Tag: Penthouse

Burlesque 101

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One of my editors over at Penthouse is a huge fan of the odder things in life —- including burlesque and sideshow culture. She recently put together a really awesome feature about some of the coolest people in that world, and I was fortunate enough to grab a few assignments from her. Along with interviewing burlesque legend Jo Weldon (aka Jo Boobs) and writing up Operation Bombshell (which I’ll post about soon), I also got to write about my own attempts at shimmying and shaking.

Last summer, I signed up for a Burlesque Bootcamp class with Kitty Cavalier. I’d decided I needed to try something new, and I was taking every opportunity that presented itself. As it happened, my lovely editor Christine (who put this whole feature together) saw a Groupon-esque deal for burlesque classes, and sent it my way. I couldn’t turn it down! I bought three certificates, grabbed two of my most adventurous girlfriends, and off we went.

You won’t learn much burlesque in one evening, less if you have the grace and coordination of a bull in a china shop (which I do). But after a little more than an hour of thrusting and shaking and bumping and grinding, I manged to pick up a few tips. For the full story you’ll have to read the blurb, but suffice it to say, it was one hell of an experience!

If only every new hobby led to a byline… .

Penthouse Badass: Paul Rieckhoff

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Penthouse just published a really great piece I wrote about Tricare, in which I quote Paul Rieckhoff. Of everything I’ve written over the years, the articles where I’ve quoted Paul are the ones I’m most proud of. Coincidence? Probably. But I’m beginning to think he’s my good-luck interview.

You can read the Tricare article in the May issue of Penthouse, now on stands, or wait until I share it here. Until then, however, check out this tidbit I wrote about Paul a few years back.

Every year Penthouse publishes its annual Badass List. The editors choose the most badass folks from various walks of life, from entertainment to activism, politics to porn. And by “badass,” what they really mean is “kick-ass.” These are the coolest, smartest, most incredible people they’ve come across in the past year. For the 2009 issue, I got to write about Paul Rieckhoff, the founder and executive director of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America (IAVA). It was hard to get all of his awesome qualities into a hundred words, but it was definitely an interesting challenge. Plus, Paul is the biggest badass I know, so I was honored to be asked to write about him for the magazine.

Shirts & Skin

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Once in a while I write wacky features for Penthouse that don’t necessarily involve porn or sex, but do involve sexy ladies. One of my favorites was “Shirts & Skin,” about a strip beer pong game played between members of Howard Stern’s production team and the ladies from Rick’s Cabaret. It was a hilarious match, full of ridiculous antics and nearly naked babes. What’s not to love? My favorite thing about this article, however, is that a copy of it has been mounted and hung inside Rick’s Cabaret in NYC. A friend and I discovered my strip-club fame when we went to Rick’s for another friend’s birthday, and I posed for numerous photos next to the plaque. I’m pretty sure the other partygoers thought I was a little nuts, but I’d never seen any of my work so prominently displayed by someone who wasn’t a close friend. I love looking at the photos of me with my article and wondering how many people have stopped to read it or check out the byline. If you’ve ever been to Rick’s and seen my work hanging up, please tell me. I’m dying to find out how famous I am among the titty-bar aficionados.

Warrior Wire: War Songs

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Sometimes I write things that have nothing to do with porn or sex. Recently I wrote an article about Tricare and the Veterans Affairs health care system. That won’t be out for a while, but it reminded me of this article that ran in the March 2009 issue of Penthouse. It was supposed to be a short blurb, at most, but it grew into a two-page article that I think tells a pretty cool story about the everyday lives of our soldiers. It was such a great topic to immerse myself in for a few weeks, and it’s a piece I’m extremely proud to have in my clip book.

While researching and interviewing, I got to talk to a lot of really great people. Paul Rieckhoff of Iraq and Afghanistan Veterans of America was a wonderful resource and such an enjoyable interview. It’s always nice to interview people who are not only brilliant, but who you want to talk to after the interview is over. Paul is definitely both, and I’m thrilled every time we get to chat. (I’ve also read his book, Chasing Ghosts, more than a few times. It’s an amazing story and so well written. Everyone should check it out.)

Another guy I interviewed for the story was David Ratcliff, a soldier I found on MySpace. I messaged him through the site and got a phone call the next day. He didn’t believe I really worked at Penthouse, and he couldn’t understand why I would want to get in touch with him. Once I sent him my credentials, though, he was a really fun guy to talk to. He was smart and had good taste in music (key for the piece, obviously), and he gave me more than a few good quotes.

All the soldiers were great, and I can’t say enough about them. There were some I didn’t get to use in the article, and some who I didn’t expect to use but who ended up surprising me. One of the surprises was Joe DeRidder, who happens to be my cousin. Joe’s a really smart guy, and I love hanging out with him and talking to him when he’s home. But he’s not the most verbose person. I didn’t think he’d give me much material to work with. He surprised me, though, and had a lot to say. (My dad, who swears he’s “never heard the kid say more than three words at a time” thought maybe there was another Joe DeRidder. He was impressed.) The article made for a fun show-and-tell at our next family get-together.

One of the coolest things, though, was interviewing the musicians who were involved. Bryan from the Bouncing Souls was awesome, and the band’s publicist/manager was really cool. We didn’t get to do the interview in person, because the band was on tour, but Bryan’s emails were great, and he cracked me up when we discussed doing the interview via BlackBerry.

Serj Tankian was another great interview. His manager called me within five minutes of my sending an email requesting an interview, and said she’d already spoken to him and he was very interested in talking to me. I was blown away, and we set up a phoner for later that day. I don’t think I’ve ever set up an interview so quickly, even with my friends! I didn’t get to use his quotes in the story (they just didn’t fit with the tone of the article), but we chatted for 45 minutes, and he was super cool. He told me a great Sarah Palin joke, and then made my day (probably my entire year) by telling me that the story I was writing mattered, and he thought that I was a smart, savvy journalist, which, in his book, made me the cool one. I saved the recording and listen to it every now and then when I want to feel like a rock star.

I’ve been fortunate in that I only have to write the stories I want to write, and I work with people who are as excited about the topics I cover as I am. It means my clip book is full of great stories that double as really great memories.