Assuming The Position by Rick Whitaker

[Guest TFNH]

I did a search and found nothing on this book, which came out in 1999. It is a critically praised and highly insightful memoir, written by a former escort NYC. It is brutally revealing, both about how he(Whitaker)saw himself and how he saw his clients. It is worth reading, and re-reading. It is a courageous work that focuses more on the mental aspects of the business rather than the sexual details.

[Guest regulation]

I recently came across a novel (just published, I believe) about a gay escort service in Denver. The book is "Can't Buy Me Love" and the author's name is Kenry. The man is either an experienced client, an experienced escort or has done a great deal of research. It would not surprise me to learn that he is familiar with this site.

 

I found the book mildly amusing and I imagine many members here would find it so. There is nothing that I saw in it about escorts or escorting that would seem new to members here, except possibly one thing. The protagonist, during his own career as an escort, reports that although he has a number of repeat clients these are not enough to sustain him. He reports that so many of his clients, though satisfied, move on to other escorts after a few visits for the sake of variety, that he needs a constant stream of new clients in order to maintain the same revenue. I have no idea whether this is true of real escorts. Jeff, any thoughts?

[Bilbo]

It was true of my career here in Houston.

[Guest cp8036]

For those with money to burn, there will always be a cuter/younger/hotter guy coming along in the near future.

[Guest bigTom]

I read the book by Rick Whitaker shortly after it came out. It was autobiographical about his several years as an escort but even more to the point was his chemical dependency and his justification for his behavior. I did not find it very enlightening about escorts in general. Most escorts report avoiding clients using drugs.

[Guest DaddyWayne]

I couldn't agree more with bigTom. I also read Rick Whittaker's autobiography a couple of years ago. I found it BORING BORING BORING and extremely self-serving. It's nothing more than an egotistical trip down memory lane -- and on this egotistical trip of escorting for drug money, he pities the johns. Gimme a break. I say, don't waste your money or your time on Mr. Whittaker's own personnal therapy of writing his life's story, or on this ego trip of his. It was all too self=serving to even be interesting.

[Guest alanm]

I also read Whitaker's book when it came out. I agree with all the negative comments. Whitaker worked for a time for the New York escort agency called WOW. I've used the agency and have always been satisfied (once you get to know them the escorts will tell you that WOW is a pretty good agency to work for).

Whitaker had problems with everyone, including WOW. I had to conclude that he was mostly to blame.

[Bilbo]

Not just that. Rotating clients/escorts minimizes some of the social problems we have talked about before. And then again, so many of my clients were just coming out of the closet. How could they really know what kind of guy appealed to them without a little variety? If I thought it was in a client's better interests to try out another escort or two, I mentioned it to them, which often lead to them seeing both me and the others for a while, maybe seeing more for longer without burnout or overdependence than if he didn't have the change. And then again, even if that didn't happen, so many of my clients who considered themselves my regulars would only see me rarely - some of them would come back to me in a year or a year and a half and believeably convince me that they hadn't paid anyone else in the meantime. So, to them, they were my regulars. To me, that was hardly any regularity. Certainly not enough to keep me in kibble. I just had another guy call me a couple of days ago wondering why I wasn't advertising any more, was I still in the business. Not only have I not advertised in more than a year, the newspaper he referred to hasn't published in nearly six months. Now, he might have been a cop, but its entirely conceivable that he wasn't.

[Guest jeffOH]

>The protagonist, during his own

>career as an escort, reports

>that although he has a

>number of repeat clients these

>are not enough to sustain

>him. He reports that

>so many of his clients,

>though satisfied, move on to

>other escorts after a few

>visits for the sake of

>variety, that he needs a

>constant stream of new clients

>in order to maintain the

>same revenue. I have

>no idea whether this is

>true of real escorts.

>Jeff, any thoughts?

 

Reg--My experience is just the opposite. Most of my clients are

regulars...some more regular than others. I see my MOST regular

client every few days and another client I see every Sunday at 5:30pm.

 

After 10 years, I have quite a few regulars. If I see 12 clients a week, 2 or 3 may be new clients. Some of my regulars

I see when they are in town on business, but the most live here

in Columbus or elsewhere in Ohio. If all you are seeing is

mostly new clients and very few regulars...I'd say you aren't

doing a very good job and should try another profession.

 

One of my best friends,(escort and former stripper)Jason Markus

NYC/Columbus, and I have talked recently about this subject. He'd

already been in this business a few years when we met in '91

working for the same escort agency. We were talking about how many of our clients that we've been seeing for years. And how

that is biggest compliment of all...when we see a new client and

they keep calling us back. It's nice to know they have enjoyed

their time with you. Of course, the money is rewarding also, but

finding joy in your profession is the greatest reward.

 

Jeff4hire@aol.com