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December 2007

Part Two

12/14/2007 WVQN LEATHERBEAR ARTICLE 21:

INTERVIEW WITH INTERNATIONAL LEATHER SIR 2007 OLIVER PRATT

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Click Here: Sir Oliver & Sparky Video (Video produced compliments of Lady Justice)

LEATHERBEAR: To get started, what are your plans for the holidays?

SIR OLIVER: Ah the holidays, that time of year when we scramble around stressing ourselves out to prove to everyone how much we love them. I made a decision years ago to express that “Holiday” one time of year sentiment every single day of my life. So when everyone else is putting themselves into months of debt, my partner and I spend that time decorating, enjoying each other’s company and volunteering in the community. For the last several years we’ve spent Christmas morning delivering food to folks who for whatever reason can’t get out or have no family to spend it with. This year will probably be no different, especially since I am traveling so much with the Title. The time I spend this holiday season will be even more important, spreading some cheer, charity and good will. My family is scattered all over the globe, so a traditional family gathering isn’t usually feasible. A good bottle of wine, It’s a wonderful Life, my partner and thanking God for all the blessings in my life. That’s how I will spend it.

LEATHERBEAR: Do you have a New Year’s resolution?

SIR OLIVER: Nope. I don’t believe in New Year’s resolutions. Change is something to embrace year round. I think that by waiting to do everything important or meaningful just because of a date on a calendar is setting us up for failure. If something is important enough to change, improve etc., then there is no time like the present. The most recent change for me was finally getting the courage up to quit smoking. I’m into my second month with this challenge, so New Year’s day I will be thankful that I was given another year and be ready willing and able to handle whatever comes down my path.

LEATHERBEAR: Please tell us little about yourself and where you live? What is your nationality? Have you always resided in the United States?

SIR OLIVER: This is a really loaded question. I was born in Nancy France, and yeah, I can hear the giggles already.. It’s a large city in the Alsace-Lorraine region of France. I often tell people that it’s Nancy/Pompey so it doesn’t sound too funny or queer. Pompey is where the pieces of the Statue of Liberty were crafted and later shipped to Paris for assembly. My Nationality is dual, French and American. My heritage is Southern European/North African – my great, great grandparents were from Italy, Greece and Morocco. This is all on my mother’s side. My biological father was basically a sperm donor my mother met while touring with the Nancy Metropolitan Opera in the 60’s. “Dad,” was in the Air Force stationed near my mother’s home in Domevre en Haye France. Of course this was prior to France and Charles de Gaulle’s withdrawal from NATO. They met, then married, and then he adopted me. The rest is history. I have one sister and one brother; I’m the middle child. We moved to the states in the mid 70’s where Dad later retired from the Air Force and entered the private sector as an Electrical Engineer. We moved around many times while I was growing up and in many ways that was a double-edged sword. I got to see and experience many people and places growing up, but also never really experienced that hometown feel that many have.

I attended the University of Hawai’I – West O’ahu and graduated with a double major in Philosophy and Psychology. I was going to be a Catholic priest at the time. Obviously that didn’t happen. That’s another long story. A few years after graduation, I came back to the mainland (to Tulsa Oklahoma) where my folks lived at the time. They have since moved to Slidell Louisiana and I am now in Oklahoma City with my partner of 11 years John.

Oklahoma is a unique place. It has some of the nicest people you will ever meet. The cost of living is great and it’s easy to get anywhere you want. The trade off is it’s literally the buckle of the Bible belt, which you can easily see would have its challenges.

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LEATHERBEAR: Tell us about your boy. What is his name? Where does he live? How long have you guys been together?

SIR OLIVER: Well this is a little more complicated. Sparky is my Title boy. He has been relegated to that role since we were appointed Oklahoma Leather SIR/boy 2 years ago. By the time this adventure concludes, we will have been Sir & boy for almost 3 years. He lives in Wellston Oklahoma, about 25 minutes from where I live, with his partner Michael. As I mentioned before my partner John and I have been together for 11 years. We met shortly after I moved to the mainland from Hawai’i. In addition I’ve recently started training a new boy, who I will refer to as “Lil BIT”. He is from Tulsa. My feeling is that a man can never have too many boys; I guess I’m either greedy or is that insatiable…maybe both.

LEATHERBEAR: Do you speak any other languages besides English? If so, what are they?

SIR OLIVER: French fluently, albeit rusty. I also can handle myself pretty well with Spanish and a touch of German and Italian. I could include Latin in there, but I don’t think that really counts.

LEATHERBEAR: What titles have you held in the past and currently hold today? Tell us about the experiences you encountered during your leather journey.

SIR OLIVER: Titles, well, this journey of the last 3 or so years has been all about that. I have always worked in my community, even before Leather came about. This journey really started with a weekend trip to Tulsa to see friends. I was out on a Friday night and a good friend of mine pleaded with me to enter a bar contest because of lack of contestants. I did it just for the hell of it and won – that was a complete shock. So I went forward, competed in Tulsa Mr. Leather and won. The next step was Oklahoma Mr. Leather. That contest was a life-changing event. At that time I had not learned that to work in the community and succeed one MUST take care of themselves first.. I worked myself into the ground prior to the contest, ignored my own health and all the warning signs. I lost that contest by 1 point. Shortly after, I went to my Doctor knowing something was wrong. The blood tests revealed that my diabetes had gone completely out of control. I ended up taking three months off from everything and re-evaluating things. I narrowed my focus to Leather activism, and stabilized myself. That’s when I was approached about ILSb. I liked that ILSb emphasized the sexual element of Leather and its Drummer roots. Sparky and I were paired as Oklahoma Leather SIR and boy, went on to compete at South Central and won. International was a huge goal for me. It was the pinnacle to the changes I had implemented in my life from years back. I was once a very shy, introverted and insecure person. I have had so many experiences in Leather, but they all sum up into one revelation. Leather taught me about confidence, brotherhood and pride. At International it was my chance to say, here I am. I’m a Leather Bear, I’m not that porn model, or muscle geek. I wanted to represent the average Leather Man and do it with pride. I guess it worked.

LEATHERBEAR: How old are you? What are your stats? What are your hobbies?

SIR OLIVER: Old, too old. LOL I’m 42 years old, born April 5^th, 1965. I’m told I’m a triple Aries. I’m not sure how all that works but I know I’m definitely stubborn and pig headed like that ole Ram. Stats, hmmm well, lets see – 6’3”, usually weigh around 250 (Some muscle, some fat – I peaked out at a weight of 400 pounds many years ago) – Balding shaved head, Black hair, Brown Eyes, Average cock size about 6.5” cut and very hairy on my chest, back, some on legs. I would say I’m definitely a bear in most ways. I’m a dominant and very controlling top, with a big heart. People say I’m very intimidating and come across as an asshole sometimes, but really I’m not. I’m an intense person; I work hard, play hard and believe in being brutally honest. I laugh hard, cry when I’m sad and will give the shirt of my back to someone I care about.

My hobbies, well, I have a lot of passions. I’m definitely a big ole goober. I have always loved anything to do with Star Trek, all incarnations. I’m an avid camper and outdoors person. I love working in my yard, growing things. The idea that you can take a small seed and turn it into something beautiful is amazing to me. I love a good movie and that can range from an old black and white to the biggest budget action pic out there. Another thing I really enjoy is making my own toys. There’s nothing quite like a walk through Lowes or Home Depot and letting my mind roam with what I can do with something. The latest toys I made for use was the violet wand and a flogger of sorts with Leather twine, electrical tape and paper clips. I know it sounds bizarre but it’s definitely lots of fun to play with. Of course boys or maybe men should be added to my hobbies. I’m a very sexual person. If playing is a hobby, then its one I’m hooked on!

LEATHERBEAR: Do you have any nicknames? If so, who and how did you get the name?

SIR OLIVER: I can’t believe I’m going to share this, but I do have one nick name from childhood. I have always had a fascination with trains. When I was a child I used to run around tables etc., pretending to be a train yelling out Beep Beep like a train whistle. So the nick name Beebee came about. Now, with that said the only people who EVER use it are the French side of the family. Other than that, I do not have other nicknames. Some folks assume Ollie is ok, and my response when I hear that is the look of death. I’ve always hated that nickname. I think it’s because I equate it with Laurel and Hardy, I dunno. Essentially I like my name very much, and like the sound of it, I’ve never felt the need for a nickname.

LEATHERBEAR: Do you have children? How many? Grandchildren?

SIR OLIVER: No children. I have 1 nephew – Diego, my brother’s son. I also have two dogs, Barkley (Named after Reginald Barkley from ST TNG) and Neelix (Named after Neelix from ST Voyager) – told you I am a goober. Barkley is a large 15 pound Yorkie and Neelix is a Cairn Terrier. They are my boys, so I guess they are like children.

LEATHERBEAR: Do you tell your family about your Leather lifestyle? Does your employer know? Do others know you’re a leather titleholder? If so, how was that perceived?

SIR OLIVER: I am completely out to everyone at home, work and family. They are all very supportive and hear all the stories. My Title and leather, besides the sexual element, is a way for me to work in my community and effect positive change. I’m very proud of my involvement and don’t hide any aspect of it. I like to think I’ve enlightened many people to be more open about their sexuality and self-expression. In fact the HR Vice President at work was one of the first people I showed the ILSb sash to. She thought it was very cool. I think what impresses people the most is the community work – they respect that. The rest they smile, sometimes want to know more, sometimes don’t, but always respect the good that comes from the effort.

LEATHERBEAR: Tell us about your wildest leather fantasy.

SIR OLIVER: Well I think the wildest is always going to be my first. I have many, some were hot some were not, but the first one left a life long impression. It’s what opened the door, and would later drive me towards becoming the man I am now.

Many years ago, when I was still in college in Hawai’i, I was chatting with a man on a local BBS (Bulletin Board Service – a dial up service before the Internet) – We chatted for several months, he telling me what he wanted to do to me etc. I was about 26 or 27, a late bloomer. Anyway, one night, I had consumed enough Vodka to get the courage up and go to his place. The fear and arousal was palatable. His instructions were pretty explicit. I remember being extremely nervous and yet rock hard the entire time.

I was instructed to come to his home, near Diamond Head Oah’u, park in his drive, flash my lights once and wait for all the house lights to go off. At that point I removed all my clothing, went to his front door, got my knees and waited. The door opened and a very attractive man stood in front of me, with nothing on but chaps and a riding crop. He had the most beautiful uncut cock I had ever seen. Needless to say there were several hours of play that I had never experienced before. He eventually, partially mummified me, strapped me down to his 4 post bed and did the most intense session of CBT and TT I have ever had, finished off with a fucking that to this day has never been equaled.

Afterwards, he brought me down, and did some very caring and tender after care, held me, didn’t say a word and jacked me off. I remember him whispering to me that this is what Leather was, play, caring and bonding. We never played again, but I can remember the experience like it was yesterday. Every time I think of it I get hard, in fact, yup, it’s hard again.

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LEATHERBEAR: Please tell more about your boy. What do you love the most about him? What makes your relationship work the most?

SIR OLIVER: I’m going to approach this from two directions – my partner and boy. John my partner, I adore. He is my rock, my stability and my heart. He knows me better then anyone I know. I can’t imagine my life without his presence, his “Good morning hunnie” and his never ending support of all my crazy ideas.

Now there’s Sparky, he isn’t my partner, and yes he is my “Title boy” but we both agree that we have a very different relationship then the normal situation. He has his partner I have mine, but I also love and care for Sparky very much. He is the perfect boy balance to my SIR. He is impulsive, giddy and energetic. We feed off each other, supporting and standing by each other at all times. When we are in “Mode” it’s a seamless team. In fact, when I have to be in mode without him, I’m usually a little off, almost like someone has tied a hand behind my back. The relationship between a SIR and his boy is very unique. It’s a team that transcends the surface. It’s a physical, emotional and spiritual team. Each knows what the other is thinking, doing and needs.

Lil BIT is new to the picture. I’m not sure how he will play into the meld yet, or whether it will work. Time will tell. Lil BIT fills that “Papa” need I have, the more caring and nurturing aspect of my personality.

LEATHERBEAR: What qualities about yourself do you like the most? The least?

SIR OLIVER: The most is my passion and dedication to my goals and vision for positive change – I don’t give up, I keep trying until I succeed. The least is my obsessiveness. I can obsess on things to the point I make myself sick. Its funny, the obsessiveness is what makes me successful, but at the same time it’s the thing that causes me the most grief.

LEATHERBEAR: Do you travel outside of the United States? How often?

SIR OLIVER: Yes I do travel outside the US regularly. Usually it’s to Europe to see family, France, Germany, Italy, Belgium, Scotland and Spain. I’ve also been to Mexico, The Bahamas, Morocco and Israel.

LEATHERBEAR: Why and how long have you been involved in the leather community?

SIR OLIVER: About 11 years now. I have been actively involved in the Gay community for almost 20 years now.

LEATHERBEAR: Do you have a dungeon or play space? If you do, tell us about it. If you don’t, tell us how you would design your dungeon?

SIR OLIVER: I don’t have a space really. We have a large cage in the house for the pup and visiting boys, and many things scattered. Eventually the garage space will be converted, post Titles when there is time. I want the space to be very simple, corrugated tin in the walls with shackles, black concrete floor with drain for easy cleaning. As far as implements, I have a large massage table, spanking bench, sling, Cross, Rimming chair, stockade and others I would like to have laid out for easy playtimes, and then when done they can be hoisted up or moved aside to allow the SUV to be parked in the garage. I’m all about multiple uses of space.

LEATHERBEAR: Tell us about the leather events you have attended. Where were they?

SIR OLIVER: There have been so many. Tribal Fire, Leather Camp, South Plains, Beyond Vanilla, GLLA, OML, Tulsa Mr. Leather, Great Plains Olympus, Great Plains Leather SIR, South Central Leather SIR, South Central Leather SIR, North Texas Leather SIR, Mr. Texas, Bearadise, Southwest Leather Conference, TBRU, Gathering of the Clans, Route 66 Leatherfest, Various Leather Contests at Bars, Pride First Night and so many more. Most the events I have attended are regional. One of the reasons I’m looking forward to this year is getting to attend Leather events across the country and Canada. I will be attending MAL in January, South Plains and Heart of America in February and many more as plans formalize in the next several weeks.

LEATHERBEAR: Tell us about the International Leather Sir/boy competition. Where was it held? Give us details. What web sites is this event promoted?

SIR OLIVER: The competition was intense. It was pretty much non-stop from Thursday through Sunday afternoon. I don’t think I have ever been put through the ringer and tested like that before. The competition was held at the Crowne Plaza in Dallas Texas. There are tons of pictures and details on the website www.leathersir.com – I made some wonderful friends there, it was really a community and comradery building experience. I think the one thing that stands out the most was the support and caring for all the contestants. The staff of ILSb, especially the Den staff, Tug, Corn, Spanky, Randy etc, were amazing. They were like fathers making sure we had what we needed, that we rested, ate, had a place to go scream if needed. These were men who had been through this and understood the emotions involved. I’m so happy that I chose the ILSb circuit. After the experiences I have had in the last few years, I realize that ILSb expresses best, the type of Leather man I have become; International only cemented that realization into fact.

LEATHERBEAR: Have you been involved in any special events that have helped to foster the leather experience or promote the leather community?

SIR OLIVER: Oh yes definitely. This is one of my primary goals in my community work. Events like Leather Pride Night, Pride First Night, Route 66 – Leatherfest etc are key to the message I want to get out there. Leather is about so many things, but the most important is that it’s an amazing community of support, caring and mentorship. There are so many misconceptions out there about what Leather is. We have all heard them, but if we want our tradition to continue, we have to be out there teaching, mentoring and embracing the generations after us. The concept of Old Guard I think is a misnomer. Old Guard is really tradition, and like all things traditions should change and adapt to the needs of the people practicing them. Leather’s strength lies in tradition, but it should also be malleable enough to embrace the new. So yes I’m out there talking to everyone I can about this. Or course, the play and all those other things are a big part of it, and I see nothing wrong with sharing that experience as well. Does that answer the question? I hope so, I tend to ramble.

LEATHERBEAR: Are there any web sites that you have articles or photos about you, i.e. Mister Marcus, The Leather Journal, etc.? If so, what are the web site addresses?

SIR OLIVER: Yeah, there have been articles and pictures in Mister Marcus, The Leather Journal, Recon, write-ups and class info for events such as Beyond Vanilla, Tribal Fire, GLLA, etc. But remember, fame is fleeting, are they still there? Dunno. Hopefully if I do my job right, there will always be something out there to look at and read about.

LEATHERBEAR: Where can we find you online? Do you have e-mail or a web site you’d like to share with us?

SIR OLIVER: Yes I’m online all over the place – On Bear411, Leatherbear.com, Recon World Leathermen, Daddyhunt.com as DomLeviLeatherMan, also on Yahoo & MSN as DomLeviLeatherMan, AOL-AIM as DmLeviLeatherMan and MySpace is www.myspace.com/domlevileatherman or Live Journal as GallicHomme. My email for official stuff is InternationalLeatherSIR07@cox.net or regular is domlevileatherman@cox.net – I’m a pretty easy person to get to know and welcome any conversation etc. People usually say, chat me up or talk to me, I don’t bite.. well that would be a lie, I do flag Houndstooth, so yes I do bite… but I promise you’ll enjoy it! See everyone on the road and online! Cheers to All and Happy Holidays!

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