1. Rify Royalty
Photograph: Ryan Pfluger
They’ve got it, they flaunt it and they accept cash tips only. You can talk to them, dance with them and maybe even touch them. Or you can leer at them from across the room. Falling in love with them might ruin your life, but there are worse ways to go. Go-go boys in gay clubs are a fantasy of and in flesh. Some are porn stars, and sex workers, and some end up winning a Tony for writing the book for Avenue Q. OK, they’re not out there curing cancer (yet), but they are performing a much needed service. If they’re doing it right, they elevate everyone’s mood as well as everyone’s libido.
According to gay nightlife kingpin Frankie Sharp, good looks and the ability to look sexy grinding to the music are only part of the game. “He’s got to be able to move through any type of space and any type of crowd. And a great go-go boy has to let go of his ego.” Party promoter Ernie Cote agrees. “A great go-go boy is friendly to everyone,” says Cote. “Some end up becoming hosts because they are so fun and friendly that people come to see them outside of the way they look.”
Known for his anything-goes underwear party, NYC Caesar of sleaze Daniel Nardicio gets Freudian with his analysis. “If they come from broken homes, no fathers,” says Nardicio, “then their insatiable desire to find a father to love them makes them do depraved things just for a dollar. I had one dancer say to me, ‘My dad was a general in the Israeli army, but I show my hole for a dollar.’”
Flirty, slutty, depraved or friendly, there’s no shortage of beautiful dancers in NYC. We’ve put together a list of our favorite go-gos on the NYC scene and ranked them below. But the lifespan a go-go boy can be short, and should be according to Nardicio. “I always tell them to do it for two years because it gives people a false sense of celebrity.” Nardicio said. “Go-go dancing is like Ikea furniture. It's cute, but after two years it all starts to fall apart and then you are left with a pile of sawdust.”
