Back in the 80s and 90s, whenever glamour photographers and models were in Palm Springs, California, photo shoots at poolside were at the top of the days call sheet. And with Joey Karson steaming up the lens, the heat was on even when shooting in the air-conditioned house. Joey was not one to dance or pose with a detached expression. In 1993, this writer caught one of her four daily shows at the New York Dolls club and interviewed her at a nearby restaurant between shows. She had been absent from the strip circuit for a year so this was a kind of comeback for her. When we describe how the girls seen in SCORE and Voluptuous attract massive attention wherever they go, were not kidding. Several waiters rushed to our table to take Joeys order. Not mine, of course. Wide-eyed men in business suits sat frozen, staring at her at New York Dolls as she did her strip show. I like to look at the men, Joey said.

Joey Karson began stripping at eighteen in Pittsburgh. At 19 years old in 1979, she was a slightly chubby blonde dancing at the legendary Melody Burlesk in Manhattan Broadway at 48th Street. Back then, she did not look anywhere near what she looks like in these photos shot in Palm Springs, California in 1990. The theater used to feature traditional burlesque-style strippers such as Tempest Storm. In the 70s, the sexual climate and exotic dancing changed and the girls, many of them hardcore porn actresses like Sue Nero, were spreading their pussies on-stage in front of horny old geezers wearing thick glasses. Reinventing herself, Joey became a popular SCORE Girl in the early years of the magazine, featuring in March 1993 and January 1995. It was a major transformation from the Time Square days. Joey thought that watching porn educated men about sex. She thought that was a good thing. Between her shows, she liked to meet the guys in the clubs and talk to them and she liked it when the club management would let audience members go on-stage.