I love Jean Genet.
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I love hutch — 4 years ago(August 30, 2021 05:08 AM)
I own a copy of "Giovanni's Room", but haven't read it, yet. I love "City of Night". I tried to read "Marilyn's Daughter" and I just couldn't get into it.
"My life is over. I might as well dance with Johnny Slash!" -
Platonic_Caveman — 4 years ago(August 30, 2021 05:15 AM)
OMG read
Giovannis's Room
. Another great Baldwin book is
Another Country
. It covers interracial and bisexual relationships as well.
I read
City of Night
when I was in junior high at the local library (before I ever had sex or knew any gay people). That book is the epic queer novel.
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I love hutch — 4 years ago(August 30, 2021 05:19 AM)
"City of Night" is great. What an adventure he had!
That's pretty dang cool that you read it in junior high school! Wow! Myself I fell in love with Tennessee Williams when I was about 13.
I'm currently reading a great biography on Tennessee Williams. My affection for him hasn't diminished a bit.
"My life is over. I might as well dance with Johnny Slash!" -
Platonic_Caveman — 4 years ago(August 30, 2021 06:08 AM)
I was afraid to check out City of Night from the library, but I guess the librarian had no clue what it was about. It was so hard to get information on being gay when I was a kid.
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ToastedCheese — 4 years ago(August 30, 2021 11:39 PM)
It was so hard to get information on being gay when I was a kid.
Heterosexism did make it a little more fun, when there were breadcrumbs strewn around to find the homo subtext. I just wish I wasn't so darn serious about it all at the time. Process I guess.
Norman! What did you put in my tea? -
Platonic_Caveman — 4 years ago(August 31, 2021 06:05 AM)
We had a really good city library. It's huge.
I looked under sociology and I remember there was a big book called "Gay Militants". By reading that and various other political books, I got names of gay authors. That's how I found out about John Rechy and his book
City of Night
. I was so starved for information until I discovered the library had a whole section on queer politics and sociology.
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ToastedCheese — 4 years ago(August 31, 2021 06:15 AM)
There was a book shop in the city where I worked and they had a section on gay literature. Thing is, I was very cautious and stealthy about looking at the works due to fear of someone coming in and recognizing me.
Some of the stories were contemporary 80's and full of sexual explicit detail. Of course I didn't mind that and it was like reading the forum section in the playboy, but with gay guys.
Norman! What did you put in my tea? -
Platonic_Caveman — 4 years ago(August 31, 2021 06:21 AM)
I was like 13 and could never bring myself to check out a book called "Gay Militants". Lol. I would've had to hide it from my family too. So I read it at the library.
But of course I could bring home a book by John Rechy and my family had no clue what it was about.
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ToastedCheese — 4 years ago(August 31, 2021 06:36 AM)
Sometimes being closeted, even in book form, is a blessing.
When I look back now, even though it kinda sucked that we had to still hide in the shadows, it provided more a thrill at the same time with notion that something illicit and sneaky was going on.
Norman! What did you put in my tea? -
Platonic_Caveman — 4 years ago(August 31, 2021 07:41 AM)
Yes, that's true. We were like criminals. Lol. It was exciting.
Still, I would bet that the large majority of gay kids are still in the closet. My niece's teenage son is gay. But it's never spoken about. And he's not out. But he does meet guys online. The oppression is still there even for the youngsters.
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ToastedCheese — 4 years ago(August 31, 2021 10:47 AM)
The oppression is still there even for the youngsters.
It never really went away. The breeder still wants to claim sense of superiority over sexuality and it boils down to keeping the human race going, even if its a life of suffering.
Norman! What did you put in my tea? -
I love hutch — 4 years ago(September 09, 2021 08:49 PM)
I get what you mean about the heterosexism making it more fun!
Just to go to the shopping mall and link eyes with some handsome stranger, followed by a smile, was an indescribable rush. Fall in love in under five seconds. Made it worth being alive.
In some ways, being gay can never be this much fun again.
"My life is over. I might as well dance with Johnny Slash!" -
ToastedCheese — 4 years ago(September 09, 2021 11:59 PM)
In some ways, being gay can never be this much fun again.
One couldn't take the same things for granted, the way the breeder does. Still can't to a certain extent.
I guess too, as one gets older, one is not looking to play the same games, or even care about those furtive rushes.
Norman! What did you put in my tea? -
I love hutch — 4 years ago(September 10, 2021 12:30 AM)
I don't know. I just went out for a long walk and I made eye contact with every guy I walked past. The feelings are perhaps not quite as intense, but they are still there. Thank god.
"My life is over. I might as well dance with Johnny Slash!" -
geewizzz — 4 years ago(August 30, 2021 05:55 AM)
I've read "Querelle"
I assume you saw Fassbinder's adaptation of it - very stylish.
Kenneth Anger mentioned that he wanted to make his own version of
Querelle
, which would've been interesting. But he often says he wasn't able to get the funds to make the films he wanted but did storyboards for a few of them.
Are you okay? -
I love hutch — 4 years ago(August 30, 2021 06:09 AM)
I did see "Querelle". It was interesting, but kind of a mess. I think Genet and Fassbinder just had such different ways of seeing things that a collaboration was not likely to come off great. Kenneth Anger had a ripeness in his films and it would have been very interesting to see what kind of movie he might have come up with. I think Anger is much closer to Genet in sensibility than either one was to Fassbinder.
Have you seen "Scorpio Rising"?
But, yes, "Querelle" certainly was stylish and Brad Davis looked luscious in it.
"My life is over. I might as well dance with Johnny Slash!" -
Platonic_Caveman — 4 years ago(August 31, 2021 06:09 AM)
Brad Davis! That's the guy in
Midnight Express
. That movie itself had some great homoerotica! It reminds me of Turkish prison jokes!
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I love hutch — 4 years ago(August 31, 2021 06:27 AM)
Oh, yes it sure did. I think I first saw "Midnight Express" when I was 16 or 17. The steamy shower scene with the sweet kiss (along with Moroder's romantic, pounding masochism) were almost too much to endure. But quite exhilarating at the same time.
The real Billy Davis wrote in his book that he did have some homosexual encounters while in the Turkish prison and I think he had a relationship with a friendly Norwegian man. It's a shame that the filmmakers didn't have the guts to allow Billy to enjoy the affections of his friend.
Still it's a great, intense scene!
"My life is over. I might as well dance with Johnny Slash!"
