Hollywood Showgirls celebrates 11th birthday: Owner Craig Duffy shares the highlights
HOLLYWOOD Showgirls turns 11 this month — and it’s had some interesting visitors down the years: Metallica, Silverchair, Brody Jenner, and the owner’s mum.
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ASK Hollywood Showgirls owner Craig Duffy about the more memorable moments he’s had in 11 years since he founded the Gold Coast’s premier strip club, and he says, laughing: “There have been plenty of them – probably all of them you couldn’t print.”
Some, relating to others, can be.
The Orchid Avenue nightspot owned by the ex-Australian pool and snooker champion has had plenty of well-known patrons down the years – Metallica “generally come in” when on tour Down Under, he says.
“I’ve never been in when they have come though – I’m not a fan of theirs, I’m more of an Elvis Presley guy.
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“Pretty much every time there’s an Elvis impersonator through town they come in because I know them,” the 48-year-old businessman says.
The list of high-profile people who’ve stopped in is long – Rose Tattoo frontman Angry Anderson was in about two months ago, they’ve had Silverchair, plenty of the Pirates of the Caribbean cast and crew during filming, plus the son of Caitlyn Jenner and American TV personality Brody Jenner who Craig says is “a mate of mine and he comes in every time he’s over”.
Hollywood Showgirls even at one stage (though very briefly) had a visit from Australian actor Hugh Jackman, Craig says.
“He didn’t actually realise it was a strip club – and as soon as he did, he left. He was with a group on a bucks night or something, there with friends. When he realised what it was, he took off,” Craig tells Coast Weekend.
No doubt Jackman won’t return for the club’s 11th birthday party this coming Thursday.
Craig says it won’t be quite the extravaganza put on in 2014 to mark 10 years since he co-founded the place with mate and former business partner Jamie Pickering.
Jamie, who now owns nightclubs across the street, sold out his share a few years ago.
But Craig, who has previously told Coast Weekend he started Hollywood because it was the kind of five-star place he’d like to go, says there will be special promotions and shows to mark the 11th.
A sports bar area is a recent addition to the swanky club.
Four large TVs showing Foxtel sport channels were installed last month in the area furthest from the pole-dancing stage.
“Often live sports are on at crazy hours of the morning so it suits what we’re doing.
“I just thought it would be a good opportunity for guys to have a beer, watch live sport and if they want to have a perv at some girls at the same time, then I think it all goes hand in hand.
“We won’t have the TVs anywhere near the stage – it would detract from the shows and the classiness of what we’re doing.”
One visitor who may or may not come in for the 11th is Craig’s Gold Coast-based mother Coral Saunders, 68.
She pops in every three or four months, he says, and was in recently because she was downstairs at 19 Orchid Avenue enjoying some live music.
“On her way home she popped up to say hello – she doesn’t get in that much.”
But Craig says his mum does like his venue, and she views it as a business proposition more than anything.
“She prefers to go and see live music but she’s not your typical mother – she’s not sitting at home knitting that’s for sure.”
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