On Posing Nude

There’s nothing quite like waking at 3:15 to go pose in a group nude installation project.

Me & 2,753 of my closest and nekkidest friends met down behind the Rock N Roll Hall o’Fame this morning @ 4:15. That is A.M. Though I told Tom Green that: “….naked in downtown at 4:00 a.m. – eh, it wouldn’t be the first time.” But this time it was for Spencer Tunick. Famous for his mass nude installation projects (and cousin of one of my brothers-in-law).

It was amazing the amount of folks who participated. 4,300 had signed-up, but usually only 50% show (do the math – we had a 64% show-rate). A fairly good cross-section of people. It really was the great equalizer. No one body type. No one colour. Tan folks. People with lesions all over their body. Fat. Skinny. Hairy. Smooth. …and those were the women! (kidding!) Couples in their 60s and 70s. A lot of pierced/tattooed 20-somethings. And the rest of us between the two groups.

Yet another event attended where I’ve decided I must be one of the last few tattooed folks on earth. I venture to guess the guy who had the four South Park boys inked into him (twice, I might add!!) will end up regretting that at some point.

The temperature was a tad bit chilly. 57 was the high (and that didn't account for the breeze off the lake). Welcome to summer in Cleveland! It was cold when clothed. Colder being naked, laying on brick pavers. And even colder on dewy grass. (A number of different poses @ each setting.) But what a fuckin’ great experience. Most everyone was well behaved. The younger the participants – the more immature, though I’m guessing most had not been to bed and still drunk from the night before. Some had alcohol seeping from their pores. Nice for the neighbours.

Most everyone was nice and chatty. Most of them where there for the sake of the art – since there didn’t seem anything overtly exhibitionistic or arousing about the situation. With the time of day and temp, it was more misery loves company than anything else. I met one guy who looked horribly familiar to me – and me to him - who came up to me and asked if we knew each other. He said that I looked familiar. My response back was “you mean the face…..right?” We could not place how (or if) we actually knew each other.

Afterward I introduced myself to Spencer and Kristy (his wife) as Jon’s brother-in-law. That got a really nice reaction from both of them. Spencer said he’d make sure I got an additional print of the installation. Cool!

As queer as it sounds (and Morty and Jon can shut right now!) – as I stood there, either posing or in between shots, I kept coming back to an episode of ‘My So-Called Life’ voice over:

Sometimes it seems like we're all living in, like, some kind of prison. And the crime is how much we hate ourselves. It's good to get really dressed up, once in a while. And admit the truth. That when you really look closely, people are so strange and so complicated that they're actually...beautiful. Possibly even me.