Tom’s Durk

Canadian Durk Dehner is a leather and rubber fanatic from Echo Park, LA. If anybody’s entitled to represent the incredible legacy of X-rated artist Tom of Finland, it’s Durk. He happily served as Tom’s model, fuck buddy and best friend until Tom’s passing in 1991, and has run Tom of Finland Foundation since 1984. Occasionally mistaken as a member of Hells Angels, Durk has been arrested by the Uruguayan military police and contracted a serious case of crabs at age nine. Jordan Tannahill, a fellow Canadian and fetish freak, unearths these and other scandalous anecdotes from Durk, including the oath he made to himself on his 73rd birthday.

Photography by Milan Zrnic

JORDAN TANNAHILL: You grew up in Alberta, right? Do you think the rodeo culture — the Calgary Stampede and the cowboy uniforms, affected your sexuality?

DURK DEHNER: When I was very young, my family sold the farm and moved to the city, but I was still sent to the country for the summers. As far as rodeos, I had my own cowboy hat, and I still have the belt buckle that my dad gave me. I even performed at the Stampede as a magician’s assistant. But I left Alberta when I was 18 and moved to Montreal, and then followed some friends to Europe. I traveled, hitchhiking. It was definitely a time of self-discovery.

JT: When did leather come into the picture?

DD: Leather, actually, was more associated with manhood. The guys I wanted to become were bikers. They wore leather and engineer boots. They were my idols. And of course, I’d go down to the Harley shop every Saturday and I’d be the kid who’d beg the guys to let me polish their bikes so that maybe, just maybe, they’d give me a ride.

JT: Where do you think fetishes take their root? In childhood? In trauma? In…

DD: I think it’s in our DNA. I cannot speak for all homosexuals, but certainly within the expanded male community, I have found that fetishes happen naturally and without indoctrination. I think we’re very creative beings. A lot of us live with ADHD and bipolar disorder. It’s part of the package of being creative. We just naturally explore, you know, areas that others don’t. Homosexuals are the story tellers.

JT: You’ve so selflessly devoted yourself to preserving Tom’s work, but what’s great about this interview is the chance for us to celebrate you, and focus on what you’re passionate about at the moment.

DD: I’ve always been a sensitive being. People tend to like me or they don’t. There’s no in-between. I’m a lot less sharp with my tongue now that I’m older. I got to see the last era of my life, which is commencing for me as the Director of the Departure Lounge. It’s about assisting people so they can depart this life on their own terms. Not in a hospital or in a place where they can’t control their exit. I think it’s important for people to pass in their own environment, and not in a hospice if they can avoid it.

ORDER THE COMPLETE ISSUE

Published: 12th September 2022

Categorised in: News