AY PEOPLE'S CHRONICLE October 26, 2001

evening'sout

Sex for the mind

Sexually Speaking

Collected sex writing by Gore Vidal

Cleis, $14.95 trade paperback

See Dick Deconstruct Literotica for the satirically bent by lan Philips

Attagirl, $14.95 trade paperback

Reviewed by Anthony Glassman

There is a man whose experience and wisdom cover the second half of the last century like a blanket, whose view of sexual orientation and sex display fifty years of the history of gay men and lesbians in this country.

He is Gore Vidal, critic, literati, author, playwright, screenwriter and curmudgeon. His essays start in 1965 and continue until almost the current day. They are collected here in chronological order, giving the reader a look at the changing world and unchanging author.

That's probably a really unfair statement, since Vidal was 40 years old when the first was published, and had already achieved a number of successful careers. It's simply the fact that, by the age of 40, his philosophy was set, and he hasn't really strayed far from his path to this day, and what a marvelously contentious and controversial path it is.

Gore Vidal is not gay. Gore Vidal hates “gay.“ He thinks it is a stupid word for a stupid concept of identification. He alternately uses the terms homosexualists and same-sexers, believing that homosexual is

an adjective and describes an act. He also states, repeatedly and in no uncertain terms, that he sees no more commonality between two queers than between, say, John F. Kennedy and Garth Brooks.

He also believes that all people are created equal and endowed by their creator with certain inalienable rights, among these the rights to life, liberty and the pursuit of happiness.

This collection of essays covers 35 years of his cynical eye falling on his fellow writers, society at large, the law, politicians, and just about everything else. For someone with a decently-sized I.Q., the book is a must. Sure, he's smug, but anyone with the longevity and money this man's got has the right to be a little smug. Thank God he uses his powers for good, not evil.

In a similar vein, but more fictional and fun, is See Dick Deconstruct, an anthology of short stories dealing with sex as intelligently as Vidal does. Ian Philips is the tour guide for this trip through the more intellectual side of

smut.

Philips also is tied into the last few decades of LGBT history; having edited the Damron guides for many years. He has spoken to many of the most famous gay men and lesbians in the country.

AttaGirl Press is a newcomer to the field. but seems ready to take it by storm. The collection is all they say it is, intelligent. erotic, satirical, satyriastic. The stories run the gamut from intellectual and smutty, to too intellectual to be smutty. Stories written from the point of view of a philosophical vagina are not “hot,” creative and inspired though they may be.

However, for every piece that thinks too much, there is another that hits below the belt and still keeps the little gray cells working. There is also more than a little humor here. generally cutting and with an incisive view of the world that can really hit home.

For example, an erotic ode to Michel Foucault, the gay French philosopher who studied the interactions of truth and power. Foucault comes to the narrator in a wet dream. demanding that his works stop being deconstructed so that his shade may find rest. Is it sexy? Kind of. in a really odd sort of way: if someone had the hots for their college professor, this would really rev their engine. "The Devil and Mrs. Faust." while also far from "hot." has to be one of the funniest pieces of erotica to ever see print. Mrs. Faust. long-suffering Jewish wife of an academic with a fetish for German biergarten waitresses. decides to one-up her husband's deal with the devil. getting the world without losing her soul.

"Harder." on the other hand, is definitely "hot." Told in the first person with the reader as the second person. it exemplifies the voyeur-as-participant philosophy that makes pornography a profitable enterprise. After all. what is the point of viewing, hearing or reading sex. if not to imagine oneself taking part in the festivities? All due apologies to those with a fetish for voyeurism, of course.

Perhaps the greatest story in here, for a multitude of reasons, is "The Color Khaki. ̈` Philips really demonstrates his ability to play chameleon while hiding behind his pen. this time taking the role of a black academic and leatherman, perhaps not so different from Philips himself.

The young man he has been ogling at the leather bar. it turns out. canceled a date with one of the protagonist's friends after seeing him out of the bar dressed in khakis, instead of sticking to the leatherman or urban modes of fashion. The intrepid hero decides to show the feckless youth just how erotic dressing preppy can be. They should have included the pattern used to make a jockstrap out of paisley ties. That would be an interesting gift for the holidays.

"Khaki" manages to be erotic, satirical, really funny and absolutely perverse all at once. no mean feat.

The collection ends with a tale entitled "Memento Mori." bittersweet and spicy. about a gay man in his sixties realizing that his first anniversary with his young lover will probably be his last as cancer eats away at his lungs. Not particularly cheerful, but the tenderness in the story can almost distract from the horror of the premise.

Perhaps the two most common themes in the stories are sadomasochism and hypocrisy, although generally not together. Looking through Philips eyes. S&M is about truth. while people outside of that world more often than not say very different things than what they do. It's an interesting thesis, and the book is an inspired piece of literature.

Perhaps more books dealing with sex will make the reader think. as these do. It's one thing to write a textbook; it`s far more difficult to write an enjoyable book aimed at the brain.

Jan Philips will be at Diverse Universe. 12011 Detroit Ave, in the Cleveland suburb ot Lakewood, at 7 pm on October 30. He will be reading from and signing his book.

THE CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE

FRIENDS TO FRIENDS

2001-2002 PACKAGE

A two-play entertainment package exclusively for the Lesbian/Gay/Bisexual/Transgender Community. A great social alternative for only $62. DON'T MISS OUT!

1

I HATE HAMLET Sunday, November 18, 2001, 12 Noon

Enjoy Sunday brunch in The Cleveland Play House Club and

I Hate Hamlet.

An outrageous joyride with the ghost of

John Barrymore by gay playwright Paul Rudnick.

3

TIN PAN

EH

TE

Hate Hamlet

ACOMIC GHOST STORY

EY PAUL RUDNICK

DARCTED BY DAVID GOLACCI

ALLEY Optional Holiday Show!

2

GALLERY

THE WAVERLY GALLERY

Saturday, April 6, 2002, 8:00 p.m.

See The Waverly Gallery, then party with the cast!

A bitter-sweet drama by Kenneth Lonergan, featuring Ann Guilbert of "The Dick Van

Dyke Show" and "The Nanny' fame.

A BITTERSWEET DRAMA

BY KENNETH LONERGAN FEATURING ANN GUILBERT DIRECTED BY PETER HACKETT

THE TIN PAN ALLEY RAG

For an additional $25 see The Tin Pan Alley Rag, a high-spirited musical directed and choreographed by two-time-Tony-nominee Lynn Taylor-Corbett, featuring the best of Berlin and Joplin.

You get both shows and both parties for only $62 less than the cost of theatre tickets alone! Order your Friends-to-Friends package today. Call 216/795-7000, ext. 4 or go to www.clevelandplayhouse.com Friends-to-Friends events and shows are not sold separately.

CLEVELAND

THE CLEVELAND PLAY HOUSE · PETER HACKETT, Artistic Director

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8500 Euclid Avenue

PLAY HOUSE

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