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Under the Cherry Moon — The Work OUT
November 15, 2006 | 4:02 am
TALES FROM THE ROAD
By: Harlan (Hucky) Austin
My buddy Mike Oakvik and I were working for Prince during the “Under The Cherry Moon” nation-wide publicity tour and film premiere. When you are employed as a bodyguard, one of the requirements for the job is that you stay in top physical condition. This meant in every city on the circuit we would seek out a gym to get in a workout. So when we hit Denver, Colorado we did what we usually did–tried to find a gym near the hotel–it was our usual routine. But this workout would prove to be one we would never forget.
I hit the yellow pages and found a gym. We called a taxi and gave our driver the address. He was a friendly guy, rough and tough. He looked like Ernest Borgnine. We made some small talk and just as we arrived at our destination he asked “are you sure this is where you wanna go?” I checked the address. Yup, this was the place. “Okay,” he said. I should have noted the skepticism in his voice.
Mike and I hit the locker room and got into our workout gear. I spotted Mike on some of the Heavy Squats, but couldn’t get over the feeling that we were being watched. I looked around, and saw guy quickly turn away. I shrugged it off. I went to a machine and started doing leg extensions. I felt like some of the guys were sort of staring at us, but I just chalked it up to the fact that we were darn big guys. People often stare when you’re a bodybuilder.
I continued my workout, but again, the feeling of being watched was overwhelming. I looked over my shoulder, and sure enough, there was a guy looking my way. Now, most of the guys were in shorts. But this guy was wearing daisy-dukes. The shortest, tightest cut-offs I’d ever seen. I think my mouth must’ve dropped open in shock. It suddenly occurred to me that there was something different about this gym. I looked around–and then I saw it–a huge banner that read “MR. GAY OLYMPIA.” Mike and I looked around and realized that this was not the gym for us. Ah, the arrogance of youth. Mike said, “Huck, we’re outta here–these guys aren’t gonna get US.”
Even today, some 20 years later we still laugh about it. Not only the fact that we wound up in that gym, but our presumption that just because we were straight guys in what was clearly a gym popular with the gay community–that guys would be hitting on us. The fact that we were in our early 20s and greener than grass accounts for our hasty homophobic departure.
I still work out nearly every day, even when I’m out of town. It wouldn’t matter what gym I find myself in now. But for the record, you’ll never catch me in daisy dukes.
I hear ya on that one man.
I had a similar experience at a club. I live in Chicago & me & about 8 friends went down on Rush street to party, but everywhere we went that night it was crowded. So we happened across this one club that wasn’t crowded so we went in, everything was cool we got a table & just sat around & started drinking a bit. & then after awhile one of my boys was like hey, doesn’t this club seem a bit strange to you? I was like no not really until I actually started to look around. I noticed that all the men were sitting together & all the women were sitting together, then I looked on the damnce floor & saw all the men dancing with each other as well as all the women. Then one of my boys came running out of the bathroom talking about some guy just offered him $600 to let him go down on him. 
So at that point we paid for our drinks & got the hell outta there, needless to say we’ve never gone back.