BijouBlog

By Will Seagers

Hi Folks, Will here! As this blog's title might imply, it wasn't my foot that got me in many booths! It might have been some other body parts! Regardless, over the years they have worked their charms.

Back to the story. If my memory serves me, the year was 1979 and the place was Cherry Grove, Fire Island. My partner Tommy and I were on "The Island" having a ball on vacation... a slightly different experience for me, as I had worked the prior three years in The Pines as a waiter, bartender and lifeguard.

We started off our vacation in Cherry Grove at The Belvedere - that landmark Victorian guest house situated on the Bay. Our accommodations were acceptable. But, not being air conditioned and with unusually high heat and humidity as I remember, it was uncomfortable to say the least.

A friend in need! While out one night, we ran into a dear buddy that I made during my three years working on the "Island" - Dr. Bob. We mentioned our Belvedere predicament and he generously offered his guest room to us. We snapped up his offer! Bob was a legend on the Island and in New York's gay scene in general. People would drop by his place in the city and on the Island routinely for a quick "pick me up" B-12 shot to help with endurance through the long sleepless NYC and Fire Island weekends.

It was here that I met another of my sound engineer legends and best buds - Lew. Although he was a good-looking and very intelligent guy, the sparks never flew from my side. Although I knew for the first couple of years he wanted to terrorize me with his sizeable appendage! Our first encounter was an orgy that took place in Dr. Bob's bay-facing backyard. There were four or five of us, naked and aroused, watching a slightly younger guy sucking the daylights out of Lew's ten-pounder! The next thing I heard was Lew's request - "Why don't you suck it?" That was directed at me. I liked Lew but I didn't feel any chemistry. Plus, I was in the early stages of a relationship with my partner who was right there next to me... It was awkward. However, the rest of the guys all lined up, so Lew was fine!

That chance backyard encounter started a friendship. At the time, I lived in San Francisco. Lew flew out from N.Y. frequently to San Francisco for mini-vacations and also to ply his trade as a sound engineer. It was this part of him that I really took to. He soon found out that I had aspirations to be a "sound man." We spoke frequently and at great lengths about the principles of the audio world.

I visited Lew in N.Y. at his fourth story walk up apartment in Chelsea frequently. Being at one of the high points of my porn career, he loved taking me to many of the clubs whose sound systems he designed to "show me off." Although it was not one of his clubs, we visited Paradise Garage! Here, after a tour of the dance area, he took me to the booth to see its wonders and meet the legendary Larry Levan. Larry was cordial but totally preoccupied with his music. The booth was a technical marvel with its hydraulically-mounted platform upon which the three Thorens turntables were mounted. This platform not only served to isolate the gear from vibrations, but could be custom tailored to the height of each performing DJ! The sound was legendary and I soon made it to the dance floor to take part in the Saturday night ritual!

Although not "In Bed" with Lew - so to speak - that whole situation changed with with my next "beau" from the Pines, Michael. Our dreamy encounters in the Pines solidified into a real brick and mortar dance palace called Dreamland. That will be the topic of the next chapter! Keep those Capezios on and ready to dance!

Bio of Will Seagers:

Will Seagers (also credited as Matt Harper), within his multifaceted careers and participation in numerous gay communities across the country in the '70s and '80s and beyond, worked as a print model, film performer, and DJ, just to name a few. He made iconic appearances in releases from Falcon, Hand in Hand, Joe Gage, Target (Bullet), J. Brian, Steve Scott, and more, including in lead roles in major classics like Gage's L.A. Tool & Die (1979) and Scott's Wanted (1980). He brought strong screen presence and exceptional acting to his roles and was scene partners with many fellow legends of classic porn.

Will Seagers, recent photo

By Will Seagers

Hi folks - Will here! In this second of (#?) installments, we'll have a look at the behind the scenes aspects of club life - that "Sacred Territory" known as “the booth” - from the perspective of a guest to a DJ plying his/her trade. That Ivory Tower you might have gazed upon during your many club excursions holds a lot more mystery than you might think!

Myself, I held that territory and the DJ within at high esteem. In just a few years, I watched booths morph into "musical altars" from their very humble beginnings as just a place to play records and put the musical equipment. And with reverence, whether at a simple dance bar or a dance palace, an invisible line existed around "Le Discaire" (DJ) that you never crossed (unless, of course, you were invited!). During my first few years as a disco reveler, I was relegated to the dance floor with the masses - only to cast my longing glances at the booth! That was about to change.

It was after I moved to San Francisco in 1976 that I decided to create some music of my own. Although the town had its own great distinctive sound, I missed the burly, manly, and urban sounds from New York's underground scene. My first partner, Tommy, worked at Hamburger Mary's on Folsom St. It was famous for food, drink and Live DJs. Quickly, I became friends with the house DJs and was always welcome in their booth. They knew my musical aspirations and would let me play briefly when they needed to take a break. That got my motor running!

One of the DJs (Tess) played rock and the other (Lee) played dance music. Lee and I made it a ritual every Friday afternoon for him to come to my place with his bag of new records from the record pool to audition on my home mixing system. This gave me a front row seat to hear all that was new and fresh - good or bad. It also gave me the shove that I needed to start a small cassette taping business for friends, restaurants and small businesses. This grew quickly and favorable word got out about my music.

This leads me to my first gig as a DJ. Somehow, the owner of a new gym opening at Castro and Market was given one of my current tapes and he contacted me. He asked me to play for their grand opening party. I believe the year was 1977. But, I am foggy on the name of the gym, itself. Anyway, this was how I got to meet a legendary sound man Bruce Trondson. Our meeting was not cordial at all. He wanted to know why an unknown like me was playing while there were dozens of S.F. DJs to chose from. He hinted that it was just because I was a porno star. He actually said it right in front of me. I threw major shade and said, "Wait and see." Long story short, he was testing a brand new amp - a Unisync - which literally caught on fire right at the beginning of the party. He was pulling out his hair because he did not have a back-up amp. Being my first official gig, I wanted to play on my own turntables and mixer (and had even brought along a Phase Linear 700 power amp - just in case). Bruce's attitude about me radically changed. He hooked up the Phase 700 and the party roared on! And, the crowd liked my music! From that point on, we started to become friends. Over the years, we became very close and exchanged a lot of creative ideas. I went on to work with him at San Francisco's "Music Hall" on Larkin Street.

P.S. I wasn't using that Phase 700 in my home system. So, I let Bruce hold onto it. He wound up putting it into the Trocadero Transfer sound system as its bass cabinet amplifier! (At 350 watts/channel, it was well qualified to do the job.)

I also did a similar gig at a Folsom Street bar called “The Black and Blue.” There, I hauled my home system just a short distance to the bar. (For a dozen plus years, I lived in the South of Market area at 10th and Howard Streets.) For this venue, I played very low tempo bath house-style (sexy) music since there was no dancing. It seemed to go over well. The men in attendance were hot and flirtatious - I almost lost my concentration on the music! LOL.

In my next installment, I will describe some sexual encounters from Fire Island that landed me in booths in New York as a guest and behind the turntables at San Francisco's “Dreamland!” You never know what "Treat" is going to happen after the "Trick!" Happy Halloween to all!

Bio of Will Seagers:

Will Seagers (also credited as Matt Harper), within his multifaceted careers and participation in numerous gay communities across the country in the '70s and '80s and beyond, worked as a print model, film performer, and DJ, just to name a few. He made iconic appearances in releases from Falcon, Hand in Hand, Joe Gage, Target (Bullet), J. Brian, Steve Scott, and more, including in lead roles in major classics like Gage's L.A. Tool & Die (1979) and Scott's Wanted (1980). He brought strong screen presence and exceptional acting to his roles and was scene partners with many fellow legends of classic porn.

Will Seagers, recent photo

By Will Seagers

Hi folks! Will here! So many times as I set out to write these blogs, I feel that I have hit a bit of a wall in terms of finding worthy and interesting material. That was the case today until out of the blue I started to think about bars and dance clubs that have given me so many great memories.

Starting at the beginning, my long time buddy Michael from my home state of New Jersey and I worked our way into a local Asbury Park bar called Danny's Golden Dragon, both at the tender age of 18. The legal age to enter was 21. But, depending on who was the doorman, we would ply our charms at the door and (as promised) after the bar closed. Tee hee hee! That year would be 1969. This was a rather large bar with a dance floor at the end of which was a Seeburg Jukebox. This was in the era before mixed music from a Disc Jockey even was a thought. The dancing was simple and everyone flooded the floor when tunes from The Supremes, Marvin Gaye and the like would come on said jukebox. At this age, I had never danced before. But, I had a lot of wonderful tutors who were eager to show me... wink.

That Asbury Park venue was soon followed by another just down the street - the M&K. It started off as a tavern with lots of sexy locals. The owner expanded the place and added a back room just for dancing - Asbury's first discotheque! At the end of its raised and colorfully under-lit dance floor was the first DJ Booth that I had ever encountered. John, the DJ, at first played very much like a juke box - no mixing to speak of. And, with really popular tunes, he would play a song over again! Soon slip-cuing and blending followed. The crowd really took to his performances.

I can't leave my Jersey Shore roots without mentioning the El Moroccan Room, also in Asbury Park. The music was a cut above all the other local places. There was a reason. The disc jockey was Richie Kaczor who went on to be one of the lead disc jockeys at Studio 54 in New York. Most of the music that he played I still have in my record collection to this date.

Moving ahead a couple of years, I was living in Jersey City - right across the Hudson River from New York City! Things had already kicked into high gear with a lot of the bars and clubs in the Village in terms of DJs replacing the jukeboxes. But, a totally new thing was springing up all over lower Manhattan - private loft style clubs.

My first experience was going to one of these "clubs" with a dear friend of mine named Mark. The club was the Gay Activist Alliance's home base called The Firehouse. Every Saturday night a private party was thrown in its authentic and vacated four floor fire house on Wooster St. in the SoHo area. The music was amazing and like nothing I had ever heard before. Barry Lederer was the first actual mixing DJ that I had ever had the pleasure of listening and dancing to. I would go to the level above where he played just to watch him. He worked with two RCA 45 RPM spindle type turntables and toggled between them without a mixer. His sense of taste and timing were incredible. He went on with his lover Peter to form Graebar Sound. This company's sound systems graced many clubs in many cities such as Trocadero and Dreamland in S.F. and The Saint in N.Y. just to name a few. Oh, and BTW, Mark became the legendary light man of The Saint!

As a dancing reveler in San Juan, P.R. I cannot leave out The Abbey in Old San Juan. While living and working in P.R. I spent almost every Saturday night enjoying local and N.Y. DJs in this quaintly converted chapel. It was the early 70s in the golden age of aviation. Every winter weekend, NYC flew down to San Juan to party.

Moving right along, living in Manhattan gave me a wealth of clubs to visit, as well. But, the one that conjurs up the best memory was The Loft. This was a weekly event held at the private loft of David Mancuso. His sound system was extraordinary - Klipsche speakers and Mark Levinson electronics. David chose not to use a mixer. The ones available at that time did not have the sonic quality to fit into is demanding taste. Nonetheless, he seamlessly stitched together legendary nights of music for his revelers!

Jumping around chronologically, I need to mention other New York paradigms of entertainment. 12 West, Le Jardin, and of course Flamingo. Although all of them were wonderful clubs, Flamingo holds more memories for me than about any other club. As a wintering ground for the Fire Island 500, this very private club sported not only a great dance floor, incomparable DJs, but also a central gallery just before the dance floor representing art from the very members themselves. Fresh fruit, snacks and non-alcholocic beverages were adjacent to the gallery area. It was truly a club paradise!

While working on Fire Island in the pines during the years of '76, '77 and '78, my "neighborhood bars" included The Sandpiper with Robbie Leslie at the wheels of steel and Cherry Grove's Ice Palace where a plethora of top Manhattan DJs would play. Permanently etched in my memory is a night I will never forget in 1975. Just prior to my working there, my friend Roger and I along with the frenzied party goers at the Ice Palace literally collapsed one end of the dance floor! Keep in mind, this was in Fire Island where many buildings were elevated on piles. The DJ politely stopped the music "congratulated" the dancers and relocated the crowd to another part of that same dance floor to continue their night! Now, that's what I call a party!

I'll be back with more!

Bio of Will Seagers:

Will Seagers (also credited as Matt Harper), within his multifaceted careers and participation in numerous gay communities across the country in the '70s and '80s and beyond, worked as a print model, film performer, and DJ, just to name a few. He made iconic appearances in releases from Falcon, Hand in Hand, Joe Gage, Target (Bullet), J. Brian, Steve Scott, and more, including in lead roles in major classics like Gage's L.A. Tool & Die (1979) and Scott's Wanted (1980). He brought strong screen presence and exceptional acting to his roles and was scene partners with many fellow legends of classic porn.

Will Seagers, recent photo

By Will Seagers

Hello Folks. Will Here! The title of this piece refers to a philosophical retrospective on my life and what I thought were catastrophic events, but turned out to be the flow of good fortunes that followed... "Life Goes On."

I am an emotional and caring individual who, over the years, has developed an actual talent of hiding my feelings lest they be taken advantage of or manipulated. Suffering from an almost "Pollyanna" belief in the goodness of humanity, I have had some rude awakenings.

As a child, I endured painful events both physical and social. The physical was having two congenital inguinal hernias. At the age of seven, I had my first hernia repair. Back in those days, the procedure left me with what I called a Frankenstein scar and a lack of mobility for several weeks. But, my scar healed I and moved along my path of life with few, if any, people noticing this scar even with the close up lenses of cameras to come.

On this path of life, personality traits started to surface that were sort of androgynous... the "gay thing" was starting to happen. One memory early in my childhood was having my father enroll me in little league. I liked the t-shirt and cap I wore and that's where it ended. I was terrified of throwing, running and all of the activities that would have given away my little secret. My parents saw my anxiety and let me off the hook... Life strangely move me onto another sports arena... track and field. I could run, leap and bound my way into acceptance.

In middle school, my appreciation and participation in the arts brought me further into expressing myself. And, it was at this point - a point of no return - that I said to myself: "to hell with what other people think of me!" If I appeared to be gay... so be it.

With the flurry of hormones one experiences in adolescence, it was a good thing that I had made friends with myself and enjoyed the encounters of boys discovering themselves and other boys. No longer willing to be stifled, there were some heavy encounters with my parents. Without saying it, I let them know that this is who I am. Mind you, it did not come from a place of defiance. I knew that it was a more difficult path to walk. And, one that felt right to me.

The first romantic encounter that I can remember happened in my early twenties. Although sex had been plentiful, it was just sex. Then, a most beautiful fellow entered into the picture who stopped me dead in my tracks. At that time, I was a steward in the airlines. We met in a local Jersey Shore gay club. I was thrilled when saw that our attraction was mutual. The sex was crazy - and like I had never had before. I fell head over heels in love. Tall, very well built and with a full flaxen head of hair, I thought I had met my soulmate. This was my "Pollyanna" talking. The depth of my feelings were countered by the superficiality of his. The relationship lasted only long enough for him to take notes. In short order after we parted ways, he became a steward and I was not surprised when I saw him gracing the pages of several Colt magazines. Only now do I feel the pleasure of having been a role model.

After we split up, I had a bit of a breakdown and actually got sick. This emotional and physical malady eventually faded away. I learned a lot about him, but even more about myself. It was years before I was romantically involved again. I really needed to let life go on without any entanglements.

It was about five years later when I moved to San Francisco and had my first true love affair. Tommy and I met almost immediately after I arrived in the city by the bay. It was the first time that I felt a mutual love. We moved in together after a few short weeks of courting. We remained together until his passing fourteen years later in 1989. Here is when I thought for the first time that life wasn't moving on. Losing a true partner is devastating. It took almost five years before I felt comfortable enough to experience that special feeling again. But, life moved on, after all.

Seven years later, in 1995, my spouse and I met at the Roxy Dance Hall in the Chelsea section of New York. That night, we had a lot of fun dancing up a storm and flirting like crazy. At sunrise, when we left the club, I told him that I really wanted to see him again. As overly dramatic as it seemed, I could feel that this was the person that I really wanted to be with. Life did go on for us. We became the couple of my dreams, living in NYC and then moving to the Southwest, where we bought a home together and ultimately got married in 2022.

In my mid seventies, I do a lot of recollecting and reminiscing. I am grateful for my life, my dear friends and especially my spouse. I guess I am forever that "Pollyanna," still looking forwards to the future as life goes on!

Bio of Will Seagers:

Will Seagers (also credited as Matt Harper), within his multifaceted careers and participation in numerous gay communities across the country in the '70s and '80s and beyond, worked as a print model, film performer, and DJ, just to name a few. He made iconic appearances in releases from Falcon, Hand in Hand, Joe Gage, Target (Bullet), J. Brian, Steve Scott, and more, including in lead roles in major classics like Gage's L.A. Tool & Die (1979) and Scott's Wanted (1980). He brought strong screen presence and exceptional acting to his roles and was scene partners with many fellow legends of classic porn.

Will Seagers, recent photo

By Will Seagers

Hi Folks - Will here! This week's endeavor deals with one of the seven deadly sins - Pride. I hope to convey some of my personal thoughts about pride, whether it be personal pride or collective pride - AKA Gay Pride.

Regarding personal pride, I looked to my family in my early years for role models. My mother and father were a stunning couple and took a great deal of pride in the genetic hand they were dealt. On my father's side was a mixture of Scots and Irish. Our family clan - my real birth surname was one of the largest in Scotland. I studied that in my 30s and attended gatherings while living in California. On my mother's side, her mother was second generation Irish and her father was born in Belfast, Northern Ireland. Graced with good looks, they showed their appreciation by a lifetime of self preservation and preening!

I noticed a different level of hereditary pride in the generation of my great-uncle (and godfather). He was Irish and was proud enough to burst! LOL. I will never forget when JFK was elected... he was ecstatic! I spent a great deal of time with him and my aunt (my godmother) during my youth. As a child at family gatherings, I was obliged to sing Irish folk songs and dance the jigs! It was fun and challenging, looking back now.

By my teens, I started to notice my hereditary traits were showing up. Like my folks from generations past, I took pride in them and made the most of them in later years (wink!). It was not an easy journey in high school, however. I was gay and knew it. I didn't flaunt it. Nor did I try to mask it by "fitting in" and hiding anything. That was my form of pride that never wavered throughout the rest of my life. Being myself.

I was never a fan of forcing my beliefs on anyone. I felt it set up two battlefields: 1) making someone else uncomfortable and 2) not taking into consideration whether the other person(s) had the intellectual capacity for that kind of difference. As a result, I made a broad spectrum of friends throughout my life. With my straight friends and in various work situations, I always liked to inject self deprecating humor to keep things light. It never bothered me to place myself as the butt of a joke... I knew better!

Enter living in gay communities. I was always drawn to NYC because of my close proximity in northern NJ. And, NYC was a great testing ground for living in a gay community. Mine was the West Village and the Upper West Side. It wasn't so much acceptance as it was a feeling of no one caring about me being "different." Living in NYC was a great lesson. You could observe all sorts of people together without conflict. People thrived on and were proud of their differences.

Then onto living in a gay ghetto. When I moved to San Francisco in 1976, I quickly learned that there were distinct neighborhoods. My first was The Castro followed by South of Market. It was a double dose of concentrated gaiety, to say the least. What had seemed eccentric and outlandish were quite the norm in these neighborhoods. I really liked how much I was learning about the "culture" in my first few years. And, it fit like a glove! However, I did bring along my own form of pride, as mentioned earlier. I figured the best way for the whole town to get along was not to force a lifestyle down anyone's throat. Be accepted by not being obnoxious. It worked for me, and once again in work situations, too.

I am proud of who I am and what I have accomplished over the decades. I have done everything from bringing home boyfriends for my parents to meet (regardless of their reactions) to getting legally married to my current spouse. I also have pride in the work I've done in adult media. It was a colorful and wonderful decade, where once again I didn't want to force any ideas. My point was to be as “sex-succesful” as possible. As you can see, I have had nothing to hide and plenty to share. So, whether it's a Giorgio Armani suit or chaps... I have tried to wear it well!

Double-breasted suit or birthday suit?

Bio of Will Seagers:

Will Seagers (also credited as Matt Harper), within his multifaceted careers and participation in numerous gay communities across the country in the '70s and '80s and beyond, worked as a print model, film performer, and DJ, just to name a few. He made iconic appearances in releases from Falcon, Hand in Hand, Joe Gage, Target (Bullet), J. Brian, Steve Scott, and more, including in lead roles in major classics like Gage's L.A. Tool & Die (1979) and Scott's Wanted (1980). He brought strong screen presence and exceptional acting to his roles and was scene partners with many fellow legends of classic porn.

Will Seagers, recent photo