Bash Compactor: Steve Lewis Can’t Lose

February 2009 marked the one-year anniversary of nightlife titan Steve Lewis’ industry insider blog, Good Night Mr. Lewis. In a better-late-than-never approach, he celebrated last night at Manhattan’s eco-friendly, of the moment watering hole, Greenhouse. Drag queens, nightlife veterans and hipsters sipped free vodka and boogied to the sounds of currently embattled

Cornering Lewis, who doesn't drink or smoke, calls his mother twice a week and was accompanied by a gorgeous-but-silent young beauty in a floor length gown, we asked how nightlife had changed since he launched his blog. “The recession has hit the nightlife industry hard,” he said. “Numbers are down by 50% since, and they keep falling.” But this isn’t bad news for Lewis, who welcomes the change. “Instead of the yuppie finance boys, we’re seeing more creative and artistic types in the clubs, which I prefer.” And luckily the days of bumping Beyonce remixes and Kanye singles are on their way out as well. “The music is changing to accommodate our new nightlife patrons. The sound is much more electronic… much more forward thinking music.”

But it's not only new nightcrawlers that Lewis says are moving forward! His chum Michael Alig, who has made appearances on Goodnight Mr. Lewis when the writer visited his Coxsackie clink, will debut his buzzed-about new paintings on the site next week. “Michael has some fantastic art pieces, which you can find on my blog next week,” Lewis gushed. “He should continue to produce and sell his art to support charities that help prevent kids from going down the same road he’s traveled.”

Lewis helps keep his old pal up to date, but claims that he won’t get back into the business upon his release. “It’s clear that he will never be involved in New York nightlife again. He’s looking into many ways he can make a living once he returns to the city.”

What about the man himself? What is Steve Lewis looking forward to? “When I retire you’ll find me sleeping at some club in Los Angeles,” he said. As for now, though “New York is still the pinnacle of American nightlife, and I’m happy to be along for the ride.”