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Foreplay

Take It Off Who says vaudeville is dead? You don't have to be Demi Moore--and you certainly don't need a pair of $12 million bosoms--to appreciate the sense of playfulness elicited by that age-old pastime, stripping. Rhino Records, the music industry's leading pop culture archivist, has plumbed the vaults to compile the 22-track CD Take It Off! Striptease Classics (due in stores April 1). The lively selections span the '50s and '60s--and every baby boomer who ever sneaked a listen to his or her parents' risqué Rusty Warren comedy records knows just how bawdy the supposedly sanitized Eisenhower era could be. The disc itself is cloaked in a flashy lenticular cover (reminiscent of '50s artwork) that depicts a fully clothed busty babe alternating into a suggestive state of undress, depending on which way the light hits. It opens with David Rose's bump 'n' grind classic "The Stripper" and moves swiftly through such exotica-style sounds as "Shivas Regal (Theme for Gypsy)," "Perfume and Pink Chiffon," and "Swingin' Shepherd Blues," to name a few. Perfect fare for that Cocktail Nation rendezvous. Come Together Let San Francisco have its Good Vibrations, now the North Bay has its own clean, well-lighted place for sex toys, sex talk, and the sweet pleasures of fingering silk. Called Rejuvenessence Sensuality Shop, this Sebastopol store serves up a host of erotic treats (who needs nipple coverings in bras, anyway?), as well as an intriguing slate of upcoming events. Each month features a Sex Salon facilitated by registered nurse Oona Mourier in an open-forum discussion of the mysteries of our most primal desires, while upcoming months focus on the joys of autoeroticism, the feng shui way, how to articulate desire (other than just grunting "You. Me. Now"), just exactly what it is that men and women want from each other in the bedroom, and finally--tantra, tantra, and more tantra. 2489-A Gravenstein Hwy. S., Sebastopol. 829-3999. [ Sonoma Independent | MetroActive Central | Archives ]