I sat there every Saturday night at bar close. Actually, it was Sunday at 2:00 a.m., smoking Swisher Sweets as I reclined on the front steps on the corner of Second and National in Milwaukee at my weekly hangout LaCage.

I could feel the breeze off the lake (Michigan) from the east, tossed my hair as it flowed down National Ave.

To my left, I would watch the clock on the bank change between the time and the temperature. The time was after two, and the temperature was a pleasant 72 degrees.

I exhaled the smoke from my weekly fag and watched it dance in the breeze as it headed to the west towards downtown. Sometimes, I do think and use British vocabulary and spelling, especially when writing catalogue. I don’t know where it comes from, perhaps it’s in my DNA. Although I did watch a couple of British comedies on PBS, I was far from them being a British-ologyst or Anglophile.

I learned from Alex not to say out loud “fag” as it would offend many of the guys in the club. Although the gay guys could call each other a “fag,” I couldn’t use that term since I was an outsider stepping into their world. Alex was my friend and mentor to the nightclub life, and LaCage was our weekly stomping ground.

We would hang out at LaCage every Saturday night.

My teacher Alex was an expert of the gay club life and community. Although younger, he immersed his life and living into the gay community head first, like those guys we watched diving under the waves at a foam party. Alex also used his presence in the gay community as his source of income, not as a bartender or bouncer at a gay bar or as a waiter at a gay-friendly restaurant. Alex was a prostitute catering to the clientele of older gay men.

The Milwaukee Gigolo

Think of the movie “American Gigolo,” but with male customers. The list of Alex’s clients consisted not of common or lower-class men. His money makers were upper and higher-income gentlemen. They were usually out-of-town businessmen staying at hotels in Milwaukee. The location and room rates of the hotel were a scale that Alex would use to select his next money-making opportunity. He wouldn’t walk into a Motel-6 or a Super 8, and he avoided motels altogether. His prime locations for his market were downtown hotels, and he made a point of informing anyone who asked and a few who didn’t.

The Well-Dressed Working Man

Much like the escort in American Gigolo, Alex prepared for a night out, either for business or pleasure. He listened to music and danced around to the beat of the rhythm. I don’t know if he ever watched the movie, but the similarities are striking. Alex always wore a silk shirt when he went out, nothing less. He reserved his Burberry shirt for special occasions and never for work.

The only difference between Alex and the movie gigolo is that Alex’s wardrobe was far less extensive. He could fit it all in two suitcases, and as you can see from the clip, that gigolo required a full bureau and a double-wide closet.

Alex’s Business Plan

Alex’s general rate was 100 dollars an hour. This is the year 2000 prices. He made even more, topping at 300 dollars an hour. Some clients paid him to spend the whole night, eight hours worth of income. Several clients gave him gifts.

Alex and I would hang out at LaCage on Saturday nights, but he wouldn’t work those evenings. He might get a lead for a new client, but he worked his business later. Saturday was his time for fun.

One gifted him a shirt from the upscale Burberry line costing 400 dollars. That client took him on a day trip to Chicago to shop and Bloomingdales and allowed Alex to pick out his shirt.

Another out-of-town client enjoyed Alex so much that he sent him a ticket and flew him to his upscale apartment in New York City. Alex returned with a whole new outfit after that client took him on a shopping spree.

Words Mean Everything

Although Alex was a male prostitute, he used and preferred the term “escort.” Prostitutes were low-class and only one rung above the common corner “Crack hoes,” Alex informed me. He only needed to correct me once.

A WORK IN PROGRESS – MORE TO COME

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Enjoy this video of the present-day LaCage in Milwaukee

LaCage: My former hangout every Saturday night

La Cage – Walkers Point, Milwaukee, WI

Men’s Shirts | Burberry® Official

Burberry Men’s Clothing, Shirts, Cologne & More – Bloomingdale’s (bloomingdales.com)