Bawdy Surfing

In the grand, sexy tradition of Michelle’s Triple X Revue, Grand Ville, Bordello and Sin-A-Matic--all of which made or make their home at the 7969 club--comes Vibrator, the bawdiest, bodiest and naughtiest new club on the scene.

Let’s just examine the name for a moment . . . um, yeah. OK. Now let’s move on to the club’s theme: “A rock ‘n’ roll strip club with an appetite for seduction.” Exactly. Nothing like pairing a Guns N’ Roses pun with a little erotic tease to spell it out.

Opening night was nothing if not a stunning example of the power of the rock ‘n’ roll experience. Along for the ride were the hosts--Joseph Brooks, Bryan Rabin and Coyote Shivers--who have worked together (most notably on the dance club Cherry) but never before as co-promoters. Let’s put it this way: If you were throwing a party anywhere in the world, these are the guys you’d want hosting, between the people they know, the music they play and the energy they spin together.

Among those who have paid their respects since the club’s November opening are club owners Johnny Camacho (C Bar) and Slim Jim Phantom (Cat Club), Joey Ramone, Rose McGowan and Ione Skye, Elvis Presley (as channeled by his daughter, Lisa Marie), Amy Fleetwood, members of Aerosmith and seminal scene-maker Danny Shades, who is, mysteriously, on the comp list of every club in town. Between you and me, if Danny Shades makes the scene, you know you’re at the right place.

The cast of characters is what separates this night from the other 7969 promotions. The dingy club’s three dark rooms and smoking patio (little more than a funky, oil-stained driveway) fill up with colorful freaks and geeks, harking back to the early days of all things alternative. Vibrator takes the glam from Cherry and fuses in vintage Cathouse attitude. For a visual aid, picture Tommy Lee in his modestly tattooed early years (pant, pant). Fill in the background with some hot exotic dancers and an appropriate soundtrack. Sprinkle the whole scene with the breathless wonder of Hollywood night-lifers who sense the brass ring, the one inscribed with a “Y2K,” within their grasp.

Brooks and Taime Downe take turns deejaying a fierce blend of rock, winding folks up with the likes of Van Halen, the Runaways and Iggy Pop. At midnight, the performances start and have included Vibrator’s very own rock star, Coyote Shivers, and an L.A.-raised, New York-livin’ performance artist named Bob.

Bob, a bodacious blond who dresses like Wonder Woman, alternately “heals” people with her ample bosom and demonstrates full-figured aerobics. And she, um, exercises just as forcefully as the slinky alumnae of Grand Ville, the club Vibrator replaced. The applause Bob received at the end of her routine revealed that even the jaded people in Hollywood still respond to genuine innovation.

Meanwhile, back at the raunch--or specifically, the famedback room of 7969, a madame named Lola from Jumbo’s Clown Room hosts some good-natured debauchery for those in need of debauching. There’s more of them than you know.

As Slim Jim noted, the owners of 7969 (a club that people continue to call Peanuts and probably always will call Peanuts, despite the fact it hasn’t been named Peanuts in nearly a decade) haven’t put a nickel into the club since rock ‘n’ roll’s heyday. But the truth is, they don’t have to. The fact that the club has a burlesque license means promoters can go that extra mile for a smile and often do. But, for the record, that doesn’t really mean that Satan’s in the house.

What those outside this scene often miss is that what goes on at a club like this is freedom, plain and simple. On opening night, I watched an Asian man, with a ponytail down to his arse, dance like a psychedelic diva throughout the crowd, twirling from partner to partner because no one could turn down his trippy hippy energy. I guarantee you, that man was never happier in his life than at that moment, where he could release whatever it was inside him he needed to release. It was poetry.

The point is, Hollywood’s spirit is fueled by people who figure out how to unshackle themselves and let loose. And clubs like Vibrator keep that hope alive.

BE THERE

Vibrator at 7969 on Thursdays, 7969 Santa Monica Blvd., West Hollywood, (323) WOW-GOGO or (323) 654-0280. 10 a.m. to 2 a.m. 18 and older. Cover varies.