Whatever else you may say about Mr. Gatien, who is 68, he never aimed small. Why the US is so concerned about what people do to have fun is beyond me. The actor Dylan McDermott played Mr. Gatien in the 2003 film Party Monster, about the gruesome murder of a club kid by a Limelight promoter, Michael Alig (played by Macaulay Culkin). Peter Gatien 397702 01: ***EXCLUSIVE*** (ITALY OUT) Dance club owner Peter Gatien and wife Alessandrs Kobayashi casually walk along a city street November 25, 2001 in New York City. 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. Prosecutors went easy on Alig because he initially had agreed to testify against Gatien as the star witness in a drug-racketeering case against the club owner, sources told The Post. The CSI NY franchise had lots of material here ! He is from Canada. From there he became connected with club promoter Peter Gatien, who ran The Limelight, Palladium, and Tunnel; soon Eichner was hired to photograph celebrities in the clubs and sell those images to . But, with the exception of marijuana, the drugs were mentally-damaging in the long run (esp LSD) and continued use resulted in the new ages inability to form a stable society as it became vulnerable to (even inadvertently promoting through libertarianism) the rise of fascism under Giuliani, Gatiens arch nemesis Note that, despite the Jewish Left of the revolution, the prosecutors who failed to jail Gatien were all Jewish: a foreshadowing of the Koch Bros implementation of Ayn Randian Neo-nazism as the Tea Party, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cc1G1KyI1cc. 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. It was, in other words, perfect. Afterwards, Gatien did all he could to beef up security, even hiring a former special narcotics prosecutor to monitor his clubs. He was a child of privilege. Peter Gatien (born August 14, 1952) is a Canadian club owner and party promoter. In the end, they entertain each other., Mr. Gatien found success in his adopted city, but he did not find universal love. He was obsessed with the serial killer character in the book American Psycho.'. This all happened right after I said I was going to subpoena the kid, McMahon said. He is best known as the former owner of several prominent New York City nightclubs, including Club USA, The Limelight, Palladium, and Tunnel. He pleaded guilty to tax evasion in 1999, for which he was sentenced to a fine of $1.6 million and a 60-day prison sentence, along with 5 years' probation. The New York Limelight, of course, had to go even bigger. But it wasnt enough. Gatien was also the executive producer of the film The Bronx Tale. I valued customers more for what they could contribute to a party than whether they bought six bottles or whatever. Reconnoitering todays dreadful scene, he says: God, you go to a place like 1Oak the Meatpacking District club favored by Instathots and their investment-banker boyfriends and you get a table, its costing you a thousand dollars. Gatien was born in Cornwall, Ontario, the third of five brothers. A 1996 federal investigation attempted but failed to link Gatien to the sales of party drugs, especially ecstasy, in his clubs, but his acquittal in 1998 left him with huge legal fees. View popular celebrities life details, birth signs and real ages. For the past three years he has split his time between Toronto and New York, where he lives in Hells Kitchen. None of it would have probably happenedif he hadnt lost his eye when he was six-years-old. Limelight Atlanta followed. Peter Gatien Net Worth is $10 Million Mini Biography Peter Gatien was created on August 8, 1952 in Cornwall, Ontario, Canada seeing that Jean Pierre Gatien. Not one stops to shake Gatien's hand. 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. But the loss did provide him with a few things. All Rights reserved. In journalist Frank Owens 2003 book, Clubland: The Fabulous Rise and Murderous Fall of Club Culture, he writes that Daniel was whisked out of the city to a secret location by Paul Auster after the Melendez murder, and that at some point his father arranged a meeting between Daniel and DA Morgenthau. As a subscriber, you have 10 gift articles to give each month. There was a hammer on the table and [Riggs] reached for the hammer and hit [Melendez] with the wooden handle. At last, in 1983, Gatien made it to New York. Bill and Violet meet in the downtown art scene of the 1970s and 80s, and she helps Bill raise Mark, his son from a previous marriage. Fernandez interviewed dozens of people involved with the Melendez case, including Alig and the cops who found Melendezs body. Democracy Dies in Darkness. His net worth has been growing significantly in 2021-2022. But then, we did have the place to ourselves. 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. Our doctors and healthcare providers are committed to managing your total healthcare needs. The Limelight and Tunnel are long gone. I think [the Auster family] sent [Daniel] away after that and nobody saw him for a long time.. People didnt even have cellphones. 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 . On visits to New York in the ensuing years, he has made a point of avoiding the former Limelight church, which over the years has housed boutiques, restaurants and a gym. 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. There still isnt a definitive answer on why Gatien left Circa, the John Street megaclub that he was hired to forge into Torontos answer to Limelight. Morgenthau had a reputation for treating celebrities with kid gloves, Owen writes. 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. The Tunnel, too, served as a clubhouse for a marginalized population in need of one, he said. Alas, all the stars had since moved on from the Limelight and the club was sputtering. (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.). We recommend you to check the complete list of Famous People born on 8 August. He was harassed with regular raids and shutdowns until the mounting legal fees left him banjaxed. He is greatest referred to as the previous proprietor of a (He paid some club employees in cash.). In 2003, he was deported to his native Canada, under the Department of Homeland Security immigration laws which order the removal of any alien (non-citizen) convicted of a felony. 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. The trial was a fabulist farrago from the start. 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 complete sixth grade before they moved. 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. Then Donald Trump arrives, without a date but with two bodyguards. The newfangled Mayor who already had a reputation for overreach from his time as United States attorney for the Southern District of New York didnt have to look far for ammo to use against Gatien. The collaboration with Limelight owner Peter Gatien debuted with the reopening of the iconic venue in 1998, just months after the nightlife impresario was acquitted on charges of running a drug-dealing empire within his clubs. He was born on August 8, 1952 and his birthplace is Cornwall Ontario, Canada. Peter Gatien, Club King Without a Club [New York Times], Topics: The murder was once described as a catfight over a drug debt gone horribly wrong. Even J.J. Hunsecker did not relish shooting mosquitoes with an elephant gun the way Giuliani did. We've received your submission. Smith did not return repeated calls from The Post. He continues to be wedded to Alessandra Gatien since July 1994. Every boldface name of the roaring Eighties partied there, from Madonna to Donald Trump. Unlike Party Monster which focused on Limelight's infamous murderer Michael Alig Ms. Gatien's film focuses on her father's fall at the hands of Rudolph Giuliani's anti-drug (and . It was a strange case from day one, Gengo said. It would not last, however. You dont see it anymore.. In 1976, he read about a bankrupt nightclub in Florida known as Rumbottoms; the space became the first incarnation of The Limelight. Tupac was too cool for words., What about 50 Cent? (He was always uncool, Gatien says of the current commander in chief, with a dyspeptic smile.) Was it looser than it should have been? Mr. Gatien said. 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. Grace Jones and Gloria Gaynor rocked the club and he took a chance on a weird act called the Village People, booking them four months in advance. I have an American citizen wife. 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. Related Thats like an eternity in the nightclub business. The club veteran was unceremoniously shipped to the city in 2003 after serving time for state-sales-tax evasion in the United States, the. Opens Sept. 23 at AMC Yonge-Dundas. They brought out the worst in each other, especially when it came to drugs. Aligs arrest, conviction and sentencing took place amid Morgenthaus attempt to bring down Gatien who owned the notorious Limelight, where Alig was a major presence, along with several other clubs. Jurors clearly rejected the testimony of a drug-dealing former club director and five other dealers who pleaded guilty to drug-conspiracy charges and agreed to testify against Mr. Gatien in return for leniency, The Times reported. [Melendez] fell back and there was me and Daniel Auster and Riggs all piled on Angel. 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. Even the security girls, once the rush was over. 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. After his arrest, the legal odyssey lasted two and a half years until he was acquitted of all drug charges in 1998. Thats when we got that sinking feeling in our stomach.. 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. The world in which Gatien operated was crawling with characters of ill repute. The raucous Palladium (now an NYU dorm) was down on 14th street, while the Tunnel was situated on the far west side and was hip-hops most sacred ground, as VIBE magazine put it. With award-winning writing and photography covering everything from politics and food to theater and fashion, the magazine's consistent mission has been to reflect back to its audience the energy and excitement of . 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 . When Mr. Gatien first glimpsed the former Church of the Holy Communion in Chelsea, the empty church seemed beyond resurrection. Neither Paul nor Hustvedt have ever commented on Daniel publicly. 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. Discover Peter Gatien's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. The Trial. Grace Jones, Ron Galella, and Tanya Tucker at the . So, how much is Peter Gatien worth at the age of 70 years old? 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. Mr. Gatien now lives Toronto, after he was deported for tax evasion. I hear he lives in Toronto. Thanks for contacting us. Bettmann/CORBIS Alig's arrest, conviction and sentencing took place amid Morgenthau's. With Funkmaster Flex wrangling talent, big names including Dr. Dre, Lil Kim, 50 Cent, Missy Elliott, Jay-Z, Nas and Snoop Dogg all played Sunday night at the Tunnel. The man crowned the Club King of New York is being humble. [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. In October 1995, the club was raided by NYPD, but they were only able to make three small arrests of marijuana dealers because Gatien had been tipped off. We want to hear it. Born. 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.. 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. It was the last of an era.. I sort of remember him bickering with security, but he got in., Lil Kim? In the early Nineties, hope bloomed anew as people began to understand more about the virus, like the fact that it couldnt be spread from sharing a drink. peter gatien wife. 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. No, Seigel says. Times change. Gatien says he has no desire to be in touch with his former employee. 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 . This is a celebrity in NYC that has done so much to shape music and a generation. This is a man who, well, clearly you dont get it. On Tuesday, Daniel was reportedly taken off life support. Riggs was not reachable for comment.) Peter Gatien (born August 14, 1952) is a Canadian club owner and party promoter. I dont even respond to the calls. , money, salary, income, and assets. My whole thing was always that to try to get an eclectic crowd in the place, you need a gay presence, he says. At the time the murder case was being prosecuted, no one had publicly said Daniel had a role in the killing. Turns out she was the daughter of the infamous club impresario who had been deported to his hometown of Canada four years prior. Deep in my heart I thought that the way the government conducted itself during that trial was offensive. Still, he says, it took away a chunk of Peters life.. Peter Gatien created, owned, and operated seminal nightclubs over the span of five decades. Learn How rich is He in this year and how He spends money? The club was located next to a 24-hour Kroger grocery store, which became known, affectionately, as "Disco Kroger." The Limelight was featured in The Slugger's Wife starring Rebecca De Mornay. 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. The nightclub was a sewer. How the hell would he know what the Limelight was like? In 1998, a year after Alig and Riggs were sent to prison, Daniel pleaded guilty to possessing $3,000 that had been stolen from Melendezs corpse, without being interviewed by NYPD detectives investigating the murder. 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. Law enforcement described the clubs as drug supermarkets and the titillating term was reprinted ad nauseum in the newspapers. In 2003, he was deported to his native Canada, under the Department of Homeland Security immigration laws which order the removal of any alien (non-citizen) convicted of a felony. Im not justifying it, but the way I looked at it then, I was in an industry where I didnt have time to take 10 days to go off to California to unwind. The coronavirus had claimed its first New Yorker that morning and the usually jumping East Village bote was barren. His wife is Alessandra Gatien (m. 1994), Adrienne Gatien (m. 19841994), Sheila Gatien (m. 19721978). Straight like that. I had it for almost 20 years.
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