Ambush Interview #29 - Halycon

Okay, the after-sex-cuddle is now in my private collection. Very nice.

The more I find out about Hal, the more I like him, and I thought him a damn groovy individual before. tASSy, you're a lucky girl.

Awesome

Hal has been a great friend, since very shortly after I met him. He's simply a very good person with a tremendous sense of self and the confidence that comes along with that sense.

That's a 2 way street, and I think you both are lucky for it. You do a great job of being the perfect front man for Flashcash. I really can't think of anyone that would be more appropriate or better at the job.

This has been one of the few I read from beginning to end....

Over the years i have met hundreds of people inthis industry and one of the most interesting, insightful, and genuine people in my experiences has been Halcyon....

In time it is my sincere hope to find something we can collaborate on........

G, ahh the old days...pre 2000 was the best times bro.

Hal, I can't believe we never met back then...weird.

22. What are webby awards?

There were supposed to be the Internet version of the Oscars. I suppose they are still trying to be. http://www.webbyawards.com/ The first few years were major events with TV coverage and everything (There was a lot more sponsor money before the bubble burst). Sam Donaldson covered the event and even said about me, ?Get a load of that guy..he loves himself?.what an ego!?)
In 2000 they added a ?Best Personal Site? award. I won it and the People?s Choice award.

Thank you, Jim. I have much respect for you as a person and your talents. I hope we can collaborate soon.

Seriously!! Then again, there are LOTS of people I met back then while my eyes wouldn't focus. So ya never know.

Thank you. I really appreciate that from you.

cool interview

Great interview...Hal's posts always make me smile

23. What the fuck is 'digital intimacy'?

When I ran the webcam community and lived in a webcam house, I used to do all sorts of experiments to push the connecting abilities of the web.

In my mind, all people are connected. We are one. So the web is this amazing tool to help us visualize and feel that connection. My dream for the web was (as still is) that it would help people to re-learn the connection with mankind that many ?primitive? cultures already know.
One example of digital intimacy (www.digitalintimacy.com) that I still do:

Every Tuesday at 1pm I host Hug Nation (www.hugnation.com) with my 92 year old grandpa (www.grandpacaleb.com). People gather around webcams world-wide and hug themselves as they visualize people around the world that they send love to and receive love from. Grandpa and I say a few words to anchor the moment.
If you want to listen to an archive (or have lots of ammunition to make fun of me) you can listen to an MP3 here: www.hugnation.com/audio
Sometimes you can connect with someone through your computer that touches your heart in the most profound of ways. If you have had the experience, you know what I mean.

awww...thank you!

Great Interview - I agree one of the best from one of the most Colorful (in more ways than one) people in the industry!!

Keep up the great work

great interview, seriously

you and tassy make a cute couple, see you next week

Probably one of the most interesting "ambushes" yet, and a bump because it needs to stay on page one.

Very good ambush, hey halcyon me you and tassy will have to grab a drink we didnt get to in vegas

Drink one for me and give yourselves hugs.

Ok will do Tala

24. What is 'the feeling'?

Heh. It?s kinda hard to explain. Ever since I was a kid, I have experienced this ?feeling? a few times a year. It makes my body all tingly. It usually is prompted by somebody teaching me something, or telling a story. Certain accents sometimes do it, I think. And when it happens, I am in bliss. I try not to move or do anything to stop the tingling. I may speak enough to keep that voice from speaking.

I wrote this on my website long ago, and every so often someone will email me and say, ?I GET THAT FEELING!?

My underarm hair is different colors, too. One blonde and one brown?as long as I?m divulging weird unexplainable personal traits.

Umm BRO!!! Have many POPPY'S??? LOL

~what an amazing spirit~

*content sigh that such kewl souls are amongst us if we just open up enough to see them*

the two of you can expect a hug from an old blonde gal in Phoenix .. I'll be on the hunt for pink hair! ;)

We'll look forward to it!! ((HUG))

I?m not gonna be able to finish these questions, so I?ll give brief answers to a few more.

25. Talk about burning man and you.

Burning Man is an event for radical self expression. 30,000 artists go to the Nevada desert and share their gifts. Dance, paint, music, hugs, cooking, performance, massage?whatever. The point is that there are no spectators at this event. Everyone is expected to participate and make the event better for everyone else.
The people who go are the most vibrant and full of life that I have ever met. The art people create is mindblowing. There is no commerce or commercial brands allowed at the event. The degree of freedom one experiences there is hard to explain. This year will be my 8th year making the pilgrimage.

Burning Man changed my life.

you can see/read my stories about Burning Man:
http://www.lustmonkey.com/taleindex.htm




more of my pics from this year:
http://www.lustmonkey.com/2004/people2/index.htm

26. Are you a swinger? Discuss.

I?ve never considered myself a swinger. But I have been a part of the ?The Lifestyle.?
The distinction, to me, is that ?the lifestyle? has no set meaning besides being ?outside the traditional relationship rules.? It doesn?t mean that you fuck anything and pass your wife around (but it could.)

Being outside the traditional rules means that within a relationship, there has to be tons of communication to figure out what the boundaries are. Do I need permission? Do we swap with other couples? DO we have group experiences with other couples? Do we invite other women into the fray? Does the woman play with other women? Does oral sex need to be discussed first?

My relationships have always been open on a case by case basis. And the dialogue figuring out OUR boundaries is always enriching.

I'll finish with the last question:
36. OK, I know you're waiting for this one. - the pink hair. discuss in detail


My Pink Manifesto:

For me, pink started as a sort of ?anti-Macho" thing. By embracing pink it was a way to sort of flaunt the traditional (and irrational) gender and sexual orientation rules.

For years I had long hair and was always fascinated when children would assume I was a girl. Long hair + earrings = girl. That type of reasoning helps a person make sense of the world. But those types of assumptions are also the beginning of the ?narrowing" of life that occurs through socialization. Society teaches us the ?acceptable" paths and options. By the time we are grown up, it is almost impossible to even comprehend non-traditional options. Of course you go to college after High School. Of course you get married. Of course you work towards a stable job and an accumulation of wealth.

Now, I am not saying that anything is wrong with those choices. In fact, they make tons of sense and will help a person avoid lots of unnecessary frustrations. The problem comes when people stop being able to see that they even *have* other options.

When I was in college, I gave up on my dreams of being an artist or writer because they were irrational paths. It took be 10 years (and a few trips to Burning Man) to re-open my eyes to possibility. (Of course it took me another 5 years to understand the importance of commerce and money, but that is a different rant altogether.)

So, to get back to the point?

Pink represents a disregard for the established rules.

If the pink haired guy wearing eyeliner isn?t gay?then it forces a person to consciously evaluate. The normal assumptions are no help.

Of course, disregarding the rules often meets resistance. I can?t tell you how many times someone has yelled ?FAG!" at me from a moving vehicle. Why do people react so strongly? Because anyone who exists outside the ?rules" is distressing. If a person doesn?t follow the traditional path, they I am forced to make 1 of 2 choices: I can either re-evaluate my world view to accommodate this exception. Or 2) I can attack and reject that person. It is FAR easier to yell ?FAG!" than it is to do some introspection and shift one?s world view.

Of course, all of this ?road less traveled" stuff is not pink-specific. But it is the basis for the flamboyant appearance that I have embraced for the last decade. Pink, as a color and a concept, embodies all of the above, but at the same time highlights the sexual aspect.

To us, Pink is the place where feminine and masculine, Gay and straight, overlap. It is the color of passion and kisses. It is the color of cockheads and vulvas. It is the color that we ALL share on the inside. It represents the most innocent and nastiest of our impulses. And by embracing the pink, we are saying that we embrace ALL elements of our physical selves and our sexual beings.

Vanilla sex is beautiful. So is violent BDSM. So is foot worship, bisexual strap-on play, Gay knoodling, or Vibrator-fueled masturbation.

Anything that stems from honesty is beautiful?and PINK.

PINK is about loving more and fearing less.

PINK is about rejecting shame.

PINK is about embracing our sexuality as a source of power and spiritual connection.

PINK is about saying, ?I reject the judgments of my socialization. I am not a slut or pervert as you have defined those words. I am a pure and perfect human being. My sexuality is a gift, not a curse. And I refuse to clean it up, tone it down, or be quiet about it because it makes anyone else feel uncomfortable."

So there. Now, PINK"Spread the Pink!!!?

**For most people this ?declaration" is to themselves and their partner (and not a public stance.) Pink hair is over-the-top symbolic, and obviously not intended for everyone.

THE END


Thank you so much Sleazy for the Ambush. It was loads of fun. And thank you for all the nice comments along the way!!!

Now, if you have a sec, sign up for FLASHCA$H so that you'll get my weekly newsletter. I promise it is funny. (Plus if you sign up it will make me look good.) ;)

Halcyon -

You and Tassy are amazing, sexy people. I've had a huge cyber crush on you since the first time I saw one of your posts on GFY. And reading your Burning Man posts just really drove home how amazing you are.

Lots of things I wish I could say, but I guess it all comes down to the fact that I hope beyond hope that someday I will be in the same place you are - psycologically, psychosexually and spiritually. I feel it and know it's out there, but I can't yet see the path. I'm still looking.

i think all the pictures in this thread are proof of how good you already look. i'm so proud to be in some of them, the world needs more of you.

you cant just skip 10 questins

Thank you! Its crazy that you say that. Reflects lots of conversations I've been having lately. Tassy and I are working on a few projects that address that path specifically. stay tuned! (Or email me offline [email protected])

heh heh...did I? ;) Well, It took me over 2 days to get this far. And another awesome Ambush starts today. Maybe I'll go back and finish up during a future lull.

again great interview - thx for actually finishing the questions - look forward to meeting you in the future

I want to go through and make up answers based on my own knowledge and smart ass antics...

Oh and as for #5, I SO resemble that remark. Not funny Sleezy! ;)

great interview Hal...we share some history in common and have come to a few of the same conclusions...I'm not living them fully yet, but working on it...


anyways, have a kick ass rest of the week and thanks for the inspiration to get back on track...

Thanks, Man. We're always mid-way on the path.

great interview hal... you truly do have a wonderful soul..it was nice meeting you in vegas

What a blessing this was, to be afforded a little trip into the pyche of a beautiful human.

I repsect and admire what you shared with us. You embody all that life offers with such zest. I have always tried to live my life without blinders.. as i want to see, taste, feel and squeeze it all.
Having said that, you have influenced me to reach a little further and to not be afraid to love a little deeper.
Today i am thankful for god placing you on this earth. You are an inspiration to me.
From the bottom of my heart, thankyou.
LauraLee

Someday all you have to light your way will be a single ray of hope- and that will be enough.
-Kobi Yomada

I'm honored by your response. But I should clarify that these answers are just words. I struggle with my path every day. These words are just observations and thoughts as I roll around in the miracles.
((HUG))
btw, if you are ever in San Diego, you should join my grandpa and me for lunch. (Now THAT guy is an inspiration.)

If i make it out to San Diego, their will be no way that i wouldn't come see You, Tassy and your Grandpa.
I am fortunate enough to have my Grandma in town (She is 89). My Grandma is everything i stive to be, so knowledgeable, loving and ahead of her time.
Gosh, she gets up at 5:00 a.m. For the last 12 or so years it has been to do pilates. Before that she had her farm so she would take a walk into the brush and do her excercises among the trees (along with the mommy and baby deers curiously watching her). She is so full of peace and harmony, which i know the wild deer could feel.. as they had no problem walking right up to her.
I am leaving the office for the weekend with a love filled heart.
Thanks again Halcyon.

You've given me a great deal to think about, and an interesting new perspective on who I am and how I want to be percieved. The world needs more Halcyon. Thank you.

ditto to more halcyon-energy in the world.

Awesome interview! Halcyon, thanks for sharing.

So many points to touch on, I won't even go into them. But reading through your replies is very refreshing to say the least.

Thanks again, and have a great weekend!

I wanna say a lot of things, but I don't know how to say it... so I just say this:

I liek Halcyon!

Thank you!
btw, fudpuck is a trip! My brain hurts.

I wish the Ricochet wireless modem was available here. Good read btw.

Halycon........very interesting interview. I am familiar with your father through the Cytodyne case. I like your outlook on life and you seem to have a very open relationship with your family.

Best of luck to you.

first of all i want to say a word to you halcyon : i respect you very much because of the way you live your life.


the sentence : Real men follow their own rules

this is how every man should think.

stay as you are halcyon ( i wrote halycon first again )

and btw : you can see that you are respected in this board because nobody in this 4page thread ( and i think i read it completly ) metion the word : gay or homo in combination with you.

nice interview

I just finished reading the interview. Your love story is great and I think it's just awesome you 2 have found eachother!

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