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Monday, 3 March 2008

DD&K:Q&A - Rachel Dane - Latex Concubine

And so ladies and gentlemen, we present the first DD&K:Q&A! We ask the questions that you might never have got around to asking, or never thought you even wanted to ask! For the first Q&A, we've got an exclusive interview with Rachel Dane, the Latex Concubine! If there is anyone I've come across that could be said to be livin' la vida perverso, then it's Rachel, and she's been extremely kind enough to answer my questions, so here we go!

1. Who are you and what do you do?
My name is Rachel Dane and I am a latex concubine. The term was officially created by Michael Manning in his Spider Garden series (check it out on Amazon.com), but in my mind, the first latex concubine was Jennifer Lopez’s character in The Cell. When she wore that shiny red posture collar and was chained to the bed . . . that really spoke to me. Personally though, I am more aligned to Michael Manning’s character. The latex concubine can be either male or female, and regardless of gender they dress the same. Latex skirt with the rear end cut out, and a push-up top to force the breast up and out. I made the skirt myself and bought the top from Westward Bound. The concubine seems to be similar to the geisha, in that they are both performance artists, or objects of art.

2. Do you make a living from your website or do you have a day job?
My subscriptions are only $12/month with an update every two weeks. So no, I do not make a living from my website. Not even close. I have a day job working in mortgage banking. But I love doing website. I am just starting to get into territory where I really want to go. I have started making my own costumes, and am building a small network of people who are willing to help with the website. My biggest obstacle, though, is with people: Photographers, bondage riggers, and people willing to appear on camera. Right now, it is all catch as catch can. Some people come back and others are just a one shot deal. So I take what I can get, which is why the subscription is only $12. I do not have the resources to do weekly updates.

3. Why do you do what you do?
Because I am a crazy, horny pervert! Seriously, this is who I am. This is the real me. I have just decided to put it out there on the web. I am no different than Ashley Renee or Simone Devone. I am merely following my passion.

4. Do you have a partner at the moment? If so, what do they think of
what you do?
No, I am single and have been for about six years now. I used to live in Chicago, but moved to the Detroit area to be the collared slave of a prominent Leatherman. It was a great relationship, and had absolutely nothing to do with me as a rubber shemale sex slave. But it ended after about 1-1/2 years and I have been on my own ever since. We still see each other regularly. He’s a great guy!

It’s tough to find a partner. Right now, I am mostly looking for a dominant male partner. I won’t say “no” to the Ladies, but most are not interested in a submissive rubber cross-dresser.

5. Your photos could be said to be pretty extreme - is there anything
you wouldn't do?
Things that are prohibited by my credit card processing company. Illegal activities, flogging, whipping, blood play, urine and bestiality are all in violation of their terms of service. I am in business with them, so I do not intend to do anything that would cheez them off. I have done urine play before. As a submissive, on the receiving end, it is an incredibly powerful experience. Dogs pee to mark their territory, and in some ways, it is the same with a Dominant. I’ve done needle play, fire play, electrical . . . just lots of experiences, especially with the Leathermen.

6. Your website is run in accordance with the "honorable code of
Bushido" - what exactly does that mean?
The “bushi” were the samurai of feudal Japan. Bushido literally means “Way of the Bushi” and it is the code of the samurai. It has seven principles:

義 – Gi – Rectitude - Moral Uprightness or Rightmindedness 
勇 – Yū – Courage 
仁 – Jin – Benevolence 
礼 – Rei – Respect 
誠 – Makoto or 信 – Shin– Honesty
名誉 – Meiyo – Honor, Glory 
忠義 – Chūgi – Loyalty

When I was in collar, I studied Bushido a lot. Being a samurai was all about serving Nobility, being a loyal servant and retainer. An erotic slave is no different. I found a lot of parallels between erotic slavery and Bushido. It’s like the example I give of Lancelot.

Michael Manning incorporates a lot of Japanese influence in his Spider Garden series. So this was just another point where I connected with his artwork and stories.

7. You invite people to help you with your photo shoots - what's the
furthest any one has traveled to join in so far?
Well, I have a friend of 15 years, who came from Chicago for a weekend. That’s about 250 miles. We did three photo shoots in two days, and made a plaster cast of my face so I can start vacuum forming my own hoods.

8. I'm intrigued by the idea that you allow virtual strangers to come and tie you up and submit you to all manner of treatments, and yet you refuse to be seen as a slave, or allow anyone to call you a "worthless
worm". Surely when you're tied up and hanging from the ceiling you don't have much choice?
LOL, well, it’s not quite like that! First of all, there is a lot of e-mailing back and forth, and then an actual vanilla meeting on neutral ground, like a coffee shop or something. Then, if I feel comfortable with them, I invite them to visit my House. I am usually dressed as Rachel for their visit and we do some show and tell and sit and talk. There’s no play involved. If I invite them back, that is when we get down to it: the rope, cameras and all that. So it is not like they are virtual strangers. I get to know them pretty well first.

As for the “worm” issue, I treat people with respect, and I expect the same in return. I have encounted too many people who think just because they are rude to you, that makes them dominant. No, it just makes them rude. Someone who is confident in themselves and their ability does not need to demean their subjects.

It’s like Lancelot. Everyone knows Lancelot was the bravest, noblest, best Knight of the Round Table there was. But he was a submissive. He was searching the land to find Arthur, that he might serve him. It was Lancelot’s devotion to his King and Queen that empowered him to greatness. Without this submission, Lancelot would never have achieved what he did. And for Arthur’s part, he respected and adored Lancelot. Arthur was the Dominant, and he respected the honor and virtue of Lancelot’s service. Again, I see no difference between the precepts of knighthood and the terms of erotic slavery. It is all about serving Nobility. People who call their subordinates “worthless worms” have no Nobility.

But that’s not to say I don’t enjoy talking dirty. There’s a difference between something said in the heat of passion and just being a disrespectful lout.

9. Following on from that, how do you control things when you're incapacitated? Do you have someone there that you trust not to let things get out of hand?
I take some risks. Kids, don’t try this at home! The upside down suspensions always concern me. If I fell, I would spike my head right into the floor. That’s what killed Christopher Reeves, and ended Stone Cold Steve Austin’s career.

I am careful. I build all the equipment myself. I test it first. I have a lot of faith in my equipment. We keep safety scissors on hand, and I really only get totally helpless with people I know well and can trust. The photographer for the red catsuit suspension also did the bondage and photos on three other galleries. So I trust him and his work. We also had mutual friends who vouched for him.

Before we do a rig, we talk it over, and the order of which we will do things. We also discuss the order in which to undo things. Usually it is, “OK, in the event of an emergency, take this off first!”

10. What's your favourite item of clothing?
This will sound really bizarre, but it is sequined evening gowns! Seriously! It is! They are the sexiest things ever! I would watch beauty pageants just for the evening gowns. Jane Fonda wears this full body sequin gown in the movie Klute that is just stunning. In the 2000 Miss Universe contest, Elodie Gossuin wore a fabulous white gown. When news rumors circulated she was a transsexual (which is false), she became an iconic figure to me.

11. What's your favourite sexual position?
One that hurts, a lot! Nipple clamps are a plus!

12. What are your ambitions as the Latex Concubine?
Hmmm. Well I have never thought about personal ambitions as a latex concubine. It is kind of counter-thinking to my purpose. After all, it is about serving another. So, my ambition as a latex concubine would be to bring honor and glory to my Owner and Master. But since I don’t have one of those, I focus on the ambitions of my website. And there is a distinction between the two. Personal versus professional, I suppose. Although the day may come when they are one in the same. May ambition for the website is to have bondage and glamour the quality of Ashley Renee, plus the ingenious inventions & bondage scenarios of House of Gord . . . only with a penis! Seriously, when I look at those two websites, and the catsuited, buxom models, I think: “How perfect! The only thing they are missing is a big penis out front!”

13. Who inspires you?
Ashley Renee is at the top of my list, beyond a doubt. She was the first Miss Bondage World, and is the best. There would be no Emily Marion, Masumi Max, Kumi Monster, et al if it weren’t for Ashley Renee. She was an innovator and ground breaker. She has a passion and has followed it. I cannot help but be inspired by her. And she’s beautiful too! Simone Devon & Bryan Davis also inspired me. I own several Devonshire DVD’s, and I just love their costumes and bondage! Here are two people who had a passion and a vision and followed their own inner voice. They were very fortunate to have found each other. They built a successful bondage video business, and then retired and rode off into the sunset. For a while, I was envious of them. I wish I could have a partner like that, and a business like that. Perhaps some day.

Audrey Hepburn is another role model for me. So eloquent, feminine and demure. And very polite. I think good manners, charm and grace have been forgotten by today’s youth. Everybody is busy getting tattoo’s and pierced. The women of glamour never did such things: Lauren Bacall, Olivia de Haviland, Gene Tierney, Veronica Lake, and Audrey Hepburn. All charming and graceful.

14. Does your family know what you do?
My sister knows. My mother & brother know I am a little into kink. They knew I moved to Michigan to be a leather slave boy, but only my sister knows about Rachel.

15. How would you spend your last day on Earth?
Probably quietly. I am not given to panic. I lead a pretty peaceful and centered life. Have you ever seen “Crouching Tiger, Hidden Dragon?” There’s a scene in there, where Chow Yon Fat and Michelle Yeoh are sitting in a little stone hut. It is just so quiet and serene. I would be like that.

16. Who would you like to do a photo shoot with?
I will be meeting “The One” Jean Bardot in April in Minneapolis for the Rubberdoll World Rendezvous. We are both vendors there. This is my first time ever being a Vendor. It is my hope to make a good impression on Ms. Bardot, and well . . . I would love to do a photo shoot with her. She is dominant and kinky, and into rubber. Also, Natalia in Germany, but that will never happen. We are too far away. Steffy the Rubber Doll could be fun. She is one of the promoters for the RubberDoll Rendezvous and she was just named Miss World Rubberdoll.

17. if you could wake up tomorrow with your idea of the perfect body, what would it look like?
Oh, that’s easy! I would look like Jaclyn Smith in her prime! I am just crazy for her! She was such a big influence on me as a fetishist. She did this film with Aaron Spelling called “The Users” and wore these fabulous satin and sequin gowns – (Sometimes I am so gay!) LOL!- but she was really gorgeous. I said to myself: “This is what beauty is. This is what the measuring stick for being feminine is.” So she is one of my idols. Did you know she was also a belly dancer? Wow, how erotic and sexual that is! It just made me love her all the more. The web artist R F van Kroert (www.4f-creations.com) is also very sweet on her. He’s done some fabulous work. Jaclyn Smith is why I am brunette. Her, and Ashley Renee.

18. In your bio, you say you like Godzilla movies - what did you think of the Matthew Broderick version?
I really liked the first 20 minutes of the film. The whole lead in of Mathew Broderick’s character, the wrecked ocean freighter, the standing in the footprint . . . loved all of that! But that was it. The Jean Runo storyline was absurd. Godzilla looked ridiculous. And he ran. Godzilla does not run! He is the King of the Monsters! He’s huge for crying out loud! That movie was just a rehash of “Jurassic Park” and instead of T-Rex and Velociraptors, you have Godzilla & baby godzillas. Horrible film. I like the TOHO films much better. In fact, in Godzilla: Final Wars Godzilla actually fights the US version, and destroys it in like two seconds. They even call it “Tuna Head.”

19. What's your favourite song?
OK, this will go against everything I have previously said, but it’s “Blitzkreig” by Metallica, which is an extra song on the import Kill ‘em All CD. A lot of people don’t know the original song by Blitzkreig, was a cover of “Hocus Pocus” by Focus. But what I love about it is that it is so fast, so tight, it is just incredible. At the very end, you can hear Lars say: “We F’d up in one place.” It blows my mind. It’s too bad Metallica went to crap after Cliff Burton died. Let It Be Captured by Danzig would be #2 and “Feast of Friends” from An American Prayer: Jim Morrison – music by The Doors would be #3.

20. Who or what would you like to eradicate from the face of the Earth?
That’s easy. Intolerance and indifference. They are opposite sides of the same coin. I would like to get rid of Intolerance, because here in the States, we’ve got people who are against people based upon color, religion, sexuality, you name it. And people just let it happen. They don’t care. That is where I would get rid of Indifference. People need to care, but they don’t. If people cared, there wouldn’t be the genocide that every nation has done against somebody else. This is why I prefer Eastern Philosophy of Buddhism and Taoism. It is all about individual enlightenment and truthhood, and acceptance of what is my Way, may not be your Way, and that is OK. The monkey and the Sage had to learn to live in harmony, in order for each of them to fulfill their own potential. Here in the West, we’d kill the monkey and take what ever we wanted. When the karmic receipt for such actions comes down, we are surprised by it. What we do echoes throughout eternity. Everything we put out there, comes back to us. If we are bad people, then bad things will befall us. I choose to walk my own path.

So there we have it, the first DD&K:Q&A. Huge thanks to Rachel for being so open and forthcoming. I heartily recommend you visit her site if you're into her thing, and remember, she doesn't make much money out of what she does, so support her as much as you can!

I'd like to do more Q&As, so if there's anyone you'd like to hear from, then let me know. Also, I'd be happy to answer any questions you'd like to put to me for a future Q&A! Send your questions to me. When I've got enough questions I'll answer them!