ABSTRACT
This chapter examines the author’s experience of cultural bias as a spectator at a now-defunct, predominately white, working class American burlesque house called Club Atlantis in Baltimore; Maryland. Club Atlantis’ partial concealment and baffling proximity to death and imprisonment seemed both to add to, and detract from, its appeal. Club Atlantis’ relative isolation and coveted zoning license for nude burlesque entertainment made it a hot property for its new owners. The nightclub was an all-male burlesque house and one of the most legendary gay male hustler bars in the middle Northeastern states. Negotiations for its sale were finalized in September 2004. Andrew Alley and Brian Shulman, the new proprietors, also own a small all-female burlesque club in Baltimore called Chubbies. However, their plans for the Atlantis may be far more ambitious.
