Original subtitles

(electronic tones)

(glass shattering)

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(rock music)

- Swinging Richards, it's really like

a neighborhood hangout.

It's that familiar.

It's like family.

- My name's Matt Colunga,

I'm 32 years old, I've been here 12 years

at Swinging Richards.

I started dancing when I was 20 years old

and I said I was only gonna do it for six months

and I danced for two and a half years.

Then I started bartending, I started waiting tables,

started DJ-ing and just moved into the management.

I found managing the club just kind of boring,

so I have to DJ and manage on top of it

to keep me occupied.

Here the songs have got to be four and a half minutes long.

They can't be any more because a table dance is too long

if it goes over four and a half minutes,

so you've got to cut a portion of the song out

and mix it with another portion of the song

while you're talking on the mic,

while you're taking care of customer problems.

Which does keep me busy.

(inaudible)

Up to a thousand, it's not like we're asking

for 20s, 100s.

Sitting there staring at him

is not going to get him naked any faster

and is only going to make for a boring fucking show.

Ladies, we got a line waiting for a little wage

and boys cannot pay their bill with their pussies.

(men laughing)

We've got a great list of boys,

almost 70 dancers from all around the world.

- Yeah, my name is Matthew.

I'm Ukrainian and American, my mom's American.

So it's a fun little mix to be here in America.

Swinging Richards been a part of my life

because this makes my life a little more interesting.

I meet thousands of people from around the world.

I think Richards is a one of a kind place.

It's a fantasy on Earth.

It's not a fantasy in your mind

that you're not gonna be able to create,

you can actually create it in here

for just a little entry fee and a little bit of music,

next thing you know, you walk out of here with a smile.

(dance music) * We're invincible

* We're invincible

* We're invincible

* We're in we're in we're in

(patrons cheering)

* We're invincible

* We're invincible

* We're invincible

* We're in we're in we're in

* We're invincible

* We're invincible

* We're invincible

* We're invincible

* We're invincible

* We're invincible

* We're invincible

- We're a one of a kind club in the country.

I mean, our only competition really is Montreal.

We're a totally nude strip club, VIP rooms,

table dances, and full bar.

(electronic music)

Oh yeah, that's good!

Let's give it up for Roman.

- My name is Sean.

I work at Swinging Richards in Atlanta, Georgia.

Strippers are definitely their own person.

It's whatever floats your boat,

it's all an individuality thing.

There's really no standard way

to strip.

(dance music)

Me, personally, man,

I don't really look at myself as that guy.

You know, I hold down a normal life, normal job.

I'm a single father, you know, this is how I bring in

extra income for my leisure.

- It's a job where we dance, we perform,

and we're paid for it in tips.

I have been tipped as much as a hundred dollar bill on stage

and I've been tipped dollars as well.

* Wanna get my hands all over

* Hands all over you

* You've got it all right

* Boy and tonight

* Wanna get my hands all over

* Hands all over you

- When I come into the club to work for the evening,

there's a house fee.

The house fee is $35.

At the end of the evening, we tip the DJ out

ten percent of whatever tips we've made

throughout the evening and then

the person at the door gets a flat six dollar rate

for the evening for working the door

from every dancer.

Uh, when we do table dances,

table dances last for five minutes a piece on the floor

the table dances cost $10 and in the VIP lounge,

the table dances cost $20 and then beyond the lounge

in the private VIP rooms, there are...

The costs start at $140 for 15 minutes

where $40 goes to the house

and $100 goes to the dancer.

For a half hour, $65 goes to the house

and $200 goes to the dancer

and upwards of $75 goes to the house for an hour

and $400 to the dancer.

(dance music)

- It takes a dollar bill

first walk to the big stage, slide it in their armband.

They're more than happy to take their clothes off for you.

- Once a stripper, always a stripper

in a lot of people's books, man.

My ex-wife is a stripper and she is just

the epitome of a stripper.

She is out for money,

whatever you can get, she needs a rich guy.

That's why we ain't together (chuckles)

because I'm not rich enough for her.

- What's up, guys?

I uh, just rolled into work,

it's almost eight o'clock.

Grabbing all my junk out of my car.

Oh, I need armbands

or else I can't work.

The city of Atlanta has these really stupid rules.

Lots of them.

One of them is our garter can't be on the legs,

it has to be on the arms.

Too close to the private areas, I guess.

They come in here and fine the club a thousand dollars

for every improper tip to the garter.

At one point in time we had a situation

that required a little attention, legally,

and they tried to use that as the basis

to pull the liquor license for the club,

which would really hamper our business.

(bass music)

Another crazy night.

Lookin' forward to it.

See you inside.

What's up?

- [Man] What's up, superstar?

- Mr. Charlie!

- Hi, my name's Justin Winchell.

I used to manage Tiffany's,

which is our sister club down the street,

which is a female strip club.

And started working at Swinging Richards

and was intermittently a GM here.

But this is definitely its own show.

There's a lot going on here that's uh...

You know, there's really nothing else like it.

I've seen a lot of things and I've done a lot of things,

all around the world and all around the United States

and there is no other place like Swinging Richards.

It's definitely an item of its own.

- Hey there, my name's Billy Sandberg.

I've been working here at Swinging Richards,

I guess since November of 2007.

We're definitely a showplace, you may say

and come here on any given night

and you will see some crazy things

that you will not see anywhere else.

(throbbing music)

We pack 'em in and we make sure

that everybody has a good time

and are cocktailed and that you can see,

um, what we like to call "the helicopter" a lot.

(laughs)

- Every dancer that works there is unique in their own way

and they all have their own story

and they all have...

They all have their reasons as for why they're there.

- I love being a father.

He's changed my life, you know.

When I first started working here a long time ago

is when I first had him

and the fatherhood hadn't set in yet, you know.

He was like nine months old,

parents and everybody's helping take care of him,

you know, I'm up here, you know or working.

I had a full-time job then, too

and I was working this and utilizing this

for the weekends.

But once she fell off the map, I realized

somebody's gotta step up and take care of him.

My family can't do it.

I wouldn't, I'm too egotistical of a man

to have somebody else raise my kid, you know.

I'm the guy who's like, I don't wanna ask for help

until it's fucking right at the very end

and I'm about to fuck everything up, you know.

(electronic music)

Money shouldn't be an issue to a five year old

and nowadays how fucking mean kids are

and how they pick on you.

You know, if you're not wearing designer shit

at age seven, you're getting ragged on.

Times have changed big time.

I just want to make sure that I provide for him

the best I can, you know?

And in order to do that right now,

I gotta take off my clothes for money.

* Wanna get my hands all over

* Hands all over you

- Well, what do you want, my stage name?

Pierce.

I dance by Pierce, my name's Michael.

I've been here for 15 months.

I was born in the States,

I grew up in South America

and then my dad passed away and I moved here.

I moved, like, probably nine times before I was 10.

My personality was never developed in a single locality,

so I ended up a mutt of cultures.

You know, I got dual culture,

but then I got to experience different living areas

and you know, I didn't grow up with a dad,

so it was difficult for me as a child.

I was in the Marine Corps for eight years,

honorably discharged.

Went to Iraq and Afghanistan.

About to finish my degree in biology,

biochemistry focus, pre-med.

It fills a purpose for me, you know?

Trying to go to med school is not cheap.

This provides a pretty comfortable living

and you get a lot of fun out of it.

You can do well easily,

make more than a thousand dollars in a night.

(bass music)

* Tonight take you for a ride

* Take you for a ride

This is one of those things that's always been

kinda taboo.

People think all dancers are dumbasses,

we're all just sexual objects or pieces of meat.

I don't like that at all.

I consider myself intelligent.

I'm driven, I've got desires and goals

and plans and this is a good bridge,

but I don't want while I'm here to make it more than that.

I want it to be something representative

of how I feel for people.

- My name's Alex Meyer, Troy is my stage name.

I moved up to Atlanta.

My girlfriend's a dancer.

She said, "Hey, you got a hot body, you should go dance."

so I did so.

I currently go to Macon State at Warner Robins

and I'm doing it for business and finance,

trying to further my education.

This is a good place to get extra cash,

give you the money to support yourself

while you're going to school.

- [Man] All right, you go make money, bitches!

- [Troy] Yeah, no, you gotta do it like this.

Hey, you gotta...

- Oh, okay.

Well, let me start over.

- Yeah, you gotta.

- Let's go make money, bitches!

- Let's go make money, bitches!

- Hell yeah!

Woo-hoo!

* Take you for a ride

* For a ride

- I do it 'cause it makes good money

and it fills a void.

Whatever that void may be.

* Take you for a ride

* Take you for a ride

- This is my little baby, Zeus, right here,

that I like to drift.

It's like dragging, but basically sideways.

Life's too boring if you sit in one place.

You only live once, so,

you know, why not?

It's a big question.

Why not do certain things, why not go sideways,

and why not have a blast?

That's why I work here

and that's why I drive my baby, Zeus.

That's why I like to take my clothes off,

so it all makes for a fun life

and I enjoy it every day.

(throbbing music)

* Take you for a ride

- It's not what you would think, you know?

I had the typical Chippendale idea in my head

and it's not like that.

It's not g-strings, you know,

it's just a whole bunch of cool guys

really just kind of getting down, just making money.

* Give it to you tonight

* Take you for a ride

* Take you for a ride

* Take you for a ride

* For a ride

I was actually recommended to come work here

by another female stripper that works

at a club in Atlanta.

She had been telling me to do it,

her and all her girlfriends were strippers,

they were buddies of mine that grew up

and turned stripper. (chuckles)

I was hesitant to do it,

'cause I'm not a big, muscular man or nothin' like that.

You know, I don't have this giant wang on me or nothin'.

But when I came up here and interviewed and everything,

which was weird as hell.

The interview is literally you drop your pants

and you're either hired or fired at that moment.

It's kinda weird.

Been on a lot of interviews, never another one like that.

- We have what we call our "yard dick."

So when people come in here to ask

if we need any dancers hired or anything,

we tell them to drop it immediately.

And as you can see, as it goes down through the line,

my favorite is number eleven, which is "mule cock."

This is definitely a high priority on the hiring list.

- This is my board, this is where the dancers sign in.

We used to write their names down,

but then the dancer's constantly,

"When am I going up, when am I going up?"

not that they don't do it now.

I mean, it's old-fashioned,

we keep track of it with a little clip here

of who's going up next.

We use Velcro because when you're up in the DJ booth

and your back's turned,

the dancers like to switch their name

and this kinda helps me.

I hear that sound of them switching their name.

A lot of dancers don't like going out with other dancers,

you know, "They got bigger dicks, they're bigger than me.

"They look like my type, they make more money than me."

So if they switch their name,

then all of a sudden somebody else is upset,

then this person's upset.

So that was Knight switching his name over there.

Knight likes to fluff himself in the back,

get his dick as big as possible without being hard,

because it'd be illegal.

But now most of the dancers don't wanna go up with him

on stage because, I mean honestly, it's like...

This hangin' down

and you watch, here in the next ten minutes

somebody's gonna bitch they have to go on stage with him.

- Woo!

Woo!

- Okay. - Hold on.

- All right, I'm gonna have to talk to this bitch.

(Sean laughs)

- It is a giant kinder care.

(slap) (laughing)

- It's stuck on your titty!

- I dropped the ball.

- Shut up! (slap)

Oh!

- You drop the ball every time.

- Only in your court. (laughing)

- It's like running a female strip club

and I hate to say it, the guys are a lot of times worse

than running the girls.

* We're invincible

* We're invincible

* We're invincible

* We're in we're in we're in

It's a gay environment,

but you do get women coming here.

Some of your dancers are gay, some of them are straight.

The straight ones, you know,

if they're having a bad night

tend to go towards the women.

So we get more women in here.

So then it's my job to make fun of the women

on the microphone, which I enjoy doing.

(on mic) The three fat girls at the end of the stage

not tipping the dancers, ladies,

come on, if there's three of you,

you can't afford a dollar bill,

what the fuck are you here for?

(music pumping)

There is no five dollar foot long special

here at Swinging Richards.

We charge by the inch!

- What do I love most about coming to Swinging Richards?

I think the fact that you can have a good time

and not feel judged,

whether you're a male or female, gay or straight,

it's just nice to come to a place like this

'cause you don't have to be necessarily this or that.

- Whether I dance for a man, a woman,

it makes no difference at all.

I am an entertainer to the soul,

to the core of who I am.

As a musician, when I perform for an audience,

it doesn't matter whether there are

men or women in the audience,

it doesn't matter whether there are men or women

watching me take my clothes off.

Certainly, it's no crime

to be attracted to naked men.

* Boy I'm losing control

* My new obsession

* I want it more than you know

* Realize my virtual

You have the most interesting people

that come through the door,

to the most famous people that have come through the door.

- It's a cool job.

You get a lot of networking.

You meet all sorts of different individuals.

You got your trust fund babies to sugar mamas

to sugar daddies from every walk of life.

Like I was telling you earlier, you get some crazy people.

For that reason I tend to avoid the wrong type of person

here, 'cause you can find plenty of them.

- You run into so many fucking characters in here,

you don't know who's real or who's fake.

Hoo-whee, some of the shit people say in your ear

is fucking just...

It's hard to bear.

- You know, I've had some customers come up to me

and say some pretty explicit things.

You find yourself reminding the customers quite often

that, you know, there are still boundaries.

There are still boundaries, this is still a place of work.

It is a place of fantasy,

but the fantasy does have guidelines.

- It's a hit or miss type of thing, you know?

It's either who lucks out or who hustles the most.

I'm not a hustler, so I kind of gotta wait

for somebody to just pick me and give me some money.

* Come give me what I want

- There are going to be customers

that are going to try and

create a fantasy situation,

they're going to say things that are sometimes shocking.

And you know, you have to learn that it's just role play.

* You've got it all right

* Boy you should know

* Wanna get my hands all over

* Hands all over you

- On the floor of Swinging Richards, of course,

we have a lot of rules in place to keep things in order.

Of course in an environment like this,

where you have alcohol and you have the appearance

of sex being sold, and so many other things,

you know, nudity and...

You know, we got all the candy here.

But there are so many things and so many opportunities

for things to get out of control

that we like to preemptively, I guess,

smack 'em over the head and get 'em right

before they go wrong.

In that we have security guards in place

that monitor the floor, as well as myself

and other managers that patrol the floor,

make sure customers aren't touching the dancers.

Just basically monitoring things,

looking for drug use, excessive drinking,

that sort of thing.

Because those are essentially the things

that tend to ignite most of the fires

that possibly could happen in an average night here.

- There's a lot of responsibility that goes along

with being an erotic dancer.

You know, you're not allowed to touch us,

we're up here, we're on stage and we're nude.

- We run a pretty tight ship in monitoring the floor

at all times and we definitely hold dancer meetings

where we address certain issues

and time pertinent issues with the dancers themselves.

Going over rules such as how they're supposed to interact

with customers, what's appropriate, what's not.

- You have to be able to control your environment.

You gotta take it with a grain of salt.

It doesn't mean anything it's just fun.

It's just people coming in to...

It's fantasy.

It's just fantasy camp, it's not anything other than that.

And along with creating that,

you just have a lot of fun flirting

and getting to know people.

Then once you break down those barriers

and you get to know them,

then it becomes real.

Then they're not even saying explicit things

to you anymore.

They start talking about their life

and their kids and their wives

and wives coming in their with their husbands

and they're talking about each other

and they open up to you about their interaction

with one another.

And they kind of share with you

and they kind of vent to one another

but with a third person there.

Almost like a therapist.

- You fulfill a certain void to some people,

you create some great platonic relationships.

Sometimes you run into some relationships

that might end up being not so platonic,

so you have to be careful and pick and choose.

- Some of the experiences that we go through up here

are pretty wild, definitely.

It's actually pretty cool, though, man, really.

All said and done.

- Working at Swinging Richards has been so great

because it's allowed me

to become aware of myself

and in doing so, it's allowed me to learn

how to approach complete strangers

and still maintain a level of comfort

between two people that have never met before.

- Here you create a fulfillment of fantasy, enjoyment.

You get to be the reason behind a smile for somebody.

(rock music)

- Essentially your older crew's gonna basically

know how to act

and they essentially, some of them,

teach the other dancers, you know,

how to get money in certain ways

that are wholesome or kosher.

So you don't step outside the rules.

You know, I think when somebody decides

to start dancing or make that decision in their life,

they can go about it A: the wrong way

or B: the right way.

- You use this shit?

- You know, when I first worked here, man,

it was really intimidating, I'll give you that.

It was hard to work here and get in the groove.

Everybody kind of filled my head

with a lot of different stuff,

but I found my own way and learned how to

make my own money and do my own thing

and go off on my own adventure while working here.

- [DJ] Dylan on backstage up next.

- I'll have dancers come and approach me

in the locker room and they'll say,

"Hey, I had this guy and he did this

and he put his hands on me this way,

in a certain way and he held me

and I couldn't get away from him."

And I'm like, "Well, this is how you deal

with that situation."

And for every situation there's a different way to...

There's a different possibility.

It's not the only way.

They learn something about themselves.

Like, oh, okay, I can take this situation

and control it and still be respectful

and still allow the customer to have a good time

and in the process have a good time myself.

- It takes a person with tact, intelligence,

and a good personality, I think,

is kind of what lays the foundation.

You know, you gotta have the meat, of course,

and the looks, but you know,

to really be a good entertainer,

you really need to know what you're doing

when you're interacting with your customers,

where do you draw the line to make your money?

- There are just etiquettes in socializing with customers

and respecting when another entertainer

is engaged with certain members of the audience

and it's all about timing,

it's all about when you approach a customer

or how you approach a customer

and how you respect the bounds of certain dancers

and recognizing exactly what...

How another entertainer is

setting up their approach to members of the audience

to engage them and to interact with them

and to do table dances

and to create opportunities to go into the VIP rooms.

- My name is David Ohmann.

I'm the assistant manager here at Swinging Richards.

A little bit about our entertainers at Swinging Richards

and the other adult entertainers in the city of Atlanta,

they are all subcontract employees.

They don't receive a paycheck from the house,

they actually pay to work here.

- Dancers don't get written paychecks.

We actually pay the club to work there.

We're more like hairstylists,

where we rent a booth, you know?

But we rent the whole floor.

We pay them every night to work.

The city is who permits us

with an adult entertainment permit is what it's called.

To take your clothes off, basically.

They know that we ain't gonna pay taxes

on the amount of money that we make.

Half those dancers up there, like a good one,

probably makes a minimum of 70,000 dollars a year.

* Do you bend or do you break

* Do you give or do you take

* Right or wrong

* What do you want

* What do you want to be

* When you come undone

* But all is gone

* What do you want to see

- Different people come into this job

for different reasons.

Sometimes they just need money for school,

sometimes they're exploring their sexuality.

- Oh, yeah, I sleep with mostly women,

but hey, who's not curious about both sex, you know?

That's what makes life interesting.

- We're like a big dysfunctional family.

It's weird.

You know, I mean, you got gay brothers

and straight brothers that say they're straight,

but they're really gay in my book.

And it's like, well, whatever.

You know, whatever floats your boat.

You can do whatever the fuck you want to.

You know, I don't judge people.

- My name is Dallas, I am a performer,

I use the word performer,

and a dancer here at Swinging Richards.

My sexuality is one that I keep to myself.

I mean, I don't want everybody knowing my sexuality,

'cause hey, I like to make everybody think I'm open.

Whether I'm gay or whether I'm straight,

it doesn't matter.

When I come into this club, I'm here for a purpose.

I'm here, to put it in a nutshell,

to be very blunt about it, 'cause that's the person I am,

I'm here to make money.

- I'm not a good hustler, you know?

There are some guys here that have got a good mouthpiece.

They can make a lotta money just because

they can talk.

It's like they can talk a wallet open.

And when you talk a wallet open, out pours the money.

That's not me.

I make my money by personality.

So, you know, I build a social intimacy with people.

I'm very big on respect

and the reason I'm not very good at hustling

is 'cause I can't belittle someone

and treat them like a dollar bill

because I don't wanna be treated like a piece of meat.

- Every stripper's a hustler.

They're out for money, they're out for something.

Back in the day, you'd make $1700 in a night

without trying.

Now you make $150.

To me it's not worth it.

These guys, that's all they see is $150

and it's like, "Oh, sure that's good money."

I'm like, fuck it, you're out of your mind.

You know, it's not good money, not for what you're doing.

You're taking your clothes off for money.

(bass music)

It's a very unique job.

It's got its pros, it definitely has its cons.

The relationship I'm in right now, met a new girl,

she's probably the best girl I've ever met,

relationship-wise, you know.

She's genuine, really, really, really good person

and this right here is a big conflict.

So I mean, I'm stuck right now between the decision of

making it with her, having something,

fulfilling my life,

or temporary fulfillment by money.

* That's right

* Yeah

This place desensitizes you towards sex.

So like, it ruins your sex life in a sense,

because you think of people differently.

That's like all they want of you, you know?

My girlfriend comes up and she wants me

and we roll around in the bed,

which any typical guy'd be fuckin' just...

Excited, ready to go all the time

and it's like, she's like, "Why aren't you hard?"

I'm like, well, shit this is nothin' to me.

I rub up on people like this all the time.

It doesn't arouse me like it should

and that sucks.

That sucks big time, you know?

Now, I mean, don't get me wrong, I can, you know...

I can still perform,

but the defamation of your character here

is just horrible.

Letting people fuckin' look at you like that

and talk to you the way they do, man.

I mean, that's really what does it for me.

* Yeah

- It's not for the weak-minded.

It's good if you use this as a bridge.

Some of these guys don't really,

so I feel for them.

It's a delicate balance, you know.

You could let it go too far, it could consume you.

Just like recently, you know,

one of our dancers passed away.

(sirens)

Pretty much a drug overdose

and at the same time just abuse of alcohol

and things like that

and you know, this environment can really consume you.

- We are a close knit family here,

as strange as that sounds.

One of our family members, whose name is Dustin,

he passed away this week.

He had been with us for several years off and on.

- Dustin's thing.

- Yeah, I want to.

What time does it start?

- Uh, it's five o'clock in Noonan.

- Five o'clock in Noonan?

Is he gonna let us...

Is he gonna waiver our late fee, late shit?

- Unfortunately, Dustin lost his life this week.

It's been very hard for all of us.

- [DJ] Once again, you guys, we're here to honor

a great friend of ours, he died this week.

We love him a lot, we miss him a lot.

He was a great person.

It's a shame he's departed.

We're always gonna remember him.

Those of you who knew him and loved him,

you know who this is about.

- The bonds that are formed here

go way beyond tipping dollars in the armbands.

We'll miss him a lot.

- Today was a day where we had one of our own,

a very good friend to most of us,

'cause all of us are really close,

he died this week.

His name was Dustin.

Great guy, we loved him.

Today was his memorial service.

We basically said our goodbyes.

It was a hard day for all of us,

but we all realize that death is a part of life

and instead of trying to mourn his death,

we all try to celebrate his life.

- [DJ] This one's for you, Dustin.

They love you.

They love the bar, they love their friends.

All right, guys, give it up for Dustin!

We love that man, we miss him a lot.

- Every day, I come up here,

I try to be a fantasy for my patrons, you know,

my buddies and my boys.

Then we get there and it's a lot more respectful.

I'm always the hype one, always happy.

I'm excited, I always want to run around,

I'm the one doing backflips

and the one jumpin' off the wall.

I'm the one just making shit happen.

Get there I gotta be calm.

You know, I gotta slow down, pay my respects

to a man who I respected a lot.

(electronic music)

- With the dancers, they unite and they come together

and they talk about their lives with one another.

It's like family.

You're in the locker room at the beginning of the night

every single evening and you know, guys are walking in

and they're taking showers and they're shaving

and they're getting ready for the evening

and they're talking about their day.

And you just end up engaging in conversation,

getting to know one another.

So just by being around one another

you get to talk and learn about who the other guys are.

It's almost like being on a baseball team

or a football team or basketball team

and you're in the locker room and then...

You know, some guys coming off the floor

and then some more guys go out

and you're all going out to play.

You're all on the court.

You all go back out on the field at one point or another.

And I think you get that back there

in a room full of 40 or 50 guys,

you get so much compassion and so much sharing

and in those moments, you bond.

You gain that camaraderie and that brotherhood.

And I guess it can be really therapeutic in that sense.

- It becomes difficult outside of here, you know?

- When I'm personally out based upon the crowd I'm in

and the atmosphere that I'm at...

I mean it depends on if I'm telling people what I really do.

And I don't like that idea in the back of my head.

I like to be comfortable with expressing myself

and telling people what I got going on.

You know, I don't hide nothin' from nobody,

I got nothing to hide.

My kid knows I work at night.

He thinks I work security.

He's five years old and I don't like lying to him.

I mean, it ain't none of his business, really,

right now he's five, but, you know...

I mean, I remember shit from when I was five.

I don't wanna, I don't know,

it's just not right to lie to people like that.

- (sighs) I don't know.

I mean, my mom knows, but I mean, shit.

I mean, you can't just tell everyone.

Like, "Hey, what do you do?"

Yeah, I tell them I work at a bar.

You know, until I get a feel for how they're gonna think

of what I do, I don't want them to be like,

"Oh, my god, you're a male stripper!"

(throbbing music)

- Most people may feel a little out of place, you know?

They may not...

Me, I don't.

When I come in here, I'm the same person

as when I'm outside of here.

I'm me, I'm Dallas.

I do what I do, I am who I am.

If you don't like it, you don't like it.

If you love me, hey, you got a reason to love me.

(electronic music)

- It's defaming to my character

and that's where it hurts me,

is the fact that if I tell somebody,

"Well, what do you do if you're working at night

and you got a day job, what do you do?"

"Uh, well, I'm in the entertainment industry."

And they look at me like I'm full of shit

or they look at me like,

"What kinda entertainment industry are you talkin'"

They want a little bit more detailed description

of what I'm doing and then I usually lie

and say I work security at a club.

And you know, I'm not a liar,

so as soon as it happens, they're like,

"Oh, he's full of shit."

Well now their imagination is just roaming

and there's so many other worse possibilities

than being a male dancer.

* We're invincible

* We're invincible

* We're invincible

* We're in we're in we're in

- My parents know that I dance,

that I pursue a career as a musician.

They support me 100%.

- I'm not gonna give you an opportunity

to see me outside of here and see a different side of me

where you can judge me in a different way.

I stay who I am.

You know, I'm a very honest, a very blunt,

a very forward person.

I'm that way in and out of this club.

I am who I am.

When I say something, I mean it.

And that doesn't go for just inside this club.

I am not single, I do have a significant other.

That person knows exactly what I do

and is perfectly okay with it.

And the rest of my family knows what I do.

* We're invincible

* We're invisible

* We're invincible

- People ask questions, you get made fun of a lot.

You know, especially working at a gay strip club

and being a straight guy.

It's like, oh well, you can't be that straight.

And I'm like, well, you know I mean...

It's either straight or gay with me, you know.

I don't suck dick, I don't get my dick sucked,

and I don't have sex with men.

- It's like complicated. (laughs)

* I'm so glad I found someone I like *

- I'm just confused as hell right now

about the whole being a stripper thing.

* Intoxication taking over me

* I won't fight

* I can't hold it back no more *

* Got me rethinking my priorities *

* Black white and versatile

* I'm for seduction

* The taste and smell of it all *

* I'm losing function

* I'm going down for the fall

I think it's time me and the stripper life part ways.

* All night

* Ready to blow

* Want to get my hands all over *

* Hands all over you

* You've got it all right

* Boy you should know

* Want to get my hands all over *

* Hands all over you

I don't want to make it sound

like strippers are bad and all that,

but it's a different lifestyle.

- [DJ] We got 36 hot boys in the house.

Now looking for...

- You know, one day I'll look back

and I'll say I did this,

but still, it's like, who the fuck you gonna tell?

You know what I mean?

They'll still defame you...

Once a stripper, always a stripper

in a lot of people's books.

* You've got it all right

* Boy you should know

* Wanna get my hands all over

* Hands all over you

(electronic ballad)

* See the lights how they're shining *

- One thing we do here at Swinging Richards

to ensure the safety of our dancers at the end of the night

is require them to take an Intoxilyzer test

to test their blood alcohol level,

make sure that they're safe to get on the road

and get home.

* See the lights how they're shining *

* See the lights how they shine *

* Shine tonight

* Shine tonight

* Tonight we ride

* Tonight we ride

- My name is Steven Marchi

and the mosquitos are out tonight.

And this right here, this is a mock demo

that I produced in my own studio.

This would be actually the cover of my album.

It's titled 'This Moment.'

* I miss Virginia

(harmonica)

Atlanta has Swinging Richards

and that's a great draw for me.

It's just a very warm, inviting city.

* And scorches up that quarter mile in style *

* Freer than free

And it's beautiful.

The landscape is beautiful, the city's beautiful.

(electronica)

But Atlanta has a great music scene.

I've met a lot of amazing musicians in this town.

It's a really peaceful place to be.

It definitely feels like home to me.

- I grew up in Atlanta, Georgia.

So it's my day off from the club and everything

and I'm actually up here at an exposition

at the Cobb Galleria outside of Atlanta

for a fighting convention.

Actually looking for a different gym to go to

to train in, further my training in Muay Thai and jujitsu.

While I was here, they have a jujitsu tournament going on,

which a lot of the guys at work,

we train and all fight together.

A lot of the dancers who have done previous sports,

such as wrestling in high school,

they left it behind them.

Like myself, I was a two-time state champion.

Devon, he got fourth in state.

Pierce won state, Samson won state.

A lot of people who, you know, the high school events

that stayed behind, now we're training in more of,

I guess an adult sport for fighting

or MMA, mixed martial arts,

which is a combination of all different types of fighting.

There's not that many fight gyms here in Atlanta,

so with the slight few that there are,

we end up fighting with each other

and training with each other.

- Today I went searching for a job,

got my tie right here to try to look all fancy.

My kid just started going back to school.

I have him Monday to Friday,

so working nights are kinda out of the question,

because it's really hard to find a babysitter

that'll hang out from eight o'clock

until three in the morning and then go home.

You know, 'cause I don't want them there.

They gotta go.

- I've been in and out of this city,

traveling with my music and playing gigs

and then back to Atlanta and working at Swinging Richards.

Obviously, I think it's great.

People that have gotten to know me

and know that I've been pursuing music as a career,

they ask me, "How come you're still here?"

And the simple reason is because I can be.

What other job opportunity

allows you to come and go as you please?

And just by simply saying, hey, I need to take off

for a month or I need to take off for two months

because I need to go out and book shows,

or because I have a group of venues

that I'm going to be performing in,

I have to travel across country.

What other job allows you to do that

and then when you come back into town you still have a job?

It's such an amazing freedom

that I've been able to obtain working at Richards.

I just can't...

It's beyond gratitude.

* Electric sky tonight

* You are the one

- It's not where I imagined myself being

at 26 years old, you know, with a five year old son.

I kind of need something a little bit more stable.

The reason I'm dressed like this today

is 'cause I'm actually out looking for

a more of a corporate job.

So this is where my career got started right here.

I used to manage this warehouse.

This is my dad's retail division

flooring and tile superstore.

This is what I used to do and stuff in here.

I actually built all this shit.

Everything you see in here was built by me.

All those carpets right there,

I used to roll them up.

It was a pain in the ass.

When I first was employed with Richards,

I was 21 years old

and my family had found out then

and was not as shocked as I was kinda hoping they'd be,

really.

The second go-around, they weren't as happy.

Just because of where I came from,

but it was more understandable because,

it's like, shit, you gotta make money, you know?

I mean you got a mortgage and utilities

and the fucking car payment.

You know, got my son to provide for and everything.

So they knew...

You know, it's like I wasn't trying to make

a career out of it for the rest of my life,

but at least it shows that I'm willing to do

what I gotta do right now.

- The club never impedes on my life because it's a job.

Just like when people go to work,

when they leave work, they leave work at work.

That's just how it is.

Now, I may meet with clients or whatever

that I'll go have lunch with or dinner with

or stuff like that.

But that's just, it is what it is.

It never impedes on my life.

(throbbing music)

- The freedom that I've achieved

being a part of this industry

and learning about the community that I'm in,

priceless.

How amazing for me that I get to

engage with an audience

and be able to have that effect, that impact in their life.

That's, I mean, that's a passion of mine

and it just so happens that it's attached

with being an erotic dancer

and it's attached to being a singer songwriter

and a musician.

I think I would only have the right to be afraid

if I was ashamed of what I was doing

and I'm not ashamed of what I do.

That's why I'm not affected by what people think

of what I do as a dancer

or what I do as a musician.

As long as my efforts are to make everyone else's life,

you know, an enjoyable event

and I share that with them,

I'm gold in my book.

- Back when I was 21 years old

and I'd first started stripping,

one, the morale of the club was different.

The group of dancers were so much different.

It wasn't so...

Everybody wasn't so money hungry.

It's different strokes for different folks

in a place like that, big time.

Because you've got customers

that like to be hustled, knowing they're being hustled,

and they're just okay with it.

Then you got the people who like the softer guy

who's, you know, "Oh yeah, it's not about the money,

it's not about this."

Even when everybody fuckin' knows it's about the money.

(bass music)

- First time I was ever dancing at Swinging Richards,

I was fine.

I've always been the center of attention,

I've always wanted to make sure everybody was looking at me.

It just made it easier.

- When I worked at Richards the first time,

I was pretty much willing to do whatever it took

to make that dollar right then.

You know, that dollar that's in your face,

that you know you can get it,

you know you're gonna be a fuckin' idiot

if you don't walk away with this money.

So whatever it takes to get that money

out of their pocket and into your pocket,

you're gonna do.

Well, the second go-round, I've learned

that money is not that important.

The one thing that led me back into Swinging Richards

was the fact that I had lost my job

and we had...

I mean, I didn't have any source of income coming in.

I was instilled with, when I was making

a couple of bad decisions when my kid was first born,

my father told me, he said,

"When it's decision making time," he said,

"Just think about it like what would your son

want you to do?

If your son was right there watching you

make these decisions,

how would you present yourself to him?"

And you know, that has been instilled in me ever since then.

I can't fuck up now,

because every time I get in the position

to make a bad decision, I'm thinking,

what's my son thinking?

What would he want me to do?

How would a genuine kid like that

want his father to respond in this situation?

And obviously my kid's not gonna want me to do

half the shit that you do in there for money.

(rock music)

- It's what I do.

It's what I'm comfortable with.

It's who I am

and if somebody's going to judge me for that,

let them judge me.

I mean, people are going to judge you

every single day of your life.

- But I'm just outspoken

and I tend to use this philosophy that I don't care.

I do care, I just apply tact where it needs to be applied

and sometimes it doesn't need to be applied.

In many ways, this kind of environment can be one of those

places where it doesn't need to be applied at all.

(dance music)

- I feel that I'm very, uh...

Very fortunate to be able to work in an environment

that feels so natural to me.

You know, I enjoy interacting with my audience.

I enjoy meeting new people.

I enjoy exposing people to themselves

and helping them understand and accept themselves.

That's why we're here, on this Earth.

To grow internally, spiritually.

To learn about who we are

and what our abilities are

and what we're capable of.

And then turn around and share that with others.

- It's definitely something, though,

that when I'm 40 I will definitely look back

and be like, what the fuck, you know?

I mean, I used to swing on a fuckin' pole.

Not that much, but you know.

Definitely been on the pole once or twice.

- As the oldest employee of Swinging Richards,

I have to stand my ground

and let the professionals do what they do best.

- So I'm extremely old fashioned.

- I do what I love and I love what I do.

You can't live your life unless you're doing that.

- Can't do this forever.

Unless you're Steven.

'Cause he looks good when he's 40.

I didn't say that on camera!

36 - 32. (laughing)

36. - [Steven] 27!

27 for the 19th time.

Anyway, um...

(laughs) I'm kidding.

- You know your heart.

If you know your mind and you achieve to learn

and grow every day,

I don't think there's anything that becomes

more empowering in life than that.

Just, uh...

Just something that's part of my life.

The old showbiz phrase of always...

Always leave them wanting more.

* I just let go

* Let go and breathe

* I let it flow through all I see *

* Into the future

* Into the future

* Into the future

* Everything's gonna be all right *

* Everything's gonna work out fine *

* Into the future

* Into the future

* Everything's gonna be all right *

* Everything's gonna work out fine *

* Into the future

* Everything's gonna be all right *

* Everything's gonna work out fine *

* Into the future

* Everything's gonna be all right *

* Everything's gonna work out fine *

* Into the future

* Walk through the fire

* Walk through the wall

* Into desire

* Away from it all

* And I won't cry

* I won't fall

* I won't hide

* I'll show them all

* I will try

* I will run

* I will fly

* Into the future

* Into the future

* Into the future

* Into the future

* I feel the distance

* Shadows and fog

* Fear in motion

* Mean nothing at all

* And I won't cry

* I won't fall

* I won't lie

* I'll show them all

* I will try

* I will run

* I will fly

* Into the future

* Into the future

* Into the future

* Into the future

* I can't hold on

* To things unseen

* I can't control

* What's not me

* I just let go

* Let go and breathe

* I let it flow through all I see *

* Into the future

* Into the future

* Into the future

* Into the future

* Into the future

* Everything's gonna be all right *

* Everything's gonna work out fine *

* Into the future

* Everything's gonna be all right *

* Everything's gonna work out fine *

* Into the future

* Everything's gonna be all right *

* Everything's gonna work out fine *

* Into the future

* Everything's gonna be all right *

* Everything's gonna work out fine *

* Into the future

* Everything's gonna be all right *

* Everything's gonna work out fine *

* Into the future

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