I’ve had an amazing time editing The GV Weekly over the past year or so but like all great adventures, sometimes it’s just time to move on. I’ll be heading back to the East Coast and leaving the magazine in very capable hands in my absence. Who knows, maybe I’ll still write a little something every now and then but I just wanted to let you know what a treat it has been to edit this magazine and work with all the wonderful contributing writers. I hope you’ve enjoyed our time together as much as I have.

Yrs,
Allison G.

After three years of putting on this festival you never can tell what kinds of films people are going to send in and it’s always a treat to see just how creative these aspiring filmmakers can be in ten minutes or less. Without giving away too many spoilers, I can say that there are a few pretty amazing firsts this year including our first ever animated selection and one fantastic bicycle you won’t want to miss. To find out the rest you need to join us for the party of the year at San Francisco’s historic Castro Theatre, this Thursday, Oct 30th!

And it wouldn’t be a Good Vibrations event if we weren’t ready to party. This year’s festival theme is the 1970s Sherman Oaks Porn Scene, so dust off that polyesther, put on your finest disco threads and hustle on over to our VIP Pre-Party, starting at 7pm on the Mezzanine of the Castro Theatre. For only $10 you can indulge with Dj Wrong? of The Magnificent 7 as he spins the funk, enjoy a glass of Roshambo wine or beer from the open bar, spin the “Wheel of Pleasure” for free prizes including special give-aways from our co-presenters Tantus Toys and Digital Playground films, and get your groove on with dancers from The Lusty Lady, San Francisco’s finest peep show.

Tickets to the show are only $10 and available in advance at all of Good Vibration’s retail locations. Tickets will also be available the night of the show at the Castro Theatre for $12, with entry to the VIP Pre-Party and open bar only $10 more! Tickets for the VIP Pre-Party are only available for purchase at the Castro Theatre the night of the show.

The VIP Pre-Party begins at 7PM and the screening starts at 8! So grab your sweetie and join us at the Castro Theatre, 429 Castro Street in San Francisco, this Thursday, Oct. 30th.

Whether you’re a film fan, a porn purveyor, or a true artist, there’ something for everyone at GV’s 3rd Annual Amateur Erotic Film Festival.

With the presidential election so close and no shortage of controversial topics, opinions, tactics, and hullabaloo making the rounds from Fox News to Satruday Night Live, of course the adult industry is bound to hop on the bandwagon and take advantage of the insane influx of interest in “Sexy Sarah” Palin and Barack “The Dreamboat” Obama by quickly producing sex toys, novelties, and even porn based (at least loosely) on these current political powerhouses.

There’s been a recent rash of press releases and new products hitting the market over the last couple of weeks including a Sarah Palin inspired blow-up doll cleverly titled “This Is Not Sarah Palin”, A Barack Obama Dildo , and of course Hustler Video’s soon to be released Nailin’ Palin, who’s Craigslist shout-out for a Palin lookalike actress has already caused quite a stir around the blogosphere.

With all these politically inspired toys making the rounds it’s become somewhat common for customers to ask us if and when we’ll be carrying these provacative products and the answer is simple, we’re not.

While it’s easy to ride the gimick train and hop on every press-crazed opportunity that arises, and believe me, in the adult industry they are pretty common, Good Vibrations doesn’t believe in carrying products that could so easily offend our customers at the expense of an another person’s dignity just for a few extra bucks.

At GV we’re all about personal expression and in fact there is even an satirical article about Sarah Palin in this week’s edition of The GV Weekly. The power and importance of words, free expression, and being able to openly discuss political ideals when it comes to sexuality issues is something we will always stand behind. There are however lines, good judgement, and basic decency. As Jonathan Plotzker, our Director of Merchandising recently told the San Francisco Chronicle, “[Good Vibrations] received a pitch from a company selling a Sarah Palin blow-up doll. The candidate is “the hottest thing to come out of Alaska in years,” said the vendors, who also cited unprintable reasons to buy this product. No thanks, said Plotzker. GV doesn’t believe in blow-up dolls and “wouldn’t carry something that offends women, or in this case a particular woman.”

I couldn’t have said it better myself. Blow-up dolls in general have never been something Good Vibrations would sell and despite any personal fears, frustrations, or extreme disapprovals of Sarah Palin’s politics (especially when it comes to Sex Education), we would never condone a toy that so outrightly disrespects her as a woman and as a human being. And while the Obama dildo might seem like a fun novelty or even a way to get a little closer to your idol, the idea of putting the likeness of a person who could potentially be the next president of the United States on a dildo, especially one who is already such an important historical and cultural figure, can easily be perceived as intensely disrespectful in the eyes of our customers and a chance at angering our supporters in a way we would not be willing to risk.

That’s the thing with political sex toys, sometimes it’s a joke, a novelty, a picture on the internet to show your friends, or just a toy to put on your nightstand, but at the end of the day it’s about the fact that these are real people and whether we respect their politics or not, we need to at least respect them as people. People who may or may not be comfortable having their face on a dildo because at the end of the day, they didn’t give their OK to the project, they don’t want to be porn stars, and they have no interest in creating their own line of blow-up dolls. They are politicans, not entertainers (though at times even that is debatable), just people who have for better or worse lent their faces to the horrors of public property in the hope of pushing their agenda and ideals on the rest of the country in the sincere belief they are making America a better place.

When Sarah Palin decides to launch a personal line of anal beads we’ll talk.

It sounds like it’s going to be a great night of Comedy and Entertainment featuring the amazing of talents of:

Margaret Cho – comedy
Johnny Steele – comedy
Heather Gold – comedy
Ali Mafi – comedy
Jay Alexander – magic
Margot Duane – photography
Janice Mirikitani – poetry
Fou Fou HA! – clownfooler
DJ Saint Patrick – musical styling
Body Masterpiece – face painting
And many more surprises…

There also promises to be special guest appearances from several SF politicos including Assmebyman Mark Leno!

Here are the details:

Equalipalooza – Hosted by Margaret Cho: A Special Evening of Comedy and Creativity To Help Defeat Prop. 8

Date: Wednesday, October 15, 2008

Time: 7 PM – VIP reception; 8 pm show

Where: Broadway Studios, 435 Broadway Street (between Montgomery and Kearny), San Francisco

Info/tickets: www.equalipalooza.com

Tickets: $40 for 8 pm show, $100 for 7 pm VIP reception and show. On sale now at: www.brownpapertickets.com/event/45780

[Proceeds will benefit the “No on 8 - Marriage Equality US” campaign to defeat Proposition 8, which aims to ban same-sex marriage in California.]

Thanks Queerty!

Have you ever been so excited about something you almost didn’t know where to begin?

I guess I have to start by saying that I am something of a Zombie/Campy Horror film fanatic. From obscure independent gore fests to the classic pantheon of terror elites (i.e. The Exorcist, Night of the Living Dead, Suspiria) good and bad horror alike has always held a special place in my heart. And unlike any other horror sub-genre (torture flicks like “Hostel” or “Saw” hold little appeal for me), I’ll swoon over anything remotely resembling zombies. Whether you’re talking about the overtly racist, Voodoo-induced zombie flicks of the 1930’s (i.e. King of the Zombies), the Classics (original Dawn of the Dead), or even horror pretending to be about zombies (I’m looking at you 28 Days/Weeks Later, rabies doesn’t equal zombies), I’m something of an undead aficionado. So imagine how my little black heart began to skip a beat when I heard that Jenna Jameson was starring in a non-porn, and it’s all about my very favorite thing.

It’s safe to say that I had some pretty high hopes for this feature. From the trailer alone I knew that this film would have something special that most other zombie flicks fail to incorporate, zombie boobs. Now there are a lot of breasts in zombie films generally, but they usually belong to a living girl in her late teens who has only seconds to live after her bra comes off. This film promised actual stripping zombies, which has just the right amount of how the hell are they going to work this out? to send my brain reeling for weeks before the premiere. So I bought my tickets online as soon as they were available for opening night at only theatre in San Francisco where Zombie Strippers would be playing during its limited theatrical release. I had no idea whether this film would fall into the funny on purpose, or so bad it’s funny category, and at that point I didn’t care. The film clearly had entertainment gold written all over it, but I admit I didn’t have much faith that this cinema gem was going to have anything to offer above the obvious Jenna/Boobies/Blood guilty pleasure equation. It seemed a good foray for Jenna, after all it isn’t inconceivable for a porn star to act like a stripper, and considering the ample amount of T&A in most (if not all) gore films, strippers/sex workers/teenage sluts have always had an important place in the history of horror, but that’s a whole different essay. Basically, the role of a stripper character in a film like this serves the purpose of someone who is embodies both toughness and vulnerability on a physical and emotional level at the same time, they dance hard and live hard—but are always craving acceptance while constantly fighting inner demons on a rollercoaster journey towards discovering their true selves. And just so we are clear I’m talking about the role of a stripper in a horror film, not all real strippers are symbolic of this line of thought, and if it sounds pseudo-cliché it’s because it is.

But other than the glory of zombie boobs I was really excited to see what kind of stamp writer/director Jay Lee would give to his take on the classic zombie flick. These are the basic components that exist in all horror and zombie films that will be the most heavily debated by nerds like me. And while this is all probably part of a much longer dissertation about zombie films in general, here is a short summary of what you need to know: you have your basic, early Romero-style zombie as the standard model– slow moving/awkward motor skills, little to no familial recognition (that ain’t your mom no more sonny boy), unquenchable thirst for brains, not a great learner. Since Romero all other directors (including later Romero) will have their cinematic versions of zombies compared to this original set of traits, which will also include the film’s zombie origins with the most common causes being- alien and/or meteor, secret government program, radiation leak/spill, or lone crazed scientist run amok, although once in a while you’ll still find a witch/warlock/voodoo connection.

Without giving anything away that wasn’t openly addressed in the trailer, the zombie gene (we’ve gone the secret government program route here) reacts differently in men and women. It works on the X chromosome (someone passed 11th grade biology), which means it will be “more pure” in biological women than men. In this case “more pure” equates to turning pretty good strippers into super-powered MEGA strippers who can work that pole with ungodly might which simultaneously terrifies and over joys the male customers (who come back in droves for more zombie boobies, might I add). But the socio-political tone doesn’t stop there, it seems these strippers who lovingly work and live in Sartre, Nebraska (God love a literary pun) happen to be going through their own individual existential crisis, and while I’m sure most strippers don’t read Nietzsche between sets, perhaps they should, look what it did for Jenna Jameson.

But in order to fully appreciate the scope of a film like this, you need a little zombie film refresher course. The zombie film has always been rife with political subplots; after all, what is a zombie? A zombie is us, only not the us we know. They look like someone you love but inside they are empty, void of emotion, and trying to kill you. There is hardly a more terrifying prospect then your child or lover or priest suddenly turning around and trying to rip your head off. This golden nugget of terror has allowed the zombie film genre to tell us something while entertaining our blood lust with lots of red colored corn syrup and fake intestines. With Romero the zombies have symbolized the homeless epidemic, racism, AIDS, the inequality between the haves and have-nots, you get the idea. Most other zombie films follow suit one way or another and usually behind that gory exterior and bevy of beautiful naked girls, the director is trying to teach you something about humanity. In the past few years, a new crop of directors have taken the political zombie and examined its comedic elements, you get films like Shaun Of The Dead and Fido, which are wonderfully funny and act as an excellent satire of mechanized modern living while exploring the same political themes found in earlier zombie flicks, except for one important missing item, the girls. Funny zombie movies tend to take the sex out of the equation, focusing on the blood and guts, witty one-liners, and political subplots that usually boil down to issues of class. While these films are fantastic and I highly recommend them, they are missing the perfect opportunity to make a funny, witty, political zombie thriller that actually deals with sex and gender as its main subplot.

Enter Zombie Strippers. Finally someone decided to use naked girls as more than window dressing in a zombie film and realized that those naked girls are the perfect socio-political exploration of the zombie theme not only in the micro-realm of zombie films, but in the larger scope of women’s roles in the history of horror. While certain horror female stereotypes still apply, i.e.- the slut vs. the virgin, stripper cat fights, etc., we’re also talking about a film where zombie strippers become more popular than living ones, where female sex workers have real power (sexual and otherwise), and where sexuality and gender are not only acknowledged but put in the forefront of a horror film. Catch this fun film on DVD or in a local theatre if you can, and get ready to experience a whole new kind of zombie flick. Can Zombie Strippers really change the world? I’m not sure, but I can tell you it is one hell of a funny, sexy, zombie bloodbath, and there is a scene featuring Jenna Jameson and some billiard balls that just might change your life.

Midori is a woman of many trades. She is an accomplished author, Japanese Rope Bondage expert, lecturer, humanitarian, sex-positive educator, as well as an artist (and few more other talents, I’m sure). Whether you’ve read her books, taken any of her classes, heard her speak at events or conferences, or participated in any of her amazing weekend intensives, you know Midori is an energetic force to be reckoned with. As if someone with a resume this long doesn’t have enough on her plate, Midori is also an avid fundraiser, especially for Aids LifeCycle. On April 25th at the Citadel in San Francisco, Midori will be throwing her annual Bang 4 The Buck Women’s Party and we were lucky enough to find time to sit down with Midori and get the scoop on this incredible event. At the end of the interview keep reading to find out how YOU and a friend can win FREE Tickets to the party of the year.

Q. What is the Bang 4 The Buck party and how did you first decide to start it?

A. I came up with the idea for the Bang 4 The Buck women’s party in 2004. Kelly B and I are both dedicated roadies for the AIDS LifeCycle event. AIDS LifeCycle is this amazing, crazy 7 day bicycle ride from San Francisco to Los Angeles to raise critically needed funds for HIV services. About 3,000 riders and 500 roadies participate. Roadies do all sorts of support work, such as setting up the campsites, food service, safety, rest stops, etc. As roadies we don’t have to fundraise but I’m compelled to. I’ve had enough with my friends getting sick. While it’s not like the earlier days of all the funerals, every week, it’s still bad. More and more younger people are getting infected. It’s increasing among people of color. Yet the funding seems to be fading, people are getting apathetic, the government just wants to preach abstinence and send funding to warfare, not health.

Sometimes I feel like we’re trying to dredge a tsunami with garden buckets, but it really does make a difference. What AIDS LifeCycle does is make education, prevention, counseling, testing, housing, medicine, etc possible. That’s less suffering in the world.

Usually those of us who do AIDS LifeCycle ask our friends for donations. To tell you the truth I’m horrible at that. I just feel bad about it. I know that times are tough for many of my friends, and I get really shy about asking. (If you’re reading this and you do want to sponsor me, just drop by my sponsorship page at http://www.aidslifecycle.org/8081 where you’ll see a goofy photo of me!) So I wondered what I might be able to do… That was about the time when there weren’t any really good women’s parties around. I also noticed that at many women’s parties there really aren’t any good flirting. People come with their regular dates, chat with their friends, play and then leave. That’s not so much fun for singles, new people or those of us shy people. I remember how hard it was when I was first going to women’s bars or parties to just connect.

So I figured the time was ripe to create a different sort of party! An exciting party where all women felt welcome, where along sex and kink were equally enjoyed, where those who just wanted to take a peek in on the wild side could do so safely, and meet new people. Bang 4 The Buckwas conceived . But I couldn’t do it myself. So I enlisted the talented Miss Indigo Blue, a saucy burlesque teacher and performer and Lydia McLane, a sexy go-getter, both from Seattle. Kelly B, an amazing project manager by trade, lend her logistical organization. Lee has joined us later, providing us with her problem solving skills. Then I turned to my organizational and corporate friends in the sex supplybiz. They all stepped up! They’re all giving us goodies for the HUGE raffle table and many are providing other help as well as sponsoring the ridefinancially. Good Vibrations, The Pleasure Chest, ID Lube, Babeland, SocialKink, Stormy Leather, Syren, Stockroom, Twisted Monk, Desire and International Ms. Leather Weekend became part of the Bang family.

Every year we do one Bang 4 The Buck party in Seattle and San Francisco. The Seattle party is at the Sex Positive Community Center, who have provided the most amazing organizational help. They’re a remarkable group. In San Francisco, the Citadel welcomes us with open arms. They’ve been an important supporter of the Bang cause all along.

That’s how Bang 4 The Buck came to be!

Q. How long have you been involved with raising funds for Aids LifeCycle?

A. Kelly’s been involved with fundraising for SF AIDS Foundation in various forms since 1994, including California AIDS Ride and all of AIDS LifeCycle. I’ve been involved since 2003 but I’ve been doing grass roots HIV and safer sex education since 1994 starting with the San Francisco Sex Information services.

Q. What advice do you have for someone who has never been to a Women’s sex and play party before?

A. First of all, the first half of the event isn’t a sex party or play party. So if a gal isn’t feeling comfortable going to a sex party there’s still plenty of fun for her. The Strip-O-Rama is just a totally exciting event and we love having tons of women in the audience cheering and screaming. Each year the crowd’s grown. This year we’re expecting 250 to 300 women to show up!

After 10pm the sex and play party starts. Here’s what you can expect. Many people will be playing and sexing with the date that they brought with them. If you’re looking for people to play with or get it on with, flirt with them and then ask if they’re interested. No one’s going to just grab you and do things without your consent. Most people like to dress up in something special, whether it’s sexy wear, sultry wear, a strap-on or just your sexy naked self. If you’re in a monogamous relationship it’s fun to make out and shag with your partner in this sexy environment. There’s no expectations to participate with others. Of course, if you’ve always wanted to invite someone else to play with, with no strings attached, this is the event! If you’d like help in approaching a hottie, ask an Ambassador.

These are people who are there to help you get to know the space, and they can also do introductions for you. Ambassadors are also there to help you with any questions on etiquette or making the most of the evening. If you experience any problems, we have Play Space Monitors to help address them. Like any playground of pleasure, after you’re done with an area please clean up. There are safer sex supplies available, so please do use them.

My advice:

- Do wear something that makes you feel sexy and attractive.
- Be ok to say “Than you, no. It’s my first party so I’m just enjoying watching”
- Do bring your own favorite sex toy if you’d like to get off solo or maybe share with a new friend. Don’t forget an extension cord if you’ve got a plug-in toy.
- If you find someone hot, say hi. If you don’t ask, you won’t get any action.
- If someone says no, it’s ok, it’s not a personal rejection.
- Don’t take photos in the party
- Do smile a lot. It makes you approachable.
- Do keep chatter down to a whisper in the play area
- Do ask questions with the Ambassadors, Hostess and Monitors
There is a really helpful FAQ section at the party web site:
http://www.Bang4TheBuck.org

Q. What is a Party Ambassador and what do they do?

A. The Party Ambassador is a volunteer who is there to answer any your questions about the party. They can give you a mini tour, tell you where you can find things, give you info about the raffles and special event features. They can also introduce you to new friends or help break the ice for that hottie you spotted.

Also if there’s any problems at the party, let the Ambassador or other volunteer know. Maybe the toilet paper’s out, you need help with a spill or someone’s not being nice. Just let us know!

Q.. This is an alcohol free event, why did you decide to go that route?

A. Cleaner carpets?
LOL.

It’s actually a function of venue as well as common sense. To have the sort of party I want to, where adults can have exciting consensual sex and the strip competition can take it all off, I needed a sex club. Local regulations make these places alcohol free. I also
think that one misses out on a lot of sensual and sexual pleasures if their system’s numbed or depressed as alcohol does. What people choose to do before or after the party is their own business. During the party, however, I want to make sure to provide a safe and welcoming place.

Q. What is your favorite part about throwing this party?

A. The off-the-hook energy of thrill and joy! All the cheering for the Strip-O-Rama alone is enough to blow the roof off the building. It’s really exciting!

Q. I know you host these parties in both San Francisco and Seattle, any plans to expand it to other cities?

A. Not at this time. It’s a lot of work for the whole the Bang Crew. Since 100% of the profits goes to AIDS LifeCycle, two events a year is about our limit in terms of energy, time and personal resources.

Q. Do you have any other projects, parties, or fun news you’d like to share with our readers?

A. Having just said that it would be hard to extend myself further for philanthropic work, I just added another party. But this one is great for everyone! I decided to throw a special birthday party on May 2nd at Beach Blanket Babylon. Beach Blanket Babylon is the longest running theater show in San Francisco with song, dance, tons of zany outfits and a sharp wit for social satire. For one night only it’s my party and all the proceeds will go to, yes, you guessed it, AIDS LifeCycle. You can only get tickets for this via my site:
http://www.PlanetMidori.com/bbb I really hope all of you can join me!

If anyone has any questions about the parties or stuff I do, they can
just drop me an e mail at: ask@planetmidori.com

***

The GV Weekly and Midori will be giving away 2 PAIRS (that’s 4 tickets) to 2 lucky ladies to get into the Bang 4 The Buck Party on April 25th. To win the tickets email submissions@goodvibes.com with “I want to Bang 4 the Buck” in the subject. Be sure to include your name, email address, and a few brief lines about why YOU should win the tickets in the text by 4/22/08. Since this is a Women Only party, you need to be a woman and over 18 to win. Good Luck!

You must be 18 or over to see the show and tickets for this special performance are only available here: http://www.PlanetMidori.com/bbb

Front Cabaret seats are $58 and rear Cabaret seats are $50.

An Evening of Glamour, Gayety and Celebration of Life
Midori’s Birthday Bash at Beach Blanket Babylon
When: May 2nd, 2008, Curtains at 9:30pm
Where: Fugazi, 678 Green Street, San Francisco, CA 94133 US

Dressing up is encouraged so grab your cycle gear, festive costumes, fancy wear or leather and experience a night you won’t soon forget!

The Legendary Peaches Christ was a great MC and kept the audience on their toes with her larger than life wigs and personality. The always enchanting Carol Queen lorded over the Ball from her throne and we even had an on stage coronation to start the party off right.

The fabulous models and latex fashions were courtesy of Madame S., one of the hottest fetish boutiques in San Francisco. The crowd clearly loved what they were seeing (and so did we!).

DJ Party Ben from Booty SF kept the tunes and mash-ups spinning all night long, and some incredible acrobatics by members of the Vau di Vire society made jaws drop. We were also titilated with an outstanding performance by the one and only King Jay Walker and his HOTT dancers. King Jay has been a staple at GV parties for years and everytime manages to come up with something new and damn sexy.

This time around we also featured a Pleasure Faire so happy party goers could take a little something home at the end of the night. Good Vibrations, Dark Garden corsets, Edible Love chocolates, and our wonderful Tarot Reader were giving folks a taste of their wares and I’m sure inspired more than a few late-night Valentines encounters.

All and in it was a party we here at GV will never forget. Thank you to everyone who made it out and don’t forget to check back at the GV website for more upcoming exclusive GV events!

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