For episode 11 I sit down with Tee a.k.a The Energy Goddess, a Carolina Native and veteran of all things regarding nightlife.
Coming off of a turnt-up holiday weekend with the family, we kick-off discussing her formative years with her family in Charlotte and later in rural Mooresboro, NC. She explains how she was a very active and curious adolescent, often landing herself in trouble and causing her to move around to live with different family members growing up all of which molded her persona and motives today. We talk about her experience in artistic endeavors and sports early on and how that affected her trajectory in life, ultimately prepping her for how to move around in nightlife spaces.
Tee is a self-proclaimed black hippie, so we talk about experiences experimenting with drugs, particularly marijuana. We also talk about black cowboy and rodeo culture and parties, which are popular in North Carolina towns such as Boiling Springs, where you can enjoy some great barbecue and some serious line dancing.
We also talk about the rules, culture and state of nightlife in Charlotte, NC from a workers perspective, particularly how it could be very "clique-ish". Now that she turned 30 she is trying to put some distance between herself and the nightlife scene after having experienced a lot in the streets.
She tells a funny story about how she got into a fight with club security at Imperial this year and ended up injuring her foot, requiring her to wear a boot for a while.
She talks about her time in college Winston-Salem State University where she studies mass communications, with a concentration in Radio, after initially trying to attend Clark Atlanta University. I take time to reflect on a similar story of my own experience with trouble finding funding when I initially got to school but I was able to overcome thanks to a guardian angel I met at school who helped me with some advice.
She spent some time interning in radio production during school before getting into nightlife. She did most of her initial networking through radio work where she learned to "Keep her ears to the streets but her lips out of it". She also had some light music aspirations, being able to rap on a JetsonMade beat.
Her first foray into nightlife was as a dancer in college before serving as a bottle girl in Greensboro, NC. She talks about how competitive and intimidating it can be working in the strip club. She talked about how she travelled for work to different states, even going as far as the US Virgin Islands. She also walks us through a typical night on how much money she would make and how it would flow in. She also comments partnering with other dancers.
She also commented on her experience as a bartender, but more extensively as a hookah girl. We talked about some of the nuances and history around hookah culture and some of her hookah pet peeves.
She talked about some of her favorite cities to turn up in, namely Houston, TX, and shouts out some of the venues that she put in a lot of work with, mainly West End Tavern, Tatooz & Booz and Bliss.