Editors note: physical violence (brawling), spitting.
Episodes in Focus - E6S3 ‘University’ & E7S3 ‘Second Opinion’ / SPOILERS
Lately I've been binge watching The Sopranos for the first time. It's been a world within a world for me to effectively tap out of this reality during times of my own personal physical suffering and mental anguish. The Sopranos is shot so beautifully, makes you feel uncomfortable when it's supposed to, is littered with incredible references, and above all is a meticulously made piece of media about mental health through the throes of the human conditions of absurdism, nihilism, existentialism, and all facets of ego and social conditioning. There's a reason for its high ratings and I highly recommend you watch it (or re-watch it).
One thing that has stood out to me as a sex worker is probably one of the most famous fictional strip clubs of television history - Bada Bing. But if you know anything about Sydney's old red light district, King's X (King’s Cross), you will likely know that Bada Bing was an infamous stripclub that actually existed on the main strip of the X, named after The Sopranos, of course, but we will get back to that later.
There is a beautiful, disconnected mundaneness to the main floor of the club, appearing as the background for so many shots and situations throughout The Sopranos as business is done on premises in the foreground. Despite this, only one episode really focuses on a story relating to one of the Bing girls, a dancer named Tracee.
I don't appreciate the seemingly typical exploitative trope of Tracee's character being used as a means for a murder by quite frankly the most hateable character of the entire show. That aside, I want to focus on the Bada Bing vignettes, sprinkled throughout the series, something The Sopranos does very well. If you have a keen eye, you will notice most of the dancers have a repeated routine when it's their turn to get on the stage and I love it. I love how simple and boring it is, because it's real. I can see the rinse and repeat routine, I can feel that these girls are actually working. It's not over the top Hollywood showgirl-ing and hyper-glamourous performances, it's boring old pole work with no desire to be too bothered about it. I love this because whenever a stripclub is an integral part of a show or movie, this simple everyday mundane reality isn’t usually showcased.
One thing that has stood out to me as a sex worker is probably one of the most famous fictional strip clubs of television history - Bada Bing.
Season 3, episode 6, “University” begins with a slow panning shot of the club, floating over the empty stage, the poles yet to be in use, and the customers waiting at the tipping rail. As the music picks up, a stripper crawls onto the stage in her Pleasers and begins her show on one of the poles as another stripper in an aqua g-string follows suit, then another behind her donned with a gaudy hot pink feather boa ready to begin their shift onstage. Dull faces, nothing exciting – yet the scene captures an essence that only actual strippers could appreciate and relate to.
Another scene later in the episode returns to Bada Bing, with ACDC playing while customers hassle the waitresses and the girl with the boa is still on stage doing her thing. The scene changes to the VIP area upstairs, where the high rollers sit around and luxuriate while talking business. A dancer attempts to enter before security tells her she needs to pay $50 and owes him a blowjob later considering the kinda cash she can expect to make from the clientele in the room – sure, classic TV representation BUT can we please take a moment to appreciate that the strippers are wearing exactly the kinda clothing that is to be expected?! Cheap, colourful, kitsch outfits, slinky spandex mini dresses ready for easy access and removal, as well as chunky statement jewellery? Incredible.
Throughout the rest of the episode, and the rest of the series, Bada Bing is such an excellent time capsule of early 2000s sex worker looks that still hold up today. Anyone who enters a stripclub nowadays can instantly spot the shiny bikinis and bedazzled bodystockings amongst a sea of designer lace lingerie (which is too much of a risk to wear in case of a snag on a man's watch in my humble opinion).
Bada Bing is a dive for sure. The violence that occurs on the main floor from time to time as well as the private business happenings upstairs is the usual environment for these kinds of things to take place. In the next episode 'Second Opinion', Tony loses his shit at a member of staff and beats him before leaving the scene, all while 3 strippers are on stage performing to a barren club during day shift. None of the dancers freak out or become overly dramatic, they simply watch on as it happens.
Bada Bing is such an excellent time capsule of early 2000s sex worker looks that still hold up today.
This is one of the many realities of the adult industry. This kind of violence does happen at venues from time to time and that's just that. I'm not saying it's right, but no one knowingly enters this industry without realising how unsafe it can be. This is the cost of stigma, there is always less safety on the margins. Working at clubs with bouncers that give a fuck about the girls is a blessing, when you’d hope it was the bare minimum.
My experiences as a dancer working at the real life Bada Bing confirms this. Even though we were situated in an at times very turbulent part of Kings X, Sydney, with a history of crazy happenings, I felt safer working there than any other club I had ever danced at – because I knew the bouncers had our backs. There's not very many places I've worked at where I can get away with spitting in customers' faces for tipping me with silver and gold coins on stage. The security guards would make sure to watch the tipping seats and wouldn't hesitate to put a customer in his place and kick him down the stairs onto the street covered in my saliva!
Fights would break out at Bada Bing all the time. I remember many times being on stage dancing away and stopping to watch in awe and giggle while customers got out of control with one another before being swiftly dealt with and forcibly removed. One on occasion I watched one customer king-hit the dude next to him so hard that the sound of his fist colliding with the other customer's face turned the whole club silent as he literally flew out of his chair at the tipping rail while I was humping the floor directly in front of them. Good times.
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