"This is Not an Exit": American Psycho @ 25

Twenty-five years ago this month a novel was published -- and it drove people crazy.

It's probably appropriate that it was called American Psycho.

You may have heard of it. The term has, quite appropriately, entered the American vernacular. Looking at this presidential race, the GOP is on the verge of nominating one. But the novel was not about politics -- its about America's soul. It centers on a young, handsome, very masculine Wall Street banker named Patrick Bateman who enjoys, in his off hours, clothes shopping, renting video tapes, going to fancy restaurants, and committing horrendous acts of murder.

Written by Bret Easton Ellis, American Psycho was a strong indictment of the 1980s "greed-is-good" consumerist ethic. But the novel also has a clear fascination with it. The book itself is a bit of a slog to read. It has no real story, no discernible plot -- it just drags along, scene after scene, nothing really interesting happening, until your brain goes numb. In between graphic descriptions of Bateman's murders and scenes of him hanging out with his atrociously shallow friends, there are lengthy descriptions of beauty products, electronics, work out routines, and hilarious dissections of forgotten 1980s pop songs like "Hip To Be Square."

The numbing affect of all this is quite intentional. It's what makes American Psycho a strangely brilliant novel. The book wants you to hate it! It wants to dull your brain to the point that the murders are yet just another thing in the banal life of Patrick Bateman. It makes us, the readers, feel almost indifferent to them and it also makes us, in a way, complicit in his crimes as we are in creating a society that nurtures the evil likes of him.

Read it ... if you dare.

Before American Psycho was even published in March, 1991, it had become a scandal. Apparently the book's original publisher dropped it after Ellis delivered the manuscript and the publisher saw what a violent, disturbing "story" it was. Many employees at the publisher refused to work on the book and it was eventually published elsewhere in a first-edition paperback (I happen to own one of these copies). Much of the violence, it should be said, is of a sexual nature -- it graphically describes the mutilation of women and the violence visited upon them makes rape seem almost like a quaint, preferable alternative (it's that vile). This caused various feminists groups to call for boycotts of the novel. Many public intellectuals (like Norman Mailer) and reviewers condemned the book for existing at all and Ellis for writing it. It was hard to imagine, even back then, that a novel -- a work of fiction, after all, mere words on a page, the oldest of old school media, describing things that had never happened to people who had never existed  -- could create such a raucous. But it did. And, naturally, the novel became a bestseller.

In the years since, American Psycho has never fully gone away. There was a movie of it in the year 2000 and now, believe it or not, a Broadway musical, soon to open. Both retellings are not quite as horrendous as the original source material, a perfect example of how something is changed and diluted when it goes mainstream.

As for Bret Easton Ellis, he had written a couple of books prior to this one (most notably Less Than Zero), and several since, but American Psycho is the book that defines him and will probably be his greatest literary legacy.

Why does American Psycho endure? Because it's more relevant than ever. Ultimately this book is not about murder but about the insanity within America, within all of us, about how we live our lives, and about how the ways we try to define our identity in this materialistic culture actually thwart our common humanity. It exposes something within us. And we cannot look away no matter how much we wish we could.

Again, just look at the current presidential race. Can anyone argue that our society is more sane than ever? American Psycho was prescient.

Read on. 

NYC is Thriving

As the great comedian Stephen Colbert once told us, reality has a well-known liberal bias. 

Ever since liberal Democrat Bil De Blasio became the Mayor of New York City two years ago, the media and special interests in this town have pilloried him. They've been trying to make the public believe that the city has descended into chaos and poverty, that crime is rampant, that businesses are evaporating, that the "bad old days" are here again. Oh, no, heavens to Betsy, the sky is falling! The sky is falling!

And, of course, what they hope is that all of this fear mongering will force De Blasio's defeat in the 2017 election. They hope that a Republican or at least a non-liberal Democratic will be elected in his place.

They better not get their hopes up. Not yet anyway. 

As this New York Times article indicates, NYC is thriving like never before. Private sector job growth is flourishing. Crime continues to fall. Public school graduation rates are increasing. The quality of life is great. And De Blasio? He's more popular than ever.

Oops. Looks like that well-known thing called reality is really messing up the haters' plans! It was supposed to be like this! Oh no, they were gonna keep telling us how awful De Blasio was, how the city would fall apart, and they'd be proven correct. Sadly (for them, not us), the haters have been proven wrong (again and again and again). Remember, these are the same people who thought we should invade Iraq).

Naturally, NYC still suffers from one big problem: the lack of affordable housing. This is and should be De Blasio's main focus over the next two years. More people than ever want to be New Yorkers. Which sort of contradicts the idea that this city has become a hell hole that people want to flee. No, the problem is that too many people want to live here. And that won't be an easy problem for De Blasio or any mayor to solve ... ever.

Interview: Victator from "Living and Lovin' in NYC"

It’s embarrassing to admit but yours truly has only recently discovered the wonderful world of podcasts. (In case you’re unawares, podcasts are digital audio files that you download from the Internet. The best ones are like listening in through a keyhole to a casual conversation). I’m a huge fan of the mother of all podcasts, WTF with Marc Maron, which is so huge that last year President Obama appeared on it. 

But I recently came upon a relatively new NYC-located podcast called Living and Lovin’ in NYC, a humorous roundtable of New Yorkers talking about, you guessed it, the wonders and travails of life, love, and sex in this most massive of urban jungles. The hosts are amusingly named Victator and NuBritt (currently on leave but sending in updates from a road trip) and the newest host is a trans fellow named Issac. They also have lots of guests who make the show even more entertaining. 

I was lucky enough recently to interview Victator, a native New Yorker who identifies as queer and is the ringleader of Living and Lovin’ in NYC. In this interview, she tells us about the origins of the show, her thoughts about living and “boning” in NYC, how these things are changing – and about how to have a really good “slutty summer” (you might want to take notes, she gives great advice!). 

How did Living and Lovin' in NYC come into existence? 

Every time I hung out with NuBritt I'd repeat our conversations about dating and fucking in my head because I thought they were so spot on and hilarious. I listen to a lot of podcasts and one sunny day I was on my way to therapy listening to one, and thought, wait, NuBritt and I need to do this. I immediately sent her a text and said you and I should do a podcast about dating and fucking. I know there are a lot out there but ours would be better. She enthusiastically agreed and we soon recorded from her kitchen table while drinking bourbon. (We now record and steam live at Radio station, kpiss.fm and drinking during recording has become a mandatory tradition). 

What's a feminist shock jock and where did you get the funky nicknames Victator and NuBritt? 

When we were listening to our first episode, I immediately thought of the shock jocks I used to listen to growing up. You know, Howard Stern, Jaggar from Love Phones. They're dirty, crass, and say what they want and what they mean. We are feminists, but we often sound like bros who've had too much to drink and won't shut up. Hence the term "feminist shock" jock was born. Our nicknames just happened to be what we called each other. My best friend's name is Britt. And when I met Laura Jean I told Britt how great she was and Britt cutely replied "is she my replacement?" As a joke (cuz bros tease each other), my friend Katy started calling LJ NuBritt and we've never stopped. I'm the Victator because whenever I'd hang out with LJ I'd seem to make all the decisions about what we would do and where we would go. But I'm a benevolent Victator so everyone always had a good time. 

Side note: Love Phones was a nightly call in show on radio station Z100 back in the 1990s. If you were a horny teenager in NYC back then, like Victator and me, then you might remember it. Naturally I never called in. You normally needed to have a sex life in order to do so. 

What makes for a great show? 

Well I can't speak to great shows in general, but I think ours is great because we're honest as fuck. There's no pretense. We're completely ourselves ... Maybe a little too much sometimes. But I think that's what people identify with. I've had listeners tell me they've shared some of our experiences but would never consider talking about them out loud. So when they hear someone else do that, perhaps it makes them feel like less of a freak for a moment. We're also never preachy and keep an open mind about topics that are sometimes hard to discuss.

You guys talk seamlessly about gay and straight sex and relationships. Now that gay marriage is legal and gay rights are overwhelmingly supported by the public, do you think the way people (certainly New Yorkers) talk about sex and love is changing?  

This is actually a hard one for me to answer. I think the reason is that for a long time now most of my friends have been queer or passionately queer friendly. So I don't know what straight people say about sex and love behind my back. I'm a native New Yorker like you and I went to elementary school in the Village, where we had out gay teachers. So for my little bubble, I've felt pretty comfortable my whole life (and I'm endlessly grateful for that). It hasn't been that long since marriage equality has existed, so I don't see an immediate stark cultural shift. I do think that some straight people (especially if they're from here) might be unaware that there are still a lot of struggles for the LGBT+ community. I met a married lesbian couple from Florida the other day that said they're not comfortable holding hands in their home town. Also, while I've found that while more people seem to be "down" with being a homo, the way they try to relate to me can still be problematic. I've met plenty of cis straight dudes who try to relate to me by objectifying women in unsavory ways. I guess they think that since we like to fuck the same gender, and because I'm perceived as pretty masculine, I'm not going to identify with the women and join the dousche parade. 

Are trans rights the new frontier in the fight for gender equality? 

If Isaac wants to weigh in into this, he should feel free. I don't want to cissplain on this one. 

What makes for a good "slutty summer" and what advice would you give people who want to pursue one, male or female, straight or gay? Also, are fall, winter, and spring decent slutty seasons? 

Well a good slutty summer consists of multiple partners, good booze, and a consistent approach to not getting emotionally attached. I don't know how to tell straight people to go about it, but I think solid advice to anyone would be, make your intentions and limitations clear. This might seem controversial, but for ladies seeking ladies, I'd recommend finding a hot queer lady with a boyfriend who wants some lady sex on the side. There are a lot out there, and I had a great experience with them. And, Hey, I say be slutty all year long if you can. The summer worked well for me because I was especially horny and wasn't really feeling the serious dating thing. Also, if you're into public sex, there's no better time than that of warm weather.  

You said on one episode that it's actually easier for gay men to get laid than gay women. REALLY? 

This is also a little difficult to answer, because I really can't answer on behalf of gay men and I want to avoid perpetuating the stereotype that gay men are naturally more promiscuous. On the contrary, my queer lady friends have all been horny as fuck and looking to bang, but just seemed to have a more difficult time finding partners. For one, strict lesbians are the smallest part of the LGB population - - there just aren't that many of us. So if you're a gay lady who only wants to fuck gay ladies, you're maybe in for a tough time. But I have no problem dating or fucking bisexuals and other women who bang women, so it's a little easier for me on that front. 

As NYC becomes ever more expensive to live in, is this still a great city to get laid and fall in love in or is it getting ... harder? 

I've never thought about how the cost of living here affected my heart or vagina. I mean, I'm in my 30s and have roommates. And most people I've dated and banged have roommates, so that's always a little tricky to navigate. But I say if you live with someone, you've gotta be down to hear them bone once and a while. That said, it's just standard manners to not be screaming "you fuck me like a pickle in peanut butter!" at 3 a.m. 

What do you guys love most about NYC? And sex! 

I love that I will never run out of people to meet. For friends, enemies, and lovers. There's a lot of people! What do I love most about sex? Peanut butter and pickles. Kidding. Probably. 

Tell us something about yourselves and your podcast that we might not know.

Kindergarten Cop had made me cry on more than one occasion.  

What is the future for Living and Lovin' in NYC? 

I don't know. We were recently listed as one of the best podcasts about sex, so hopefully we can keep being fucking awesome. 

Thanks Victator!

Livin' and Lovin' in NYC is available on iTunes, livinandlovininnyc.com, and wherever podcasts are found. It was also recently listed as one of the 11 Best Sex Podasts by Thrillist at https://www.thrillist.com/entertainment/nation/11-best-sex-podcasts.

The Trump Files

The files here on Mr NYC about The Donald, the man who might (shudder) be president, are (mercifully) thin. However, over the years, I have occasionally blogged about the spray-tanned one and the complete (mercifully) thin files are here if you care to peruse. Or don't. It's probably better if you don't. Who needs the agita? But it's there if you can't get enough.

New York Values Revisited

As the clown show known as the Republican Presidential nominating campaign reaches the inflection point called "Super Tuesday" this evening, one memorable incident was when, as you can see in the video below, Texas Senator Ted Cruz criticized Manhattan billionaire Donald Trump for possessing "New York Values."

This was meant as an insult.

Republicans from elsewhere in the country don't like New York because they think we're all, as Woody Allen once said "Gay Jewish homosexual pornographers" and that we have evil gross "values" that we want to inflict on their God fearin', flag waving, gun lovin' way o' life. (Never mind, of course, that most Republican states have higher percentages of divorce and teenage pregnancy than New York -- they love guns, Gods, and embryos and hate everything and everyone else. Real Americans!)

Of course being a lifelong New York, I have nary a problem with gays, Jews, or even pornographers even though I'm none of things things. I've known lots of homosexuals and even been to a gay wedding reception, most of my friends are Jews (this is, in fact, true) and I have dated Jewish ladies, and even though I'm not a pornographer nor have I ever met one, I am a man with a fast-speed Internet connection so, uh ... let's just say I have no problem with pornography so long as it doesn't involve children, animals, or very bad story lines.

But seriously, New York values are distinct in many ways, despite the fatuous comments of the junior Senator from Texas. And out of this silliness comes this delightful series of radio segments from WNYC about "New York Values" exploring the values of NYC in in culture, in media, in history, even architecture. The segments are short but very enlightening and, if like me, you're an NYC junkie, they're well worth listening to. 

Of course, Donald Trump is, sadly, a New Yorker. He's gross, loud, vulgar, racist, sexist, xenophobic, and has very bad hair. He's been a staple of NYC media since my childhood because he makes good copy but he seems intent on becoming an American Putin. It's scary, and hopefully, once all the final votes are counted in his dreary election, he will be kept out of the White House and will remain hunkered down in Trump Tower, Tweeting and yelling at his staff. But Mr. Trump is just one New Yorker in a sea of over 8.2 million of us and this town is so much better than the man whose name sadly pollutes too much of our city's real estate. 

It is ironic, though, that the "family values" Republican party that claims to speak for the American heartland is about to nominate for the presidency a thrice-married New Yorker who has five kids by three women (imagine if he was black?) who has openly supported Democrats in the past. 

This is truly a crazy time to be alive. And a unique moment to be a New Yorker.