By Marke B.
We're more than maybe just crazy here at the Guardian over Bay band -- and breakthrough post-sexual heartthrobs -- Girls. Well, they're incredibly sad-funny-catchy single "Lust for Life" just got the hardcore video outtake treatment, penis microphones and Hunx cameos and all ... Watch and revel in true San Francisco loveliness ...
(via our friends at The Sword)
Girls will be cramming out Bottom of the Hill on Nov. 21.
By D. Scot Miller
Kink.com's Van Darkholme, Peter Acworth, and Princess Donna in the Armory boiler room, photographed by Pat Mazzera for our 2008 "Kink Dreams" cover story.
I've always been fascinated with the Kink.com building on 14th and Mission.
A former armory, and reproduction of a Moorish castle, it looks like a parochial school for wayward souls. Often I've wondered what goes on in this monolithic old-world structure, seeming more suitable for doling out justice than ecstasy. I checked out a few of Kink's family of Web sites and recommend all you surfers out there do the same. There's an aura around the building, the history, and what it now houses that epitomizes what San Francisco was, is, and can be that I'm behind with everything I've got.
Of course, there's BDSM with Hogtied.com, MenInPain.com, and TheTrainingofO.com. Woe unto the cynic within me who has become jaded by BDSM. Though the people are enjoying themselves and others, maybe too many trips to the old Power Exchange (and sub-station) and Folsom Street Fair in my youth have taken their toll.
The ones I find fascinating are WiredPussy.com, TSSeduction.com, FuckingMachines.com, and UltimateSurrender.com.
By Juliette Tang
Michel Foucault's name is fondly dropped by anyone who has ever skimmed a pomo reader in college, but seriously reading his work (reading Foucault: A Very Short Introduction unfortunately doesn't count) is a difficult, often trying challenge. Even the relatively slim History of Sexuality, Vol: 1 requires at least a couple of weeks of laboriously close reading to untangle and does take time away from things like going out and expanding the history of ones own sexuality.
So where should the curious reader interested Foucault's work on sexuality look toward, to prepare themselves for (or, in lieu of) reading Foucault without having to plunge headfirst into things like historicisms, repressive hypotheses, and binary systems? There is a very brief, very fascinating interview with the philosopher that Le Gai Pied published in 1981 called "Friendship is a Way of Life". It is available online. While I downloaded the interview as a PDF on AAAARG (more on that in a bit), you can see the entire interview on Scribd, download-free.
Continue reading "Michel's AAAARG: A light exploration of sexuality with Foucault" »
By Sarah C. Jiménez
Glass Kandi emanates the raw, real sweetness of sex with high-end glass toys that, when used right, will last a lifetime. These days, it seems everywhere you look, happy-go-lucky, goody-two shoes sex-shops have been selling the “fun” in sex: things like cheery, animal-shaped silicone dildos and weird crap like bubblegum lube. One step into the classy boutique at Glass Kandi, however, makes the passionate nakedness of sex feel…well, sexy again.
Formerly known as Glass Dildo Me (until a neighborhood merchant complained about the name), the interior of the Tenderloin shop is a complete 180 from the gritty streets outside. Under elegant chandeliers, wondrous glass collectibles made for lovemaking adorn the shelves, literally sparkling. There are simple, elegant pieces. Light-up toys, floggers, glass plugs, double dildos, corkscrews, and kaleidoscope-like pieces. And even a line of food-related toys made to look like eggplants, bumpy cucumbers, fat jalapeños, and sausage links. Dildos come in various sizes fit for your body and in different textures; be it smooth, ribbed or bumpy. No two pieces -- being handmade and glass-blown -- are exactly the same. (Though most toys are priced between $100 and $200, with some as high as $449, some hover around the affordable $59 range.)
Continue reading "Glass Kandi: Another reason to replace the rabbit" »
Compiled by Molly Freedenberg
Michelle L'amour, Miss Exotic World 2005, performs at Lucha VaVOOM at the Fillmore on Friday.
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>> Sex & Memory: Writing from your own experience
Jen Cross teaches this course on documenting the amazing experiences you have in (and out of) bed, whether for your lover or a publisher. Then stay for the Erotic Reading Circle!
Wed/28, 5:30pm
$10-$30
Center for Sex and Culture
1519 Mission, SF
sexandculture.org
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>> Erotic Reading Circle
Carol Queen and Jen Cross host this monthly gathering in celebration of longtime writers, newly inspired daydreamers, and non-judgmental listeners of all orientation.
Wed/28, 7:30pm
$5+
Center for Sex and Culture
1519 Mission, SF
sexandculture.org
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>> See Me, Hear Me, Drink Me
This hetero-centric event gives men and women a chance to find out what the opposite sex thinks, make some new connections, and explore difficult topics, thanks to a 90-minute kick-off of free-flowing communication followed by a fun and playful cocktail party. The topic tonight? Slow sex and Intimacy, brought to you by OneTaste's Robert Kandell.
Wed/28, 7:30pm
$5/women; $15/solo men; $10/men with female friend
Authentic SF
115 10th St, SF
www.authenticsf.com
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>> Rock Strip n' Roll
Hubba Hubba Revue's Kingfish hosts this scintillating night of rock and performance, featuring Live Evil, Electric Vagina, Gods of Rock, Honey Lawless, Hot Pink Feathers, and more.
Thurs/29, 9:30pm
$10
Rouge
1500 Broadway, SF
www.hubbahubbarevue.com
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>> Thrillville's Halloween Gore 'n' Snorefest
Halloweenie-movie and burlesque freaks will love Thrillville's event, featuring surf punk music by The Deadlies, tassel-twirling goodness from Lady Monster, and two super sleazy rock'n'schlock cult classic films: Chainsaw Hookers and Zontar: The Thing from Venus!.
Thurs/29, 7:30pm
$12
Balboa Theater
3630 Balboa, SF
www.thrillville.net
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Continue reading "Hot sex events this week: Oct 28 - Nov 3" »
By Andrea Nemerson. Email your questions to andrea@mail.altsexcolumn.com. Read more of Andrea's columns here.
Dear Andrea:
I have a feeling this is not the best way to get a sympathetic response from you, but it' a real problem for me and I like your advice, so I thought I might as well give it a try. Here goes.
My boyfriend and I have been together eight years. I can't say I'm as cute now as I used to be, but I'm OK. "Brian," on the other hand, has gained weight every year due to a desk job and, I guess, just normal metabolism stuff. By now, he's actually fat. And I just don't feel attracted the way I used to. I still love him, but I'm really not feeling it in the sex department. Do I try to get him to lose weight, or just put up with a no-sex partnership (forever?), or try to find someone I do have the hots for? Help!
Love,
Size Matters
Dear Size:
Before we even consider getting into the hopelessness of pinning your future on weight loss — yours or anyone else's — let's talk about relationships at the seven- or eight-year mark. This is not, generally speaking, a high point.
By Juliette Tang
Vulva themed necklaces from VulvaLoveLovely's Etsy shop
Bear with me as I draw a comparison between Nora Ephron and vulva necklaces that may seem at first glance unintuitive. At the time that I read it, Nora Ephron's book on femininity and aging, I Feel Bad About My Neck: and Other Thoughts About Being a Woman, had a significant impact on my understanding of the ways a woman's relationship with herself can change as she ages, largely due to social pressures that manifest themselves in self-negating ways. The book's effect was probably amplified by the fact that I was young enough at the time to have no cogent thoughts or opinions on the aging process, so I trusted Ephron's authority on the matter. It was depressing to say the least. While Ephron's title refers to her dissatisfaction with the appearance of her neck, it was the way she described her singular relationship with, of all things, her purse, in an essay titled "I Hate My Purse," that struck me the most.
VulvaLoveLovely's Frida Kahlo uterus plushie
In the essay, Ephron writes, "I hate my purse. I absolutely hate it... This is for women who hate their purses, who are bad at purses, who understand that their purses are reflections of negligent housekeeping, hopeless disorganization, a chronic inability to throw anything away, and an ongoing failure to handle the obligation of a demanding and difficult accessory...". This quote was immediately interesting to me because -- while Ephron doesn't attempt to draw any direct correlation in the piece between purses and anatomy -- one cannot deny the presence of Freud in Ephron's text (or subtext). For Sigmund Freud, purses (or what he called "reticules") were a potent vaginal symbol. In Freudian psychoanalysis, a woman's relationship with her purse could be read as representative of her relationship with her genitalia or, stretching the metaphor further, her femaleness. This is not to say that Ephron hates her femininity. Few people these days are true believers in Freud anyway. But in the ongoing dialogue about feminism, femaleness, and beauty, I think these ideas regarding purses is worth contemplation.
Hightlight photos by Jack Lukic. Text and video by Juliette Tang
Cow Palace from Juliette Z Tang on Vimeo.
MySpace celebrity turned reality television sub-lebrity Tila Tequila was apparently at the Perry Mann's Exotic Erotic Ball and Expo this past Saturday, though by the time I arrived, she was no where to be found. Likewise, Coolio was there was well, but in the hour window into which I glimpsed (00:00h to 01:00h) I saw not one spindly braid (though it is comforting that in certain circles, he's still deemed relevant).
Instead, what I encountered inside Cow Palace was a mix between a state fair, a strip club Halloween party, and a WWE match.
By Megan Gordon
After its long permit battle with the city, the Power Exchange sex club will open for business tonight at 9 p.m. Owner Mike Powers credits the work of Jeremy Paul at the Planning Department for expediting the paperwork snafus, and is confident there will be no further hang-ups or permit issues.
"We're good now. We're where we need to be. There will be no more having to go back and submit paperwork. We still have things to do with the Fire Department, but we're cleared for 200 people, so unless we decide we want well over that number in there, we're set," Powers said.
Powers complied with all of the inspections, requested renovations, and refiling of paperwork, and will likely be rewarded with a very busy night tonight. With each passing weekend, loyal patrons have wondered when they'll get to play once again. Now they'll have a reason to look forward to the weekends once again.
By Juliette Tang
Saw this JolieLips lip enhancement kit on BoingBoing today (original article from MSNBC here). At first I imagined it to be a vulva pump until I realized it was for the other lips, the ones on the face, and then I wondered why anyone would go through all that trouble. Interested readers may purchase JolieLips from (where else) SkyMall, for a nominal sum of $27.95.
JolieLips, though trademarked, is not the first vacuum/pump device that turns regular lips into bruised and weird looking regular lips. An even more ludicrous product exists via Cyntha Rowland Beauty Systems called the "Luscious Lips pump," ($59.95) that resembles nothing so much as an erectile dysfunction pump for the mouth? Infomercial below, replete with music that is worse than you can imagine.
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