Six Degrees of Separation

By Keith Boykin, in books
Thursday, July 6 2006, 12:36AM

e lynn's house So I'm walking down the street yesterday, on my way to a meeting at the Logo office at 50th and Broadway, when I hear a voice in the distance.

"Keith!" I turn quickly as I climb the stairs but I don't see anyone. "Keith," the voice repeats. I turn the other direction and I'm startled when I see him. I quickly descend the stairs and move in for a warm embrace. "Lynn! What a pleasant surprise! What are you doing here?" E. Lynn tells me he's on his way to see a Broadway matinée. I tell him I'm on my way to a meeting at Logo. I am delighted to see him. I didn't even realize he was in town.

After our brief encounter, I head into the Logo office for my 2 o'clock appointment and I walk to the bathroom, where a friend from MTV notices me and calls me into a conference room to chat. After a quick conversation, I return to the lobby just as "The Ski Trip" is starting to air on Logo. "The Ski Trip" is a film written and directed by my friend Maurice Jamal and produced by my partner, Nathan Hale Williams, who is also an actor in the film. I didn't even realize it was still on regular rotation at Logo.

My 2 o'clock appointment greets me in the lobby, and as I walk down the corridor to my meeting, I make a surprise visit to a colleague's office. On the top of the magazine rack there's a magazine opened to a photo of me and an article I wrote called "Earning The Right To Complain." What are the chances, I think to myself.

After the meeting, I come back home to work and then go to the gym late in the day. I usually work out in the daytime when there aren't as many people, but at this time of day it's packed. As I'm leaving the gym, not one, but two different people stop me to talk. One of them asks me to speak at a film festival while the other asks when "Noah's Arc" will be out on DVD. I have to tell the second person that I'm not involved with "Noah's Arc." Although I seem to know several people involved with the show and I've written about it a lot on my site, I don't have any secret information about the show. Still, people seem to think I'm a producer or something. I do know the first season is out on DVD already because I saw a copy of it earlier in the day at the Logo office. Timing is everything.

Then, early Thursday morning I'm reading the Atlanta Journal online when I notice E. Lynn Harris's house in Atlanta (shown in the photo above) is on display in the Home and Garden section of today's paper. "When he's not teaching at the University of Arkansas in Fayetteville or vacationing at his condo in Houston, Harris can be found in his spacious three-story townhouse near Phipps Plaza," the paper reports.

Harris reveals that he put his personal assistant and friend, Anthony Bell, in charge of the interior design and asked him to "make it pop," the paper says. How ironic, I'm thinking. I just saw Anthony Bell at a a Fourth of July barbecue Wednesday night on my block. The world just seems to get smaller and smaller.

I also learned something about E. Lynn I had never known. Apparently, he wears a new pair of underwear every day. He prefers black boxer briefs by Calvin Klein. So do I, but at $20 a pop I'm not buying new ones every day. "I never wear the same pair twice," Harris told the paper. "It was one of those things I said I was going to do if I ever made some money." Wow. That's living large.

Comments (30) reveal

Comments conceal

kevin
July 6 2006, 1:13AM

Sorry, I just don't get or buy the point of this "column." Actually, the point of this "column" -- like other pieces on the site -- seems to be: I'm connected and popular. Look at me. Again.

Kenneth Winfrey[TypeKey Profile Page]
July 6 2006, 3:03AM

Actually, one might also infer, "I'm connected and popular AND COUNTING MY BLESSINGS." The honor is from Keith to the world around him in affirmation...and yes, I would also be eager to share it if E. Lynn Harris was shouting my name in the middle of Manhattan.

As a local designer/writer, I don't think I'll ever stop getting that rush when I see my work on a billboard or spread out in volume on tables in rooms full of people.

I think, "It's my contribution to the world, and the world has accepted." ...at least in some way. If you've strived to be good at something, and especially when that "something" is about elevating the consciousness of those around you, when that something becomes visible, it is a moment of pride that I know that each of us can expereince, and I pray that everyone will experience.

nahtan serious
July 6 2006, 5:18AM

Sour Grapes anyone?????
The title of the piece is Six degress of separation. Keith runs through a day where it seems that everyone was connected in some way ( which happens to all of us from time to time). He is connected and he is well known....those are facts and they do not take away from the point of the piece.

nat[TypeKey Profile Page]
July 6 2006, 8:19AM

wait a minute, he spends 7,300 a yr on man undies ? not to mention t shirts and his kept boys man undies too....i would think that he has a hook up because thats crazy, but i guess he doesnt have to manage his money.

CPAPhD[TypeKey Profile Page]
July 6 2006, 9:47AM

Boy, when the haters hate, they try to cut deep. This is another example of how we take what we want from what we read. Such is life. Anyhow, I, like Ken, wish I had folks like that yelling out my name. Hell, I just wish they recognized me...LOL. Anyhow, I love traveling because I have moments like this often. Though it's not E. Lynn or KB, I get the picture. BTW....I ain't mad that E. Lynn can fulfill his own desire. I have goals like that as well. When I reach them, you better believe I won't care what the haters say when I talk about it. Stop hating haters!

Mike Strahan
July 6 2006, 10:20AM

I've always loved this site, but this post - full of self-indulgence, back-patting, and grand behavior - had my jaw dropping. The underwear, the "look at me" attitude.....I'm with Kevin: the fact that the New York girls are fabulous, connected and exclusive should make me feel what? I've heard about the exclusive parties, and I think the clique-ish nature of this scene is one of the reasons our community is so isolated.

allegro
July 6 2006, 10:33AM

KEVIN....just wanted to let you know....you aint alone bruh....lol. You accurately asessed what was on my mind as I read this...and I am sure the mind of others. And NO...to the naysayers...it aint about HATIN' on anyone. I see it as more of a VANITY check.

nahtan Serious
July 6 2006, 10:44AM

Perhaps Keith does not need to share any of his personal experiences with us since for shame he should happen to be a famous person and to know other famous people.

What is wrong with our society is that many of us are extremely covetous and narrow minded. That some of you would only see this peice as a "show off" piece speaks volumes about how you see the world.

CPAPHd, like you I am often amazed at how small the world can be when I travel. E lynn can do what he wants with his money, he worked hard to get it and i wish others would follow his lead ( in pusruing their own goals) instead of being envious!

pc
July 6 2006, 11:34AM

When I feel a sense of connectedness around me as Keith describes, it's a confirmation to me that I'm in the right place at the right time. I guess everyone will read into this what they choose, but I think your worlds are colliding in perfect harmony, Keith. You Go!!

tdubbs
July 6 2006, 1:11PM

i just want to be one of E lynn's kept boys lol
truth be told if we all had the money and status like that we would have a lil self indulgence going on in our lives too, hey i say show me the money and ill go buy underwear for every day of the year too , :)

deejay
July 6 2006, 1:12PM

I think the greatest and most underrated gift one can possess is the ability to share in the joy, harmony, and good fortune of another.

Jeff
July 6 2006, 1:14PM

Some of you say you're not hating but what else would you call it? Vanity check is not an accurate description. It would be one thing if that's all Keith did on his own site, by the way, but come on fellas. Keith shares a lot of other information here. There's probably more stuff he doesn't share because of haters and it's a shame because all he was doing was sharing something and now it gets blown way out of proportion.

g
July 6 2006, 2:09PM

Keith - There's nothing wrong with sharing with your audience a beautiful day you had and the fruit of your hard labor over the years. Obviously, you are well connected within the gay community and on the national stage. There are those that have it.....those that are striving for it.....and those that ain't got it and mad about it.

Keep up the good work of networking and building your brand!

jared
July 6 2006, 3:37PM

I for one say a huge thanks for sharing your day, its so nice to see that someone with all the success as E Lynn, still keeps it real with his buds! And, I guess it still shows NYC is the center of the universe!

Big D
July 6 2006, 4:39PM

Mike Strahan,

The girls here in New York are not all that fab.
They used to be.
There isn't a nightclub for bruthas here in NY (outside of the 1 or 2 hole in the walls in Brooklyn).
The girls here are always running to DC and Atlanta to meet and hang out with other men of color.

Don't believe the New York hype.

chris-leo
July 6 2006, 4:43PM

FIRST, i must say, e. lynn harris has FABULOUS, chunky crown molding in his space. the decor's a touch pedestrian, but i like the restraint.

SECONDLY, taking harris at his word, i have a few questions about this O.C.D. thing with the underwear. does his assistant have to buy it BY THE CASE? is there a DISCOUNT if you plug calvin's name in a house and garden magazine??? what happens to the HUNDREDS UPON HUNDREDS of perfectly good boxer briefs after the one wearing?? does he keep them???!!! EEEEEEK!!! are they thrown in the garbage like disposable diapers??? does his assistant trick him and secretly have them washed and rotated back into his wardrobe??? are they washed and DONATED?? can they be?? does ANYONE accept DONATED UNDERWEAR??

it might be healthier, cheaper, and more environmentally friendly if harris just went to a shrink and was talked through his underwear issues?? just because you CAN do something doesn't always mean you should. ask michael jackson.

Steve
July 6 2006, 4:49PM

Isn't it wondrous when we have a day like that? It happens to everyone, sooner or later, that they have a day where everything seems so interconnected. In fact, our lives are very interconnected - on some days it's just more obvious. Thank you for sharing, Keith.

deejay
July 6 2006, 5:20PM

Interesting. Judging by the response to this week's post about the North Korean missile crisis,there doesn't appear to be much interest in an issue that impacts everyone. I, for one, ain't feelin' this madness at ALL.

On the other hand, there is certainly no shortage of commentary, criticism, and analysis of a light-hearted posting about one interesting day in the life of the site's host.

p.s. I'm a hetero sistah who limits social interaction with sistahs" for this very reason.


jared
July 6 2006, 5:51PM

NYC does not have any black bars or clubs? you have go to be kidding? I thought that this was a city where the fabulous, beautiful black men could have dinner out and a night dancing with a room full of goodlooking black men, I guess I was way off base.

Big D
July 6 2006, 6:10PM

Jared,

You are talking about NYC before 1996 (pre Rudy Guliani).
New York was hot around that time.

Keith and his lover runs a Thurdsay night small Village club called Luke and Leroys.

Midtown Manhattan has a club that opens on Friday nights (sometimes).
There is a black gay BAR (Chi Chiz) on Christopher Street in Manhattan.

Brooklyn has a hole in a wall black gay bar in the hood on the weekends.
Hold that pocketbook real tight when you go into this neighborhood.
The drug dealers and the crackheads are a mess.

That's it for New York City.

The only place that is more tired is Philadelphia.

chris-leo
July 6 2006, 6:55PM

big d.

that is NOT "IT FOR NEW YORK CITY." there's Chocolate Bar in brooklyn; there's Escuelita in manhattan for the blatino crowd; there's Bona Fide on saturdays on the east side. the OTHER nathan and raymond throw a party on 123rd and broadway, every saturday night. there's still the Playground. there's Langstons. black men are all up and thru The Hangar on christopher street as well as Chi Chiz. Luke and Leroy's is a GOOOOOOD TIME. it's just a matter of finding a place to fit your style.

there's gonna be a NEW SPOT called NIGHT, in TIMES SQUARE for chrissake, that i went to recently, and it was GREAT. AND it's gonna be every saturday night, starting in mid august.

and THAT'S just off the top of my head. i don't even go out much, especially to brooklyn, so i'm sure there's A LOT MORE i don't know about.

not to mention, there's plenty of other shit to do, here in the "center of the universe," BESIDES CLUBBING. if you're BORED in new york city, you're just DETERMINED to be bored.

jared
July 6 2006, 7:45PM

thanks Big D and chris-leo for the heads up. when you live in tucson, arizona like i do, nyc to me seems like "the place" to see and find some hot black guys into other black guys, becuase here, the pickings aren't even slim!

Big D
July 6 2006, 8:01PM

Chris Leo,

I mentioned the Playground (midtown Fridays) in my previous post.

I am African-American, so I would not be interested in hearing Spanish/Salsa or Reggaeton music.
Escuelita in midtown Manhattan is out of the question.

Langston's in Brooklyn is a confusing mess.
Sometimes its straight and black.
Sometimes its gay and black.
You never really know.
Depends on how management feels.

I didn't know that Fridays at the Chocolate Bar was still up and running.
So many bars in Brooklyn come and go (Rockwell's), it's hard to keep up.

My boy in Harlem told me about that Satruday spot at 123rd & Broadway.
He told me that it's nice.
I will check it out.

Ty A. Allison
July 6 2006, 8:40PM

Keith, thanks for the interesting entry. It showed you "living". Share more in the future.

chris-leo
July 6 2006, 8:49PM

big d,

i've done the chocolate bar once (it's in brooklyn, and i just find it difficult to get around at night there with no car), and i had a really good time. it's apparently going very strong on friday nights. langston's, i haven't been to in a few years, for the same reason.

as for that new spot, i made a mistake. NIGHT, in Times Square (i think 44th street) is gonna have a saturday night party starting in mid july (15th), not mid august, and that should be a really good time.

escuelita, which is within walking distance, is a place that's run its course for me. but again, taste and style are pretty individual, so i'm sure there's a place out there for you. after all, IT'S NEW YORK CITY. LOL.

InTheBasementOfLife
July 6 2006, 9:15PM

the world is small, indeed!

Shabaka[TypeKey Profile Page]
July 6 2006, 11:42PM

I personally think it's a great idea to share your daily happenings with your readers. I mean after all this is keithboykin dot com. What's wrong with a few tales here and there? I think some of us just expect way too much from you.
Just keep up the good work, Keith!

Jeff
July 7 2006, 5:43PM

I just think that we're a community that constantly hates on each other. God forbid you are doing good. There's always someone trying to tear you down. Keith puts up a post like this and now he's self indulgent. Yeah. Okay..

jazzi
July 7 2006, 7:20PM

You know, it's funny. It never occured to me that Keith was being conceited & show off-ish. I just didn't pick that up in reading the posting. Go figure.

The way I see it is, life is what you make it. You have to create the life you want to live. Keith, E. Lynn, & many others, known & unknown, have done just that. They reap the rewards of hard work & shouldn't have to apologize for being sucessful. No one gave it to them, they earned it & should enjoy it to the fullest, sans guilt.

Actually, I'd like to know what the meeting at LOGO was about. Me & my nosey ass!

Zac[TypeKey Profile Page]
July 14 2006, 12:20PM

I remember reading where Keith wrote about being so broke he had to ask some stranger for gas money or toll money or something. Point is he was broke and told it. So why can't he talk about his other daily experiences hater?

It is so funny that people who hate keep coming back. Why are you reading his blog if you are all about labeling him in the pejorative?

Why is it when a group of people are doing well that they all of a sudden are an exclusionary clique?

These haters should do more reading and instead of complaining. Understand that Keith, E. Lynn and others were not always where they are today, and put in (and still do) much work for people of color and LGBT people.

One the club thing besides the ones mentioned has anyone been to No Parking? It's a nice place, nice crowd, the DJ was wack (not with his selection but with his mixing skills) but I hear they are working on that. Oh they frisk you at the door like you are boarding an international flight.