Yareah Magazine

CHARLES KINNEY  

The classical image of a vampire, his penchant for blood aside, is a dashing figure. Nosferatu is high camp. His clothes are edgy, usually black, and sometimes lovingly leather. He's (and she's) a cultural sophisticate who can span languages and borders. He moves in and out of the world of the living but remains in the secret shadows of the night. He doesn't “turn” postulates for procreation; they're companions. His one true pursuit, sucking the essence of life, belies his hedonism and unbridled sexuality. His perpetual youth is matched by his endless fear of his own mortality. 

The vampire understands culture. He's not a savage. Derelict rural mansions notwithstanding, urban centers are his calling. He needs human civilization. Gay males are equally adept. Style and clothing are life choices. Vampires and gay men thrive on the night. The vampire, who outwardly looks like one of “us,” is actually one of “them.” Gay men too often live one life in public and another in private. Both have an underworld culture that operates with its own rules outside of the system.  

Vampire relationships are based on hunger and conquest. The hunt is everything. Companions are selected for beauty and adaptability to an existence that has few if any rules. Victims are seduced into giving their lives. Once the hunger has been satisfied, with the bite replacing the orgasm, the victim is thrown away. The hunger will return. In the Internet age, gay relationships are usually chosen quickly for beauty and sexual ability. The hunt is everything. Once the conquest has been made and the hunger has been satisfied, with the orgasm replacing the bite, the companion is more often than not thrown away. The sexual desire will return. 

Both are scared of the cross (vampires literally, gays the Christian right). Holy water and garlic are killers; bottled water and garlic are killer. Because of vanity, neither can see his true reflection. Both protect their hearts; one avoids the wooden stake, the other avoids the fatty steak. One comes out of the coffin, the other the closet. Both, however, must be true to themselves and follow their natural instincts.  

Beauty, hunger, seduction. The pursuit of endless youth and immortality are impossible, but who doesn't want to healthily live fabulously forever? Fleeting youth, and the unattainability of immortality, resolutely define the queer eye for the vampire guy. 

Read more:

http://www.feoamante.com/Stories/Reviews/ABC/bound_blood.html

Charles Kinney, Jr.
   
Bio:

TrackBack URI for this entry

Comments (0)

Subscribe to this comment's feed

Name

Email

Website

Title

Comment

smaller | bigger

Subscribe via email (registered users only)

I have read and agree to the Terms of Usage.

Add Comment