Surprise, Surprise…

When my husband and I pulled up outside the site of the latest and long heralded Atlanta Flesh and Fetish ball, I thought we had the wrong place. The wicked bash, which is held every second Saturday of each month at 1763 Montreal Circle, was located in a warehouse/business district that is smack dab in the middle of Tucker, Georgia suburbia.

Correspondent Alicia R. Norman

I was very excited about the event.

You see, I am a Goth girl at heart, apparently born that way, (never a cheerleader, always the sad, black dress wearing poetess, even in kindergarten), who is somewhat submissive, albeit more of a velvet bottom (love to play but hold the pain please), and I hadn't had the opportunity to mingle amongst others in my tribe in several years. Popular haunts, like The Chamber, The Masquerade, and 688 Spring Street had long folded (I blame city ordinances that stipulated restrictions on operating hours, causing many Atlanta clubs to close up at a time when paying customers still wanted to party, as well as the natural decline that even popular clubs can experience over time), and I hadn't been out and about. After speaking with Brent Futo, the founder and organizer of AFFB, my excitement had grown to near chart-topping heights.

Brent and I had had a somewhat lengthy conversation via telephone a couple of weeks prior, as we made arrangements for my live musical performance and he'd mentioned the party was going down in a "warehouse". I had envisioned the typical, metallic structure, with concrete flooring and roll up door access, but the building looked more like a brick and mortar office front, surrounded by trees, landscaped shrubbery and a large asphalt parking lot.

When we reached the door however, there was no mistaking the fact that we had arrived at the correct destination. The door itself was a dark crimson with a gargoyle doorknocker resting dead center, just begging to be used despite the neighboring doorbell.

We entered and were once again pleasantly surprised.

Inside was a wonderland of decadence, with homey, almost cozy touches throughout.

Club 1763's lobby

Club 1763's dressing room

The lobby and sitting areas boasted leather furniture with plush pillows and mahogany stained coffee and end tables, while period style furniture rested amongst racks, stocks, and padded animal cages. Various private rooms housed Saint Andrews crosses, large, comfortable leather racks, benches and in one, a rather ominous looking pulley. There was also a fully operational medical room for doctor/patient play complete with examination table and stirrups - despite the schizophrenic décor, the divergent imagery and feel worked in harmony with one another.

Vendors also displayed impressive homemade leather wares, clothing and art --

I could tell we were going to be in for a memorable evening…

Artists At Work

As we entered the lobby area, I saw a very busy Amy Hale, visual artist and proprietor of Penn Dragon Studios and Gypsy Dreams Charitable Auctions as she prepared her art display. Russet gold ringlets framed her face as set up for an auction that was going to run during the ball, which would account for why she didn't immediately notice our arrival. When she did, she readily lent us a helping hand, showing us where to set up sound for the show. It was around eight o'clock when we finished getting everything into place, but the party didn't start swinging, no pun intended, until about eleven or so and went on till four.

While I thoroughly enjoy singing my original tunes, the highlight of my night was just mingling and enjoying the party itself!

I can honestly say that there was something for all at ye olde Flesh and Fetish Ball, including a DJ who pumped dance electronica hits as the folks kicked up their heels, which, of course, was interchanged with live music that was provided by your truly, a dressing room for lovely Diva trannies, an impressive shower room, (the largest I have ever seen in a club), spanning an inviting 10x10 area, and a dining room with food and drinks (non-alcoholic in variety).

There were also Dom/sub exhibitions going on in some of the rooms that were crowded with the respectful attendance of on-lookers, who watched as masters of their particular crafts worked their magic on their willing submissives.

The atmosphere and the exhibitions were entertaining enough, but nothing topped the show that was put on by the Big City Burlesque Troup, the brainchild of artistic genius, Kenton McGhee.

To Burlesque Or Not to Burlesque

The burlesque thing was new to me.

I'd never seen a real life burlesque show, and truth be told, after witnessing it, a part of me wonders if I should hang up my mic, grab up a feather fan and show the world what I got to offer!

Members of Kenton McGhee's Big City Burlesque

The entire room stared, transfixed, as retro-blond seductress Diamond Ice (who I swear was channeling the spirit of Betty Davis), performed a fan dance that was breathtaking as well as sensuous and erotic. Rai Blackey and Renee Bleu put on an equally stunning show as the French Maid (Blackey) and her proper sophisticated Lady (Bleu), with Rai helping Miss Bleu undress, change her stockings, and eventually strip down to a gorgeous vintage corset and bra. Later, the stunning and curvaceous Rai came out and did a solo strip tease that was greeted with thunderous applause.

I got a second to talk to manager Kenton McGhee after the ladies sexy, theatrical presentation and found him to be an extremely intelligent man with a great passion for all things vintage. I was most astonished to learn that he had done the girls make up, as well as their hair and personally hand picked music and clothing.

I know I am going to hear good things about this group as time wears on!

After the show (and my own performances), I danced and watched the varied and shifting crowds pour in and out, some dressed in leather finery, if dressed at all. By the end of the night, I was exhausted, yet, despite being tired to the point of near loopiness, I ended up having a great time, and vowing to come again.

But then, why was I so surprised?

I had been impressed by my earlier interview with Mr. Futo, whose wit, intelligence and passion for the alternative life style was evident even as we chatted over the telephone.

I got the sense of a man whose underlying purpose in producing such parties was not to simply titillate and entertain, but to educate and create a new perception of lifetsyler's altogether.

His inspiration was drawn from the twenty eight year old Exotic Erotic Ball, which is held annually in San Francisco. Not able to travel to there, Brent felt he could start something very similar here in Atlanta. The Flesh and Fetish ball was born.

When asked why he liked to put such an exhaustive event together once a month, he replied, "Who wants to eat ice cream, get a massage, and orgasm only once a year?"

As for the general concept of each ball, it roughly remains the same from month to month: a party that promotes diversity, tolerance, and understanding between various alternative lifestyle groups, i.e. the swinger, fetish and BDSM communities. "To that foundation, we add artists, performers, musicians, BDSM scenes, fetish models, strippers, burlesque shows, and an assortment of vendors selling erotic paraphernalia and clothing. Finally, we top it off with all the elements of a good-old-fashioned, kick-ass party: DJ's, dancing, food and beverages, naked girls in the shower...and lest I forget to mention.... lots of sex! "

The medical room

The Rack

Yes, there is sex at the parties, primarily because no alcohol is brought into the building, and the club is privately owned.

"At first I worried that people may not come if drinks couldn't be served," He revealed to me during the shindig, but he soon found out that people didn't care about getting their swerve on as it were, apparently, it was far more important to them to have a formal, safe and sane place to play.

Being privy to so much juicy wildness, Brent was bound to have stories.

I prodded him and was rewarded with several interesting tales, including one Brent himself labeled the "the single most impressive erotic episode he had ever witnessed."

A Dom had tied his submissive to a bench, then made her orgasm and squirt across the room by tapping her labia with his crop and giving her verbal commands "I can't even make my wife stop talking for five minutes!" Brent joked.

Futo puts on numerous events besides the Atlanta Flesh and Fetish Ball, one of them being a more traditional swingers party, which he holds at venues such as Trapeze Atlanta.

When asked about lifestyle hotspots, Brent was able to rattle them off the top of his head, "We are fortunate to have three major swing clubs in Atlanta currently: Venus, Little Wings, and Trapeze. They all have their strengths, but my personal favorite is Trapeze. It is one of the few truly excellent clubs in the nation. If you are into the BDSM scene, 1763 on any night (other than my own events) is a true and authentic dungeon. For the nudist lifestyle, we have two great resorts nearby, The Grove and Paradise Valley."

And where to find deliciously hot club and fetish attire?

Correspondent Alicia R. Norman

"For outrageously-sexy clothing for the ladies, my favorite store is Looks of Atlanta. It is unknown except to the professional strippers in town, who rely on its offerings to adorn their money-making booties."

There is also Junkman's Daughter and Aphrodite's Toy Box; great places to find corsets and Goth wear…

On top of his amazing organizational talents, Brent can also lay claim to poetry and novel writing, but none of these are what he considers to be his primary gift, "My mission, or talent if you will, is stripping-away these myriad and diverse facades to expose the commonalities that exist in all of us--laughter, fun, beauty, pleasure, character, decency, and the human spirit itself."

Well, that spirit certainly succeeded at 1763, and I am so very glad that I had the good fortune to be bear witness to this wondrous underground movement of sorts.

As me and my husband left that night, I reflected on the fact that the Atlanta Flesh and Fetish ball, as well as Brent Futo, were a lot like the building the party was housed in, unpretentious, with a layering that got more and more interesting for those brave enough to open their minds, enter and explore.

I made a vow to go back at least a couple more times, perhaps to recapture the magic of a time when I'd felt very free to be me or just to delve into an underworld that is far more sophisticated and welcoming than it would at first appear…

Flesh and Fetish Ball - by Alicia R. Norman

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