It’s all like self-oppression on some level. And then in terms of fitting in with the culture … capitalism’s the same kind of prison that masculinity is, it is something we’re all doing to ourselves, it doesn’t have to be this way, society doesn’t have to work this way, a lot of men aren’t like this. So, the idea of a place that is for people to enact their wildest fantasies, but not those, was interesting to me. And I’m sure even for tourists there’s the odd Pride thing or whatever, but it is an environment in which you’re expected to be a certain way. It’s anything goes as long as it is cis het in a way - which is not to say there is not queer life in Las Vegas I’m sure there is for locals. There’s something about the idea of an “anything goes” environment that’s very prescriptive in terms of what “anything” means. Las Vegas to me is … I don’t like it there. ML: The setting of the book is called El Campo, which is a sort of libertarian Las Vegas in the middle of the Atlantic Ocean that’s sort of like an “anything goes paradise” for mostly the rich, but also your aspirational, not-yet-rich kinds of people. SN: Can you elaborate on the setting and the world-building of the book? How did you come up with the idea to make it like this garbage patch-style destination island? And how did you go about playing into or playing up the absurdity of capitalism and toxic masculinity and bro culture with the setting and the world-building? And to my friend’s credit, he asked me, “We can think of a new name for the program?” It was a much more supportive experience environment with a good friend of mine, but I was thinking about the nightmare version of what happened to me and then just kept making it more of a nightmare the more I thought about it. While I was there, I was having an idea about how I went through the process of being my friend’s best man while I was in the middle of coming out to my family and all this other stuff. It was like a very muted and pleasant version of the book happened to me. My situation is a lot different from Sammie’s - I like these friends I’m still friends with them. And I was already going to the bachelor party when I came out I had already agreed to be the best man for this wedding when I had come out. MATTIE LUBCHANSKY: I was at a friend’s bachelor party in Las Vegas, maybe three months after I came out. SARAH NEILSON: Was there any initial seed or spark that led to this story? Shondaland spoke with Lubchansky about the unique friendships amongst the queer community, letting go of your past life, and more. It’s a romp of a book that is also tender in all the right places. The book follows Sammie as they navigate their loyalty to this friend, the ways that their life has changed, and their relationship with self, all against a backdrop of cultish MLMs, literal and figurative monsters, toxicity of all kinds, and some scary sea creatures. The premise of Boys Weekend is loosely autobiographical: Nonbinary protagonist Sammie agrees to be the “best man” at their college friend’s wedding and is invited to the preceding bachelor party-esque weekend in a fictional Vegas-like city built on an island of trash in the ocean, which evokes a Westworld playground where people can indulge in their worst and strangest hedonistic fantasies, including partying in a submarine on the ocean floor and hunting AI versions of their own clones. They are also an associate editor and contributor to The Nib, a soon-to-be-shuttered beacon for all sorts of writing and comics, both online and in print. Lubchansky is the author and co-author of multiple books, including 2016’s Dad Magazine with Jaya Saxena. Mattie Lubchansky’s newest graphic novel, Boys Weekend, is a mix of satirical humor, poignant reflection, horror tropes, and an anti-capitalist spirit that graces most of their work.
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