Devon Hunter

I try to be very kind to people when they think they’re in love with me, because I know that it’s easy to fall very deeply into a fantasy. But that’s what it is. I know this. And yet, right now I find that I am caught up in something that cannot be.

I’m lucky in that I know this man, and we have conversed at length. He is absolutely my physical type. He is so sweet, hardworking, and charming. I just want him for myself. I just love him. And yet, today, he chose to stay with a jealous, controlling boyfriend. I got relegated to “dude” status. Yes, that’s a demotion from “stud.”

So, know this: I know exactly what it’s like to get wrapped up in a fantasy. I’m not mad. I was lucky that the object of my affection was such a nice person. I told him today not to text me again for a while. Too many windows in my heart were opened up for the first time in a long time. I have to close them back and shutter them tight again. I’m lucky that I know how.

I worked this weekend at a really beautiful club, which was more like a gay entertainment complex than a club. It had at least four sections, not to mention an outdoor patio area more akin to an enclosed football field. It was huge! The people were friendly, the place was well-designed and clean, and they even had a shower area for the dancers behind plate glass. Very cool.

I was, however, accused this weekend of being a player (excuse me, “playa”) by someone whom I can only think of as what is referred to as a wigger/wigga/whigga. This patron took it upon himself to “fall in love with me,” making it a huge point to repeat incessantly that he liked me because of my smile, eyes, and mind (and that my body is simply icing on the cake). Interesting, since it was too dark for him to see my smile or eyes all that well and I hadn’t said more than five words (I do admit, however, that they were multisyllabic words nonetheless). He then asked how he might get to know me better (so of course, being the self-promoting gangsta that I am, I referred him to an earlier posting on this blog: see Gay-sek-shul, Bi-sek-shul, Buy-sek-shul, and Pay-sek-shul below). (Oh, sorry for all the parentheses in this blog: Parentheticals iz gangsta)

He said that since I am a stripper (see blog entry entitled Exotic Dancers vs Strippers) I must therefore also be a player (as in someone who plays with other people’s feelings), and he would thus not be able to trust me with anything other than his penis. (insert pregnant pause) It was difficult, but I maintained decorum. Oh, the absurdity I tolerate whilst on my quest to rock out with my cock out…

I have been doing bookings more and more at clubs that bring me in as a special performer, and I have been running consistently into the same challenges at all these venues that do not normally have exotic dancers. Here are some suggestions for managers/owners who do not have experience working with male entertainers:

1. Avoid scheduling male dancers the same night as female impersonators. These two very different types of performers do not attract the same kind of crowd, and since queens are consistent headliners more often than strippers it will be a crowd that is not receptive to anything except cabaret. I cannot say this more clearly: Do not put kings and queens on the same stage on the same night.
2. Be sure that there is a place of prominence for the male dancer(s). Putting us on the dance floor kills our ability to make money. We need to either be higher than the rest of the crowd, more brightly lit, or both. Also, patrons should not be allowed to get on the stage/pedestal/podium - it distracts from the dancer.
3. ADVERTISE. ADVERTISE. ADVERTISE. Put notices up in your club weeks in advance. Put the word out several times on your Myspace profile. Make announcements in various print and radio media. ADVERTISE. If we’re not regulars, how else will anyone know we’re coming?
4. Create a private place for private dances. If you do not do this, expect to pay a higher booking fee to make up for the straight out loss of revenue.
5. Provide an emcee who will educate the crowd about tipping. I find it is extremely intimidating for people who aren’t used to it to tip male dancers. Many patrons who have rarely or never seen male dancers are completely terrified of tipping - they must be encouraged via the p.a. system to get up and tip!