He risked something by making his sexual interests public. On the other hand, Boyd’s identity was known, if not very widely. William-The stories Boyd published in Straight to Hell were all anonymous, though with some sleuthing, it has been possible to determine the identities of a few correspondents. What does it mean that he was so invested in revealing other peoples’ secrets, but so protective of his own? If “Truth is the biggest turn-on,” as he once said, then where are his “true homosexual experiences”? Ryan-At several points throughout the book, you acknowledge a fundamental paradox in McDonald’s biography: the fact that he demanded frank and candid honesty from other people, but was cagey and even pathologically private about his own life. I should add that my own life isn’t all that interesting. I don’t shy away from using the first person, but I need subjects outside myself to make my texts more dynamic. I deplore the solipsism of bad autobiographical writing. His life would have utterly defeated most declassed Ivy Leaguers like me. I admire Boyd’s strength of character and determination in the face of far worse circumstances. I was on leave from a teaching job that I had come to find a torment-a gang of students had lodged complaints about me for showing sexually explicit, homoerotic films in an avant-garde film class-so I was motivated by revenge against the new puritans.
It was summer in Los Angeles, and I was hiding from the relentless sunshine in my apartment full of books. When I started True Homosexual Experiences, I was flat broke. As many gay men do, he saw the world of his youth disappear, only to be replaced by one that viewed his type with indifference, yet he never gave up, and indeed remains relevant to this day. He was ruthless in his attacks on the hypocrisy and avarice of politics as usual.
Boyd was never a “joiner” and engaged in no political activities, yet he became a minor public figure and developed a forum for his satire.
William E Jones-Boyd McDonald answers a question that has often crossed my mind over the years: how to be a gay leftist and have a sense of humor. In a way – and this speaks the nature of the work that McDonald was engaged in – at what point does writing a biography of someone else become an act of autobiography? I thought maybe I’d ask this question later in the conversation, but I’m tempted to start us off with it instead: how much of yourself to you see in Boyd McDonald? Clearly, you have a deep appreciation for him and his work, but I also wondered how much you found yourself identifying with him and his social/sexual politics. But I’ll refrain, and ask questions more becoming a reputable magazine. I’m tempted to fire off a succession of pointed questions about your previous sexual experiences, your cock size, your preference for jock straps or briefs, and your knowledge of the sexual proclivities of celebrities, if only to honor the brilliant and significant work of Boyd McDonald.
It was such a pleasure to read, and it should be required reading for homos (and non-homos) everywhere. Ryan Linkof-To begin, congratulations on a beautiful and important book. Above The Fold Art “Dior by Mats Gustafson” Fashion The Kit To Fixing Fashion Fashion A Week of Icons: Backstage Milan Fashion Week Spring/Summer 2018 Fashion Wearing Wanderlust: Waris Ahluwalia x The Kooples Ryan Linkof, Associate Curator at Academy Museum of Motion Pictures, sat down with Jones to discuss his work and the new book, True Homosexual Experiences: Boyd McDonald and Straight to Hell. His latest project is a biography of Boyd McDonald, the creator of the Straight to Hell, a zine that collected readers’s “true homosexual experiences” beginning in 1973. His findings have resulted in a variety of works that include experimental videos, documentaries, installations, artist’s books, and curated programs. Jones has a passion for mining untold and often marginalized histories, from instructional films to government picture archives to surveillance footage to gay porn.