 Billy's Topless after removal of apostrophe, making it "Billy Stopless". | |
 | |
| Address | 727 Sixth Avenue and 24th Street |
|---|---|
| Location | Chelsea, Manhattan |
| Coordinates | 40°44′37″N73°59′33.5″W / 40.74361°N 73.992639°W |
| Type | Topless bar |
| Opened | 1970 |
| Closed | 2001 |
Billy's Topless was a topless bar in the Chelsea neighborhood of New York City. Operating from 1970 to 2001, it was considered for many years an informal city landmark.[ citation needed ]
Billy's Topless, was first located at 22nd street and Sixth Ave. and moved in 1970 to 727 Sixth Avenue (Avenue of the Americas) and 24th Street in Manhattan's Chelsea neighborhood in New York City, [1] was a small topless bar, more closely resembling a neighborhood bar than a strip club in both size and atmosphere; one writer described it as "no more illicit than if we had decided to go get hamburgers". [2] Considered an informal landmark of the area, [3] Billy's contained only a small bar and a stage surrounded by about 24 chairs. The bar offered a modest free buffet, perhaps a single dish such as lasagna over a can of Sterno. [1] Also, unusual for such an establishment, Billy's had no cover charge. [4]
The original owner of Billy's Topless was Bill Pell. After Pell died in the late 1970s, Billy's was acquired by Milton Anthony, the owner of the AP Variety Talent Agency, formerly the Mambo Hyde Talent Agency, [5] an agency that had provided "topless go-go dancers" to numerous strip clubs in New York City since 1966. [1]
An older anachronism in the New York adult entertainment scene, Anthony (born c. 1920) claimed he held to certain principles with his agency and in his club: no breast implants, no lap dancing, and no touching the dancers. [1] [6] As such, Billy's stood in contrast to expensive adult clubs such as Scores that tended toward dancers with a more stereotypically "Barbie doll" look and allowed direct contact with the patrons. [7] Detractors of Billy's occasionally lower-end charm called it "seedy". [8] Supporters tended to think of it as "old fashioned", [9] and the kind of establishment that catered to "real people". [10] The Village Voice writer Robert Sietsema called it an "old fashioned topless bar ... where the old grit still remains." [11]
Billy's Topless suffered, along with much of the city's adult entertainment industry, under the quality of life directives of then-mayor Rudy Giuliani, who called New York's adult establishments a threat to public "health, safety and welfare" and a "corrosive institution". [7] In his second term he aggressively targeted New York's sex industry for "reconstruction". [1] Laws were enacted forbidding adult establishments from operating within 500 feet of a residence, school or place of worship, and the NYPD conducted raids on businesses that did not comply with the new ordinance. [12]
The laws were initially drafted to target the sex businesses in the Times Square area, but small, local establishments like Billy's were affected as well. The Chelsea community board (Manhattan Community Board 4) confirmed that there had never been a citizen complaint against either Billy's Topless or its customers. [13]
In 1998, to avoid being closed down by the first wave of new zoning laws, Billy's took "topless" out of the bar's name, and the place was rechristened "Billy Stopless" by removing the apostrophe from the sign (see image at right), although it was referred to in print as "Billy's Stopless" [14] [15] [16] and dancers had to wear bikini tops. [7] In the mid-1990s, dancers at Billy's made $50 plus tips, which typically amounted to about $500 per night. After the change in policy to avoid the zoning laws, the bikini-clad dancers could expect to take home about $200. Patrons were quoted as saying, "You can see this on the beach for free. This is no fun." [7] Billy's Topless closed for good in 2001, and the space was converted into a bagel shop. [16]
In 1998 Billy's appears in a major movie Rounders with Matt Damon, John Malkovich and Edward Norton. Many celebrities and rock stars stopped in as a place to visit while in Manhattan.
In 2006, an establishment bearing the name "Billy's Topless" appeared at 10th Avenue and 15th Street.[ citation needed ] It is unknown if there is any connection to the original "Billy's" beyond the name.
A striptease is an erotic or exotic dance in which the performer gradually undresses, either partly or completely, in a seductive and sexually suggestive manner. The person who performs a striptease is commonly known as a "stripper" or an "exotic" or "burlesque" dancer.
A sex show is a form of live performance that features one or more performers engaging in some form of sexual activity on stage for the entertainment or sexual gratification of spectators. Performers are paid either by the spectators or by the organisers of the show.
A stripper or exotic dancer is a person whose occupation involves performing striptease in a public adult entertainment venue such as a strip club. At times, a stripper may be hired to perform at a bachelor party or other private events.
A lap dance is a type of erotic dance performance offered in some strip clubs in which the dancer typically has body contact with a seated patron. Lap dancing is different from table dancing, in which the dancer is close to a seated patron, but without body contact. With lap dancing, the dancer may be naked, topless, erotically dressed or undressing during the dance, depending on the laws of the jurisdiction and the club's policies. Some jurisdictions do not allow nudity where alcohol is served or contact occurs while in others nudity is only allowed where skin contact does not occur requiring at least one of the participants to wear clothing. Where specific licensing exist for sex work such as prostitution the dress requirements may also be dependent of the licensing of the establishment.
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A peep show or peepshow is a presentation of a live sex show or pornographic film which is viewed through a viewing slot.
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A table dance, or bartop dance, is a dance performed at a table or bar, as opposed to on a stage. It may be an erotic dance performed by a sex worker or it may be done as a leisure activity.
The Lusty Lady is a pair of defunct peep show establishments, one in downtown Seattle and one in the North Beach district of San Francisco. The Lusty Lady was made famous by the labor activism of its San Francisco workers and the publication of several books about working there.
A strip club is a venue where strippers provide adult entertainment, predominantly in the form of striptease or other erotic dances. Strip clubs typically adopt a nightclub or bar style, and can also adopt a theatre or cabaret-style. American-style strip clubs began to appear outside North America after World War II, arriving in Asia in the late 1980s and Europe in 1978, where they competed against the local English and French styles of striptease and erotic performances.
A go-go bar is a type of business establishment where alcoholic drink is sold and dancers provide entertainment. The term go-go bar originally referred to a nightclub, bar, or similar establishment that featured go-go dancers; while some go-go bars in that original sense still exist, the link between its present uses and that original meaning is often more tenuous and regional. Speaking broadly, the term has been used by venues that cover a wide range of businesses, from nightclubs or discotheques, where dancers are essentially there to set the mood, to what are in essence burlesque theaters or strip clubs, where dancers are part of a show and the primary focus.
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Bada Bing! is a fictional strip club from the HBO drama television series The Sopranos. It was a key location for events in the series, named for the catchphrase "bada bing", a phrase popularized by James Caan's character Sonny Corleone in The Godfather. The popularization of the fictional club benefited the real-life go-go bar, Satin Dolls, where scenes were filmed. The Bada Bing is loosely based on Wiggles, a strip club owned by New Jersey mobster Vincent Palermo before it was shut down.
Deja Vu Services, Inc., is an American company that operates nearly 200 strip clubs in the United States, United Kingdom, Australia, France, Canada, and Mexico.
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