You all know that Harry Potter is my cosplay fantasy of choice. So when announcements were made back in 2006 that Daniel Radcliffe would be playing Alan Strang in Equus, I was really excited. He’s all grown up and getting naked onstage!
When Equus opened in London in 2007, there were promotional photos released of nude Daniel Radcliffe with a beautiful white horse.
Then soon after a full frontal penis photo circulated around the net…
… which apparently was a Photoshop hoax.
September this year, Equus opened on Broadway. And because the American audience is so much hornier and more irreverent than the British audience, it wasn’t long before photos taken with a cel phone circulated online, and now a video. Thank you, mighty satanic technological breakthroughs, for this fleeting moment of seedy pleasure.
That was just disturbing. I’ll never understand art. Porn I understand, but art… who wants to sit through this hooraw? I guess it’s OK they are nude, because absolutely nothing sexy happens. That makes it art, right? Brahm’s Third Racket if you ask me.
Dear May,
I am a genuine admirer of yours. I have read your blog for over 2 years and I find your writing incisive, measured, beautifully erotic, sincere, droll, humane and frequently profound.
But I’m dismayed by your cavalier posting the bootleg video of Radcliffe and his co-star. Not only because I think it’s wrong to do so, but especially because you yourself complained strongly against X on Demand for profiting off your image without recompense.
All theatres strongly prohibit the use of photography and/or video during their performances, both to protect the copyright of the material being performed and the privacy and decency of their performers.
You chose when and how to exhibit yourself on your website. You control the video released and the ability of your audience to access it–weather it’s everyone or those you’ve selected for password access. This affords you control over your privacy and your public image. And I must imagine that if someone were to violate those abilities and rights, you would unhappy to say the least.
Though I can enjoy the titillation of seeing young Harry pad across the stage and mime sex upon it, as well as your correlating fantasy, I think it’s cheap of you to violate the performers’ privacy by posting stolen footage of them. I think it violates the spirit of decency your writing and behavior so frequently champion. I don’t know why you feel comfortable doing so.
With great affection and sincerity,
Ben
You know, I must admit I wasn’t thinking of digital rights when I posted this entry. Seeing Dan Radcliffe’s nude body just makes me all giddy and dizzy – digital rights is the last thing on my mind.
This is a topic that has already been discussed ad nauseum ten years ago when the record companies freaked out over fans sharing music files on Napster. I believe we’ve seen what has happened since. Metallica is now selling mp3′s on Amazon. Embrace the new media and its viral nature, or be obsolete as an artist. Artists can only hope for their work to be viral. And damn it, if there is any art form that needs resuscitation, it’s the theatre.
Are we talking about protecting Dan Radcliffe (who by the way is of legal age at 19 years old) or the vested interest of the fat cat producers of Equus? I don’t see who was victimized by this grainy not-even-5-minutes video. Daniel Radcliffe gains more fans, Equus on Broadway garners more interest. They are the only people profiting from this video’s circulation on the internet. Me, I’m just a fan.
seeing radcliffe naked is like a dream come true.
his dick is tiny
His dick is soft silly