S4E10 - Mike B., 69. NYC

Fruitbowl: An Oral History of Queer Sex

Listen on Apple Podcasts Listen on Spotify

Mike had a lot of variables to balance while coming of age in the 70s and 80s: the sexual revolution & liberation, drug culture, AIDS, social stigma and intimacy. And being out wasn’t an option while he was working on Wall Street for 15 years. Through all of it, Mike tried to stay true to himself while figuring out that, as sexual beings, we are in a constant state of evolution.

And let’s not forget his sexy adventures: his first time having sex with a man he met through a personals ad; frisky times in NYC sex clubs; a cross country trip exploring the gay bars and cruising sites of America; exploring the “Meat Rack” of Fire Island while doing acid. Those were some good times.

Later in life, Mike became a leader and activist, sitting on executive boards of many national gay organizations. Now he dedicates himself to educating and learning from younger generations via his popular Instagram account (@bammer47), a YouTube channel and podcast. His hope is that, by engaging with different generations will bring us all closer together.

Sounds a lot like what I try to do with Fruitbowl which makes it so amazing that Mike agreed to contribute his history to our archive. I know you'll find a lot to relate to with his story.

Are you in Seattle? Come to our first ever LIVE Fruitbowl event, PASSIONFRUIT on August 4, 2022. Learn more and RSVP HERE.

Learn more about the recent Monkeypox outbreak via the CDC website.

Thanks to our post-production sponsor, the new SPACES app, powered by Hornet! Learn more about it HERE.

This episode was edited by Danny Tayara and mixed by Ryan Weadon. Rebecca M. Davis is the season 4 voice of Fruitbowl. Dave Quantic is the creator and host of Fruitbowl.

Submit your own story for inclusion in a future episode! Describe a sexy hook up or something you’ve learned about sex via SPACES, email or record a story via your phone’s voice memo app and email it to [e-mail].

Fruitbowl is produced independently without corporate media infrastructure or full time staff. Every interview is recorded in-person, on location in each interviewee’s home and production expenses including travel, accommodations, equipment rental are paid for out of pocket by Dave Quantic, FRUITBOWL’s creator.

The only consistent financial support (currently $283/mo.) comes from Fruitbowl’s Patreon community. A minimum $5 monthly donation allows patrons early access to episodes, behind the scenes updates and Salad Tosser tier patrons ($10/mo.) receive access to exclusive video content that is not available to the general public. Learn more about how to become a patron at: https://www.patreon.com/fruitbowlpodcast

Larger donations and underwriting/advertising fees are 100% tax deductible through a partnership with Northwest Film Forum’s fiscal sponsorship program. FRUITBOWL RECEIVES NO DIRECT FUNDING FROM NWFF, only the use of their non-profit status to receive tax deductible donations. For more information check out: https://www.fruitbowlpodcast.com/donate

Tell your friends about Fruitbowl, rate us on your podcast platform or write a review on Apple Podcast. Every little bit helps. And, of course you can also follow us, for now, on twitter at Fruitbowlpod and Instagram and Tik Tok at fruitbowlpodcast.

Find out more about Rebecca M. Davis at https://www.instagram.com/stayuplateshow/

Fruitbowl’s fruit artwork was created by Patrick Stephenson of Bearpad! https://bearpad.storenvy.com/

Swimming in Florida

This is the pool where Mike describes spying on the men’s locker room. His brother was confused, “Why don’t you just go in the locker room to look?”

Mike in his 20s
Personals Ad

This is the personals ad that appeared in an independent newspaper in Boston which led Mike to have his first gay sexual experience.

The Grand Canyon

Just one of many vacation photos Mike took during his cross-country journey visiting different towns and sampling all the different gay bars and cruising areas.

Beau at WCPC in San Diego

This is the bartender that picked up Mike in San Diego. They spent the rest of the summer together.

Beau and His Car

Beau lookin’ cool in San Diego, 1979.

San Diego Citation

This is the ticket Mike got in San Diego for running naked on the beach.

Mike in the Sun

Mike living the good life.

Bar Ratings

This is just one page from Mike’s catalog of all the different bars he went to on his cross country journey.

With Friends at Lake Michigan
Mike's LTR

Mike and his former partner in Cape Town, 2004. They were together for 12 years.

Mike and his former partner.

Provincetown, 2012.

Puerta Vallarta, 2007