Shane Allison: I Want To Fuck A Redneck

Reviewed by: Christopher Robin.

Christopher has not met Shane. It is not known whether Christopher knows or has known (in the biblical sense or otherwise) any rednecks, or even tannednecks.

Some of Shane's work is on Amazon, but not this one. I Want To Fuck A Redneck is available through Scintillating Publications, 21 Russell Street, Burlington, VT 05401. But you can order it from Scintillating Publications at: Mustiis@aol.com. Order it now for only $5, and you will get a free new envelope around the book, plus genuine used stamps! Want to contact Shane Himself? His email is starsissy42@hotmail.com. Neither Chris, Scintillating, Shane or myself know who the 41 other starsissies are--but it might be fun to find out! Anyone have some free time for a research project?

Shane Allison writes no holds barred-shameless truth about being a gay black man in the south.

The title poem describes not fucking, but fantasy rape, and could make even the most enlightened queer squirm: “as I yell take off that fuckin’ shirt/motor oil beneath the fingernails/of those king kong hands/his butt tips up for a nigger queer fuck.”

Aside from sexual poems, which are his forte, he also uses word play to have a mind fuck with popular culture: "No one talks about Tonya Harding anymore. I don’t know anyone who talks about Tonya Harding. nor do I know anyone who likes Tonya Harding. Know one I know talks about Tonya Harding. Know one I know who knows someone talks about Tonya Harding," and the poems goes on like that, repeating the same words around and around until the irrelevance of the subject matter is humorously clear.

But, mainly, Allison uses his pen for sexual catharsis. ‘In the Event of My Dildo’s Demise,’ ‘masturbation poem,’ ‘Kiss Me, John Before Your Wife Comes Home,’ ‘My Fuckbuddy Has A Girlfriend,’ are some of the titles, detailing clandestine gay sex, loneliness, infidelity and raw cruising in the dirtiest, seediest of places.

The only complaint I have about this book is the layout. The poems are in a very small font with very light print. It seems like poems of this nature would warrant more distinction. I happen to know that the original cover art for this chap was censored by the printer, thus holding up production of the book for quite a while. So the cover art chosen is not sexual at all and more subtle, which is fine; but his previous chap, “Black Fag,” by Future Tense publications I found much more artistically pleasing to the eye.

This is Allison’s fifth book of poetry and is outsider writing at its best; tender, humorous and raunchy. I highly recommend it.