On the Make: The Hustle of Urban Nightlife

His interest in club life undiminished, sociologist Grazian (Blue Chicago: The Search for Authenticity in Urban Blues Clubs) ventures into after-hours Philadelphia for a dishy yet savvy tell-all that brings the city's network of pubs and hotspots fully to life, complete with a host of partiers eager to share. Populated in large part by a 100,000-plus student population, Grazian strips bare the social life of young Philly to reveal ""pre-game"" prep rituals (dressing, fraternizing, drinking), on-location angst (to appear cool and worldly) and wary assessment of older patrons among them (dinosaurs in their late twenties and beyond). Grazian also brings to life the ""hustle"" of the industry in vibrant profiles of nightlife institutions, ""including the staging of... interiors, the scripting of interactions with customers, the exploitation of attractive women workers, the engineering of creative publicity and... reality-based marketing schemes,"" showing how these efforts combine to produce the lucrative, exciting and often risky appeal at the heart of the scene. Taking readers to strip clubs, gay bars, the poshest of the posh and a few dives for good measure, this book is a bit like a month of free nights out: the pleasure of the hustle without any of the hassle.