iabruary 7.2003 • J u st M A 3 g
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O utlaw : T he L ives a n d C areers of J o hn
R echy
by Charles Casilla; Alyson Publications, 2002;
$14.95 softcover
s it wrong to acknowledge th a t th e pain
and oppression the queer com m u
traditionally experienced seems,
like sand in an oyster, to have
led to exquisitely perceptive, sensi
tive pearls of art, literature, music
and film?
O f course, there’s no question of
ever willingly returning to those
furtive, desperate times, hut after
reading Charles Casillo’s Outlaw:
The Lives and Careers o f John
Rechy— a biography of the legendary
and/or notorious novelist, whose
1963 autobiographical novel, City of
Night, is considered a classic of gay
literature and 20th century literature
in general— it’s hard not to feel at
least a little guilty nostalgia.
Outlaw affords the reader a
unique, striking illustration of a gay
man whose time and place hardly
offered him the array of labels and
outlets for his identity that he
would’ve had today. Rather, Rechy’s
homosexual life experience was, by
default, one of emotional pain,
extreme identity confusion and the
covert, shadowy discovery of (and
psychological denial surrounding)
physical experience with same-sex
lovers.
It was Rechy’s genius to parlay
his extreme, exaggerated version of
the common gay male experiences
of his time into an extraordinary literary career
that placed him in the league of Henry Miller
and William S. Burroughs, earned praise from
Gore Vidal and Norman Mailer and inspired
modern-day queer provocateurs like Dennis
Cooper and Gus Van Sant.
Casillo more or less unfolds Rechy’s evolu
tion chronologically, from 1931 (bom Juan
Francisco Rechy, youngest in a large family of
first-generation Mexican Americans in El Paso,
Texas) to the present day.
Young Rechy’s troubled relationships with
his lonely, needy m other and angry, frustrated
father, as well as the alienation of being neither
white nor the athletic, gregarious boy his father
wanted and his peers expected, drove him into
a private world. Through reading, writing,
drawing and filmgoing, he developed a stu
diously detached view of the outside world and
a narcissistic, preening devotion toward him
self—the only person who could be a stable
City of Rechy
A new biography of the celebrated hustler
makes all the right moves
breathlessly adoring, yet never quite sycophan
tic way of describing it.
In addition to the title character’s own
familial, hustling and literary histories, many
well-known people appear in Casillo’s chroni
cle: Spencer Tracy, Christopher Isherwood,
Liherace and Susan Sontag all crossed Rechy’s
path at one time or another, making for often
humorous, sometimes moving, always gossipy-
delicious reading.
Casillo deserves praise not only for under
taking this important project (too many worth
while figures of all sexualities and races get
washed away by the fast-motion turnstiles of
popular culture) but for bringing it off in a way
that serves its purpose— reintroducing Rechy
to an unfamiliar generation— extremely well.
W hile obviously a tribute to John Rechy,
the book allows for dissenting opinions and
other sides; this is a complete picture, not a
puff piece. Casillo displays passionate interest
in and empathy toward the complex, cocky
Rechy, inciting our curiosity with an expansive
knowledge of his subject’s life and work. Out-
law is a generously conceived, tightly executed,
indispensable Ixxik.
— Christopher McQuain
source of unconditional love.
Rechy’s protective self-aggrandizing eventu
ally turned outward. After a stint in the Army
to escape El Paso, he landed in New York City,
where he began a hustling career— pursued off
and on well into middle age.
Rechy’s misadventures, sometimes troubling
and painful for him, were painstakingly
retained. After publishing a brief autobiograph
ical bit based on his hustling experiences in
Evergreen Review (the house organ of Grove
Press, avant-garde publishers of Lolita and Jean
G enet), he was asked by his editors for a full-
length novel, and the rest is literary history—
juicy literary history.
Rechy’s reputation for genius may not be
unanimously confirmed (Gary Indiana and the
late Alfred Chester are just two respected gay
writers who’ve been dismissive), but there’s no
question he led a turbulent, fascinating life—
one that lends itself well to Casillos wise,
The BIGGEST GAY LEAGUE
in Portland bow ls at
D ifferent P eople
by Orland Outland;
Alyson Publications,
2002; $23.95
hardcover
‘ r J
tfip -f t
, m
'' «r
m Jm
ü
ifferent People
by Orland
Outland is an
epic tale that tells
the story of two
men, Cal and Eric,
as they make their
way through gay
life at the end of the 20th century.
Growing up across the street from each
other— and yet worlds apart— they embark on
divergent paths that take Eric through menial
jobs, AIDS activism and loss, and Cal through
financial success, drug addiction and redemp
tion. Throughout their 12-year odysseys, they
periodically encounter each other, yet their
smoldering attraction remains hidden.
C al’s journey is the mofe interesting of the
two, and the center section tracks his deterio
D
ration from financial wizard to stoned tweaker
who slams his speed (injecting rather than
smoking it). This is a fascinating portrait of the
paranoia, hallucinations and delusions that
accompany the descent into hellish addiction.
Unfortunately, the rest of the book doesn’t
match up to this gripping and insightful sec
tion. Instead, we plod through O utland’s glossy,
overblown prose and wait for the inevitable
outcome. (Fans of the author’s previous novel,
Every Man for Himself, probably won’t be both
ered by the style.)
How I wish the rest of the characters had the
immediacy and fully developed thoughts and
emotions provided for Cal even as he verges on
lunacy. T hen this Different People would have
been a different and more interesting bcxik.
— Floyd Sklaver
S ex T ips
G ay G uys
by Dan Anderson ;
Griffin, 2002;
$12.95 softcover
for
p, twist, over
and down. Up,
twist, over and
down. No, this isn’t
a gymnastics floor
routine but the
proper technique
for giving a satisfy
ing hand job. A t least according to Sex Tips for
Gay Guys, recently released in paperback.
Dan Anderson, the co-author of Sex Tips for
Straight Women from a Gay Man, has now turned
his attention to gay dating, and the result is
witty, catty and surprisingly informative.
You will learn about the most successful bar
behavior, such as “taking a twirl” (doing laps
around the bar to check out the newcomers) •
and where to position yourself for maximum
exposure (front and center in the "good real
estate”). You will learn to distinguish between
the best lays (Leathermen and Bossy Bottoms)
and the worst (Gym Bunnies and “Pierced
Princes"). A nd you will master the techniques
that will make you a master in the bedroom.
Breezily written, much of the book is down
right hilarious, such as this thought about
going down: “T he best positions are those
where you can tilt your head back a bit (which
has] the added benefit of making your chin and
neck look firm and flab-free.”
Recently I found myself in a bar telling my
friends all about Sex Tips for Gay Guys, and,
although we laughed about it, I saw them fol
lowing the suggestions and scoring. Read this
book and learn to “sexplore” like a pro.
— FS
U
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A Coaching R etreat F or Gay Men
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