The Literary Verve of Queer Bike Messengers

Cyclizen poster boy and Lynn Breedlove in the film Godspeed.

Jim Provenzano has written a new novel chronicling the escapades of a queer bike messenger involved in AIDS activism, corporate espionage and, of course, romantic entanglements. Cyclizen takes place in New York City and each chapter heading includes the street corner where the action takes place. (A nice touch, in my opinion.) Plus the guy on the cover is a hottie and I think we should all make an effort to have more “attractive” books on our shelves.

While I’m not sure about the title (it sounds like a pharmaceutical), the content sounds right up my alley. I loved Lynn Breedlove’s Godspeed (another queer bike messenger manifesto) so much. I remember my friends and I reading it aloud on a road trip and spazzing out ecstatically. Godspeed also premiered in film form at this summer’s Frameline festival in San Francisco. I haven't seen it yet, but it looks pretty smokin’.

Comments

[Tom Laine]

Perry Brass's new book, Carnal Sacraments, A Historical Novel of the Future (from Belhue Press), is his best book yet—and after 13 books that is saying something. The book takes place in the year 2075, but it is about a world that is already here, with overstressed, overworked gay men who've given up sex and most of their identity for status; one huge, multinational system that runs everything and that is obsessed with "security"; the complete end of privacy + Brass's usual interest in the marriage of sexuality, spirituality, and the pursuit of a real authentic life. The life you have to claim for yourself, because no matter what system you work for, it's not going to give it to you. One of the drawbacks of this book is that so few people will know about it, in the onsalught of gay celeb books, fluff books, and other silliness aimed at our community: this is a serious book, though it has some really funny moments, and it proves that style queens, status queens, closet cases, and assorted ball-busting queers will always be with us. But then, they always have.