I wish I knew some intelligent people to send this CD to. It is fresh -- I have never read anything like it -- it is an exquisite work of art. There is nothing new under the sun except the individual and Donald Currie's inspiring telling of his story is no less than brilliant, sensitive and by the way, hilarious. More than anything else the CD left me with a feeling of profound joy.

“This is my story, most of it true. It’s a tawdry tale...but then, whose isn’t?” says Donald Currie at the start of Sex and Mayhem. It’s a sensible proclamation for an audio memoir that paints its protagonist as something of a gay everyman. More specifically, it’s the autobiography of a survivor of the generation hardest hit by AIDS, but because this is only Part One, the emphasis is really on his coming of age in the early 1960s. Tragedy tomorrow—comedy tonight! As the narration reminds us throughout, things were different before Stonewall, even in Currie’s native San Francisco. For him, being a closeted gay boy wasn’t much easier there than anywhere else at the time, and one had to find outlets; Currie’s included escaping to such gotta-see films as Marilyn Monroe first-runs and lip-synching to Eartha Kitt or Edith Piaf on vinyl. But however much the trappings may have changed in 40 or so years, Currie’s polished script simultaneously captures the rites of passage that haven’t: the sense of shame and isolation, the lurid fantasies, the awkward first quickies, and, of course, drama club. The Physique magazines of Currie’s youth or the hard-core Internet porn of today—what gay man doesn’t fundamentally recognize himself on either side of that equation? Stripping away the universal elements, Sex and Mayhem is a long but entertaining buildup toward Currie’s first real love. Flashbacks of his childhood, adolescence, and freshman year in college collide from one segment to the next, yet always with purpose and a sense of structure. A conversational tangent about movies and musicals arcs back to the main thread almost seamlessly without ever seeming like a waste of time. Whatever indulgence might be expected from this kind of vanity project is quickly deflated by the ruthless sense of humor that spares no one in the monologue, least of all its author. Besides writing and directing his entire performance, Currie is an able raconteur, aided in this endeavor by snippets of background music and a few production effects, not to mention the training and experience as an actor that are the primary basis for the memories he recounts here. If he treads a bit into Garrison Keillor sentimentality toward the end, it’s well-earned. At present Currie is wrapping up Part Two, and from the hints dropped in its predecessor, we probably can expect quite a ride. The best part of which, perhaps, is simply knowing that Currie lived to document those years of his life for us.

Undoubtedly the closest you can get to Technicolor imagery without benefit of a screen, Donald Currie's outrageous, let it all hang out audiobook is a trip and a half. Reliving the saga of a San Francisco freshman's first love during the early 60s, this flaming faggot flashback brilliantly fulfills its creators' intent to create "a movie made of sound." Currie's tale of a horny student "with a penchant for melodrama and a propensity for premature ejaculation" is, at the least, endlessly amusing, and at the most profoundly inspiring. Our hero's (or is it heroine's?) hysterical perambulations through familial disapprobation, muscle magazines, Hollywood epics, and the San Francisco State Drama Department's students and faculty are portrayed in an unfaltering voice that frequently assumes the phony English accent of Hollywood damsels of decadespast. Are we listening to Rosalind Russell, Auntie Mame, or Donald Currie? Who is Donald Currie, and what does he really sound like? And does it matter? What does matter is the sheer joy and exuberance of this tale of sexual emergence in the years before Stonewall. Fantasy abounds, the kind of fantasy that continually fuels the masturbatory mania of men who dare not reveal their secret. That the imagery is in some ways unique to Currie's era (and my own) adds to the phantasmagoric aspect of our narrator's fascinating flings. Any male of any era who has found himself stalling when his high school teacher asked him to stand because he was trying to hide his boner under his desk will squeal with delight at Currie's unbridled gallop through the recesses of a hardly-closeted mind. The format is non-stop narrative, complete with brilliant musical interjections chosen by Currie and seamlessly interwoven with assistance from Jason Gorski. Current available at http://cdbaby.com/donaldcurrie, the disc is Part One of four; Part Two is due in November. Currie has already been named "Best Literary Performer" by the Stonewall Society, and has been the subject of numerous radio interviews. His history includes Gestalt Fool Theatre Family performances at the Fillmore with the Grateful Dead, founding Western Onion Singing Telegrams, phone work for what later became the SF AIDS Foundation, and a fifteen year practice of Chinese medicine. While it is doubtful that his raunchy, no holds barred honesty and hilarious homo-eroticism will result in an audience at the White House, his oversized evocations are destined to earn him accolades from far and wide. The man is a genius. Get this disc.

Self described as an "audio book" I would go more with docu-comedy. You know you are in for something different during the intro. Follow the sexual and otherwise exploits of a gay kid growing up during the 1950's in of all places, San Francisco. Donald Currie makes good use of that information. Produced, directed, performed, and about Donald Currie, so the artist is an expert on the subject. The expertise shows in his writing talents, but mostly in his verbal delivery. With a timing and inflection style which brings the dialog to life, adds meaning, and very frequently prompts laughter. Somewhat reminiscent of Charles Pierce,but with the risen tones possibly influenced by Monty Python. Donald Currie makes a literal history brief in his description of the 50's through 60's. Snappy comments and all the lines you can imagine are put to good use. The quest, of course sex. Donald meets his wonder lust in the form of a theatre professor. Of course all possible theatrical/drama quips are given new life through Currie's yearning for his desired. His take on the times is particularly entertaining, and insightful of the gay male at the times. Remember, this is pre-Stonewall. "When you could get arrested just for being in one of those places" obviously a gay bar. Currie brings all familiar aspects into the storyline. The parents, the encouraging grandmother and of course the movies. Especially the "stand and deliver" musicals. Donald knows them all and shares in a way which is amusing and momentarily touching. Back to his quest, as Currie meanders through the "deeper" issues and back to his dream lover. Of course the chase is on, and the chaser does get his wish. Sort of. You have to hear this to believe there was a time.........