Taking it all off

Lily Burana talks about what makes a great stripper, which men make the best customers and which songs to play when you're getting naked.

By Suzy Hansen

Oct. 9, 2001 | When Lily Burana, peace punk teen turned exotic dancer turned writer, fell in love with a cowboy and got engaged, she felt something tugging at her subconscious about her former outlaw profession. Burana had danced in such notorious strip clubs as New York's Peepland and San Francisco's Lusty Lady for most of her 20s, but her vivid, up-and-down memories of that life were largely unresolved. With the prospect of settling down -- and a book project -- bearing down on her, Burana set off on a nationwide tour of America's best clubs from Florida to El Paso to Alaska and to New Jersey, her home state.

"Strip City: A Stripper's Farewell Journey Across America" is smart and beautifully written, but what's most dazzling is Burana's sharp-eyed wit. There's a sense that when she walks into a club, doubtlessly tough and assured, another part of her also naturally absorbs the sadness, silliness and full-on fun of hole-in-the-wall, one-stage bars, chi-chi gentleman's clubs and high-energy party venues. Salon spoke to Burana about what makes a good stripper, a good strip club customer, what songs are the best to dance to and whether she'll ever go back.

What makes a good stripper?

More than appearance and costume and physical skill -- it's looking like you want to be there. There are a whole range of options of adult stimulation. You have the Internet and movies and magazine and phone lines and chat rooms. Why would somebody go someplace where there are real women when you could do something else? Because they want some kind of connection.

Beyond that, physical presentation is important. In some places it will be a beaded evening gown and 4-inch heels and in other places it will be cutoffs, a cowboy hat, platform boots and a bandanna around your neck. You don't have to be centerfold pretty to be a stripper. You have to make sure that from the neck down you're reasonably depilated and that you're in reasonably good shape and your hair is clean. Most guys just want someone who's decent and will listen to them. I announced my retirement more times than Garth Brooks, but when you're with a customer, the fact that you don't like your job is not his fault.

Oh. And stay away from those thigh-high stockings. They look like crap on everyone.

Name three songs that make up a perfect stripper's set.

First, I just want to say that if I see one more girl come out in a plaid schoolgirl skirt and a white blouse tied at the waist, dancing to "Rag Doll" by Aerosmith, I'm gonna scream.

Second of all, I think there should be a nationwide moratorium on "Cherry Pie" by Warrant. That song doesn't exist anywhere but strip clubs and you just think, OK, I wasn't having such a good time in the late '80s, early '90s to begin with and this kind of music is part of the reason why. My irony meter is not yet pegged to accept "Cherry Pie."

Historically, when all else fails, pull out "Highway to Hell" by AC/DC. And "Bad to the Bone" -- guys really adore that. If the club is more hip-hop friendly, it's such a savage song, but "Can I Get a Fuck You" by Jay Z ... it creates such a tension. It's a nice girl doing this naughty thing to a really tough song: "OK, I need to get to know that girl better."

But the no-fail, can't-miss song of all time seems to be "Pour Some Sugar on Me" by Def Leppard. I'm not sure if this is due to the celebratory, unabashed corniness of the song or if there's a direct link between glucose and the male libido, but there you have it.

Next page: "It's harder to dance for the cute ones"