My Web of Pain

I am one of the (notorious) founders of The Eulenspiegel Society, which is, as far as I know, the world’s first s/m liberation group. In 1971, when gay and women’s liberation were in high gear, Pat Bond placed an ad suggesting that we could get something together for our own liberation. I answered the ad and was very active in the early formation of the organization. In fact, I was the one who saddled it with the name Eulenspiegel, for which the reviews were, shall we say “mixed?” It had to do with an anecdote in Theodore Reik’s book Masochism in Modern Man about when Til Eulenspiegel was happy going up a hill because he could look forward to going down again and was depressed going down because he knew he would have to go up again. To tell you the truth, I’m pretty tired of explaining it over and over and if it were now, I’d have suggested calling it something simple like “S/M Lib.” But those were the days of euphemism where names of “controversial” causes were deliberately obscure. Anyway, I stuck around long enough to picket the Village Voice (they wouldn’t accept our organizational ads) and write an article (published under the title, Masochists’ Lib for them, get interviewed on the radio by Pete Wilson and see a growth in membership. Then I left New York for several years.

My Doms

 I have had three significant relationships. The first, with Jim Kolb, was kind of crazy and out-of-control. But it was Jim who enabled me to understand my sexuality. Since then, I have had serious involvement with two Doms. The first one was Jack Jackson (who became President of The Eulenspiegel Society). He became my Master and inspired me to write the story of A Night of Loving which appeared in Pro-Me-Thee-Us, our publication as well as Gallery Magazine. 

My second and present Dom is Mistress Victoria. She was originally my sub as I was trying my wings as a Dom. As a sub, now as a Dom, she writes poetry:

Victoria’s Poetry

• Dominant Poems
  • My Treasure
  • Mine in Pain
  • Heat
• submissive poems
  • untitled
  • S/M Ritual Play

I have more recently come home to my masochistic roots while Masha, now known as Mistress Victoria, has become an awesome dominant. I am now her slave and loving every minute of it. Here is my own poetry inspired by hers: 

• A Slave’s Passion
• nothing

Last time I visited New York, TES was still going strong. We are everywhere! There are s/m liberation groups in other places, too. The Society of Janus, in San Francisco, for example. In addition to the Society of Janus, was a women’s s/m group called Cardea out of which evolved Samois which was strictly a Lesbian s/m group. The founder of that group, Pat (now Patrick) Califia, is a crusader for sexual freedom and sexual information and the author of many extremely lucid and well-written books. Now there’s a woman-on-woman s/m group in San Francisco called The Exiles.

Bob Flanagan, who was once, himself, a member of The Society of Janus, was known as Supermasochist. (This kind of reminds me of when I used to think of myself as Super M. I even had a comic book planned on that theme.) He used his masochism as a performance artist and is in the Nine Inch Nails video, “Happiness in Slavery.” Read about his extraordinary life and death.

Magick Moments

Additional Resources

Our movement has grown prodigiously in recent years. Now there are all these new resources!

• SF Citadel, a play space, community and education center. (slow loading)
• Golden Gate Guards, a SOMA Leather/Levi noprofit organization.
• smOdyssey, South Bay Pansexual social and educational group
• Santa Clara County Leather Association
• The Black Rose
• Cléo Dubois Academy of SM Arts
• Cléo Dubois. More from the above. Cléo is Fakir Musafar‘s life partner. I have been to a speech and demonstration given by her at The Exiles and she is really worth knowing.
• Arizona Power Exchange
• DSM5 and Paraphilias. The weird world of the DSM.

Great Movies

• Secretary. Read my review!
• La Prisonnière. A really HOT top!
• The Warehouse. Extreme S/M

See is right here! I love this movie. It has a lot of personal connections for me. And it is sizzlingly hot.