Billy's Topless

Billy's Topless was a topless bar on Sixth Avenue and 24th Street in the Chelsea area of New York City. Opening in 1970, it was for many years considered a neighborhood landmark. [ [http://nymag.com/realestate/articles/02/03/realestate/upandcomers/4.htm "Real Estate 2002: Chelsea"] . "New York Magazine". Retrieved May 27, 2007.]

The bar

Billy's was a small establishment, more closely resembling a neighborhood bar than a strip club in both size and atmosphere; one writer described it as "no more illicit than if we had decided to go get hamburgers". [Beller, Thomas. [http://www.menshealth.com/cda/article.do?site=MensHealth&channel=guy.wisdom&category=howto.guides&conitem=153a99edbbbd201099edbbbd2010cfe793cd____ "What I Learned at the Strip Club"] . "Men's Health". Retrieved May 21, 2007.] Billy's contained only a small bar and a stage surrounded by about 24 chairs. The bar was fairly inexpensive, particularly for an adult establishment, and offered a modest (but free) buffet, often just a single dish over a can of Sterno, or a pile of cold sandwiches. Also, unusually for such an establishment, Billy's had no cover charge. [Gardner, Ralph. "Inside Billy's Topless". "Penthouse Magazine", Vol. 28, #12. August 1997.]

The original owner of Billy's Topless was a man named Bill Pell. After Pell died in the 1970s, Billy's was acquired by Milton Anthony, owner of the AP Variety Talent Agency, an agency that had provided "topless go-go dancers" to numerous strip clubs in New York City since 1966.Barry, Dan. (1998.) "Topless Bars Threatened by 'Quality of Life' Drive"] . "Ishi Press". Retrieved May 21, 2007.]

An older anachronism in the New York adult entertainment scene, Anthony (born c. 1920) claimed he held to certain principles with his agency and in his club: no breast implants, no lap dancing, and no touching the dancers. [ [http://www.debbieguide.com/newyorkstripjoints.html debbieguide.com - the global guide to the inside scene ] ] As such, Billy's stood in marked contrast to expensive adult clubs such as Scores that tended towards dancers with a more stereotypically "Barbie doll" look and allowed direct contact with the patrons. Detractors of Billy's occasionally lower-end charm called it "seedy". [Bushnell, Candace. (2007.) [http://www.observer.com/2007/swingin-sex-i-don-t-think-so?page=0%2C1 "Swingin’ Sex? I Don’t Think So..."] . "The New York Observer". Retrieved May 21, 2007.] Supporters tended to think of it as "old fashioned", [Lopez, Steve. (1998). [http://www.time.com/time/magazine/article/0,9171,987982-2,00.html "Hizzoner The Hall Monitor"] "Time Magazine". Retrieved May 21, 2007.] and the kind of establishment that catered to "real people". [Garcia, Michelle. (2005.) [http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/articles/A54570-2005Jan6.html "From Peep Shows to the Look of Luxury"] . "The Washington Post". Retrieved May 21, 2007.]

Closing

Billy's Topless suffered, along with much of the city's adult entertainment industry, under the quality of life directives of then-mayor Rudy Giuliani, who called New York's adult establishments a threat to public "health, safety and welfare" and a "corrosive institution". In his second term he aggressively targeted New York's sex industry for "reconstruction". Laws were enacted forbidding adult establishments from operating within 500 feet of a residence, school or place of worship, and the NYPD conducted raids on businesses that did not comply with the new ordinance. [ [http://www.nyc.gov/html/om/html/2001a/pr095-01.html "Mayor Giuliani Announces Amendments to Strengthen Adult Use Zoning Law"] . Press release from New York Mayor's Press Office, March 26, 2001.]

The laws were initially drafted to target the sex businesses in the Times Square area, but small, local establishments like Billy's were affected as well. The Chelsea community board (Manhattan Community Board 4) confirmed that there had never been a citizen complaint against either Billy's Topless or its customers. [Liepe-Levinson, Katherine. (2001.) " [http://books.google.com/books?id=ibwokfAn_i8C&pg=PA30&lpg=PA30&dq=%22billy's+topless%22&source=web&ots=zVXI3lZsH5&sig=q9Gxp0i9KQkYF_korC9VB_HQm0I Strip Show: Performances of Gender and Desire] ". Routledge Press. Retrieved May 21, 2007.]

In 1998, to avoid being closed down by the first wave of new zoning laws, Billy's took "topless" out of the bar's name, and the place was rechristened "Billy Stopless" [Trav. S.D. (2001.) [http://www.reason.com/news/show/28050.html "Fun City Confidential: Why New York's sex industry still flourishes"] "Reason Magazine". Retrieved May 21, 2007.] and dancers had to wear bikini tops.Jacobs, Andrew. (1998.) [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?res=980CE1D8103BF932A25753C1A96E958260 "Shuttered Clubs, Scrambled Lives"] . "The New York Times". Retrieved May 21, 2007.] In the mid-1990s, dancers at Billy's made $50 plus tips, which typically amounted to about $500 per night. After the change in policy to avoid the zoning laws, the bikini-clad dancers could expect to take home about $200. Patrons were quoted as saying, "You can see this on the beach for free. This is no fun."

In the end, the zoning laws won out, and Billy's Topless closed for good in 2001. The space was converted into a bagel shop.

In 2006, an establishment bearing the name "Billy's Topless" appeared at 10th Avenue and 15th Street. It is unknown if there is any connection to the original "Billy's" beyond the name.

People

*Swiss dancer Monica Beerle, student at the Martha Graham Center of Contemporary Dance, [Bennet, J. (1992.) [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9E0CEFD6133FF93AA25751C0A964958260 "Police Move to Extradite Suspect in 1989 Slaying of Dancer"] . "The New York Times". Retrieved May 21, 2007.] roommate and victim of cannibal-murderer Daniel Rakowitz, danced at Billy's. [Sullivan, Ronald. (1991.) [http://query.nytimes.com/gst/fullpage.html?sec=health&res=9D0CE0D8163EF930A15751C0A967958260 "Man Acquitted of Killing and Boiling Roommate"] . "The New York Times". Retrieved May 21, 2007.] [Lee, Tien-Shun. (2004.) [http://www.thevillager.com/villager_60/psychiatristrakowitz.html "Psychiatrist: Rakowitz 'Excited' Recalling Grisly Stew"] . "The Villager". Retrieved May 21, 2007.] Rakowitz was at one time suspected of having killed as many as eight former dancers from Billy's. [Peyser, Andrea and Laura Italiano. (2004.) "Cannibal Case Has Jury Woes". "The New York Post", May 26, 2004.]
*American novelist Alan Kaufman was once a regular at Billy's. [Kaufman, Alan. (2004.) "Jew Boy" in "The Outlaw Bible of American Literature", pp. 72-73. Thunder's Mouth Press.]

In popular culture

*The 1998 film "Rounders" features a scene that takes place at Billy's Topless.
*In the "Will & Grace" episode "The Buying Game", both Will and Grace mention Billy's Topless in an argument about proper venues for business negotiation. [ [http://www.twiztv.com/scripts/willandgrace/season1/willandgrace-108.htm "The Buying Game" transcript] ]
*The liner notes of the 1999 Blondie album "No Exit" include the phone number of the bar. [ [http://www.blondie.net/archives/archived20030811/transcript_twec_onlinechat_1999dec06.html Transcript of Online Blondie Chat from twec.com (1999 December 06):Interview with Debbie Harry] ]
*Billy's Topless is the subject of an oil painting by American painter Max Ferguson. [ [http://artfordecor.com/paintings/BillyTopless.htm ArtForDecor.com ] ]

References