BY PETER JACOBSEN

tephen Greco, a former editor
sof The/ldvocate, has written

204 pages devoted to how
much he loves cock. The Sperm
Engine earnestly tries to integrate
classic smut and postmodern queer
intellect, and ultimately tells stories
with crystal-clear components of
each. He insists, rightly so, that smut
and intellect can be mixed thorough-
ly, but does not always transition
smoothly between the two. While
sexy, thoughtful stories have been
put to paper for centuries, Greco
writes from a truly spectacular sexual
history, illuminating erotic frontiers
some queers consider from a dis-
tance.

Greco surveys subjects
ranging from oral sex “service sta-
tions" to masturbatory prayer circles,
from intimate fisting to impersonal
‘public sex. It’s simple to write decent
pornography by describing this
enlarged appendage and that tender
motion, but this collection has a real
familiarity to it. It is so autobio-
graphical that stories feel personal
and universal. This intimacy makes
his stories truly erotic.

In “Men and Their Issues.”
Greco shares snapshots of men seek-
ing sex, intimacy, or romance. If any
thread of the story feels alien — we
can’t all be male models. after all —
the familiar feelings of loneliness.
ambiguity, and anticipation ground
the story for every reader.

Probably the best story in

Greco
reiterates  
through every
story that the
personal is
political is
sexual is
emotional is
intellectual is
spiritual is
corporeal.

this collection is “The Trout," a story
about a young A-lister learning about
his sexuality while climbing the
social ladder at the expense of those
around him. The least outwardly sex-
ual, this story nonetheless continues
with themes of finding intimacy,
redefining relationships, and under-
standing desire. In the end, the
“trout,” swimming upstream, finds he

most wants what he can’t have: a

vbutch, straight, beautiful actor. While

the object of his desire is literally in
his grasp, he finds even the prettiest,
most successful people can’t always
win.

This easy read is not a read
without impact. Audre Lorde said the
personal is political (as did many
after her). Greco takes thismantraya
step further by reiterating through
every story that the personal is politi-
cal is sexual is emotional is intellec-
tual is spiritual is corporeal. With the
breadth of experience Greco brings
to bear on his writing, he shares real
observations about sex and relation-
ships.

To preach the religion of

. cock while conveying the urgency of

loving, the necessity of making a
connection, and the importance of
trusting the body’s instincts: that is
the challenge. Edmund White,
Andrew Holleran, Thom Gunn,‘NeiI
Bartlett, Gordon Merrick, and Gore
Vidal — to name just a few — have
written over the past fifty years about
the role of sex in the creation of one
of many queer identities. Greco
builds upon these themes, and explic-
itly states what many queer folk have
learned from sharing intimacy out-
side of the “mainstream”: sex is pow-
erful, the body is powerful, culture is

‘ powerful, relationships are powerful,

love is powerful.
To read about sex free from
guilt, blame, or heavy-handed moral-
ity is so refreshing, especially in a
time when the Supreme Court is con-
sidering, once again, whether sex
between two men is inherently
immoral. Arguments against queer
sex seem trite, foolish and moot
against the backdrop Greco paints: a
world where sex never stops and is
always innovating. Such stories also
breathe fresh air into a state where
those scared of sex can whip up a
furor over HIV prevention activities
at so-called Public Sex
Environments. At least briefly,
Stephen Greco provides counter-
points for accusations, crack downs,
and sex panics. Through all of his
stories. Greco considers himself an

eronaut, exploring sex blissfully, but -

neverjudging those who’ve not yet
ventured as far. .

His stories are either bru-
tally autobiographical or ridiculously
far-flung. The truth does not ulti-
mately matter, because Greco’s “les-
sons” transcend the details of the sto-
ries themselves. A more skeptical
reader of this book might hope for
more purely hot action or slightly
expanded thinking. It may be a sort
of“porn lite.” Unlike America’s sexy
role models, who will always be
watered down or sanitized, Greco
searches for reality. Stephen Greco
affirms love, intellect and romance
simply by being a genuinely sexual
person.

Those looking for unadul-
terated smut might be better served
by just about any glossy magazine,
but for those seeking a thought-pro-
voking body-positive sexual mani-
festo. this might be the perfect col-
lection of dirty stories. Y

Peter Jacobsen is a’Dartm0uth grad
now living in Burlington.

 
  

 

  

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