The New Hollywood

Deep, a new Hollywood nightclub, is a wee bit cheesy and plenty sleazy, a perfect combination for the famed corner of Hollywood and Vine. I’ve watched a number of clubs come and go there in the last 10 years (Does anybody remember Premiere’s of Hollywood? I didn’t think so.) and it seems to me that Deep does a lot of things right.

First off, never underestimate Hollywood’s desire to look up a girl’s skirt. Or, for that matter, a guy’s skirt.

Deep owner Ivan Kane pulled out all the voyeuristic stops when creating the 2-month-old nightclub with designer Fred Sutherland, who also designed the bar Kane on Melrose Avenue. Throughout Deep, there are two-way mirrors and adult-style jungle gyms where dancers simulating menage a trois stimulate the audience by play-acting sexual fantasies.

Taking a cue from such provocative dance clubs as Cherry and Make-Up, the go-go dancers aim to arouse with an anything-goes attitude. It’s risque, but not a strip club, perfect for those want to approach the edge without going over it.

New Door Welcomes the Ghost Hunters

Gone is any remnant of Jacks Sugar Shack, the last nightclub to hold court at that location. Wisely, the new owner moved the entrance from Vine Street to the actual corner of Hollywood Boulevard and Vine Street, so tourists seeking ghosts from the Brown Derby might just find themselves wandering inside Deep.

The room closest to the entrance is a spacious smoking area, where the bench seating and high ceiling have an underground vibe that conjures up the feeling of waiting for the Metro in Europe. Indeed, throughout Deep, there’s a Euro-trash feel inspired by the club’s wild colors and hard-core Euro deejays, who spin everything from deep house to obscure world beat.

The main room includes a raised stage and a spacious curvy bar. A glassed-in room above and behind the bar lights up with performers strutting their stuff a la Amsterdam’s red-light district.

As you continue to wind your way through the club, there’s a boxy dance floor surrounded by see-through walls and another go-go dancing area above. On a really packed night, it gets a bit claustrophobic on the dance floor, making the main bar area the most comfortable place to hang out. Those who enjoy rubbing shoulders with everyone probably won’t mind kicking it sardine style. For those who don’t, Deep turned Jacks Sugar Shack’s walk-in freezer into a lush VIP area, which has its own pole-dancing station. Naughty, naughty boys.

Although everything’s done in the spirit of cheese and sleaze, it’s done with a wink. Deep, which also serves dinner Thursdays through Saturdays, is a dance club first, but with some envelope-pushing titillation.

Deep isn’t Las Palmas or the Sunset Room--two of Hollywood’s newer high-end restaurant-nightclubs--and it isn’t trying to be. An excessively costly nightclub wouldn’t work at Hollywood and Vine. Although steeped in Tinseltown legacy, it’s still a crusty old corner where the souvenir vendors, tarty clothing shops and burrito stands outweigh any classic Hollywood memories.

But as we enter yet another decade of decadence for Hollywood, Deep is right on time. Like the figurative hooker with the heart of gold, Deep offers a safe-sex haven for those who cain’t get no satisfaction.

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Deep, 1707 N. Vine St., Hollywood, (323) 462-1144. Open Tuesdays to Saturdays. 21 and older. Cover varies.