Andy Fair

Andy Fair is a New York based photographer and videographer who has been creating in queer adult spaces for over 20 years. His work is informed by a history of queer and sex positive street activism. Applying his background in theater and film, he explores themes of camp, sex and politics (not necessarily in that order!) and how they relate and overlap. He believes you can’t have one without the others.

Born in Brooklyn and growing up in the surrounding suburbs, Andy considered himself a punk rock anarchist before discovering DaDa and identifying with the Situationist International. His anti-authoritarian nature led to being asked politely to leave public high school early. Nevertheless, he found his way first to New York University and then settling into the Conservatory Program for Visual and Performing Arts at S.U.N.Y. Purchase College where he earned his Bachelor Degree in Fine Arts.

Returning to NYC after college, he worked on a range of low budget indie LGBTQ film productions. However, he found many of the queercentric films of that time to be either too apologetic or conversely too abstruse. Looking to more authentic queer culture, he made his way to the underground club scene in the East Village during then Mayor Guiliani’s war on nightlife.

Creating in that environment, Andy found himself in the infamous world of NYC public access cable television. Phone sex lines, escort commercials, Midnight Blue and celebrities like Robin Byrd, Lou Maletta and Al Goldstein. He was thrilled to have projects recognized in Al Goldstein’s SCREW Magazine as well as Honcho magazine among other notable underground-ish media.

He produced the drag performer Hedda Lettuce’s wildly popular cable access show before going on to produce the live performance genderqueer drag-rock concert video, “A Night At Squeezebox.” Other ‘no-budget’ collaborations with provocative titles like “Fisty Girl & Nancy Boy” and “Queer Carpentry Seminar” were well received in LGBTQ film festivals in multiple countries.

Andy went on to create Apartment21.com, the first gay 24/7 live-cam site, which was named in the top ten of 2000 by Art Forum magazine. In keeping with his DIY ethos, he became the driving force behind a variety of ‘regular guy next door’ adult websites. Projects included DirtyBoyVideo and DickShow featuring amateur models often performing for the first time.

These sites won fan recognition and awards from adult industry organizations like XBiz and AVN (Adult Video News). Andy has spoken on panels and appeared in seminars addressing the creative and marketing side of adult entertainment online. Some fun and controversial productions included the solo subway videos (York Street station!), the furry love story “Plushie Schwartz Does Fire Island” and filming live at the Occupy Wall Street protests.

Other projects of note include the Boing Show, a live wet underwear game show and the satirical blogs The AnomicObserver and Homomania.com. Andy is currently compiling a photo book that further explores the joy of showing off and an oral history of internet gay porn from the people who shaped it.