Fierce! Hot! Legendary! Joe Oppedisano’s photos are recognizable
by their rough, tremendously hot models and their thematic, emblematic,
and mythological mise-en-scenes. Like many, I’m viscerally turned on
both erotically and intellectually by Joe’s compositions. I’m one of
those guys who considers Spike TV a soft porn channel. I prefer my gyms
to be one notch above sleazy. And primal masculinity loaded with
aggression gets me horned up much faster than anything involving
androgyny or even a metro sexuality (as hot as these are in the
community in general). In the gay world of nasty pigs, rough gods,
lumber jacks, burly bears and scruffy cubs, it takes a photographer with
honesty, skill, and strength of heart to archive the decadent
experiences and fantasies of this time. Joe is that photographer, and
this explains the tremendous success of his books
Testosterone and
Uncensored. His latest collection,
j/o,
promises to be just as relevant. I’ve spent the past two years working
on a series of ekphratic poems based on his photographs, so this
opportunity to interview him was a definite turn on for me.
Hello,
Joe. My first question for you is this: In your collections, you
incorporate quotes from well-known authors and singers such as Kent
Nerburn, Frank Pittman, James Baldwin, and Frank Sinatra. Why?
Funny question. I am a music person. I can listen to a song three, maybe
four times, and by the end of the fourth time, I know every word,
every little gesture, high note, low note, etc., and I am religiously
addicted to Youtube and love anything remixed. I find that I relate to
certain songs at different points in my life that, even though they may
not even be from the same era, speak the exact sentence that I am about
to say. For example, when I did the book
Uncensored, it was in
retaliation to a bad situation I was in at the time. I had just gotten
off from the success of Testosterone, and I was being hired by every
porn studio there was, but they would hire me and then turn around and
tell me how to shoot for them. It infuriated me. I never will understand
why someone hires someone because they like their work, and then tells
them how to do their job. So, my response was, “You booked me because
you liked my work, so let me do what I do, MY WAY!” Which, of course, is
a Frank Sinatra classic that I was raised on in the Italian-American
home I’m from. In fact, if you didn’t know this already, I had “MY WAY”
tattooed on my neck. I think that maybe if you can relate to my imagery,
then you can get what I’m trying to say about who we are as a people
and what we stand for, what we can stand for, what we should stand for,
and basically, where we have come from, how it makes me feel, how I want
you to try and feel… god, I’m rambling.
So someone like Sinatra is clearly an influence. Who else?
Tom of Finland, Helmut Newton, Caravaggio, Harry Bush, Irving Penn, Michael
Jackson, and Madonna. Not in that order.
Speaking of what our community should stand for, what message does your work send to today’s gay teenage boys?
Well, hmmmm, I guess I want them to have some kind of a history lesson
as well as a feeling of empowerment. A lot of times I do Tom of Finland
homages or references to classic art especially from the Renaissance,
because I went to school in Florence for a semester for art history, and
it’s my favorite period. I also like the boys to see what and where
they came from, because what they have now, the feeling of being out and
free, wasn’t always there. I write a blog that was originally meant to
be a reference for gay kids who had no clue of their own past. I lived
on Christopher Street for fifteen years, and kids would walk down the
street and not know about Stonewall, Tom of Finland, Quentin Crisp,
etc., all people and things that caused revolutions in our society that
opened up doors for them to enjoy what they have now.
OK,
I know you will answer this honestly. What is your policy regarding sex
with your models? Has attraction or lust ever gotten in the way of your
artistic creativity?
No. I don’t mix business with pleasure. I was a fashion editor for
W, L’Uomo, Vogue, Vanity Fair,
etc., and was trained by some of the best people in the fashion
industry. The one thing I learned and pass on, very early, was that if
you want someone to look amazing in a photo, then you make them feel
amazing. I like guys, girls, anyone to come to the shoot rested, tanned,
feeling gorgeous, mani-pedi, whatever it is that makes you feel like
you are doing something special. If I started to grope them
inappropriately, then the feeling of anything special is shot. They then
feel used, taken advantage of, and then, they don’t have the gorgeous
spirit that otherwise would be there. I think its gross to take
advantage of models, and I think that the ones who do that are giving
the serious photographers who need to worry about light, composition,
wardrobe, make-up, etc., a bad name. So the answer is, NO.
For you what is the boundary between art and pornography, and where do you locate your work?
I have never thought that what I do is anything but art. It’s not as if
Michelangelo or Leonardo didn’t do nudes, and, well, maybe not to the
extent I have, but, it’s a different time. I am not a pornographer; porn
is usually bad. I don’t ever watch it, and when I do, with my friends
(ask anyone of them) all I do is bitch. “Who put black shoelaces on his
sneakers?” “Who says that?” “Why didn’t he get that removed before he
shot this film?” It’s awful!
But you clearly want to get the viewer off, right? Isn’t that an objective?
Maybe. Sometimes I want them to laugh, or gag, or even just recall one
time that maybe the same kind of thing happened to them, or… I dunno.
Believe it or not, because I shoot the kind of pictures I shoot, it has
made me, honestly, not a very sexual person in real life. I mean, hell
beotch!
I can throw down with the best of the girls, I mean boys, whatever they
are, but I have gotten so many of my intuitive responses to different
situations, seen so many hot hung muscled, men (and women) that in the
end of the day, when I am shooting, I really, honestly don’t go there in
my head, sexually. I never once have jerked off thinking about or
looking at one of my photos, cuz I have already been there, done that,
and did it in the exact way I wanted it, visualized it, with the cast
that I envisioned and the lighting perfect, the guys groomed, and the
moment exactly how I would have it, or have had it be in the little
twisted brain I have. It’s all visual, so, for me, yeah, I hope you get
off on it, if that’s what you wanted to do, if that’s what gets you off,
then, I’ve done my job right, but, its not what I am thinking as I’m
shooting it.
A perfect example: there’s a photo that was just censored from my last book,
j/o.
It is censored because in Germany, where the book is published, you
cannot show a person getting “fisted” in a photo. Now, the shot I did
was of two guys, one on his back, legs spread, as the other gloved one
is about to insert his fist into his buddy. It’s an insanely intense
photo. I was showing it to a gallery owner in Palm Springs who said
“wow!” and was enthralled by the intensity between them. “I love it,” he
told me. I stopped, looked at it and realized the thing I love most
about the photo is that the only thing in perfect focus is the hand in
the foreground, and in the hand, the bottom is holding a tiny bottle of
poppers! I like to do things that maybe the first, second, third, even
fiftieth time, you don’t see, but then, one day, you look again, and
realize you haven’t seen the whole picture.
Speaking of j/o, did the loss of Erik Rhodes leave a permanent mark upon your work beyond this last book?
Wow. You got me crying. So, I was sitting with a friend, and I asked if
he knew who Erik was. I Googled his name and a photo of him lying in the
morgue actually came up. That’s fucked up! Anyway, yeah, definitely. He
was like my baby brother. I loved him. He was a muse that was unlike
others because he had such a troubled soul, but he was an amazing actor.
I never read his blog until recently, and honestly, never knew that
side of him. I knew he had problems, but who doesn’t. But he never
showed me that side, and I am sorry that I didn’t see it before. He was a
chameleon in a way. He could take on different perspectives and push
them. He was always on time, always perfectly manicured, and always a
pro. [Long pause]
So, in response, just so you know, on my blog, last summer, I wrote a
post that I also attached to my Facebook account that went viral. In
about thirty minutes, I had over 300 responses, three gay magazines
copied and pasted it to show examples of gay bashing (How gays bash
themselves, but not that I was bashing, that I was (thank God!) for
once, the advocate. About a week after Erik died, I saw people write on
Facebook the most hideous things about him. How he was a crack head, a
steroid user, bla bla bla. So, I replied on my blog.
Your work contributes substantially to the iconography of
modern gay male identity and sexuality? Are you comfortable with that?
Comfortable? I am thrilled! First of all, I never thought that I would
ever be a photographer, so the weight that people put on what I do, how I
do it, what it means or seems to suggest, I find incredible. But, also
it is something that makes me know I’m doing the right thing. I consider
myself more of a story teller. Every photo I take I do a ton of
research on, figuring out not WHY say, piss is a fetish…, cuz what I
find interesting is when I go onto websites under assumed names and
profiles (OH MY GOD! I’M GIVING MY SECRET AWAY!), I like to chat with
people about their experiences, what they get into, why something
specific gets them crazy and how it started, and the funniest thing is…,
like I was saying, it’s not that they’re into piss…, the guys I live
for…, what I try to incorporate into my photos is the guy is pissing.
OK. BUT! He’s also wearing red socks with sock garters! I just made that
one up. It’s the details that get people crazy insane and boned up
which I try to emulate! And one day some guy will flip through one of my
books and see a guy pissing wearing a pair of red socks and sock
garters, and he’ll either think back and question that crazy queen who
kept drilling him and pushing him years back, OR, he will have an orgasm
right there in the bookstore because there it is, his ultimate fetish
in print for everyone to see, and maybe, just maybe, he isn’t as crazy
as he thought he was for having that specifically detailed fetish.
What most dramatically influences your work?
The expression on people’s faces. There’s probably, maybe three photos
I’ve ever shot where people are not giving you some kind of expression,
either hate or screaming, or a “fuck you” or “suck my dick” or,
whatever. I like to see people look interesting. I mean, let’s face it, I
shoot some gorgeous men, but who cares. It’s not the fact that these
guys are hot. Hot is a dime a dozen these days, but the guy is looking
at you like he wants to fuck the hell outta you right then and there and
THAT’S why its so hot!
How would you describe the scenes you construct? Are they realistic sexual fantasies? Fantastical (wet) dreamscapes?
I am not a sexual deviant [laughs]. LIES! I am one twisted mutherfucker!
Truth be told, I was an escort for years and years way back in the 20′s
during prohibition [laughs], and the things I learned as a hooker were
astounding. I always say, (Am I going to get in trouble for even saying
this?) if you live in NYC, are cute, handsome, have a nice body and a
big cock and you DON’T work as an escort, even for a little bit of time,
then, your an idiot! Because some of the most amazing lessons I ever
learned were by escorting. People are basically insane. The ones you
think are gonna be into the most disgusting raunchy filthy things
because they maybe appear average, not attractive, whatever are usually
the best sex. The ones who work for fortune 500 companies have a ton of
money and hire you, nine times outta ten are the most twisted people you
ever meet, and want you to do things that you wouldn’t ever tell your
grandchildren. BUT, I did them, ‘cuz I wanted to know WHY? HOW? REALLY?!
You learn the ones that you should be paying will pay you because they
are in the C.I.A. or, whatever. You learn about people, and that’s why
my suggestion is that EVERYONE should be a hooker [laughs].
Oh my god, I’m gonna get shit for that!
Can you share with us one of your twisted fetish fantasies?
Fantasy, huh? Well, I want to have a normal life where I am content,
working all the time, because it makes me psyched to have something to
do 24/7, not to worry about money, and to be able to relax.
So, my
fantasy is to one morning wake up in a big bed with white cotton sheets
with Buddy and Lulu, my dogs, on either side of me, roll over, open my
eyes and see the guy I’ve always dreamed of, who, I have no clue what he
looks like, his age, or anything specific, except, in my fantasy, he
opens his eyes, looks at me, laughs, smiles, and kisses me. And maybe we
fall back to sleep, and that’s enough.
Now, the ultimate fantasy would
ensure that he, after I close my eyes and maybe fall asleep, he gets
up, cleans the house, cooks me an amazing breakfast, and somehow brings
home a ton of cash. Oh! And the wildest, most twisted fantasy would be
that he is hung like a horse with an incredible muscle-bubble ass and is
95% bottom… but, that’s maybe asking too much [laughs].
Wow, so romantic! Who knew?! So let me ask you why is there such a degree of violence or the threat of violence in your work?
Wanna know the truth? Ok, well, how many times can you show two people
kissing without getting bored to tears? The answer is three [laughs]. I
like to shoot really fast. Usually I’m done before the model even knows
we have shot, and in some cases they think I am not into them. But it’s
so much fun to just have guys wrestle around, act mean, and it makes the
images interesting. I am not a violent person, in general (I’ll cut
your throat if you fuck with me though). Kidding! But, I am really
mild-mannered, but it makes my day go faster because people don’t expect
when I ask them to do things like that, and then I am yelling at them
trying to get a reaction, and they at first are confused but they get it
immediately, and seconds later, done. I got the shot. It’s much easier
to make someone look mean than to make him look pretty. I think.
And there’s something hot about the threat, right? Many get off on that too.
It’s always hot when you are dealing with the unknown. You never know
what’s around the corner, with anything in life. So, I think that kind
of situation is foreign to most, because very few people live
spontaneously. So when the situation arises, your blood starts boiling,
your stomach gets jittery, your pulse races, and the very thought that
maybe you’re gonna get hit in the face, or MAYBE you’re gonna get some
huge cock in your face… hmmm. You weigh the options and if you’re lucky,
hell, you’re choking on cock all night! If not then, next time maybe.
It’s one of the life experiences I got in being an escort. You never
know who you’re going to meet. Could be a nightmare. Could be the love
of your life. Ya never know. But if you don’t just dive in head first
and see, you’ll never know. Life is not lived twice. It’s for us to jump
in, get wet, enjoy, and sometimes even get a punch in the face. But,
you feel it, you felt it, it hurt, and you experienced it head on.
So we talked about your past work. But what should we expect from you next?
Ugh! Who knows! I am looking for a new career actually. I was a fashion
editor for twelve years, a photographer now for fifteen. What’s next? I
think I want to make my pictures come to life. Film? Possibly. I have a
few ideas, but, I am not a money person, which means, I don’t save two
cents, and am a horrible businessman, so, if any of you bears with coins
wanna do something to help the gay community get more intense/crazy
porn/movies, whatever, you can send me a check, and I will be more than
happy to finally put into production the movies I have in my head. One
in particular that
is SOOOOOO twisted and funny and sick and intense and beautiful, that… well, you’ll have to just wait and see it!
Joe, it’s been a pleasure, man.
Thanks, Chris.
Chris
Vaccaro is a Senior Lecturer in English at the University of Vermont.
He has published essays on pre-modern English poetry and on Tolkien's
The Lord of the Rings. His current project involves a collection of
poems based on Montreal's sauna culture and a series of poems on Joe
Oppedisano's photographs. Chris is also cofounder of Burly Bear
Promotions which organizes parties for bears and cubs in Burlington. VT.
