The novelist and sayist don’t like beg pigeonholed, and why should he when his geni is for holdg forth person and prt on everythg om Turkey to celebry to, well, y, gay life.
Contents:
- GAYT PLAC IN INDIANA FOR 2020
- DON’T CALL GARY INDIANA A GAY WRERPOLYMATHTHE NOVELIST AND SAYIST DON’T LIKE BEG PIGEONHOLED, AND WHY SHOULD HE WHEN HIS GENI IS FOR HOLDG FORTH PERSON AND PRT ON EVERYTHG OM TURKEY TO CELEBRY TO, WELL, Y, GAY LIFE.WILLIAM O’CONNORFORMER TRAVEL EDORUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 5:36PM EDT / PUBLISHED OCT. 21, 2015 2:05PM EDT HEDI EL KHOLTI/HANDOUT URTY OF GARY INDIANAIT’S ONLY A FEW MUT TO THE TERVIEW AND I’M ALREADY BEG CHASTISED.“THIS MAY SOUND HOSTILE, BUT MY WORK ISN’T ABOUT GAY LIFE. PERD. IT’S NEVER BEEN.”YOU SEE, I’M TERVIEWG SAYIST AND NOVELIST GARY INDIANA ABOUT HIS LIGHTFUL NEW BOOK, I CAN GIVE YOU ANYTHG BUT LOVE. I READ THE BOOK, AND AM TERVIEWG HIM, AS GAY MAN TERVIEWG SOMEBODY I NSIR A RENOWNED GAY WRER.BUT INDIANA IS HAVG NONE OF . AS HE POTS OUT THE TERVIEW, HIS OVRE, WHICH CLUS TWO OF MY FAVOR, HORSE CRAZY AND THREE MONTH FEVER, IS NOT JT WRG ABOUT GAY THEM. IN OUR TALK, INDIANA EXPOUNDS AT LENGTH ABOUT EVERYTHG OM THE POLIL SUATN TURKEY (HE HAS RECENTLY FALLEN LOVE WH THE UNTRY) TO THAT HERE THE U.S.AT 65, HE SS ACROSS OM ME THE TOP FLOOR OF THE IAC BUILDG NEW YORK CY. HE IS SLIGHT PERSON, AND WHILE OLR THAN THE MAN THE BOOK I JT READ, HIS EY ARE WHAT DRAW YOU AS THEY ALTERNATE OM LIGHTG UP SOLICOLY WHEN HE’S EXCED TO FLASHG DANGEROLY WHEN ANNOYED. WHEN HE HAT, IS NOT BEE HE IS UNSURE OF WHAT TO SAY, BUT BEE HE IS ABOUT TO UNIL AND UNLEASH A TORRENT OF SOMETHG—VRL, PLIMENTS, EXPLANATNS. AND HE GIGGL. SORRY, BUT THERE IS NO BETTER, ALBE LS SER, WAY TO SCRIBE HIS LGHTER. OH, AND HE PAYS CLOSE ATTENTN TO HOW SOCIETI TREAT THEIR TS.THERE IS PERHAPS ANOTHER—AND VERY UNRSTANDABLE—REASON FOR INDIANA’S AVERSN TO THAT LABEL. AS HE POTS OUT, WHEN YOU’RE TAGGED AS A GAY WRER, YOU FD YOURSELF RELEGATED TO THE LS TRAFFICKED LGBT SECTN OF THE BOOKSTOR. I CAN GIVE YOU ANYTHG BUT LOVE TRAC A FAT OUTLE OF INDIANA’S LIFE, STOPPG HERE AND THERE TO DWELL ON PARTICULARLY MEMORABLE PLAC AND PEOPLE. IN FACT, AS I POT OUT TO INDIANA, FAIRNS TO ME THE CHILDHOOD SECTN RAC RIGHT TO: “FIRST BLOWJOB: PL CARLISLE. HIS SK’S DARK FOR A CSIAN BUT HIS FAY’S NSIRED WHE. HE HAS THE BIGGT HARD-ON OF ANY BOY AT ST. THOMAS AQUAS SCHOOL, ’S WELL KNOWN. I SUCK HIM OFF ALL THROUGH SEVENTH GRA.” JT A FEW SENTENCE TO THE BOOK IS, “AT FIRST I ULDN’T TELL IF HE WAS ABDUL OR ANOTHER MULATTO WHO BONED ME A FEW TIM A THOAND YEARS AGO, WHEN THE SK MARKET ASSEMBLED AT NIGHT BY THE FIAT GARAGE ON THE MALECóN.”HE GREW UP NEW HAMPSHIRE, “A BACKWARDS TOWN A BACKWARDS TIME. NOTHG PREPARED ME TO BE A CY OR BEG GAY.” THE BOOK FOLLOWS HIM TO THOSE CI, PARTICULAR SAN FRANCIS, LOS ANGEL, AND NEW YORK, WH CHAPTERS ABOUT HIS VISS TO CUBA TERSPERSED. THE INDIANA OF NEW YORK (WHERE HE STILL LIV) IS PERHAPS THE BT-KNOWN BUT LEAST WRTEN ABOUT THE BOOK.SAN FRANCIS WAS WHERE HE BEGAN A “DIFFERENT” PATH: DROPPED OUT OF BERKELEY, OFFERED HIS BODY FOR RENT, AND GOT VOLVED WH THE PORN DTRY. YOU NAME SOMETHG UNTERCULTURE, HE PROBABLY DID .“WE WENT EVERYWHERE A POSSE,” HE WR ONE TYPIL PASSAGE. “COLLECTG ROOTLS, POWERFUL, ATTRACTIVE, EMOTNALLY FLATTENED HIPPI OF BOTH SEX, WHO WERE SOON EMPLOYED ON THE PSYCHELIC GE OF THE PORN BS.”THE NEXT STOP WAS LOS ANGEL, AND THE BOOK NTU S HEADY SWIRL OF HIGHBROW REFERENC AND LOWBROW EXPERIENC. IN THE SPAN OF TWO PARAGRAPHS, HE TALKS ABOUT READG THE RISE AND FALL OF THE THIRD REICH AND HOW HIS PERSONAL LIFE, “I PICK UP A NEW PERSON EVERY NIGHT. THIS PROCRE IS GHT WH SECURY ABOUT MY ATTRACTIVENS. MY WILLOWY, FEY LOOK PASSED OUT OF FASHN A WHILE AGO, WHEN THE ANDROGYNO TEMPLATE SLOWLY BUTCHED UP DURG THE DIS ERA, BEG THE PRENT MACHO CLONE CRAZE.”THAT PASSAGE, HOWEVER, IS PART OF INDIANA’S GENI, AND WHAT MA ME WANT TO TALK TO HIM AS A GAY WRER. A REFLECTN ON HIS OWN LONG AND TORTURED SEXUAL PAST (ABOUT WHICH, HE TELLS ME, HE WAS “DIMWTED” BUT “I DON’T HAVE ANY REGRETS”), ’S ALSO AN CISIVE OBSERVATN BORN OF EXPERIENCE, ABOUT THAT UNFORTUNATE SHIFT GAY HISTORY THAT HAS LED TO THE SUFFERABLE PROFN OF CLON NOW FOUND LOS ANGEL, R, BARCELONA, INSTAGRAM, EVERYWHERE.“I THOUGHT OF LOS ANGEL LATER AS A CY OF FALSE STARTS, FIRST PARAGRAPHS, BROKEN-OFF BEGNGS OF THGS THAT NEVER PROCEED,” WR INDIANA. IN OUR TERVIEW, LOS ANGEL IS GIVEN SIAR SHORT SHRIFT. BUT SEEMED TO ME THAT LOS ANGEL, SPE HIS TRATNS, HELPED MIGHTILY TO CREATE THE INDIANA WE LOVE—THE INDIANA WHO MERCILSLY SKEWERS OUR FASCATN WH CELEBRY.THE SIGNATURE ANECDOTE OM THE L.A. SECTN NCERNS A JOB HE ONCE HAD AT THE WTLAND TWS CEMA: WHEN ACTORS SUCH AS ANJELI HTON OR TONY PERKS ME , HE “SOMETIM ASKED FOR THEIR TOGRAPHS ON DISPENSER NAPKS, THEN TOOK SOMEWHAT CHILDISH PLEASURE G THE NAPKS TO MOP UP COKE SPILLS.”BUT IS CUBA THAT DOMAT THE BOOK. CUBA, WH S RAFT OF NTRADICTNS, QUIRKS, AND ENDLS STREAM OF FLH, MATTERS THE MOST TO INDIANA. UNSURPRISGLY, HE TELLS ME HE’S AAID OF WHAT THE HORS OF AMERIN TOURISTS WILL DO TO . THE CUBA OF INDIANA IS HOW ONE IMAG THE TANGIER OF BURROUGHS. THERE IS SOMETHG EEG ABOUT A WORLD OF EASY SEX WH ENDLS HOT MEN, BUT ALSO SOMETHG CREDIBLY SAD AND REMISCENT OF WHAT VOLTAIRE SAID ABOUT WOMEN PARIS: “RPECTED WHEN THEY’RE BETIFUL AND THROWN TO THE GARBAGE DUMP WHEN THEY’RE AD.” BUT CUBA IS WHERE INDIANA ALSO FDS THE CLOST HE’LL E TO WHAT SOCIETY WOULD LL ACCEPTABLE LOVE WH RIRDO.THE JOY OF READG INDIANA IS THAT HE IS LARGELY FEARLS WHEN TO SAYG WHAT HE THKS ABOUT A PERSON, REGARDLS OF THEIR FAME. WHILE PERSON HE HAS AN AVERSN FOR NAME-DROPPG, HIS PEN KNOWS NO SUCH NSTRAT.“I DISLIKED DAVID LYNCH IMMENSELY. HIS STORI WERE HUMORLS AND BORG. HIS SMARMY AIR AS HE STIRRED HIS POSTUM WAS EVEN CREEPIER THAN HIS MOVIE.”“HEMGWAY IS A LOY WRER. A PHONY WRER. A WRER WHOSE BOOKS ARE A TISSUE OF FALSEHOODS AND MORONIC CLICHéS OF MASCULY. A MENDAC, RIDICULO, LUD BUFFOON OF A WRER TOXITED BY FAME TO THE POT OF WRG DRIVEL.” WHILE HE CREDS HER WH “THE MD OF A STEEL TRAP,” HE WR THAT “THE IRKSOME REPETNS AND OVERLY PREC ONE-LE PARAGRAPHS DIDN E DIRECTLY OM HEMGWAY … THE TOUGH, LANIC, MANLY MEN WHO SERVE AS FANTASY HERO DIDN’S FICTN HAVE THE UNMISTAKABLE HEMGWAY TOUCH. SO DO THE SHRIEKG PANSI AND SUICIDAL HOMOS SHE STTERS THROUGH HER BOOKS FOR SPICE, LIKE PEAPPLE RGS ON A CHRISTMAS HAM.”IN FACT, THERE IS OFTEN A DISNNECT BETWEEN THE INDIANA OF THE PEN AND THE MAN STG ACROSS OM ME. WHILE HIS PRIVATE LIFE IS LAID BARE THE BOOK, HE TELLS ME, “DPE WHAT PEOPLE THK, I’M AN EXTREMELY PRIVATE PERSON” WHO FELT UNFORTABLE WRG THE BOOK. WHILE INDIANA’S WORLD VIEW MAY NOT MH WH THE CURRENT ONE BEG PROMOTED BY THE GAY MUNY—HE SAYS “NOBODY WANTS TO FUCK THE SAME PERSON FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS,” DISDAS HOW “EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE NORMAL, AND EVERYBODY WANTS EVERYBODY ELSE TO BE NORMAL,” AND THAT WE’RE “MORE NFORMIST THAN THE MCCARTHY ERA”—’S AN IMPORTANT VOICE TO BE HEARD.AND WHILE HE MAY NOT FULLY ACCEPT , INDIANA HAS BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT WHEN TO THE VERTIGO PAST HALF-CENTURY OF GAY LIFE, AND THERE ARE FEW OTHER PENS I’D RATHER HAVE CHRONICLG . WILLIAM O’CONNOR
GAYT PLAC IN INDIANA FOR 2020
This is our sixth time rankg the gayt plac left for slishow. Article ntu the Supreme Court led favor of same-sex marriag, Ameri generally, and the gay muny specifilly, celebrated. Same-sex marriag, and the gay and lbian movement is more mastream than the natnal discsn has been brought to the foreont, at the state level, nversatns you know that an timated 0.
27% of Indiana rints is gay?
DON’T CALL GARY INDIANA A GAY WRERPOLYMATHTHE NOVELIST AND SAYIST DON’T LIKE BEG PIGEONHOLED, AND WHY SHOULD HE WHEN HIS GENI IS FOR HOLDG FORTH PERSON AND PRT ON EVERYTHG OM TURKEY TO CELEBRY TO, WELL, Y, GAY LIFE.WILLIAM O’CONNORFORMER TRAVEL EDORUPDATED JUL. 12, 2017 5:36PM EDT / PUBLISHED OCT. 21, 2015 2:05PM EDT HEDI EL KHOLTI/HANDOUT URTY OF GARY INDIANAIT’S ONLY A FEW MUT TO THE TERVIEW AND I’M ALREADY BEG CHASTISED.“THIS MAY SOUND HOSTILE, BUT MY WORK ISN’T ABOUT GAY LIFE. PERD. IT’S NEVER BEEN.”YOU SEE, I’M TERVIEWG SAYIST AND NOVELIST GARY INDIANA ABOUT HIS LIGHTFUL NEW BOOK, I CAN GIVE YOU ANYTHG BUT LOVE. I READ THE BOOK, AND AM TERVIEWG HIM, AS GAY MAN TERVIEWG SOMEBODY I NSIR A RENOWNED GAY WRER.BUT INDIANA IS HAVG NONE OF . AS HE POTS OUT THE TERVIEW, HIS OVRE, WHICH CLUS TWO OF MY FAVOR, HORSE CRAZY AND THREE MONTH FEVER, IS NOT JT WRG ABOUT GAY THEM. IN OUR TALK, INDIANA EXPOUNDS AT LENGTH ABOUT EVERYTHG OM THE POLIL SUATN TURKEY (HE HAS RECENTLY FALLEN LOVE WH THE UNTRY) TO THAT HERE THE U.S.AT 65, HE SS ACROSS OM ME THE TOP FLOOR OF THE IAC BUILDG NEW YORK CY. HE IS SLIGHT PERSON, AND WHILE OLR THAN THE MAN THE BOOK I JT READ, HIS EY ARE WHAT DRAW YOU AS THEY ALTERNATE OM LIGHTG UP SOLICOLY WHEN HE’S EXCED TO FLASHG DANGEROLY WHEN ANNOYED. WHEN HE HAT, IS NOT BEE HE IS UNSURE OF WHAT TO SAY, BUT BEE HE IS ABOUT TO UNIL AND UNLEASH A TORRENT OF SOMETHG—VRL, PLIMENTS, EXPLANATNS. AND HE GIGGL. SORRY, BUT THERE IS NO BETTER, ALBE LS SER, WAY TO SCRIBE HIS LGHTER. OH, AND HE PAYS CLOSE ATTENTN TO HOW SOCIETI TREAT THEIR TS.THERE IS PERHAPS ANOTHER—AND VERY UNRSTANDABLE—REASON FOR INDIANA’S AVERSN TO THAT LABEL. AS HE POTS OUT, WHEN YOU’RE TAGGED AS A GAY WRER, YOU FD YOURSELF RELEGATED TO THE LS TRAFFICKED LGBT SECTN OF THE BOOKSTOR. I CAN GIVE YOU ANYTHG BUT LOVE TRAC A FAT OUTLE OF INDIANA’S LIFE, STOPPG HERE AND THERE TO DWELL ON PARTICULARLY MEMORABLE PLAC AND PEOPLE. IN FACT, AS I POT OUT TO INDIANA, FAIRNS TO ME THE CHILDHOOD SECTN RAC RIGHT TO: “FIRST BLOWJOB: PL CARLISLE. HIS SK’S DARK FOR A CSIAN BUT HIS FAY’S NSIRED WHE. HE HAS THE BIGGT HARD-ON OF ANY BOY AT ST. THOMAS AQUAS SCHOOL, ’S WELL KNOWN. I SUCK HIM OFF ALL THROUGH SEVENTH GRA.” JT A FEW SENTENCE TO THE BOOK IS, “AT FIRST I ULDN’T TELL IF HE WAS ABDUL OR ANOTHER MULATTO WHO BONED ME A FEW TIM A THOAND YEARS AGO, WHEN THE SK MARKET ASSEMBLED AT NIGHT BY THE FIAT GARAGE ON THE MALECóN.”HE GREW UP NEW HAMPSHIRE, “A BACKWARDS TOWN A BACKWARDS TIME. NOTHG PREPARED ME TO BE A CY OR BEG GAY.” THE BOOK FOLLOWS HIM TO THOSE CI, PARTICULAR SAN FRANCIS, LOS ANGEL, AND NEW YORK, WH CHAPTERS ABOUT HIS VISS TO CUBA TERSPERSED. THE INDIANA OF NEW YORK (WHERE HE STILL LIV) IS PERHAPS THE BT-KNOWN BUT LEAST WRTEN ABOUT THE BOOK.SAN FRANCIS WAS WHERE HE BEGAN A “DIFFERENT” PATH: DROPPED OUT OF BERKELEY, OFFERED HIS BODY FOR RENT, AND GOT VOLVED WH THE PORN DTRY. YOU NAME SOMETHG UNTERCULTURE, HE PROBABLY DID .“WE WENT EVERYWHERE A POSSE,” HE WR ONE TYPIL PASSAGE. “COLLECTG ROOTLS, POWERFUL, ATTRACTIVE, EMOTNALLY FLATTENED HIPPI OF BOTH SEX, WHO WERE SOON EMPLOYED ON THE PSYCHELIC GE OF THE PORN BS.”THE NEXT STOP WAS LOS ANGEL, AND THE BOOK NTU S HEADY SWIRL OF HIGHBROW REFERENC AND LOWBROW EXPERIENC. IN THE SPAN OF TWO PARAGRAPHS, HE TALKS ABOUT READG THE RISE AND FALL OF THE THIRD REICH AND HOW HIS PERSONAL LIFE, “I PICK UP A NEW PERSON EVERY NIGHT. THIS PROCRE IS GHT WH SECURY ABOUT MY ATTRACTIVENS. MY WILLOWY, FEY LOOK PASSED OUT OF FASHN A WHILE AGO, WHEN THE ANDROGYNO TEMPLATE SLOWLY BUTCHED UP DURG THE DIS ERA, BEG THE PRENT MACHO CLONE CRAZE.”THAT PASSAGE, HOWEVER, IS PART OF INDIANA’S GENI, AND WHAT MA ME WANT TO TALK TO HIM AS A GAY WRER. A REFLECTN ON HIS OWN LONG AND TORTURED SEXUAL PAST (ABOUT WHICH, HE TELLS ME, HE WAS “DIMWTED” BUT “I DON’T HAVE ANY REGRETS”), ’S ALSO AN CISIVE OBSERVATN BORN OF EXPERIENCE, ABOUT THAT UNFORTUNATE SHIFT GAY HISTORY THAT HAS LED TO THE SUFFERABLE PROFN OF CLON NOW FOUND LOS ANGEL, R, BARCELONA, INSTAGRAM, EVERYWHERE.“I THOUGHT OF LOS ANGEL LATER AS A CY OF FALSE STARTS, FIRST PARAGRAPHS, BROKEN-OFF BEGNGS OF THGS THAT NEVER PROCEED,” WR INDIANA. IN OUR TERVIEW, LOS ANGEL IS GIVEN SIAR SHORT SHRIFT. BUT SEEMED TO ME THAT LOS ANGEL, SPE HIS TRATNS, HELPED MIGHTILY TO CREATE THE INDIANA WE LOVE—THE INDIANA WHO MERCILSLY SKEWERS OUR FASCATN WH CELEBRY.THE SIGNATURE ANECDOTE OM THE L.A. SECTN NCERNS A JOB HE ONCE HAD AT THE WTLAND TWS CEMA: WHEN ACTORS SUCH AS ANJELI HTON OR TONY PERKS ME , HE “SOMETIM ASKED FOR THEIR TOGRAPHS ON DISPENSER NAPKS, THEN TOOK SOMEWHAT CHILDISH PLEASURE G THE NAPKS TO MOP UP COKE SPILLS.”BUT IS CUBA THAT DOMAT THE BOOK. CUBA, WH S RAFT OF NTRADICTNS, QUIRKS, AND ENDLS STREAM OF FLH, MATTERS THE MOST TO INDIANA. UNSURPRISGLY, HE TELLS ME HE’S AAID OF WHAT THE HORS OF AMERIN TOURISTS WILL DO TO . THE CUBA OF INDIANA IS HOW ONE IMAG THE TANGIER OF BURROUGHS. THERE IS SOMETHG EEG ABOUT A WORLD OF EASY SEX WH ENDLS HOT MEN, BUT ALSO SOMETHG CREDIBLY SAD AND REMISCENT OF WHAT VOLTAIRE SAID ABOUT WOMEN PARIS: “RPECTED WHEN THEY’RE BETIFUL AND THROWN TO THE GARBAGE DUMP WHEN THEY’RE AD.” BUT CUBA IS WHERE INDIANA ALSO FDS THE CLOST HE’LL E TO WHAT SOCIETY WOULD LL ACCEPTABLE LOVE WH RIRDO.THE JOY OF READG INDIANA IS THAT HE IS LARGELY FEARLS WHEN TO SAYG WHAT HE THKS ABOUT A PERSON, REGARDLS OF THEIR FAME. WHILE PERSON HE HAS AN AVERSN FOR NAME-DROPPG, HIS PEN KNOWS NO SUCH NSTRAT.“I DISLIKED DAVID LYNCH IMMENSELY. HIS STORI WERE HUMORLS AND BORG. HIS SMARMY AIR AS HE STIRRED HIS POSTUM WAS EVEN CREEPIER THAN HIS MOVIE.”“HEMGWAY IS A LOY WRER. A PHONY WRER. A WRER WHOSE BOOKS ARE A TISSUE OF FALSEHOODS AND MORONIC CLICHéS OF MASCULY. A MENDAC, RIDICULO, LUD BUFFOON OF A WRER TOXITED BY FAME TO THE POT OF WRG DRIVEL.” WHILE HE CREDS HER WH “THE MD OF A STEEL TRAP,” HE WR THAT “THE IRKSOME REPETNS AND OVERLY PREC ONE-LE PARAGRAPHS DIDN E DIRECTLY OM HEMGWAY … THE TOUGH, LANIC, MANLY MEN WHO SERVE AS FANTASY HERO DIDN’S FICTN HAVE THE UNMISTAKABLE HEMGWAY TOUCH. SO DO THE SHRIEKG PANSI AND SUICIDAL HOMOS SHE STTERS THROUGH HER BOOKS FOR SPICE, LIKE PEAPPLE RGS ON A CHRISTMAS HAM.”IN FACT, THERE IS OFTEN A DISNNECT BETWEEN THE INDIANA OF THE PEN AND THE MAN STG ACROSS OM ME. WHILE HIS PRIVATE LIFE IS LAID BARE THE BOOK, HE TELLS ME, “DPE WHAT PEOPLE THK, I’M AN EXTREMELY PRIVATE PERSON” WHO FELT UNFORTABLE WRG THE BOOK. WHILE INDIANA’S WORLD VIEW MAY NOT MH WH THE CURRENT ONE BEG PROMOTED BY THE GAY MUNY—HE SAYS “NOBODY WANTS TO FUCK THE SAME PERSON FOR MORE THAN TWO YEARS,” DISDAS HOW “EVERYBODY WANTS TO BE NORMAL, AND EVERYBODY WANTS EVERYBODY ELSE TO BE NORMAL,” AND THAT WE’RE “MORE NFORMIST THAN THE MCCARTHY ERA”—’S AN IMPORTANT VOICE TO BE HEARD.AND WHILE HE MAY NOT FULLY ACCEPT , INDIANA HAS BEEN THERE AND DONE THAT WHEN TO THE VERTIGO PAST HALF-CENTURY OF GAY LIFE, AND THERE ARE FEW OTHER PENS I’D RATHER HAVE CHRONICLG . WILLIAM O’CONNOR
That ranks as the number 27 most gay state the natn.