She’s known as North America’s most published centerfold. She is Melissa Wolf. When Melissa isn’t posing, she’s dancing her way across America. In between, she even finds time to run a fan club (Melissa Wolf Fan Club, 2180 Pleasant Hill Rd., Ste. A-5356, Duluth, GA 30136-4663).
Melissa answered some questions for us about her life as an exotic dancer.
Q – Melissa, how many magazines and videos have you done?
A – It’s hard to keep track of what gets published and where. I have a friend in Houston, I met years ago in a club where I was working, who is a big time magazine collector and has kept track of everything I have done over the years. Every time I come out in something new he calls me and sends me a copy. At last count I believe it was over 150 magazine issues with about 54 of them belonging to Penthouse magazines. As for videos, I appear in Penth0use’s Great Pet Hunt Part I (one). I have three x-rated videos and one xxx-rated video.
Q – Are you friends with other dancers?
A – Absolutely. I have a very close knit circle of friends that are in this business. We trade information about the clubs we like and hate, where to get posters and promo printed material and where to buy costumes.
Q – How did you get into this business?
A – I was 19 years old, living on my own in Vancouver. I had a job at McDonalds that paid the rent and that was about the extent of my life. One night after work, I went out to a club for a couple of drinks with some friends. There was a wet t-shirt contest going on and they needed more contestants. My friends begged me to enter, but, I was too shy. They kept working on me, and after a few drinks, I entered. Nothing like a little liquid courage to smash those inhibitions. It was a popular bar and packed as usual. There were a bunch of other girls and they knew what they were doing. I was so nervous, but somehow, I won. I made more money from winning that wet t-shirt contest than I made working a whole week at McDonalds, $100. Not only the money, but it was so exciting, all the men cheering for me. So naturally, I entered again the next week and won. I kept doing the contests for about 8 months and eventually lost my inhibitions without any help from alcohol. It was at this point I decided to turn my extra money making pastime into a profession. Good-bye Big Macs. Hello Big Bucks! Later, I met a dancer on the circuit who had posed for Penthouse as a centerfold. She encouraged me to send my photos to Penthouse. I did, and two weeks later I was on a plane to do a shoot with Earl Miller, the staff photographer for Penthouse. With all the publicity surrounding the Dorothy Stratten story from Playboy just a few years before, it was a big deal to be in Penthouse. We were both from a small town called Coquitlam and we went to the same high school. Being that I was now the only hometown girl currently on the stands, I was quite the hot commodity. I think of that as the beginning of my career.
Q – What advice would you give someone who wants to do what you’re doing?
A – No drugs. No alcohol. Save and invest the money you make because it’s a short ride and be prepared to hit the road and live out of a suitcase.
Q – Where have you taken your act?
A – I have performed in all 50 states with the exception of Kansas, Utah, Wyoming, and Alaska. I also work a lot in Canada and did a tour through southern Asia. Oh yeah, there’s a club in Australia that’s been trying to book me for a long time.
Q – What music do you like to dance to?
A – Puff the Magic Dragon, because it really puts me in the mood to bare all I got. Actually, Enigma Number One, because it’s relaxing and sensual.
Q – What’s the strangest thing that’s ever happened to you on the road?
A – I’ll never forget this one show at the Cecil Hotel. I’m announced. I make it to the stage and start my show. No problem, everything is going great. To get the crowd really going I do my spin move around the pole, but this time I felt a kind of smack on the heel of my boot. I figured I just clipped the pole. It happens. So, I played it off and kept dancing. I didn’t appear to be injured. When I later returned to that pole, I see this guy with his head bleeding all over the place. I think “Oh my God, now what do I do? Do I keep on dancing? Do I have someone call 911?” Well, I stopped the show and had someone call 911. I mean this guy was really bleeding. After we got him taken care of, I continued dancing. During the rest
of my performance guys were cheering, doing the wave, holding up score cards. They all thought it was pretty funny. I felt so bad for this guy. A couple days later, he came back into the club with big black circles under his eyes. Apparently in an effort to get a good look he had gotten a little too close and I broke his nose and fractured his cheek-bone with that spin. Talk about reaching out and touching someone. The club offered him a free bar tab, but all he wanted was a shot at getting a good view. I gave him a shot alright.
Q – How long do you think you can last in the exotic dancing business?
A – I intend to dance until they haul me off the stage with that ol’ cane pole around my neck. When that happens, I’ll retire.
