Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts
Showing posts with label Books. Show all posts

Friday, February 22, 2019

100 MEN (THE DOCUMENTARY)


Hmmm. This is a quite curious question. I wrote a book back in 2009 about this very subject, and it was more than a bit difficult to track down all of my former lovers. Many had died of AIDS - most did not want to participate in the project, and the rest were nowhere to be found.

In addition, I had not actually slept with 100 men: I only used the 100 Men I have Slept With title because I was told it would attract a wide audience. This proved to be very bad advise. The book sold very few copies, and I received more ridicule and scorn than kindness and praise. I stopped blogging for a long while, and produced no new books.

Back to reality: I can say with complete confidence that I have slept with exactly 65 men in my life. All of this sexual frenzy took place in the Windy City during my wild youth. I have lived in the City of Roses for 22 years, and I have slept with only one person. Want to talk about hot and cold? I'm the expert on the subject.

Getting back to 100 Men: I am very grateful to have inspired Paul Oremland to take my humble book to the next level, and go places I never dared to venture. I suggest you take a long peek at this most insightful documentary. It is both witty and sad, wise and clueless, but remains entertaining to the very end.

My only criticism is that I did my best to focus on both the personal and the political in my book: Watching my 39 year old lover die from complications due to AIDS in the early 1990s. Clenching my teeth whenever heartless bigots like Ronnie Reagan and Anita Bryant appeared on the TV talking about family values and how AIDS only affected homosexuals, drug addicts, and people without Christian values (big goof there).



Matthew Shepard


In addition, I wrote about Matthew Shepard (1976-1998) and his horrific ordeal at the hands of  two sadistic homophobes. And even though I would have liked to, I never got to meet Matt. I only know that a beautiful soul was robbed of his young life by two very angry and violent straight men. End of story.

But music is life, and so it reflects the lifestyles we adjust ourselves to one decade to the next. Janis said it best:



I'd like to end this essay here. See the documentary - you won't be disappointed. But never forget the book: It's always a good thing to go back to the original source :-)

Dylan Mitchell

P.S. Scroll down to the bottom of my blog if you want to take a quick peek at 100 MEN I HAVE SLEPT WITH, 2009. Amazon still carries a dusty copy or two...

Brokeback Mountain: Iconic image


Saturday, February 17, 2018

UNWANTED



I found an old book in the
gutter today: A battered blue
hardcover unwanted by the
world. It had been kicked
about by a brutal foot - more
than a few pages were wrinkled
and torn. So I plucked it up
and carried it home. After I
wiped off some of the dirt
I saw a cover as blue as
the sea. I wiped some more
until a familiar face appeared -
the Belle Of Amherst - my breath
stood still - Emily Dickinson in
the gutter? Imagine that! Her
good poems once fed my hungry
heart, when the busy world
wouldn't throw me a bone. Now
I'd plucked her from the gutter,
and given her a better home -
so who really saved whom?

Poem © 2018 by Dylan Mitchell

Tuesday, June 13, 2017

ONE COOL CAT: A STREET CAT NAMED BOB







I only just discovered this fantastic book a little more than 4 weeks ago. If you are a lover of pets and how they can keep us going when humans fall short of  giving us the unconditional love and support that we all need to keep on going, then give this book a very long peek.

James Bowen was a recovering drug addict in London in 2007 when he first met Bob. Poor Bob had a serious paw injury, and could scarcely walk. After James noticed that nobody was offering any help he took matters into his own hands and made sure Bob got a proper visit and treatment to a vet, and Bob was on the mend within 2 weeks.

The rest is history. James is clean and sober, and Bob is a national celebrity. Several best-selling books, a popular movie about their special bond which was released in 2016, plus several charity foundations for homeless people and stray cats and dogs.

And all because one wounded cat and a damaged human saw themselves in each other. I can't wait to see the movie! (Most public libraries have all the books and DVD.)

"I saved Bob and he saved me. He's a special little fellow." - James Bowen