she kissed him goodbye, threw me a smile and a grin
rose, oh pure contradiction, joy
of being no-one's sleep under so many
lids.
- rilke
After seeing Juno I got really interested in learning more about the writer Diablo Cody. The movie was laced with so many cool music references that I knew she was the kind of writer that I could really get into. I also had a similar fascination with Chuck Klosterman and have read all the books he's written. I guess it's just that side of me which finds meaning in music and lyrics and helps me reconcile my perception of reality.
Candy girl isn't about music but music does play a big part in the book because it's all about strippers and what would a strip club be without music? A very poor place indeed *giggle*. Diablo stumbled into the world of stripping based on a whim and gives an insiders view of going from a complete neophyte to stripper extraordinaire (well much better than she was when she first started) . The book is quite graphic in places so if you're rather prudish you'd probably want to stay clear. She has an incredible sense of humor and so many of the lines in the book had me laughing out loud (yes LOLzing) and keeps up a frenetic pace as she moves from one strip club to another seeking more adventure. Oh, this all takes place in Minnesota (who would have thunk it).
"I was planning to strip that evening, and I wanted to do it with my fantasy hair. I would snare customers in my golden locks and bind them until they were purple and gasping. Then, I'd grab their wallets and run cackling into the night. Rapunzel the rapist. Fucking right on".
By her own admission she doesn't fit any kind of cliched stripper back story. She came from good home with great parents. Stripping was basically an outlet to counteract the mundane life she was leading. Some people bungee jump for thrills she would dance around a pole for hers. The other side of the story was about the kind of people that would show up providing a view into the full spectrum of human sexuality. Some of the stuff is pretty odd and creepy but every now and then it's good be reminded that everyone evolves a different way including their sexual tastes and appetites. I think it's also a world that fascinates many people because sex is still such a taboo thing in larger society. Although as indicated by another one of my posts the basic concept has seeped into mainstream culture. Perhaps it's a good thing with strippers being able to have a bit of laugh at other peoples expense.
I personally don't have any moral problems with strip clubs and strippers. I tend towards the school of thought that adults should be free to do as they choose as long as they aren't causing harm to others. There is a fine line in the sex worker world and I'm against sexual slavery that some people are forced into which is common in many third world countries. In the context of the story most of the girls it would seem fell into it for quick cash and while not being the best place in the world to work they weren't being forced to do anything.
You maybe wondering if I have a strip club story to tell and given my stance am I an avid patron of such establishments? Yes, I do have story but I'm not a patron. It really comes down to allocation of resources. I'd rather throw my money at things I find personally interesting (books, music, movies - not those kinds of movie, charities) than say a semi-naked woman that feigns interest in my existence. I'm jaded enough to understand this ephemeral bit of attention is probably more repulsive to her than pleasurable and I'd rather not participate. No need to worry though there are more than enough people to take my place and keep all those little green pieces of paper flowing.
Back to the story. A friend of mine decided he wanted to have a wild bachelor's night out before he got married. Never mind the fact that I've never understood why guys want to go to strip clubs before they get married. The whole "one last wild time before I get married" thing seems kind of idiotic. Chances are once they are married they'll go to the strip clubs even more. I had actually never been to a strip club before and here I am walking into this club and the first thing that struck me was the dimmed lighting , cheesy music and lots of ugly guys. The guys I was with were all going wild and as soon as I knew it people were disappearing. Here I am sitting there with my drink trying to think of what music I'd want to listen to in a place like this. The initial thrill of seeing a bunch of semi-naked girls really wears off quickly (at least for me). It's the wholesale nature of it that isn't very attractive. It's like a vegas buffet versus intimate dinner with a friend. For some unknown reason the guys had decided to pay for a lap dance for me knowing this is the last thing in the world I want. This attractive girl comes up to me and says my friends wanted me to go for a private dance. So I wander off to this semi-secluded spot with this girl and she asks me to sit. She gets on my lap and this is gist of the conversation
Girl: Hi my name is candy (i can't remember what her name was)
Me: My name is P
Girl: Don't you feel the electricity tonight
Me: What?
Girl: It feels really sexual here right now
Me: Really?
Girl: Yeah, don't you feel it?
Me: No
Girl: Why not? Don't you think I'm hot?
Me: You're attractive, it's just that I don't really have any interest in a lap dance
Girl: Fine. What do you want to talk about?
Me: How did you find yourself stripping?
Girl: I came from (some unknown town in the mid-west) and I'm in college and need to pay for it.
Me: Oh, what do you study?
Girl: Psychology. I love how humans think. (when are they going to start saying computer science)
Me: Cool. So what do you think of freud vs jung?
Girl: Huh? what?
Me: You haven't studied either freud or jung?
Girl: Um, no I study other things.
Me: Really. Such as?
Girl: Oh. I need to go now. (she walks off and as I walk off I see her pointing at me as she leans over and talks to another girl. no doubt saying what a weirdo i was. maybe i should have indulged her but i wasn't in the mood).
The story doesn't end there. I'm getting really bored and trying to come up with ways to entertain myself. Obviously there are lots of girls milling around looking to make bank for the night and one stops by and settles down on a chair next to me. We start talking about music and I asked her what it would take to get the DJ to play a song I wanted. She said she had a dance coming up on the stage in ten minutes and she was allowed to pick any song. So I whispered a song in her ear and gave her and the DJ an generous tip for indulging me. Ten minutes later as the girl takes the stage suddenly I hear the unmistakable sounds of the song I whispered in the girl's ear and I see my friends all staring at me. Are you a little bit curious what the song was? I had to pick something that was the polar opposite of the situation we were in. Rage against the machine's Killing in the name. Yes, I really am that strange.
