He may not be a household name, but the life of Michael Alago is fascinating. And now he has a new book on its way.
“I am very excited to finally have my book available,” said Alago. “A lot of hard work was put into this project, and it brought back a lot of memories of great times and the lowest times.”
Titled “I Am Michael Alago” – this new tome tells all about Alago’s time as a A&R representative, and how he cheated drug addiction and death.
Alago is the man that signed Metallica to their deal with Elecktra records. From there, he went on to work with the Misfits, Cyndi Lauper, Nina Simone and John Lydon. How’s that for an impressive list of who’s-who in the Rock world.
But beyond his career in the music industry, is a dark past and a life threatening event. Alago dealt with the realities of the 80s. The stereotypes in a time where being a gay man was frowned upon harshly. And having contracted HIV in a time where the world was first learning about the virus. He also suffered from substance abuse.
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Alago grew up in Brooklyn, in a large, spirited, and devoted Puerto Rican family. Through his early passion for music, art, theater, and photography, he soon found himself rubbing elbows with many downtown NYC scene makers, from Stiv Bators to Jean Michel Basquiat, Cherry Vanilla and Wayne County to Deborah Harry and Robert Mapplethorpe. Alago also began running The Dead Boys’ fan club.
In the late 1980s, Alago was diagnosed with HIV. Which manifested into full-blown AIDS a decade later. A diagnosis that equaled death at that time. But with the advancement of medical science and the foresight of a brilliant doctor, he survived and continued his music career. In 2005, he left music to pursue his other love: photography. Alago went on to publish three bestselling books – “Rough Gods”, “Brutal Truth” and “Beautiful Imperfections” with German-based publisher Bruno Gmünder.
Alago has also since overcome his longtime addiction to drugs and alcohol. In his clean and sober life, he has reconnected with his family. Continues to be a working photographer as well as record producer. Through the grace of his 12-Step program he is able to live this big, beautiful life.
“Who the Fuck Is That Guy? The Fabulous Journey of Michael Alago”, a 2017 documentary directed by Drew Stone and produced by Michael Alex on Alago’s wildly successful career in music, was released in theaters. And is now also on Netflix, where it is now in its third year. The film is also now available on Amazon Prime Video.
His new book, “I am Michael Alago” was co-written with Laura Davis-Chanin. It will be available in paperback and can be pre-ordered from Amazon, Barnes & Noble, Books-A-Million, IndieBound and Rowman & Littlefield.
