Book Review: Rock & Roll Books

Clublife: Thugs, Drugs & Chaos at New York City's Premier Nightclubs

Like the lifespan of the clubs retired bouncer Rob Fitzgerald checked IDs at over the last three years, Clublife is a touch-and-go operation with no regard for the events of the past or the toll the present is taking on the parties involved. But it's definitely fun while it lasts. Fitzgerald's account of the rise and fall of the Axis Nightclub in New York City's Chelsea District never quite survives a storyboard review; you're in Hell's Kitchen one minute and Astoria Heights the next. Plus, it delves into some silly shit. Wanna know how to leave a nightclub without getting smacked in the nose? Clublife's got you covered. It also teaches readers how to step into what Fitzgerald calls the "Guido Juicehead Dance," a running skip with a tyrannosaurus rex-like fist pump and overpriced button-down. Fitzgerald never ties together all his tangents as he lays down the shock value, and his tales, while moderately action-packed (an omelet in Queens at 5am can never be boring), rarely carry any meaningful water. Clublife comes to a close with everyone a little blurry about what just happened.