Regulars are regulars because they're always there

On Friday I worked at the Dolphin II during the day; I've only been there a handful of times since March but sure enough, half of what I made was from club regulars there. They must have been happy to see me. That and I was one of only three dancers on shift which was surprising as Friday is normally the day shift with the most dancers; it's usually a busy day, no matter where you are, plus there are always a few night shift dancers who decide to come in early so they can go out at night. It turned out to be really profitable, so I wasn't too hacked off about my original reason for being there, which was bad audition intel at another club I'd hoped to work at that day. Plus there's a new DJ there who I like, and two of my favorite coworkers were the other two dancers.

They've done some nice remodeling there. The couch dance area remains on the main floor, segregated from the rest of the club by screens and fake potted plants, the back room is once again the VIP area, available hourly, but minus the sheer screens that had divided the couches into semi-private seating areas. Security concerns? Bad stripper behavior? I have no idea why the change. There are also nice new stages and better lighting on the main stage. The new stage surfaces are hard, clear plastic which is really tough on the knees. Looks pretty cool, though. And instead of flat black, the walls are painted a lighter orange/yellow combo, which is a big improvement. Oh, and the bar was replaced with black granite. I'm fairly impressed; you don't see a lot of interior improvements in this business and they are cause for glee. Especially when not accompanied by any kind of hike in stage fees.

So I heard someone complaining about the lack of weed in Portland lately, which I find surprising. I'm not a smoker but the easy availability of quality marijuana is a point of pride for many residents of the Pacific NW. Well, now we know whence the drought comes: Police seize nearly twice as much pot as last year. Dude. And as is states in the story this is interfering with the ability of Oregon law enforcement to bust meth labs. My theory is that even with the risk of being shot at by growers, the risk of being shot or blown up in a meth bust is exponentially larger and therefore an incentive for them to occupy their time with marijuana busts.

I'm in Seattle tonight and was here yesterday to see the UW-USC game, which was so close that USC dropped to #2 in the polls today. It really wasn't all that exciting, I gotta say, but never have I seen six Starbucks in a football stadium before. Also not all that exciting was last night's Arctic Monkeys show at the Paramount, thanks to a sound mix with all the clarity and punch of frozen mud. It was awful and echoey. Tomorrow I'll ride a ferry to BC and mourn that I didn't invest in the Canadian dollar.

Oh and

Grace Undressed has posted her Stripper Challenge response. Stripaholic responded to the stripper challenge by, well, creating a blog! She's a very witty, smart, talented and sexay woman of my acquaintance and I'm so happy I can read about some of the unbelievable East Coast asshattery she deals with in the most charming way possible.

Jobs

When the internet puts me back in touch with people I just think it's the greatest thing ever. Recently I reconnected with someone I went to high school with and she told me she's going to massage school. "I just have this block about jobs," she said. "You sell your time and your soul. It's just bad!"
"I know! We hate jobs too," I replied. "I mean, I have nothing against work, but I hate jobs." The Wayward household has held jobs for a combined sixteen months out of the past eight years, FYI. We work, but we don't have jobs.

Back in 2001 when I was still at UT taking the Marxist economics rock block (two back-to-back classes with Harry Cleaver, author of Reading Capital Politically, the definition of wage slavery in a Marxist context resonated with me and led to me seeing stripping as not only a good way to make money while not working a lot but also a way to avoid wage slavery. I've always wanted for someone to do a Marxist analysis of sex work and how sex workers are in part avoiding mainstream jobs, as are others in the black market. Say, drug dealers. If anyone knows of writing dealing with this please send your recommendations my way.

But also massage therapists, working artists, yoga teachers, and various sorts of independent contractors and entrepreneurs. For ever person who strips because she has more chutzpah than time, or because she has a drug habit, or a lack of other marketable skills, there's a corresponding one who's doing it because it's a way to make money with the least possible dictates from others. It's not completely free from bosses or corporate hassles, but far, far more than say, working for Lockheed Martin, teaching school, or being an engineer, all of which are careers women of my acquaintance have left for stripping. We have other options for work, but none which allow us control over our time, the way we work, where we work, and how we work to the extent that stripping does.

Hobo Stripper has an excellent post on the subject.

So, I'm not recommending that my friend try stripping, of course, but I thoroughly understand the impulse that's leading her to massage school. I think most people do. I bet she's going to feel so great after her last day on the job this coming week.

Avalon has picked up on the challenge as you can see from the previous comments -- she's a true stripper fantasy come to life; a teacher who stuck the grade book in a drawer and pulled out a g-string. She's also extremely financially astute, and the next time I go to Las Vegas I would like her along with a similarly-minded retired dancer of my acquaintance to give a stripper finance seminar. Not just for the info but so we can write the trip off, natch.

More lists

Paige D'Winter has posted her list of clubs, as has CaseyDancer. AmberLily reminded me that hers consists of two clubs (and I suspect it would still be one if her first hadn't closed).

I'd like to mention that between the years of 1996-2002 I only danced at one club, the Show Palace in Austin. So I understand staying at the same place for ages (and being very sad when it closes). Hell, when I started this blog I was dancing there. I was also 26, unmarried, and had black hair. Happily my boobs look the same as they did then.

I love my literate stripper peers. Thank you so much for indulging me!

Stripper Blog Challenge; responses

Tara and Shady Sadie (I think she's from Europe because of that name) have published their responses. I learned such interesting things from both lists, like the fact that Tara and I were stripping with only 70 miles of I-35 separating us some seven years before we actually met, and that Sadie left everything behind in her locker when she quit CH2. I find the dramatic exit from stripping fascinating, because in real life, I've seen so little of it. I can think of only one dancer, ever, who I saw just get up in the middle of a table dance, apologize to the customer, and quit. Just like that. Tantrums and locker-clearing aren't unusual, but having them stick is.

A dancer I worked with some six years ago in Austin told me once that when she quit smoking, she kept a pack of American Spirit blues in her purse, unopened, just in case. She said that simply having them there was enough for her. That's what Sadie's unopened locker reminded me of. Unsmoked cigarettes.

a stripper challenge!

A month or so ago, a dancer on a web forum posted a list of all the clubs she'd danced in and encouraged others to do the same. I made my list but didn't post it and it sat in my "Drafts" folder until now. I have links where appropriate. Maybe I'll get around to rankings later. Anyhow, the websites alone are plenty to give an idea of how different the atmosphere is club to club and city to city. If you get through this you are either a stripper, a frequent customer, or really, really interested in strip clubs.

I'm extending an invitation to all my fellow stripper bloggers to make a list of every club and city they have worked in; just a list. Elaboration can wait (and then we can compare notes!) And if you don't want to reveal your past whereabouts, I completely respect a desire to decline participation. For any reason, for that matter. I just love knowing as much about our stripper world as possible.

I'm going to call on:

Hobo Stripper check!
Grace Undressed check!
AmberLily check!
Ex-Millenial Girl
Dive Bar Dancer check!
The Accidental Hooker
Christy Wild check!
Paige D'Wintercheck!
Tales From the Boobie Bar
CaseyDancercheck!
Jo Weldon check!
Boomtown Boudoir check!
Dreams From a Sleepy Stripper check!
Evil Tart
Ex-Stripper

And if you're not listed and somehow I don't know about your stripper blog, please feel free to join in and I'll link to all of your responses.

And for the first time, to celebrate the fifth anniversary of this blog, I'm enabling comments.

So, here I present a comprehensive list of every strip club in which I have taken it off.

Austin, TX
The Yellow Rose
Expose
Crazy Lady (closed, now the O Cabaret)
Joy of Austin
The Show Palace (now Palazio)
Palazio
The Landing Strip
[edited 9/17/2007 to add] XTC

San Antonio, TX
Baby Os (now the Palace)

Oklahoma City, OK
Le Rouge (closed)

Memphis, TN
Platinum Plus (closed!)
Tiffany's (now the Pony)

Nashville, TN
Deja Vu

Dallas, TX
Penthouse Key Club (closed!) (then reopened!)
The Clubhouse

Dayton, OH
The Living Room

Hilton Head, SC
Club Paradise

Lawrenceburg, IN
Concepts

Columbus, OH
Pure Platinum (now Vanity)

Portland, OR
Safari
Dolphin II
Mary's Club

Philadelphia, PA
Crazy Horse Too, (recently bought by Rick's)

Alaska
Charlie's Soldotna
Reflections Fairbanks

Bend, OR
Stars

Atlanta, GA
Pink Pony

North Dakota
Whispers Williston
The Northern Fargo

Gallatin Gateway, MT
Buffalo Station

For me, a wardrobe malfunction is when my top won't come off

Bare breasts are literally a federal case today as our justice system continues to worry over a three-year-old, three-second incident of the most widely seen nip-slip in U.S. history.

The FCC fined CBS Corp. $550,000. CBS challenged the fine, claiming "fleeting, isolated or unintended" images should not automatically be considered indecent. The agency noted it has long held that "even relatively fleeting references may be found indecent where other factors contribute to a finding of patent offensiveness."

What other factors? Violating the pristine atmosphere of a Super Bowl halftime show? Prince was far more lascivious and for sheer appeal to prurient interests, you can't beat the rampant sequined cameltoe on display during most college halftimes.

The agency is hoping it will fare better in Philadelphia than it did in New York.

What's funny about this: In Philly, as recently as last fall, strippers were required to either wear bikini tops or paint latex over their nipples, at least in alcohol-serving venues.

I've been watching this great British Channel 4 series, Skins, about fucked-up teenagers and what they do. No way could it air on broadcast television here. There's full frontal female nudity, kids gobbling pills, and under-sheet jerking off. It's also got great characters and stories. But no way in hell could we ever watch it here. CBS can spare a $500K fine, sure, but it would be horrible for our broadcast networks (and radio stations) for them to take the legal loss.

Hey, does anyone else remember the first time (or hey, the last time) they ever heard of Kid Rock?