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Photo by Mark BUlingsley
A university study of several years ago
found that UNL students tend to be more
conservative, religions, and lonely than
other university students in the country.
University students in general seem to be
more lost than any other segment of the
population.
In our own newspaper, personals con
stantly appear from people who seemingly
fall head over heels for people they happen
to see in restaurants and classrooms. Not
only do they appear regularly, but they get
answered. You get the impression that al
most everybody is looking for somebody
or something.
It's all part and parcel of the libido
shuffle we all do at one time or another.
Infatuations come and go. of course, but
they are constantly fed by the pre-ordained
ideals that have been forced-fed to us over
the years in movies, magazines, TV, and
school. In the end it is somewhat dehuman
izing, and the fantasies often become more
important than the reality of just dealing
with other people.
It is no wonder that the women move
ment has shown a very real anger against
being pigeon-holed by restrictive relation
ships. As Pink Floyd has been singing, "all
and all, it's just another brick in the wall.
It is tough to separate our fantasy life
from our own shattered sense of reality
sometimes. Who hasn't had an intense eye
contact affair with somebody in one of our
classes?
What makes fantasy illusions so strong
and sometimes so painful is their inability
to measure up to reality. How many fantas
ies realized measure up to expectations?
While I would wish that for everyone, I
doubt that it happens very often.
Maybe that is just as well. Fantasy gives
us a close-up view of ourselves. There is a
lot of personal power in strong infatua
tions. That so much of our dreams are il
lusion gives us some ultimate perspective
on our own innter workings. While 1 hope
they never go completely away, I hope the
learning, that goes along with it helps me
to get on with the business of living and
touching what is real.
By Bob Lannin
Her promo poster reads, "Wanted-The
Texas Bandit. Description: Height 54,
Weight. 120, 383648. Wanted for Stealing
the Hearts of the Male Population.'
' The Texas Bandit is Dusty Summers,
featured topless dancer at BJ's Hideaway,
5100 N. 48th St. Dick Coons, owner of
BJ's, said he books a feature performer like
Summers and a go-go performer as a lead-in
for the feature.
Candy Delight, 23, served as Summers'
lead-in performer. Delight said she works at
BJ's on a weekly basis, "just on the side.
She said she has a full time job as a nurse at
the Tabitha Home.
Summers, 27, was working a two-week
stint in Lincoln, working six days a week
and putting on five shows a night.
Although she declined to say how much
she is paid, Summers said she receives a
weekly fee, set by the national agencies
that arranges her performances. Summers
said she has toured throughout America,
and left Lincoln for a performance in
Canada.
Delight also declined to reveal her
salary. She said she also has traveled, per
forming in Las Vegas, Los Angeles and
Kansas City.
Coons said that the salary range for a
feature performer is S550 to $1,000 a
week, while go-gos are paid between $220
and $450 a week.
Escape small town life
Summers said she began performing as
"an escape from a small home town to
something bigger." She said she previously
had been a waitress at a i4strip bar." Before
taking up performing, she also worked as a
-restaurant manager, clothes salesman and
make-up salesman. Rampant unemploy
ment also lead her to her career, she said.
Delight said her family in Kansas City
was involved in go-go and disco dancing.
She said that the money she's paid keeps
her performing.
"If it wasn't for the money, 1 wouldn't
be dancing," Delight said.
Summers said that she likes dancing,
and doesn't "see anything wrong in getting
paid for wanting to dance."
3he said she wanted toprove to herself
she could be successful at dancing. She said
she hoped to prove this to herself before
she reaches 30, but whether she achieves
this success, she plans on quitting within
two years.
- Working nicer clubs in Florida and Las
Vegas would constitute success, Summers
said, and currently she doesnt think she
has achieved this success.
Summers said she dislikes being on the
road by herself, since her husband lives in
Houston and doesn't travel with her. She
said performing has put a strain on her
marriage and that she and her husband
were nearly divorced a few years ago.
"It's like any job," she said. "There are
good days and then there are bad days."
Audience determinative
Delight said the audiences play a big
role in determining what kind of night she
will have. Audiences at times could show
more appreciation for her performances,
she said. She said she appreciates the
crowds at BJ's because "they don't reach
up and grab you. They dont say any smart
remarks. Sometimes it just amazes them
(the audience) the things 1 can do."
Delight said she likes performing be
cause she can meet new people and have
the chance to travel
"And I feel with a body like mine, why
not?"
Since she wants to settle down and have
a family, Delighfsaid she will perform for
about another three years.
"I'm trying to make a career out of
being a nurse, and hope to be a doctor
someday if lean"
Delight said her goal in life is "raising
a good family and learning how to deal
with people so my life can be good "
Summers said college students make the
worst audiences. She explained that some
students are rude, laying things that
others wouldn't say " Students sometimes
feel the need to show off, she said.
She added that there "really is no safe
age bracket" for audiences and that it
comes down to a matter of the personalit
ies in the audience and how mature they
are.
"I don't listen to the audience " Sum
mers said. "Comments go in one ear and out
the other. I know what I am and what I do
so 1 don't pay any attention one way or
the other. "This kind of life is just like any
other one where you're in the public eye.
After a while, you can't take the people,
the questions.
Future questionable
Summers said her future is torn between
being a professional country singer, ("I
have a pretty good voice"), or a real estate
salesman.
Her goal in life, Summers said, is to "be
remembered by people as being good and
having done something that made, people
happy.
Summers said she puts in about 12
hours of practice a week for her perfor
mances. She said some of her acts may take
up to six months to prepare, and that she
has invested more than $3,000 in costumes
and props.
Delight said that dancing comes natural
for her and therefore she doesn't practice.
Summers said she has never been re
cognized off-stage by others who have seen
her perform, and added that she hopes it
never happens.
"Dusty Summers, the performer, and
the real person, are two different people,"
she said.
Both Summers and Delight agreed that
performing is an art form.
'The people come out here to see the
pretty girls and see how good they are. As
far as a turn-on, 1 don't think so "Delight
said.
Summers said, "1 think it takes a lot of
balls for anyone to get up and take their
clothes off in front of 100 people."
"Here (at BJ's), they come to watch
you take off your clothes," Summers said.
"They don't care about talent."
Delight emphasized her feeling that
there is nothing dirty about performing.
Dancer's art
"A girl doesn't spend the money on the
costumes just to turn the men on-that's
her art. It's up to the man if he wants to
get turned on. It's what he's got on his
mind at the time."
Summers said off the job she enjoys lift
ing weights and doing calisthenics. She also
said she believes in her marriage.
"The real Dusty Summers is just like the
girl next door. I want to be recognized as a
human being and not the stereotype
stripper."
Summers said she gets propositioned a
lot, adding that "you have constantly be
on your guard." Delight said she has not
encountered the problem of getting prop
ositioned. 'There are girls who do this just to turn
a trick on the side," Summers said. She
estimated that about 20 percent of the per
formers look at their job seriously and
artistically, while the rest are in it for any
money they can get. Through her work,
she said she has run into a lot of pimps and
prostitutes.
"I've run into a lot of things. IVe grown
up. I'm glad I'm not the little naive girl
who left Michigan."
Coons said that BJ's also features
amateur contests twice a week in addition
to regular feature performers. He called the
amateur performers "a lot less profession
al." He said that BJ's gets about 15 to 20
calls a week from people looking for a
stripper for a stag party but added that he
wants no involvement in these affairs. He
said that stags can get "real rough and
mean, with no element of control."
About four different laws are broken
once a stag party involving alcohol takes
place, he said, ranging from dispensing
liquor without a license to second-degree
sexual assault.