Melody "Miss Anthropy" Henryis New York City.
A lifelong resident, she's worked in all corners of the city (in the "straight" and "non-straight" worlds alike) and had her hand in everything from a death metal band to professional domination to yoga and personal training.
All of Melody's wide-ranging (and fucking awesome) interests, from slasher flicks to naked chicks, come together at the bar she co-owns, the Lucky 13 Saloon. Located in Park Slope, Brooklyn, Lucky 13 is a haven for freaks, geeks and misfits of all types. And you can often find Melody, all 99 hard-bodied pounds of her, behind the bar, ruling with an iron fist between swigs of Jack Daniels.
About Lucky 13, Melody says "[it's] basically my fantasy world come to life. Naked bitches and heavy metal and alcohol...It's like a Satanic Disneyland. With tits." Yes please!
We talked to this hard-rocking Renaissance woman from her home in New York City:
SKIN CENTRAL: First of all, it seems like you've done a little of everything, from copy writing to stripping. How many jobs are you working at the moment, and what was/is your favorite?
MELODY HENRY: Hmmm, I kind of love a little bit of everything! I worked at the same advertising firm for the last 16 years, and at times I loved it and at times it was hell, but I always had other stuff going on simultaneously. That job recently ended, so I've been focusing more on fitness, which I've been doing for ten years teaching classes like kickboxing and doing personal training [through her company DemiGod Training -SC]. I really enjoy that and I'm really good at it.
As for all the non-straight jobs I had, working peepshow booths was definitely the most interesting, the least stressful and even fun at times! I'm (very slowly) working on a book about a lot of those crazy experiences (and other crazy life things). Some of the things I saw as a peepshow booth girl, as a stripper, [and] as a Domme really should be documented properly. So I would stop for a while, and eventually go back. The money is good if you get the right clients. I was generally a "corporal punishment specialist," as in I would beat the crap out of these dudes. I've always been strong for a petite chick, even before getting so buff in the gym, so that was always the card I played. Also, a lot of girls don't want to do "brown showers" but I will take a poop on anyone if the money is right! We have metal blaring, sometimes punk, we have a stripper pole and tattooed gogo dancers dance and do pole tricks to Cannibal Corpse...I mean, this is basically my fantasy world come to life. Naked bitches and heavy metal and alcohol. Holy hell! I maintain a selection of really cheap beers for the young'ns and the unemployed but I also have top shelf liquor and a full Absinthe menu for the ones with more discerning tastes. It's like a Satanic Disneyland. With tits. The positive in this is I don't worry about walking those neighborhoods alone at night any more... and the other positive is you have to LOOK for the underground now. You have to find it, you have to want it, you have to seek it out. It's not just there for the taking. In a way that makes it more authentic than when it was right in Times Fucking Square. People have to get creative now. I know I do. Lucky 13 Saloonis located at 273 13th Street in Park Slope, Brooklyn, so the next time you're in New York, come and say hello!
SC: Tell us about working as a dominatrix.
MH: I worked at various houses of Domination on and off for many years-- including the gorgeous Pandora's Box in Manhattan-- but it's something you can get burnt out on.
SC: Do you channel any of that attitude into your work as a personal trainer?
MH: Absolutely, 100%. I teach a class called Ultimate Conditioning and I often tell them that I used to be a dominatrix and that being a fitness instructor is kind of similar. I yell at them, I want them to be in pain, and I am happiest when they are.
SC: Is there any conflict between owning a bar and being a personal trainer?
MH: I guess in some ways there is but I generally try to only drink once a week... Granted, I'll easily have a dozen shots in that one night, but if I am drinking too many days it definitely interferes with my OWN workouts. When I was training for the NYC marathon, I actually quit drinking altogether for many months. That was really difficult as I actually tend bar at Lucky 13 a couple of days a week and sometimes being stone cold sober and dealing with drunk douchebags is really a test of one's mettle.
SC: What's the philosophy behind [the bar you co-own] Lucky 13?
MH: Lucky 13 Saloon is about FUN. I like to create a happy space for all the people who were/are outcasts in school and generally don't feel like they fit in anywhere. Well, there is one place they fit in, and that is Lucky 13.
SC: What are your favorite movies to play at the bar? Online reviews suggest a healthy mix of horror and porn.
MH: Edward Penishands! Zombie Strippers (2008) for sure. I play a lot of classic horror too. I don't love splatter flicks, but they look great on our screens with the music blaring. A lot of Troma and other super grade B stuff we get from Netflix every week. And every Friday the 13th we have a huge "Friday the 13" bash and I play all the Friday the 13th movies over the course of the night. Those parties are out of control and awesome!
SC: How many go-go dancers do you have working at the bar?
MH: We have a rotating collection. Apathy Angel is one of our long-time girls and she is awesome. She bends in ways that I don't even understand. We have girls that come and go between straight jobs, and we have girls who are aspiring strippers, and then we have girls that are tired of all the bullshit and drama at real strip clubs so they come to Lucky 13 to make some easy cash with little hassle and no actual nudity...although some of the girls get pretty close and only wear electrical tape on their nipples or pasties and a g-string. I enjoy the super naked girls. I'm kind of a dude that way.
SC: Do you think the glory days of the "old", dirty New York will ever come back, or is Manhattan doomed to eternal Disney-ficiation?
MH: I think it's done. It's sad. I worked at strip clubs and peepshow booths where there are now fancy wax museums and Hello Kitty stores. I love New York but a lot of the seedy areas have become high-income real estate areas. Even Hell's Kitchen and the Meatpacking district which were home to dozens of tranny hookers (and meat!) at any given time are now places I couldn't even afford to live.
