Hello? Operator?

An awed silence fell amongst fags inhabiting the publishing world recently with news that transsexual luminary Amanda Lepore may be releasing a biography. According to her team, a “major publishing house” is on the hunt for a writer to collaborate with the tranny superstar.

Call me an ambulance!

I Heart Jean Genet

It may be the art school coming out in me but… forget Fassbinder, Jean Genet is where it's at (even though this clip cuts out five minutes early).

Wonder Land

A piece I did on Viktor & Rolf. Can you smell the advertorial?

The worlds of art and fashion are often seen as mutually exclusive realms – with institutional art being yin to the sartorial yang. Rarely is this concept so clearly evidenced than in the work of the notoriously conceptual Dutch design duo, Viktor Horsting and Rolf Snoeren – aka Viktor & Rolf.

Aside from their complete competence in couture tailoring, it is the theatrics of their runway shows that have aided their meteoric rise to the height of fashion’s elite. From presenting a range of balloon-filled clothes that represent the atom bomb, to models tap-dancing A Chorus Line-style and the queerness of men ballroom dancing down the catwalk as plumes of smoke waft through the audience, it is the fusion of their collections with performative art that has led critics, such as those at New York Times Magazine, to decree that “Viktor & Rolf are artists and fashion is their medium.”
Just don’t tell them that.

“We have always considered ourselves as fashion designers without thinking of art as a factor of our work,” say both Viktor & Rolf, the two having a habit of finishing each other’s sentences. “We believe fashion is so much more than just clothes. Fashion shows are like plays and the clothes are actors in the play.”

Often miscategorised as twin-geeks of the fashion world, the pair met while studying fashion at the Arnhem Art Academy in the Netherlands, before moving to Paris to intern for such powerhouses as Maison Martin Margiela.

“We grew up in the suburbs, in a country where fashion doesn’t exist,” they say. “When we looked at international fashion magazines, we fantasized about a world where fashion was a dream – an escape from reality. It still is!”

At night, in the small apartment they shared, they would create clothes to be displayed on the Parisian art circuit. In 1993, they won the Festival d’Hyeres prize, which led them to their first haute couture show in 1998 and, subsequently, acceptance as the only Dutch designers to ever be received by the prestigious Chambre de commerce et d’industrie de Paris. Since then, the duo have upheld their reputation as high fashion’s newest enfant terribles, delivering season after season of critically lauded ready-to-wear and couture collections.

Their menswear line, Monsieur, officially launched in 2005, was met with resounding success. The label producing everything from high-cut boy’s shorts, brilliantly patterned shirts and the dandified eveningwear of a fitted tuxedo, complete with top hat.

The label itself was founded in 1993, yet only a decade later the young team (they are both 37) found themselves subject to a retrospective of their work by the Fashion Museum in Paris. Their recent collaboration with fashion retailer H&M, along with the release of fragrances under the tutelage of L’Oréal, ensure that Viktor & Rolf will be a mainstay of the luxury fashion set. The deal with L’Oréal being particularly telling, as it is the first time in 10 years that the cosmetic giant has contracted designers in this way. Their recently released men’s fragrance, Antidote, already smells of success.

So, what does the future have in store for Viktor & Rolf?
“Anything is possible.”

Boy Meets Boy

When I first put my hand up to cover Adam and Steve I was hoping to interview Parker Posey, but my editor shot down that idea. Boo! Craig Chester turned out to be a good alternative.

Gay love story Adam and Steve is the latest cinematic offering from indie-superstar Craig Chester. He spoke to Luke Malone about love, dance-offs and the complications that come with anal sex.

Luke Malone: You wrote, starred in and directed Adam and Steve. How long did it take to bring your idea to the screen?
Craig Chester: It took about three years total from writing the first page to seeing it premiere at the Tribeca Film Festival. It had a very cliché indie film journey - there were other producers at one point, we got the money, we lost the money, et cetera. It had a lot of ups and downs. Once Funnyboy Films came onboard, things happened very fast and suddenly we were shooting.

How do you feel now that it’s out there in the big, wide world?
It’s been an interesting experience. I absolutely love my film, the way a mother might love her child. It’s been incredibly satisfying to see it before so many audiences who laughed and really got it. The movie requires a certain mindset, namely that you are willing to have a good time and just let go. It’s fun to see audiences choose to go there with us.

The movie deals with the notion of finding your one perfect mate, albeit humorously. Do you believe in the Carrie Bradshaw-esque view of love?
I do. I think the amazing thing about love is that as much as you might feel you are shaping your destiny, you aren’t. I think fate has a lot to do with it and our part is to try and get out of the way. The second my dad met my mum, he said he knew they would get married. It’s that kind of trust in one’s own instincts that matter. But I think our generation kind of enjoys playing the part of the neurotic. We have so much information that we don’t know what to do with it. We have Oprah, Dr Phil, self-help books; everyone feels like an expert on relationships these days. Especially single people, which I think is infinitely funny.

The film also suggests that people can be right for each other, even if the timing is wrong. Do you agree?
I do think that timing is everything. But it’s rarely about the other person. Adam and Steve would have never made it had they hooked up when they were young – they both had too much living to do. When they come together as adults, they were ready.

One of the characters says, “You’re not the person I imagined I’d end up with.” Do you think most people are surprised by the one they end up settling down with?
Absolutely. For years, I rolled my eyes at my older gay friends when they dated twenty-somethings. I used to have all these rules, these notions of how love works, what doesn’t work; I believed in a lot of generalisations about people and specific dynamics. Then, of course, I fell in love with someone 15 years my junior and it’s probably been the most drama-free, supportive, healthy relationship of my life. God has a sense of humour, obviously. The older I get, the less I feel certain about.

What’s your boyfriend like?
His name is Brandon and he’s 24. Chicken Hawk Down!

Do you think that gay guys are more likely to partner-hop because they have unreal expectations?
I think gay men live in a culture of desire where there is just a limitless supply of temptation. This makes it difficult to commit to one person. I also think gay men are in love with longing – they have grown up comfortable with longing and rarely getting. So they fetishise longing. I think Brokeback Mountain touched them so deeply because it was a movie about longing for love but not getting it. Also, there is this idea that there is always someone hotter or better or more perfect just around the corner. Being in a relationship requires a certain amount of humility. It’s about giving to someone else, not just about getting, getting, getting.

Adam and Steve’s first night together is spectacularly gross! Do you have any similar first date experiences?
I think every gay man that has ever had anal sex has had an embarrassing moment in the bedroom – we have sex where we poop. I’m just pointing out the obvious and that scene strikes a real chord with gay men – they laugh for a solid five minutes on average after that horrible moment and I think it’s because we’ve all been there to a, mostly, lesser degree.

Was it fun working with Parker Posey?
Parker is fantastic. She brings a lot of ideas and always raises the bar. We both have very high standards for our work and ourselves and we get frustrated by people who don’t.

Why do you think she strikes such a chord with the gay boys?
Parker is an outsider – gay men relate to that. The way she perceives the world is very gay. She sees the camp in things. And she loves gays; I think they see that in her.

There are a lot of comedians in the cast. Was the film as much fun to make as it looks?
It was imperative that I create a sense of playfulness on the set for just that reason. We all had a blast. It was so much fun – the most fun I’ve ever had creatively. No cat fights, although we were all incredibly stressed as we only had three weeks to make the film and there were these elaborate set pieces like the battle dance.

At the big battle dance finale, you seemed to know your moves. Did the cast have to practice for hours to get it right?
We had five weeks of pre-production. My one day off was a Sunday and that was the day I went to 12 hours of dance rehearsal – it was rough. We had an amazing choreographer, Troy Christian, and he got these amazing dancers. You do your homework and then you try and let go and just have fun. Directing a musical number with you in it is really hard, though; that was the part that was the most stressful.

Are you more comfortable onscreen or in the director’s chair?
Acting makes me very neurotic and insecure. Directing makes me very neurotic and insecure. So, I’m not really ever comfortable when I work – I’m always trying to push myself, walk through a wall of fear or insecurity. But I truly enjoyed directing and want to do more of that.

You’re pegged as an indie actor and director. Do you have any desire to move more into big studio productions?
I don’t look at things as indie or Hollywood. It really is about the specific project. There are bad indies and bad Hollywood movies. I just want to do good work.

There’s a lot of slapstick humour and dancing in the movie. Have you always been a physical comedian?
Not at all. My body of work has been as a dramatic actor in movies like Swoon or I Shot Andy Warhol. No one would have cast me in this role, so I had to cast myself. I also love comedy. It’s just high drama. We are all running around, arms flailing, freaking out – these people are funny because they take themselves so seriously. Comedy is really just anarchy.

In the movie, Adam’s family are adorably accident-prone. Is this a reflection of your own family?
Yes. I grew up with my dad always saying there was a Chester Curse. Like nothing every worked out well for us. When I got older, I realised there was no such thing. But with my movie I thought, what if there really was? So I invented the Bernsteins!

Speaking of families, you were raised in a born-again Christian church. How do you think this has shaped your outlook on life?
Growing up in that church had a profound impact on me. I truly understand that world and saw first hand the sadness and hopelessness of those people’s lives. I thank God I’m gay. If I hadn’t been gay, I might never have questioned the status quo and gone off and had my own journey.

How was the movie received on the festival circuit?
I’ve been to dozens of cities with the film, all over the world. It’s incredible and I’m amazed at how well the film played in places as different as Texas and Cardiff! The movie has a very broad appeal.

Have you ever been to Australia?
I would love to come there. Parker shot Superman there and had the best time. I’m hoping I’ll be there soon!

So, what’s up next for Mr Craig Chester?
I’m working on a new script with Chris Kattan and also writing a movie about the Hollywood closet past, present and future.

Super Woman

A profile I did on Charlize Theron. It's pretty basic but I think she's the bee's knees. And hey, at least it's a good picture.

Super Woman

With a film career succeeding the 10-year mark, Charlize Theron has attained a stature that far surpasses many actors of her age and experience. Intelligent, politically minded and refreshingly forthright, the softness of her cherubic, old-Hollywood looks are balanced with a directness that ensures she is a woman to be admired – and one certainly not to be fucked with.

Born to Gerda and Charles Theron in Benoni, South Africa, at 15, she witnessed the shooting death of her father by her mother in an act of self-defence. It is with that aforementioned directness, matched with a stoic sensibility, that saw Theron use this episode as a motivational tool rather than allow it to engulf her.

“I walked away from a hellish experience,” she says. “I realised I had two clear choices – either I drowned or I could swim. So I started swimming, very fast.”

And swim she did.

Winning a modelling competition the year after her father’s death, she travelled to Milan on a one-year contract, which eventually saw her in New York City. She decided to remain there and attend the Joffrey Ballet School, looking set to become a professional dancer until a knee injury brought the endeavour to a grinding halt. She then decided to try her luck in acting and bought a one-way ticket to Los Angeles.

The rest is typical of your modern-day fairytale: down on her luck and arguing with a bank manager over a cheque on Hollywood Boulevard, an agent, mesmerised by her impromptu performance, approached Theron and asked if she would be interested in acting.

After losing her accent (she is fluent in Afrikaans and speaks some Xhosa, as well as 30 other African languages and dialects) she appeared in a handful of films before her breakout role in 1997’s, The Devil’s Advocate. This was followed by a string of movies that led her to the part that would cement her fate as a power-player in the industry – playing Aileen Wuornos in Monster. Scoring an Oscar for her portrayal of the troubled woman, Theron broke free of her looks (donning prosthetic teeth, greasy hair and gaining over 15 kilograms), proving that, more than just a beauty, she is an actor of substance.

The choice also carried socio-political associations for Theron.

“We went on a journey to find the greater truth of her story, which we always felt was misrepresented,” she says. “We never tried to justify why she did very horrendous things, we wanted to stay true to that. But also maybe lift the rug a little bit and show her actual situation.”

Some of these themes were extended when she took up the lead in North Country, playing protagonist, Josey Aimes. The film is based on Lois Jenson’s experiences at a mining company, where she was sexually harassed, leading to a class-action lawsuit against her employer for failing to protect her and other female employees – the first of its kind in the US.

She is also a friend of the gays. When asked why she and long-term partner, actor Stuart Townsend, hadn’t yet married, she replied: “We came up with a new idea. We said that we would get married the day that gays and lesbians can get married – when that right is given to them.”

Team that little chestnut with her acceptance speech when being honoured at the Gay And Lesbian Alliance Against Defamation awards for her work in increasing the visibility and understanding of the GLBTI community: “There’s one thing I’d like to say: as mothers, fathers, teach your children to have tolerance and acceptance. At the end of the day, we’re all the same.”

What’s not to love?

Blog Eat Blog

A little piece I did on blogs. Mainly posted just to break up the QnA onslaught. Though the article did receive a plug on Perez Hilton's site which I was fairly chuffed about.

Blog Eat Blog

Covering a vast array of topics – from the blunders of prominent political figures to Lindsay Lohan’s latest sans-panties flesh flash – blogs are springing up faster than a STI on an all-gay party cruise.

The blog phenomenon evolved from the online diary, with many people mistakenly thinking that the world needed a blow-by-blow account of their not-so-extraordinary day. This quickly developed into the viable information source that blogs have become.

The newest media pundits are largely free from the demands of advertisers or governing bodies, leaving them to publish a commentary untethered by censorship. Though many of the major media outlets have come to realise the social interest and cultural importance inherent to blogging, incorporating blogs as a part of their online content, the sites that attract the most traffic are still the domain of enterprising individuals who independently inform and entertain their cyber-going public.

“Blogs provide a voice for those who might not otherwise have one,” says Andy of Towleroad. “Also, in a world where corporations control much of the media, blogs provide an important balance to check the culture, both socially and politically.”

The pace at which news finds its way to the public is another measure of the journalistic value of blogs. By working around the clock, exchanging information with other bloggers and tracking tips from trusted sources, these cowboys (and girls) of new media are bypassing the editorial red tape and breaking reliable news stories, sometimes several days before they hit the morning paper.

“One thing that highlights the importance of the phenomenon is the speed of getting the word out,” says Alek from Oh La La, a Paris-based, gay-interest blog.

As with any new Internet enterprise, the boundless possibilities offered by this new portal of communication has, in many cases, been reduced to the keen pursuit of celebrity news, scandal and hot bodies. While this may be a gross generalisation, it does pertain to the kinds of blogs that are getting the most attention – and certainly the ones that are the most fun to read.

“We’re obsessed with celebs because they live such charmed lives,” says Trent of celebrity-driven Pink is the New Blog. “They do ridiculous things and make fools of themselves on an almost daily basis. Regular people like seeing celebs make mistakes because it makes them more human.”

What differentiates celebrity bloggers from trash mags like NW, US Weekly and OK!, is that not only are they commenting on the stars, the bloggers themselves are hanging out with them. This gives some Hollywood publicists stress-related migraines while others smack their lips at the thought of all of the free press the relationship may generate. This publicity circle-jerk is no more apparent than in the goings-on of the blogosphere’s latest pin-up, Mario Lavandeira aka Perez Hilton.

Perez’s site delivers an often-scathing report on all things famous: beginning a daily post by ripping apart Mischa Barton’s latest outfit, moving on to the topic of Rachel Zoe’s bereft sternum, before reviewing pal and namesake, Paris Hilton’s latest single. With almost two million site hits per day, Perez Hilton – along with his blogging contemporaries – are fast becoming celebrities in their own right. While there is no denying their growing influence on the cult of celebrity, fashion and reportage, Perez remains humble.

“I’m not a celebrity – I’m a celebretard,” he says. “No matter how famous I get, I’ll still be an outsider. I’ll still be banned from clubs and certain events, but it doesn’t bother me in the slightest, I know my place on the celebrity totem pole. I’m just happy to do my thing and be my own boss."

Pretty on the Inside

Not the hugest fan of her music, but it was quite cool talking with her nonetheless. She had a voice like no other – think all-American college girl meets a ghetto Nina Simone (oh, and can you tell these questions were structured for a gay magazine?).

Princess Superstar – aka Concetta Kirschner – is the latest enfant terrible to emerge from the American rap scene. She spoke to Luke Malone about misfits, talkin’ dirty and her obsession with Missy Elliot.

Luke Malone: How are you enjoying Australia?
Princess Superstar: Oh, it’s been amazing. I’ve played twice in Sydney and the people were just going mental.

How has the gay scene responded to you?
They love it! And it’s great because the gay clubs are my favourite to play.

Your lyrics are pretty hot and heavy. Is that what attracts the gay boys?
Yeah, absolutely. I think also the campiness and the over-the-top fun – all of that.

Where did the name Princess Superstar come from?
I had this little toy drum set from the ‘60s and on the box it said Superstar. My boyfriend at the time was like, 'Why don’t you call your little project Superstar?' I wanted something even more obnoxious, so I came up with Princess Superstar. He was like, 'That suits.'

You were voted one of the most beautiful New Yorkers by New York Magazine. Do you think that your looks have influenced your career?
No, I don’t think so. I think it’s more a matter of the music. I’ve always had one foot in the underground scene where it doesn’t matter what you look like so much.

What is it like treading more into the mainstream scene where your looks are taken into account, along with your music?
I find that really sad. All the pop starlets look the same; you look at Ashlee Simpson who is becoming Jessica Simpson with all that plastic surgery and I think it’s tragic. It’s important for people who do music to have their own unique look and it’s great if you look good. But, personally, I have to work really hard at it; I go to the gym everyday and take care of myself – inside me there’s this fat, ugly person trying to get out.

And you’re always trying to keep her locked up in there.
[Laughs] For real, I have to keep her at bay. For me, the most important thing is the music – I would really prefer that people concentrate on that. Having said that, I really do love to dress up and go crazy that way as well – so it’s a fine line.

You’ve said you were an awkward teen and that school was hell. Could you tell us a little more about that?
I didn’t fit in. I went to high school in Pennsylvania and there were a lot of rich kids and I didn’t feel like I belonged. When I was 17, I moved to New York to go to college and that’s when I started to feel at home. A lot of my friends say that they felt awkward growing up and I think that a lot of cool people today were the ones that really suffered in high school.

Do you think that makes you more appealing to the misfits out there?
Yeah, I think it helps people identify with me. I was definitely not the pretty, popular cheerleader – I was the antithesis of that.

Who are your biggest musical inspirations?
I’m inspired by so much – a lot of dance music that’s coming out of France right now is pretty interesting to me: like Digitalism, Vitalic and Justice. On the flipside to that are American hip-hop artists like Missy Elliot, Timbaland and the Ying Yang Twins. Also, my parents were hippies so I love old David Bowie and Pink Floyd. I’m really kinda eclectic and all over the place, which reflects itself in my music.

If there were one artist you could collaborate with tomorrow, who would you choose?
Oh, Missy Elliot. That’s a no-brainer.

What did you think of the commercial she did for Gap?
I thought she was cute. Listen, anything she does I love!

What message would you like to pass on to your faggiest of fans?
Stay pretty – inside and out.

Come Into His World

A few months back I got to chat with a little guy named Cazwell. This was the result.

Cazwell is one of the sexiest guys in music and with the release of All Over Your Face, an ode to the facial, he’s also one of the smuttiest. He spoke to Luke Malone about boys, sex and why he wants to work with Paris Hilton

Luke Malone: What was it like growing up in Worcester, Massachusetts?
Cazwell: Worcester is trashy. I call it the armpit stain of New England. They have an incredibly large number of check cashing places and, when I lived there, a big heroin problem. It’s a place where people go to settle rather than grow; I got out of there as soon as I could. Last time I visited I had an anxiety attack and had to leave.

What was it like moving to New York?
Intimidating, but exciting. It was an obvious next step for me. In New York you have access to everything you need to make your dreams come true. I love New York. I want to recreate the vibe that existed here in the ‘70s through my music.

What is it about ‘70s New York?
The ‘70s was a hip time because it was before AIDS or any major technology. People don’t go out as much now as in the ‘70s because they can just stay home on the Internet and hook up. Also, it was the beginning of the gay revolution that started after Stonewall in ‘69, so it was the most exciting time to be gay. I love the grittiness of the ‘70s. When I see old pictures of Times Square I’m completely mesmerised.

What kind of things are we missing today that existed in ‘70s?
Hookers on the streets, smoking in movie theatres, more sex clubs, unsafe sex, bearded men, the Bee Gees, natural body types, body hair… I want gay people to be cool again.

What’s wrong with gay culture today?
Crystal meth is what’s wrong with gay culture today.

Who are your musical influences?
It constantly changes. Right now I’d say the Bee Gees, Notorious B.I.G., Beastie Boys, Björk, Missy Elliott, The Ronnettes, Public Enemy, M.I.A…

Do you have any non-musical influences that find their way into your work?
I’m inspired by a lot of fashion. I love Jeremy Scott, Alexander McQueen, Heatherette, Frankie Morello and just watchin’ the styles of people on the New York streets.

What’s it like being a white fag in the world of rap?
I don’t consider myself to be in the world of rap. I’m in the world of Cazwell. The world of rap seems to have some rules that don’t apply to my life. I’m just an artist who is colourful, expressive, fun and outspoken.

So, do you have a problem with the tag “gay rapper”?
Yes, I do. I will never label myself as a gay rapper because, one, it’s boring and, two, I’m much more than gay and much more than a rapper. I expect journalists and other people in the industry to pigeonhole me that way because they need to. But I’m sure that the longer I make songs and videos and the more I perform, the more I’ll be known for my work rather than just being gay.

You’re touring in November. Where are you going to be playing?
I’m booking shows now. I’ll be all over the States; I’ll do a London takeover, too. I’d love to come to Australia.

We’d love to have you.
Great – hook me up!

The video for All Over Your Face is amazing. Did you have fun making it?
I had a lot of fun but it was also a lot of work. Francis Legge [the director] and I peered into the lives of club kids and icons like Kim Aviance, Mother Flawless Sabrina, Tre, Raquel Reed, Amanda Lepore and the rest. I love watching people getting ready to go out.

You’re friends with Amanda Lepore. How did you two meet?
The first time I met her was at a club. There were all these gay guys swarming around and admiring her. I walked up to her and said, “Do you ever get sick of gay guys just telling you how beautiful you are?” And she said, “No, I never want it to stop.”

You also work together on music. What’s that like?
Honestly, it’s an honour to work with her and be her friend. She is the most interesting person I’ve ever met – focused, sweet and full of positive energy. She has very good instincts so I trust her judgement and always take her advice.

You’ve also worked alongside people like Kevin Aviance, Boy George and the girls from Avenue D. What do you like best about working with other artists?
I really love working with, and writing for, other people. Before I was solo I worked with a girl in the rap duo Morplay, so I learnt a lot about compromise, working as a group and how to get my point across without seeming bossy. I also write much faster when it’s for someone else’s song.

Who else would you like to work with?
I’d like to work with Paris Hilton. I want to make a very camp yet autobiographical album for her. The funny thing is that her album is camp but she doesn’t seem to realise it. Everyone seems to be in on the joke except her.

You’re lyrics are pretty sexy and slutty. Do you get many guys coming up and trying it on at your gigs?
I assume you mean getting down my pants… not too much. I’m told I appear to be kind of intimidating. If I really like someone I’m typically the initiator. I actually lead a very banal life – I’ve never even been to a sex club.

Then why have you created this highly sexualised musical persona?
I don’t think about sex any more than any other guy. I just have the opportunity to express what’s on my mind through music, so I end up lookin’ like a nymphomaniac, but I’m not. Well… I can be with the right guy. Like I said, I’ve never been to a sex club but that’s because I’m socially awkward in those situations. I prefer to hang out and get to know someone before we hit skins, even if it’s only for a few minutes. Backroom situations feel weird because no one talks and it feels like a shameful silence.

What kind of guys do you like?
I like guys that smile, have developed their own personal style, know who they are and have some kind of passion in their life. I prefer not to date smokers or bad tippers. And liars are the worst. Oh, and they’ve gotta be at least a little wild in bed to keep me interested.

Would you try to get into your pants if you saw yourself on the street?
I would be attracted to myself. I don’t think I’m all that or anything – I certainly have my good days and my bad – but I believe we all, especially gay men, tend to dress in a way that represents the kind of guys we are attracted to. My clothes are a combination of ‘70s, skater, hip-hop and preppy styles. If I saw a dude rockin’ my style on the train I would totally clock him.

What’s the weirdest thing you’ve ever been asked by a fan?
Hmmm… some fan from Sweden emailed me and requested a pair of my dirty underwear. I don’t have a problem doing it, I’m just too lazy to put them in a box and go down to the post office.

What’s up next for Cazwell?
I plan on making a video for every song on my new album, that, and become a household name.

Mightier Than the Sword

It's all about the interview today. Here is one with Aiden Shaw - porn star extraordinaire. He was an amazingly sweet guy.

Aiden Shaw remains one of the biggest names in gay porn today, both literally and figuratively. When he was hit by a car, the resulting slow, painful recovery gave him time to take stock and think differently about the possibilities of his future life. Stepping out of his porn persona, Shaw became a writer of great insight and depth and proved that the pen can, indeed, be mightier than the sword.

With the release of his seventh book, the autobiographical My Undoing: Love in the Thick of Sex, Drugs, Pornography and Prostitution, he’s shown how versatile he can really be. Recounting his life within the porn industry, the book details the expected drug use, sex and club life, but what makes this memoir unique is that these themes are merely a vehicle through which he describes his search for love; from others, and ultimately himself. Already, the critical response to the book has been such that he’s signed on to write a prequel.

Luke Malone: You’ve written seven books now. Do you find the process easier as you’ve become a more experienced writer?
Aiden Shaw: I think I find it a little harder. I know more than I did. This book was tricky because I was trying to write some form of truth, which I know is an abstract term.

Do you think more is expected from you now that you’re not considered a novice?
I don’t know. I don’t take that into account. I was going to say it’s like my videos but it’s not. With videos you’d think that the more you made the easier it would be, but it’s harder. You have to live up to what you’ve done before, and I always try to push the envelope a little, try to make it better or show something else I’ve learnt. But that doesn’t come into play when I’m writing. I don’t think that far ahead. I’m writing in the moment, I lose myself.

Do you think your public persona has worked for or against you in regards to your writing?
On a practical level, I’m sure the reason I was published initially was because I had a big dick and because I did porn. The so-called enigma of Aiden Shaw certainly helped me to get my first book published.

Do you think it’s hard for people to take your writing seriously because you come from a porn background?
I kinda don’t care, you know. If they do, I don’t mind and luckily it doesn’t interfere with my creative processes or writing career. Some of the American magazines definitely have a prejudice against me in that I have been a porn star. Some people don’t like you doing more than one thing. They don’t like that you’re pretty, have a big dick and can actually string a sentence together.

Does that bug you?
I don’t mind. I accept that part of people’s interest in me lies in my sex career. But if someone is being lascivious or just downright sleazy, cheap or stupid, then yes, I very much mind. I did an interview recently, an email one, and the first question this guy asked was, “My dick’s eight-and-a-half inches, how big is yours?” And it was like, why on earth would I want to know what size the gentleman’s dick was? I didn’t give him an interview. I mean, let’s try and relate it, at least a little bit, to the book. Show some respect. It took a lot of time and a lot of work went into it.

It’s pretty disrespectful.
Yeah, my boyfriend was kind of pissed off but I told him it was no problem; I just wouldn’t do the interview. But he was disgusted by it. He’s really protective.

My Undoing deals with notions of love, plus issues of co-dependency and looking for love. Could you tell us a little bit about your partner?
He’s such a sweetheart. He’s Iranian and we’ve been together for about eight months. We’re completely monogamous. I know monogamy can mean different things to different people but we’re very strict about it. We have a lovely life and I love him. It was his birthday recently and I bought him a ring as a symbol of love. I like seeing it on him because it reminds me of our love.

That’s really nice. As you know, it can be so rare in gay culture.
There can be a kind of fluidity in gay relationships but I think we’re a bit kooky because we’re so hard-lined about it. We’re very old-fashioned in a way. My parents have been together for 40 years and his parents have been together for a long time too and they’re all still very passionate. I think we’ve both had great role models and we each met the right person. Other gay men I met laughed and made me feel like a freak for wanting a boyfriend, having plans and being devoted. Now I’ve found someone who feels the same and it’s so lovely.

It must be nice to both see the relationship from the same perspective.
It’s so nice to have boundaries. For God’s sake, I’ve had no boundaries in my life and it’s good to have them. When you know the rules, you know the situation. It’s very reassuring and I have complete faith in him because I know he believes in our rules, too. The very notion that we’ve got rules would make some gay people puke. It may seem old-fashioned and restrictive but we don’t find it restrictive because it’s something we’ve always wanted and finally got.

Sometimes, when things haven’t worked out so well for you romance-wise, when they go right it can be weird. Things are running smoothly and you’re waiting for something to go wrong.
It’s funny, isn’t it? I think it’s hard navigating a relationship as a gay man because we have no bloody role models. When I want to talk about a problem with my boyfriend, I call my mum. What’s that about? No one else I know has been in a long-term relationship.

You’ve been interviewed numerous times, why do you think it is that people want to know so much about you?
It’s a difficult question to answer without sounding like a dick. I imagine there must be some curiosity in the fact that I’ve done varied things. And some people say I’ve done them well. But even with the magazines that don’t care if I’ve got a big dick, there still must be some mystery around me because I’ve done porn movies. I imagine it’s mainly that… and because I’m such a swell guy.

I think you’ve hit the nail on the head. People seem curious about other aspects of your life, not solely the porn.
That’s nice to hear. I do work very, very hard and I’m very committed to it. I was up writing late last night and when I finish speaking with you I’ll be working all day and night editing a short story I’m working on. And I’m glad that people are interested because it feels like I’m finally getting payback for it all.

What are you working on next?
I don’t want to say too much now. My publisher said I can do whatever I want and I don’t know what route to go down. I don’t know whether to do something more theoretical. I’m doing an MA in Creative Writing and I have to write a thesis as part of the coursework, so I might publish that. I also talked about doing a story linking all of my movies and telling people what happened in between. People are interested in the backside, rather than the backstage, of the porn industry. But that might bore the pants off me, you know?

Do you see yourself as a brand?
I’ve always loved that idea. I got an email the other day from somebody I used to know and he wrote, “I met you at the gym years ago before you became Aiden Shaw Inc.” My friends joke about it all the time. That aside, I think I have created something that is unique to me.

Leigh Bowery was synonymous with so many things: music, fashion, art and the avant-garde. You seem to share the same sensibility; your name was originally attributed to porn and then you branched out into music and writing.
I loved Leigh. We were friends and I admired him greatly. He was very intelligent and could turn his hand to anything. He was a genius. I think, in the future, we’re going to look back and realise he was much more important than he is considered now.

It must be strange to know somebody on a personal level and see them morph into an iconic figure. Your friends must have had this experience with you.
Yeah, I know quite a lot of famous people now but they’ve been that way since I first knew them. No one like Leigh. What I think is a crime about his stature is that, as with most artists, they’re worth much more dead than alive. It’s a crime because people can talk and write about them and the artist isn’t there to say what it was really about. I’ve thought many times about faking my death, but it seems a little too sitcom to actualise. The idea is that I’d give my publisher several books to release posthumously…

What’s your biggest regret?
Oh, my God. I guess being run over.

How do you view the accident now that you’ve got some distance from it?
I actually did an interview yesterday and I was sitting with the journalist and he asked me how my friends dealt with the situation and I just started crying. I couldn’t help it. Although it’s very far away in time, it’s obviously still very painful to me. I’m not telling you this to avoid the question. It’s just that it’s still fresh, you know? I was shocked that I started crying. I was trying to describe how good my friends were at the time and I just broke up about that.

Do you feel you’ve got something positive out of it, or do you wish it had never happened?
I wish that it’d never happened. This is a really rotten metaphor, but in the same way that Hitler caused a lot of sadness in the world, the sadness that I caused to my family and my friends alone, forgetting everything that I went through, that wasn’t worth it. It breaks my heart.

What’s your greatest achievement?
It might well be my boyfriend. The bottom line is that love is my greatest achievement and I love the context of this love in particular. I have faith in it. I think faith in love is extremely important.

It’s good to have faith and not be broken by previous relationships not working out.
Totally. Thank God I can try again – dust myself off and try again. Not with any great effort, but just being open to the possibilities. The first night we met each other, it was off a sex chat line, I was high as fucking hell and he came over. For some reason, when he walked in the room we both knew it was something lovely. Within half an hour I was crouched between his legs talking in the kitchen about important stuff. And he saw that, read between the lines, even when I said I didn’t want a boyfriend. Thank God I was able to retain that openness and softness otherwise I wouldn’t have him now. That’s so slushy, huh?

No, not really. It’s nice.
The reason I don’t mind saying it is because, while in my book I talk about drugs and speak more about the come downs than come ups, I do want to pass on that information to younger people. Like, you can have all the sex and the life that I did but you can also find love. No matter how messed up my life has been, I’m really fucking happy now and I have a lovely, lovely man.

What is something that people don’t know about you?
I’m guessing they don’t know for a reason so it’s probably going to stay that way.

What is something that you wish people didn’t know about you?
Nothing. If there’s something that I wish they didn’t know I’d try to make sure I originally didn’t tell them. There’s not that much I didn’t say in the book, I didn’t leave much out.

There was a character named after you on Sex and the City, Carrie’s boyfriend, Aiden. How does it feel to attain a status where you are referenced in one of the most popular sitcoms on TV?
I didn’t know at first. I got a couple of phone calls from different newspapers in New York and I though, oh, my God, this is funny. Every time Carrie says the name in full it makes me giggle inside. It’s nice.

What’s in the future for you?
I’m doing my MA and that is a real turning point in my life. When I did the interview I used my real name and told them how I’d created this character called Aiden Shaw and lived within him. I told them who I thought he was and what I tried to achieve with him. At college, I want to be the real me again and leave him as a fictional character who writes books. I want to be the puppeteer, you know?

Like a longstanding performance art piece.
It has been, really. I don’t think people realise that. Even when I watch the first porn I made I find it hard not to laugh, it’s so mental and cheesy. In London, all my friends are very cool and my life is much more underground. To then go to LA and having these tan lines and cheesecake kind of people, it was hilarious. I always saw the joke in it and the more porn-like it looked the funnier I found it. I had no inspirations to make the porn seem arty or anything like it. My favourite porn is the cheesiest stuff. So not me. It’s seems the antithesis – it’s so far from me. All my friends who know me know that. In England they see that more and more and at college I really get to put the nails in the coffin.

Did pursuing the type of porn that was so different to you as a person make it easier to inhabit the Aiden Shaw character?
Funnily enough, when I was a teenager I was kind of punky and spotty and really effeminate. At the time, gender was all fucked up with the New Romantics and the punks. I didn’t look like a guy and people used to think I was a girl all the time. Then I started to see men I liked and I thought, ahh. I was really gender non-specific at the time. Most people, when they grow up, automatically fall into their gender but I didn’t. But when I was 18, I decided I wanted to be that and then I took it really far and I think that all the time I was constructing this image, almost objectively, and pulled it off so well. It was an exercise in a sense.

Quite a successful one it seems.
Thank you. But again, it’s only because it was so objective. I wasn’t feeling my way; I was constructing a look, a behaviour, a smile, the nod, the stance, the pose – the whole thing. But it’s what a lot of men do. Especially gay men. Because gay men, let’s face it, were skinny or pear-shaped effeminate kids, who now mask themselves with tattoos and act like soldiers. What are they trying to mask? How much muscle does it take to mask the person inside?

And the second they open their mouth it just melts away.
Even if they can pull that one off, if you listen to what they’re actually saying it’s screaming to what’s really going on.

Confessions of a Junkie-Whore

Here is a brief interview I did with Amy Sedaris. Words can not describe how I felt about having the chance to speak with her – I'm surprised I didn't swallow my tongue. Photography by Michael Ingulli.

For those familiar with her work, Amy Sedaris needs no introduction; for the rest she’ll need a little explaining. She’s been straddling the highest pinnacle of cult success since playing Jerri Blank on the darkly “high-larious” Strangers With Candy – an after-school special about a reformed drug addicted, teen runaway prostitute who returns to high school to start her life all over again. With a movie based on the series about to hit our shores, followed by I Like You: Hospitality Under the Influence (a how-to book on entertaining that is “charmingly old-fashioned, like courtship or back-alley abortions”), she looks set on bringing her delightfully cracked vision to the mainstream.

Luke Malone: When people meet you, do they expect to meet the junkie-whore?
Amy Sedaris: Yeah. They’re always disappointed when they realise I’m not a junkie-whore.

Do you ever slip into Jerri-mode at inopportune times without realising it?
Yes. She’s easy to go in and out of because of the facial expressions and the off-the-cuff remarks. So she pops up all the time.

Like someone who has a multiple personality disorder.
[In her Jerri voice] Keep it down, keep it down. [And then back to Amy] Exactly.

You’ve made a career out of playing misfits. What attracts you to these kinds of roles?
I’m more drawn to those people. I guess maybe I feel like I am one. And they’re a lot more fun to play.

Why do you think it is that you’ve got so many gay fans?
I think because they’re misfits and outcasts. And Jerri Blank was a misfit, so I think that’s what it is.

What’s been your weirdest encounter with a fan?
Sometimes when I’m with a group of people somebody will come up and just stand there – literally just stand there. And I don’t know what they’re doing or what they want and it’s just awkward. Things like that tend to happen a lot.

You do a lot of TV. What kind of shows do you like to watch?
I like that Law and Order: SVU.

I love that show!
Totally. I think Christopher Meloni is hot! And I just love sex crimes. It’s mindless, too. You can always look at the clock and be like, okay, that’s not the perp because it’s only ten after, you know what I mean?

Weren’t you on SVU?
I was and I loved it.

Do you like playing dramatic roles?
I’m drawn to more dramatic things but I just don’t think I have the chops to do it. Some of the stuff you have to say just makes me want to laugh. Like if I had to say, “Oh, I lost the baby!” my reaction would be to laugh. I also have no desire to cry in front of a group of people that I don’t know. You do it in real life, to be doing it in front of a camera just seems weird.

Do have any desire to come to Australia?
I would love to. It’d be fantastic.

Do you have any preconceptions? Like that there’ll be kangaroos jumping around in the street?
That’s pretty much what I think.

Well, it’s true. All true.
Really!?

No, not at all.
[Laughs] Oh, well. I still want to come and visit either way.

The Wonderful Mr. Rakoff

This is an interview I did with one of my favourite writers, David Rakoff. I was so incredibly excited to have the chance to speak with him – he's like a cerebral hardon.

David Rakoff is a writer’s writer. Perceptive and worldly, he exercises a masterly command of the English lexicon and has become something of a bookish pin-up. He first gained public recognition through his work on National Public Radio’s This American Life and has since earned a solid reputation for delivering an acerbic commentary on human existence, writing for the New York Times Magazine, GQ, Vogue and Salon, among others.

Whether he’s comparing the relative merits of the Concorde over Hooters Air or documenting his attempts at achieving spiritual enlightenment through fasting, what separates David from many of his contemporaries is the empathetic sensibility that permeates his observational wit. We like him because he is just like us.

Luke Malone: You’re well known for your work on This American Life. What’s it been like to work on the show?
David Rakoff: I truly feel that I owe them my entire career. They made it almost single-handedly viable for first-person journalism and the non-traditional voice to become popular.

A lot of writers had their start on the show.
It’s been quite a springboard for many people. That’s very much Ira Glass’ [host of This American Life] doing and the door was pretty much opened by David Sedaris.

There seems to be a literary clique comprised of people like David Sedaris, Sarah Vowell and yourself.
I’ve known them for about 10 years. We all met around the same time.

Is it weird to know each other for so long and then reach a certain level of fame more or less at the same time?
Fame and recognition are loose terms. I have a very nice little career but I don’t for a minute confuse it with actual fame. No one really knows who I am. For example, I’m forever finding myself in situations where people are purported This American Life fans and they’ve literally never heard of me. It goes in degrees. I’m nowhere near as prominent as David or Sarah, but the show’s growing popularity has helped all of us. From an outward perspective, it might look like one of those bad women’s pictures where all the young ingénue hopefuls share an efficiency apartment, then you cut to 10 years later and one’s a hat model, one’s married to a prominent lawyer and the other one is living a loveless but glamorous life as a book editor. It could seem that way but it’s what happens when everybody labours in an industry and time passes.

Does it bother you that when an article is written about you there are often comparisons to writers who are also your friends?
Not particularly. Here’s the thing: mammals are essentially reductive. It’s the way you move through the forest without getting bogged down with the details. Ultimately, if one spends more than an article’s length of time with any of us you see the differences. So, while I can understand a journalist’s need to compare me to David Sedaris, who is one of my best friends, I don’t think we’re that similar in terms of writing. David has become the touchstone by which everybody is compared, unless you’re writing something desperately serious and sad. He’s essentially become Dorothy Parker.

Some writers say they need to write to survive. You’ve said you find it difficult.
I find writing tremendously difficult. It’s like pulling teeth – through my dick. I love having done it. Of all the creative pursuits that I get to do, it’s the least fun for me but the one for which I have most respect. I get to act occasionally and that’s always great fun but with writing, I think it’s the very difficulty of it that makes me feel such respect for it. I once spoke to a ninth grade class and said how much I hated writing and they bloomed. It was like watching a field of flowers in time lapse. They just opened up and sort of inclined towards me. It was extraordinary, as if I’d gotten naked or something.

Of the stories you’ve written, are there any standout favourites?
There are always aspects that I’m attached to. As for any particular favourites, they change all the time. I do a little spin on that old adage: I hate all my children equally.

What other writers do you look up to?
I’m filled with awe and admiration for other writers: Joan Didion, Edith Wharton, Hank Stuever. I’m forever being brought up short by how terrifically good other writers are. I should also acknowledge the fact that when I’m between books the thought of ever writing another one is as inconceivable to me as sprouting wings. That gives me a tendency to get rather sentimental and maudlin about writing. Imagine you had a Toyota and you crashed it and it’s gone. Every time you see someone with a Toyota that they are successfully driving you get a little weepy. I’m in my Toyota phase.

Your vocabulary comes across as highbrow when compared to many other popular non-fiction writers.
It’s interesting. I don’t think my vocabulary is all that. I’m aware of the fact that I have something approaching a vocabulary and that I really, really like language. I like having many colours in the palette at my disposal. People often talk about the vocabulary in my work and it sometimes takes on an accusatory tone, like I’m somehow trying to high hat people.

There’s that tall poppy syndrome.
It’s not meant to be a velvet rope to keep people out in any way; it’s simply meant to be as precise as possible. Also, there’s that whole argument about vocabulary being part of an elitist arsenal. I take a very specific political view, which is that the Republicans and the right wing in the United States have managed to demonise education and turn it into this elitist thing. For people to say that to be educated is elitist is, in fact, buying into this Republican canard. I think it’s both a myth and a lie that’s constructed to keep people benighted, uneducated and, ultimately, voting for governments who act against their best interests. I guess I’m over-thinking it, but do you know what I mean?

Yes, the government here in Australia has made getting a decent education increasingly difficult.
Well, if you ally the working classes with those causes, it’s actually against their interests. They cut the social programs and make these people’s lives materially worse. And it’s all done with this mendacious fabric of being more populist and anti-elitist. I’ve always felt that a vocabulary is a means to overcome that.

You present as fairly anxious and yet you’re also an actor. How does that work?
Acting is anxiety provoking but ultimately it’s about concealment. A great many actors are shy people. It’s a compensatory gesture. There was a point where I was so crippled by social anxiety that the very word ‘party’ was enough to fill me with dread; that’s not so much the case any more. My anxieties also encompass the more neurotic spectrum of phobias like claustrophobia, agoraphobia – all the typical, neurotic Jewish guy fears. I don’t like tunnels, I’m not crazy about bridges, heights aren’t my favourite.

What about planes?
Don’t love them. But I fly in them a lot. I always travel with some sort of tranquilliser so that I don’t become that hysterical person who’s soiling himself in public and ruining everybody else’s fun.