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

"GRETA GARBO WAS A MAN!!"

1905 - 1990

Jesus, I just watched a documentary about the forever great Garbo - and was totally shocked by the illiterate and reactionary (what else is new?) comments left on YouTube. Do such idiotic people really exist? What does this say about this world we all must somehow figure out how to best exist in?

Social media is fast becoming a kind of cancer of the soul. Ignorant people think they can hide behind their computer screens (this is no longer possible) and say the most vile things about people without any true research to back it up. No wonder Garbo wanted to be left alone.

The bottom line is this: Garbo had a luminous quality that has rarely been seen on the big screen. Marilyn Monroe also was gifted with this quality (I guess she also was a man?). I think not.

What I don't get is this totally weird fixation on male/female labels? And that's really all they are - labels: An easy way for the majority of people to feel comfortable in their very own safe little bubbles.

It comes as no surprise that I see more and more of this ignorance since Caitlyn and Trump began making the headlines. They both belong to the same political party, yet Trump is hailed as the second coming of Christ, while Caitlyn Jenner is often viewed as a freak (read the angry and insane YouTube comments).

I don't think for a moment that Garbo was anything but a major talent and star. And she (yes, I used the correct pronoun) will be valued and remembered long after Herr Trump and Caitlyn Jenner have ceased to dominate social media. In fact, rumor has it that both Facebook and Twitter are getting old big time. What will become of Donald and Caitlyn?

Garbo survived on her own.

Essay copyright 2018 by Dylan Mitchell

SUNDAY WORDS OF WISDOM (ON MONDAY): QUENTIN CRISP

P.S. I met the late great Quentin Crisp twice. He was always performing (even with an audience of one), so it was not so easy to crack the infamous persona the world knows and loves to this very day.

However, I also chatted with him on the phone at least a dozen times or more (his number was listed and he always welcomed a friendly chat or two with open ears). Towards the end of his life, I was rather shocked to hear of his constant traumatic abuse in England during his youth (info not included in his autobiography).

It would seem that The Naked Civil Servant only touched the surface. Having been bashed both verbally and physically in America on a regular basis during my own youth - I related to every word Quentin wrote/said big time.

God bless, dear Mr. Quentin Crisp. God bless...

KEEPING IT REAL...

LOU REED: WALK ON THE WILD SIDE