Mike, 24

Where do you work?
I work at a coffeeshop.

Have you ever gotten any dates from working there?
I have not, though I am in love with one customer who comes in.

Tell me about her.
She's like a sexy librarian, I'll tell you that much. She's very soft-spoken and she's really nervous and she's probably the most beautiful woman in the world. She gets a large iced coffee with skim milk, and an oat-bran muffin.

Have you tried asking her out?
No, because I'm a terrified little boy.

Do you have any crazy exes?
I have many crazy exes. The craziest one I ever had was an art major. She often would tell me that she wanted to be by herself, and she would spend time in the dark listening to Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds really loudly.

What would you guys do when you hung out?
One time we had a Cure dance party by ourselves.

Do you have any crazy hookup stories?
There was this crazy older woman I was hanging out with for a little while. I met her at a house party with a bunch of theater students, and she asked my friend for my number, so we started talking after that. She would only call me when she was really drunk. And she would invite me to her really dirty apartment, and I didn't know what the hell she wanted to do, because every time I would go over there, she was so drunk that she really wasn't very articulate. She worked at a bar. She would bring alcohol from her job, and she would be like, "Here, drink this." She was weird. She obviously wanted to get down, but I was so awkward and young that I didn't really know what to do.

Did you have sex?
No, we made out a couple of times and that was it. And then I wrote her really awkward notes on cigarette packs. I don't know why I did that.

 

 

Sara, 23

Do you have any crazy ex-boyfriends?
Oh yeah, I do. We dated before I left for college, and then we broke up and I left. He would mail me CDs of him talking, giving updates on his life. I never really saw him again, so that's good.

How do you feel about monogamy and marriage?
I understand non-monogamous relationships, but I wouldn't be in one. It's too confusing.

What would you change about the opposite sex if you could?
See, that's hard, because I'm just thinking about my boyfriend. I would give men periods if I could change anything, just so that they get it. You've got to understand it. It would be fair!

What's the craziest place you've had sex.
In the fitting room of a thrift store in San Francisco.

Did you buy anything from the thrift store?
No, but I was wearing something from the thrift store in the fitting room, and then we didn't buy it. I just hung it back up. It was a really nice vintage dress, and we decided that the adventure of the dress had been had and we would leave it on the shelf.

Has anyone ever offended you in the bedroom? Any boyfriends with weird fetishes?
I don't know what weird is, that's my problem. So I guess I'm probably the offensive one.

 

 

Sonni, 37

So, where do you work?
I tow cars.

Do you get a lot of dates through that?
Dates? Oh, hell no. My job is not sexually friendly.

Where do you meet people?
Bars. Grocery store. People talk to me wherever I go. They always approach me. It's very rare that I approach someone.

What do you look for in a girl?
I look for bullshit, try to pick out all the bullshit, because a lot of people don't say the real thing.

How do you impress a girl? Do you have any pickup lines?
I don't do lines. I'm just me. I just hang out, whatever. Don't try too hard. Just be yourself, because people will respect that. People can tell a million miles away when you're trying, especially a woman. Don't think you can bullshit a lady —  you fuckin' can't. You be yourself and you fuckin' own that shit. Even if you have a fault, you own it. You act timid and weak about anything and women are totally turned off. They don't like that shit. Women like confidence. They like a man to fuckin' look you in the eyes.

Do you have any good hookup stories?
Last weekend I hooked up in the woods with a random chick with a glass eye. I lost my phone — my phone fell out and I couldn't remember what part of the woods we were in. I got... you see these mosquito bites? I have mosquito bites on my ass from being in the woods. It was this brutal vicious attack. You had this moment of pleasure and then this vicious attack coming at you. The mosquitoes were so bad that we went into the street.

So was the sex good?
It was great. Totally worth it. Never did find my phone, but I got another one.

Where's the craziest place you've had sex?
Right around the corner up there, in a side stoop. Actually, with an ex-wife. We had been separated. Just kinda rekindling in the middle of the street. It's priceless, you know, true love is priceless.

So she's your true love?
She was, yeah. She passed about three months ago. Suicide. Terrible, I know. I have a daughter with that same woman. She's nine. I've been raising my daughter six years by myself. I went from living on the street, squatting, being a drunken fuckup, to raising a two-year old by myself for six years with a mother who committed suicide three months ago. My life is like... I don't know... I always seem to persevere. It's been harsh. And my daughter, get this, she got the award for most polite student in the school. Are you kidding me?

Interviews and photography by Chris Givens.