Tag Archives: New York Fuckin City

Men’s Group for Novices in S/M offered in New York City

November 23, 2013 Metal 5 Comments

**I posted this before, and I am told there are still spots available**

For those of you in NYC who are interested in learning more about S/M, a special educational opportunity is available starting in January 2014. A novices course is being led by my friend Gil. It is an excellent opportunity to learn in a safe and supportive environment. I know, because I took this course myself, many years back. It meets Sunday afternoons in January, February and March and it covers the basics like rope bondage, spanking and flogging, to more advanced play like electro and mummification.

See below for specific details.

—Metal

TES (The Eulenspiegel Society) is sponsoring the Men’s Group Series for NOVICES in S/M, beginning January 5, 2014

THIS COURSE IS ONLY OFFERED ONCE A YEAR.

For the 25th year, Gil K will conduct a course consisting of 6 four-hour S/M workshops for both “Tops” and “bottoms” who have little or no experience (or who simply want to brush up on their skills). It is open to men who are at least 19 years of age, and is limited to 24 attendees maximum. You do not have to be gay or a TES member, but attendees must feel comfortable being nude at times (sessions 3, 4, 5, and 6) and working with other men. Everyone participates as both top and bottom, as we demonstrate and workshop everything in a way that is enjoyable, fun, but educational.

Among the areas covered will be basic bondage, spanking and flogging, tit and genitorture, rope harnesses, things that pinch, mummification, and electricity (see the schedule below). The course meets every other Sunday afternoon from 3-7 pm, beginning January 5. There is a one-time fee of $30 for TES members or $40 for non-members that covers all the supplies, notes, and refreshments for the course.

Here is the schedule:

1. Intro to S/M; Being a Good Top/bottom; Basic Rope Bondage, 1/5/14

2. Spanking and Flogging; handout: Caning, 1/19/14

3. Gags/Blindfolds; Tit Play & Genitorture (including Abrasion & Bruising), 2/2/14

4. Rope Harnesses; Things That Pinch; Orchestrating the Scene (& Role Play and Fantasies), 2/16/14

5. Mummification, 3/2/14

6. Basic Electricity for Pleasure; Round Table Discussion, 3/16/14

For more information or to apply, contact Gil at novices2014@yahoo.com, and leave your name and phone number. Gil will get back to you quickly.

Only those officially signed up for the course may attend, and no new people are added after session 2. It is not a “pick-and-choose” course, so do not apply unless you can attend most of the sessions (check with Gil about other attendance requirements). The workshops are held at Gil’s home in the West Village in New York City. If you are interested, make contact as soon as possible to reserve a place.

Jamie Remembers James Bond

November 20, 2013 Metal 1 Comment

After he listened to my recent podcast over at the No Safe Word site, Metalbond reader Jamie sent in some personal recollections of James Bond (of blessed memory), The New York Bondage Club, Serious Male Bondage, and other reminiscences.

First, here is a picture of some of James Bond’s handiwork:

MetalbondNYC_JamesBond_05

Jamie Writes,

Hey Metal,

I enjoyed your interview on No Safe Word. I met Tony and Mikey through Mark and Dale at Serious Male Bondage. It is funny how interconnected the community is. Dan Savage was interviewed on No Safe Word a while back. Anyway the reason for this, I just did an entry for my private journal that I wanted to share with you, as you were the inspiration.

Private Journal entry:

This morning I was tickled to see the Donlean cartoon I had e-mailed to my friend “Metal” posted on his website. This cartoon I can so relate to; as about the only way I can be truly relaxed it to be restrained. That way I don’t have guilt for not working: it is not my fault!

Anyway, on Metal’s site he had a link to his interview on the podcast, “No Safe Word.” I do enjoy this podcast. I’m acquainted with Daddy Tony and his boy, Mikey, two of the podcast hosts, through friends in San Francisco. I listened to the podcast as I typed out my journal entry for today. In Metal’s interview he mentioned “James Bond,” a good friend who passed away in 2011. I’ve never really documented how this man literally changed my life. Now I will.

James Bond was a bondage enthusiast and photographer. He provided a lot of the photography work for the magazine Bound and Gagged. I used to pick up this magazine at Rochester Custom Leathers back in the 1980s and 1990s.

It was in January 1998 in the dead of winter that I got my Gateway computer. I was living with Joe awaiting my transfer to Tuscaloosa, AL. I figured how my down time would be as good a time as any to join the computer age. Joe had been on-line for about a year. He would be my mentor.

Looking back, it almost seems like this all transpired back in the dark ages. Joe had an extra AOL disk, so I was able to get online without too much trouble. I can still hear the dial-up phone noises! Like everyone on AOL, I had multiple profiles: a regular profile and my “slut” one for the fun gay sites and chatrooms.

It was through a members profile search under my slut profile I located James Bond. (Does AOL still have profiles and chatrooms? I have not been an AOL member for many years.) I contacted James, and he invited me to stop by anytime to his New Jersey home.

James and I made arrangements to get together. I was to arrive on a Thursday night and then head out early Saturday morning. We met at a diner not far from Jim’s house, where we had dinner together and got to feel each other out. We returned to his place and I was like a kid in a candy store. In no time at all he had me in tight, comfortable, inescapable rope bondage.

That Friday afternoon I was laced onto his bondage board unable to move with a tight leather hood. I can still feel the total immobilization with the exception of my hooded head. The leather gag was inserted and buckled on, and then my eyes were covered. Rope slowly but firmly pulled my head back to the board so I could not move at all and was pretty much totally sensory deprived. This boy was flying!

In the evening Jim drove us into the city for the meeting of the New York Bondage Club. At this period of time the club met at Jay’s Hangout, which was located in the basement of the old Anvil. If I’m remembering right, this location was around 10th Ave and 14th St.

I saw this hot man entering the club wearing a Hellfire Jacket. I had to meet him. I went right up and introduced myself. His name was Bob, and things instantly clicked. He introduced me to his friend Eric, who was a manager of the leather store on Christopher St. I told Eric the story of how I was locked into a puppy cage there back in December 1993. Eric informed me that he was the one who locked me in that night!

As the night progressed, Bob took me places I never knew existed. He told me I should consider attending the Delta Run in September. He said I was a natural for the club.

As the year progressed I hemmed and hawed about attending the run. It was kind of at the last minute in early August I contacted Bob to see if I there were any openings. He got me a last minute invite. I sent in the check, and booked a flight.

Delta opened an entirely new perspective into my life. I was able to make a great new circle of friends with mutual interests.

I could write for days how intertwined my friend connections are through that initial Delta Run back in 1998.

Louis, whom I met at the 2002 run, was instrumental in getting me to sign up to go to college in 2003 through my work. He also got me into hiking with him on the Appalachian Trail. Through Louis I met his friends and connections in San Francisco. I feel a real sense of pride whenever I see myself in one of the banner ads for Serious Male Bondage. That is me on the left:

Through my friend connections I can definitely say my life has been drastically changed for the better.

It was after I retired Harold talked me into running for the Delta Board. I was elected and served two three-year terms. The club only exists to put on yearly “runs.” Not long into my tenure I was thrown into a situation whereby I was forced to act and respond in ways I never had before. Talk about a growing experience. Through my work on the board I’ve gained the confidence to not shy away responsibility when I know I can make a difference.

It was through that initial meeting of James Bond that forces went to work to reshape my life as I had known it. From Metal’s interview, it sounded like he had a similar experience. I’m sure James Bond never thought about what an influence he had upon my life. He lived his life fully, and he is sorely missed. I’m writing this out so he will never be forgotten, at least not by me.

Metal would like to thank Jamie for writing this!

To read more about James Bond, click here and here. To hear the podcast, click here.

Do you have personal recollections about something you might like to share? You can get in touch with me via the email address in the About tab.

Inmate jumpsuit and police belly chain

October 31, 2013 Metal 11 Comments

I wore this out in public a couple of times over the past week:

Last Saturday I went to a couple of bars, including The NYC Eagle for NYBOL’s Frat Night party. I ran into a bunch of old friends and new acquaintances, including Neil the Erotic Hypnotist, “the Twink,” David Stein, londonslv and of course my favorite bartender — Gregory (who now has is very own Tumblr feed, check it out!).

It was fun to see people’s reactions. I rode Citibikes everywhere and got all sots of comments from passers-by and motorists. On the way home last Saturday I ran into a very hot Clark Kent, who said he liked my “jailbreak city” outfit.

I also wore this to my gay bowling league, but I was the only one who dressed up for that.

Anyway, if you’ve ever wanted to walk around outside in a prisoner uniform and handcuffs, Halloween is the perfect “cover” to get away with it.

Happy Halloween, everyone!

Frat Night this Saturday at the NYC Eagle!

October 22, 2013 Metal Leave a comment

Click for the NYC Eagle website

The LURE

September 25, 2013 Metal 11 Comments

Does anyone remember the LURE leather bar in NYC? I wrote the article below for GMSMA’s newsletter, NewsLink, back in 2003, after my favorite leather bar closed down.

Farewell to the LURE

By MetalbondNYC

The LURE, New York City’s popular leather bar, closed on April 9, 2003, after nearly a decade of being the place to go for leather guys. GMSMA, the Renegades, Iron Guard and other local groups held bar nights at the LURE, and after the Manhole closed the bar became home to GMSMA’s Dungeon Demos. The LURE was also home to its own events such as the popular Pork on Wednesdays, regular rubber and uniform nights, foot fetish parties, and more. You could shop in the Noose II store, and get your boots shined by the bootblack on duty. The bar also popped up on HBO’s “Sex and the City,” when Samantha moved in upstairs.

The brainchild of the late Wally Wallace and bankrolled by a number of investors from within the community, the LURE (an acronym for Leather, Rubber, Uniforms, Etc.) opened in January 1994. And while it did not actually turn a profit for its owners until several years later, leather men showed up in large numbers at the bar, which was jam packed every weekend in the early ’90s.

The LURE was a place to strut your stuff, to wear fetish attire of all kinds — leather and tall boots, cop or firefighter gear, rubber/latex, combat fatigues. Even guys dressed as gas station attendants were right at home there. You could cruise for a hot leather daddy, collar a slave, or make out with a hot guy in the back. And it wasn’t uncommon to see men there licking boots, torturing nipples, or even gulping down piss from beer bottles or glasses.

The bar was far from perfect — a dress code that was once enforced became somethig of a joke, as “tourists” and guys in sneakers would try to blend in with leather cops and rubbermen. And that $7 cover charge seemed a little steep. At least you got a ticket for your first drink.

As the rise of the Internet slowed business (who wants to schlep across town to pick up a trick when you can go online and “order in”?) attendance was way down, especially on Friday nights during the summer months. When the Eagle re-emerged on West 28th Street, it drew many men away from the LURE, but most of the leather guys stayed.

In the end, some of the same forces that led Samantha to take that apartment upstairs contributed to the demise of the LURE. Real estate in the Meat Market district became red hot as condos, nightclubs and restaurants started popping up like weeds. The LURE’s lease was up, giving the landlord the opportunity to jack up the rent. And when insurance premiums skyrocketed as well, it made the LURE’s existence at its West 13th Street location no longer finiancially viable for its owners. There was talk of the bar relocating to a new space, but that turned out to be just talk.

Many of us will always have good memories of the LURE and the good times we had there over the years. And we’ll also remember many of its former employees — Russ and John, the two bartenders who stayed with the bar for the whole run. And Joey, one of the bar’s first managers, who was always there in full leather, rubber or fetish gear to greet regular customers with a smile. And don’t forget Dominic, who with his tattoos and piercinngs was the most intimidating-looking doorman New York has ever seen.

So it’s the end for the LURE, at least for now. It just goes to show that nothing lasts forever. Just ask those who used to hang out at the Spike, the Altar and even the Mineshaft.

GMSMA NewsLink

September 11, 2013 Metal Leave a comment

!NewsLink49-50 Before I had this website, waaaaaay back a long time ago, I was a member of Gay Male SM Activists (GMSMA), a New York City-based organization. GMSMA aimed to promote safe, sane and consensual SM through three “pillars” — education, activism and social activities. Sadly, GMSMA closed up shop a few years back. (To read about that, click here.)

I was editor of NewsLink, the newsletter for GMSMA, for about five years, and I was recently going through some boxes of old stuff and I came across a bunch of old issues. Here is a sampling:

NewsLink_inside_JocksSM NewsLink_inside_TattooJourney_cover NewsLink45 NewsLink56 I did not want to throw my extra copies away, so Hilton over at Purple Passion here in NYC graciously agreed to distribute them. You can stop by Purple Passion, located at 211 West 20th Street just west of 7th Avenues in Manhattan, and pick up a copy.

While you;re at it, you might want to buy something, because they are having a huge sale this week. They also have a very large stock of vintage magazines available for really cheap.

Click the box below for the Purple Passion website:

If you stop in, be sure to tell them that Metalbond sent you!

Bondage at the movies: Kink – The documentary movie

September 10, 2013 Metal 1 Comment

Last night I attended the NYC premiere of “Kink,” the James Franco-produced documentary on the inner workings of Kink.com, with my friend Pisslurper. I ran into a bunch of other “usual suspects” there, including some familiar faces from the long lost days of GMSMA, and a few other guys.

The movie was shown at Lincoln Center as part of the NewFest LGBT Film Festival. It was VERY explicit, and I am not sure when or how it would ever be shown to the masses. Despite featuring a few more women than men, I was nevertheless intrigued by seeing some of the inner workings of the company, especially since I had the privilege of visiting the Armory, the building in San Francico where it all happens, a few years back. (For more about that, you can read my post Meting Van Darkholme.)

Pisslurper and I particularly enjoyed seeing Jessie Colter. We’re both longtime admirers of the gay male-themed sites available from Kink.com — namely, Bound Gods, Men on Edge, Bound In Public, Naked Kombat and Butt Machine Boys.

Here are a few gratuitous pictures from some recent (or not so recent) offerings from the gay sites at Kink.com. Clicking on any of these pictures will take you directly to the specific scenes depicted at these various pay sites (which are worth every penny, in my opinion):

Above: Trenton Ducati at Men on Edge

Jordan Foster at Bound In Public

Above: Jessie Colter and Marcus Ruhl at Naked Kombat

Above: Rusty Stevens at Butt Machine Boys

Above: Christian Wilde and Tyler Sweet at Bound Gods

Ballet and dance performance bondage

July 17, 2013 Metal 2 Comments

I have a bondage buddy who happens to be total sissy queen when it comes to anything involving the ballet and modern dance. Sure, he’s kinky a hell, but he is also very “nelly” if you know what I mean. He even wears scarves and brooches and has a limp wrist and he calls people “darling” and (I swear this is true) he even carries his collection of ropes and gags around town in a Degas bag. For real!

So one day I was over at his place when I noticed a flier for the American Ballet Theater featuring this hunky stud of man-meat adorned with rope:

gay bondage

And when I asked about it, he tells me the guy is none other than Marcelo Gomes, one of the world’s most famous ballet stars (and he is smoking hot, just google him if you don’t believe me!)

Anyway, then last week I was reading The New York Times and I ran across a review for a performance at the Joyce Theater in NYC called “Pilobolus” that was apparently inspired by the escape artistry of the great Harry Houdini in which the performers actually tie each other up with ropes and chains.

And I figured, bingo, I can do a blog posting about this! And yeah, it’s apparent that the ballet and dance is totally about bondage now. Who would have guessed? Fags.