Weird people live in Ohio
Posted on June 11, 2007 @ 6:33 AM
I've been in Cleveland, Ohio shooting with Justin Simpson for the last week for his upcoming Props bio. The other night, we were riding around near the docks on Lake Erie, and we came upon the back side of a strip club. Several "dancers" were out back smoking cigarettes; they hollered at us as we rode by, and one was even kind enough to bend over and lift up her skirt for us to have a peek. It was weird. We wandered over to the large rod-iron fence that separated us from them to see what the hell was going on, and I figured I'd get my video camera out in hopes of capturing some ridiculous stripper quotes. Much to my surprise, the girls, fully clothed, were terrified of the camera and bolted for the door back into the building. One told me their bouncer was going to kick my ass. It remains a mystery to me why women who to choose as a profession get completely naked in front of total strangers would be so shy about appearing on-camera with all of their clothes on, but I guess there's no explaining people, huh? Next thing I know, the bouncer in question, a large man in his mid-twenties with a shaved head, told me he was "going to take the camera and slam it on the fucking ground." He quickly approached the gate and fumbled with his keys trying to get it open, while I took my time putting away the camera thinking, "he really can't be serious." Just as I was zipping up my camera bag, he finally figured out how to work the lock and came charging out of the gate. Apparently he was indeed serious. He commanded me to give him my camera so he could check and see if I had shot any footage of the girls. I swear, the audacity of some people – did he really think I was going to hand him my camera after he had told me 20 seconds ago he was going to smash it on the ground? What right did he have to it in the first place? We were on a public street for crying out loud. Not to mention that there were five of us, with bikes, who could have easily taken this dude out, regardless of how tough he tried to make himself out to be. I told him I didn't get anything and not to worry about it, and we were on our way. Ohio is a wild place.
