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BindMe had an email-interview with Viking, the pony-tailed man behind www.TiedGirls.com and www.EroticKnots.com. Michael King is a fetish-photographer, bondage-artist and together with his partner, the very beautiful Rachel Paine, he runs TiedGirls.com. We are proud to present this interview and let you have a look behind the scenes! BindMe: Viking, please tell us something about your background. Who are you and what do you do? Hello,.. Can you believe it? It's finally happening.. The long awaited interview LOL. Who am I and what do I do. Let's go with who I am first. Basically, I'm a reformed Sadist. Years ago, when I entered this lifestyle formally, I always had a thing for making women cry. I always enjoyed the extreme sensory overload pain can induce in a person. The right pain, not the broken bone type of pain, although if that's your kink.. So be it. I say reformed because while I am a Sadist at heart, finding a partner that was capable of withstanding the pain was a very hard task. I have found a few in my travels, but not nearly enough for my taste. I knew long ago, if I wanted to remain active in this lifestyle, I needed to find additonal ways to enjoy myself and the women I affect. Thus I entered the world of D/s, which in turn opened up many other worlds to me. Now, I simply float through each one at my whim.. Finding what I like and keeping it, discarding what I don't care for (which isn't much) and enhancing what I do know so that I don't have to think about it. It's second nature to me. This alows me to be very fluent in what I do and it allows it to flow easily. What do I do,.. I do it all. I enjoy the many varied aspects of this lifestyle and I dabble in most areas for one reason or another. I do however LOVE bondage. While it's not my first love, it's a very close second. )
BindMe: What does bondage/shibari/kinbaku mean to you?What does it mean to me.. I'm not realy sure it has any real meaning. I know I like what I see and hear when I tie a woman up. I enjoy the struggle as she works through any discomfort. Other than that, I can't think of an explanation that would indicate what it meant. BindMe: How did you first come into contact with bondage/BDSM? Well, my first exposure to bondage that I can remember clearly was watching Penelope Pitstop being tied to the railroad tracks by Dick Dastardly. (It's a cartoon, or was a cartoon in the U.S. when I was a child). I don't remember the name of the cartoon, but I was only interested in seeing Penelope with her extreme smal waist, being tied up and placed into various predictaments. I also remember tying my cousins up when they came over for a visit. It was always under the ruse of playing cowboys and indians. Whether they knew what I was doing or not didn't matter to me. I got to tie them up regularly LOL. I also remember trying to mimic Dick Dastardly and do to my cousins what he did to penelope. Coming into contact with BDSM, officially, was when I was about 16 years old. I used to run a BBS system back then. For those of you who don't know what that is, it's the baby steps to what the internet is now. It was run on my home computer and it allowed only 1 person to connect at any time. I met a woman there, who after chatting with, invited me out for a few hours. I tasted BDSM as a whole with her, and I never looked back. BindMe: By whom are you influenced in your work (if so)? In what way? And who else do you admire in "the scene"? I think I have been influenced by several people. I have probably taken something from each one and turned it into something that is mine. If I had to name names, I would have to say Jim Weathers from Bondagecafe.com, James Mogul from Nawashibari.com. I have taken bits from these gentlemen and added them to what I do. I know we are all influenced in one way or another by other people. Especially when it's something we enjoy doing, we want to be as creative as possible doing what we do. If using a technique from another person allows me that, then so be it. Within the scene (the BDSM scene) I admire Bob Deegan, the premier single tailer (whips) in the U.S. He and I have been friends for a long time. Because we have some of the same basic philosophies in regards to BDSM, we hit it off very nicely. BindMe: Do you see your form/style of bondage as an artform / artexpression? Well, I think anything we do, that's designed for ther people to view, is what I would call a form of art. I am creating imagery that will have some people sayin oooo and ahhh, and others will say it's crap. It all depends on what my mood was for that day. My moods determine the type of bondage we are going to get today. Instead of resisting it and making something happen, I give in and see what comes from within. So I would say yes, it's definitely an art form. ) BindMe: And if yes... do you do something about it (or do you value that) to see it accepted as such? (If no, what else is it?) I think I've answered this one above BindMe: Do you have a favourite way/shape of binding? A favourite position maybe? Or is each tie different and a challenge as such? Well, I have a favorite way of putting women in. I don't do it all the time, but its my favorite none the less. When I put a woman in bondage, I am generally tying her up in a position that I would like to fuck her in. To me, bondage is about sex. If the ropes come out.. Someone is getting fucked. I don't see a need to tie a girl up and have her struggle and then not touch her intimately in any way. Favorite position is suspensions. I try to make the ties dynamic so the girl can float around and change positions while suspended. Other times, I hard line it and force her legs open for access, or set her head up for oral access. Again, it all depends on the woman, the mood and my intentions. BindMe: How did it feel to have your bondage-partner suspended for the first time? It was awesome. When I learned how to do it properly, and she went up and was able to stay up for a long period of time, I was very hapy and very excited. I mean, the suspensions just opened up a new realm of possibilities. BindMe: Can you explain why it is so special to have Rachel as your partner in business and life? In your pictures the love splatters off the screen :-) Why it's so special.. The only way to answer that is when I met Rachel for the very first time, in the airport. I knew I was in trouble. She came up for a BDSM party I was throwing. I used to put monthly BDSM parties together. She came up for one. The moment I saw her, I was in love. 30 days later, I went to Texas (where she lived) and moved her up to NY. She has never left my side. We formed this partner ship about 6 years ago. We've worked through quite a bit of issues dealing with this website industry. In other words, we've come a long way, baby! She is my partner because I trust her 100% with my life. I know that what she is doing is for the betterment of us in general. I don't even have to second guess her. When we work together and someone else is recording it for us, we are both able to get into the "scene" better. I think that's when we start to groove. Quite a few people have told us they can see the love oozing when we work together. I don't know if its love you are seeing, or my wanting to kill her LOL. Either way, she is my girl.. And she is not replaceable. )
BindMe: The personal touch your website has makes it different then other
paid sites. Do you believe that a kind of idealism in this "field" will overcome commerce?Well, we wanted to have a website where it didn't look commercial in nature. We wanted where it still had the home grown feeling. Professional looking, but not commercial looking. So, we redesign the site every 6 months to a year just to shake things up. I believe that if you treat the members like part of the family instead of treating them like cash cows, there is more of community atmosphere that envelopes everyone involved. Will my type of idealism overcome commerce.. I don't think so. Money is the force behind everything. So, while I do this because I enjoy doing it, I also want to make a living doing it. I know I am not going to get rich doing it, but if I can live comfortably, then my work has that additional benefit. In the end,if I don't make money doing what I do, I can't continue doing it. Running a website like mine has a high overhead. So any help is welcomed. BindMe: Does using original materials like hemp- or jute-rope and bamboo give an extra dimension for your bondage? For me, I use hemp because as far as I am concerned, there is no other rope. I have a strong dislike for that cotton clothes line look. It's just a personal pref. for me. I like the way hemp rope bites the knot and doesn't slip. I love the way it smells. The way it feels is amazing too. I try to use as many different variations of hemp as I can, just to give a different feel or quality to the ties. I think it keeps everyone focused on what I am trying to say. Keeps everyone in the japanese mindset. )
BindMe: Is having a website and showing your bondage-partner an extra kick
for you?
Of course. Rachel is exhibitionistic in nature. She loves to get naked in public. She is usually the first girl to disrobe at parties. For me, I love to sit back and watch all the guys trying to talk to her. They ask her all sorts of questions and she reports to me the strangest ones. For instance,.. I was in a club with her once, I put her in bondage on a bar. Now, there is no way for her to get up there on her own, nor tie herself into that position. One guy came up to her and leaned against the wall and asked her : "So, do you come here often? Did you do that to yourself? Do you need help from that brute who mistreats you this way?" She laughed, shook her head and motioned to me with her head. I walked over to her.. He walked away. Knowing that she is being watched by a bunch of people on the net, is a huge turn on. If I could only know what they would do to her, had they the chance, now that would be something worth reading. BindMe: What other BDSM-elements are you attracted too besides bondage? I have way too many to list so I will list only a few that I enjoy doing most often. Mind fucks, are huge for me. I love getting a woman into the mind set where she isnt sure if what is about to happen is real, or just a set up. Flogging: I LOVE to flog. I've mixed some of my martial arts techniques into the flogging routine. Now, when I flog, it looks like I am swing a set of nunchucks. I do a two handed flogging routine that allows me to get about 4 to 6 hits per second. Accurate hits that is. I have a knack for hitting the exact same spot over and over again from any direction. I always get a girl to do the pee pee dance. Total Power Exchange: This is a great turn on for me. Not sure if its as big a turn on than what I mentioned above, but it definitely puts a wind in my sail. Just having this control over a person, and putting them through the routines I enjoy, not to mention watching them as they negotiate how to do it.. Really gets me good. Training: I am a firm believer that each person is trained a specific way. So I cater that aspect to each person. I do love to train women in ettiquette and various other service oriented aspects of the lifestyle. BindMe:Do you always do your own photography or do you just focus on the bondage and sometime have someone else take the pictures? For the most part, I do the photography. Unless of course, my friend Jim is in the room with me, then he'll help me by picking up the camera, as I have done for him in the past. While his eye is different from mine, I can trust that he will capture the image with out having to worry. Sometimes, Rachel picks up the camera as well. She is getting better at developing her eye. Other than that, its me doing the rigging and the photography. BindMe:Do you think that Japanese bondage seems like a hype lately? Everyone seems to be "into it" I think it is the new kid on the block and people see this great, awesome style of bondage, and want to jump into it to get on the band wagon. Whether they are actually doing Japanese Bondage is a toss up. I know that everyone has their own signature that is incorporated into their ties. I'm not sure if doing that cancels it from being Japanese Bondage. However, I think a stye such as what we are into, requires that it is unique to each individual. Sort of like it being dynamic, in a way. I do agree though. Everywhere you look, there is a new Japanese Bondage practitioner. I think the proof will come in the long run. After the hype clears, those that remain, are the sensei's while the others were students of the craft. )
BindMe:What do you recommend people that feel attracted to this form (or
any kind) of bondage and want to learn?
I recommend that you go slow at first.. And learn about your body as well as the body you are about to tie. My best work ALWAYS comes after several encounters with the same girl. The first time is more about learning her body and how she reacts to things. I also feel that you should practice this daily.. Whether it be on your legs or on your partner. I always walk around with rope handy and when I'm sitting around doing nothing, I take it out and figure out new ways to do the wrap. To tie it off, etc. Be experimental, but be careful. One wrong placement can cause serious damage, and we don't ever want that to happen. BindMe:What more can we expect from you in the future? This is something I really can't talk about as of yet. You'll just have to wait and see LOL. THE site where Michael's work is featured on is: www.TiedGirls.com Marrow and Debora of BindMe.nlwish to thank Michael very much for his co-operation on this special and being so open, informative and personal. Thank you very much, Michael. We hope to see lots more kink in beautiful bondage photography from you. Thank you Marrow and Debora for thinking of me for the interview! Michael |
