An interview with Bootblack Craig about his passion for boots and leather.
MasterMarc: Hi Craig. Today we talk about a fetish which is really related to the leather fetish. You love to be a bootblack. Can you explain us, what it means to be a bootblack and what does it include?
Bootblack Craig: Being a bootblack, at its heart, is about service. It is both giving a dedicated service to an individual and to a community. You serve to care and tend to the symbols in our culture that for many carry a great importance. We do not simply give boots a shine, we repair and nurture them. We tend to not only boots but the leathers and tools, ensuring they stay in the best condition for use. For me on a more personal level being at a Daddy or Sir’s boots gives me a sense of great fulfilment knowing I am being of use to them as well as the base aspect of my own fetish for men in boots getting a good exercising.
Being a bootblack, at its heart, is about service.
MasterMarc: Can we say that you like to serve in all aspects? And just the reason that you are leather fetishist and part of this community, makes you a bootblack and not a butler, servant, houseboy or slave like in other communities?,
Bootblack Craig: Oh I personally love to service. Getting praise and recognition for pleasing someone scratches a very particular itch in my brain and I get a deep satisfaction knowing I have pleased someone else. I think what sets a bootblack apart from other service oriented subs however is their specialised knowledge and skillset. We dedicate a LOT of time knowing how to treat all forms of leather, the special little secrets to repair it and tweeks to change how it looks. These skills are often passes via mentorship from one bootblack to another as opposed to houseboys and slaves, who are trained dom to sub. We also have a more communal aspect. We tend to work as a community resource, not a private relationship like a lot of service subs. You don’t even need to be a sub to be a bootblack, there are many D type bootblacks who will tie a boy in place while they work on his boots.
MasterMarc: Can you tell us, what the essence of your fascination for boots and leather is?
Bootblack Craig: For me leathers, and especially boots, are codded as signifiers of masculinity in my mind. Tall boots are signifiers of both authority, such as policemen, army men ect. This seems to be all tangled up into my libido and so when I see a guy in nice tall boots it flicks on the little switch in my brain that floods me with the urge to please and worship this authority. Leather in general has its own attraction as a second skin. The feel of it, the sight of it and the smell of it completely bypasses my brain and goes straight to my cock. When I wear leather, I feel like a different person from my every day, working world self. There is, I feel also a lot to be said about the image of the Leatherman archetype who embodies this fantasy of masculine power and raw sex.
MasterMarc: What kind of feelings do you have when you’re cleaning boots by a guy, who is kind of ignoring you, just giving you the feeling that you are made to serve and to be used? What image do you get of this guy and does it matter, how he looks like?
Bootblack Craig: When I Bootblack, all my energy is focused in on the task at hand, so it doesn’t really matter what he looks like. I have to make sure the job I do will impress the man in my chair and I am dedicated to that goal. In more private boot blacking sessions a man that can give off the air of casually tolerating me only for the work I’m doing can be a very strong motivator it both turns me on and drives me harder to try and impress him. I’m very much a daddy’s boy in my submission and crave praise and approval.
MasterMarc: And what makes you horny? What is for you a sexual turn-on?
Bootblack Craig: Well I do have a bit of a laundry lists for things that turn me on but I have a few major turn ons. Boots are obviously a big one for me. There’s nothing better than lying flat and running my tongue up and down a dominants mans boots. Bondage is also a big thing for me, whether it’s in a rough hogtie I need to struggle against or just being completely bound to where I am immobilised and helpless. Hypnosis, which I know is probably seen as a bit odder than other fetishes, has long been a turn on for me. I have only recently began to fully explore it but it has been so much fun. The old adage of the brain being the biggest sex organ very much holds true when using erotic hypnosis.
MasterMarc: Now you’ve made me curious. What kind of erotic hypnosis experiences do you have and can you tell us a little about it?
Bootblack Craig: Well you can do a lot. I personally love playing about with post hypnotic triggers, a dom being able to take away your ability to speak in anything other than barks, or make your body involuntarily move or feel sensations with only a word is a powerful thing that really helps me to feel dominated. It can be used to induce or deepen a lot of headspaces for people. I have had it used to deepen how far into subspace I went and I have a few puppy friends who used it to help them get into a proper puppy mentality for the first time.
MasterMarc: I think for most of our readers this is totally a new field. You have to explain a little, how it was to be mesmerized, what kind of feelings and sensations you’ve had and it would be also important to talk about trust in this context.
Bootblack Craig: Going under hypnosis is a very unique experience, it gives a sense of profound relaxation that’s hard to describe. To be in this state with someone it takes a lot of trust to let go to that degree. I really would advise getting to really know someone before trying it. Everyone experiences it slightly differently because at its core, is your perception being changed. When I feel a sensation caused by a dom’s trigger word, it’s not like a physical sensation. The best I can describe it as is an echo of sensation, but my body will react in the exact same way. The things can be as relaxed or as intense as you want them to be when exploring. If over time you get deep enough with a good hypnotist, your imagination is literally the only limit.
MasterMarc: Is it also something you integrate in your sexual life and what kind of sexual action do you like?
Bootblack Craig: Oh very much so, it was a blessing when my partner and I lived long distance. Sexual post hypnotic Triggers over our skype were of great use. it can even be used to make orgasms feel better. Combine that with a lot of bondage and some boot play, leather or rubber and you have my perfect night. A Daddy into objectification, a bit of light manhandling and mild eortic humiliation, pit licking and forced rimming would be someone i could do have a lot of fun with.
MasterMarc: What is the importance of leather in your sexuality?
Bootblack Craig: Beyond my fetish for leather. The people I’ve met through the leather comunity has really help teach me so much. I’ve had such great guidance through it and been introduced to so many new experiences and really had my sexual horisons opended up. The stories I hear from leathermen when they are in my bootblack’s chair are amazing.
MasterMarc: You are not only enjoying your fetishes but also producing a kinky podcast. What can the guys expect to hear in your shows?
Bootblack Craig: On each episode we cover a fetish, going through the do’s and dont’s for safety, where to start if its new to you and most importantly the ‘whys’. We try and delve into the psychology of what makes that fetish so appealing and hot for a person and some sexy stories they can tell with their experience. We try and keep it light and fun and never too clinical. We are also always on the lookout for new fetishes to cover, so if your readers have any suggestions they can mail in to kinkyboyspodcast(a)gmail.com. When i was growing up, podcasts like dartsdomain and the now defunct daddy david podcast were how I learnt about so much in this community and introduced me to so many new ideas whilst still cooped up in a small town. I wanted to continue that for new people, and maybe help point the way for people who have fetishes and may not know where to start.
MasterMarc: That’s really great. I can imagine it is a lot of work and do you have specialists you work together?
Bootblack Craig: It can be really tough sometimes. Right now I am a university student and trying to do a polished show between all night study cramming has been difficult sometimes. But this is something I really with to keep going and do to a good standard, and I have had a lot of help from my co hosts. Adam, my most regular co host and Micheal, who originally helped me set it up and get it going. Also our sponsor, pablo Greene author of the how to kill a superhero series, who believed in us from the start and really helping us grow. The only specialists we have are those we interview for their unique experience and skills. The rest is all self taught and produced on my laptop.
MasterMarc: Not bad! But i hope it is not only work but also fun.
Bootblack Craig: With the photos we see and the tails our guests can tell about the fun they’ve had it is far from a drag. Research has never been so interesting.
MasterMarc: Let us talk again about your bootblack fetish. Could you give us some advices how to take care about boots and leather?
Bootblack Craig: The most important thing to remember is Leather is skin, so keep it moisturised. clean with saddlesoap, moisturises with neetsfoot oil or almond oil and then to boots apply the polish and buff. Take care of your leathers and they will last you many decades. and if you cant do that, get a willing boy to do it, we can be very eager to do a good job.
MasterMarc: What kind of qualities should a boy have, who wants to become a good bootblack? And can you give some advices to interested guys?
Bootblack Craig: At its core, bootblacking is about service, both service to a single person but also to a community. A boy who wishes to become a bootblack needs to have the drive to help others and a pride in the work he does, i know it is commonly held that boys should be humble which they generally should, but pride in the work you do, pride in the quality of things you can offer others is vital. Every pair of boots or set of leathers needs to be treated to the best of his abilities. A thirst for knowledge will be needed, there are always more little tips and tricks for all the types of boots and leathers out there to know. Your goal should be to make everyone who sits in your chair feel the centre of your world while you work on them. Be a good listener, and an eager listener; men, when you do there boots, will often tell you stories of where those boots have been and whats been done in them and you should honour them with your attention.
If someone recognises this in themselves then there are a multitude of resources online to get the basic info from, but i highly recommend ‘beyond bootblacking by daddy wendel‘ if they can get a copy. Its a bible of information. The most important thing is to try and learn from others. But the best one, by far, is to learn from a bootblack. Search out for your local bootblack and ask them to teach you. Anyone who comes to me asking to learn, I will always sit down and pass on what I know.
MasterMarc: Hey Craig, it was a pleasure to talk to you and we are happy to provide your podcasts on sadOsam soon. I wish you a lot of dirty boots to make them shine and all a real kinky time.
