Embracing Strip Club Classics
Both strip clubs and movies use music as a utility; one that’s either unobtrusive enough to serve as background or that can create an immediate shortcut to a strong emotional response in the audience. While a film can be made without music — or even sound — a stripper cannot strip without music. The one thing a dancer needs besides a corporeal form is a beat to which he can dance. The dancer can dance without a costume or makeup or a stage, but without music, a stripper is just a sexy mime in a thong.
Well, “a stripper is just a sexy mime in a thong” is the best mental image we’ll get today, I think maybe we should just go home!! But first read Susan Shepard’s excellent essay on the music of everyone’s favorite movie, Magic Mike XXL, on Pitchfork. And then if we’re not working does anyone want to go see Magic Mike XXL again?