Posts Tagged ‘iml’

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I’m Not Rich Enough to Attend Dan Savage’s Benefit Tonight, So I’ll Just Re-Post Some Of His Thoughts On Chicago Instead

June 15, 2010

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You can find out more about his fancy gala and benefit for The Illinois Caucus for Adolescent Health here. Read the full list of Ten Thoughts from when he was here for IML 2010 here. These two are my favorite:

9. There are a lot of big & hairy men in Chicago… but there apparently aren’t enough big & hairy gay men to sustain a retail operation catering to the t-shirt/flag/windsock needs of the local bear community. Or maybe gay bears have outgrown the t-shirt/flag/windsock phase of bear pride and no longer feel the need to bedazzle their apartments with bear-pride merchandise.

7. The lakefront. The bike path. Spend the day in Chicago’s endless lakefront park and you’ll wanna get in a time machine and go slap Seattle’s founders to death for preserving so little of our waterfront(s) for parks/recreation/posterity.

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Get Ready! Vespertine, Women-Only Play Party This Memorial Day Weekend

April 28, 2010

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You know how easily gay men talk about going to a bar with a back room? Or basement? (If you don’t know gay guys that easily talk about back rooms or basements, you need to get some more gay friends, just sayin’). I’ve always thought it was a shame that my queer lady pals don’t have the ability to joke about that awkard underwear hug or funny run-in at the urinal that is also a bath tub. Culturally, it’s a unique space for male homosexualists, and as long as you play safe, I think it can be a healthy experience and “fresh” perspective.

SO glad my mother doesn’t use the internet BTW.

Enter Verspertine, a private club that only comes around once in a blue moon. Women get to learn and explore their kinks and desires in an environment free from potential creeps and gropers, and I can only IMAGINE how liberating that must feel. Just last month Chicago comic and perrenial cutie Cameron Esposito was showing off her Steamworks membership card that she got when she was featured in a taping of Feast of Fun. She can’t go to the Boystown bath house to play, but she was surely excited about being a member and the first woman to hold that distinction. Congrats, Cameron! If you are serious about being in that kind of environment, Vespertine is the place to start. The next one falls on International Mr. Leather Weekend, or Memorial Day Weekend.

Vespertine is being held on May 30TH 2010. Tickets will be available at Leather 6410/Paul C Leather 6410 N. Clark in Chicago starting May 1st. You may also order by phone, 773-508-0900.

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Leather Folks Has Talent

January 7, 2010

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*Leather Tiara available at Pitbull Mansion

Can’t help but snicker at the thought of leather-clad fire juggling, but you gotta invigorate your daddy-show somehow, right? The International Mr. Leather contest will now incorporate a “Leather Folks Has Talent” competition, with a cash prize of $1,000. This brings the number of areas you can win a leather tiara* to three, adding to the main Mr. Leather pageant and the Bootblack shine off. However, I’m thinking that winning the talent portion won’t get you a year’s worth of ass the way winning the other two does. I could be wrong. Depends on your “talent,” I guess. Press release below. Note IML weekend is now returning to its four day format, from Friday, May 28th to Monday, May 31st.

We are looking for 5 acts around the country to compete in the first “Leatherfolks Has Talent” contest at IML. If you would like to compete we need a dvd of your act sent to: International Mr. Leather, 5015 N. Clark, Chicago, IL 60640. The deadline for this material is April 15, 2010. Five people will be selected to perform at Opening Ceremonies on Friday night, where the audience will vote for their favorite act. The top three will be announced on Saturday night at the Pecs and Personality Show. The top three will then perform on Sunday at the contest with the winner winning a cash prize of $1000.00 and be invited back to perform at IML 2011. For more information please call R J Chaffin at 773-907-9700.

*leather tiaras have not been spotted at IML yet, if you want to be the first, PLEASE let me know, I’ll take photos.

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IML Day Two

May 25, 2009

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Saturday kicked it up a notch. The market was a lot busier: open minded arm chair fetishists come by and have a looksie, and the tension between the nubes and the full-on flogging pups is hot and thick in the air. Obviously, I finally talked to David Mason and you know how sometimes you meet someone that you admire and then afterwords you don’t admire them as much? Well, not the case here, David is as sweet as pie. Besides his high fashion take on fetish wear in Slick It Up, his blog House of Vader is one I read every day. It’s a porny, progressive place where David rants about muscles, video queens, steroids, and fashion, all the while backing it up with personal anecdotes. His point of view really plays around with ideas about masculinity and political correctness, and girl can tell a story. You remember Ongina’s hat that she wore to the reunion episode of Rupaul’s Drag race? David made that hat. I knew I was going to try and meet him, but when I finally saw how tall he was, (dude’s a gentle giant, SO HOT) I got a little pee shy and waited. Finally, it was nice to chitty chat about blogging and IML, I hope it’s not till next year that we get to hang out again. I bought some slicky gauntlets and made the BF try on some (holy crap I’m lucky) pants:

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I was too late to get my boot shined by Boris, but put my name down for tomorrow. My cutie bootblack was totally cool about an interview and was not at all annoyed that I didn’t have a ballot. Soon, it would be time for “Pecs and Personality” and we needed to get our seats. I wasn’t until I walked into the theatre that I realized how big of a production this was:

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Big Ms. Opening Number performed a song and got every one pumped. 54 leather men entered the stage and had a nice walk around, and with each you got something like this from the MC’s: “Contestant number 24, is Joe Bigguns, Mr. Leather Springfield 2008. He’s 5’11″ tall, weighs 178 pounds, has salt and pepper hair and blue eyes. Joe is a Medical case worker for people living with HIV. Hobbies include, hiking, going to the gym, BDSM, CBT, mentoring and positive thinking.” Serious! After that, they were each asked a pretty silly question designed to illicit cheap sexual innuendo, and overall there was not that much personality in the “Pecs and Personality” part of this contest. But really, no one want to sit through too much talking, and with 54 guys, they needed to keep things moving. Mr. Texas was an early TPR fave, and in the end our top picks were Texas, Bavaria, London, NYC, Mid States, Belgium, New Zealand, Michigan, and LA. Surprisingly, there was only one black contestant and two latinos, but about 10 from other countries, truly claiming the international status. Crazy, bouncy, Mr. Bavaria:

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A good, good day, plenty to look at and take in, can’t wait for tomorrow. Spent, we went to get some sushi before late night activities commenced:

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Win Tickets To BLOWOFF This Saturday!

May 18, 2009

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Was it coincidence? Hell no. Bob Mould (of Hüsker Du and Sugar) and Richard Morel are bringing their electro-rock-dance project to Chicago this weekend, just in time for IML! Mould started BLOWOFF in Washington D.C. as a monthly queer dance party and performance project over 5 years ago and has been a hugely successful collaboration for the two musicians. Mould brings the rock element and Morel brings the electronic beats, and BLOWOFF has had jam packed nights at Homo-A-Go-Go, The Folsom Street Fair, and now Chicago for Internaional Mr. Leather. The show is this Saturday at Metro Chicago, and if you’d like to win a free pair of tickets to the show, email me at thinkpinkradio((@))gmail.com and tell me why you love leather (or P-leather, if you are vegan). Emails must be received no later than Thursday, May 21st.

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IML Is This Weekend!!

May 22, 2008

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*A photo I took with my phone last year, this pup was being a very good boy.

Oh man, this is my favorite weekend of the year. International Mr. Leather is every Memorial Day weekend and the Leather Market is SO FUN! Here is an excerpt from the article I wrote for edgechicago.com:

Among the infinite amount of vendor tables and porn stars, you’ll probably see a shy corporate suit, a man in a dog mask on all fours, a woman trying on a corset, and that little Asian slave in the fishnet miniskirt and shackles that goes every year. All in the same corner.

One of my best stories from the market involves a hooded sub, who had been chained to a vendor display. He was shirtless, and aside from his impressive nipples, he wasn’t standing out too much. People would walk by and give a friendly wink or wave, and he just stood there, his master somewhere out of site. Finally, with unnerving confidence, a man comes up to him, a sharp twist and tap later, the man starts punching the sub’s chest with full force. As people stopped to watch, the hooded man’s crotch bulge got bigger and bigger. Just as suddenly as that brazen display of sexuality started, it was over, and everyone went back to their shopping.

The Leather Market is open to the public from Friday to Monday for a suggested donation of $4.00, all benefitting the Leather Archives and Museum. It is located at this year’s sponsoring hotel, the Hyatt Regency at 151 East Wacker Drive, Chicago, IL 60601. 312-565-1234.

–Stinky Pinky

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