F*ck Bubble Episode 17: Joe in Jersey City, Part I

F*ck Bubble

Episode 17 of F*ck Bubble comes in two parts, both with my friend Joe in Jersey City.
Joe and I met as college students in Boston during the mid-nineties. He's only ten days younger than me (although he still looks like he's twenty-two). We talk about what it was like coming out during the dawn of the internet age; the clubs (Avalon, Quest, Campus) we frequented and relied on far more than our screens for social connectivity. Our halcyon days but also an invaluable education.
By the late-nineties, Joe and I had both moved to NYC. We'd often hang out together at nights/bars like Beige, Boiler Room and Pyramid. Then, in the summer of 1998, both of us just twenty-five, Joe was diagnosed with cancer. He tells that story, parts of which I was present for, parts of which I didn't know about till now.
Joe, who lives life as a series of bold and uncompromising metamorphoses, who in so many ways encapsulates the era during which we both came out, was the perfect friend to read the penultimate chapter of F*ck Bubble to, to help put it all in glorious but simple perspective.
Part II will begin with the reading of Chapter 18, Arrowhead. This chapter recounts some magical thinking employed on my part re: Gunner. In short, a miscommunication of intent leads to a reemergence of self.
You can find out more about F*ck Bubble and my other creative projects on my website, http://brianpearson.net/writings.
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