Imposture

Reading in Picturing Ourselves: Photography and Autobiography (Linda Haverty Rugg, 1997) how attentive Samuel Clemens was to building the identity of Mark Twain through photographs--images that seem to supply the viewer w an uncensored look at the author,Twain writing, the viewer invited into the bedroom, an autobiography dictated to an employee, often with another assistant in attendance. Clemens/Twain was concerned about others passing themselves off as Mark Twain, fakes of an already imaginary character. The author notes the concept of 'imposture': "the act or practice of deceiving by means of an assumed character or name". I felt I was embarked on a level of imposture throughout this time, as I assumed the name Jack, my given middle name, moving away from the bland Jim but unwilling to go the route of most gay men I knew in San Francisco using full first names: James, Robert, and the like. I resonate with wanting to hold onto my creation--I kept these images of some stranger trying to be me beneath the bed in a box. Like Clemens, I purport to allow you to get to know me, inviting you into my bedroom where previously on the camera and myself engaged in conversation. By revealing my Polaroid images, I invite you to hang out in the flat after some great gig at 330 Grove or the Mabuhay Gardens. Imagine we talk about the events of the day: Anita Bryant and the Briggs Initiative, the sad end of Nancy Spungeon, or the sad state of punk rock and new wave in general.