All Male, All Nude (2017) - full transcript
Journey into the world of male strippers at America's only all nude gay strip club located in the heart of the Bible Belt and the unique family unit it engenders.
(electronic tones)
(glass shattering)
(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
(glass shattering)
(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