July means two things, here at the office. First, it’s Exotic’s birthday! We’re celebrating our 26th anniversary, so be sure to drink some champagne and eat cake off of a naked person in celebration. Secondly, welcome to the hottest month of the year! Well, perhaps it’s cold and shitty outside in Oregon, but we’ve got multiple articles about Satan and a fire-breathing dragon on the cover, so the heat is on. Before we go into the big news, here’s a few small updates on local club news. First off, we’ve got a brand new club in town, Club Oasis at 15826 SE Division—it opens mid-month, so keep your eyes peeled. Next up, Stars Cabaret (all locations) is running a contest in which one lucky customer will win a Tesla! Come for a drink, stay for the dancers and perhaps win a car. On Thursdays, Columbia Strip will be starting up their stripper karaoke night, so be sure to roll out that way and sing a song to swoon a stripper or two. Lastly, all month long, Club 205 will be hosting a virtual party—follow @Club205PDX on all social media to find out more about that. Now, on to the big items...
While I cannot stress how talented every finalist for Polerotica was, the winner brought just enough heat to put herself above the rest of the best, with an impressive performance and a super entertaining theme. The dragon slayed, to put it simply. Devin Divine from Kit Kat Club, from what I know, has yet to win one of our contests, so if you see her out and about on the club scene, be sure to give her props. Also, runners-up Maria Knox and Violet deserve a mention, as well, because the scores were so close that it was almost a tie—big ups to the producers for making the voting system more based on scores (as opposed to factors such as beads), making Polerotica even more competitive and entertaining than ever.
Do you want to compete for a chance to land the cover of our magazine? Keep your eyes peeled for Ink ’N’ Pink, which will be happening soon. Of note, the girl on the cover this month is Alice, from The Venue Gentlemen’s Club. Devin Divine was unable to do the shoot, due to unrelated and unexpected circumstances (usually, the winner jumps on the cover and into the centerfold of Exotic).
Up here in the northwest, we’re bouncing from one big event to the next. With the Exxxotica Expo having just wrapped up its first Portland weekend and Exotic finishing up two months of Polerotica, it would seem that we’ve exhausted ourselves with competitive nudity and exhibition. But, everyone in this town knows the truth—we really can’t get enough of anything even remotely related to "adult entertainment." So, we’re not stopping for a breath before heading into July.
What, you ask, is the only event that could follow up hundreds of porn stars and months of pole competition? Well, the Vagina Beauty Pageant, of course. In fact, it’s entering its tenth year, with host and creator DJ Dick Hennessy having upgraded the festival (and the famous Vaginamobile) to its maximum awesomeness, over the course of the last decade. The pageant has seen two U.S. Presidents, awarded nearly a dozen women with ample money to go to Burning Man and crowned enough vaginas to produce a small village. The host, Dick Hennessy, also spends the rest of non-Vagina-Pageant-months putting on event after event, each of which has its own unique theme, ranging from haunted houses to pirate-themed booty shaking competitions.
Back to vagina. For familiar with Oregon law, you know that we allow complete nudity on stage, even with alcohol in the building (but, really, please don’t move here...there’s no more room). While some clubs "encourage" full nudity, there is still a vibe of tease, flashing and/or suggestion, when it comes to below-the-belt showgirlship. We really don’t have a lot of clubs in which the dancer is as up front with her downstairs as she is with the rest of her body (and, not everyone frequents the places that prove to be the exception to the rule). But, Vagina Beauty Pageant takes the stigma of the va-jay-jay away, putting it on display and celebrating it like a work of art. It is very "classy," as in, it’s the kind of vagina event that you could bring the whole family to, if your family was of legal age. Plus, for a guy named "Dick Hennessy," the host is a pretty classy dude and the contestants all seem to enjoy the multiple rounds leading up to (and including) the finals.
v Previous Vag Pag winners have all gone on to do great things, but the real focus of the Vag Pag is on the customers and the experience of being able to say "Yeah, I visited Portland...bought donuts, saw the coast...met the winner of the Vagina Beauty Pageant, ya know, the usual." It will make for a better road trip than any other destination north of California.
For more information, check out VaginaPageant.com. To read our own interview with founder and head-Dick-in-charge, check out last month’s Exotic at Xmag.com.
I get approached all the time, by folks asking me about how to get on the cover of Exotic. I tell everyone the same thing—the truth. But, the truth doesn’t circulate as far as rumors, so I’m spelling everything out here...
In order to land a cover shoot, you have to either win one of the contests Exotic puts on (Miss Exotic Oregon, Polerotica or Ink ’N’ Pink) or work for a club whose turn it is to be on the cover, making sure that the owner and/or manager wants you to be their model for the shoot. That. Is. The. Only. Way. Unless you’re Masumi Max, in which case we will make an exception.
Being a semi-public face to the magazine in certain contexts, people think that I’m the person who puts this magazine together—this is only true when it comes to writing certain articles and proofreading the rest of them. I have nothing to do with layout skills, ad production or anything that actually requires talent—trust me. The ninjas responsible for getting these magazines to your favorite strip club or head shop work around the clock to make sure you have a fresh copy by the first of the month, folks like Hypnox or London spend thousands on camera lenses to make the photography happen and the only sway I have, when it comes to putting your face on the cover of our magazine, is that I’m able to decide what text goes next to it.
Basically, I’m trying to let folks know that if you have a column idea, feedback on our articles or want to contribute in the editorial department, I’m the guy to talk to. Otherwise, emailing Ray@Xmag.com with a pitch about how much it would mean if I could feature your Instagram in our magazine isn’t going to do much. But, you can become a super-famous and well-respected model by either competing in one of our contests or getting in good with a club that has a cover shoot coming up. And, yes, we’re always looking for great writers.
Good luck and may god guide you in your quest.
THU 4—CABARET—4TH OF JULY PARTY
FRI 5—THE WHISKEY CLUB—VAGINA BEAUTY PAGEANT ROUND 1
SAT 6—XPOSE—VAGINA BEAUTY PAGEANT ROUND 2
SUN 7—DANTE’S—SINFERNO W/ HOST RAY MCMILLIN
WED 10—CLUB 205—SOCIAL MEDIA NIGHT
FRI 12—SCARLET LOUNGE—VAGINA BEAUTY PAGEANT ROUND 3
SAT 13—GUILTY PLEASURES—VAGINA BEAUTY PAGEANT ROUND 4
SAT 13—REVEAL LOUNGE—SUMMER SOCIAL
SUN 14—DANTE’S—SINFERNO W/ HOST AARON ROSS
WED 17—SUN 21—VARIOUS VENUES—PORTLAND QUEER COMEDY FESTIVAL
THU 18—CLUB SINROCK—INK ‘N’ PINK PRELIM ROUND 1
FRI 19 —THE VENUE—VAGINA BEAUTY PAGEANT ROUND 5
SAT 20—DREAM ON SALOON—24-YEAR ANNIVERSARY PARTY
SAT 20—STARS CABARET (SALEM)—VAGINA BEAUTY PAGEANT ROUND 6
SUN 21—DANTE’S—SINFERNO W/ HOST RAY MCMILLIN
THU 25—CLUB SINROCK—VAGINA BEAUTY PAGEANT FINALS
FRI 26—ROSE CITY STRIP—INK ‘N’ PINK PRELIM ROUND 2
FRI 26—TOMMY’S TOO—DAISY DUKE CONTEST
SAT 27—WHISPERS’ ROOM CAFE—PDX ADULT AWARDS & SWING PARTY
SUN 28—DANTE’S—SINFERNO W/ HOST JON DUTCH
