Blue and red make the hottest of color combinations. Oppositional yet no less alluring, the passion of these contrasting colors is perhaps best exemplified by the opening scene of Jean-Luc Godard’s chaotic domestic classic Le Mépris. Laying in bed with her husband Paul, Brigitte Bardot’s Camille questions him on how much he loves her body, while bathed in a red glow. Continue reading
“Sticks and stones may break my bones, but chains and whips excite me,” purrs Rihanna in her 2010 hit “S&M.” While “S&M” could easily be brushed off as yet another pop star attempting to define her image as “bad,” Rihanna’s evocation of BDSM and the pleasure of whips, chains and the smell of sex goes … Continue reading
In his collection of sleazy and very very queer short stories Tales of Desire, which features stories ranging from the shockingly early Dennis Cooper-esque “Desire and the Black Masseur” and the sublimely titled “The Killer Chicken and the Closet Queen,” Tennessee Williams bravely dives into the power of sleaze as redemption and transcendence in his stories “The Mysteries of the Joy Rio” and my personal favorite “Hard Candy.” Continue reading