Rotterdam continued
Fun to find a photo of myself on somebody elses weblog. The guy doing the filming is Menne Vellinga, who works for mvs media (gay radio and tv in amsterdam). So guys in Amsterdam, look out for this interview.
comment?
22-10-2007
some more Rotterdam thoughts
The exhibition is mostly pointed at an overview of our history and struggle to self awareness and turning around suppression and (self) discrimination. With that it sadly remains a perfect example of self discrimination. As the alderman of culture and emancipation stated in his opening adress, plans are of opening up the exhibition to adolescents of Turkish and Marrocan descent through schools and teachers. The display choices do reflect that. Nothing that could confront or be seen as explicit can be found. We may now be back at the same point with immigrants as we were in the late sixties, with the then dominant catholic and protestant churches and a working population who, especially in Rotterdam, were always of the "you're silly enough if you just act normal" persuation. The strategies now are less confronting
and more careful:
Sadly, the main topic that makes us fundamentally different, our sexual choices, has taken a backseat. I was at the previous homo exhibition in Rotterdam, Flipofes at the Lijnbaan art-center in 1980,
which I remember as far more daring. I remember there were depictions of fisting on the earlier exhib and a huge 2 x 3 meter painting made of human shit, which you could still smell if you approached close enough. Also the exhib at the Amsterdam historic museum in the early eighties had much more focus on artwork showing homos kissing and making love. Sadly, the organisers felt we have to start from scratch again, like at the end of WWII and clean up our act to do another bid for acceptance in the 21st century. Do we really need to see the names of the famous homosexuals again that went before us displayed on monitors and a banner running the length of the building? Why is there nothing showing the history of gay culture in Rotterdam? Nothing about the old gay partystreet (coolsestraat), nothing honoring Piet Gamelkoorn, who rejuvenated and upgraded the gay bar and disco circuit practically on his own and stood at the base of monumental venues as Gay Palace, Keerweer, Solo and the legendary Shaft,
that left warm memories of great friendships, bad hygiene, unsafe sex, bare-assed Pim Fortuyn, Ben and Richard behind the bar.
Are we really "asking for it" if we flaunt our sexuality? Why is the hetero majority never accused of "flaunting it"? I would have liked to see things like reflexions on why it is that the hetero porn channels, we now get so abundantly on our digital cable, show more unsafe assfucking then any gay venue, and why the American or UK gay channels (that focus on lifestyle and don't do porn) are not relayed? No critical voices though at the opening. I'm afraid emphasis on sexuality still has to come from weblogs as these, so here:
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21-10-2007
Rotterdam again
Let's see if I can find appropriate images from the opening event of the Big Queer Exhib at Kunsthal R'dam. Everybody who means anything in 'our' artworld was there. Also good to see the overall exhib was designed by Tommy van der Haspel who I worked with some 20 years ago at stage design for OT's Marienbad. I am sorry that I have to annoy you all with artyfarty stuff instead of getting down to some fuck art, like y'all expect of me. I will make up for it, promiss.
A last one though not from the exhib, but related to the Rotterdam serious art museum, just across the park, where McCarthy's original 6 meter high Buttplug Santa can be found in the entry court:
The new Butt is out and carried the above ad. The Buttplug Santa is now the Christmas present for stylish newyorkers!comment?
20-10-2007
nerd art
Does me good to see the company, that always boasted it being superior to the one I still get the operating system from, in the accused bench for a change, (and I quote from gaybanker): I click on the iTunes link only to get this alert and suddenly I realise that I hate Apple. Why are they forcing me to buy something from the UK iTunes web site if it's not available there, but is available from the US iTunes web site? If something isn't available at Amazon.co.uk then I can purchase from Amazon.com without any problems.
The current story about unlocked iPhones becoming useless is the worst type of corporate behaviour. I find it hard to understand why a major corporation in "the land of the free" insists on trying to force people to behave in the way that it wants them to. Fundamentally, Apple has got the same attitude as the Burmese dictators who're currently repressing their citizens so brutally. In the evolution of human civilisation, time and time again it's been proved that co-operation and openness are better than segregation and secrecy, democracy is better than dictatorship.
So I think that one can characterise Apple's behaviour as Evil. There may be reasons to be wary of Google these days, but as far as I can see, Google's corporate philosophy puts them way ahead of Apple. (end quote) I do not believe Google is any better though! They recently managed to let neo christian terrorists block access to thousands of gay weblogs by organised flagging for objectionable content. The weird thing being that the blocking did not work in the USA but did in western Europe, while we here do not even have Christian terrorists, at least not in the amount that enabled them to swindle a complete nitwit into the oval office. We only have some of the muslim persualtion, between 11 and 16 years of age that seem to be able of nothing but terrorize old ladies and police in Amsterdam west, destroy sculpture of Jan Wolkers and get one of our best politicians to flee to the USA . No, I praise myself lucky to have the entire content of my pc flying around my desktop. With getting a Vista pc I even seem to be part of the new nerds, now the Dutch consumer organisation warned everybody here, who is not very experienced, to stick with XP. The old nerds, who managed to get some local councils and 'green' companies here to turn to (completely untransparant) open source systems, are now years behind because they could not keep up with improved hardware design and the professional competition of Apple an Microsoft. Like immigrants, who's social/cultural devellopment stops the moment they leave their country of origin, they obviously think we all stayed in the windows 95 era.
Looks like in the end Bill was the better visionary: we can buy any box, cheap and ugly or very expensive or even better designed then the apple stuff ( don't you all agree that round thing with a screen sticking out on a chrome tube is hideous? ) fill it with any brand of hardware and still run all his and others' software on it, even the open source stuff, that in the end is open to only those who can read source and have studied the old unix ways.
I may be designer, I'll never be a MAC man … The only thing I know about an apple is that it was a woman that talked us into taking a bite !!
Also, I'm starting to doubt whether democracy is better then dictatorship. I slowly start to agree with the Russians, Chinese and our SP: dictators disguised as democrats are probably best to get our national product and national pride boosted.
comment?
19-10-2007
Rotterdam art
As tomorrow the BIG QUEER exhibition will be opened at the Rotterdam Kunsthal (an event that I rate higher then the Warhol exhib in Amsterdam, especially now youtube has made Andy's prophecies outdated reality) I think it is appropriate to do some true art here again :
tip
Just found a superior website called pig prod. Obviously, they still have a lot to do: amongst otther things they are asking for help of webdesigners with flash and php experience. But sofar the French and Belgian skinpigs have made themselves a web home where I do feel very much in place.
do go and browse through an amazing set of pix and vids: I found it almost impossible to choose a favorite to tease you here.
do take the time to load the ultrahot TEASER 2! comment?
18-10-2007
sad
Took the WienerWrangler link off again ! he disabled general access once more. This is getting really annoying
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17-10-2007
heavy duty art I would hate to think I gave the opinion below that db/queerart is all about sanatized work, which could have the George Bush seal of aproval: NO: db tries to tacle all artforms, even the deviant ones, that will not agree with everyones stomack. To illustrate the point, samples from the greasetank inspired pages:
mind you, don't start sending me e-mail if you have no valid materclass registration. The adresses will all be checked.
I really get in the mood to do the above or below to the morons who do e-mail with a passwordrequest, while they are not registered.
comment?
6-10-2007
Delft art Randomly pulled an image from one of the masterclass pages.
mind you this one is on fullscreen size in there.
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14-10-2007
Amsterdam art maybe not earthshattering, certainly, with Andy we could catagorize this as 'trivialia', but two expositions are worth mentioning nonetheless: The Warhol overview exhib at the Stedelijk CS opened last weekend by Lou Reed, and the photo exhib of works the singer made in his hometown, NYC, since 9-11 at galery Serieuze Zaken.
images here are by gay amsterdam press photographer Jan van Breda.
you might like to hear a special remix of wild side. or visit the Warhol gallery at db ? comment?
13-10-2007
intolerance intolerable For the second time Russian officials have prevented artwork of a satirical and homosexual nature to be seen abroad. This time the kissing policemen by the blue nose artists were not allowed to go to Paris.
Of course this action is futile in this day and age, as artwork will seep through internet lines, however guarded they may be. What is far worse is the intimidation that the Russian officials seem to be more at ease with by the day. Here's a report of what happened last year when work by the same artists was en route to an exhibition in London:
British gallerist Matthew Bown was seized at a Moscow airport in October when border guards found satirical photographs in his luggage depicting the Russian president, Vladimir Putin, in his underpants. Matthew Bown, owner of the Matthew Bown Art Gallery in London's Saville Row, was removed from a London-bound flight and held for nine hours of questioning at the Sheremetyevo airport. The following day the Guelman Gallery, situated at Malaya Polyanka 7/7, was invaded by six masked men who destroyed an exhibition of paintings by Georgian artist Alexander Dzhikia, smashed computers and beat gallerist Marat Guelman. Guelman was hospitalised with severe bruising and swelling to the face and other parts of the body and a suspected fracture. 'We were told to face the wall,' says Yevgenia Klaskova who works at the gallery. 'The masked men took the works off the wall, smashed them and stomped all over them.'
comment?
13-10-2007
extra a (long overdue) book is out on the life and work of the greatest American homo-erotic grafic artist that čver lived, Harry Bush. It is for sale at Amazon in both hard and soft cover and has a lot of work that has not been seen on the www, čver. And I will do my bit to keep it like that for quite a while. (except for the cover art, below) So, just go order.
For the biggest online collection of Mr.Bush you can, as always, register at the db masterclass.
comment?
12-10-2007
Neederland, oh nee der land, jij bent de kampie oen Sure, we're a small country, but not stupid: Big Brother, a variety of Idol shows, all Dutch concepts. So do not be surprised when I tell you today we had a similar contest to elect a new national anthem. And be even less surprised when this Endemol format props up on CBS or the BBC. The winning song was sung by our most popular crooner. An anti hero, by definition. What I like about the tune is that it does not attempt to be modern (yep, there was a rapsong entered too; yuck! it had the greatest title though: "big cock, three beers" and got to nr.3) but is pompous to the hilt, as a national anthem is supposed to. That's why my next favorite anthem is the Russian one
, that was discarded in the democratic days of Gorbatchov, but re-instated (with new text) when truly authoritarian Putin came to power. But, getting back to our potential new anthem: the first line of the song is not without significance: "land of tolerance". Further the song is not bad and given the fact that our current national anthem was just selected by queen Wilhelmina in the thirties, because she hated "wie neerdlands bloed door d'adren vloeit" why not change once again?
Our current anthem is about the original independence war we fought against the Spanish. Nobody really grabs what that was about anyway. Well, I can tell the queer Dutch: it was about a really hot looking prince, who also thought tolerance was what we were all about, but got killed right here in my hometown of Delft by a 16th century religious terrorist (what's new?).
comment?
11-10-2007
rollin' rollin', rollin' As the Trash party I told about earlier is drawing near I thought it nice to get back to the original artwork commissioned by the guys who set up the event two decades ago in some of the warehouses that have been demolished since or turned into high priced appartment buildings over at the Prins Hendrik quai, where now cruise ships are unloading their far more economic produce: fat old ladies with even fatter wallets.
now Trash is back in an even more gay historic landmark building that did survive and held on to its warehouse destination (be it storing male flesh nowadays). I sincerely hope they will succeed to regain that same ultimate perv and filth status they had.
comment?
10-10-2007
Afshin Ellian
Another person I would like to place in my heroes list. Refugee from Iran, now opinion maker and professor at Leiden university. No, he's not a hunk, nor is he gay. He does have a mind that seems to work in modes I can relate to. He also supports the ex muslim committee I wrote about earlier.
Had a weblog too, that's not updated recently, but at afshinellian.nl he's very much alive, but speaking Dutch.
I don't think the said comittee is too radical: they know where they came from.
Today the Dutch secret service warned for the dangerous growth of the Salafists, the most radical muslims, in the Netherlands over the past 2 years. While I still disagree with our ultraright politicians, these radicals, or at least the ones that preach it, its violence, human sacrifice and the way they use funds gathered from muslim believers here to support terrorist action across the world and the fight agains our soldiers in Afghanistan and elsewhere, should not be allowed to remain in our country. This may be directly in conflict with the freedom of religion our constitution defends, but a religion that does not permit freedom to other religions or non-religion cannot claim rights from a constitution they do not recognise.
comment?
09-10-2007
another Dutch movie may be going into my favlist
This one falls in the catagory of Yes nurse, no nurse, or, better said, the feelgood catagory, or the christmas season catagory. It also features the hairdresser of that previous movie again in a queer role. This time getting married to one of the straightest actors we have in our country. He looks like he's not too eager below, but is said to be a passionate lover in the movie.
A lot of the soundtrack is online on the movie website (click extra) in quite nice quality. Some amazing contributions from the USA too and one by dutch band Di-rect. Do listen!
Not sure if this movie, like yes/no nurse will reach homos in the USA: our Sinterklaas at december 5th is celebrated quite differently from your Santa at Christmas, so Im not sure if you will get the drift.
In the previous entry I told you I sadly no longer had access to wienerwrangler. Well, he's back, and in the linkiewinkielist. comment?
08-10-2007
my fav desktop images
Somehow having a page on my art site, suggesting subliminal homosexual website desktop imagery and screensavers, does keep my eyes open and alerts my brain whenever I see hot assholes with an adequate resolution and a creative smell. One that did just that, which is now making every morning, when I start up the pc, a moment of pure bliss, is copied below: comment?
Flikker, soon in a theater near you!
A week
after the event, the impact of that bit of film history is still on my mind: Just read the report on it on Thomas' weblog. My downstais neighbour said he would love to attend the Amsteredam premičre as well, because there were so many A'dammers in it. All this got me all fired up again, so I phoned Rob, the filmer, to find out further dates of showings, but
although Gert Hekma of "homostudies" at the University of Amsterdam is working on showings in Rialto there, no dates are set, yet. Rob said, just write: soon in a theater near you!
04-10-2007
leatherpride First, I never felt at home with the word leatherpride: I have two leather jackets that I hardly ever wear these days, but am still pretty fond of the wornout RoB chaps (they are so well crafted that they can only look better with age). I'm pretty old now and always considered myself 'post-leather', so there cannot be much left of the 'leather' generation. I'm still riding a motorbike though, but nobody in his right mind will wear leather on it nowadays. It is too cold, too expensive and will hardly give any protection when you fall, unless it is lined with modern fabrics, gore tex ventilation and padded with carbon fibre padding pieces, like the racersuits. Still, I was always part of the leather generation as far as sex is concerned; Was? Still am member of the MSR, Rotterdam's gay bikerclub that started the legendary Shaft bar.
art had strong doubts about yesterdays entry, knowing how uptight lots of guys are, I was tempted to move it to the poz section, where visitors are supposed to have a more sturdy stomach, but I decided against it: not intent on dividing my life up into even more separate niche markets. I sell a broad package, and intend to keep it that way. Take it or leave it. Let's just remark that the db entry page for october is in place and gives some attention to extreme art as well:
While Gilbert and George have their biggest exposition ever, displaying their asses and turds in over 20 spaces of the Tate in London, adult websites, with creditcard controlled access, are not permitted to display bloodshed and gore. Even if it is purely fantasy based. While the tv-news and all movies the USA produces, even if they are G or PG rated, can show all the slaughter from Bagdad and Afganistan, or from their schools and universities, they want. While all catholic churches across the world show 12 depictions of the most gruesome torture and display a multitude of sculptures of a man being nailed, stabbed and murdered on a cross.
01-10-2007
quotes from another weblog Found one that I really liked and felt worthy of a serious quote. It's geekslut : Lets pick up where I left off.
Trekker:
“I gotta clean my ass.”
I’m like, “Now?”
Had half my face buried in this dudes ass.
“What? You didn’t think of cleaning your hole BEFORE I GOT TO YOUR FUCKING DOOR!”
No I never said that. And glad I didn’t. I was the gentleman; smacked him across his ass as he rushed to the head.
Plus. Ya know I dig a little fiber when eating ass. But try telling that to a trick whose name you barely remembered [then - I know the fucker now]. Not exactly fag party conversation. Plus so many of us are hung up on shit [pardon the pun] like that. I mean I’m eating an ass. I don’t expect it to be spotless.
A-N-Y-W-A-Y…
After lounging in bed for minutes, smelling his ass all over my face, I do what any honorable faggot would do. Snoop.
I don’t seek out shoes, checkbooks, bank statements, jewelry or music CD’s. I look for DVD’s (video), books, electronics, or gaming paraphernalia.
Scanning the room. I spot proudly standing next to a 42” HP plasma HDTV, Star Trek: Deep Space 9. The complete series box set.
another day, another month:
And here we are. Him pulling his slacks up. Cupping his hand filled with his cum.
I pull my jeans up. Pointing to his hand I go,
“What you gonna do with that?”
He cups his hand to his mouth and pours. My knees go weak. I’m like,
“Marry me.”
A Good Night. On my back, ass hanging over the edge.
This black dude [About 6’4”, skinny as a rail, shaved head, nice white teeth] is long-dicking me. Reaching up into my belly.
My hands are locked to the side of the bed. Every time he sinks inside I see stars. Not everyday a man reaches this far. After like 5 or 6 more thrusts he groans and cums. Deep. I feel it burst. Then drip.
He slides out and backs up. His dick flopping all over the place. I sit up. Eyes on his cock,
“Man that was deep.”
“You liked it?”
“Your cum’ll probably start seeping out on the train.”
He laughs, “That a good thing?”
“Depends.”
Who am I kidding? I love that shit. I love sucking/fucking used ass and I love my ass being used (It helped that he spent like 30 mins munching my butt)
He goes, “Why don’t you stay over.”
“You gonna fuck me some more?”
He jumps on top of me. Pushing me into the center of the bed. 5 loads: 3 in me (his), 1 on me (mine), and 1 down his throat (also mine).
Geek Shit I’m In Lov!
Fuck! what to do? Make a phonecall with the fixed phones to block the SIM card first. I had finished all the coins, but luckily it was possible to use the creditcard. Hey, where's the card? Also gone! how did that happen? I started to panic a bit. Had I been cleverly robbed? Guess not,
my money was all there, the boarding pass, the passport, all other cards. Had I left it at the fragrances counter? I ran back there; as the checkin was halfway now. No, nothing found there. Then I remembered I had used the card at the original checkin and baggage-drop. So I ran back through security to the front lobby, where indeed, they had found my card. After thanking the KLM lady I ran up the stairs again, where now I found at least half an hours line to get through the security gates, and no excuse: I had to go through them again! So, as politely as I could, I asked everybody if they would be so kind as to let me pass: "I'd
lost my creditcard and my plane was already on last call". Shoes off, shoes on, running again, sweating like an otter, or like those other furry animals that are not on the list of the fragrance composers of Hugo, I arrived back at the gate. Just a handfull of people left to process, which just left me time to ask the attendant if they had found a cellphone. Yes, it was a Nokia, and yes they had it brought to the counter: it was left unattended on on of the couches. PFew! was I reliefed when I fell into the 28F chair heading to Amsterdam.
30-09-2007
Red carpet part 2 Just returned from the world premičre of 'Flikker' and I cannot withold a few pix shot there by my downstairs neighbour Erica:
first guests arriving in classic citroën
the filmer himself arriving in an open white Rolls Royce, quite daring on a rainy night! The most fantastic stage act of the night: the accordeonplayer played piano in that first gay play I told about in the first entry about this movie, below. The singer is former alderman of the city of Rotterdam Herman Meier, who we all knew in the seventies as transvestite Hermine of Katendrecht Me, having a drink
30-09-2007
Die Manns Tommy Mulder, a weblog buddy, had me all fired up again, by rating 'Death in Venice' as one of the 'lighter' works of Thomas Mann. Thought I had written a piece on the great miniseries produced by Hamburgs NDR tv. It blew me away when I saw it last year on sunday afternoon repeats. One of the most memorable scenes plays in Zürich, where the whole family, who had finally come to terms with the fact that they had a perverted dad, is embarrased by the behavior of the aging Thomas, when he refuses to join the family for dinner inside, as he is bewildered by the young-god waiter who serves him coctails out on the terrace. As only thourough German tv-researchers would, they managed to find this young waiter, now 75 years old himself: truly touching to see that this straight man, who's not in the least ashamed, vividly remembers the event and still is totally delighted about the fact that he was picked up by Germany's most famous writer. . . .
after this I also had to see 'Klaus Mann in Amsterdam', a VPRO documentary about the only true out homo of the family, who partied and used a lot of drugs just after WWII and finally committed suicide. We can easily look it up on Holland-Doc, one of the digital channels we have these days. He was the one who managed to resque the family from the Nazis by emigrating them all to the USA just in time. Thomas brother Heinrich went on to be a national hero in the DDR. No, I never could make it through the original writing of the Manns either. Even Death in Venice the movie I found ultimately depressing, although it was beautifully filmed by one of my favorite directors, Visconty (see my queer movie top 30).
sportswear Will be going to the sportswear party at gayplay today. Still have to get me a footbalshirt and a pair of trainers or shorts. I'm afraid it will be too late to find myself a yellow pair like this:
Or should I try something in red?
25-09-2007
back home Guys, I've returned, all happy and proud and as much rejuvenated as one can get from such a short trip. Even have put up the song by the same name from that gold old Dutch band as audiofragment of the month here. I almost forgot that while there I also got an SMS telling me I did not have a job to go back to: The Vermeer center is officially bankrupt. A report written on the spot, being the crossing of Santa Monica and San Vicente Blvds, is on blogspot. A lot of pix too!
19-09-2007
WeHo here I come Well guys, I'm on my way to LA ! and lots of artists are doing the same. For who's been before: there are lots of new artists, so do attend again! However, I'm happy some guys I've seen last year are returning, like Sergio:
Above is not a selfportrait, but he IS pretty HUNG himself too, as you can see on the self image I got from him last year.
May be seeing you at Faultine, Eagle or at the park where the fair is held. Will be staying at the gay resort on San Vicente blvd and also visit the friday reception at Toms studio.
Palanca will be there too, to be homoured with a special award, I gathered. He's also one of the intriguing artists of the delftboys collection, mostly becoz of his feet fetish. Others there will be Drub, Axel and Sean Platter, who also is responsible for lotsa illustrations on my poz page.
15-09-2007
Submission 2 Ehsan Jami, hot Dutch guy I wrote about earlier founded his committee of ex-muslims on september 11th, also announced he's working on a film about homoseksuality in Islam. Jami finished the script and wants to start filming early 2008. Mrs. Ayaan Hirsi Ali also was thinking about a Submission II. Jami is talking with several directors who want to help him. I just would like it to be Eddy Terstal, who we know is a strong supporter of Ehsan and already made a film that is in my homo film top 34.
Ehsan said a film on this subject is dearly missed and counter action is needed because some radical muslims in our country are sickening the atmosphere for homos, women and people who want to leave the muslim faith. As far as he's concerned these guys should be deported from NL straight away. His own party did not support him because he's too straight forward and hostile towards muslims.
Ehsan announcing these plans does in no way imply he is gay himself, and in general I don't care if politicians are or not; Politicians are by definition uncool and not to be trusted, whatčver their color. If we queers could twist our asses like our socialist partyleader and minister of finance, we would be called obscene with reason. But in Jami's case I would really like him to be gay. With every new image that pops up in the papers he looks hotter. He also dresses magnificently! I'm afraid my fantasies run wild with scenes where he is captured by his muslim fundamentalist 'friends', and gets tortured by them and then given an assfuck like only our Taliban friends know how. I know, I shouldn't; I've even tried to censor this bit of writing, but then I remembered that self sensorship is what I dispise most in gay circles. So, hey, it is only my imagination.
11-09-2007
Felix Guérin My first love I had when I was 12/13, the first year at school in another city: Stanislas College in Delft. There was one guy there who looked like quite a bit more adult and mature then I was. We sat on the same bench, first row left. I was just in awe of him: much stronger and more at ease then I was. He came from Delft and lived on the Delftsestraatweg nr. 194, if I remember right. I went along there quite a few times and we listened to Everly Brothers and Buddy Holly records in his bedroom; even the first Beatles. He had a much more mature body then me, big and strong and he was my protector, whenever trouble loomed at the playground. Not only that, he also was my playmate at swimming. Our weekly hour at Sportfondsenbad was a mutual dare. We jumped off the high board, me on his shoulders: wild! Of course I was just too young to do anything about it. When he was playing with his dick, me sitting next to him in the same desk, I did not dare to look. Oh, how I wished I had and would have summoned up the courage to ask if I could have a feel, but remember: this was in class, with the mathematics teacher just 2 meters in front of us, so nothing of the sort happened.
At the end of that year he did not make his grades so he had to do another year in first grade. Which in turn lead to me not qualifying in the second year, in order to be re-united in the same class. Sadly, the school, his parents or Felix himself decided that this school was not what was right for him so that never happened. I only remember that he did come around to see how I was doing in the village I lived in then one year later. Again I thought this was the moment to come out about my feelings for him, but again I was too weak. To young, I still use as excuse. Still I'm not at all sure he was gay. Still don't.
Today, I saw him on television. He is the most known artist in the Netherlands portraying criminals in court. I've known that for quite a few years. Seen plenty of his drawings in papers, and remember how good he was at drawing back at the art classes of our Meester Kistenmaker back in 1962. But today he was interviewed in a late night talk show, because he's doing the most important crime case our country has seen for ages: the trial of Willem Holleeder, a Dutch maffia leader of the past two decades, who started his carreer by holding Freddy Heineken for ransom for 3 months, and getting away with it, later proceeding to extortion of the major real estate brokers and even lawyers who also got quite a few of them assasinated. Felix is approaching 60 now and grey. I don't think I'm still in love, but he still is an admirable, formidable guy. I guess he set me off on a course to fall for guys who could draw or paint.
10-09-2007
good move by Trash felt really good to return to a place where much of my queer character was built up back in my twink years. No, I'm not saying that I don't go to sauna's anymore, just that since most production companies I work for are no longer based in Amsterdam but around Utrecht or Delft I had much less opportunity to go there and just stuck to the nearest: Spartacus in Rotterdam. I still remember the first time my friend Pieter (a picture of him is at the 18-7-07 entry; may he rest in piece) took me to Thermos-day in the seventies and how amazed I was that a place like that, where hundreds of men could go huntin' in optimized surroundings, with videorooms, orgyrooms, cabins, lockers, sundeck, gym, massage salon, restaurant, bars, steam and sauna, pool, lounges,
etc, actually existed. I was hooked: my place of worship had moved from the church to these male haunts for life. Last nite all that was augmented by lots of camouflage netting, slings, watersports-tubs, a dancefloor and a dj posted behind and above the pool. The action was fine too: not too much attitude, thanx to a lack of twinks, thanx to there not being a student discount, and thanx to a few slightly, but pleasantly, chemmed up guys, who really knew how to get the raunch started, Hmmmjum!
09-09-2007
Font After some complaints about readability from dear friend Martin I changed the font to Verdana here. Wider then Arial and widely available too. If you see no difference between the last 2 posts and earlier ones, you don't have it on your pc.
08-09-2007
Rotterdam - Amsterdam - Delft Old farts will remember the name: Theo Stokkink. He was dj at KRO on radio 3 in its early years.
Yesterday he presented his first novel at the theater of Rotterdam's major bookstore, Donner. As it was presented by my old friend, the filmer Rob de Vries and the first book was presented to queer culture pioneer and actor Joop Keesmaat I went and got me a signed copy.
After that I set sail to Amsterdam to attend a Poz & Proud meet at the Spijker bar. They're an industrious lot, those P&P boys: always working on new books, studies or magazine publications. The guy I talked with most (sorry I'm bad at remembering names, but he was tall and had an English accent) was doing a project on my Rotterdam friend, painter, long term survivor (only just) and lifestyle artist Thomas Hageraats. Obviously we talked extensively about the gay bars of Rotterdam and the legendary Shaft, where Thomas designed and illustrated the darkrooms. He was amazed to hear that Richard, former manager of the Shaft was still alive. He had fucked with him in the past. Funny to hear him say he felt R. was one of the dirtiest guys he ever knew . . .
Finished with last drink at DWH, where I got a plant (oh dear, hope I can keep it alive) for my contribution to organising the new students week.
06-09-2007
Compelling television
Such an amazing week. A daily dose of hidden lives: along passed people like Kenneth Williams, Joe Orton,
Brian Epstein (the gay manager of the Beatles), Freddy Mercury, Liberace, Quentin Crisp, Leigh Bowery, Kenny Everett, Joe Meek,
Stephen Fry, Neil Tennant, Elton John, MP Lord Boothby and his relationship with criminal Ronnie Kray, the Jeremy Thorpe affair, Guy Burgess, a full feature about closet cases in parliament.
and to top it up a special about the fact that 50 years ago Jack Wolfenden chaired the Home Office committee set up to review the law relating to homosexuality and prostitution, and
brought the first ray of light for the dreary lives of UK homosexuals. He was not at all helped by his gay and provocative son, who got very close to getting his father sacked as chair, for not being unbiased. (Eh, almost wrote biassed ). And I must remember the greatest line of Jeremy, the gay son: "Buggers can't be choosers"
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05-09-2007
going again After last week's good experiences at the new location of XXX, I'm in the mood, so this saturday I'll get my hungry mouth and ass over to the Trash party, that has also opted for a new location. The Marcanti was not bad, but lacked airco, had no watersports facilities and the music was too penetrating all around. I feel the Trash is just a bit raunchier then the Triple, so I'm more then happy they moved to one of Amsterdam's best suited locations for an event like this, the Thermos DaySauna building. Everybody who's ever been there must agree, besides, I have 20 years of steamy memories there: So see you guys . . .
Oh fuck, forgot to mention, they also have an Amsterdam legend dj playing: David Hernandez! The memories of Cockring and Warmoes-street-parties still echo in my ears:
03-09-2007
annex weblog just opened a side-weblog for use when travelling over at blogger but don't worry, for the moment the basis will stay here at queerart.
01-09-2007
XXX or triple-x To make up for not going to Amsterdam on wednesday, I decided to go this friday, and attend the sex and dance party that I had given up on this spring when they moved to a much too small homo-unfriendly venue on the Rozengracht. Now they moved on to a club in the middle of the gay ghetto, I thought I'd give it one more try, besides I needed the sex.
Well, I got what I needed. the Exit is a fine venue: 4 floors with a huge dancefloor, balconies and plenty of darkroomspace, most airconditioned, some somewhat lit. I like that! The real fuck space was dark and had no airco, so I could stay in there for 15 minits tops, after which I needed a bottle of water and 10 minits recovery. But hey, 15 minits at a time is more then sufficient for multiple fucks!
This Bastille (the late Frank Weber) image again comes from the collection at the Delftboys masterclass, where it is at 1240 pixelwidth and just one of an 81 piece Bastille collection. On my diningroom wall it is at 121x91cm (~ 4 x 3 feet)
to july and august of this year
Ships that pass in the night
and speak each other in passing; Only a signal shown;
a distant voice in the darkness
So on the ocean of life we pass
Only a look and a voice;
a touch extacy
then darkness again and a silence.