstein) Ernie Glam (Ernie Garcia) Ernie the Pee Drinker Patricia Field George the Pee Drinker Girlina (Lina Bradford, also known as DJ Lina) Gitsie (or Gitsey, Cynthia Haataja) Goldy Loxxx Brooke Humphries Ida Slapter Jenny Talia (also styled "JennyTalia" or "Genetalia", née