Happy Halloween, everyone! I’ve been celebrating for about three months now, in preparation for the best holiday of the year. Of course, it’s time for the seasonal favorites, such as Dick Hennessy’s Strip Club Haunted House (happening at Spyce), Spirit Halloween’s Recently Closed Small Business Haunted By Capitalism or, my personal favorite spooky fall attraction, Watch Transplants Try To Drive In The Rain. Regardless of how you’re going to spend October, you’re still here and it’s almost 2020. Can you believe that shit? The future is now and we still don’t have a fucking headphone jack for our two-thousand dollar iPhones. But, thankfully, our magazine doesn’t require an internet connection, a charger or any headphones to enjoy. So, here’s what’s new in the town of homebrew and roses...
As I tend to repeat after most of our competitions, the dancers who made it to the final round of Exotic’s latest contest, Ink ‘N’ Pink 2019, are among the best of the best (and, in this case, the tattooedest of the tittied). If you took place in the event and made it to Dante’s, consider yourself a winner. And, if you even took the leap to stage, only to not make it past the first rounds, you’re still leagues above any dancer who doesn’t have the drive to get on the pole in front of a live, judging audience. So, if you had anything to do with the event, we want to sincerely thank you. With that being said, our readers can see photos of every finalists later in this issue (be sure to show that shit off if you’re in the spread).
On to the winner, the lady who took home the title (and prize money) did so for a good cause. Katniss, representing Team BLU, donated her stage tips (which were quite hefty), as well as her compensation for winning the championship, to Mission22 (MI22ION), an organization that seeks to eliminate Veteran suicide. Here is their mission statement (no pun intended), taken from the organization’s website, Mission22.com:
"Mission 22 is a non-profit that combats the ever-rising veteran suicide rate. Every day, more than twenty veterans are lost to suicide. Mission 22 wants to bring that number to zero. It does this with three main programs; veteran treatment programs, memorials and national awareness. Mission 22 provides treatment programs to veterans for post-traumatic stress, traumatic brain injury and other issues they might be facing."
I’ve seen a lot of shit in my day, but a dancer using her prize money for good, after climbing the contest ranks and winning, is pretty damn cool. So, a huge shout out to Blu for putting together a team that includes Katniss, Ink ‘N’ Pink 2019 winner and the covergirl (and pinup) for this month’s Exotic. It’s amazing that, in the supposed "underbelly of entertainment" that is the strip club scene, we have some of the most decent, upstanding and selfless people among us.
Oh, I almost forgot...Miss Exotic Oregon 2020 qualifiers start this month! Check the calendar at the end of this column (as well as the ads) for dates and locations.
Do you know someone who is turning 18 soon (or, have you recently turned 18)? Well, the Northwest’s favorite taboo—literally, we’re talking about the video store, Taboo— is running a special for the newly legal. Come in during your birthday month (don’t worry... if you missed it by a day or two, they’ve got you covered) and receive a free gift basket from the store! I remember when I turned 18 and some friends joined me for my first "trip to the porn store," which was one of the best memories I’ve had, simply because turning 18 feels like getting let out of prison. However, said porn store was shady, the staff didn’t care that it was my birthday and they didn’t have much of a selection. Taboo, on the other hand, is the complete opposite of what I experienced at Shady Dave’s Porn & Things—clean, well-lit and spacious stores, friendly staff, a huge selection of outfits, toys and, of course, porn movies. So, if your friend is almost 18, plan a night out for their birthday and make sure to include Taboo in your plans.
Holy shit...there’s a movie about (and starring) Portland strip club family and, well, I gotta brag—I play "club owner, Eric." Later in this issue, you can read my official review of The Dancer Diaries, a film based on, starring and written about Portland-area exotic dancers. But, while that falls more into the "Ray’s Dumb Opinion" section of Exotic, you’re currently reading the news portion. So, I took the time this month, to catch up with director and writer, Andy Norris, for a brief interview.
Exotic: How did you get the idea to make the jump from gritty, real-life documentaries to fiction based on strippers?
Andy Norris: The idea for The Dancer Diaries came while I was working on my anti-war film, Targeting Iran (Brighteon.com/TargetingIran). Making that film had many emotional and psychological challenges—from sorting through disturbing war images, to trying to understand why the war-makers in Washington, Saudi Arabia and Israel were— and continue to be—so intent on attacking and destroying Iran. At the coast, where I lived part-time, I would go for a walk on the beach and smoke a joint after a long day of working on the film—immediate mind shift. When working in Portland, I would go to a strip club down the street—immediate mind shift. One night at the club, there was a dancer at the top of the pole, looking down at the roomful of disparate Portlanders and I thought, "What a great way to start a story!" That story came out rather quickly, so I wrote four more and intertwined them, with the idea of publishing the stories as a book, then pitching the book as a feature film. Six months later, we started shooting.
Is this the first film to accurately portray strippers on screen, at least in our neck of the woods?
Mainstream media has, more often than not, portrayed strippers as downtrodden souls, drug addicts and such. I think strippers get pigeon-holed—mostly because addressing sexuality in a public way makes many people uncomfortable. So, insecure folks revert to humanity’s puritanical roots and pick on them. Such media portrayal seems to be changing, though, possibly due to fair and accurate coverage of late, from bloggers, journalists and strippers, who have written articles and books themselves. Due to my documentary background, I wanted The Dancer Diaries to more or less accurately portray the work and nuances of being a stripper. This was largely achieved by casting the film with actual, working strippers and eexxoottiicc mmaaggaazziinnee || xxmmaagg..ccoomm 2277 giving them the space to be real.
While the film has some quality, sexy performances, I did notice that there is no nudity. Is there a reason for this, other than to reach a wider audience?
The formula for The Dancer Diaries brand is as follows: no nudity, no sex scenes and all lead roles are to be played by actual strippers, who also do a stage routine. These were instinctual, gut-level decisions made while I was developing the brand. There were no focus groups or audience tests—it just felt right. As it turned out, all of the actresses are incredibly beautiful and sexy as hell on stage, so the film is not lacking sexuality.
What was is like working with people who have limited-to-no acting experience?
I was definitely blown away by the natural talent of the actresses and actors, none of whom are professionally trained. From Elle’s ability to summon tears on command, to Toxic nailing a break-up scene, to Ray employing his talents as a stand-up comedian, there are some very impressive acting moments. I can’t take credit for any of that natural ability.
Where does The Dancer Diaries go from here?
The plan now is to develop The Dancer Diaries brand by opening up submissions to other writers/ producers/directors. The formula mentioned above would need to be followed and the pieces should come in around 10-15 minutes, but those are the only constraints, story-wise. Pay would be on the back end and tied to the success of the brand. There is potential to extend well beyond Portland, but the success of the brand is entirely dependent on this first installment. Five-star ratings go a long way on Amazon Prime Video’s platform, as do good reviews. Those are the things future backers will look at, as well as the number of views. So, if you’re feeling it, please rate and review the film on Amazon Prime (even if you are not a Prime member, the film can be rented or purchased for a few bucks on their site). Other platforms will be coming online soon and the distributor will be taking the film to several markets overseas in the coming months. But, right now, success on Amazon Prime Video is the focus. Folks interested in helping to develop the brand and/or submitting a completed 10-15 minute film can contact me via DancerDiaries.com.
SAT 5—CLUB SINROCK—MISS EXOTIC OREGON QUALIFIER ROUND I
TUE 8—SCARLET LOUNGE—CHLOE & VIOLET’S DOUBLE TROUBLE TUESDAY BIRTHDAY PARTY
FRI 11—CLUB OASIS—KALEAH’S BIRTHDAY PARTY
SAT 12—KIT KAT CLUB—JADE NILE’S BIRTHDAY CELEBRATION
SAT 12—THE VENUE—MISS EXOTIC OREGON QUALIFIER ROUND II
FRI 18—DESIRE—WHITE CLAW WET PANTY CONTEST
FRI 18—XPOSE—CHYNA’S BIRTHDAY PARTY
SAT 19—STARS CABARET (SALEM) MISS EXOTIC OREGON QUALIFIER ROUND III
SAT 19—CLUB 205—AMATEUR NIGHT
SAT 19—SHIMMERS—KITTEN’S RETIREMENT PARTY
THU 24—KIT KAT CLUB—MISS EXOTIC OREGON QUALIFIER ROUND IV
THU 24—LUCKY DEVIL LOUNGE—ZOMBIE STRIPPER NIGHT
THU 24-31—SPYCE—STRIP CLUB HAUNTED HOUSE
THU 24—THE SUNSET STRIP—VIP PINK PARTY
FRI 25—THE FIREHOUSE CABARET—VIP PINK PARTY
FRI 25—REVEAL LOUNGE HALLOWEEN BASH & COSTUME CONTEST
FRI 25—TOMMY’S TOO—DAISY DUKE CONTEST
FRI 25 & SAT 26—GUILTY PLEASURES—HALLOWEEN PREFUNK
SAT 26—DREAM ON SALOON—HALLOWEEN PARTY
SAT 26—STARS CABARET (BRIDGEPORT & SALEM) HEAVEN & HELL HALLOWEEN PARTY
TUE 29—KIT KAT CLUB—BJ MCNAUGHTY’S BIRTHDAY BASH
THU 31—CHEETAHS & CLUB 205 HALLOWEEN PARTY
THU 31—CABARET—HALLOWEEN COSTUME CONTEST
THU 31—DEVILS POINT—HALLOWEEN NIGHT ‘90S THEME PARTY
