Hundreds more articles like this can be found
at the Kink Mentoring Archives… Spread the word!
The page listing all of the articles in this series can be found here,
Papa Tony: Back in the 1990's, I was hand-coding websites as a computer consultant. We didn't have search engines, or WYSIWYG drag-and-drop web-page apps back then.
I wanted to find information about leather-oriented clubs, bars and other kink resources online, and couldn't find any, in the earliest days of the Internet.
I saw a clear need to start gathering the information that was scattered and nearly completely lost during the bad years of AIDS, so I started tediously posting it online. It's heavily-biased toward San Diego's entire Leather/Rodeo/Imperial Court/Bears/Deaf community, but there are links that point elsewhere. Many of those links are long-dead.
This information is is wide, and it is DEEP. You're not going to believe how much information is in there. I tried to document every event, with its publicity, pictures (usually mine) and aftermath. I explained WHY I was doing this in a series of articles from way back at the beginning, This was my Mission Statement. As a much older man, I still have the same drive.
This gathering process lasted until 2002, at which point I gave that first site up. It was simply too much work. I changed gears, started fresh, and kept going.
I recently found that original site's pages and images, archived in its entirety on a Data DVD that I created in 2002. I have now posted it online for everyone's enjoyment. It's a real slice of how life was, way back then.
It's BIG (811 megabytes), and there are thousands of photos, articles and links. Be aware, that I'm planning to post MANY more CD's of archives as time goes by:
I've never STOPPED!
Very Nice, Thanks for always keeping a History and sharing your knowledge with everyone.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations on your historical archives. For years, I have been keeping the institutional memory and leather history of Drummer magazine alive on line at www.DrummerArchives.com Now, and years from now, leatherfolks will like what we both are archiving. Keep up the good work. ---Jack Fritscher, founding San Francisco editor in chief of Drummer
ReplyDeleteFrom Papa Tony: Jack, I honor your commitment, and I recognize your dedication.
ReplyDeleteIn the decades to come after we are gone, our efforts to preserve the past will still be helping people, and the effects will continue to ripple out into the world. We know what it is to lose connection to the past, and how precious each one of us is, on the larger scale. None of us is disposable.
You're not just preserving a magazine's pages, you're preserving the history, dreams, passions and hot fantasies that our departed brothers were living, back when we were at our very best as a Tribe. Drummer Magazine needs to be required study-material at colleges worldwide. It's an example of full-out living, balls to the wall, with no apologies, back when the whole world wanted to SHUT US DOWN.
We were unstoppable, until we got stopped. Now, the engines are revving again, and we can help the new generations to learn from our shared Tribal history. And, they want to. These fine younger folks would have nothing solid to start from, unless maniacal documentarians like us had kept the flame burning all of these years.
Thank you for the flame burning in your belly, that has driven you for all of these decades. IT MATTERS.
I remember years ago in Chicago when people scoffed at Chuck Renslow for creating a leather archives..I'm ashamed to say I was among them..after all that has transpired in our community I can now see the great value in looking back at a time when we were making history but didn't know it..I understand what drives your passion on this project; it is a commendable mission...david tworkowski
ReplyDeleteGood One Post at here like this post definitely subscribe
ReplyDeleteCustom made Leather Kilt - Leather 4 Gay dot Com, leather kilt with studs, black leather kilt, utility kilts, men's casual kilts, custom hand made kilts, leather garments, leather gladiator kilt, red leather kilt, knee length leather kilt, camouflage kilt, knee length leather kilt, union style leather kilt, gladiator kilt, leather gladiator kilt