Grant Phillipo: The Man Behind Las Vegas' Largest Private Showgirl Museum

PHOTOS and INTERVIEW of GRANT PHILLIPO by BRIDGETT MAGYAR

There are some people in life you encounter and think to yourself, "I'll never meet anyone like that again."

Grant Phillipo, a former Showboy on Las Vegas’ strip turned show producer and archivist to one of the largest Showgirl costume collections on earth, is certainly one of them. After visiting Las Vegas for the first time since I was eighteen, and a lover of all things ostrich feathers, nipple pasties, and scantily clad women. I prioritized a visit to Phillipo’s Showgirl History Museum, which currently lives in his personal estate, just four miles north of the city’s pulsing, neon heartbeat. 

It’s difficult to encapsulate the energy of so much history packed into a single residence— million-dollar crystal bodysuits displayed on mannequins atop pianos and in cages (literally),   replicating the performances they were once used nightly for. Like walking through a glamorous, campy haunted house posessed by a past so infused with beauty—its David Lynch meets John Waters meets Dita Von Teese. 

Currently, in search of a new sanctuary for this collection, Grant Phillipo recently spoke with Bridgett Magyar, about the Strip’s heyday, his devotion to beauty, and the timeless allure and legacy of the showgirl. 

PETIT MORT (BRIDGETT MAGYAR)

The start of it all... Leaving the Midwest for Las Vegas. You’re a true renaissance man, having worked in all facets of the entertainment industry as a performer, costume designer, show producer, curator, the list goes on... It’s hard not to wonder how you got here all the way from Iowa. Can you talk about your upbringing a bit and how the Midwest influenced your decision to get into show business?

GRANT PHILIPO

Iowa for me personally was not a great place. I lived in an abusive town and an abusive home. The teachers I had growing up were wonderful, for the most part, and helped me to escape [the abuse] as well as they could. It heavily influenced my desire to be in show business because that was my escape from my horrible reality.

What drew you to Vegas and the world of The Showgirl(s) specifically? What were your early influences as an adolescent?

I escaped my reality when I would watch old, spectacular movies. In 1976, when I was 18, I came to Las Vegas for one month and fell in love with all the shows. Showgirls & showboys were everywhere and it was all I wanted to do. My extensive art background influenced my appreciation of the nude form of men and women.

Las Vegas is such a singular and eccentric place: campy and tacky, but marvelous and unparalleled. It’s an

energetically charged landmine. Each time I’ve been there, I’ve felt like there was something in the water, because I’ve always left feeling so hypnotized and inspired. What do you think it is about Vegas that breeds such spectacular creatives, specifically for the stage?

When I used to visit Las Vegas I immediately felt electrified by all the false-glamour and neon lights When you really had to dress in order to enter a casino—everyone treated you like you were someone important, because they didn’t know if you were or weren’t. Being a showboy who dressed very sexy, I got

a lot of attention. It made you feel proud of the work you put into your appearance and physique.

Unfortunately, The Strip has lost a lot of that since they got rid of a lot of the Neon and allow people to enter Casinos dressed however. It’s really sad to me.

You've been working in show business most of your life, and have seen so many phases and changes

in the industry. What year did you start performing in Las Vegas and what did the entertainment space look like at that time?

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