Well, here we are again, making one more attempt at this "new normal" shit that’s been kicking every business owner in the area while they’re down. And, like Rocky Balboa, the clubs just keep getting back up and refusing to give in. A very, very special "thank you" and "you rock" goes out to our advertisers, current and past (we know times are tough and will still be here for you, when your books are back in the black).
Since we have last hit the press, some good news has come from the transition into 2021. Taboo Video has a new location on SE Stark (at 148th), Guilty Pleasures has a new Asian-Mexican fusion menu, Cheetahs is keeping Salem happy after dark and several clubs have adapted to outdoor patio and/or technicality adoption to keep their doors open. Meanwhile, movie theaters are afraid to open and your favorite band is still postponing gigs. The Portland adult industry deserves a medal (or ten) for refusing to die—it’s like the child of Betty White and Keith Richards, mixed with Al Jourgensen’s blood and oil from a Subaru.
Now, onto some housekeeping and curtain calls...
For the bulk of the last five years, I have had the absolute pleasure of being given the "editor" title at Exotic, and, to be blunt, working for the only adult publication to have survived decades in the Portland (and surrounding) area(s) has been nothing short of an accomplishment. Helping to organize and put together this magazine has been an interesting voyage and I’ve learned more than I could have ever hoped to at Portland state—until you’ve been up at the crack of dawn, arguing with your coworkers about whether or not "buttplug" is hyphenated, I’m not sure if you can call yourself a supervisor of journalistic integrity.
With that said, I planned on leaving my duties as editor for Exotic, back in November (on completely good terms, unrelated to anything or anyone affiliated with the magazine... explanation below). However, due to Fuhrer Kate Brown’s monthly cycle not seeing its shadow by press time, we were unable to get a December issue out before clubs were re-re-closed. So, while I have already moved on from my gig as editor (I currently work at an alpaca farm, or at least that’s what I’m telling our readers), I felt it was important to help with transitioning the "December-Slash-January-Slash-February- Slash-March-Slash-Okay-I-Guess-It’s- April" issue that you are (hopefully) holding in your hands.
If all goes as planned, the "new" editor will actually be an older editor—one who trained me. Think of it like the Bush years, if W. had come before his daddy. Or, maybe like an Old Luke Skywalker versus Cool Black Guy From The New Movies dynamic. However you chop it up and hide it from the bouncer, my "replacement" will be a familiar face who knows their shit. Ooh! Sam Adams and Ted Wheeler. That’s the example I’m looking for. But, without all the underage dating or catch-and-releasing of violent adult toddlers (who hide behind the banner of activism in order to throw tantrums— that gig is for writers, of whom I will remain among).
On that note...there is a lot of speculation as to whether or not "Ray is right-wing" or whether or not politics has anything to do with my decision to bail from pretty much anything that requires visiting downtown Portland. And, I will say this once and only once: I remain a die-hard, classical liberal, complete with "No Step On Snek" tattoo and gay neighbors whose pot I guard with an AR-15 while they’re away.
In 2004, when I started writing for Exotic, I was a free speech advocate who promoted self-ownership, all genders, the entire "kink" spectrum, feminism-by-pre-2010-definition, anti-racism, anti-fascism, anti-statism and pro-small-business attitudes. NONE OF THAT HAS CHANGED. Rather, I’m choosing to disassociate from the people who only claim to be in favor of the liberal traditions I’ve outlined here—I’m done with fake, sycophantic, narcissistic, overwhelmingly white, rich, arrogant, smug and otherwise forgettable human beings who have turned Portland into their own personal litter box, because their parents (excuse me, daycare staff) never told them "no." I’m also done with the gigantic, leftist asterisks that comes next to every basic moral stance that used to be commonplace. "Well, technically, blue people can’t be racist toward green people and it’s okay for some genders to hate other genders, because systems of power and the patriarchy and..." Stop. This is why no one wants to pay off your college loans. Buzzwords are not a substitute for a heart or a spine. Remember the gay-bashing, puritan, overly religious bigots of the ‘80s and ‘90s? Congratulations. They’re back, just more "tolerant" and "inclusive." Remember, kids—it’s still boot licking, even if you switch to the left foot.
I’m down for the actual cause. I totally acknowledge, for instance, "white privilege." The thing is, I just think the phrase also applies to mobs of Caucasian youth who smash windows and burn down black-owned businesses, while claiming to be "allies," because they’re doing it to "fight racism," knowing damn well they won’t even catch an hour of community service for terrorizing their neighbors over an election loss from 2016 (of note, Trump paid absolutely zero taxes for the time he spent in the heads of his biggest critics—and some of them haven’t even evicted the guy, because a "progressive" city government won’t allow it).
If Portland wanted to fix racism locally, it would start with burning down the New Seasons on MLK and move on to the McMansions on Alberta, currently owned by transplants who displaced black residents and replaced them with signs that say they matter. There’s no confederate flags or MAGA banners in the yards of gentrified Portland neighborhoods— if any type of white supremacy is to blame, it’s of the left-leaning, woke variety. So, no—I’m not a conservative, just a disenfranchised liberal who is sick of watching any credibility my camp has earned be tossed out the window in exchange for a few social media brownie points and a shot at dating the hairy girl in the A.C.A.B. shirt. The arrogance and hypocrisy of my own peers has caused me to walk away from the faux-activists, who feel that throwing a brick into an Apple store is the same thing as refusing to move seats on the bus or giving a speech about racial unity. I’d rather be surrounded by under-educated rednecks than over-educated, elitist nu-liberals—you can’t feed a family on platitudes about how Dad’s business was destroyed for a good cause.
Basically, I haven’t changed a bit. Portland has. And, when it’s time to go, it’s time to go. I am no longer able to give to Exotic (or any remaining Portland institution) the love it deserves, any more than I’d be able to promote an ex-girlfriend’s OnlyFans account. The Rose City really smells like poo-poo if you spend too much time in it. On a positive note, this industry (and, to some extent, this magazine) is the only remaining beacon of genuine, old-Portland "weird." If it weren’t for the strip clubs, porn stores, music venues, The Roxy and variety shows, I would have bailed years ago. I fully support and back the Portland nightlife scene and I will until my dying day. However, I’m taking my own advice, so to speak, and giving up my platform to someone who currently deserves it more than I do. Now, if only the dirty white kids in black hoodies would do the same, instead of burning down Reo’s Ribs or torching a church that provides shelter for the houseless.
Cheers, folks. Thanks for the memories. Here’s to a fantastic 2021.
SAT 10—GUILTY PLEASURES—ONYX’S BIRTHDAY PARTY
FRI 16—STARS CABARET (SALEM)—TAX RELIEF FRIDAY
SAT 24—GUILTY PLEASURES—SCOTT’S BIRTHDAY EXTRAVAGANZA
WEEKLY—VICTRESS—24-HOUR WEEKENDS
DAILY—CABARET—HAPPY HOUR 11AM-5PM
DAILY—DV8—HAPPY HOUR NOON-3PM
