Some clubs may be operating at fractional capacity. Others may still be closed entirely because of COVID-19-related closures.
That doesn’t mean the party can’t go on.
Michael DeSuno, aka DJ Platypus, and his company Planet Platypus — Jake Record, Bobby Mac, Josh Fiore, Daniel Montoya, Aaron Duarte, Annie Lane — hosted a four-hour web event, “Rock The House” presented by Religion Tequila on Friday, May 8.
“The goal all along was to put on a show that will take our industry’s mind off of the current situation and to throw a party before we go back to work and entertain the masses,” Platypus added.
The industry party was a show of solidarity amid concerning times plaguing most industries, but gentlemen’s clubs have been especially vulnerable.
Even putting on the event presented unique, but familiar, obstacles. Mainstream streaming services wouldn’t relent because of adult content.
“The politics involved were mind-boggling,” he said. “In the end, the brilliance of Jake Record allowed us to stream directly from our website. The whole process took us an entire month to get everything right.
“The idea was to run this event similar to putting together an award show at EXPO or as close to an industry performance as possible,” he added. “We wanted a familiar feel.”
Certainly, questions abound surrounding the industry’s standing as a multi-layered approach grips the country: “What restrictions does my club have to adhere to?”, “What legal challenges can I expect trying to reopen?”, “How is business going to look without contact dances?”
Most of the COVID/industry talk was done on our podcasts. We wanted the Rock The House theme to be a positive, uplifting experience so we kept the quarantine talk to a minimum. — DJ Platypus
Platypus and Co. aren’t oblivious to the confusion but strived to maintain an informal atmosphere.
“Most of the COVID/industry talk was done on our podcasts,” said Platypus. “We wanted the Rock The House theme to be a positive, uplifting experience so we kept the quarantine talk to a minimum. We felt that without proper information about how our business applies to the current situation, it really wasn’t our place to conduct any talks above our control. The last thing we want is to misinform or give a sense of false hope.”
And given the turnout — as well as the possible duration of this lurch toward normalcy — it’s safe to assume this won’t be the only live stream event from Planet Platypus.
Future possibilities include a documentary and/or a fundraiser to help people in the industry attend Expo.
“We understand what everyone is going through not only financially but mentally as well,” Platypus said. “Our goal was always to take people’s mind off of the current situation and reiterate that we are the best industry in the world. Entertainment is in our DNA.”
For more information, visit planetplatypus.com.
