Male Stripper : The first contact
Male strippers are quite hard to find. After their shows they disappear in anonymity. What happens to the sexy uniformed man after he put on his normal clothes?
I am to meet my guy in Temple bar. Live mediocre music in the streets. Hen and stag parties roaming free. Lately, our former imperial masters are flocking in droves from the Kingdom to the Republic to celebrate with “craic agus ceol” the last days of one’s single life.
“ Do they accept sterling ?” , I overhear a young male with a London accent anxiously conversing with his friend that seems to have consumed half of the Guinness Factory.
I send a whatsapp message with my photo so that the male stripper recognises me. He sends one back. I notice the well defined jaws and the clean shaved face. I recognise a man that has trained to the point of having muscles on his face. He is running a few minutes late.
“ Are you the strippaaa?” Three English ladies are having a hard time to balance on their heels.
They are a classic example of the hen parties that hit the Temple Bar. They are drinking champagne, kindly provided by the establishment that has provided the hen package. A Hummer is roaring in the vicinity; the limo pub crawling tour of the Dublin watering holes is also on the package menu.. As are the males strippers.
“I am actually a blogger, waiting for the same male stripper.. For completely different reasons.”
“Is he a big man ?… she winks”
I am not aware of that daaaahling” ( I take a snip at her Luton accent that goes unnoticed)
The Show Man: Pro Male stripper
The attention is turned to a tall well shaped man with a white t-shirt and Rock boots. He is striding confidently towards me then put his hand on my shoulder . He doesn’t look like the males strippers on youtube.
“ Follow me”
I struggle to catch up as he races up two flights of stairs and we enter a dimly lit VIP area.
The bride to be is the last to enter the room …she pretends to want to walk away and the rest of the hens grab her and sit her on black leather couch positioned strategically under a spotlight.
Ri-Ri sings : work work work, and he is moving body to body. The lucky lady receiving the male stripper treatment has a reaction of admiration and desire followed by a hearty laugh. The rest of the hens have turned into football fans and the VIP room into a stadium. Within the space time of three songs he is left only with his jocks on and the keeps flexing his sweat dripping muscles to the music. Then he leaves the Bride for a few seconds and dances with the girls. They want to keep him for themselves. They are not shy. I sense some discomfort on his face after a pair of well manicured hands pinch his butt for the 20th time or so.
Then I notice that the bride has left nail marks on his back. He makes his moves and guides her hand to his waistline. It’s her choice now. She doesn’t take the opportunity and the D&G underwear stay on.
The Man behind the muscles
Angelo is from Argentina, his teenage years were filled with tango practice and private colleges. The only child of a TV producer, always performing in some capacity. He joined the brigade of male strippers in the Vegas Strip, attracted by the limelight of the famous male stripper crews.
This male stripper is confident of his choice in the world of live performances.
“Being a male stripper is harder than being an actor. In Vegas, not only the money was good but the shows were a mix of burlesque and magic. It was a challenge that many young performers failed. It’s bodybuilding, dancing and acting combined. In 15 min. It’s the only show where you get to actually touch the audience and see their breathing change as the show takes form. The male stripper performs, but so does the audience.”
In Ireland by chance
Ireland was meant to be a short break for our overworked Vegas male stripper, but now married with children in Dublin, he went back to the male stripper lifestyle as it allows for a great flexibility in his daily life.
“ Actually my future wife works in marketing so I get to take care of the kids during the day. I am also a tango teacher, but the demand is low. So this is great fun and it pays the bills.”
“ The nightlife must pay more than well plus you are surrounded by gorgeous women all the time .” I add.
“ No amigo.” he smiles “Dublin is not Vegas. I mean, I get paid ok, but there are no bunches of dollar bills being stuck in my underwear. Here the shows are tame compared to what male strippers do elsewhere. But I like it that way. My show suits all the tastes. From an 80th birthday party of a granny to a wild hen party of 20 year-olds. I like that way.”
” And the party boy male stripper, he must get up to some mischief?” I want juicy details but he is having none of it.
” Ah, no. I have to read bedtime stories when I get home. Maybe you should ask the younger crowd. But even then, being a male stripper means you are up early to train, and the muscles come with calorie counts. So I personally have to think twice before I get a pint”
The Future
“And the male stripper scene in Ireland…what does the future hold?”
” I can’t say, there are a lot of guys that have a go at it ….not all of them are male strippers though. So the scene is very fluid. The male strippers that are serious about it have credentials and are employed by reputable agencies. The rest well… they try it for fun and give up as soon as they realise the time and effort that goes into it.”
Getting out of the busy bar he doesn’t seem that heavenly male stripper of half an hour ago. But the confidence I first encountered is still there. I can recognise it in the energy of the pacing of this male stripper.
His Rock boots barely touch the ground as his well formed base swings in the distance.