Mafia Nightclub Opens in Second Life
by Alphaville Herald on 22/01/08 at 6:14 pm
Non-profit hopes to promote crime and fun
by Sigmund Leominster
wise guys dressed to kill
Dressed in dapper pinstripes, black oxfords with white spats, Logan Walker wants to make you an offer you can’t refuse. No virtual horse heads in beds, no need to sleep with fishes, no whackings, and no special favors that involve the bribing of senators. All he wants to offer is a bar, good music, a cozy atmosphere, and the chance to meet up with the “other Families.”
The new Speakeasy club is open; a Mafia-theme-based venue complete with lush red private booths, each with the ubiquitous dance pole. Each booth looks out onto a checkerboard dance floor but offers privacy from the Wise Guys to your left and right. Your personal dancer will keep you and your buddies entertained while genial and perky hostesses make sure your drinks are filled. Planning your next “business venture?” This is an ideal spot.
On arriving, I was greeted by hostess Andromeda Leigh and Logan. In keeping with the stereotype of the 1920’s hack, I went straight to the bar to check out the drinks. Two right clicks later I’m snuggling a Jim Beam and eyeing my next.
“Got champagne!” offers Logan with a grin and conspiratorial wink. As everyone knows, an ink slinger is much more colorful drunk than a sober. I downed the bourbon and snatched up a Dom. Drinks first, interview second. That’s how it was done in the Roaring Twenties. Maybe the Mafia theme is broader than this, but images of prohibition, flappers, and clip joints help ease me into character.
Logan is no stranger to the club scene and Speakeasy is his latest venture. I asked him about the club and what he wanted to achieve.
“The name? Well, it has good connotations for the theme and suggests the kind of club I wanna have – small, friendly, little bit bad, ya know? Being mafia-themed I expect people from families within SL or people who are interested in that theme.”
So what drew him to this particular theme?
“Well, I joined a family soon after joining Second Life, so I know a few people. And to be honest, I think SL needs more fun communal areas which aren’t all about selling or ads. This club aims to be a cool hangout on theme, where people can meet friends and contacts old and new.”
No mall, no T-shirts, no vendors, and no camping?
“All that stuff just adds lag and reduces user experience. I did have some vendors before to help income, but they made lag. Camping is horrible because you think a place is busy but it ain’t!”
Speakeasy is the second club of this name that Logan has owned. The new one came about after he realized he wanted to provide some other type of SL experience. He explained that the first incarnation of Speakeasy was similar to this one;
“…but bigger – and we tried 24/7. I guess before I felt it was a business chance. Now it is about fun. You could do a club as a business in SL, but you need to spend a lot of time online. It’s about an experience to fit the theme. From the old club, I met sooo many good people – some here now – and I think people appreciate the neutral ground; a chance to add to the scene.”
The opening officially took place at 6:00 pm SL time, which is 23:00 GMT and 3:00 EST. These times are important because being based in the UK, if Logan wants to optimize the accessibility of Speakeasy across the world he has to juggle the time zones. As he said, rather than go for the 24/7 approach, he has opted for catching the late Europeans and the early Americas. In fact, during the first hour, Logan’s enthusiastic “Let’s have a big woot from the Europeans in the house!” raised the required woot from over half of the people there. The US woot was a little smaller – and more of a “yeehah.”.
Hostess Angelica Compton, shimmering in a Marilyn Munroe white dress, white heels and just enough bling to catch your attention, appeared to be right at home with the customers, greeting newcomers and chatting easily. Despite her obvious youth and stunningly gorgeous appearance, Angelica has been in SL since the Lindens loaded the first Metaverse onto an Apple IIe via the DuoDisk. Well, maybe not that long, but some four years. In fact, Angelica was a customer in the original Speakeasy and hostessing is something new.
“This is my first time of working for someone else,” said Angelica. “I am a past club owner. I have been a friend of Logan for about a year, so I was happy to help him out.”
She sees her job as “…to welcome each new person to the club as best as possible, show them where to find the dances and drinks, and encourage the rest of the staff to participate in chat.”
Like Logan, she sees Speakeasy as being a fun endeavor and not a business. She wound up her own club after the experience left her burned out.
“Most folks want to treat SL as fun, not a slog to make money,” she told me. “Logan has all the right ideas. It would be a let down if he hoped to make a profit.”
Logan’s Speakeasy represents what might be called the “not-for-profit” business in RL. There are tip jars for the DJ, hosts/hostesses, and dancers, so sure there is an element of commerce involved. But then what self-respecting Mafia hang-out wouldn’t allow you to tip the dames and slip a little green to the staff for making sure you get the right booth. On the other hand, there’s little pressure to hand over cash at every opportunity and the long-term viability of the club will depend on building up a steady flow of regulars and not a return-on-investment.
Should you decide to don your pinstripes and fedora, or maybe a slinky little flapper dress, and take a trip to Speakeasy, tell Logan that Sigmund sent you and maybe you’ll get that special booth.
Oh, and the lush at the bar with a notepad and pen? Just get him another drink.
anonymous
Jan 22nd, 2008
I give it two weeks.
FAIL
Jan 22nd, 2008
THEY CALL THEMSELVES CYBER-GANGS THEY ARE NERDS WATCHING TOO MUCH OF ‘THE GODFATHER’
FAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAIL
FAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAIL
FAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAILFAIL
Whatever
Jan 22nd, 2008
Mafia-themed? Hey, who do I know that loves the mafia themes? Is Sil Demina still dead?
d3adlyc0d3c
Jan 22nd, 2008
LOL watch this guy get lynched because paranoid fags assume that he’s me.
d3adlyc0d3c
Jan 22nd, 2008
“Mafia-themed? Hey, who do I know that loves the mafia themes? Is Sil Demina still dead?”
Why is it that both you and dickgirl are the only two people that still spend all of your time obsessing with me and raging at me? Get over it, intlib, I mean you still got your twenty thousand dollar WTC replica and your e-business right? LMAO.
Kahni Poitier
Jan 22nd, 2008
Mafia? Non-profit?
You’re doing it wrong.
/to be honest, it looks like a cool place, but I don’t see it lasting long.
Just Me
Jan 22nd, 2008
If you’re going to report on new clubs in SL, be consistent, don’t just tell us about the ones openned by your friends or by the “old timers” in SL.
There are lots of themed clubs out there, from Double O’s (James Bond themed) to Runaround Sues ( 50s and 60s music), as well as the live music venues, etc. Yes, a lot of them close a few weeks later, but some have endured and have loyal customers, great DJs or live performers, etc. I mean places without the “ubiquitous dance pole” .. personally I don’t go to places with escorts, strippers, or even dance poles.
I’d love to see the Herald have a daily “Club Review” article. There are plenty of clubs out there to review, in many many different categories.
Whatever
Jan 22nd, 2008
@d3adlyc0d3c: Paranoid is an apt word. Who said Logan Walker (or anyone else) was you?
Andromeda Leigh
Jan 22nd, 2008
Good to be back.
Speakeasy WILL do fine,because this time it’s ran and motivated by those who CARE to work for the club just for what it is to us.
Who cares if the traffic never hits 40k.
We don’t have campers, it’s for friends to talk, hangout and just have an all-out good time with each others company.
d3adlyc0d3c
Jan 22nd, 2008
“Paranoid is an apt word. Who said Logan Walker (or anyone else) was you?”
No one said it. You implied it. The quote speaks for itself. Too bad you can’t edit it here huh?
Everyone knows that I am Sil Demina. I never denied it or made any effort to hide it and you knew you were referring to me too so don’t play stupid.
Lao-Tzu
Jan 22nd, 2008
I find it funny that Whatever, just out of the blue, tries to “troll” d3adlyc0d3c for no reason. Whatever is very obsessed indeed.
As far as this article, I liked it. It is well-written and was not quickly slapped together at the last minute like some articles seem.
As far as the club itself, I think it may be worth at least a visit-yet I agree with the previous comment that dance poles in SL clubs are WAY too common. Club owners like them because they are glorified camping spots for chics and newbies enjoy cartoon boobies.
Kahni Poitier
Jan 23rd, 2008
You sound like you’re doing it for the right reasons, Andromeda.
It’s like public romance gardens. As long as you realize it WILL NOT pull any income, they’ll do fine. I love art for art’s sake. And places like this ARE art, in my book.
It’s like my Pizza Parlor. I don’t make money on it, I pay a lot out of pocket to keep it running, but there’s more to it than profit. I do it for the people too. I’ve made some great friends by doing it, and plan to keep it up as long as my pocket can afford it.
I’ll make a point in swinging out to see the place, it sounds really cool (and Runaround Sues. That sounds fun too)
Archie Lukas
Jan 23rd, 2008
Monte Carlo club in hawanin (spelling hazy there)
Rub by a RL Italian, 6 months post-openining
Chaps with guns patrol
Bimbos lounge about
Red carpet
Hookers lounge
Oversized bling watches
Italian pin striped suits – tacky ones
Its Italian mafios and as tacky as you’d expect
and weirdos demanding sex from nearby residents with menaces -which is why we moved.
Nothing new here then
Whatever
Jan 23rd, 2008
“No one said it. You implied it. The quote speaks for itself. Too bad you can’t edit it here huh?”
If you took it as implied, you were mistaken. But when a review of a new mafia-themed club appears on SLH, it doesn’t hurt to remind people of your past as Sil Demina. You know, in case anyone’s looking for you in-world.
L
Jan 23rd, 2008
lol, IntLib had to jump to a new article because all of the e-fags are turning on him and lynching his fat ass.
Proteus Hand
Jan 23rd, 2008
Rule 14, shitheads. “Do not argue with trolls – it means that they win. “
Jim Schack
Jan 23rd, 2008
Jesus, even I know that’s IntLibber.
How many times have you posted a comment here anonymously and got caught now? This, mind you, is one of the reasons I left BnT. He can’t help but invite PN attacks. It’s not the IRS or the FBI after you, it’s you holding the gun shooting your own foot. Doh!
d3adlyc0d3c
Jan 23rd, 2008
“You know, in case anyone’s looking for you in-world.”
I am in world and no one will find me. Hows them apples?
“it’s you holding the gun shooting your own foot”
While I absolutely admit that both he and dickgirl have tempted me to return to griefing I have resisted and will continue to do so…so the rest of you need not worry. Intlib doesnt need me to grief him anyway, in 20 years he will still be whining about me along with dickgirl while I’m living an ordinary life, having long forgotten about all of them. Besides that BnT and whatever ‘companies’ he has are failing anyway, which I’m sure is part of why he spends so much time raging at me now. He has to borrow money from his dying father like there’s no tommorrow in order to keep his business afloat. God forbid he’d have to get a real job right?
d3adlyc0d3c
Jan 23rd, 2008
He didn’t pop up out of the blue though, see, I had just got done letting Tizzers know that I knew she was feeding intlib my infos (or trying to) from the time that Int tried to post my dox on SLH and youtube. I use about five different email accounts and while the PN forums had one of them, Tizzers Foxchase was given another which had the word ‘jadams’ in it. Tizzers Foxchase is the only person that associated this account with d3adlyc0d3c as all of my email accounts are registered under different fake names,etc,etc. Because I use several aliases on the web and have been careful to keep them confined only to their specific email accounts and because the handle ‘d3adlyc0d3c’ was associated only with an entirely different email account it was incredibly obvious. Intlib blew the lid off of that one himself and of course within 24 hours of me calling tizzers out on it Intlib posts here and guess what? Still no response from Tizzers….imagine that.
Oh but intlib….somewhere I have an email account where my bank sends my statements which would compromise my real identity. Happy hunting…..