THE MODEL: A STORY BY RICK CASTRO

BACK IN THE DAY….. 

CIRCA 1990 THRU 1995 I SELF-PUBLISHED A ZINE CALLED-THE BONDAGE BOOK.

THE BEGINNINGS OF ZINE CULTURE WAS LEFT-OVER FROM D.I.Y CULTURE OF THE PUNK DAYS, WITH A QUEER EDGE.

MANY GAY YOUNG BLADES WERE CREATING THEIR OWN PERSONALIZED ZINES.

 I DECIDED TO ENTER THE FRAY.

THE BONDAGE BOOK FEATURED MY BDSM PHOTOGRAPHY WITH STREET HUSTLERS AS MODELS.  AS I’VE SAID MANY TIMES, “HUSTLERS MADE THE BEST MODELS; THEY WOULD DO ANYTHING, ARE NOT-SELF-CONSCIOUS,  

NOR AGENDA RIDDLED LIKE MUNDANE MODELS FROM AGENCIES.

BESIDES MY PHOTOGRAPHY, I ALSO INCLUDED UNKNOWN FETISH ARTISTS WORLDWIDE.

 I GAVE THEM A PLATFORM NO MAINSTREAM PUBLICATION WOULD TOUCH

 WITH A TEN FOOT POLE.

BEFORE THE WORLD-WIDE-WEB, WE HAD NO IDEA FETISH WAS SO PREVALENT.

THIS WAS UNCHARTED TERRITORY.

IN ADDITION I RECEIVED MANY SUBMISSIONS FROM “MODELS.”

I RECEIVED  A PHONE CALL FROM A GUY NAMED “FRANK.”

IT WAS EASY TO GET PEOPLES PHONE NUMBERS DURING THIS ERA.
YES I WAS LISTED. 
REMEMBER THIS IS PRE-CELL PHONE, PRE-INTERNET TIMES.

THIS IS WHAT “FRANK” SAID-

“HALLO, I’VE REVIEWED YOUR PHOTOGRAPHY WITH GREAT INTEREST. 

I THINK YOU WOULD FIND ME A PERFECT MODEL FOR YOUR PROJECTS.

 I AM VERY-VERY GOOD LOOKING. I’M A PROFESSIONAL MODEL AND WOULD SUBMIT TO WHATEVER YOU MIGHT LIKE TO CREATE!”

I AGREED TO MEET “FRANK” THE FOLLOWING WEDNESDAY AT THE YUKON MINING COMPANY IN WEST HOLLYWOOD. 
I LIVED APPROX 3 BLOCKS AWAY.

THE YUKON MINING CO. WAS THE GO TO DINER/WATERING HOLE FOR THE GLBT, (ESPECIALLY T) COMMUNITY. THIS DIVE WAS OPEN 24 HOURS. THE FOOD WAS AWFUL, BUT CHEAP.. EVERYBODY… 

AND I MEAN EVERYBODY AT THIS PLACE WAS GAY.

(MY HOMOPHOBIC FATHER ONCE INSISTED WE HAVE BREAKFAST THERE SINCE IT WAS SO CLOSE TO MY APARTMENT. HE DIDN’T UNDERSTAND HOMO GEOGRAPHY.

I’LL SAVE THAT GEM FOR ANOTHER TIME)

WEEKEND AFTER HOURS IN THE YUKON PARKING LOT WAS ANOTHER WORLD ALL TOGETHER. TRANNIES FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE SASHAYED DOWN THE PARKING LOT. IN & OUT OF CARS. RESPLENDENT AND GLISTENING AS THEIR ADMIRES &“CLIENTS” CRUISED BY; LIKE A HIGH-HEELED-BIG- WIGGED MEAT RACK.

BUT BACK TO THE STORY ON HAND……

A WEEK LATER I WAS SITTING IN THE PATIO OF THE YUKON WAITING FOR “FRANK.”

AN OLDER, (AND I’M BEING GENEROUS)  MAN APPROACHED AND SAT DOWN.

“HALLO DEAR BOY! 

SO NICE OF YOU TO MEET ME. PERHAPS YOU RECOGNIZE ME?

 DO YOU WATCH  DAYTIME TELEVISION?

 I HAVE A RECURRING ROLE ON GENERAL HOSPITAL!”

“OH, I RESPONDED DRYLY, DO YOU PLAY A DOCTOR?”

“YOU DO RECONIZE ME!,” HE EXCLAIMED.

“NO, I SAID, IT JUST MAKES SENSE.” I WAS CLEARLY DISAPPOINTED AS HE WAS 40 YEARS OLDER THAN HOW HE’D PORTRAYED HIMSELF.

HE CONTINUED UNABATED, “ ARE YOU FAMILIAR WITH THE FASHION ADVERTISEMENT CREATED BY GIANNI VERSACE? HE HAS A BEVY OF DELICIOUS MODELS BALANCING ON THICK ROPES! 

WELL, THAT’S ME! I’M A GIANNI VERSACE MODEL!”

HE WAS CLEARLY CRAZY.

 I WAS PISSED OFF HE’D WASTED MY TIME, SO I REPLIED, “WHEN? IN 1945?”

“OH…… HE LOOKED DOWN FOR A SECOND AND THEN STARTED BACK UP…

“I HAVE WITH ME A COLLECTION OF POLAROIDS WHERE MY BODY HAS BEEN USED IN VARIOUS SCENES OF DEGRADATION. I THINK YOU WILL BE INSPIRED!”

HE HANDED ME A DOZEN POLAROIDS OF A BODY…. SOMEONE’S, NOT NECESSARILY HIS, IN VARIOUS FORMS OF BONDAGE. SOUNDS UP THE PISS-HOLE, NIP CLAMPS, DONKEY-SIZE DILDOS UP THE ARSE, SCARIFICATIONS, CUTS & BRUISES. THEY WERE HARDCORE TRIPLE XXX.

SINCE I NEVER HAVE, AND STILL DON’T CONSIDER WHAT I DO PORNOGRAPHY I HANDED THEM BACK TO HIM AND SAID, “LOOK. I’M REALLY NOT INTERESTED.

I DON’T THINK WE’RE A FIT.

“ HOW WOULD YOU LIKE TO SHOOT ME?!” HE SAID UNABASHED.

“I WOULD NOT LIKE TO SHOOT YOU,” I REPLIED STERNLY

HE TOOK A PAUSE, “WELL…. IF YOU WERE TO SHOOT ME, HOW WOULD YOU DO IT?!”

HE WAS DELUSIONAL SO I REPLIED AS DIRECT AS POSSIBLE.

“ I DON’T KNOW, BECAUSE I WILL NOT BE SHOOTING YOU, NOR WILL I EVER BE SHOOTING YOU.” MAYBE YOU SHOULD RUN AN AD IN DRUMMER MAGAZINE. 

YOU MAY GET A RESPONSE.”

“FRANK” LOOKED AT ME BLANKLY AND DIDN’T SEEM TO ACCEPT WHAT I WAS SAYING.

I PAID MY BILL, THANKED HIM FOR MEETING ME, (ALTHOUGH I WASN’T THANKFUL) GOT UP AND LEFT.

AS I DROVE OUT THE PARKING LOT, FRANK WAS STILL SITTING IN THE YUKON PATIO.

THIS BECAME PART OF MY SCRIPT FOR MY FIRST FEATURE FILM HUSTLER WHITE, IN A COLABORATION WITH BRUCE LABRUCE. 

I CHANGED THE “FRANK” CHARACTER TO “AMBROSE SAPPERSTEIN”  AS A HOMAGE TO ROSEMARY’S BABY. THE CHARACTER OF DR. SAPIRSTEIN WAS THE SATANIST DOCTOR WHO PRESCRIBES TANNIS ROOT TO ROSEMARY.

 ALSO AS A DIG TO THE DOCTOR REFERENCE ON  GENERAL HOSPITAL.

I BECAME THE CHARACTER OF MONTGOMERY WARD; A HOMAGE TO THE LATE DEPARTMENT STORE, PLAYED BY TONY WARD. MY CHARACTER WAS SWITCHED FROM A PHOTOGRAPHER TO A HUSTLER. IT READ BETTER.

THE FILM PREMIERED DURING THE FALL OF 1996 WITH A WORLD WIDE RELEASE. 

FOUR YEARS LATER I HAD AN ART BOOTH AT THE ANNUAL TOM OF FINLAND ART FAIR IN WEST HOLLYWOOD.

IT WAS A BUSY FAIR. I DID VERY WELL THAT YEAR, IN PART BECAUSE OF THE SUCCESS OF HUSTLER WHITE. 

THROUGHT THE CROWD, OUT OF THE CORNER OF MY EYE, 
I SAW A FACE FROM THE PAST.
“FRANK” APPROACHED ME BEAMING FROM EAR TO EAR. HE TOLD ME HOW MUCH HE’D LOVED THE FILM,  COMPLETELY OBLIVIOUS TO THE SCENE DEPICTING OUR FIRST ENCOUNTER.  I COULD TELL HE HAD NO IDEAD I WAS THE THE BLOKE HE’D MET AT THE YUKON MINING CO, SEVEN YEARS EARLIER. 

ONCE AGAIN HE SUGGESTED HIMSELF AS A MODEL. 
' I WAS A SEMI-REGULAR ON GENERAL HOSPITAL!' HE EXCLAIMED.

LIFE IMITATED ART,  IMITATING LIFE, IMITATING ART, IMITATING LIFE…. 

AND THE WORLD GOES ON.

COPYRIGHT- RICK CASTRO- AUGUST 2017