THE RED UMBRELLA DIARIES » Red Umbrella Diaries

Episode 5 features the story “A Father’s Pain,” told by Mistress Astrid. The story was recorded during the Love and Pain live event on February 4, 2010. Mistress Astrid has been a professional dominatrix and lifestyle player for four years. She is also a proud member of the Leather Family of La Domaine Esemar, the oldest s&m training studio in the country. She has written for $pread Magazine as well the The Indypendent. She has worked as an event emcee, a fetish performer, a nude model and a BDSM educator. She is currently working on her Masters with a focus in Human Sexuality. She hopes to one day complete a dissertation on the female professional dominatrix, as it relates to women’s historical narratives. Live events and podcast are hosted by Audacia Ray. The audio in this episode was edited by Audacia Ray, podcast bumper music by The Mercy Studio Project. Click here to listen in your browser. Subscribe to the weekly podcast by RSS feed for a new episode every Sunday or search for it on iTunes.

Episode 4 features a story by Guy Gonzales, “My Illustrious Career in Times Square Peeps.” The story was recorded during the Embarrassing Things I’ve Done for Money live event on May 6, 2010. Guy Gonzales. Peepstar. Hustler. Notorious Nude Club Manager. Outlaw Artist and Writer. Warrior. From peddling firecrackers to live sex shows, legendary hardcore hustler Guy Gonzales was born in Manhattan of Asian-American ancestry. Despite the façade of a decent upbringing, he became enticed by the filthy streets. Flesh emporiums fueled his incentive; in 1982 Guy gravitated to Times Square, a reputed red-light district, and began as a cashier/mop-man in the adult peep shows. While swabbing pools of disgrace, he dated a Private Booth showgirl; subsequently they became a Love-Team, performing live sex acts on stage. On a mattress stained with bodily fluids, he penetrated even deeper into the inner sanctum of smut. Guy’s artwork, articles, and photo essays have been featured in Screw, Hustler, Swank, Vibe, the Village Voice, and Penthouse Forum. Featured in TimeOutNY as the leader of the Mortuary Squad, an elite task force that documents the underbelly; and the 40th Anniversary Issue of New York Magazine. A+E ‘Biography’ entitled ‘Times Square’ chronicled his unusual experiences, with interviews and illustrations. Exhibitions include ‘Erotopath’ and ‘Viewer Discretion Advised’. In 2006 he exhibited at the Ayala Museum, Makati, the Philippines, with former President Fidel Ramos in attendance. A noir New Yorker, Guy continues to evoke the broken mirror ball on the fringe of a forgotten Times Square, as his autobiographical account PEEPMAN/DEUCE42 nears completion. Live events and podcast are hosted by Audacia Ray. The audio in this episode was edited by Audacia Ray, podcast bumper music by The Mercy Studio Project. Click here to listen in your browser. Subscribe to the weekly podcast by RSS feed for a new episode every Sunday or search for it on iTunes.

Welcome to Episode 2 of the Red Umbrella Diaries Podcast! This episode features a story from Damien Luxe, which was told on July 1, 2010 during our Coworkers and Co-conspirators night. Damien Luxe is a multi-media performer and artist who has worked in DIY/indie print, web, theater and audio production for over 10 years. She has performed all over Canada and the US, has two self-published music albums out, and from 2006-2009 she Art Directed the award-winning $pread Magazine. Currently, she is the Co-Head Madam of the NYC Femme Family, Co-Creative Director of the H[art] Collective, is completing a DIY MFA, and is touring work that honors feminine hero/ines. Check out her work at http://femmetech.org Live events and podcast are hosted by Audacia Ray. The audio in this episode was recorded and edited by David Beasley, podcast bumper music by The Mercy Studio Project. Subscribe to the weekly podcast by RSS feed for a new episode every Sunday or on iTunes.

Welcome to the first episode of the Red Umbrella Diaries Podcast! Every Sunday, I’ll be posting a new episode – each one will be about 10 minutes long, give or take. Most of the episodes will have been recorded at the previous month’s Red Umbrella Diaries event in New York City, though occasionally I’ll drop in an episode from my archives. The first episode features my selection from the June Blog Carnival on Coworkers and Co-conspirators, which I read at the live event on July 1. The story is written by Mona of the blog Civil Undressed. For your chance to have your story read by me and included in the podcast, participate in an upcoming blog carnival. I’m always on the lookout for performers for the live events, which happen the first Thursday of the month in NYC. To get in touch with me about the podcast, performing, or any questions, email stories@redumbrellaproject.com. The audio in this episode was recorded and edited by David Beasley, podcast bumper music by The Mercy Studio Project. Click here to listen in your browser. Subscribe to the podcast by RSS feed or on iTunes