I really enjoy teaching. It’s a lot of paper grading that I could do without, but by seeing other peoples’ problems and figuring out what makes them tick, it helps me with my own creative work.

Q: Your students must think it’s cool to have an actual author for a teacher.

VH: (laughs) Some are more into it than others. A lot of them won’t even touch my stuff, but others are fans and read the books.

Q: You’re an accomplished skydiver and scuba diver. Your passion for thrills obviously inspires your work directly, as your characters often take on extreme sports. Does it also inspire your writing indirectly? Do you try to capture the emotions of excitement?

VH: I live for any kind of adventure. I’ve been scuba diving for 26 years now. I’ve done everything from swimming in the Amazon to dog sledding in Finland to visiting Egypt. So yes, my characters are influenced by my recreational activities.
My novels are considered under the “noir” genre. The strict definition entails a dark, mysterious atmosphere, usually containing a love triangle and some kind of betrayal for money. My books don’t always follow that per se. Two are about scuba diving and skydiving (Iguana Love and Sky Blues, respectively), and those stray too far from the traditional noir theme. So those have been called “adventure noirs.” But my characters are generally dark and brooding, and psychologically twisted. So the “thrill-seeking” definitely has an emotional impact as well.

Q: What is it about Miami and this tropical area that makes a good setting for novels?

VH: Almost anything can happen here: things that could never happen in Ohio! Miami is a magnet for weirdos from the whole country. It’s just a really unusual place, a very sexy and violent city.

Q: One review of Iguana Love states bluntly, “This is not a book for the faint-hearted.” Do you include dark, edgy themes in your work for a certain purpose, even if it’s just shock value?

VH: I think I was encouraged early on. My novels are the literary parallel of an independent film; they attract a select audience, a certain group. People were so shocked by my early writing that I think I liked that, and it encouraged me to stay within my more fast-paced style. Instructors were always on my side, but students were getting upset. And once you start writing for a company, your editors keep expecting the same thing from you.
I think I simply like fast-paced, vivid, lively stuff. I’m really interested in violence. Passion and obsession are the two best motives for anything. Murder for money is not as compelling, but passion and obsession just turns naturally into violence.

Q: How would you respond to criticism of your work from people who might say it’s gratuitously dark and edgy, or too sexually provocative?

VH: Usually, people who have a complaint won’t tell me in person. I have gotten two terrible reviews from the Miami Herald. I think the problem is that people are not reacting rationally to my work. Mainly, I think, readers get angry because they haven’t understood the book. They are upset and giving me emotional responses; they’re responding to the subject matter, not my writing style or technique. I can’t take that seriously.

Jessica Misener can be reached at jessm02@yahoo.com

Mobb Deep was here, in Miami? The simple answer to this question is “yes.” However, for anyone who was not at the Hard Rock CafE last Saturday, I feel obliged to say more. First, the ticket cost twice as much as the flyer advertised. Woops, sorry, fine print: get there before eleven, otherwise… $20 later I was negotiating a “2 for $30” deal for the rest of my posse (rollin’ deep, yo!). After sealing the deal, Prodigy walked straight past me and out of the front door. This is when the hint of a scheme first hit me.

Slight uneasiness was intensified as Littles (Prodigy’s right-hand man) scampered down the stairs after him, wearing a homemade jersey that could have easily been jacked from a Pee Wee football team. Showing up at 1 a.m. was smart, as we only had to wait outside for an hour or so before the six remaining opening acts finished up. This gave me time to see the promoters nervously running around in search of Prodigy.

Around 2 a.m., more bad news was issued: the DAT machine was left somewhere!

It seems that Mobb Deep simply cannot perform without their pre-recorded soundtrack. So, some more opening acts stepped up and got booed off with chants of “Mobb Deep! Mobb Deep!” Which brings me to another question: What the hell would possess any business to have last call 20 minutes before torturing a room full of restless Mobb Deep fans with “305 ’til I mutha fukkin die!” shouted over and over again by the truly infamous, (I am not making this name up) The THC Crew.

I wanted to pity them, but they were so convinced that rhyming “5” with “die” was so hardcore and original that it was impossible not to join the few awake members of the audience in the rebellion. By this point, girlfriends were dropping like dicks at a fat camp for nudists – lifeless and sweaty. Then…all of a sudden – Mobb Deep in da house!

Woops, sorry, fine print: I meant to say that I heard Mobb Deep. When I opened my eyes there was some DJ playing “Shook Ones.” Before I could think it, the audience did it, “We want Mobb Deep!” and so forth. Finally, after bringing in police (great!) to back up the 80 or so people still using their legs, (the main promoter) His Mohawked Nastiness:

Nastie, pleaded with the audience, predicted his own firing, and concluded by assuring the audience that in mere moments they would merge with the Mobb. After 20 minutes or so, I get up to leave.
Of course, now Mobb Deep’s arrival is announced and everyone flocks towards the police. Well, much to the chagrin of anyone who knows that the Mobb Deep has 2 members – three guys showed up, and only one of them (Prodigy) was actually in Mobb Deep. The not so “Littles” of the other two looked like an Aunt Jemima thug – wearing bandanas representing the Bloods and Crips and rocking a hairdo last seen on Jermaine Dupri. Littles seemed convinced that everyone believed he was Havoc (the other half, who also raps and does nearly all production work).

A minute or so into the show, Littles must have accidentally hit Prodigy in the head with his bottle of Hennessey, because he forgot all the lyrics to his own songs. Much like any good showman, Prodigy improvised – first by letting the other two guys on stage sing his songs for him – then by sucking down a glass of Hennessey through a straw.

The coup-de-grace was the adorable machine-gun sound effect that he spat into the mic whenever necessary. After 20 minutes of intermittent drum rolling, Prodigy seemed far more exhausted than the audience. Every minute or so he proclaimed to the audience “Fuck that!” When he started stumbling around the stage with his eyes closed, I decided it was my turn to sleep. I stumbled out the front door.

Sven Barth can be reached at sven_barth@hotmail.com.

Editor’s note: If you have ever been to a hip hop show like this, take out your pent up frustrations by flame mailing the following addy: sleestackstudios@bellsouth.net. When we say flame mail, we mean go get those nerds on your hall, promise them girls, and put them to work. Rock the bells – HS

Let’s talk about sex. First, blunt, open discourse on sexuality is vital to the prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases (STD). In the 1980s, America awoke to an epidemic that has come to embody the fatal worst-case scenario: acquired immune deficiency syndrome (AIDS). AIDS quickly gained a reputation as a disease for gay men. However, viruses and bacterias, unlike humans, do not discriminate.

A patriarchal and puritanical tradition within the United States contributes to how the culture responds to the issue of sexuality. In “sex ed” classes across the nation, boys and girls are separated for discussion of certain topics, leading to impotent discourse between gender lines. Some men grow through puberty not fully understanding the menstrual cycle in a society where beauty queens are crowned at early ages and men discuss and accept masturbation earlier than women. Accordingly, within the male psyche, exuberant sexual activity is validated, yet the vernacular “slut” and “bitch” are rarely employed on men. Issues concerning sex are trivialized and marginalized on the ground of morality, yet every human has a sex drive comparable to the
need for food, as Peaches would say.

The underground losers in the battle for healthy sexuality are people who contract STDs. And most teenage Americans know what to do in sex but often not how.

Since the onset of art history, erotic artists such as Madonna and Tom of Finland have sought to make people reencounter sexual stereotypes and taboos in a new way. In her widely acclaimed and highly prized book, SEX, Madonna, an intelligent, sassy feminist, exposed herself and her fantasies. She begins, “This book is about sex. Sex is not love. Love is not sex. The best of both worlds is created when they come together.” She also shows no restraint in commenting about STDs on the same page, “…but if I were to make my dreams real, I would certainly use condoms. Safe sex saves lives. Pass it on.”

Tom of Finland was born Touko Laaksonen in 1920 in Kaarina, Finland. When he began art school in Helsinki at nineteen, he created homoerotic drawings for his own enjoyment, then sent his images to a bodybuilding magazine in 1957 (under his pseudonym) and became an immediate success. Since 1973, he has exhibited in museums and galleries worldwide. He has permanent collections in the Los Angeles County Museum of Art, the San Francisco and Helsinki Museums of Contemporary Art, and Turku Town Hall in Finland. His highly masculine homoerotic work redefines the space of the voyeur in art by embedding the work with sexuality.

Sexual discourse is one of the most combative methods for the prevention of STDs. Chlamydia (the clap) is the most commonly reported notifiable disease in the U.S. According to a 2001 STD surveillance report published through the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services by the Center for Disease Control (CDC), chlamydia has comprised the highest proportion of all STDs reported since 1994.

It is called the “silent epidemic” because three-quarters of women and one half of men with the disease have no symptoms. In asymptomatic women, chlamydia may result in pelvic inflammatory disease (PID), which is a major cause of infertility, ectopic pregnancy, and chronic pelvic pain. In 2001, the CDC reported 783,242 infections from the 50 states and the District of Columbia (278.3 cases per 100,000 people).

The number of infected women is four times higher than men and the highest percentages of women who acquired chlamydia in 2001 are between the ages of 15 and 19 (2,536.1 cases per 100,000 people). The highest percentage of infection for men is between 20 and 24 years old (2,447.0 cases per 100,000 people). According to the pharmaceutical company, Pfizer, 4 million new cases occur each year in America.

Moreover, gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis are easily tested for and treated if discovered before it is too late. In 2001, the CDC reported 361,705 cases in the U.S. (128.5 cases per 100,000 people). In cities, such as Miami, with populations over 200,000 there were 227.4 cases per 100,000 people reported. The highest rate among women is between 15 to 19 years old (703.2 cases per 100,000 people) and in men between 20 and 24 years old (563.6 cases per 100,000). Syphilis is a genital ulcerative disease. The rate of primary and secondary (P&S) syphilis has declined by 89.7 per cent in the U.S. from 1990 through 2000 because of improved screening techniques.

Also, The South of the U.S. consistently had higher reported rates than any other region of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and (P&S) syphilis.
Moving along, the genital herpes simplex virus infection includes lifelong recurrent episodes of painful genital lesions. It may only be passed if the lesions are present and it is one of the most common STDs. The warts must be present to transmit the virus and most infections are subclinical-no visible signs. Asymptomatic men with HPV are hard to diagnose and usually go untreated and the warts may be detected in women with a Pap smear.

The right to open discourse about sexuality is not immoral-it is real. Whether it is on a college campus or in the bedroom, sex needs to be talked about. Art, conscience, and sexuality define who we are as humans and as the lines between female/male and gay/straight become blurred in American culture, Madonna’s double entendre breathes clarity: “Love is something we make.”

Alex Saleeby can be reached at claysaleeby@hotmail.com

Q: How did you personally get involved in lowbrow art?
DO: When I was a little kid I would draw cartoons. Then I would get more expressive and make my own version of things. I would add a skull and crossbones on Mickey Mouse – just make it my own. I have always had a love for illustrative artwork.

Q: Where are you from originally?
DO: Los Angeles. LA is the mecca for this style of artwork. Most of the big money is there right now.

Q: Where has your art been featured?
DO: The cover of Street. I’ve been featured in Juxtapoz magazine. Also, in egotrip, but I don’t really want to claim that one – and in different papers around town.

Q: How did you go about purchasing Objex? Is it your sole source of income?
DO: No, I work full time at an art gallery in the Miami Design District. Objex is like a car I’m restoring. I wanted to see a certain kind of artwork in Miami. I had to find a way to get the art I liked in so I got my own art space. This way I can further my own art and other underground artists that typically wouldn’t get picked up anywhere else.

Q: How would an artist, say a UM student, submit artwork to you?
DO: Any artist can submit. They just need to come by with slides, resumes, etc – be able to talk about their art background, goals. They have to match the same genre that we’re trying to display. No still lifes or apples, flowers and shit. It has to fit in with what we’re down with. It’s like having a hip hop club and then a country act try to play there. It just doesn’t work. Anyone can submit art, whether we choose to display it or not is another question.

Q: What kind of clothing and products do you sell at Objex?
DO: We sell clothes by Counterpoint Garments and Trash Rape. We also sell records and CDs on Counterflow Records. We also have limited edition prints from the shows – and then stickers and hats for the art space.

Q: So what is the best about Miami?
DO: The good thing is that right now Miami is on the forefront for a new beginning. It is at a turning point from becoming more metropolitan and less touristy and nightclub orientated. There are different cultures, and eclectic people. There is also an influx of money right now both internationally and domestically. It’s basically on the brink of something major.

Q: What sux about this city?
DO: There isn’t a lot of subculture. There is a lot of culture but it’s mainly Haitians and Cubans. There is a lack of underground and street influence. There is not much of a metropolis to feed off of. This is what we need for the younger generation.

Q: Do you believe “lowbrow” art will last the test of time? And is it disposable or will it evolve?
DO: I think it will definitely stand the test of time. It’s like Bugs Bunny; will he stand the test of time? Of course. Lowbrow art is just going to take longer to accept. I think 40 years from now people will look back at it and see that it really represented the “tie” and it will hold a mark in history.

(Ed. note: For a Q&A with OBJEX’s founder, Dustin Orlando, click on Life&Art in the margin to the left.)

Objex Art Space is a low-key gallery in Miami that features art of the “lowbrow” genre. The art on display entertains a thriving metropolis of topics, never limited to one minimalist subject. Dustin Orlando, a 27-year old artist, owns the gallery, which is in its second year and now preparing for a hectic art season. On Dec. 7 the gallery is hosting an event entitled Stickin’ it to the Man.

“Right now art dazzle is the big thing in the art world – this show is going to be the anti-art dazzle,” says Orlando. “December through June we will have an intense lineup. It will be of an extreme high caliber that Miami has never seen.”

Orlando supports and exposes artists with a “decidedly offbeat ‘no rules’ mentality (that) exists among the subject matter, which is influenced by hedonistic sex, urban decay, political expression, outlaw-types, pulp art, beatnicks, and surfers-skaters.”

This art genre does not wish to mystify a viewer into an intellectual trance, but rather intrigue with color, kineticism, and populist notions. Roots imbedded in the art personify the streets culture and jump out at you with attitude-laden texture. This style was first seen with aerosol-based graffiti, but the art has now evolved into neo-graffiti. Neo-graffiti possesses the same concept of traditional graffiti but climbs off city walls and subways and into nurturing specialized venues. Artists incorporating this style experiment with a variety of mediums and have created a fertile underground movement that is bubbling with potential.

The usual suspects found in fine art galleries throughout Miami are missing in action. At Objex you will find a rare youthful hybrid of fine art and jungle fever lowbrow art unlike anything in the city.
Dec. 7’s Stickin’ it to the Man will feature seven artists from South Florida – all remaining true to the “anti-dazzle” tradition, but never remaining inside the bounds of predictability. Bacardi Rum is sponsoring the event, which is scheduled to have a live band, lots of interesting locals/artists in attendance, art, and a down-to-sleek-earth atmosphere.
Featured artists include Francesco LoCastro, David “LEBO” LeBeatrd, Skot Olsen, Sas Christian, Colin Christian, W. Kelley Lucas, and Orlando. Artwork by these artists will also be on sale.

The gallery is located in Wynwood between the Design District and
Downtown. Orlando and his peers are deeming this the “next big spot” for artists and enthusiasts. “It’s new and up and coming. We’re ready and trying to promote it at the same time,” he says.

Objex is located in an upstairs loft at 500 NW 24th. For more info visit www.objexartspace.com or call 305.576.6551.

Kira Wisniewski can be reached at kira@punx.net. .

Are you looking for a calm, relaxing Florida book that paints a mental picture of tranquility, sunshine and gentle waves lapping onto the shore? Stay as far away from Tim Dorsey as possible. His novels have been compared to the likes of Hunter S. Thompson, Carl Hiassen and Dave Barry, and he’s not a writer for the serenity seeker. His books are veritable meeting places for sizzling violence, rough politics and edgy social themes. If the crime-gone-awry content weren’t fiery enough, all of his juicy literary romps take place in the sweltering state of Florida. The 41-year-old Dorsey, now a resident of Tampa, grew up in the West Palm Beach area and tackled journalism before plunging full-throttle into the crime fiction scene. His works include Florida Roadkill, Hammerhead Ranch Motel, and most recently, Triggerfish Twist. Dorsey’s upcoming appearance at the Miami Book Fair International is fitting for this tropical author, whose novels are nothing if not packed with tasty local color.
Life & Art chatted with Dorsey about Florida, fiction, and plenty of dead bodies.

Q: We have to ask: are you any relation to Ken Dorsey, the UM quarterback?

Dorsey: (laughs) No, unfortunately I’m not, but I am glad that he’s getting the Dorsey name out there.

Q: Your website says you graduated from Auburn with a degree in transportation. That’s a far cry from something like creative writing or English.

TD: I was jumping around with majors. I knew I wanted to write for a living, but I felt that was a distant fantasy. I thought I needed something else. So I literally looked through the syllabus, and decided to just get any degree and get out. I was involved with journalism, however, and my senior year I was editor of the student paper.

Q: You have a background in journalism and reporting. How did that segue into a writing career?

TD: The creative writing was what I wanted to do first and foremost. I decided when I was 15 that I wanted to write wacky, satirical novels, which is a strange vocational choice for that age! I needed to get started in writing, so I went to the student paper in high school and wrote for a while. At college, I started corresponding for the school newspaper as a freshman. So I used learning about writing to start my career. I worked for the Tampa Tribune for about 10 years, then I left to start writing fiction. Actually, my last day at the Tribune was the day my first novel was published. Of course, I had a bunch of failed efforts and failed books in the beginning, but I wasn’t going to quit!

Q: You travel the state a lot for research.

TD: All the time. It helps me get a feel for the settings of my novels, as well as all different types of people. The star of my books is really the state of Florida, and then I just throw a lot of dead bodies around.

Q: Do you have a favorite part of Florida?

TD: I love the Keys, definitely. Also, a book that I’m working on currently is set totally in Miami. It alternates between present day and the 1960s.

Q: So you like the Miami area?

TD: I get goose bumps just looking at all the incredible landscaping, foliage, and architecture in Miami. It’s so unique, and just a really inspiring place. Actually, one of my older books involves the University of Miami-one of my characters gets involved in a scenario in the old Orange Bowl.

Q: Your next book is called The Stingray Shuffle, due out February of next year. Can you talk about that?

TD: Basically, a missing briefcase with 5 million dollars goes to New York City, and everyone ends up chasing after it. It really delves into Florida history, about the story of Henry Flagler and development of the railroads. It’s also about tracking down murderers, and at the end all the characters end up on an Amtrak murder mystery train and try to kill each other. I did a lot of travel and research for this one. I actually took the train down from New York to Florida.

Q: Your book Orange Crush contains straightforward, savvy political satire. Did your own views influence that kind of governmental cynicism?

TD: Yes, but I tried to attack everybody as to be fair. That was an uphill sell to my editor, because my other books are straight-up crime drama and this one was political comedy. We were worried about commercial value, but I turned it in right before the 2000 presidential election, and after the whole scandal broke out sales soared.

Q: What’s your involvement with the book fair?

TD: I’m speaking on Sunday the 24th, and I’m just going to read from one of my novels and discuss a little bit. I love coming to the fair, and this is actually my fourth time participating. I like to poke around and see Miami too.

Jessica Misener can be reached at jessm02@yahoo.coma

The only thing steamier than a Vicki Hendricks novel is the sticky air of a summer night in Miami. When the Florida-based mystery writer combines the former with the latter, the effect is mesmerizing. Always with a hint of tropical flavor, Hendricks’ sultry novels take various settings, ranging from a Miami dry cleaner to a boat on the Bahamas. The smoldering world of Hendricks’ books transcends her fiction-a self-proclaimed “thrill seeker,” she relishes extreme sports, raw emotion, and in general, life on the cusp of danger.
Hendricks has penned such novels as Miami Purity, Iguana Love, and Voluntary Madness. She is one of over 250 authors participating in the annual Miami Book Fair International, a convention of international writers and book lovers.
We caught up with Vicki Hendricks to discuss the book fair, skydiving, and the “weirdos” who seem to crawl the Miami streets.

Q: Were you born a writer, or was it an interest you picked up later on in life?

Hendricks: I think I always wanted to be a writer, although I thought that dream was impossible. I thought all the “real” writers had come and gone centuries back! I tried to write, and in my 20s and 30s, I basically wrote a lot of notes. Back then I was teaching literature instead of writing, so I always loved books. It wasn’t until my late 30s that I started to write-I didn’t know how to at first. No one realizes that the book you see on the shelves is a seamless, polished product. It’s not quite so simple once you try it. Learning the techniques of writing scenes and characters really helped me get started, as well as having deadlines.

Q: Your last book was Sky Blues, which was released in February. Your next novel is called Cruel Poetry. Can you tell us a little about that?

VH: I have a few chapters still to write. My others are all written in first person narrator and confined to a small scope. This one has a broader scope with three different narrators, and lots of sex and violence. It’s basically about prostitutes and the people who are obsessed with her.

Q: The Miami Book Fair International starts today. What’s your involvement?
VH: I’m on a panel with fellow author Carolina Garcia-Aguilera, and we’re speaking at three o’ clock on Saturday, Nov. 23. We’re going to read a little bit and talk about particular novels. And I always manage to get some skydiving talk in there!

Q: I understand you teach writing at Broward Community College. Is teaching kind of a letdown for you, compared with writing your own stuff?

VH: Not at all! I’ve been teaching for 20 years, and I only began writing 12 years ago.