Interview with Redwarrior - International Community Bootblack 2010

by Slave Kassie

Slave Kassie: So Redwarrior, let's start with the obvious, why Bootblacking?

Redwarrior:  I always had a boot fetish, and a little tiny thing for leather. I heard about this thing called "bootblacking" where you could handle boots all day and provide a service for others, so I sought out a bootblack to learn more about it.

SK: How did you learn?

RW: My Master would  drive me 5 hours downstate to learn from a bootblack named chris in Fort Lauderdale Florida, as there were no bootblacks available in Jacksonville.

SK: How long have you been Bootblacking?

RW: I started in Airforce/ROTC when I was about 18 and really enjoyed shining my boots and shoes. I found it relaxing and meditative...I'd even do other people's boots and shoes. I was popular!

I started Bootblacking at an ALE (Alternative Lifestyles Enthusiasts) in St. Augustine and it was a really good experience - I got to do quite a bit of leather and everyone was really welcomed by the group members and enjoyed it so I started doing their event every month and added events to my calendar. 

SK: So, South East Community BootBlack -What was the inspiration for you to run?

RW: Originally I ran because I heard it would allow me to bootblack more. I didn't know much about leather titles at the time and but as I prepared to run, I learned a lot more and realized that it would be a great way to serve my community and promote Bootblacking to a lot more people. 

SK: What did you do to prepare?

RW: A lot of studying and a lot of Bootblacking.  I studied a lot online about leather history, other leather titles, read lots of books - It was like a leather boot camp and I devoured everything I could find to read including The Leatherman's handbook by Larry Townsend. 

The most surprising thing I learned was the huge place that leather men and women have held in promoting GLBT rights.  I was blown away hearing some of the stories of the Leathermen and Leatherwomen from Stonewall.  I read how it is thought that the first punch in the riot was thrown by a Leatherdyke and I was inspired. These were Leathermen, these are stories we don't hear that much but they are out there and really relevant and important to share.  I learned there was a whole time period missing in the memory of my generation, from about the 50's to the 90's and that Leathermen and Leatherwomen fought hard for what rights we now enjoy.

I Bootblacked anywhere they let me bootblack from fetish burlesque shows to bike week in Daytona. 

SK: What was it like in Daytona? 

RW: I had a hard time finding a good place to bootblack there. It was cold, so there was a lot of leather and a lot of craziness. It amazed me that a lot of motorcycle guys didn't want to have their boots cleaned and conditioned.  They wanted to keep them rough looking. 

SK: At Bike week, did you get a lot of business?

No, not really.  For bikers the wear on their boots and their leathers is often a sign of pride, it says they've been riding and riding a long time. It's just a different mind set.

RW: Did you think you had a chance to win SECBB?

I wasn't thinking about winning.  I was thinking about competing well and just trying to get as much from the experience as I could. My supporters seemed to think I was going to win, but I wasn't focused on the outcome.

SK: What kind of title is SECBB?

It's a player's title. What that means is that we are supposed to play. We are supposed to be seen playing, revel in playing and be unapologetic about it. My primary form of play is Bootblacking.  When I bootblack, it's a scene between me and whomever is in my chair. I knew that going into it, but I didn't totally grasp it until I had the title.  I began to see how play is really integral in my Master's and my dynamic and in other people's dynamics as well. There is a need for people to be in the community promoting play, and to be unafraid to be the first people to play.

RW: As International Community BootBlack what do you want to accomplish with this title?

I hope to get more people excited about Bootblacking. I hope to visit more groups that may not have had contact with a leather title holder before and may be curious about what Leather and Bootblacking are all about. I'm particularly interested in reaching younger and or newer members to the lifestyle, because I'd like to help dispel some of the myths about Bootblacking and Leather. 

Bootblacking is what brought me into Leather and I think it is a wonderful way to make connections with other people. Once people meet a leather person, sometimes they find out that's what they've been looking for and that becomes the beginning of their own journey.

SK: When you aren't in Title space, what is your life like?

RW: My Master and I love rope, fire...I go nuts over a single tail. We are very passionate about MAsT and we feel our time there re-energizes us and our dynamic. We're excited to be going to the Master and Slave Conference over Labor Day weekend. 

SK: What did you take away from The ICBB Weekend?

RW: I loved our class! We had a very diverse class of bootblacks and it was the largest number of Bootblack's I had ever seen in one place. I come from Jacksonville Florida where I am the Bootblack Community. It was a great feeling to go from someplace where I am always the only Bootblack to see 7 chairs lined up and really feel the Bootblack community around me.

SK: What's your most memorable moment?

RW: It's funny, because it's almost not even related to the contest but it kind of set the tone for a fun weekend.  We were standing outside of Hotel Whitcomb and there was a woman pushing a chicken down the street in a stroller, and I thought "I came all the way to San Francisco to pet a chicken?"  That and just meeting such an amazing ILSb/ICBB class.

SK: What was the most nerve wracking part of the contest?

RW: The interview. The Bootblacks had two interviews and I was most nervous about the first, which was not about Bootblacking technical skills. Because so many people that knew me at the contest were playing a mind game and I got mind fucked by my friends. With their help, I built this up in my mind, like it was going to be this terrible interrogation scene and I walk in there and everybody's nice. After a while I was at ease, but I also felt like I missed out on a hot interrogation scene because a lot of those judges would have made great interrogation Tops!

SK: Where can people see you?

RW: In the next couple of months I  will be at Leather Camp VI/Central Plains Leather Contest , The Master Slave Conference, The Femme Bootblack Weekend in Chicago, and of course I'll be back at Beyond Leather in April.

Comments

[Peter Fiske]

Hey Redwarrior: Beautiful interview. As one of the Stonewall vets you mention I was very pleased you knew that leatherfolk were a big part of the Stonewall and continue as activists in the LGBT community today.
Even though I missed the actual rebellion I spent a lot of time at the Stonewall in 1968-1969. It was a hotbed of sex, love and rocknroll and turned me into the activist I remain today.
Everyone got along at the Stonewall. Dykes, hustlers, drag queens, leatherfolk, homeless youth, latinos, blacks and this white boy from the burbs, EVERYONE. We could use more of that acceptance today in the leather Community.
We were all outlaws at Stonewall and we stuck together. Our differences dont need to define us. What we have as Kinky, Fetish or Leatherfolk bound by common interests is the real definition of our now very large and diverse tribe.

Thanks for helping me get to know who you are and good luck and much joy in your title year.