Kiss Betty Goodbye

Bettie Page mural for Threshold

Over 10 years ago, Threshold was on the rocks. Lair de Sade was going really well, and there wasn’t as much of a need for a “BDSM Outreach” and “Educational BDSM” group. Threshold’s transient parties at Hollywood night clubs and Valley porn studios had gotten smaller and smaller. The parties started happening at C-list banquet halls and we wore out our welcome at the science fiction clubhouse. My last straw was doing “load out” of heavy bondage furniture in pouring rain.

Out of nowhere, Lee calls with a frantic “We have a clubhouse!” call. Threshold, had secured a former sound stage with the help of a new member who owned the property. Lee rallied everyone to come together and start pitching in. We painted, tiled floors, drywalled, sanded, and installed.

Downtown Willy took it upon himself to furnish several rooms and he pimped out the ladies bathroom in exotic looking fabrics protected with transparent vinyl. One of the guys, Tim, wanted to go all out on the men’s room in a jungle theme. So my suggestion was, if you’re going to go jungle, you need Betty Page. So I dug up a Jungle Betty reference and created a mural for the back wall of the bathroom. Then added a jungle guy suspended on the side wall.

Just here for the fuck of it. One of these days I’d like to try this.

Keep in mind, this was some of the first acrylic painting I had done in years, and my earlier works weren’t that great either (some would say I suck now). These were probably my largest pieces.

Count Boogie from Threshold sent me an e-mail today. They’re remodeling the bathroom. The walls seriously need a new coat of paint. Not sure how they’re going to paint over Betty and jungle guy, but what can I do. In retrospect, this may be regrettable. But BDSM spaces are lucky to survive more than a few years. I’ve known that space could be gone at any moment.

So, my hope is, if anything, to come back in after the remodel or even help with the work. Once I’ve seen what they’re up to I can come up with something more tasteful. Honestly, a jungle themed bathroom seems kinda crude to me. I’m glad we didn’t do some of the proposed stuff like a concrete urinal trough. So maybe we can class this up a bit. Maybe some gimps holding toilet paper, or dapper men in leather tuxedos and masks.