He has a loving wife, a small child—and sex with men on the side. How the Internet has made it easier than ever to lead a detection-proof double life.
The man sitting across from me would like to tell me his name, but doing so is against his rules. He could tell me a fake name, he says, though not the one he typically uses when meeting a man in the middle of the day, since he has been using the same fake name for so long that it is almost real. Revealing it now would open him up to the potential of recognition, and, frankly, just imagining a scenario like that makes him wonder why he agreed to meet in the first place. He knows how he comes across. So shifty and paranoid. But he is not apologetic. Because when you live two separate lives, as he does, and when you have been maintaining these two separate lives for twenty years, as he has, coming across as shifty and paranoid is something of an inevitability.
read on
The man sitting across from me would like to tell me his name, but doing so is against his rules. He could tell me a fake name, he says, though not the one he typically uses when meeting a man in the middle of the day, since he has been using the same fake name for so long that it is almost real. Revealing it now would open him up to the potential of recognition, and, frankly, just imagining a scenario like that makes him wonder why he agreed to meet in the first place. He knows how he comes across. So shifty and paranoid. But he is not apologetic. Because when you live two separate lives, as he does, and when you have been maintaining these two separate lives for twenty years, as he has, coming across as shifty and paranoid is something of an inevitability.
read on
*David Amsden is probably my favourite (living) journalist. Definitely top three anyway. This article appears in the latest edition of New York Magazine.
9 comments:
I jumped for joy when I saw the new edition. This summers been complete crap save for an article on the "death of the New York band." David Amsden is BRILLIANCE. I wish I could analyze this piece with my favoritist of Amsden lovers too in BU. The good ol' days of arbitrary learning!
Yep, agree he's excellent. Has anybody tried Amsden's novel, "Important Things That Don't Matter"? I'm thinking of picking it up.
Where's the band article Jenna? Link it, baby!
Hi Colin, yeah, I've been meaning to get it for ages, but just keep forgetting to order it online. Maybe that's what I'll do right now.
Doooood -- I sent you the article in an email AGES back (well, a couple weeks ago anyways). Stop sippin that vigilante moonshine I made in my bathtub and shipped over to you. Goshies! People are really going to start to wonder....
Heres the link, AGAINsies. It focuses of course on Interpol as the "quintessential" art rock New York outfit and whether people will eat them up still or they'll fade in the distance. Of course, not by Amsden, but its pretty well done anyways but quite curt if I had a legit complaint.
http://nymag.com/guides/summer/2007/33992/
Colin --
Hi. My name is Jenna. I'm friends with Una stateside. I did in fact flick through Amsden's novel like half dozen times and find it intriguing. I've only finished it once though. You should definitly pick it up if you're an Amsden fan. If for curiousity's fucks sake anyways. Enjoy!
shit, link didn't copy all the way. Here again:
http://nymag.com/guides/summer/2007/33992/
why won't the link work!!?? I'll post it to my blog and go there to see it.
cool, will go to your blog nowsies!
Jenna - Thanks, that's quite an idiosyncratic recommendation! (Would love to see you on Irish arts show, The View.) You've convinced me, though!
Una - cheers for the Amsden links, think I'll do likewise and order it.
Post a Comment