Bad Santa

Philly's naughty sci-fi writer dons the red suit and beard.

by Josh Middleton

Courtesy of Random House MISTAKEN IDENTITY: "People were regularly shouting out on the street at me: 'Hey, Santa Claus!'" says Samuel R. Delany.

[ lgbtq ]

Looking at sci-fi scribe Samuel R. Delany, it's easy to imagine him decked out in a cherry red Santa suit, sliding down a chimney on Christmas Eve. He's got the bushy white beard, the merry twinkle in his eye, the belly full of jelly.

It's the package he'll be toting that gives us pause.

Last year, he admitted to City Paper that he'd slept with nearly 50,000 men throughout his lifetime — so don't be surprised when you see a long line outside Giovanni's Room this Saturday. To help raise funds for the financially troubled bookstore, he'll be welcoming people into his lap as Ol' St. Nick.

City Paper : When did you first embrace your inner Santa Claus?

Samuel R. Delany: My hair started to go gray when I was 28. By my mid-30s, I realized I'd always wanted a big, Walt Whitman- or at least a Karl Marx-style beard, and stopped shaving for good. Five or six years later, people were regularly shouting out on the street at me: "Hey, Santa Claus!" And they have been ever since — five times a day in the summer, every 10 minutes in the winter.

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CP: What are your thoughts on the Santa Claus character?

SRD: Though I'm an atheist, I think Santa is a generous, large-hearted image that has lost a lot of its religious baggage. Besides, respecting other folks' religions is a good quality — at least in terms of their good intentions. It's among the primary American values; it's what our country was founded on.

CP: You say you've had sex with 50,000 men. Will you count the gay men who sit on your lap this weekend among your conquests?

SRD: People who kiss and tell don't do anywhere near as well as those who are willing to maintain a little mystery. So I'll sidestep that question. You can sit on my lap and tell me anything, and your secrets are safe.

CP: Do you like your boys naughty or nice?

SRD: Let's start with some honesty and insight. That's a good quality for girls and boys, and women and men. If you want to add a little naughty laughter, fine with me.

CP: When can we expect your next book?

SRD:Toward the end of 2010, I'll have a new novel coming out about two gay, working-class men living together on the Georgia coast between 2007 and 2075, called Through the Valley of the Nest of Spiders, with Alyson Books.

CP: One of your recent novels, Dhalgren, was criticized for having both gay and heterosexual themes — rather than just gay ones. Do you think Through the Valley will face the same criticism?

SRD: I doubt it. This novel mostly focuses entirely on a gay relationship.

CP: As gay Santa, what is your advice for gay Philadelphia?

(josh.middleton@citypaper.net)

Family Santa in the Store, Sat., Dec. 12, 2 p.m., free, Giovanni's Room, 345 S. 12th St., 215-923-2960, giovannisroom.com.