It's hard to believe that 5 years have past since I started this
website with one single page. In 1995, AOL was a joke to most Internet
users, Netscape was the browser, digital cameras could barely do
320 x 240, and nobody I knew had a DVD player. Well, okay so some people
still think AOL is a joke. As the strip club industry in Los Angeles
changed, so did this website.
Technically, this website was one page a few months before October 1995
in beta while ASSCer RJ looked at
my site and gave me suggestions. By October, I had several sections,
including my top 5, as well as some reviews of my favorite clubs. RJ's
wife died of lung cancer working at strip clubs so as you can imagine, he
was a big proponent of the new no smoking laws in California. People used
to get on his case about being so anti-smoking, but he never revealed his
real reason online. He wanted me to make an icon for the clubs that was
enforcing the no smoking law. I never got around to that. RJ, if you can
read this from Vietnam, or wherever you are, drop me a line here.
Appropriately, Tyler was my
first Dancer of the Month for October 1995, since she was the dancer who
gave me my Z Bone nickname. I've known her for well over a decade now and
she has retired from dancing. Back then, no dancer that I knew had an
email address, let alone a website. In fact, no dancer I knew had a
computer. Now I get at least one email from a dancer every day.
Originally, the website was hosted by GNN.com which was bought by AOL,
then died out. Next came 1worldnet.com which got hacked and dropped me
without explanation. So in May 1997, I finally broke down and decided it
was time to get my own domain name as zbone.me. I used to have a mirror
site but that's been replaced by the Darkside. It was too much trouble
making sure the mirror site was actually mirroring the site. Anyway, I
don't think people have mirror sites anymore. That was in the bad old days
when servers would go down every other day.
As for clubbing, back in 1995, I hung out at
Star Strip a lot (like
every day), because the manager was a friend of mine and we would sit in
the office playing DOOM. My #1 club on my top 5 list was
Tropical Lei
because I was really into lap dancing in those days. For the record, Eye
Full (now Deja Vu,
Ontario) was the first place that I got lap dances. When Tropical Lei
first opened, they had air dances. You heard me. No touch lap dances. I
also liked The
Gentlemen's Club back then because the owners were very friendly to me
and I liked their shower dances. I would often sit in the dressing room
and talk to my dancer friends. My favorite dancer at the time worked at
Spearmint Rhino in
Oxnard (the only Rhino at the time), so it also made the top 5 list.
Over the years, my emphasis on lap dances have decreased and it shows
on the top 5 list. Tropical Lei doesn't even make the top 5 anymore. No
Hawaii Theatre either. I
was also more into features for a while. Back then,
Bob's was the only club
that had weekly features. Now, I can't even remember when I saw a feature
the last time. I don't even get too excited about CES anymore. Because the
root of this website stems from ASSC, there used to be more articles about
ASSCons and people on ASSC. These days, most people reading my site
probably don't even know what ASSC is. I hardly ever read it anymore
myself and only post once a year or so.
In 1996, The Body Shop
went nude. I think this was the turning point of the industry in Los
Angeles. The Body Shop was the last "old school" classy strip club left in
Los Angeles. They served alcohol, but allowed 18 year olds in, used to
even feature magicians between choreographed dance numbers like in Las
Vegas. They had table cloths made of, well, cloth. They even had a curtain
that would go up and down between sets, as well as stage lighting like the
ones they use for stage plays. Once lap dances took over the industry,
stage dancing became a thing of the past. These days, you're lucky if the
dancer knows how to do any pole work. Mostly, they lie down and spread
their legs open. No wonder the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that nude dancing
wasn't protected by the first amendment any more. I don't blame them.
1998 was a turning point for the website from a technical and
interactive point of view because the Bulletin Board and ZChat rooms
opened. Before that, communication was only by email and I was the only
one reading the great information people had. Once the bulletin board
opened, it created a sort of community, which came to be known as the Z
Posse. The early days were more like a small friendly tight group. Over
the years, it has seen some ups and downs, not unlike ASSC. The ZChat room
also allows for customers and dancers to openly discuss issues in real
time. Being faceless can allow people to say things that they ordinarily
wouldn't or couldn't face to face. That can be good or bad, depending on
the person and how they conduct themselves. But overall, I feel it's a
positive for everyone.
Speaking of ASSCons, once the Z Posse informally formed, people started
organizing ZCons, where Z Posse members could meet face to face. I think
this is one of the most interesting aspects or phenomenons of this
website. A lot of strip club goers normally do not meet a bunch of people
at a strip club. Some find this very strange and lurk at the club while
the others meet and greet. Many find this to be the fun part of being part
of the website. Personally, I've gone back and forth on this issue.
1998 was also the first year for my April Fools edition, which got a
lot of hate mail when people realized that there were no secret clubs in
Santa Monica. Every year, I get hate mail from the April Fools edition.
One of the worst ones was a guy in San Francisco that was mad that the
website disseminated "lies" about clubs closing. When I indicated the date
of the article, I didn't get a reply. Speaking of hate mail, nothing beats
the hate mail generated by the "How to get rid of a dancer" FAQ. Yes, I
know it's not funny. It's only amusing to me because of my obsession with
the 3 digit number 187. Only the old school people on ASSC know what the
hell I'm talking about.
Late 1998 was also the year that I was a regular guest on the Nastyman
show on KLSX 97.1, thanks to Ann. That was a lot of fun and it was a great
opportunity for me to pay back some of the people that had helped me over
the years by giving them some air-time on the radio. It was also just fun.
Nothing better than telling a dancer that she can not only be Dancer of
the Month, but be on a live radio show. I wish I could show some of the
great blooper pictures from the show. It was a blast.
While I'm thanking people, I want to mention Ms. Hunter and Mistress
Xena who answer email for no pay or recognition. I met Ms. Hunter first by
email and I hooked her up at a strip club. She seemed to have the right
temperament for the job so I asked her to help me out, and she did. I
asked Mistress Xena for help when Ms. Hunter moved away from Los Angeles.
Mistress Xena elected to remain anonymous so that she can freely talk her
mind without worrying about the club or dancer politics. They both have
done great work and I appreciate it. Perhaps, one day, they will reveal
their true identities. Why, they're just like those Super Heros.
I want to close by thanking each and every person that has contributed
in their own way to this website and making it the fun community that it
is. I look forward to the next 5 years. Luckily for you, there won't be
another long boring article like this until 2005.
Sometimes, I've had just about enough about something or everything
and need to vent somewhere. I'll try to keep it about LA strip clubs, but
who knows. It might turn out to be just good ol' babbling and chanting. Good
material for flame mail.
