Five Hours with Two Knotty Boys part 1 of a 4 part series...just who are these boys, anyway? - Freaky by the Bay Column by Rebecca Anderson

For those who may not know of them, Two Knotty Boys is comprised of J.D. and Dan, both aficionados of rope bondage and the most valuable source of information on the topic within the fetish community. They already have one book published (Two Knotty Boys: Showing you the Ropes), another due out this year, an encyclopedia in the works in addition to more than 60 videos available on YouTube.com. J.D. And Dan have put a vast amount of knowledge about safe, responsible, sensual and beautiful rope bondage into the public’s hands.

Who are TKB, when they are not cracking jokes and nurturing models as they tie them up (or down)? One could say regular people, but to do so is a disservice to them. J.D. holds multiple degrees in biology, infuses vodka, saves the cartons from Ben & Jerry’s binges and is simultaneously articulate, highly intellectual and delightfully perverse.

Dan is more private about the details of his life, but also has many irons in the fire. He is very knowledgeable about nutrition and health, having become so after a bout with cancer from which he is officially cured. He is a licensed pilot, travels extensively, has a penchant for ruthless punning, and has a goth/industrial music project called Spirit of the Staircase. The name Two Knotty Boys was Dan’s invention, after having seen the restaurant ''Two Guys From Italy'' on El Camino Real Boulevard. Spending time with them together is just Fun - they clearly enjoy one another’s company and are truly inspired about what they are doing.

What many do not realize about the Two Knotty Boys (or TKB) is that their endeavor is not intended as a for-profit business venture. Sharing and educating about the art of rope bondage is a labor of love. Their faces almost never appear in their books - intentionally, to keep the focus on the ties they are teaching. The first book is available for $16.95 retail or as low as $10.00 on Amazon, which just pays for the printing cost. The videos are all available free on the internet.

''We are providing what we didn’t have back when we ourselves were trying to learn how to tie bondage,'' notes J.D. ''I think the most punk rock thing to do is to take this information, stick it on the web for free and say 'it’s out there.'''

Dan calls it ''viral bondage'' or ''open source bondage'' and mentions that the Ashley book of Knots and the Story of O were pretty much all that was out there to learn from when he was first getting started. Neither book addressed the intricacies of binding human beings with fragile nervous, circulatory and psychological components. People into bondage had to take what information they could from each and extrapolate it into this different, more complicated application.

Both Dan and J.D. have been interested in rope bondage, or rigging, for a very long time. They met one another in the 90’s while tying models for a photo shoot and realized that they shared an appreciation for the aesthetics of rope work - that rigging can be done elegantly. Both men have been collaborating since, embracing the term ''fusion'' to describe a style of tying that combines the traditional Japanese Shibari stile bondage with newer methods of artful restraint.

What makes TKB a perfect platform for increasing knowledge about responsible and attractive rope bondage application is their very unique humor, confidence and humility. These guys are funny. When they teach workshops, it’s their humor that helps to defuse any tension or one-upmanship occurring in the audience and focuses the participants back on the task at hand - learning fun, safe new ways to bind people. Of course if the humor doesn’t keep some attention-needing Dom in the audience from starting a ''pissing contest,'' it is quickly shut down by TKB by showing what they call a ''rock star tie''...something complicated enough to show the audience that they know what they are doing, and are happy to show others.

A certain amount of competition is healthy, not to mention inevitable among the Dominants usually taking TKB courses or being privately tutored (J.D. currently privately coaches two professional Doms.) It encourages artistic pride, ''push the tide up and all ships rise with it'' as J.D. puts it. Nonetheless, TKB’s conscious decision to de-emphasize themselves and emphasize the learner creates a level playing field where all concerned can focus more on the exchange of knowledge than anyone’s prior experience.

In answer to the inevitable ''two questions'' asked during a Freaky by the Bay interview, Dan said that the strangest thing he has ever eaten are chocolate- covered crickets. J.D., a self-identified ''picky eater'' indicated that unless lost in the woods he’d have nothing to do with such a thing. For J.D. THE picky eater, the answer is sea urchin eggs, removed and eaten by him, his classmates and instructor during a college biology lab. Picky indeed.

The worst hotel room? For J.D. It was ''a Super 8 in Visalia.'' In addition to being a generally crappy room, there was a fight taking place outside that lasted thirty minutes. During this time his pizza arrived, but the driver refused to negotiate the brawl to get to his door. After waiting ten minutes for the fight to end, the pizza guy left, taking J.D.’s pizza with him.

Dan cites the Beverly Inn as the single worst place he has stayed. Not to be confused with the Beverly Laurel (''Which is awesome, BTW''), the Beverly Inn ''Makes you feel like a criminal.'' Lighting is provided by one single unshaded compact fluorescent light bulb. There is absolutely no art on the walls. A deposit is required to get the remote control. ''The floor was greasy even through my socks.'' Dan says that he stood on a towel to urinate in the john, but the floor was so gross, he considered standing on a chair instead.

Dan and J.D. Are the perfect ''boys'' at the perfect time for the BDSM community, both lifestyle players and Industry professionals. The knowledge they are imparting and the way they are doing so - with professionalism, affection and a purely didactic goal is just what is needed at a time when fetish play is increasingly accepted and gaining a much larger audience. If you see them, thank them. We all owe them that!