I AM MICHAEL ALAGO
Breathing Music. Signing Metallica. Beating Death
Michael Alago with Laura Davis-Chanin
Backbeat Books. 265 pages, $24.95
DO YOU HAVE a friend who regales you with stories about their celebrity encounters, sexual shenanigans, and intoxicated misadventures? A lot of gay people do, but if you don’t, I’d suggest reading Michael Alago’s new memoir. Heck, read it even if you do have that friend. The stories Alago tells will be probably be wilder, weirder, and more entertaining than anyone else’s.
Alago was born in 1959 into a middle-class Puerto Rican family in New York City. From a young age he was obsessed with rock music, and worked as a booking agent for the legendary Ritz nightclub when he was still a college student. He moved on to become an A & R executive for Elektra Records in 1983, having met the company president’s son during a small gay orgy. Of the son, Alago notes that “He had a hard, muscular body and we had a wonderful time together.” They later dated.
A & R stands for “artist and repertoire.” Alago was one of several executives responsible for finding artists and signing them to Elektra. He is famous for
For example, on page 158 he describes how Nina Simone demanded he take a bubble bath with her: “Nina came in, and without a thought took off all her clothes and climbed into the bathtub. I wasn’t too hot about taking off all my clothes, so I kept my boxers on and got in with her.” On page 65, Henry Rollins, the lead singer of Black Flag, is covered in sweat and sits in an office chair. After he leaves, Alago and a friend smell the chair to take in the punk rocker’s musky scent. On page 125, Alago calls cult filmmaker Russ Meyer for permission to use dialogue from his film Faster, Pussycat! Kill! Kill! in a White Zombie song because Alago’s secretary couldn’t get Charles Manson to provide vocals from prison.
Guy? The Fabulous Journey of Michael Alago.
The stories came faster than my brain was able to process them, and I was left a little dazed by all the music industry gossip. Providing some variety, though, are many stories about Alago’s obsession with good-looking muscular men. These too come at a fast pace. He meets a guy named Kip with “long, scraggly hair and amazing muscles” in a pickup truck on Christopher Street as a teen and travels with him to Provincetown and Boston. Alago befriends a beautiful but struggling male model and takes him in as a roommate; a photo is included in the book. Alago becomes pen pals with several muscular male prisoners, whose photos are also included. Later, as we learn in Chapter 33, “Never Fall in Love with A Hooker,” he dates a professional bodybuilder / porn actor / escort, and one morning discovers him in the kitchen injecting himself with steroids and Ritalin stolen from Alago. Sadly, there is no photo.
There’s some art world gossip as well. Alago is a modern art fan and was friends with Robert Mapplethorpe, who took him to New York’s famous sex club, the Mineshaft. He also befriended New Orleans photographer George Dureau and met artist Joseph Beuys. Alago took photos throughout his long career, and I Am Michael Alago contains dozens of images of musicians, celebrities, family members, and friends. Alago even published several books of male erotic photos, including Rough Gods (2005) and Brutal Truth (2011).
The memoir is not without its more somber aspects. Alago has struggled with addiction and spent time in rehab, and he was diagnosed with HIV. But despite this, and despite the tales of music industry debauchery, there is a certain innocence to I Am Michael Alago. The author comes across as someone who loves his friends and family, music, and art. And he loves those well-built men. Alago knows he’s led an interesting and colorful life, and he’s happy to share his stories.
Peter Muise writes about New England folklore and legends.
