A True Story of Love, Murder, Roller Skates and Chippendales
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A rollicking, hyper-fast paced front row seat to the iconic late-night celebrity-studded party of 80s New York, Master of Ceremonies is the compelling and often tender true story of a fledgling actor whose first big break results in a two-year stint at the world's most famous and hedonistic strip club. Acclaimed memoirist David Henry Sterry was at the center of the madness as the roller-skating emcee of the nightly beefcake parade at Chippendales. The wide-eyed boy who dreams of stardom is quickly disabused of his naivet as he is witness to the nightly tableau of desperate housewives, bachelorettes gone wild, moviestar excess, and shocking sexual shenanigans. Ultimately, though, all great parties must come to an end, and the gangland style assassination of his boss, the man responsible for the phenomenal success of the beefcake boys, marked the beginning of the end of the party-all-the-time 80s in New York City. Master of Ceremonies is resplendent with seedy glamour, dirty little secrets, hilarious backstage madness and an unflinching honesty.
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India-born Somen “Steve” Banerjee and young attorney Bruce Nahin founded Chippendales in 1975. Banerjee bought a failing West Los Angeles bar named Destiny II. Changing its name to “Chippendales” the duo hosted exotic dance nights for women. This was a major hit, leading to clubs in New York, Dallas, and Denver. Plus three troupes touring around the US and Europe.
Then things started to go wrong.
Rival nightclubs soon followed; these worrying Banerjee. He tried to burn down at least three of them. Then in 1987, Banerjee hired a hit-man to murder his business partner Nick De Noia. He also plotted to have two other former associates killed. Police arrested Banerjee in 1993; he hanged himself in his cell a year later.
A fascinating tale which I enhanced by:
* listening to the podcast Welcome To Your Fantasy, and
* watching the Curse of the Chippendales documentary.