“Long after midtown office towers have been deserted for the day, as many New Yorkers snuggle into bed in their high-rise apartments, another world comes to life in the seedier districts of Lower Manhattan. From 11 pm to 5 am, Monday through Sunday, the young and the active pack into musty East Village basement bars, cavernous lofts in warehouse districts or short-lived speakeasies that, because they lack liquor licenses, tend to fall prey to police raids … this outlandish scene has its own celebrities (John Sex and Gracie Mansions), fashions (spike cuts and crew cuts) and rules for conduct (regulars rarely dance, even in clubs with constant rock music) … Best known for his straight-up hairdo and slimy nightclub act, John [Sex], a former male stripper, now supports himself singing hits like his R-rated version of “That’s Life”. “I’ve been a hustler, a hooker, a honcho, a hero, a dyke and a queen,” John sings to the classic Sinatra tune. Sex, who has been 24 for years, just landed a recording deal with Island Records. “I’m a nice Catholic boy from Long Island and everything my mother didn’t want me to be,” he admits.”
/ John Sex quoted in the article “Art After Midnight” by Michael Small in the 20 August 1984 issue of People magazine /
Born 70 years ago today: irresistibly sleazy and charismatic NYC performance artist, cabaret crooner and postmodern lounge lizard extraordinaire John Sex (government name: John McLoughlin, 8 April 1956 - 24 October 1990). I would have first read about Sex in Michael Musto’s nightlife column in the Village Voice in my university days and then thrilled to his snarling hi-NRG disco performance of “Hustle with My Muscle” in the 1988 documentary Mondo New York. (Lyrics: “Your heart beats like a virgin tonight / You ride the pig ‘til the morning light …”). Beauty tip: his signature vertical hairstyle was maintained via a combo of “Dippity-do, Aqua Net, egg whites, beer, and semen.” Pictured: portrait of John Sex by April Palmieri.













