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. 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 . When police raided the Limelight in the fall of 1995, his empire was living on borrowed time. Gatien was also the executive producer of the film The Bronx Tale. Peter Gatien (born August 14, 1952) is a Canadian club owner and party promoter. And then he ran out of squeegee people, says Gatien, and I was the face of nightlife back then. In that brooding, eye-patch clad visage Giuliani found the perfect, tabloid-ready target for his moral crusades. He was Facebook before there was a Facebook! Gatien was also the executive producer of the film The Bronx Tale. In Times Square was Club USA, an adult playground complete with a slide and interior design by Jean Paul Gaultier and Thierry Mugler. Consider his compatriots: Studio 54s Ian Schrager was pardoned for his tax evasion by Obama and is now a hotel magnate. Located in a neighborhood that was then an industrial backwater, the club provided a safe space in downtown Manhattan for large groups of young African-Americans. He is from Canada. The gilded Bonfire of the Vanities New York was over. The nightclub was a sewer. How the hell would he know what the Limelight was like? 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. The pull of heroin is so strong., 2023 NYP Holdings, Inc. All Rights Reserved, Vintage photos show the original influencers NYCs 90s Club Kids, Party Monster: Painting in prison kept me from killing myself, Club Kid killer getting hundreds in free gifts, glassine packets of heroin in the apartment, murdered drug dealer Andre Angel Melendez, Glory Daze: The Life and Times of Michael Alig, Clubland: The Fabulous Rise and Murderous Fall of Club Culture,. Grace Jones, partying at the Limelight in 1991. He is 71 years old. Theo Fleury , stoned NYRanger , probably dragged his butt in the front door and all the A Listers made the club a wannabee place to be and all of that mix a DEA place to pounce on ! He notes that, once he began to wear his signature black eye patch, he instantly became a member of a select fraternity that included James Joyce, Bazooka Joe, Snake Plissken, and David Bowies Ziggy Stardust. Indeed, the killer club kid gets about as much ink in Gatiens book as the disco panther from Georgia. The 100 Greatest TV Shows of All Time . 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. Circa was forced into bankruptcy and closed in March 2010.[10]. Known as Manhattan's king of clubs, Canadian Peter Gatien was the man who . Couldnt interview him yourself? The Limelight - Stunning Photos From 1990s Favorite NYC Nightclub - New York City, NY - New York City after dark in the '90s was an ecstatic time captured by photographer Steve Eichner. You would just see him hovering at the edges of nightlife, but you never saw him speak, he never engaged with people, he always wore that eye patch, so he just looked remote and terrifying he was like a Bond villain.. The 100 Best Albums of 2022. why is this newsworthy or even remotely interesting? 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. You may also like> Piers Nash Net Worth, Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Wiki-Bio, Family Hakan Massoud Navabi Net Worth, Age, Height, Weight, Wife, Wiki-Bio, Family Love, Pamela Audiobook: Listen to Pamela Anderson Read Her Bestselling New Memoir for Free, I never liked talking about it, he says now. Just hours after he got bailed out of Rikers April 20 after being charged in the death of his baby daughter, Daniel Auster, the long-troubled son of novelist Paul Auster, was found unconscious on a subway platform in Brooklyn. Just the raw energy, the exuberance, he said, sipping an iced tea. He was very low on the totem pole. Send us a tip using our anonymous form. The 500 Greatest Songs of All Time Most notoriously there was the Limelight, a deconsecrated, gothic-style church on Sixth Avenue at 20th Street in Chelsea (now a SoulCycle knock-off). There was nothing left, save for the $500 in his pocket given to him by his attorney. Then Donald Trump arrives, without a date but with two bodyguards. He pleaded guilty to state tax evasion in. I remember agonizing about paying Moby three hundred dollars, thinking Is this guy really worth it? Gatien says with a laugh. He pleaded out to two months in Rikers. Gatiens contribution to culture thru his clubs is fantasy, his party people were far to fucked-up 24/7 to contribute anything to anybody I remember one time riding my bike up 6th ave; there was a taxi cab up the side of the wall of Limelight at a 45 deg angle I asked myself, how does this stuff happen? Born and raised in Canada. Our doctors and healthcare providers are committed to managing your total healthcare needs. The Savonarola in City Hall sicced the dogs on Gatien. Discover Peter Gatien's Biography, Age, Height, Physical Stats, Dating/Affairs, Family and career updates. He is best known as the former owner of several prominent New York City nightclubs, including Club USA, The Limelight, Palladium, and Tunnel. Anyone can read what you share. But people dont fight on Ecstasy, either, so its not like youre having blood baths like with people drinking too much tequila.. Her entourage was always a nightmare She was trouble.. Everybody was dancing, Mr. Gatien said. 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. 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. And then the tax man got him. In 1996 Alig, doped out on a mix of heroin, cocaine, rophynol, and ketamine, murdered fellow club kid Angel Melendez. The brutal nature of the killing Drano was used in some capacity and body parts washed up on Staten Island months later made it one of the decades most notorious crimes. Law enforcement described the clubs as drug supermarkets and the titillating term was reprinted ad nauseum in the newspapers. Peter Gatien at his short-lived London Limelight, in 1987. 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. I was a hard-working guy who spent nearly 20 years in nightlife in the city., But, he added, I was an easy target. The man is an Ace, an absolute visionary! The Tunnel, a former warehouse where Biggie Smalls and Busta Rhymes once barked out raps to frenzied throngs, is converting to offices and luxury retail, blending seamlessly with the gleaming Hudson Yards to the north. Family Medical Centers - San Pablo Jorge B. Caballero DO John Muenz MD Tina M. Voisin APRN Katherine Hamilton MSN, APRN, FNP-C, ENP-C Family Medical Centers - Middleburg Peter Gatiens income source is mostly from being a successful . 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. 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. 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. 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. Your work defined my youth and all of my most memorable relationship and I will always love you for it Peter! Spouse (s) Alessandra Gatien, former Adrien Gatien, Sheila Gatien. 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. Having just put out a tee shirt for my brand that boldly stated, "New York Needs Peter Gatien," I had a feeling it was most likely related. Five things the New York Times learned about Peter Gatiens quiet Toronto life. Arty outsiders and fashion iconoclasts favoring lip piercings and pancake makeup reframed dance-floor revelry as an art movement of sorts a swirling blend of techno music, Carnival-level costumery and, yes, drugs (particularly Ecstasy). He's a manufacturer, known for A Bronx Story (1993), Faithful (1996) and Limelight (2011). 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. Jock Soto. His schoolyard pals had been using a broken, jagged broomstick as a makeshift bat when it slipped from one kids and connected, like a javelin, with young Gatiens left eye. After his Miami Limelight disco burned to the ground in the late '70s, enigmatic club king Peter Gatien set his sights on Atlanta. 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. Peter Gatien (right) with singer George Michael in New York City, circa 1987. 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. Limelight Atlanta followed. After his arrest, the legal odyssey lasted two and a half years until he was acquitted of all drug charges in 1998. By 2009, he was no longer involved with Circa and has been out of the nightclub business since that time. Related 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. The 200 Greatest Singers of All Time Whatever else you may say about Mr. Gatien, who is 68, he never aimed small. [9] By 2009, he was no longer involved with Circa and has been out of the nightclub business since that time. He plopped down on the wicker furniture and ordered an iced tea. 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. As one juror, a 62-year-old tractor-trailer driver, later said: These witnesses, they lied so consistently, how could I believe them? Gatien had enlisted as his defender Ben Brafman, the celebrity attorney then-preferred by Gambino mafiosos. He was harassed with regular raids and shutdowns until the mounting legal fees left him banjaxed. I remember he really did terrorize his stepmother. Discover today's celebrity birthdays and explore famous people who share your birthday. [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. Updated. His apartment in Park Slope is about a mile from his fathers Brooklyn home. Directed by Billy Corben. Find Peter Gatien stock photos and editorial news pictures from Getty Images. Genealogy for Marie Solne "Sarah" Bellhumuer/Belmer (Gatien) (1827 - 1907) family tree on Geni, with over 240 million profiles of ancestors and living relatives. It was. On this Wikipedia the language links are at the top of the page across from the article title. Gatien came into the crosshairs of both Morgenthau and then-Mayor Rudy Giuliani, who knew of the drug activity at Gatiens clubs and who saw him as a big fish that needed to be caught as Giuliani tried to clean up New York City. Then, on the eve of their performance, Macho Man hit the airwaves. I told the DA that Daniel was involved and that [investigators from the DAs office] were hiding it and that I intended to call the kid during the trial in our defense. 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. In 2007, Gatien was made into a Dunny, a type of vinyl designer toy. 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. And when everybody was leaving the place, there were so many smiles. He remembers thinking, he said, that everyone who had been at the club was going to have sex that night. At last, in 1983, Gatien made it to New York. In March 1996, Daniel was 18 and inside the Hells Kitchen apartment when infamous New York party promoter Michael Alig, then 31, and Robert Freeze Riggs, 28, murdered drug dealer Andre Angel Melendez. He is best known as the former owner of several prominent New York City nightclubs, including Club USA, The Limelight, Palladium, and Tunnel. 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. Thats whats missing now that raw energy. Bolton comedy star Peter Kay took a three-year break from the limelight due to "personal reasons" in 2017, along with his wife, Susan Gargan and their three children. Next to the $12 million in real estate and his three Limelight nightclubs, Peter Gatien says his biggest asset probably has been his naivete. It didnt matter that, by the time it happened, Alig had long since been fired by Gatien. He thinks Brooklyn is OK, but isnt interested in getting back in the game. Tom Comis, who worked in the detective bureau at the 122 Precinct in Staten Island, were assigned to the case when the box containing Melendezs armless and legless torso washed up on the shores of Staten Island. I like being anonymous, Mr. Gatien said. (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.). Meanwhile, you werent a top-tier rapper if you didnt perform at the perpetually packed venue.. Peter Gatien on nightlife's survival and the dangers of political overreach The infamous Canadian nightclub owner's biography chronicles the highs and lows of his New York days, from the. The DAs office offered few details about the case when The Post asked about it last week. Get premium, high resolution news photos at Getty Images The prosecutors willingness to fish out of the gutter any old scoundrel willing to sing in tune ultimately backfired. On April 15, Daniel was arrested andcharged with second-degree manslaughter, criminally negligent homicide and endangering the welfare of Ruby. Gatien is mentioned in the song, "The Fun Lovin' Criminal" by, He is also mentioned in the song, "Foundation" by, He is also mentioned in the song, "Dynasty" by, This page was last edited on 3 March 2023, at 18:49. He was born on August 8, 1952 and his birthplace is Cornwall Ontario, Canada. 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 . 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. Peter Gatien (above) was the owner of the notorious Limelight Club, where Alig was a major presence. The Tunnel, too, served as a clubhouse for a marginalized population in need of one, he said. The man crowned the Club King of New York is being humble. Benjamin Brafman Chloe Sevigny Circa James St. James madonna Michael Alig Michael Musto People Peter Gatien Stephen Katmarian The New York Times Toronto. It was the last of an era: predigital, pre-social media, he said. Not to mention all the gadabouts who played and partied at his other joints, from Prince to Axl Rose. The longest period of time in which The Limelight remained closed was from 1996 to 1998. Thats like an eternity in the nightclub business. The culture that made New York work, Gatien says, thats what the clubs were. 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 currently resides in Toronto, Canada, and is living on a tight budget. In November, hed told police hed injected himself with heroin and taken a nap, only to wake and find his daughter unconscious and unresponsive. 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. Afterwards, Gatien did all he could to beef up security, even hiring a former special narcotics prosecutor to monitor his clubs. 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. True Legend on the arts and his era and all thes hypocrite mega stars that would indulge in his world and not come to his rescue when he was being victimized Well shame on all of you all. His eye for talent paid off here, too. 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 . 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. Owner Naiome Ram at Jue Lan STEPHEN YANG. 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. People Projects Discussions Surnames 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. It was, in other words, perfect. The cops never got to speak to him. Limelight Atlanta followed. Subscribe; Username; Sign In Gatien produced the film A Bronx Tale (1993), starring Robert De Niro, after having produced it as a one-man play starring Chazz Palminteri. After that, he turned a former country western bar into a rock club called Aardvark and booked the band Rush to perform. 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. Peter Gatien (born August 14, 1952) is a Canadian club owner and party promoter. 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.

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