February 17-23, 2005

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Cupid is Dead

by Trey Popp

Valentine's Day came early to Doc Watson's Pub, which hosted a holiday burlesque on Feb. 10. But love left the building at closing time. After the four members of Hellcat, Down Girl, Down! burlesque troupe changed out of garters and pasties, a melee erupted between the women and Watson's owner Dan Flynn that had both parties counting bruises and bite marks.

On Valentine's Day proper, the Hellcat troupe pressed charges against Flynn with the district attorney.

Flynn recalls behaving like a gentleman at the outset. "I told them at 2 o'clock they had to get going. But they wanted to take down more decorations, and more decorations, and 2 o'clock became 2:15 became 2:30. I had to get them out of here. That's the law."

Flynn says the troupe's attitude didn't help matters. "They were very rude," he explains, "like, "Get off my fucking back,' blah, blah, blah."

Troupe member Athena (who asked to be identified by first name only) described Flynn's demeanor as misogynistic. "It went from, "Don't give me attitude, I'm the owner of this bar,' to, "I don't take attitude from whores.'"

Athena admits her personality can rub men the wrong way: "My whole persona is basically like an ice queen dominatrix type," she says. "So I run into some men who have a problem with me from the gate."

Flynn says his aggravation had nothing to do with gender. In fact, his next move was chivalrous, in a twisted sort of way. Responding to troupe member Becky Vomit's question, "Are you trying to pick a fight?" (Vomit says it was not meant to provoke), Flynn disappeared and came back with a female member of his staff.

"I said, "Look, if you want confrontation, it's going to be confrontation with a girl, because I'm not going to hit a girl,'" Flynn explained after the fact.

Athena remembers this differently. "The owner said, "You want to fight? She's gonna kick your ass.'"

Flynn and Vomit were soon in one another's faces. Flynn says the altercation lasted about 30 seconds, during which someone bit a "chunk" out of his hip. (It did not require stitches, and Flynn says he declined to press charges.) Troupe members, who also came away with various injuries, estimated that the brawl lasted between two and 10 minutes before being broken up by staff members and lingering patrons.

Athena remembers Flynn's female fighter claiming security cameras had recorded the verbal argument that had taken place on the third floor, but Flynn says there are no cameras in Doc Watson's.