One year ago, Humans of New York highlighted the story of Tanqueray, the former burlesque dancer whose wit, resilience, and salacious revelations captivated hundreds of thousands worldwide.
Today, Humans of New York concluded its 32-post series on Tanqueray’s life – allowing Stephanie Johnson, the woman behind the stage name, to share her story, her way.
In case you missed it (and I’m not sure you could), Humans of New York’s founder Brandon Stanton ran into Johnson in 2019, giving the star a global audience.
While many HONY posts reflect the little victories and quiet defeats of ordinary life, Johnson’s life was anything but. Abandoned by her mother while pregnant, locked up, and then kicked into the unknown, Johnson revealed to Stanton that she made a career as a gogo dancer and burlesque star in 1970s New York City.
It was a life peppered with mobsters, drugs, adaptability, and a keen sense of survival. It was a lot to pack into three posts. Too much, even.
Fans wanted to hear more, and Stanton and Johnson planned to unspool her life experiences in a podcast (The New York Times reports she turned down TV and movie offers, saying HONY was her preferred outlet). But her deteriorating health led Stanton to share the Tattletales from Tanqueray series as 32 uninterrupted Instagram posts, which concluded this morning.
The story is best experienced on the platform as one unbroken scroll, but here are some points of note:
- When a prison palm-reader predicted her “tough” and “lonely” life, getting “almost everything” right;
- Tanqueray’s breakthrough into New York City’s gogo dancing scene, which was dominated by White women;
- Her claim that she escaped the hotel suite of a department store tycoon, who paid to racially and physically abuse her;
- The time she rumbled soul legend James Brown in front of The Temptations;
- And that time she turned one of The Temptations down, and teased him about it for decades;
- Her love for ex-husband Carmine – and the time she called on the mob to fend him off;
- The fact she wore heels so often that her legs didn’t work in flat shoes;
- Her ascension to nightlife superstardom, and, poignantly, its quiet comedown.
“The moment you step off that stage, you’ve got to start again at the bottom,” Johnson said.
“So that’s exactly what I did. But I wasn’t worried. I’d been reinventing myself for my entire life.”
Johnson is now 76 and is battling significant health issues. On Instagram, Stanton announced that the Tattletales from Tanqueray series would be accompanied by a fundraiser ensuring she can “live the rest of her life in comfort and dignity.”
At time of writing, the fundraiser has amassed US$2,450,00 (AU$3,459,000). Excess funds will be supplied to a NYC charity assisting vulnerable children.
It’s extremely good shit. You can, and should, read Tanqueray’s tale right here.
