The Church of the Fuzzy Bunnys
Four years ago when I was living in Charleston, South Carolina, the local news stations broadcasted a rather bizarre story for a series of evenings. At first it was just another clash of morality, religion, and politics in the Southern Bible belt, which was really nothing new. What was different about this particular story was how it ended, and the cunning, brave, insane behavior of the man behind it all.
Jerry Colombo, a local entrepreneur in his 50s, was pursuing the American dream. On a back road in his home town of Ladson, South Carolina, he opened his own business. Not just any business, but a strip club named Club 2010. Colombo hired a cache of dancers, opened the doors to the public, and, unsurprisingly, immediately became the scorn of local politicians and religious leaders.
In an effort to shut Club 2010 down, the city of Ladson enacted a local ordinance that prohibited the operation of certain "sinful" types of businesses, most notably strip clubs, from operating in the area. The police arrived at Club 2010, served the ordinance, and shut Colombo's strip joint down. And that should have been the end of the story.
The next night on the news, Colombo was back. Instead of moving his club across city lines, like most reasonable people would do, Colombo flagrantly ignored the ordinance. Once again, the police arrived and shut Club 2010 down.
On the third evening, Colombo was back - again - but this time leading a press conference that quite possibly was the most perfect collision of religion, sex, and politics ever seen on television. There was Colombo, standing on a grassy hillside in front of his clapboard strip joint, dressed in a preacher's silk robe, flanked by Bible toting strippers wearing pasties over their naughty bits. With television cameras rolling, Colombo preached that Club 2010, sadly, was no longer. With his hands waving, and a loud booming voice, Colombo re-christened his truck stop strip joint in the name of THA LORD! - The Church of the Fuzzy Bunny's [sic] - where the club (er, church) would hold regular Bible readings and prayer groups for the public. All led by, you guessed it, naked strippers.
The case would have been a fascinating legal study, but Colombo's clever attempt to avoid local ordinances by embracing the First Amendment wouldn't last. The Church of the Fuzzy Bunny's was quickly shut down.
For some reason Colombo and The Church of the Fuzzy Bunny's, despite its catchy, obviously mispelled title, has stuck with me over the years. Perhaps it was Colombo's brash, dogged defiance that impressed me. Or, maybe it was the look in his eyes, the wide, knowing smile on his face, and his booming voice preaching about stripping and Jesus - in the same breath - and expecting the news and public to take it seriously. Or maybe Colombo knew his flock of Fuzzy Bunnies wouldn't last after sunset, and he was taking one last, blasphemous stance against the powers of authority in the most ridiculous way he could think of. Whatever his intent, I still think about Colombo and his troupe of Bible carrying bunnies, and wonder if he really believed he could get away with it.
Comments
Now there's a strip club I would have gone to for MANY reasons, instead of just one. :-)
Posted by: Anonymous at October 16, 2002 10:24 PM
Near my grandparents house, they tried to close down strip bars by revoking their liquor laws. The club owners retaliated by re-christening their clubs 'juice bars'. They sold things like fresh-fruit smoothies and orange juice.
Turns out, the customers weren't there for the liquor. They still operate, albeit with a reduced profile.
Posted by: Jason Mevius at October 17, 2002 7:59 AM
I was living in Summerville when that happened. I was at school in Columbia when the city blocked Marilyn Manson too. Alot of my contemporaries thought it was hideous and embarassing to live in such an Uptight state, but I liked it - it had backbone. It's not everyday a state takes a stand and says "this is how we roll."
Posted by: jason at October 17, 2002 9:10 AM
ah, south carolina--no hesitation in telling it like it is, no matter how unpopular, backward or "politically uncorrect" it may appear to the rest of the workd.
i remember while at usc the state house passed legislation to prohibit the public display of profane words and slogans. seems someone in the legislature had seen one too many "shit happens" tee shirts. well, most people at usc had no problem with the law until they found out it applied to certain very popular usc slogans, like "you can't lick our cocks!" then the talk of the first amendment kicked up on campus.
i don't know if that law ever stuck. i do remember some years ago trying to locate such a tee shirt at the college bookstore to no avail.
Posted by: saturdave at October 17, 2002 2:06 PM
For those of you who have never had the honor of living in S.C., please drop to your knees and give thanks to God for being merciful on your soul. South Carolina is full of anti-constitutional laws such as a law prohibiting certain types of "dangerous" art (i.e.: tattoos). I was shocked that when they passed the lottery laws, the Baptists didn't start up Civil War II: The Battle between Ultra-Right Wing Conservatism and Ultra-Ultra-Right Wind Conservatism. Its a pile of fun here, and oh by the way, jason, I live in Summerville too.
Posted by: jim at October 17, 2002 8:11 PM
