INIQUITY NEWS #10
Thursday, 18 February 1999
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Well, it's 1999 and the Year of The Rabbit by the Chinese calendar -- a
good omen one might say. Since December, it has been a time of re-building,
a time of reconnecting, and a time of laying plans for the coming year.
It has been a few months since the last real INIQUITY NEWS, and although
our "HQ" was certainly turned upside down for a while, the Fetish
World is continuing to move forward with a variety of events and activities
around the globe. I once again want to thank all of you for your kind words
of support while INIQUITY HQ was pulling back together. Suffice it to say,
the Essence of what INIQUITY stands for -- STYLE & Fashion with our
S&M -- is something that has almost gained a life of it's own, and who
am I to stand in it's way? ;-)
I have all manner of interesting items for you, so,
without further ado I present thee:
The Table O' Contents:
INIQUITY NEWS comes out when I get enough stuff
to put out an issue, roughly monthly, sometimes more often. It's a SOURCE
to find out what's going on and how to get involved for like-minded Pervs
who want to see some Style with their S&M. Anyone can contribute to
INIQUITY NEWS, and Everyone is invited to send in Reviews, Articles, Stories,
or whatever, from any part of the globe. Although centered in the San Francisco
Bay Area, INIQUITY gladly reports on activity in the Fetish/S&M world
ANYWHERE. All correspondence should use the Contact Form
Any part of INIQUITY NEWS may be reprinted and posted
elsewhere as long as: A) proper credit is given to the author of the portion
copied, and B) no money is made from said copying (i.e. no posting portions
of INIQUITY NEWS into a Pay-Site. Free Sites are A-OK). :-)
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Talk about a RE-BOUND! (review)
We all sort of wondered about the strange choice made back when San Francisco's
Club BOUND opened last year on a Wednesday night mere blocks away from probably
the only salient competition. The club was fun, but as someone said, "even
the DNA lounge is starting to think of itself as getting old." It seemed
that no matter how hard BOUND tried, the night of the week and the tired
DNA Lounge location conspired to keep crowds to reasonable at best, despite
some great shows and a sincere and caring staff. Then one week BOUND simply
didn't happen.....
Until last weekend. Far from the DNA Lounge, WAAAYYYYYY
up North of Market (geez! Isn't that like in the Arctic Circle or something??),
Waaaayyyy up in North Beach, BOUND sprang upon our perverted souls from
it's new MONTHLY home at the intriguing and highly atmospheric 7th Note
Club, on Columbus Street. It was a Grand Re-Opening on a SATURDAY NIGHT
no less, with a welcome turn out of many of the "perveratti" and
"fetteratti" of the San Francisco Scene. Clearly letting people
know that they were expected to dress well, this author saw an ABUNDANCE
of Leather and Latex. In fact, although they did not appear to have a "door
guard" to check attire, I cannot recall anyone in street clothes!!
I am not saying they weren't there, but if they were then they were severely
outnumbered by the Well-Dressed.
On top of a good-looking crowd, the new Club BOUND
had a distinct and well-lit Play Area/Dungeon Space, as well as one of the
remarkable standing iron cages from Mr. S, who also loaned some very high
quality suspension bars for the night. A couch located in the play area
made for convenient and comfortable viewing space of S&M activity, which
one could also watch from outside the Play Area. Everyone I talked to really
liked the new venue.
The DJ's played a WIDE mix, and although the billing
said "darkwave," I would personally describe it as more of "something
for everyone." I know I was dancing to KMFDM and Switchblade Symphony,
while others seemed to take to a mix of 80's tunes and more. At one point
one of the sprinkler systems spouted a slight leak which spread to half
the dance floor -- this did not stop anyone from dancing! People merely
crowded to the other side (comfortably crowded that is) while the 7th Note
staff addressed the issue. At least one person thought for a brief second
that it was part of the gig, what with all the water-proof latex people
were wearing. ;-)
The temperature was good for latex lovers, and the
lighting provided numerous corners amongst the many cafe-style tables to
sequester oneself. A few people mentioned that they thought the lighting
should be brighter so we could see each other's outfits (a MUST in any good
Fetish Fashion club), and the proprietrix immediately set out to brighten
the place. She said that by next month the lighting will be set so that
we voyeurs will be able to peruse with ease, while keeping a few dark corners
for out more gothic compatriots. Speaking of Goth, there was a decent turn
out from the Goth-Fetish crossover community as well, giving the club a
healthy dose of black lace.
The venue itself confused a few people, and some of
you wrote in that you saw a bunch of Vanillas outside and decided not to
attend. Big Mistake. The 7th Note club has Two Floors, and thus Two Events
at the same time. Even I was taken aback when I entered the building to
a rousing set of Salsa Music (yee-ha!). It seems the Upstairs is reserved
for a Salsa Club on some nights. BOUND occurred down in the spacious basement
area, and the two crowds remained VERY separate. The downstairs bar staff
was amongst the friendliest I've seen, and the 7th Note crew in general
seemed polite and unruffled by what they saw (although the two particularly
interested security guards never did ask for a flogging from any of the
skilled Doms amongst the crowd -- maybe next time). My only real complaint
was that the party was over at 2 a.m! Heck, I was just gettin' started!
In short, Club BOUND has come back a thousand times
better than before. Definitely do not miss this one next time. Allow extra
time for parking in that area, as it can be a bit tricky. BOUND promises
to return the SECOND SATURDAY of every month, and I will definitely be at
the next one.
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SKIN TWO Rubber Ball (in short)
Unfortunately the loss of all that data back in December included about half a dozen reviews of the 1998 SKIN TWO Rubber Ball in London. Here's what I recall from memory:
- The new venue simply did not hold a candle to the Hammersmith Palais. No real surprise there -- the Hammersmith Palais was an elegant venue with love seats all throughout it's nooks and crannies which ran track-like around the central arena and stage. Multiple levels and multiple bars, alongside various displays, exhibits and occasional vendors or hands-on booths gave a full evening of entertainment to a LARGE crowd (in the multiple thousands). It was a glamorous venue for a very sexy and very glamorous crowd. Bagley's Warehouse, although a staple for numerous Fetish activities in the London Scene, just didn't have the flair of the Hammersmith Palais, not to mention the room, which leads to point #.....
- The new venue was not large enough. Although a side-by-side comment seemed to be that no matter what people thought, they ALL said, "but the crowd was GREAT," everyone seemed to comment on the fact that it was a little too sardine like amongst that GREAT crowd.
- The CROWD was GREAT. Like I said, everyone said that. Seems like people came from even farther away than usual (forgot who told me that -- a regular to the RB), and several people mentioned that they found themselves talking to very friendly and excited people from all manner of countries and locations. VERY Cosmopolitan! The energy was HIGH all night long, and even though it was tough going back and forth between the multiple stages, having to wind through the tight crowd, everyone enjoyed the excitement in the air.
- The activities of the mighty "RUBBER BALL WEEKEND" ranged from just OK to really fun. Another major party was reported to have the same high energy and the same lack of space, the dinner was great for highly social types and dull for introverts, and the workshops were rated as pretty good. All in all, people thoroughly appreciated the variety of events that were available if you had the inclination to attend........and some people attended A LOT!
So there you go. The proprietor of SKIN TWO himself
told me personally that he intends to take a more active role in the 1999
Rubber Ball. All I can say is Hold On To Your Hats! Like most enterprises,
the first "new" occurrence shows what bugs need to be worked out.
And with Mr. SKIN TWO himself more involved (and knowing his high standards),
I am very much looking forward to this year's event. :-)
BOUND happens every Wednesday night at the DNA Lounge
on 11th Street just North of Harrison. It is kind of getting a rep as a
"later night" club, because sooo many people show up between 11pm
and midnight. If you get there before 11, just hang out -- the crowd usually
shows up.
For more info on the inimitable SKIN TWO, visit their
website at: http://www.skintwo.co.uk
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This Coming Weekend in Los Angeles......
This weekend, Los Angeles will be the host of the first Fetish Mardi Gras,
on Saturday, Feb. 20th, hosted by an Arizona based group called Journeys
and it's L.A. affiliate, an S&M society known as Aftershock, who boasts
700 members. Basically a dungeon party with a bit more flair than usual
and a seasonal theme, the night portends to a fun evening of light Fetish
Fashion and more serious S&M play. Amongst other things, the proprietors
have offered a mild discount for INIQUITY readers who use the INIQUITY password
("Iniquity").
Now to be honest, I have never been to an activity
hosted by either of these groups. But having just spoken to the proprietor
this afternoon, here's the details I have gathered for you SoCal readers:
There will be NO ALCOHOL at this event. Like many other
S&M groups and societies who consider S&M to be it's own drug, Aftershock,
who hosts other dungeon parties, adheres to this aesthetic. For those new
to public S&M play, it is quite common in Highly Permissive environments
of serious S&M activity to find such a rule as this. Although not ubiquitous,
it is also not uncommon.
There will be 30 Play Stations -- quite a large number,
and from what I was told, some good, solid S&M furniture at that.
There will be a Pony Girl Extravaganza for the show
-- perked my ears up at that one....
A wide variety of well known, name-brand vendors will
have booths set up, including San Francisco's own Deviant Liquid Latex.
There will not be a dance floor.
The proprietors are planning other surprises and games
in celebration of Mardi Gras. They ask that you either attend in Fetish
Attire or the like, or at least try to dress in the traditional colors of
Mardi Gras -- Purple, Green, and Gold. No one will be turned away from this
"debut" event, although eventually the proprietors plan on tightening
the reins as far as dress code goes for future events.
Everyone is asked to wear some kind of mask, and they
will also be able to set you up with one at the door for a nominal fee.
If any of you attend this event, PLEASE SEND ME A REVIEW!!!!
Thanks! :-)
FINAL NOTE: Someone also mentioned another event Friday night (the 19th) in Los Angeles called "Fetish X" occurring somewhere in the San Fernando Valley ("like, the Valley, dude...."). I have not been able to locate more info on this, but if anyone knows anything about it please send me some info ASAP. Thanks! :-)
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Meanwhile up in NorCal......
This Friday we will be having our own little Bay Area Spank Fest. On the
19th, the LCLDF will be having the Beat My Valentine Play Party and Top/bottom
Auction. "For this event, each person attending the party will receive
$1,000.00 in "Passion Play Cash" (additional play-cash may be
purchased at $10.00 real American dollars for every $1,000.00 in Passion
Play Cash. Note that Passion Play Cash is not Legal tender and can only
be used for LCLDF/Passion Play Auctions). The play-cash is then used to
bid on various Doms, subs, Tops, and bottoms who place themself up to be
auctioned away."
For those who have never been to an auction like this,
they can be a lot of fun (speaking from personal experience). Although I
have never personally been to an LCLDF Auction, auctions tend to have a
similar demeanor regardless.
The party is to raise funds for the LCLDF (Ed. -- Lifestyle
Choices Legal Defense Fund) so that we can help those in our S&M lifestyle
who are being persecuted in the Court system for their BDSM practices (i.e.
having one's sexuality used as a means to erroneously defame one's character
in court to achieve unrelated ends).
FOR MORE INFO:
See the INIQUITY Events page or email LCLDF
directly: LCLDF@aol.com.
YES, there's
more!!
Click here to go to Part II of Iniquity Newsletter
#10
For any and all
comments, stories, reviews, or just dropping digitally by to say hello,
please use my Contact Form.
Please direct issues regarding glitches or problems with the actual website
to Chance Wheeler.
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