Re-visiting Jacob: A Retrospective on the eve of entering a new pre-production phase.
This week I received a green light to mount a one-night event performance of ‘Jacob’, the first theatrical piece I had ever written. Granted the production will most definitely face its obstacles, (we’ll get to that later), but it’s interesting to be revisiting this theatrical work, some fourteen years later than its inception.
I thought it might be interesting and slightly amusing to do a retrospective on the life and history of the play and its incarnations throughout the years (having directed 2 of the 9 total productions of the piece, and returning to do a third this year in, of all places, the area in which the play had its first incarnation, as a short story, back in 1997.
The story was written for an entry into a national short story competition, which was fueled by local competitions. The story was composed as a response to a startling real-life event, the double suicide of two young boys at my then high school. These two boys (they were Freshmen) met in the shallow woods in the area, and sat Indian-style about 10 feet apart, with clock watches on their thighs. On the ground near them was a desecrated statue of the virgin Mary (the entire valley of my upbringing to this day very uber religious). Needless to say, the two boys shot each other, or themselves. The suicides caused quite a stir in the area, and at the school. I remember sitting in an auditorium filled with other teen-agers, as the adults blamed music, and wearing black, and devil worship. As I sat there I realized that they were just as confused as the rest of us, and, as adults do, were scrambling for excuses and an ultimate explanation.
The incident was something I wanted to explore and so I wrote it down, in my own way of working through things. My initial notion centered not on the double suicide, but on the notion of religion, signified by the inclusion of the desecrated stature of the actual events. The story was simply titled ‘Jacob’, and borrowed, I admit it, from the famous Amityville Horror notion of “The Devil Made Me Do It.” I decided to create a story where the action centered on a very real demon persuading a young man to kill himself. It was a dialogue of intelligence, religion, and Dostoeyovsky. It brought up issues such as body image, teen angst, media pressure, etc. and yes, it ended badly. The big twist, I thought, was that the demon was actually a representation of Jacob’s version of his ideal. It was a very deep and serious story, so I was not surprised when the contest judge pulled me aside and told me “This is extremely well written. Thought-provoking, frightening, and way too adult in nature. I just simply can’t include it in the contest”. I was expecting that, lol, and wasn’t upset, because he then informed me that another story I had submitted received first place. And yet another one, had placed 4th. I was a busy writer even then.
That autumn, in my first year at Fordham University, I heard of a One-Act play contest, and wanted desperately to enter. The 4 winning entries would be directed and produced on stage. When thinking of what to write (I had never tried to write in the one-act medium previously), for some reason I thought of ‘Jacob.’ I quickly wrote the play in a new medium, adding a new character dubbed “mother”, and also adding sexuality into the mix, which was only slightly hinted at in the initial story. To my shock and surprise, the script made it into the festival, along with three other extremely talented writers entries. A director was picked, and the show went into casting. Along, with my first foray into theatrical collaboration, with less than desirable results. The director chosen was a competent one, whose only problem was that he insisted on adding a chorus to the mix, and direct the play in some bizarre nazi-age fashion. I was aghast, but obliged (I was a Freshman and new to this, so what could I really do?) The one thing that the director did do correctly was the casting of Jacob and the Demon. The two men who took up these roles were very close friends, and literally made the characters more than I had ever hoped. To this day, they were the perfect cast for the piece. Daring, and uninhibited to the extreme.
Halfway through the rushed rehearsal process, I reached a breaking point. Seeing the play go in a direction I knew in my gut it shouldn’t, seeing physically the actors frustrations, and hearing their complaints, I stepped in, fired the director, and took the reigns myself, trying to salvage what had become at the time, my unholy child. The resulting performance, although complete with a strange chorus (at the time), was one that I was happy with, especially when I heard the audience reactions.
Joan MacIntosh, esteemed actress and director for the New York Stage, gave me possibly the best review ever: “The play shocked, frightened, saddened, and moved me. It really made me think.” With every positive there were also negatives, although another positive response was that both my mother and sister walked out of the 40 minute play, unable to sit through it. My father, bless his heart, held on. (side note: My mother would walk out of another production of mine that was produced the following year: The New York City premiere of Clive Barker’s History of the Devil.)
To this day, I can not thank that cast and crew enough, and would work with them again in a heartbeat. (The demon still lives in Brooklyn, while Jacob is out in San Francisco.)
Four years later, in September 2001 I directed another, toned down version of the play, at the Variety Café Theatre on Rockefeller Square. This production, very much a transitional theatre production, had just three characters. I realized that I couldn’t reproduce the same effect of the original cast, and so I went in the opposite direction with the characters of Jacob and the Demon, now re-named Daemon.
In the Fordham production, both Jacob and the demon were played by very masculine, weight-lifting hunks of men. In the Variety production, they were lanky, lean, compact, and, as a result, less affecting, in my opinion. The fact that the production came on the eve of the attacks on the Twin Towers, well, kind of put a dent in it moving forward with its run. We all thought it best to close the show early.
In the years since, I had taken a pen back to the script, fleshing it out more, and yes, to my admission, adding a chorus, representing Trust, Admiration, Obsession and Despair, and being visible representations of the words, and the turmoil of Jacob himself. Out of everything I have since written and directed, Jacob is, on the whole, the most abstract and conceptualized piece, and I look forward to bringing it back to New York City later this year, probably in the fall, after, of course, this one night charity engagement here in DaValley.
Going into the production, first and foremost, several creative challenges await. (Of Course they do!). The first challenge is the space itself. It is being mounted in the dance floor section of a small gay bar. The stage is very very small, and not the typical stage fashion. How to rectify this? When it is for charity, and once the actors are in there, will be limited audience space? The performance is going to be videotaped live, and shown on the television screens next door in the bar area. So even if they can’t see the action up close and personal, the attendees will still get to experience it through a visual medium.
Of course, setting this up is going to be interesting lol. But first, I have to find a cast. Find the actors and actresses needed to bring this to life, in an area where most of theatre is on the community level, specializing in performances of old-time musicals and comedies. Jacob is neither of these things.
It is a bold, envelope pushing show, and requires a total of 7 uninhibited cast members. (after all, besides the amount of skin shown on stage from Daemon and Jacob, the chorus is mostly costumed in latex body paint, and the ‘mother’ make-up is truly horrifying. Casting is going to be, in a word, a bitch.
A huge factor is the subject matter itself. It’s a very very dark piece. It knows no bounds in its exploration of sex, religion, and depravity. It’s a hard journey for an actor to take, and in an area where there isn’t a backstage casting directory, I have no idea where to begin.
But, alas, its an opportunity to be creative and to do something for charity, so I’m not going to pass it up, and will post all my progress on it here. So stay tuned.
Friday, April 30, 2010
Tuesday, February 9, 2010
Another Story- A Musical Libretto Blast from the Past Part Two
Another Story tells the tale of a Modern-Day Genocide happening in The good Old USA. It takes place in a fictitious every town, and its cast of characters, on the outset, are the everyday folk we cross paths with everyday. The libretto follows through the first act, the separate stories of those in the town, as they prepare for the arrival of the Soldiers Towards a Righteous Country, a militant operation that has managed to take hold of the government and has been grown and expanding, cleansing the country of 'unwanted'. The token stories of the first act include the boy who loves the girl, who's in love with one of the soldiers who joined the group in the hopes of saving his love; the middle-aged couple who have nothing to lose, who live for their young son, esp. since the wife is dying of cancer. The wise woman who lives in the shanty house at the towns edge... And the story of the inner workings of the Soldiers Towards a Righteous Country, who actually believe that they are doing what is best for the country.
These separate stories collide at the end of the First Act, when the Soldiers Towards a Righteous Country take control of the town.
The second Act opens with "the Cleansing", when we see who is set to live and who is set to die. It is also at this moment when the family is torn apart, and the young boy, refusing to let his family go without him, is shot military style by the Soldiers for a Righteous County.
The story only goes downhill from there, with the final scene set in the makeshift 'Cleansing Units', and its not pretty stuff.
Part The Lottery, part holocaust metaphor, Another Story was something that was interesting, to say the least. Looking back on it, I find that what I was trying to get at was something about unwarranted fear and discrimination of the 'other' within todays post-modern society.
In a way, through our everyday actions, we judge and discriminate at the snicker of a joke, or an awkward glance.
These emotions are very human, and its a touchy subject.
As the main title song lyrics state...
Just another face
In another Crowd
With another Past
And Another Story.
These separate stories collide at the end of the First Act, when the Soldiers Towards a Righteous Country take control of the town.
The second Act opens with "the Cleansing", when we see who is set to live and who is set to die. It is also at this moment when the family is torn apart, and the young boy, refusing to let his family go without him, is shot military style by the Soldiers for a Righteous County.
The story only goes downhill from there, with the final scene set in the makeshift 'Cleansing Units', and its not pretty stuff.
Part The Lottery, part holocaust metaphor, Another Story was something that was interesting, to say the least. Looking back on it, I find that what I was trying to get at was something about unwarranted fear and discrimination of the 'other' within todays post-modern society.
In a way, through our everyday actions, we judge and discriminate at the snicker of a joke, or an awkward glance.
These emotions are very human, and its a touchy subject.
As the main title song lyrics state...
Just another face
In another Crowd
With another Past
And Another Story.
Another Story- A Musical Libretto Blast from the Past Part One
I realize that this is the first in a long time for a post on this blog, but today I feel it's fitting. I realize too, that no one reads this blog, so it's an appropriate space for me to put down my thoughts about things, esp. concerning artist endeavors and dreams.
The past few days have been trying emotionally, to say the least. The Beast February has taken its toll, and flooded my mind with memories past. As Adam Duritz wrote "the Price of a Memory is the memory of the sorrow it brings.".
As I write this about a month from now will be the first ever Rawhide-NYC leather contest, which I am producing. It is also the anniversary of my partner Tim's death, due to a mixture of AIDS complications and Pancreatic Cancer, back on March 13th 2005. (Funny, but 13 has always been a lucky number for me.) Anyway, the month leading up to his passing was hellish. Hospital visits, watching the man I had given my life to slip away, etc...it is something you never really get over. You just learn how to deal. Some say that the reason Im still single is that I haven't let go of him. lol I just think I'm picky. lol
Anyway, the contest will take place at the bar that we went to. In a way, I am doing what i am to carry on his legacy. In fact, today, i sent Email invitations out to his close friends (whom i run into from time to time). I am not sure if any of them will come, but there's always the possibility.
Onto other things, just last week someone asked me to send them a copy of Jacob, which I can't seem to stop twitching. lol. I sent it, knowing the effect that that one act play has on its readers and audiences. Surprisingly, the individual really took to the script, and it spoke to him. There may be life in the babe afterall. And with ANTGPSFL on the back burner, this may be the perfect thing to mount in June for Suicide Awareness, especially in the NYC area. (Im pondering that)
It's interesting (and im finally getting to the point and title of this post lol.) When it comes to my Art, outside of those who have seen it, or experienced it, I should say, people don't really see me as Artistic. They don't get it. I remember back in the Playwriting Class at Fordham I wrote a short play (Forget actually what it was called) centering around infidelity and homicide. (there was a fall down stairs that, when directed by, god i wish i remembered, was done so stylistically it was beautiful). When I wrote the antagonist of the piece, my professor told me that his main attribute was that he had a 'huge cock'. It was interesting, and a little frustrating at the time, but I think that's what a lot of folk see when they look at what I write. They see the facade of things. Amongst The Living was a perfect example of that. The networks saw a gay leather man protagonist. Uh oh. Of course, they disguised their opinions under the quote "too dark and sophisticated."
When I had the reading in NYC in November (a complete failure, i admit), one of the problems was the fact that Michael Hutchinson was cast with an actor who refused to look past the gay leatherman facade of the character. It lost its heart. And that, to any piece of Art, is deadly...but, ATL will live on. I am not through with it, by a long shot.
When i was clearing out just Email today I came upon one of my very very early attempts at Script writing, a libretto titled Another Story. Yes, a libretto. Looking at it immediately took me back to when, if you can imagine, i was even more innocent than i am now. lol. The Emails were between myself and a composer, during my freshman year at College, over ten years ago. I had saved them and forgot about them. Then today, they appeared. Looking back at the pieces in the email I realize that I was pretty ambitious with my Art then, as I am now. I also realize the there was no way anyone would want to see Another Story lol. But, for shits and giggles, let's revisit it. In the next post lol
The past few days have been trying emotionally, to say the least. The Beast February has taken its toll, and flooded my mind with memories past. As Adam Duritz wrote "the Price of a Memory is the memory of the sorrow it brings.".
As I write this about a month from now will be the first ever Rawhide-NYC leather contest, which I am producing. It is also the anniversary of my partner Tim's death, due to a mixture of AIDS complications and Pancreatic Cancer, back on March 13th 2005. (Funny, but 13 has always been a lucky number for me.) Anyway, the month leading up to his passing was hellish. Hospital visits, watching the man I had given my life to slip away, etc...it is something you never really get over. You just learn how to deal. Some say that the reason Im still single is that I haven't let go of him. lol I just think I'm picky. lol
Anyway, the contest will take place at the bar that we went to. In a way, I am doing what i am to carry on his legacy. In fact, today, i sent Email invitations out to his close friends (whom i run into from time to time). I am not sure if any of them will come, but there's always the possibility.
Onto other things, just last week someone asked me to send them a copy of Jacob, which I can't seem to stop twitching. lol. I sent it, knowing the effect that that one act play has on its readers and audiences. Surprisingly, the individual really took to the script, and it spoke to him. There may be life in the babe afterall. And with ANTGPSFL on the back burner, this may be the perfect thing to mount in June for Suicide Awareness, especially in the NYC area. (Im pondering that)
It's interesting (and im finally getting to the point and title of this post lol.) When it comes to my Art, outside of those who have seen it, or experienced it, I should say, people don't really see me as Artistic. They don't get it. I remember back in the Playwriting Class at Fordham I wrote a short play (Forget actually what it was called) centering around infidelity and homicide. (there was a fall down stairs that, when directed by, god i wish i remembered, was done so stylistically it was beautiful). When I wrote the antagonist of the piece, my professor told me that his main attribute was that he had a 'huge cock'. It was interesting, and a little frustrating at the time, but I think that's what a lot of folk see when they look at what I write. They see the facade of things. Amongst The Living was a perfect example of that. The networks saw a gay leather man protagonist. Uh oh. Of course, they disguised their opinions under the quote "too dark and sophisticated."
When I had the reading in NYC in November (a complete failure, i admit), one of the problems was the fact that Michael Hutchinson was cast with an actor who refused to look past the gay leatherman facade of the character. It lost its heart. And that, to any piece of Art, is deadly...but, ATL will live on. I am not through with it, by a long shot.
When i was clearing out just Email today I came upon one of my very very early attempts at Script writing, a libretto titled Another Story. Yes, a libretto. Looking at it immediately took me back to when, if you can imagine, i was even more innocent than i am now. lol. The Emails were between myself and a composer, during my freshman year at College, over ten years ago. I had saved them and forgot about them. Then today, they appeared. Looking back at the pieces in the email I realize that I was pretty ambitious with my Art then, as I am now. I also realize the there was no way anyone would want to see Another Story lol. But, for shits and giggles, let's revisit it. In the next post lol
Tuesday, December 8, 2009
Mr. Rawhide 2010!!!
It is official! With LEATHERfirst-NYC, and Rawhide, this upcoming March will bring a new Leather Contest to New York City! On March 12-13 the first ever Mr. Rawhide will be held at, of course, Rawhide, the oldest leather/levi bar in NYC (With 31 yrs!). I am honored to be a part of this momentous event! I have some amazing judges lined up, and by the end of the month, the contestant promo posters/postcards will be up at the bar and around the city!
Here's what it will look like.
Stay tuned for updates! Happy Tuesday!
Peace
Here's what it will look like.
Stay tuned for updates! Happy Tuesday!
Peace
Sunday, December 6, 2009
Let The Right One In...yeah right!
This is a short review. I recently got to see for the first time Let The Right One In (thanks jamie). Let's just say that the rubicks cube serves as the connection between a 12 years old or so vampire and her psychiopath in the making next door neighbor.
Very European in pacing and in tone. Very thought provoking. Very very well done.
To say more is to ruin it for you.
More later.
I have to go let someone in lol
Very European in pacing and in tone. Very thought provoking. Very very well done.
To say more is to ruin it for you.
More later.
I have to go let someone in lol
Saturday, December 5, 2009
AMONGST THE LIVING SERIES PILOT AND SEASON ONE OVERVIEW
The creation of the pilot of a possible television series is interesting. You have to do much set up, and make sure you have the goods to back up to 12 other episodes of the season.
Amongst The Living is going to stir things up right off the bat. The main plot focus of the first season is going to involve a Cult. At the time of the pilot, the cult is already in operation in the City, and is in the public eye, under the guise of an organization specializing in attracting a specific populous throughout the city. The Head of Operations is enigmatic, charming, and practically irrestible. Too too good to be on the up and up. Things get interesting when it is revealed what he offers his 'pupils' in return for their devotion. It is something that many many people wish for on an hourly basis. That's the stronghold he has over them. At the end of the pilot episode we will see what happens when one of his followers attempts to leave the ranks. This is where Michael comes into play, as one of the investigators brought in on the case.
That is not to say that Michael appears only in the end of the episode. We follow him throughout, as he along with his team of ivestigators deals with a voracious vixen that has taken hostages at a downtown shipping warehouse. We are also introduced to a new character, Seth, who is brought in to join the team (From the ranks above).
As for the overall mythology of the series, we get a bit of it, and Michael's background as he shares a car ride with Seth down to the warehouse. It seems that Seth is very much aware of who Michael is, knowing more than he should. It is also evident that Michael has more than a quizical curiosity when it comes to Seth as well.
As far as Midian and the Leather community is concerned, although we will visit there in the second episode, and bring back Kyle, now a titleholder in the community, and original film draft characters of Rodney and Jeremy, it isn't until the third episode when Midian becomes a center of the action.
To answer some questions (for those who have read the screenplay)
1. Michael and Kyle are most definitely not together. Kyle is someone that, when he was an 'actor/model', was special. In the spotlight. Since that time, he has strived to return to that spotlight. Befriending and seducing Michael was one of his endeavors. It didn't work out that way, of course. Michael could care less about celebrity and the spotlight, and when he discovered the truth about Kyle, he had no problem making a public display that Kyle had no control over him. (The incident is seen in flashback in the second episode.)
2. The mythology of the returning gods. Most definitly is it there, thoughout the season. By episode 6, a huge revelation will be revealed about some of the characters.
3. In the screenplay, a vatican priest was murdered. Will there be any reprecussions? The notion of religion, which was very strong in the screenplay, is being explored in the cult plot line of season one. I can say that the season ends (literally) at the Vatican, with a horrifying revelation.
4. Is a familiarity to the events in Oakwood, and that story, essential to understand Amongst The Living the series? That is a definite no. The screenplay is serving as backstory, speciffically for MIchael. There will be references and discussions about the events in Oakwood and Michaels past, but they will only be to serve the current plots and storylines of the series.
5. Will there be lesbians or simply gay men? Of couse there will be some lesbian action, as there is in the pilot episode. Also, Andrea, it is revealed, is a lesbian.
Amongst The Living is going to stir things up right off the bat. The main plot focus of the first season is going to involve a Cult. At the time of the pilot, the cult is already in operation in the City, and is in the public eye, under the guise of an organization specializing in attracting a specific populous throughout the city. The Head of Operations is enigmatic, charming, and practically irrestible. Too too good to be on the up and up. Things get interesting when it is revealed what he offers his 'pupils' in return for their devotion. It is something that many many people wish for on an hourly basis. That's the stronghold he has over them. At the end of the pilot episode we will see what happens when one of his followers attempts to leave the ranks. This is where Michael comes into play, as one of the investigators brought in on the case.
That is not to say that Michael appears only in the end of the episode. We follow him throughout, as he along with his team of ivestigators deals with a voracious vixen that has taken hostages at a downtown shipping warehouse. We are also introduced to a new character, Seth, who is brought in to join the team (From the ranks above).
As for the overall mythology of the series, we get a bit of it, and Michael's background as he shares a car ride with Seth down to the warehouse. It seems that Seth is very much aware of who Michael is, knowing more than he should. It is also evident that Michael has more than a quizical curiosity when it comes to Seth as well.
As far as Midian and the Leather community is concerned, although we will visit there in the second episode, and bring back Kyle, now a titleholder in the community, and original film draft characters of Rodney and Jeremy, it isn't until the third episode when Midian becomes a center of the action.
To answer some questions (for those who have read the screenplay)
1. Michael and Kyle are most definitely not together. Kyle is someone that, when he was an 'actor/model', was special. In the spotlight. Since that time, he has strived to return to that spotlight. Befriending and seducing Michael was one of his endeavors. It didn't work out that way, of course. Michael could care less about celebrity and the spotlight, and when he discovered the truth about Kyle, he had no problem making a public display that Kyle had no control over him. (The incident is seen in flashback in the second episode.)
2. The mythology of the returning gods. Most definitly is it there, thoughout the season. By episode 6, a huge revelation will be revealed about some of the characters.
3. In the screenplay, a vatican priest was murdered. Will there be any reprecussions? The notion of religion, which was very strong in the screenplay, is being explored in the cult plot line of season one. I can say that the season ends (literally) at the Vatican, with a horrifying revelation.
4. Is a familiarity to the events in Oakwood, and that story, essential to understand Amongst The Living the series? That is a definite no. The screenplay is serving as backstory, speciffically for MIchael. There will be references and discussions about the events in Oakwood and Michaels past, but they will only be to serve the current plots and storylines of the series.
5. Will there be lesbians or simply gay men? Of couse there will be some lesbian action, as there is in the pilot episode. Also, Andrea, it is revealed, is a lesbian.
Wednesday, December 2, 2009
Political Hive of Leather, excerpt from A Boy's Journey
The following post is an excerpt from "A Boy's Journey", a book I am currently in the process of writing, which i hope to have published in 2011.
The Leather Hive of Politics
DEFINITION.
pol•i•tics (From Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Pronunciation: \pä-lə-tiks\
Function: noun plural but singular or plural in construction
Etymology: Greek politika, from neuter plural of politikos political
Date: circa 1529
1 a : the art or science of government b : the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy c : the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government
2 : political actions, practices, or policies
3 a : political affairs or business; especially : competition between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership (as in a government) b : political life especially as a principal activity or profession c : political activities characterized by artful and often dishonest practices
4 : the political opinions or sympathies of a person
5 a : the total complex of relations between people living in society b : relations or conduct in a particular area of experience especially as seen or dealt with from a political point of view
Politics. We love it. We hate. No matter how hard we try, we can’t get around it.
It is true that politics play an integral part in the function of governments. When you register to vote, you have to immediately make choices which put you in the political pool, so to speak: Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green Party, etc. From international, to national, trickling down to local government, politics is at the center of the core. The same If you practice an organized religion, from Roman Catholicism, to Muslim, Judaism, to Jehovah’s Witness- again, you are entering into a political pool. The practices and mindset may be different, but structurally speaking, they are built essentially the same. Politics is a part of our daily lives and culture, whether we like it or not.
The Leather community, especially, the gay leather community, is of no exception. You are entering a ring of politics. Mention the words “leather politics” in a Leather social setting, and you will undoubtedly spark, often controversial, conversation. In fact, in recent years, people have used the term “leather politics” to justify their retreat from the public sphere of the community, with the exception of the events which have become the equivalent of Christmas and Easter to lax Catholics. These, often large public events catering to Gay Leather , serve as the only ‘community’ events that some individuals will attend religiously, and although politics abound in the running of the events themselves, they attract a large enough crowd that one can go about their own business relatively easily. You can easily track the course of these events through the calendar, beginning on the East Coast with MAL (Mid-Atlantic Leather) in January, through CLAW (Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend) in April, International Mr. Leather in Chicago in May, Folsom East in New York City in June, and culminating with Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco in September, and so forth.
At these functions, a positive smiling image of the gay Leather community is prominently displayed. In fact, as viewed by an outsider, not only is gay Leather most definitely out and proud, but it is thriving.
If one takes a closer look at the gay Leather community, however, one would find, with the exception of the above and other large charity events, that nationally the community seems to be going back underground, which is most disheartening when concerns about the education and mentorship of the so called "next generation" (ages 35 and under) are poignant to the community’s survival.
You can go to any a number of blog sites throughout the internet, or pick up a number of books or magazines, and find numerous possibilities explaining the course the community has taken over the past several years.
Some of these possibilities are listed below:
- The Internet making connections as easy as a click and a webcam, eliminating the need for bar socializing and cruising.
- The death of practically an entire generation of (would-be present day mentors, etc) due to AIDS.
- The homogenization of gay men within society (even though we are still classified as second class citizens), eliminating, for many, the 'life on the fringe factor'.
- The infusion and inclusion of the pansexual BDSM and kink communities.
These, and other possibilities abound. As does the notion of politics.
The formalized gay leather community is structured like a beehive. Those at the top of the hive are the 'untouchables', the Leather A-Listers, so to speak. And beneath them, power, control and influence branch out, with each individual in their specific cone of the leather hive. Shamelessly referencing Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, it is when one decides they are not happy with their place in the hive, that politics come into play. The game is played the same, be it Government, Religion, Corporate America, Survivor or Leather. Alliances are formed. Strategies and power plays exchanged, and the ball is set into motion. When Leather politics is in play, notions of "brotherhood”, "loyalty", "integrity", and "Honor" and so forth are, often times, thrown out the window.
Those in the lower portions of the hive sometimes watch silently or join forces, thereby protecting themselves and their leather future. Other times, those who speak out in opposition, if they don’t have a strong enough political backing, well, they find themselves not so popular. It's the choice that they make. The same as when one steps into the voting booth on Election Day. Sometimes, it is easier to just vote the party line, if it keeps everyone happy.
Let’s face it. The second you decide you want to be Leather, you are entering politics. And in recent years, the leather political hive has boiled over time and time again. Some leathermen are reacting by pulling away from the public community, not even attending the events listed above.
Throughout my years within the community itself, I have, on more occasions than i can count, run across individuals who have left the visible, public community, and one thing that they always mention, is their frustration with the politics. I can honestly say that I do not blame them one bit. I, too, have been a pray to politics. I’ve had to make choices, and form alliances, etc. It’s all part of the Leather game.
For many years, I wanted, strived to be in a different leather cone in the hive, that yes, I did play politics, especially during my title year. I too, since then, have had enough of it. And I do think that politics is something that is a major issue in the strength and longevity of the leather hive.
With the exception of the events listed at the opening of this post, and others like them, there are gaping cracks in the leather community. Bars (once our founding watering holes) are closing, clubs are folding, and the space between the rebellious next generation and the rest of the community, is growing towards San Andreas Fault proportions.
Can a community exist without politics? Is interior politics a viable reason to consider when dealing with the gay leather community's current state of affairs? Can one dismiss politics in an already established hierarch military-based structure, such as gay Leather?
Using the hive as a visual example, the gay leather community is structured of individual neighborhoods comprising of friends and lovers. In essence, a collection of individual honey cones unified by similar belief systems and sexual practices. While it's not important if each and every cone gets along with the others, there is enough of a thread connecting them which forms the Leather hive at large.
The most basic unit of the hive is the cone created by consenting partners within a private, intimate relationship. When the individuals enter this relationship, they are immediately entering into a world of politics based on power exchange and, often times, military protocol. The D/s structure itself is a perfect example of politics. One is the Dominant, the other submissive. They live their lives through protocol, practices and customs. Politics.
These relationship cones often time connect with other cones, and henceforth, the hive structure is created. If one chooses to leave the greater public international Leather hive due to politics, but still consider themselves Leather, then they are, in effect, still part of the political hive itself.
In this matter, the notion of Leather is a notion of politics itself. Going back to the 1940s and the veterans who formed the initial bike clubs, these clubs were formed as a reaction of local, state and national politics. Politics is the honey that holds the cones of the gay leather community together.
Is it possible to exist in a world where politics aren’t capable of being corrupted? Unless individual ego is taken out of the picture, then I, personally find it unlikely. So what do we do? Do we step into the leather political ring, or do we sit back and do nothing. Either way, we are taking a political movement.
So, politics are here to stay, as long as Leather is here to stay. Within our individual cones, we all must make our individual choices which will either result in a more positive, or negative Leather hive. The choice is up to us. The future is up to us. We can not leave it in another’s hands. In my opinion, too much has been lost, or distorted already. Friends and enemies will be made, but the movement cannot go back to where it came from. To do that, will surely equal death.
The Leather Hive of Politics
DEFINITION.
pol•i•tics (From Merriam-Webster Dictionary)
Pronunciation: \pä-lə-tiks\
Function: noun plural but singular or plural in construction
Etymology: Greek politika, from neuter plural of politikos political
Date: circa 1529
1 a : the art or science of government b : the art or science concerned with guiding or influencing governmental policy c : the art or science concerned with winning and holding control over a government
2 : political actions, practices, or policies
3 a : political affairs or business; especially : competition between competing interest groups or individuals for power and leadership (as in a government) b : political life especially as a principal activity or profession c : political activities characterized by artful and often dishonest practices
4 : the political opinions or sympathies of a person
5 a : the total complex of relations between people living in society b : relations or conduct in a particular area of experience especially as seen or dealt with from a political point of view
Politics. We love it. We hate. No matter how hard we try, we can’t get around it.
It is true that politics play an integral part in the function of governments. When you register to vote, you have to immediately make choices which put you in the political pool, so to speak: Democrat, Republican, Independent, Green Party, etc. From international, to national, trickling down to local government, politics is at the center of the core. The same If you practice an organized religion, from Roman Catholicism, to Muslim, Judaism, to Jehovah’s Witness- again, you are entering into a political pool. The practices and mindset may be different, but structurally speaking, they are built essentially the same. Politics is a part of our daily lives and culture, whether we like it or not.
The Leather community, especially, the gay leather community, is of no exception. You are entering a ring of politics. Mention the words “leather politics” in a Leather social setting, and you will undoubtedly spark, often controversial, conversation. In fact, in recent years, people have used the term “leather politics” to justify their retreat from the public sphere of the community, with the exception of the events which have become the equivalent of Christmas and Easter to lax Catholics. These, often large public events catering to Gay Leather , serve as the only ‘community’ events that some individuals will attend religiously, and although politics abound in the running of the events themselves, they attract a large enough crowd that one can go about their own business relatively easily. You can easily track the course of these events through the calendar, beginning on the East Coast with MAL (Mid-Atlantic Leather) in January, through CLAW (Cleveland Leather Awareness Weekend) in April, International Mr. Leather in Chicago in May, Folsom East in New York City in June, and culminating with Folsom Street Fair in San Francisco in September, and so forth.
At these functions, a positive smiling image of the gay Leather community is prominently displayed. In fact, as viewed by an outsider, not only is gay Leather most definitely out and proud, but it is thriving.
If one takes a closer look at the gay Leather community, however, one would find, with the exception of the above and other large charity events, that nationally the community seems to be going back underground, which is most disheartening when concerns about the education and mentorship of the so called "next generation" (ages 35 and under) are poignant to the community’s survival.
You can go to any a number of blog sites throughout the internet, or pick up a number of books or magazines, and find numerous possibilities explaining the course the community has taken over the past several years.
Some of these possibilities are listed below:
- The Internet making connections as easy as a click and a webcam, eliminating the need for bar socializing and cruising.
- The death of practically an entire generation of (would-be present day mentors, etc) due to AIDS.
- The homogenization of gay men within society (even though we are still classified as second class citizens), eliminating, for many, the 'life on the fringe factor'.
- The infusion and inclusion of the pansexual BDSM and kink communities.
These, and other possibilities abound. As does the notion of politics.
The formalized gay leather community is structured like a beehive. Those at the top of the hive are the 'untouchables', the Leather A-Listers, so to speak. And beneath them, power, control and influence branch out, with each individual in their specific cone of the leather hive. Shamelessly referencing Darwin’s Theory of Evolution, it is when one decides they are not happy with their place in the hive, that politics come into play. The game is played the same, be it Government, Religion, Corporate America, Survivor or Leather. Alliances are formed. Strategies and power plays exchanged, and the ball is set into motion. When Leather politics is in play, notions of "brotherhood”, "loyalty", "integrity", and "Honor" and so forth are, often times, thrown out the window.
Those in the lower portions of the hive sometimes watch silently or join forces, thereby protecting themselves and their leather future. Other times, those who speak out in opposition, if they don’t have a strong enough political backing, well, they find themselves not so popular. It's the choice that they make. The same as when one steps into the voting booth on Election Day. Sometimes, it is easier to just vote the party line, if it keeps everyone happy.
Let’s face it. The second you decide you want to be Leather, you are entering politics. And in recent years, the leather political hive has boiled over time and time again. Some leathermen are reacting by pulling away from the public community, not even attending the events listed above.
Throughout my years within the community itself, I have, on more occasions than i can count, run across individuals who have left the visible, public community, and one thing that they always mention, is their frustration with the politics. I can honestly say that I do not blame them one bit. I, too, have been a pray to politics. I’ve had to make choices, and form alliances, etc. It’s all part of the Leather game.
For many years, I wanted, strived to be in a different leather cone in the hive, that yes, I did play politics, especially during my title year. I too, since then, have had enough of it. And I do think that politics is something that is a major issue in the strength and longevity of the leather hive.
With the exception of the events listed at the opening of this post, and others like them, there are gaping cracks in the leather community. Bars (once our founding watering holes) are closing, clubs are folding, and the space between the rebellious next generation and the rest of the community, is growing towards San Andreas Fault proportions.
Can a community exist without politics? Is interior politics a viable reason to consider when dealing with the gay leather community's current state of affairs? Can one dismiss politics in an already established hierarch military-based structure, such as gay Leather?
Using the hive as a visual example, the gay leather community is structured of individual neighborhoods comprising of friends and lovers. In essence, a collection of individual honey cones unified by similar belief systems and sexual practices. While it's not important if each and every cone gets along with the others, there is enough of a thread connecting them which forms the Leather hive at large.
The most basic unit of the hive is the cone created by consenting partners within a private, intimate relationship. When the individuals enter this relationship, they are immediately entering into a world of politics based on power exchange and, often times, military protocol. The D/s structure itself is a perfect example of politics. One is the Dominant, the other submissive. They live their lives through protocol, practices and customs. Politics.
These relationship cones often time connect with other cones, and henceforth, the hive structure is created. If one chooses to leave the greater public international Leather hive due to politics, but still consider themselves Leather, then they are, in effect, still part of the political hive itself.
In this matter, the notion of Leather is a notion of politics itself. Going back to the 1940s and the veterans who formed the initial bike clubs, these clubs were formed as a reaction of local, state and national politics. Politics is the honey that holds the cones of the gay leather community together.
Is it possible to exist in a world where politics aren’t capable of being corrupted? Unless individual ego is taken out of the picture, then I, personally find it unlikely. So what do we do? Do we step into the leather political ring, or do we sit back and do nothing. Either way, we are taking a political movement.
So, politics are here to stay, as long as Leather is here to stay. Within our individual cones, we all must make our individual choices which will either result in a more positive, or negative Leather hive. The choice is up to us. The future is up to us. We can not leave it in another’s hands. In my opinion, too much has been lost, or distorted already. Friends and enemies will be made, but the movement cannot go back to where it came from. To do that, will surely equal death.
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