Book Review: Brothel

[Hotpuppy]

Before I ever got involved in this "hobby", I was fascinated by the fact the prostitution was legal in Nevada. My plan was to head out there and party with the fabulously reviewed Kathryn Leigh and Tamara Lynn. While that never happened,Lady K retired and Tamara went independent( and I discovered the wonderful independents closer to home),I never lost my curiosity about life in the brothels. The book "Brothel" by Alexa Albert gives as in depth a picture as is currently available. Short on "details" it nonetheless provides an insight into this subculture. What it did not accomplish was to reignite my fervor to experience this side of the hobby, but rather quenched it forever. I may yet visit Las Vegas, but onlt to party with the independents that grace that strange city.
take care HP

 

[Slinky Bender]

Taking from different threads ( this one and a few on what's going on in other countries ), there was a book called All the Girls, Obrien, Martin, St Martins Press, 1982, which chronicled the writer's trip around the world ( for once, no pun intended ) visiting various types of places in various countries. Although i read it almost 20 years ago, I remember it being one of the less "sensationalized" accounts of the hobby.

 

[Justin Thyme]

The movie "Whore 2"

Along these lines, there's a movie that came out about 5-10 years ago called "Whore 2". Obviously there was a Whore 1 as well, but 2 is a really great one.

It's a documentary filmed by a hobbyist who sort of set up shop in Hell's Kitchen for a few weeks, and befriended some of the hookers who lived and worked around there. It really gets into the lifestyle issues around there, and it's overall a very gritty and realistic portrayal of that lifestyle.

I recommend it - it's on video, and IIRC the better "Director's Cut" comes in a red box.

 

[pswope]

There was also a flick called Working Girls. It was written and directed by a radical feminist named Lizzie Borden and was based on her experiences working at Susans,a NYC brothel during the early and mid 80's.

It was a pretty accurate portrayal of brothel life and provided a pretty blistering account of the ladies attitudes towards their johns. At some point it was available on video.

 

[Monk]

There's also William T. Vollman's two novels, "Whores For Gloria" and "Butterfly Stories" which are both still in print. "Whores For Gloria" describes the adventures of a down and out elderly hobbyist bearly making it in the Tenderloin district of San Francisco. He is haunted by a lover from his past and uses his hobbying to try to "bring her back to life". "Butterfly Stories" is about two journalists who whore through Southeast Asia. Vollman is known to do extensive "research" for his books. His style is gritty, realistic and unforgiving. Yet both books give an accurate portrayal of the hobbyist's phychology and are worth reading.

 

[HAPPY GUY]

There's also the novel Going Down by Jennifer LaBelle (I think that's the author's name) about a girl putting herself through college by working as an escort at an incall place.

While it's fiction, it doesn shed a bit of less-than-glamorous light on the the providers' side of hobbying.

 

[Geezy Muldoon]

Thought "Going Down" was a good read. One of the narrator's brothel experiences was unmistakably set at Overtures on 48th.

 

[popelcha]

Wait till you read my mothers book......Although she hasn't started writing it yet, I will be pushing the idea....
Jillian has great stories, we all sit around and listen to them once in a while. For those of you who would never of guess it but my mom was a working girl in the 70's.....
And nothing compares to the 70's from the stories I've heard....I am looking forward to having her 30 plus years in this business in one book...

Jill is not too familiar with these sites, but if you would like to chat with her, her e-mail address is mediaexe@aol.com

Night,
Destiny

 

[pswope]

Destiny
Though I started in '80,I totally agree. Pre-Aids meant different type of working girls than what you see today and of course a totally different working girl-john interaction than what you have today,as a generalization.
What johns today rave about for being extraordinary was more than norm back then.

 

[popelcha]

This is true. My mother told me rimming was part of full-service. Which is not the case now....Alot of things have changed since then....Wait till you hear the stories she has from the house she had across from Gracie Mansion.....Duplex de venus, was the name of the place....I will try to get her on UG tonight....

 

[pswope]

Damn
I parked my car for 10 years in the garage across from GM(didn't live there)and missed all that good stuff. Be interesting to hear your Mom's reminices.

 

[K.S.]

pswope: Was "working girls" about a brothel that was fairly upscale? And it was sorta mid-80's? The protagonist was a lesbian who was decieving her partner?

If so, I saw it, and thought it was brilliant. Aside from the pre-AIDS aspect (they'd put up with BBFS), everything was spot on for what I have experienced of working in a brothel.

Particularly the relationships between the different girls.

 

[pswope]

ks
working girls was essentially a film version of a roman a clef about Susan's in the mid -80's which is difficult to describe as upscale because its clients really spanned all races,ethnic and socioeconomic groups.
The ladies were moonlighting students, artists etc and yes there was a portion of the narrative that dealt with a lesbian deceiving her partner(that was Lizzie Borden).
The characters were all based on actual working girls and johns(one that comes to mind was a john the girls called "Smelly Abe" an orthodox jew),though Susan's role,a JAP from an upper-middle class background in surburban Philly,was a caricature. It also rang true in its depiction of the johns,which was strictly from the ladies's point of view.

I actually was invited by the ladies to the opening (at a theater on 57th street) and was gratified to have not made the cut.
For johns,who want a peak of reality with respect to the relationship between them and working girls as well as life in a brothel,it should be required viewing.