YAS Podcast: Miles Woods Episode #11 Transcript
Miles Woods, aka @yungpolemaster is a stripper whisperer. He truly cares about the stripping community, is a stripper himself and has dedicated his work to supporting and teaching strippers across the country. Young and wise, AM had the chance to chat with this rising super star and he’s full of joy and love. His perspectives are fresh and his experiences are from all angles, as a male stripper who sometimes performs at all female clubs. Something not very many men can say for themselves.
*This transcript was auto-generated and may contain minor errors.* Begin transcript after opening credits.
AMD: This has been another week of coronavirus lockdown, so we are still recording from our homes and in remote locations. As you can tell, one of us is in San Francisco right now, uh, and the other is in their bedroom. It’s like, I’m kidding. Uh, he’s not in San Francisco, but anyways, uh, you know, to start off with a thought for this podcast. Um, so yesterday I did a live interview on a Pole LOL’s Instagram account, uh, with Dan Rosen. And we talked a lot about, um, how to treat each other in the, the pole dance and stripper community, and how there’s a divide, and how that’s sort of kind of shrinking, but it still does exist. And one of the things that Dan asked is how do we sort of like, how do we fix that almost? And I said, you know, the best thing to do is just to keep having conversations about the origins of pole dancing and how strippers are the creators of pole dancing and that we should just respect and love each other for how we choose to express ourselves
Um, and you know, there is a small percentage of us that kind of dance on both sides. of being recognized as a pole dancer and being recognized as a stripper. And one of my favorite things to say is, some, not all strippers pole dance and not all pole dancers strip. And that’s because you can do both or do one or do the other and you don’t have to do both. Just because you do one doesn’t mean you’re automatically a certain way. And so, you know, it’s really important for us to not only educate each other, but definitely to educate like mainstream public about what pole dancing is versus what stripping is and why they’re both awesome and why any way you do any of it is okay. And one of the people that also dances on this line of being recognized as a pole dancer and as a stripper is our guest that’s on air with me right now, Miles.
MW: Hello
AMD: You identify as a pole dancer and as a stripper. Am I correct in my thoughts?
MW: Yes. Yes, you are perfectly correct. And again, I was teeter tottering too because I was introduced to this communit by strippers. But I didn’t have a home for me to strip at, you know what I’m saying? Because I was a male, I didn’t really have a home. So I found pole studios. So then I merged both of them together. And I was like, I love what I do. I love stripping. I love pole dancing. Let’s rally it up together.
AMD: Totally, totally. And you as like, you know, I felt a struggle for so long as pole dancing was like rising up and I was having conversations in the strip clubs with other strippers who were like Fuck people who pole dance and took our thing and did it at home and and I was like, whoa Well, like it’s chill. They don’t mean anything and then not a stripper came out and like that generation was around that started happening around 2008 When did you start like poling and stripping?
MW: So I have always had a love for dance and um, let’s say stripping, I guess. I didn’t find out about it until after I graduated from high school, which was 2011. So 2011 was when I found out about stripping. After that it went boom! So, I did not get into a pole studio, though, until about 2013, and the thing about it for me was I wanted to help strippers be better dancers. It was never for me about pole. It was always me seeing women that were really like, damn, I want to be better. I want to do better, but I can’t learn anywhere, none of these girls want to teach me. I don’t know what to do. And I said, Oh, say less. So, I took it upon myself to be really somebody who wants to build the community from within, you know? I feel like a lot of girls didn’t have a place to go or they felt ostracized. Like you said, hashtag not a stripper. Some pole dancers aren’t strippers and they make sure you feel that. So when you come to my classes, anybody knows they never feel that at all.
AMD: Have you seen that firsthand what you just said like you go-
MW: Yeah
AMD: Like you said strippers go to the pole studio…. Can you um, do you have an example? You don’t have to use names or anything, but can you tell us a little bit about that?
MW: Yeah, the thing about me is I’ve completely developed my brand to be like the stripper whisperer like the stripper instructor like my whole Brand is to teach strippers and the thing is I think sometimes people will go to pole studios and they’ll be like, yeah I saw Yung Pole Master pole dance and I want to learn and they’re like, oh, we don’t do that stripper stuff Take your heels off We’re gonna do a nice 30 minute warm up and then we’re gonna go into a pole sit and then the girls are like well, damn this isn’t gonna make me money. I don’t know what I’m gonna do. Also too- It’s also not only the instructor, but sometimes the people taking classes completely violate these girls. Like, Oh, how much do you make a night? Oh, what’s the craziest thing that’s ever happening at the strip club? Just in this like, damn bitch, I’m just here for a class.
AMD: Like they’re goldfish in a fishbowl. Yeah.
MW: Yes. So that’s why in my environment, my workshops are stripper, um, friendly, even if you do dance. If you don’t dance, it’s okay, but it’s a community where you can feel safe. You can feel okay. We can talk about different clubs. We can talk about the pros and the cons. And we also always talk about the future of the industry. Well, I’m the type of person where you take my class. It’s, it’s bigger than a pole class. Like, I really care about my students and I want the best for them, so I completely analyze them from their personal situations. What’s your hustle? Are you a stage girl? Are you a floor girl? Are you a VIP girl? You know, it’s deeper than just a pole. Like, it’s a whole
AMD: Totally.
MW: It’s a whole thing, you know, obviously you understand.
AMD: 100 percent because then there’s times where like, okay, so there are these scenarios where I’d be dancing in Vegas and I would be with one customer for like six hours in like the champagne.
MW: Right.
AMD: And it’s like,
MW: hold on, hold on. First off. Clap clap clap clap
AMD: Thank you. There’s only so much. Wiener grinding you can do for six hours. So you got to be clever in your movement and then like maybe do stuff on the floor and then figure out how to do stuff on the couch without wiener grinding for six hours. Yes. Um, I just love that word by the way.
MW: I have the biggest smile on my face. I’m like, yo, but you’re so right though. And I, and again, As a male instructor, I give girls a different point of view. You know, sometimes women teaching other women, it can either be really good or really bad. You know, sometimes it can get pretty, like- not combative, or it could be like a conflict of interest or a sense of competition. But for me, when I’m teaching, I want the best for my students. Like I’m a male, so I know what guys like, so I can talk about the VIPs. I can like my, you know, I might be gay, but my dick gets hard too, so I’m, you know, I’m able to
AMD: Sure,I mean, yeah!
MW: I’m able to touch on those things. And that’s a big part too, like again. Knowing how to talk to my student about those rooms because let’s say you go to a pole studio and you’re like, okay I want to learn tricks, but I want to get a vip too. I want to make money. I’m like, okay girl I got you if that’s what you want to do You got to make sure you’re walking the floor you’re talking to them. Tap them on the shoulder Let’s your let them know that you’re going to get on stage. If you’re not a stage girl talk about what you can do in the back room. And you can even sell a dream girl. You can say you do 30, 000 things in the back and only do three, but they’re still hoping for that 30, 000 trick on the sixth hour. So it’s a whole mind game on top of it too. And I just love that I’m in this, um, in this space.
AMD: That’s so interesting. I want to get some more background on you and then circle back to how you got to this point of helping strippers. And so you said- You remind me a lot of Josiah as far as your story. Josiah Bad Ass Grant.
MW: Um, love him. Yeah, love Josiah.
AMD: Well, he is a massive pioneer in this industry and he also started at a very young age. He was actually 16, he was still in high school. So how I was 17. I was really young when I graduated high school. How old were you?
MW:I had just turned 17 and I was, I was a freshman in college and my-, I had moved to Kansas to live with my dad. My dad had owned a liquor store for 25 years, and I was going to school, um, getting my psychology degree, and for my human sexuality courses, I was looking for research topics. I was like, okay, I want to come a little bit different. Here I am in Kansas. What can I do a little- be a little bit different? So my sister, my big sister, she’s gay. So all of her friends were lesbians and they were all studs, but all their girlfriends were pretty strippers. And I was like, Oh my God, why do you guys look so pretty? They’re like, come check us out at the club. Again, I was not 18 yet. So I had to get one of my friends fake IDs and I went in there and I was doing my math homework in a VIP room, literally doing my math homework and I was doing my math homework. I was looking up. I was like, whoa, this is what they do. Boom. This is gonna be my next topic. So I started researching. I started, you know, analyzing what Stripping really was. It wasn’t about the pole. It wasn’t about the dance. It was about the communication, the relationship building, the alcohol, the, the real life scenarios that come. And then dancing came last because I ran up on the pole and found out it’s fun. And I was like, whoo!
I think I can, I think I can have some fun with this. It started with the behind the scenes and then pole became, it was like, it was easy for me, pole was easy for me, but my whole thing was like the mental, the mental game, the money, the connections. And then polel came after. And once I moved back after college to Los Angeles, I went to a pole studio and they offered me a job. a week later. So it was kind of like,
AMD: What studio was that?
MW: This was Simply Irresistible in Bakersfield, California. Oh, and that’s where I met Josiah. I met Josiah at Simply Irresistible because everybody, when I walked in, they’re like, you’re little Josiah. And this is in 2013. They’re like, you’re little Josiah. You’re little Josiah. And then, you’re little Josiah. Fast forward, me and Josiah worked together for Britney Spears. We danced together. Like, that was, like, he’s like a big brother to me. Like, I really love him.
AMD: Oh, that’s so nice to hear.
MW: Yeah, no, Josiah, that’s, that’s, he’s near and dear to my heart, so. Yeah. Um, I, I’m thankful for people like him, and I hope I can inspire more people like us.
AMD: I think you already are. I mean, you’re super well known. You kind of came up for me personally, I was like, Oh, okay. Cause like when I, when I finally found out who you were, I was like, Oh, like he’s fast tracked though. Like, it was like, it wasn’t because, and maybe that’s because I’m not in the pole community scene as much as I used to be, like as active as I used to be. And so I always knew who was up and coming and you just kind of were like a storm that came out of nowhere. And it’s great. It’s been really great watching you rise. Um, cause you do like. Okay, hold on. I’m getting ahead of myself. So you were in co- you were in high school. It’s just like Josiah. It’s so funny. He did the same thing. He went to a strip club, met strippers, fell in love with strippers.
MW: Yes.
AMD: Um, before I get into the other thought that was in my head, I, I’m curious about something I was talking to someone the other day is how the younger generation is more woke than my generation, so I’m almost 40, um, and you’re still in your early 20s.
MW: Yeah, I just turned 26.
AMD: Okay, great. Um, but you have been exposed to like the internet and more cultures for a much longer time. Comparatively to me by the time I was 26. So what was your like thoughts about strippers or did you have any negative thoughts or misconceptions before you went to the strip clubs?
MW: Not, not at all. Um, I actually, so just a quick little tap. My aunt, she was, um, in the sex industry. She was a sex worker back in the seventies. She was actually killed. She was killed by a John and was decapitated on the side of the highway. And it’s still a cold case.
AMD: I’m so sorry,
MW: But listen, this is going to, it’s going to all make sense. So she eventually had a daughter. Which is my cousin. Um, she’s in her thirties now and she got into the life. So she was working on the, she was on the blade. She was walking the streets, has like eight kids in the foster system. I love her to death. Seeing her and knowing the story about my aunt, I was like, I want to do better for my women. I want them to do better and be better and know that they have more opportunities. Right? So then I found out about the strip club. So I was like, okay, well they’re in a safer environment. Um, they’re not on the street. If, you know, if anything happens, they’re in the city. Yes. You know, so that’s why I went to school for psychology because I wanted to have a home for women that had been beaten and abused and needed to have rehabilitation.
I wanted to do that since I was 13 years old. So. Once I found the strip club, I said, Holy fuck, I can help women through dance. That’s what I’m, that’s what I was like. I can help women through dance, whether it be for an hour, whether it be income, that’s always been my goal. So when you say a fast track, my goal was never to be a pole star. I was never to be a performer. It wasn’t like competition. My thing was to help women make more money and be better than they were yesterday. So I’m getting kind of emotional, but that’s why I got into it. And that’s why you probably see my success because I really care about the community, but the stripper community is bigger than the pole dance. Like if you still take the pole away, we still have memories and just communities and different-. Like just being a dancer. We just have, I feel like we have a level up. Like pole dancing is one thing, but being a stripper is a completely different thing. The things that we go through, the experiences, it’s just something that I, I’m glad I’m involved in and just that it’s, it’s its own world. It’s its own world and I’m glad to be a part of it. And I just didn’t want to take from this world. I wanted to get back and I’m not even done yet. You know what I’m saying? Like we’re not even done yet. It’s just the beginning. So that’s kind of where. That’s where my platform is. I’ve always told that I want to just help women be better than they were yesterday.
AMD: I love that. Um, I actually I feel like this is a perfect Um, time and place to bring up something that, um, I’ve been talking about for several years and not a lot of people like to have this conversation, but I feel like you might be the perfect person to do it. Um, in Los Angeles specifically, that’s where I have my most experience stripping. I watched, uh, the rise of full service sex work happen within the strip clubs in LA. And when I was, when I was still immersed in my whorephobia, um, you know, I was resentful towards those dancers that were doing extras. Um, and we used to call them “dirty dancers”. And now I make sure I correct anybody that says that.
Um, it’s very derogatory and it’s. It’s unnecessary, um, but then I finally figured out that, oh, it’s the system. It’s the system. It’s not the dancers, because a long time ago in the early, very late 1800s, early 1900s, Full service sex work was outlawed or was criminalized and it forced all of the sex workers out of their brothels and their homes onto the streets and street full service sex work was created and then they started using the term “prostitution”, which is a very uh, offensive word to some people. And so now I preach to, to dancers. I would much rather have these women inside the clubs. practicing their work than out on the streets, like what you just said.
MW: Yes.
AMD: Um, but the issue is, because it’s still a criminal activity, there’s no regulation on it, and therefore, the assault and sexual harassment increased dramatically. Do you know anything about that history or like what I just said?
MW: Yeah. So I’m, I, I know girls, like I said, my actually live, my roommate is a full service sex worker. Um, that is her bread and her butter butter, but she obviously uses, you know, we’re in the 21st century. So she uses her online services like Eros. So, you know, various pages like that, but to hit on LA, LA has LA, their strip clubs. I feel like they’re legally pimping these girls. I feel like. You know what I’m talking about. They’re getting all this money taken away from them. It’s getting worse and worse and worse and worse. I feel like it’s borderline forcing girls to have to do full services.
AMD: In some cases, we’re hearing that.
MW: Yeah, it’s kind of like You know, now with these laws where, you know, they’re employees, and I, I, I’m glad that they have a sense, you know, now we are, like, employees, I’m glad that we are that, but in the same time, these strip clubs aren’t taking it seriously, they’re not helping the dancers, and it’s getting worse, and I know just after this COVID, I don’t know, I don’t know what’s gonna happen, you know what I’m saying? I’m not sure. How things are going to change. But as far as full service sex work in the club, touch- like, piggybacking on what you said earlier. I was like that too, whorephobic. Like, ooh, like, what the hell? Like, what are y’all doing? But then as you get older and as you start to understand, you’re like, oh.
AMD: Right. Once you start to think for yourself, finally.
MW: That makes complete and utter sense. But also, too, like I said, if we could be in a club without having to do extras, that would be amazing, too, because, you know, realistically, that’s not even sanitary. Like, you know, doing things in the club is not sanitary.
AMD: Well, it’s not sanitary because there’s no regulations and standards because it’s criminalized and you can’t, um, you can’t, uh, what’s the word? Acknowledge it because it’s criminal. So therefore, it’s completely like, it’s like the wild, wild west. It’s very dangerous on all levels. Sanitation, Harassment and assault. Like I, one of the reasons I left stripping in LA is because I was getting assaulted several times a night because I wasn’t willing to- my boundaries were different than other people’s boundaries and because there was no education with the clients walking through the door, like, hey, like, if you want this, you talk to her or you go here. And if you want this, you go here.
MW: And I love that. I love that. Like, I love that.
AMD: Do that in Mexico.
MW: Right.
AMD: So check this out. I went to Mexico once, got hired.
MW: Where’d you go? Where’d you go?
AMD: I’ll tell you. I don’t remember the name of the club, but it was in Puerto Vallarta. And if I, if I like Google like strip clubs in Puerto Vallarta, I might remember. And, um, and we were, we got hired to do shows for a very special event. They do like special shows. It’s a special, huge grand events there at this one place. And we were just the entertainment and we got topless and we, um, we weren’t there to do lap dancing. And we went into these back rooms and they were these little pod rooms, but they, they had booths inside the rooms and they had bathrooms inside each room.
MW: No way.
AMD: And we went into the room and I’m like, and there was a row of them. And I was like, I know exactly why there’s a bathroom in this room. It’s because they want to keep the customer there for as long as possible. They don’t have to leave to go to the bathroom. So they can, yeah. And it means that they, they’re doing more in these rooms. And so we’re getting ready. And my one friend is very, was very naive at the time. And this guy walked in and he was like the bouncer. He said, listen, this is your dressing room. I just want to let you know that these are the sex rooms and over here to your left, which you walked past me, when you came in here, those are the blowjob rooms. So just make sure that you’re being quiet and respectful when you’re back here. So you don’t disturb what’s going on. And I was like, yeah, sure. No problem. And, and I was like, you know, he left and I was like fixing my hair and she’s like, girl, did you hear what he just said?
And I was like, yeah, she’s like, Oh my god. And I was like, What? I’m like, that’s actually great that we know what’s going on. Yeah.
MW: Thank you. It’s already laid out in LA, girl. You don’t know what’s going on.
AMD: No, and they had a lap dance area. So if you wanted lap dances, you went there. If you decided, you know, after one lap dance, you know what, I want to blow job. It’s like, okay, we’d go to the blow job section and we’d go there. So you know exactly what you’re getting and everyone’s safe.
MW: Exactly. And I feel like that’s really important, you know, keeping everybody safe. And again, the customer is really the customers that are just, we throw everything off because they’re not in their right space of mind. They’re on drugs or drinking alcohol. Sometimes the staff, it really is like the staff, the management, what really makes a club is like I said, staff management and clientele. Sometimes if all three are great, like if I go to Atlanta and I’m in Magic City, I’m like, Whoa. The clients know what time it is, the dancers know what time it is, and the staff knows it. But then you go to a certain hole in the walls, and you’re like, Damn, the management sucks, which forces the girls to feel defeated, and then it just brings the clientele, it’s just the energy, the vibe. So I’m glad to hear things like that in Mexico, where it’s like, It’s laid out. If you do it, cool. If not, okay. But I just wish all clubs were like that.
AMD: I mean, Mexico does do some things right, like food and cocaine and strip clubs.
MW: Look, period. Period.
AMD: Well, you know, it’s funny that you say like in some places they know what time it is, in some places they don’t. It reminds me of another thing that I’ve been saying a lot lately is that it’s people. It all boils down to people. It’s not about what type of person you are, it’s that you’re just people. And so, Some people like, you know, you want to use, like, what can I compare it to? You know, I’ve talked to some lawyers that they don’t know what time it is. And then I’ve talked to other lawyers and they know what time it is.
You know what I mean? I think it’s just a matter of people having standards with the work that they’re doing and appreciating the work that they’re doing. Um, so yeah, um, I just love that you’re doing this work. Do you have your own place like your own place of business that you’re teaching people at?
MW: So I um, I currently rent out Space from Jagged. Um, I rent space out and I have like, um, a monthly workshop So I’ll have certain days out of the month I have like eight days where girls will pay for either a half month or a full month. And on those select days they come and see me because on top of that i’m usually on tour I’m, usually hitting like two to four cities a month teaching workshops. And then I’ll do private lessons on top of that as well in my workshops I’ll go to like Miami, New York, Seattle, Portland, Atlanta
AMD: You’re going to Strip club cities. Those are all strip clubs.
MW: You gotta understand they don’t have anybody else to do it You know, so that’s what that’s been my bread and butter for the last year Um, so I really didn’t have anything in LA because after the laws changed, love, my clientele went down 50 to 60%.
AMD: Well because the wage theft increased. That’s why. The wage theft increased. So the, the, these businesses, all of the strip clubs all across America, their business model is based off of wage theft.
MW: Yes. Period.
AMD: That’s where the majority of their money comes from is wage theft. And our government has allowed to, allowed it to happen.
MW: Yeah. And like I said, it’s so bad out here in LA and I just felt, I just felt like there was so much I wanted to do at the time. Like I said, 2019, literally when the law, it was like, whoa, there was a shift, girls were getting fired, moving. So the whole dynamic changed. Um, we still have positive though. You know, we’re still positive. We’re still out here fighting the fight. You know, we’re not going to give up, but. It was kind of disheartening, you know, I just felt bad for some of these girls and I was like, damn, like, I wish I could do more, but at that, at that time and point, there was nothing I could really do because the clubs were just like, it was a, it was a mad sweep, but I’m.
AMD: Have you thought, I mean, one of the best ways in my opinion, um, for things to get better is for everyone to come together and, and Right. Unionize basically.
MW: Right.
AMD: Um, because these-
MW: And I’m glad, like I said, your, your event, so soldiers for pole, like you getting with the community has been a blessing because we do not have that, you know? You don’t. So I’m glad that you put together events. You’re focused on making people knowledgeable about what is out there in the community.
AMD: Yeah. And more than that, we’re, we’re talking to like local, like, like California labor fed. And we talked to like politicians and we, we write to them on behalf of strippers. Like I have information and we’re getting ready to disseminate to strippers about all the things that you’re saying, um, and about unemployment and all the uncertainty that’s happening right now So right that’s the best way. So yeah, if you want to do more like we can talk offline
MW: Like I said, I have a platform i’m the type of person I have a platform I will repost I will share I like if you can just give me the tools and I will Put it out there. You know, um, cause I, especially now that we’re all in the house.
AMD: Yeah, totally.
MW: And we’re all sitting down and we don’t know what’s gonna happen. I am so here for it. Cause like I said, I wanna make sure everybody’s doing better and we can all, you know, benefit from the years to come.
AMD: Yeah. And, and just to be clear to our viewers, you’re based in Los Angeles, not in San Francisco.
MW: No, I just, I just move on my bed in the background, you know?
AMD: So for those of you who, who don’t have video right now, Miles is sitting in front of a, um, San Francisco backdrop using zoom. So, um, yeah, so it might be, it’s funny. Um, so how, uh, how, when do you get to go back on tour? Do you have any idea?
MW: No, because the worst part about this love is we are currently living in the United States and we’re not united.
AMD: I know.
MW: We’re not united. So it’s like, I have workshops in Miami. I don’t know when I’m going to be able to go to Miami because Florida has just started their lockdown process.
AMD: So weird. Yeah.
MW: I have classes in New York. New York is looking grim. Yeah. You know, they have over 5,000 deaths. So, and, and the worst part about this all is that we are going into a recession. So I can, like I said, I can go back on tour, let’s say Trump was like, yeah, we’re open back up. Okay. Well. What about COVID testing? Some of us don’t even have health insurance. Um, like the traveling. Are we going to be able to travel from state to state? You know, are the girls going to have income? It’s kind of like a, I’m holding my breath. I’m doing online classes right now, but right now I’m like, geesh. Again, I just wish our president was handling this better, but I’m trying to stay on top of it. I have to watch news every day because each state is different. I feel like it’s a competition, like, we’re doing better, we’re doing more tests. I’m like, we all need to be on the same page.
AMD: Yeah, we’re all on the same freaking boat here.
MW: Yeah, we’re all, so I’m like, San Francisco had did a really good job. I was supposed to be in San Francisco the 22nd. I had a sold out workshop, 20 girls.
AMD: Wow. Good for you.
MW: And then they did the lockdown. So those girls are still ready. They’re like, we want you to come. But I’m like, it’s, it’s going to be deeper than that. We need to get the virus handled. Traveling is going to be different. Um, Los Angeles. New York and San Francisco have huge international- they’re huge international hubs. So, I just, as of right now, I’m like holding my breath and I just think we just need to adapt for sure. I’m just thankful that we are, you know, in 2020 and we can do FaceTime calls and we can all be connected. Because I couldn’t have did this in 1920. And also, funny thing too, is I was telling my friends, I personally don’t even think I could have been in this position lin like five years ago, 10 years ago to just sit down and be in an apartment. I was hustling. I was grinding, you know, now I’m like, I can sit in my fake San Francisco room and be comfortable and playing with, you know, creators and developers like yourself and other people who- we’re just at a deeper level right now. We’re on a different level of woke and we’re adapting to the situations thrown at us. You know, this, this situation is going to really show who’s a survivor and who’s weak. As bad as that sounds, I think we’re all survivors. Seriously, in this club, like, we’re all, we’re all like so strong. I don’t see any of us giving up. I see a lot of us adapting. A lot of us are going to online content. A lot of us are teaming up, gathering with each other, seeing what’s going on here, there. And that’s what I love about our community. No matter what, we’re always going to come together and figure out the fight. What can we do?
AMD: And which community exactly are you speaking about?
MW: The stripping community. The stripping community. The strippers.
AMD: Aren’t they great?
MW: They’re so great. I see my strippers tipping. I mean, cam girls, sex workers, all of it. We’re tipping each other. We’re taking care of each other. We’re doing so much. Now, as far as the pole dance community, Um, I love, I love my pole dance community. I do. They’re just not feeling the same effects that we are. They’re not, their pulse goes, their pulse goes close. They’re crying like, I can’t breathe. I’m like, bitch, that’s what you’re crying about? Bitch, we’re out of work. Bitch, we’re out of jobs. Like, bro. It’s the bigger pictures. Like, not only are we out of work, but baby, our tricks, our customers are out of work, and they’re at home with their kids, their wives going crazy, wishing they had their Anna, wishing they had their, you know, their Jezebel right now, but they don’t have it, so it’s like, like I said, the stripping community, I love it so much because we’re going through a different, we’re going through historical times right now. That’s all I can say is we’re going through historical times. And again, the whole dance and communities hurt in one way. Okay. You can’t be your workshop. You can’t have your pulse. Okay. Strippers. On the other hand, our customers are out of work. We’re out of work. Our clubs might not be able to open up due to the fact that the rent being paid, like we’re literally figuring out our next move day by day.
AMD: They’re getting discriminated against by the government and by financial stimuluses. So they are.
MW: And it’s the funny thing is, is that all those politicians will be the first ones in line paying for some pussy. Well, our president, number one, our president, maybe not Mike Pence. I don’t know if Mike Pence has ever had sex in his life. Um, maybe he has a kid? Maybe?I don’t know what his life is,
MW: On the other hand, I know guys like him. They’re the ones that come into the club, like high and mighty. Still spinning the bag.
AMD: Definitely, but they, you know, they’ve denied, um, small business loans to sex worker owned businesses. Um, and in Nevada, they’re denying unemployment to legal sex workers, which is really weird because Nevada is the only state, I think, or one of the only that it has full service sex work illegal. Um, so it’s like, you guys kind of rely on that work and they pay a lot- like, they keep your clubs running, which pay a lot in property tax and payroll tax. Right. Keep your city running, and you’re not gonna give them anything?
MW: That’s bullshit. Ooh!
AMD: What? And there’s 12, 000 strippers in Nevada, and to work in a strip club in Nevada, you have to pay for a business license, which is like $300. So they made all this money off of these strippers. And they won’t give them anything back. And it’s absolute bullshit.
MW: That makes me mad.
AMD: Absolute bullshit. Yeah, and so, um, you know, one of the things that some of us want to do too is like write to the lawmakers and the decision makers in Nevada. So if you want to join me on that one.
MW: No. Like I said, any initiatives that you have, just spell it out for me and we can team up because again, everybody’s in the house. You know, it’s harder when we’re all traveling, we’re stripping across the country and you know, I’m going here and there and everywhere. Now’s the time. Like now we have to team up because. The future of our industry is in our hands.
AMD: Totally. Yeah. Did you have, this is a little bit of a subject change, but not really. Did you have any friends that worked at the Superbowl, um, the Superdome Superbowl party this last year?
MW: Yeah. Uh, the, oh, the Stripper Bowll.
AMD: Yeah. That’s what, yeah. Thank you. Yeah.
MW: Look.
AMD: Did you have friends there?
MW: Sure did!
AMD: Yeah, I heard it was terrible, terrible, terrible.
MW: So, the thing about that is, what, how do I explain this? The stripper bull is not for, uh, a financial gain. It’s an experience. So, you have to do the math, right? It’s kind of like, if, uh, Like you can’t rely on the stripper bowl to save your life. It’s not a, it’s, it’s mainly for the artists and the rappers to have a place to show out and look cute. The dancers in that specific environment are like, how do you put this? Um, they’re there for just the extras, just the show. You’re in a room with 300 girls and you have to split money and the people are keeping money. People are putting money in their bags. And they take prop, they take a cut out of that from the marketing team, the management that. So that’s- I’ve never recommended anybody to go to that unless they wanted to have a good time, drink for free, be around some of your favorite girls and be around celebrities where you can clientele. If you’re a real business woman, you’ve got business cards in your titty bitch. Boom, boom, boom. Because realistically you might see that client later, but in that environment, they’re just trying to have fun. They might throw money, they might not. Some girls, because at the day
AMD: They were like swimming in money.
MW: But again, there’s 350 girls. So you got to know, I, I don’t, they made like maybe a thousand a piece, which is good, but not all the money was distributed. Again, we’re keeping money, taking money. Um, you know, there’s people, you know, how strip clubs can be, they take your bag. People digging in it. That’s why I’m like, again, it’s not anywhere I would recommend anybody to go to. But like I said, if you just, if we’ve already made our money, let’s say we’ve made 15,000 and I’m like, girl, you want to go? You want to go straight to that? Let’s just go do it. Like, it’s supposed to be fun. You shouldn’t be going in there thinking it’s a hustle. You’re not doing dances. You’re not doing VIP.
AMD: I don’t know. I, I, I have to disagree with you on that. I mean, you go to an event like that because you assume that it’s going to rain a shit ton and you’re going to make money. I think that that was their mentality a lot.
MW: Yes. But that’s, and I want that, you know me, I want that for anybody, but they aren’t trying to have that for the strippers. The strippers are the last thing that’s on their mind, like the people that organize the events.
AMD: And that’s the problem.
MW: Yes, it is. It’s fucked up. But that’s how they move. I don’t like, when you go to my, Pole Olympics are art events. You know, we have events. The strippers are the eyes. They’re the prize. We are there to glorify the dancers. That’s why we need people like us in this industry. So if we had a stripper ball, it’d be a motherfucking stripper ball.
AMD: You’re right.
MW: But when you have people that are misogynistic and have, you know, Pimp like mentality. They’re going to prey on girls who need that money and make them get into an environment where they’re hopeful for the biggest amount possible just to take it from them. That’s what I don’t like. And that’s why I’m not, I will never recommend anybody to go there unless they are trying to have fun and enjoy the experience-
AMD: Because it’s not where you’re going to make money.
MW: Yep. And that’s it. That’s all.
AMD: That’s an interesting perspective.
MW: Yeah. You know?
AMD: I hear that. I’m glad I brought that up.
MW: Yes. Because like I said, we have people, like us, where we create events and it’s Is that you feel the energy in the room. That last event that you had I get chill I get chills
AMD: I know..It was so fun. He’s talking about the event. He’s talking about is raising hell to end discrimination It’s an event that we um organized for Soldiers of Pole. It was only our second event We were preparing our third when covet 19 struck Um, and now we’re like trying to do stuff online, but it’s not the same Same as being in the room with all these amazing dancers,
MW: It’s just that room, The Federal, the poles, and some people haven’t even seen like strippers before and they just, after we perform, they walk up to everybody. They’re like, that was so amazing. That was one of the best things. People are tipping. They are just in awe. You have all walks of life there, black, gay, straight, trans, amputee, just everything Everybody, it was nothing but love, you know, and just support. So I know once this is over, things like that are going to be back on track. Like we’re going to need, we’re going to need events like that. We’re going to need this like Pole Olympics to show that we’re still in unity, that we’re still here, that we’re not going anywhere.
AMD: I love it. Yes,
MW: I love it. You feel it. I like literally I just, I live walking distance from the federal. So every time I walk past it, I’m kind of just like, yeah, but again, I’m glad that you, and let’s say, let’s say, well, you know, it’s, it’s going to happen again, but if things, you know, pursue- like continue to stay that way. At least we have those and we keep them near and dear to our hearts because things like that, that in this industry, you can think about the pros, like, yeah, you know, those, those nights I got broke and choked and all that shit, they got me fucked up. But those nights I had with my girls and my bitches, we made money and it was fun. Those are the times I really won’t forget. You know what I’m saying? And that brings a smile and joy. Once this is over, instead of that, I want to do more, like, have events like that where we’re super excited, super happy, and of course, with these new initiatives that you’re putting up, you know, putting me on game too, like what’s going on in Nevada, what’s going on with these walls, now developing just everybody’s home, developing a new group, a new team, and just build it, build it, build it, because everybody’s going to be home, and then once that’s done, We’re all out. Wasn’t I talking to you in New York? Weren’t you trying to sign that petition? Yes. That was me. Now come home. Now come home.
AMD: I love it. Yes. I love your vision. It’s like, it’s so positive, which we really need. Yeah.
MW: Yes, because we’ve been through so much. We’ve been through so much, you know, like.
AMD: Enough is enough.
MW: We put ourselves, we put our lives on the line in, in these clubs working. So I’m like, we can, we can get through this. You know, I’m like, we’re just going to have to adapt, be smarter and come together. Like you said, as a community, you know, we have to unite.
AMD: So quick question before we move on, where, where do you, where are you stripping like for your own, where you have your own clients and your own, um, audience. Cause you’re not with us with the girls, unfortunately. So.
MW: You know what? I actually make more money at straight strip clubs. So, funny thing is, I’ve danced at Crazy Girls, I’ve danced at Pacers, I’ve danced at Cheetahs, I’ve danced at Deja Vu. Um, I get booked as a special feature, or an entertainer, or a host. Um, the reason being is because I bring so much light to these girls that they in return Pay it forward. So usually I get booked. The managers love me cause the girls love me. The straight guys in the club.
AMD: You’re going into all female strip clubs and dancing as a male in all female strip clubs. That is like revolutionary. That’s not normal. That’s not like a common thing. I love that.
MW: And they love it. And they absolutely love it.
AMD: And are there men tipping too?
MW: Yes. They actually Amazing. I have videos and footage where guys are throwing hundreds of, hundreds of thousands of dollars on me. The reason being
AMD: Get out of here.
MW: Is like I said, I take, I take care of the girls and I build them up. So in return, they’re like, this is the one who teaches me, like, it’s him. You know, they get excited.
AMD: Oh, that is beautiful.
MW: Yeah. And also too, um, I am gay, right. But I’m not super flamboyant. So sometimes they’re like, Oh, he seems like the homie. He’s cool. Like he wasn’t, you know, he wasn’t trying to be a female, not that there’s anything wrong with that. But I’m not trying to step into your environment and take away from you. I’m not trying to, you know, put the hair on the outfit on and try to be like you, I want to be me. So that way inspires you to be a better you. You know what I’m saying?
AMD: Totally.
MW: Now we do have clubs in West Hollywood. Um, it’s just kind of hard for me to make money. West Hollywood, I’m not necessarily the type, you know, they’re looking for cis white male, the buff white dude or the off beat dancer, the hot Latin jock. So sometimes I get taken a step back. I mean, I still used to work at Blow. Uh, which was Penthouse Hollywood, which is across from the Abbey. Okay. But, they completely, they’re tearing that whole block down from the Hamburger Haven all the way down, they’re tearing Bossa Nova down, they’re tearing everything down to build a new hotel.
AMD: They’re taking Bossa Nova down?
MW: They’re tearing all of that down.
AMD: Okay. Bossa Nova’s the best Brazilian food in LA. The best Italian food, but they have more than one location. So they’re not tearing it off.
MW: Go to the one off of Sunset by Crazy Girls. Go to the one off Sunset across from Seventh Vale. Okay. Long story short, I danced at, um, Blow and I’ve danced at a couple of places in West Hollywood. But again, it’s just hard for me because some of these places do not have polls. Um, there’s no VIPs, there’s no interaction. You just get on a box and you dance for 60 and hope you get tipped. Um, the last place I danced at was in Atlanta. Um, before everything shut down for my birthday. I fucking loved it, girl. I fucking loved it because the customers knew they just knew it’s culture, right? Atlanta has strip culture. So there come- there was no ATM in the fucking club and I still cleared 500. People were like, can I get more money? But they knew what time it was, but the dynamic was the dancers were awesome. They were all black males, which is, you know, for me, all I had was Josiah and (inaudible), and those are my babies, but to be in an environment with just beautiful black males and just being appreciated, and I love all skin tones, don’t get me wrong, but just to be, you know how the stigma is in strip clubs, it’s so hard for me to get hired, play sales, or I’m just not what they want, but to be in an environment like that and be appreciated.
Just be paid and they loved it. They loved our energy. That’s what a strip club should be like, just good energy, good vibes and a place where you can profit and everybody’s happy. So it’s harder for males because it can get really seedy too. Like you can go to gay clubs and they’re sucking dick for 10 dollars. There’s a club. That out here is called BFD. Um, Big Fat Dick. And it’s on Thursdays. It’s on Thursdays. And you can go in there, the dancers are on boxes and they have their dicks out and you can suck it for a dollar. You can put a dollar in their underwear and their sucking dick. I, yes. So.
AMD: No, no
MW: Then again, and what I do is I’ll go in there sometimes and I’ll show them appreciation based upon their dancing alone and I’ll, you know, tip and I’ll be like, I do more like I’m a pole dancer. Like I, you know, I, it’s seeing that as a male, I’m like, Damn.
AMD: That’s just too low.
MW: Fuck, I can’t save everybody. Yeah. So, you know, I, it’s, it’s, it’s, it’s a lot. So that’s kind of like what it’s in the gay community. You’re either outta a good establishment or you’re at a really seedy, you know, because you know how guys are. So just imagine two guys, you already know how men are. So just imagine two males, they’re both like,
AMD: Yeah, I know how men are.
MW: I got a dick. So just imagine two guys, all guys room, room. And cocaine. Motherfuckers don’t know how to act. They don’t. They don’t.
AMD: Oh my god, you’re too much. I love this. Thank you. Holy shit. All right. We need to move on. We’re gonna move on. Yes. To stripper tips.
Stripper Tips
MW: So my stripper tip for currently to this day is to always be able to adapt to your situation. Um, Now, currently, like I said, we don’t have, we’re not in clubs right now, right? We’re not necessarily working, but how does a smart stripper adapt?
She’s made sure her clients, she has her clients phone numbers. She’s able to communicate with them. She’s able to still, you can still be a stripper from home. You know what I’m saying? Put your heels on, put your outfit on, sell the dream. You can always adapt. Just make sure you stay on top of the ball. Also take care of your mental health.
Um, I think that’s important too. I know like, especially with the times now you have to really just meditate and manifest on what you want and speak. On to the things that you need, even if your current situation isn’t where you want it to be. I feel like we’ve all struggled in this industry. But you have to understand we have all struggled in this industry.
So we have to focus on doing better and being better. I think, um, like I said, the last one too, is also when it comes to entertaining. Entertaining doesn’t mean you’re doing 3,000 backflips from the seat. Okay? You can entertain by your conversation, you can entertain by just, like, little quirky things that you can do, you can talk about fun things, like entertainment doesn’t have to be rolling around on the floor doing a thousand ways to die, and I’m telling you, that’s somebody who teaches. You know, women and men are like how to do this, but you can entertain somebody by getting to know them and just finding out what works for them. And again, yeah, you know, I think some people forget about that, their hidden talents or the communication skills, or even if you suck at, you know, communicating with somebody, you can still find ways to entertain them. We have phones now. You can play a game. You can play a little, a little game with a guy. You know what I’m saying?
AMD: Yeah, you can play Heads Up. Yeah, right on. Awesome.
MW: So it’s little things like that. Like I said, adapt. We’re in the 20th. You know, it’s 2020. Just find new ways. And if you don’t know how, we’re all here to help. You know, we’re all here to figure it out. You know, so. Yeah. Those are my tips for right now.