The Leaver, ROFL and I have embarked upon a new adventure together, film. We are in the research stage of a documentary and decided to hit a few strip clubs to begin our adventure.
Upon arriving at the first club, it became obvious that many people – mostly men – select strip clubs as a locale for business meetings. It also became obvious that the recession had not impacted business – with each new dancer the stage would get covered in George Washingtons.
The second strip club we visited was more our style. The dancers selected their songs from a juke box, the lighting – though black on stage – was warmer, and you could play pool while you drool. ROFL was much more intrigued by these dancers and opted to place a few George Washingtons on the stage. “Shoot. She didn’t see me put them there,” he told me. “She’ll figure out they’re from you,” I began to tell him as he approached the stage and told her, “That tip is from me.”
She eventually left the stage and was making her way around the bar thanking customers for tips. She thanked ROFL and he advised her, “We’re filmmakers.” He continued to share information with her about our project and, after gathering the needed research, we left to do some filming at Greek Fest. “I really liked saying ‘We’re filmmakers’ and I think she liked it too,” ROFL told us. “You look the part. The ball cap and facial hair – very Ron Howard,” I told him.
We arrived at Greek Fest with only minutes to spare before we needed to film the traditional Greek dancing. Not wanting to pay the cover, I followed ROFL’s lead and told the festival staff, “We’re filmmakers and need to get to the main stage to film the traditional dancing.” “Who are you with?” they asked. The Leaver name dropped – very Greek and very effective – and we were in like Flynn.
We started filming and by the third or fourth dance, as is tradition in the Greek culture, audience members began throwing money on the stage. Primarily, George Washingtons. “I feel like we’re at the strip club again,” ROFL commented. “I was just going to say the same thing,” The Leaver stated. And with that we took what was left of our George Washingtons, bought some loukoumades, and called it a night.