The Hungry Duck
Encyclopedia
The Hungry Duck was a legendary Moscow
bar of the 1990s
. At the peak of its popularity, "the Duck", as it was known, was an icon of Moscow hedonism
, an unbridled, sexual, and sometimes violent venue. The Duck's "Ladies Night" was exceptionally popular, bringing in as many as 920 women in a single night. The patrons of the Duck were uninhibited, free to dance upon the bar and remove their clothing. The Duck was founded and owned by Canadian
Doug Steele, (of Moosehead fame) and "business partners" from the Republic of Georgia.
Doug remarked on how the Duck's environment came to be:
In 1999, the Duck was targeted by influential members of the Russian government, after a tour of the establishment scandalized authorities who witnessed young drunken Russian women voluntarily performing simulated sex acts on a Nigerian male stripper
named "Dillon" while the bar played the Soviet National Anthem. The Duck was subsequently a target of Russian media and denounced over thirty times on the floor of the Duma
. In the following months the Hungry Duck was inordinately struck by police raids, Health Inspectors, Fire Marshals, Narcotics Agents, and other local authorities. in 2000, Steele was forced out of the business by his Georgian "partners" The club continued to operate in the same location (adjacent the Kuznetsky Most
metro station), but as Moscow's citizenry grew in prosperity, the public hedonism that made the establishment (in)famous became less commonplace. Finally in 2008 the establishment lost its liquor license and eventually closed its doors in the spring of 2009.
Moscow
Moscow is the capital, the most populous city, and the most populous federal subject of Russia. The city is a major political, economic, cultural, scientific, religious, financial, educational, and transportation centre of Russia and the continent...
bar of the 1990s
1990s
File:1990s decade montage.png|From left, clockwise: The Hubble Space Telescope floats in space after it was taken up in 1990; American F-16s and F-15s fly over burning oil fields and the USA Lexie in Operation Desert Storm, also known as the 1991 Gulf War; The signing of the Oslo Accords on...
. At the peak of its popularity, "the Duck", as it was known, was an icon of Moscow hedonism
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
, an unbridled, sexual, and sometimes violent venue. The Duck's "Ladies Night" was exceptionally popular, bringing in as many as 920 women in a single night. The patrons of the Duck were uninhibited, free to dance upon the bar and remove their clothing. The Duck was founded and owned by Canadian
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
Doug Steele, (of Moosehead fame) and "business partners" from the Republic of Georgia.
Doug remarked on how the Duck's environment came to be:
A lot of the things that became Hungry Duck trademarks started out as simple adjustments to the small space the club gave people to dance in. The whole dancing-on-the-bartop thing began at a PepsiPepsiPepsi is a carbonated soft drink that is produced and manufactured by PepsiCo...
Foods corporate party shortly after we opened. They'd been drinking and wanted to dance. That's what's so great about Russians: they're not as self-conscious and inhibited as Westerners. My philosophy was just to let them do what they want, see where it went, because it was clear that the customers knew exactly how to enjoy themselves if only given the chance. My only job was to market it. After word got out that customers not only got away with dancing on the furniture but were actually encouraged, others started doing it too. From there, it just snowballed.
In 1999, the Duck was targeted by influential members of the Russian government, after a tour of the establishment scandalized authorities who witnessed young drunken Russian women voluntarily performing simulated sex acts on a Nigerian male stripper
Stripper
A stripper is a professional erotic dancer who performs a contemporary form of striptease at strip club establishments, public exhibitions, and private engagements. Unlike in burlesque, the performer in the modern Americanized form of stripping minimizes the interaction of customer and dancer,...
named "Dillon" while the bar played the Soviet National Anthem. The Duck was subsequently a target of Russian media and denounced over thirty times on the floor of the Duma
Duma
A Duma is any of various representative assemblies in modern Russia and Russian history. The State Duma in the Russian Empire and Russian Federation corresponds to the lower house of the parliament. Simply it is a form of Russian governmental institution, that was formed during the reign of the...
. In the following months the Hungry Duck was inordinately struck by police raids, Health Inspectors, Fire Marshals, Narcotics Agents, and other local authorities. in 2000, Steele was forced out of the business by his Georgian "partners" The club continued to operate in the same location (adjacent the Kuznetsky Most
Kuznetsky Most
Kuznetsky Most is a street in central Moscow, that runs from Bolshaya Dmitrovka Street to Lubyanka Street. The name, literally Blacksmith's Bridge, refers to the 18th century bridge over Neglinnaya River, now running in an underground tunnel, and a nearby foundry and the settlement of its workers...
metro station), but as Moscow's citizenry grew in prosperity, the public hedonism that made the establishment (in)famous became less commonplace. Finally in 2008 the establishment lost its liquor license and eventually closed its doors in the spring of 2009.