The New Hanky Code

"The Chairman of the International Order of Sodomites discusses the latest in the gay color spectrum."

(Tipped by JMG readers Eric and David)

Thursday: Robbyne Kaamil At Duplex

My pal and former coworker, the hilarious Robbyne Kaamil, will be doing her raunchy stand-up act at the Duplex in the West Village this Thursday at 7pm.

Comedian/actress Robbyne Kaamil who has matched wits with Howard Stern returns to the stage with her hilarious and thought provoking one woman show, Raw & Real. Robbyne uses explosive poetry, side-ripping comedy and dramatic interludes to explore racism, police brutality, abusive relationships and sex (the good, the bad and the ugly).

Tickets are $20, reservations required. Robbyne warns: "If you're under 21, overly sensitive or dislike profanity please keep your ass at home." Next month Robbyne performs every Monday and Tuesday at Provincetown's UU Theater.

Final Filth Recap

Big hugs to all my sweet peeps who came out for last night's final installment of Reading For Filth at Rapture Books: Little David, Dr. Jeff, Eddie, George, Chris, Craig, Wolf and everybody else. Thanks to the lesbian performers last night was easily the filthiest Filth that every filthed. (And usually it's the men who talk about fisting and watersports.)

I read The Mommy Box, a story that appeared on JMG in five episodes in late 2004, but was later taken down for another project. It's a story that is very uncharacteristic of my previous shows: tough material, grim resolution. And while it had a moment or two of comic relief, I had a hard time getting through some of it and my performance suffered for it, dammit.

However dark my piece was, the rest of the performers were a riot and I think the audience had a blast. Kudos to Joe Birdsong and his staff for a great run and here's hoping their plans to move Reading For Filth to a larger venue come to fruition. Rapture is having some great events before their April 24th "transition" (closing), so please drop by while you still can. They've got some major performers lined up over the next week or so.

BELOW: I'm throwing the other photo from the night out to tattooed love boy Jonny Tingle (his real name), who opened the show with his hilarious and erotic story Peter & The Wolf. I know you want a pic of Eric Leven too, but he's feeling overexposed on JMG these days. I kid, I kid.

Tonight:: Get Filthy

Please consider dropping by tonight's final installment of Dean Johnson's Reading For Filth: Queer Writers Read About Queer Sex at Rapture Books at 200 Avenue A in the East Village. The show starts at 8PM.

Tonight I'll be performing a piece that appeared on JMG several years ago, but was taken down in 2005. It's a tough story and quite different than the stuff I usually perform, so hopefully I can get through it. Also performing tonight is Eric Leven, Jonny Tingle, Chadwick Moore, Eileen Myles, and Kari Krome.

Filthy Reminder: Tomorrow 8PM

Final Filth: April 16th

Next Wednesday, April 16th, I'll be performing again at Rapture Book's Dean Johnson's Reading For Filth: Queer Writers Read About Queer Sex series. Joining me will be your favorite hairy hottie Eric Leven (left) in our fourth show together.

Sadly, this will be the last installment in the series for now, as Rapture Books will be closing on April 24th. Owner Joe Birdsong has promised to seek other venues for the unique shows that made Rapture a vibrant community space in its mere two years of existence. I'll announce the rest of the show's bill when I know it. Please consider attending.

Filthy Fun

Last night's Reading For Filth show at Rapture was extra fun. Chadwick Moore opened with a strangely compelling story about a disabled boy having gay sex for the first time, Sam J. Miller followed with his tale (NSFW) about a runaway and his much older lover crashing a fancy party, then Eric Leven (pictured below) read his affecting tale of an encounter with a married man.

I opened the second set with an IML story that I'll post this weekend. Next up was Jonny "The Gay Pimp" McGovern of LOGO's The Big Gay Sketch Show, who told of his adolescent hunt for gay porn in the barrens of Sun City, Arizona. The show closed with a couple of bawdy numbers from the hilarious Sherry Vine.

Big props to Rapture Books owner Joe Birdsong for creating (in one year, no less) such a vibrant hub for NYC's queer creatives. Thanks to my JMG'ers for showing up as always. Hey, Justin Bond (of Kiki & Herb) was even there!

Reminder: Reading For Filth Tonight

And since so many of you have asked, here's the MySpace page of Nima Daivari, the model in the ad.

Reading For Filth: Next Wednesday

Here's the ad that will appear in tomorrow's bar rags for the next edition of Reading For Filth, in which I'll share the stage with Eric Leven, Sam J. Miller, Chadwick Moore, Jonny "The Gay Pimp" McGovern, and Sherry Vine. And no, I don't know who the model above is.

Rapture Cafe & Books is located on Avenue A in Manhattan's last funkytown, the East Village. I'm still working on my piece, which is tentatively titled Cat Eyes. The story is coming out a little different than my usual stuff, so hopefully it will go over well. Maybe if I get there early and soak up the open bar, it'll help.

More Filth

Wednesday, January 30th, I'll be appearing again at Rapture Books' Reading For Filth: Queer Writers Look At Queer Sex series. Also on the bill that night is Eric Leven and Sherry Vine, with more to be added later. I'll be reading an X-tra filthy new story and will post a reminder next week once the ad comes out.

Next week's Filth (Jan.23rd) features queer rapper Cazwell, Wayne Hoffman, and Mark Sam Rosenthal. Here's Cazwell's latest single with porn star Colton Ford, That's Me. Probably NSFW.

Recap: Reading For Filth

Last night's Reading For Filth show was moving, hilarious, historic. I read something from the JMG archives, Tripping Over The Tubs, and that went over pretty well, but then my former co-worker, the dynamic one-woman circus called Robbyne Kaamil (above, before the show) blew me off the stage with a rousing part-poetry, part gospel, sex-positive performance that had the audience shouting her mantra, "Fucking is a GOOD thing!" I really needed that, because prior to taking the stage, I (and most of the audience) was completely verklempt from Eric Leven's moving story about meeting an HIV+ man and his own later close call with the virus.

But more tears would come immediately after Robbyne's performance as the surprise special guest we'd been promised turned out to be an actual (and legal) transgender wedding. Rapture Books owner Joe Birdsong called the wedding party over from a nearby restaurant and the room was suddenly flooded with 50 new people, including the happy couple and the reverend. And suddenly a room that moments earlier had been raucous with talking and house music became pin-drop silent and reverent. It was beautiful, just lovely, and I had to use my touk to dab my eyes.After the wedding, we schlepped over to Eastern Bloc where Eric was co-hosting a Hanukkah party. Eric handed out the yarmulkes (mine said "Bat Mitzvah of Meridith Haley Spiegel") and thanks in part to the Ginch Gonch-clad Manischewitz shot boy, we were soon rocking out to some Klezmer-techno. My yarmulke kept falling off my giant head, but Wayne Hoffman (below, with Eric) sort of screwed it on so it would stay. Next year, I'll bring a bobby pin. What a great night! And this time, I actually got to bed by 1am.

Tonight: Get Filthy

Tonight I'll be appearing again at Reading For Filth at Rapture Books in the East Village. Other performers will be D-List Radio diva Robbyne Kaamil, Eric Leven, Our Lady J and a "surprise guest". I look forward to seeing some of you there!

Reading For Filth: December 5th

Next Wednesday, December 5th, I'll be appearing again at Reading For Filth at Rapture Books in the East Village. Other performers will be D-List Radio diva Robbyne Kaamil, Eric Leven, Our Lady J and a "surprise guest". I'm especially excited to have Robbyne on the bill with me, she and I worked together for years at our "real" job, when she put out her hilariously filthy book of poetry, Get Off The Titty. And check at Robbyne's hot dance tracks on her MySpace page. Special note: reading at tonight's show is Edmund White!

Filthy, Filthy, Filthy

Last night's Reading For Filth show at Rapture was a lot of fun, the house was packed. Xavier led off with a reading from Dean Johnson's blog, followed by Eric Leven (left), who read a hilarious original story about a Craigslist spawned Daddy vs. boy encounter that didn't turn out quite as expected. It was Eric's first public reading of his work and he did a great job.

I was up next but was interrupted by the audience singing "Happy Birthday" to me, led my usual cotillion of JMG groupies (Damian, Dr. Jeff, Father Tony, Chris, Craig) whom I thank for faithfully attending my shows, even though they always seem to be on school nights. I gave a brief remembrance of a Dean Johnson party from two years ago, then read an early (but filthy, in keeping with the theme) story from JMG, The Fisting Watch, followed by an updated version of Manhunt Spellchecker.

Next up, dragstress Miss Understood read a filthily funny piece from Charles Pierce's biography, but she was almost upstaged by a toddler who happily pushed his scooter right up to the lip of the stage during the dirtiest part of her bit. Who brings 2 year-olds to a gay erotica reading? Shades of Folsom, eh? Reading from his iPhone, Scisssor Sisters lead singer Jake Shears finished off the evening with a couple of filthy/gorgeous stories he found on one of those slash fiction sites, including a hot bit about Matt Lauer. I got to chat with Jake for awhile, the guy is completely sweet and non-rockstarish.

Big thanks to everybody who came last night. I met lots of JMG readers, all of whom were hot. As are all of you, of course. It was a great birthday. The Reading For Filth series continues next week with Adam Dugas, Wayne Hoffman, and Murray Hill.

Tonight:: Reading For Filth

I'll be reading tonight at Rapture in the East Village with Eric Leven (pictured), Miss Understood, Jake Shears, and Michael Cunningham. I hope to see some of you there.

RELATED: Pop over to Bloggernista for a great interview with Eric Leven. The interview is cross-posted on The Bilerico Project.
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Filthy Reminder: October 10th

I'll be reading at Rapture next Wednesday with Eric Leven (pictured), Miss Understood, Jake Shears, and Michael Cunningham. Tonight's installment will be a memorial to Dean Johnson, who was to host the series. From Rapture: "Please feel free to bring photos, music, writings or any other Dean Johnson-related memorabilia for the Honoring Wall which has already sprung up around our stage."

Note that you can see a quite a bit more of Eric in this ad for Next Magazine, compared to previous ad. I'll post one more reminder on the day of the show, maybe that one will show even more of Mr. Leven. I'll be reading two short stories, one from the archives and something new.

Reading For Filth

Wednesday, October 10th, I'll be reading with Eric Leven (pictured), Jake Shears, Miss Understood, and Michael Cunningham at East Village hotspot, Rapture Cafe & Books, for Dean Johnson's Reading For Filth: Queer Writers Read About Queer Sex.

Egad! An international pop star, a movie star dragster, a Pulitzer winner, and a local activist/heartthrob. I'm gonna have to dig deep into my dirty archives to compete with this group, but if you've ever been to one of my "shows", you know that my stuff is fairly filthy already. Embiggen Eric (like you haven't already) to get a compete listing of writers performing this October. Reading For Filth runs every Wednesday in October at 8PM. Oh, and I'm open to suggestions on what to read.

John Waters: Don't Tell Your Parents You're A Bear

John Waters is doing stand-up these days, it seems. Some funny stuff here, but unsurprisingly, totally NSFW.

The End Of Wizzy

Last night's WYSIWYG Gays Gone Wild show was a blast. All the performers were hilarious, with Leigh Thompson's question and answer routine about his life as a transman being the highlight of the evening. Rod Townsend sang a song about gonorrhea (to the tune of ABBA's Mamma Mia) and Amnesia Sparkles did a bit about being Satan's receptionist. Joel Derfner and Kelli Dunham got naked during their sets, to the delight of the crowd, but that was not in MY plans, despite a few catcalls to follow suit. In honor of the last Wizzy, I reread 2004's The Dealbreaker, the first story I'd performed at Wizzy, and a new piece titled Hanky Code, which I'll post here later this week. Big thanks to WYSIWYG producers Chris Hampton and Andy Horwitz for having me back so many times over the years. It was a sad but distinct honor to be the final performer at a show series that will surely live in NYC theatre fame. I fear that there will be a videoclip of the show up at Gawker some time today, I will advise.

UPDATE: Little David has posted a nice review of the show.

Wizzy Reminder: Tomorrow