Customer Reviews

Urban Aboriginals

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Today kinky people use terms like endorphins and tribe to describe what they do, but you know where those ideas came from? Geoff Mains was one of the first leathermen to take his vanilla career as a professional scientist, a biochemist, and turn his lens onto his sexuality. Today these ideas seem a bit old but this classic is something I highly recommend for anyone wanting to learn about leather history, gay leather culture, or ideas of biology and anthropology in relationship to kink. The culture Mains describes isn't always pretty, it isn't the cleaned up media picture, but it is an honest look into the leathermen of the early 1980s.

Urban Aboriginals is one of the most thought provoking, exciting and well-written ethnographies I have ever read. Geoff Mains is witty in his writing as he passionately introduces the reader to the real, scandalous and kinky lifestyle of The Leathermen. He takes a unique approach at introducing their way of life; he flows smoothly between objectively analyzing the men's behavior and including narrative anecdotes of their intimate lives. The book is very informative but introduces the concepts through the eyes of participating members, which seems to humanize and rationalize the otherwise obscure behavior and rituals. The lifestyle becomes real, tangible and comprehendible as it describes the personal, emotional anecdotes of the Leathermen.
The end of the ethnography examines the men's behavior as though they were part of a primitive tribe. He attempts to dissect the motives and sources of this behavior and his analyses are very plausible. The men become Urban Aboriginals, participating in a 21st century shamanistic act. Their carnal behavior is a means of attaining an altered state of consciousness that brings them closer to their higher power. Incredible.

Urban Aboriginals, by Geoff Mains, is an interesting and informative read covering the various aspects of the gay leather subculture. Though very graphic in some instances, this book portrays the leather scene in a very poetic and positive light, always emphasizing the spiritual and mental aspects over the physical. The author may be biased, but it doesn't change the fact that the book is highly interesting to read.
Throughout his book, Mains switches between describing the personal narratives of two young men and describing the leather culture from an outside perspective. This constant switching between the two points of view may initially be confusing, but in the end I believe it allows the reader to better understand the culture as a whole. The personal story portion really serves to help the reader imagine and visualize what it is like to be a part of the leather scene; from detailed accounts of erotic encounters to crystal clear narrations of social gatherings, Mains describes the scene in great detail. He then proceeds to explain, from a broader perspective, why such things occur and clarifies any questions or doubts that the reader might have. For the more science-oriented, Mains also explains and justifies many leather practices by explaining the process of endorphin release, etc.
While slightly graphic and biased towards the leather scene, Urban Aboriginals by Geoff Mains is an excellent read. I would recommend this book to anyone who is even remotely interested in alternative sexual cultures, for Mains very effectively portrays the leather culture through personal and broad perspectives. I walked away from this book with a far deeper understanding of the leather scene.

Urban Aboriginals: A Celebration of Leather Sexuality is extremely well written. It captivates audiences; especially ones who have limited knowledge of the `leather scene.' The book gives extremely intimate and detailed accounts of characters' experiences with leather encounters. This allows the reader to fully understand the complexities of `role playing' in the leather scene. It also allows the reader to understand the feelings and emotions of characters. The book also does not always assume the reader has previous knowledge about the leather scene. The author does a good job of explaining terminology.
To be honest, previous to reading Urban Aboriginals: A Celebration of Leather Sexuality, I had limited knowledge about the topic. In addition, I judged people in the leather scene as well. After reading the ethnography, I realized that the leather scene is just another way to express sexuality in a different realm. I suggest this book to anyone who does not know much about the leather scene and is open to alternative expressions of sexuality.

In his book Urban Aboriginals, Geoff Mains explores the many facets of leather culture--the people, the rituals, the places, the atmosphere, the attitudes, and the relationships. He proposes many interesting ideas about how men interested in leather negotiate power and how leather play has both recreational and therapeutic value. He also shows aspects of leather culture that would be unknown to the casual viewer--for instance the participants' views of authority. The book serves its function, which is to celebrate leather culture, but will probably leave the reader feeling the analysis is very one-sided.
After reading the book, I felt one piece of the puzzle was left unexplained. Mains fails to connect the interest this subculture has in BDSM to the material that is central to it--leather. If humans evolved from apes, then surely the skin of chimpanzees would be more in tune with our animal instincts than the skins of an animal as docile as a domesticated cow.
His explanation of physiological rewards and endorphins is intriguing and presents a novel viewpoint from which to analyze leather culture. However, at times the book overanalyzes this culture's motivations. Mains states that leathermen want to alter their state of consciousness and seek out "spiritual euphoria," but this seems to overlook the fact that this is largely about sex and that S/M is about human fantasy for sexual pleasure. The vast majority of animal species do not have sex for pleasure and do not torture each other during sex for fun. In this regard, some of his analysis seems over the top.
My biggest problem with this book is the positioning of leathermen culture above mainstream culture. Mains compares a slave putting trust in his master to Jesus' trust in God during his crucifixion. He also claims leathermen are more likely to be creative and flexible whereas non-leathermen are more likely to be rigid and neurotic. The book's tone borders on arrogant, and I found these comparisons to be slightly offensive.
Of course, this book is about "A Celebration of Leathersexuality," not a critical analysis, and perhaps Mains succeeds in this celebration. Mains successfully utilizes his expertise in psychological and physiological rewards to explain this peculiar gay subculture. The personal accounts of leathermen are the most effective means by which this book elucidates leather culture in a way outsiders can understand, even if some of its aspects don't make sense.