It's funny how the "Pines Resident" tells you to grow up just prior to slinging the "selling yourself on the streets on Moscow" referrence. I don't think they want you to play in their sand box for much longer, Michael.

"The Pines was popular and fabulous when you were still selling yourself on the streets of Moscow."

LOL!!!

Looks like Michael got bitched slapped :)

That is such a sad and pathetic letter you got from the old geezers. God are they crazy ol' queens. I love their kowtowing to the Bush Crime Syndicate's "homeland security" nonsense...of course as a native of Russia you know all too well how this country is becoming the new Soviet Union. Are we fags gonna suck up to that crap as well? Do the geezers know that the Fire Island ferryboats ain't public transportation? Or a port of entry? These guys must think a butthole is a port of entry. You know, I've never actually been to Fire Island and reading this nonsense of theirs makes me never want to go...

ditto

Does that guy have a pinecone up his ass? Is he saying that your filming another Fire Islands Cruising is in some way a threat to national security??? He's obviously spending too much time sniffing powders in Pavillion's bathroom. And he claims to speak for the "community"? I don't want to be a part of any "community" that's obsessed with blocking free expression, especially under the guise of national security.

As for their kind invitation for the rest of us to "come to the Pines and judge for yourself"......been there,done that,couldn't wait to get the Hell away from there.I think I'll stick to heading to the Hamptons from now on.

Why do I suspect that on a scale of 1 to 10, the "port" and dock of Fire Island would probably rank as number -2,387 in terms of possible terrorist targets? But if that Department of Homeland Security ruling is real, well then every newscast in New York City just broke that law when they filmed people commuting home for the weekend at Grand Central and Penn Station.

But the sentence that made me gasp out loud was "The Pines was popular and fabulous when you were still selling yourself on the streets of Moscow."
Without a doubt, that is the most campy, bitchy comment I have ever read. But as funny as it is, in my opinion, it also serves to completely validate your points in the argument.

"The Pines was popular and fabulous when you were still selling yourself on the streets of Moscow."

Damn...that was particularly nasty. I know you don't care because you have a thick skin but that's really harsh, especially coming from a "professional" organization such as that. What are you going to do now Michael? Are you and your boyfriend going to continue to have a summer home there? I'd be highly fed up at this point if I were you. Best of luck.

Tantrum is spelled wrong. When you send out angry letters, it's always good to use spell check so immature people (like me) don't criticize you.

50 is old? I interpreted "wrinkled old queen" as a state of mind and not an age. *smirk*

Jyl

My 2 cents? Just let it go ... the whole contretemps is not worth continuing discussion ...

James

who would have thought my dick would get harder by your mind than your porn persona? love the blog. glad you're back. i was kinda bored by the shoot blogs. i work in film. shoots are work and routine, porn or not.

Michael,
Bianca is such a beauty!!

This letter is a riot. Please tell me they did not cite Homeland Security regulations. BWHAAAA! I, like many others have given up on the Pines (for other reasons), and this letter reminds me why I'll gladly spend my summer away from these sorts of queens. The Pines isn't what it used be... let's leave it at that.

I guess they just don't get it? (i.e. that porn from Bel Ami increased gay tourism to Eastern Europe?)

Immature display? How petty are these guys.
If you want to see a mature display check out the Lincoln Center contributions. Richard Winger and Michael Lucas are listed in the $5000+ column. Now that is what I call CLASS. Michael is the greatest..........

Isn't it interesting, Michael, that for 7 years you've been shooting on those boardwalks without a problem, and now that your boyfriend, Richard has retired from the board, those tired queens seem to be flexing thier tired muscles? Please. They couldn't hold on to their intergity if it came in a bucket with handles.

Michael -
Love your sight - this stuff is all new to me - you are the king - keep all the thoughts coming - they are fabulous.

My prediction is that the Pines is turning into another family theme park: more strollers every time, more women and their boyfriends, more crying toddlers. Next up: no nudity on the beach and an increase in ordinances against nightlife, lifestyles, and filmings such as yours.
I don't think that this gay vacation spot should become all- welcoming and inclusive.This has always been the place where gay men meet, sun, have sex, eat dinners, dance, and socialize without thoughts of discrimination from others ( and yet I suppose I am discriminating myself for wanting it to remain so-- too bad!).
I am glad a series of sex films can use the words Fire Island Cruising and everyone still knows exactly what that means historically: perhaps that day is over?

This is the same sort of crap that co-op boards in ny get away with. they find a tiny bit of power and use it to harrass anybody who comes near their "precious" property.

Kudos to Michael for standing up and telling them where to get off. The last thing the world needs is another "property owner association" official acting like a prissy, pompous old queen.

When i was in real estate in NYC i came across them all the time.

Hate to ruin the party here, but...

1) Lots of places -- not just Fire Island -- forbid or require a permit to anyone making films or videos in public places. This goes for porn, network television, feature films, student films, documentaries etc. Just because Michael's boyfriend is on a property owner association board (and donates a whopping $5,000 per year to them!) doesn't mean that Michael's production company is above the law.

2) It's pretty self evident that "Fire Island Cruising" videos benefit more from their association with Fire Island than vice versa. Fire Island has been a popular destination among gay men for decades...long before there was a porn series named after it. It's not like a bunch of gay men decided to flock to the Pines once a porn video paid tribute to it. If you want to test this theory, try naming a porn series "Akron, Ohio Cruising" or "The Backrooms of Fort Lee, NJ" and see how many gay men a) buy the video and/or b) move to either of those locations thus turning them into gay meccas.

3) Yeah, the "selling your body on the streets of Moscow" was harsh but when you refer to a group of people collectively as "wrinkled old queens" you are kind of asking for it.