JezzLoads Q&A with LUCKY SANFORD

Valentine's day is approaching and this month's featured Creative is single. So, you'll excuse his Grindr-esque profile card. :P 
Seriously though, I learned of Lucky Sanford when we were both featured in Class Comic's Halloween special, Meaty #3. His work reveals a style that includes all of my favorite elements - cartoony, sexy, and colorful. 
Here's what I learned when I got to know him better...

Black History Month Spotlight: Ru Paul

Some of the greatest achievements in progression for any oppressed group have come from the powerful influences of music, humor, and art. Entertainers have a way of challenging their audience's perspectives and presenting relatable situations. Ru Paul is one such entertainer.

RU PAUL:

Ru Paul has earned a great deal of respect from me. There are more than enough challenges in America for black gays. To embrace femininity in such an extreme way while attacking those same challenges takes balls! 

Prior to Ru Paul's Drag Race, I didn't understand drag and often dismissed it as silly or unnecessary. Don't get me wrong, I would watch a drag show and be grateful for the entertainment, but I shared the same appreciation for clowns at the circus.

During the first season of his show, I found myself in awe and inspired by the artistry involved with doing drag. Around this same time, a few friends of mine "came out" to me as drag queens. I was initially shocked and a little disappointed that they felt like that was something they couldn't share with me. As often as I used to preach about how hateful and segregating the gay community can be, I learned I was displaying some of those same traits when ever I changed the subject or dismissed anything to do with drag queens. 

Through his music, Ru Paul promotes positive and encouraging messages about empowerment and unity. With every season of Ru Paul's Drag Race, Ru introduces to the world to a crew of gays that don't always fit into the "comfortable" categories of gays that the world or even fellow gays are used to. Ru Paul has been a major player in giving gays a common place in any community. 

JezzLoad Quickie: How does being black influence your art - or does it?

  

This year, as part of my blog celebration of Black History Month, I surveyed a variety of black creatives with an assortment of questions. I will be sharing what they had to say through out the month.

This week's question:

How does being black influence your art - or does it?

It's obvious that it influences my work, but not as heavily as you might think. 
When I made the commitment to become an erotic artist, I had a goal to showcase underdogs. I say underdogs because as a general category, I used the groups that tend to get dismissed more often on the online dating/hook up sites. You know - the groups covered in the "No Blacks, No Asians, No Fats, No Fems, and no one older than..." clause.

Here's how some other creatives answered today's question:

Black History Month 2013: Changing The World Through Art, Comedy, and Porn

Today's Black History Month spotlights are on 3 Afro-Americans that made it easier for blacks to mainstream in art, comedy, and porn.

Augusta  Savage:
(No - there isn't any sound to this video, but it's a lot more informative than the alternatives)



As one of the leading artist of the Harlem Renaissance,  Augusta Savage's accomplishments were many. Through a lifetime of struggling, she remained an activist for equality while becoming a renowned sculptor and art teacher which would lead to her establishment of the Savage Studio of Arts and Crafts. She helped countless young African American artist and was a key player in founding the Harlem Artist's Guild. It is because of people like Augusta Savage that there would be a a Civil Rights Movement in 40 years and in 90 years black artist, like myself, would be able to create and share our work with a greater audience.
Read more about her here.

Dick Gregory:


Dick Gregory pioneered the way for black comedians and has been a huge influence on breaking barriers between race while using his comedy to voice political messages on civil rights. Dick Gregory paved the way for African American greats like Bill Cosby, Richard Pryor and President Barack Obama - Yup! President Barack Obama. Gregory has been such a zealous activist, he had the balls to attempt to run for president in 1968.
Read more about him here. 


Jack Simmons:

Sean Michaels is regarded as the first African American porn "SuperStar." Try searching for the first gay porn super star and you'll end up with a bunch of open ends ...no pun intended. Seriously though, out of all of the awards given and titles handed out, it isn't clear who was the first gay black super star. So I started looking more closely at the awards given out.  Jack Simmons aka Buck Stradlin, stood out among the more mainstream porn stars. 

Jack started out in 1995 as Buck Stadlin and changed his name in honor of one of his predecessors, Joe Simmons. Jack is regarded as the first African-American to work for major studios, including Falcon, Titan, and All Worlds. 

Mainstreaming has been a controversial task for black porn stars. While it isn't easy to get work with major studios, black and latino audiences appear to shun those that do and accuse them of being sellouts. I, personally, don't feel that way, which is why I'm spotlighting Jack today. It is because of stars like Jack Simmons and Race Cooper, blacks don't have to play stereotypical roles like prison inmates and thugs all the time. They destroy the taboo of interracial mingling and portray us as people and not forbidden objects. 

Black History Month 2013 Kick-Off

History of Black History Month:

     This is an erotic art blog. So, I'm sure you didn't come to this page looking for history lessons; unless it had something to do with sex or art maybe. Well, this Black History Month I'd like to focus on the contributions of those who have influenced just that - sex and/or art.

Black History Month was very repetitive for me growing up. Every February, we learned about the same people: Frederick Douglass, Harriet Tubman, Martin Luther King Jr., Rosa Parks, etc. While I mean no disrespect to any of these figures who played extremely important roles in what  made it possible for me to even be writing this right now, there are a lot of great people who get left out or over looked while we receive repetitious reminders of the amazing contributions from the same people. 

Before I get to those who have more direct (or current) influences on things more geek, gay, or porn, here are a couple of African Americans who need to be recognized more often.

February 2013

Nothing says "I love you" like flowers and chocolate! 
Happy February, Everybody!

Here's this months Birthday Creatives:
Class Comics and DNA magazine's Leon De Leon will be 28 on the 7th
Writer, Justin Hall, turns 42 on Valentine's day (the 14th)
and blogger, Viktor Kerney aka Wonderman, will be 39 on the 16th

Ok. I have a got a MONTH of goodies in store for you! 

I interviewed some of the hottest talent among African-Americans in the erotic and/or geeky arts with questions about Black History Month. I will be posting their responses weekly in what I will be calling JezzLoad Quickies. 
I'll be sharing some experimental art pieces and fan art as well in celebration of the occasion.

I also have a Valentine's Day special in the works for you that you won't wanna miss.

AND - I have a JezzLoad interview with this month's spotlight creative, Lucky Sanford!

I'm packin a lot in a tight little...month. 
It's gonna be great and you're gonna love it.
Have a great February, Folks!
-Jezza

BUYAKASHA!!!

I LOVE the new TNMT on nickelodeon! I LOVE IT!
This is the first incarnation of the series that I actually love ALL of the Turtles. Mikey has always been my favorite and remains so, but I greatly appreciate the exaggeration of each of their personalities in the new series. Donatello is adorably nerdy. Leo is a lot less uptight and more relatable; plus I love that he's a total fanboy! Raphael was always my least favorite until now. He's not just hotheaded, he's funny and we see his softer sides a lot more often. Even Master Splinter is more entertaining with a smart-ass wit. 
This cartoon makes me feel like a kid again, so I had to whip out some fan art. 

For those of you who were expecting or hoping for something with a lot more dick - I did ask for suggestions. :)