Madman Down Under! An exclusive glimpse into the mind of Tony Sacre.

He’s one of those men. The kind of man that just keeps surprising you. I like to refer to them as “Onion Males”-- layer after layer, you have to keep peeling away to get to the center of it all. So there, Tony... I bet you’ve been called many things in your life, but an Onion Male? You gotta give me points for that one.

Over the past few weeks, I’ve been in contact with the Marlboro Man (and believe me, I’ve only gotten through about one and a half layers). We’ve discussed his life, his love and his art. I’ve never learned so much about someone in such a short period of time. The man is fascinating.

As an erotica writer, he has had fourteen short stories--published on Tit-Elation.com. My favorite is Gladiatrix-- a story he wrote for his wife of a million years, Irene. He likes to refer to her as his Minnie Muse (ain’t that the cutest thing?)... I would call her a Saint, if I could, although she would probably scoff at the term (if she is as alike to her Gladiatrix character as Tony says she is). Hey, being married to an artist is no easy task. I’m the artist in my relationship and let me tell you, my hubby is up for pre-death Sainthood any day now.

While his erotica is electrifying, and to over use a bad cliché, stimulating-- it’s Tony’s art that really (another bad cliché) excites me.

I have a soft spot for pencil, which happens to be Tony’s favorite medium. It just so happens that I also have a wet spot for hotter-than-hell nudes, which happens to be (in my humble opinion) Tony’s area of expertise.

Yeah, so Tony may draw a great nipple, but it’s not like nude is the only thing he does well. He also does stunning portraits (he even did one of Yours Truly), cartoons and logos. His portraits line the walls of he and Irene’s exclusive couples-only retreat and restaurant "The Hideaway", can be found in private collections throughout the world, and his very own super hero “Mr. Shade” zips through the streets of Australia (on trucks) on a daily basis.

Here we go, entering the mind of Tony Sacre:

Betti Mustang: Let’s talk about your erotica first. I’m a glutton for good erotica. When did you start writing it?

Tony: In the year 2000 with a story called 'A Class Act' followed by 'Gladiatrix' written for Irene. I am currently writing what I hope will turn out to be my best and longest yet: 'Tango 2, Teresa Dances with the Devil' It's about sleaze, sex, a dominatrix and London gangsters set in the 70's Nothing to do with Irene although I do create one of the characters in her image... You never know she may get the message and give it a go.

It's important to add that I was encouraged and helped by Jude Mason -- some of her stories like The Auction and The Scene pushed buttons I didn't know I had. We became email mates and she often slaps my arse for being cheeky.

Betti Mustang: How about art? Have you always drawn?

Tony: Yes, I could draw from the day I picked up a pencil it was a natural gift. I remember as a very young kid, an uncle who was in the print industry gave me a hard back book about as thick as a bible... all blank pages. I loved that thing and took it everywhere. I had a ball point pen then that I used to draw with. It seemed to last for years.

Imagine that! Drawing in ball-point-- not much room for error there. God, how the hell did I do that? I couldn't draw like that today. I remember a big drawing I was very proud of in that book-- a Davy Crocket type character called ‘Crackaway Jack' standing on top of a big-wheeled cannon rolling down a hillside. I can remember even now the feeling of satisfaction of getting the fringes on Jack’s buckskins just right.

Betti Mustang: I assume that you haven’t always drawn naked people-- like with crayons and stuff. How did you make the transition from “Crackaway Jack’ to nudes?

Tony: I loved to draw Batman, Joker, Flash, Magic Lantern and Captain America as a kid. I used to reproduce the front covers of those comics in detail--words, colours and all. Wow! I'd forgotten about that up until now.

What has all this got to do with nudes? Well remember 'Wonder Woman'? I could draw her in almost any position... Her gear was always skin tight so I just left out the lines that made out the clothes and filled in the blanks using my imagination. I got pretty good at drawing stockings and garter belts. I would have been around 10 or 12 years old then.

Betti Mustang: How did that make you feel-- drawing “naughty” pictures?

Tony: I suppose that was the beginning of my erotic imagination--Pictures in the comics of Wonder Woman tied up or chained by crooks or vise versa used to get me a little excited. A 12 year old pervert! Imagine that, getting off to drawings of a naked a super hero. No don't imagine that!

Betti Mustang: Just an interjection here-- Tony’s not alone in his childhood fantasies... see "Garden of Earthly Delights" by Jake.

Tony: The first real nude I ever did was Irene. I was 18 and just married. It took me nearly three years to finish. We'd just end up making love every time. I think it was just ruse to get her naked actually. She said one day, "Tony will you paint me in the nude"? I replied , " Sure babe, as long as I can keep me socks on as I need somewhere to put me brushes!" (Wink)

Betti Mustang: On that note, do you ever get sexually aroused when drawing an erotic scene?

Tony: No I don't think so. It’s funny, I think I get aroused by something first. If it’s very arousing, it makes me want to draw it and I may get aroused by it when it's finished.

Betti Mustang: So what inspires you?

Tony: All kinds of things really-- powerful erotic images, I've always been fascinated by faces and people. I love to do portraits of famous people and hope to capture that certain look, quirk or expression that I see there. People that have stirred something in me, it maybe their acting or their music. I have over 50 faces on the walls of 'The Hideaway'-- thirty of which have been done in the last two years.

Betti Mustang: Every great artist must have a muse (see, I have a romantic side). Who is your muse?

Tony: How much time have you got? Irene is the inspiration of all things in my life. She poses for me for a lot of my stuff, She is the heroine of my tale 'Gladiatrix'--she's every bit as tough and beautiful. I wrote it just for her. It’s about us and the age-old battle of the sexes. I love her to death, she is great looking lady and very creative in her own right. She is just a natural at whatever she chooses to do.

(Not to mention, she has boundless energy and looks great in a 'Wonder Woman' outfit. I'm joking Betti but you might have woken up a latent fantasy, LOL!)

She has dark hair and mesmerizing green eyes as do a lot of the women in my stories because normally she is the inspiration. Everything she touches just seems to flourish. She encourages me in everything I want to do and vise versa.

Betti Mustang: (getting all choked up... must be hormones) Moving on, let’s get technical. What’s your favorite medium?

Tony: These days, any old pencil that’s laying around on my desk-- usually it’s a propelling pencil (saves sharpening). I did, at one stage, do oils and sold some-- but I like to start something that I could finish in a few hours. Life just got too busy and I let it go.

Betti Mustang: How do you feel about some of the other erotic art out there?

Tony: Some drawings that you find out there on the internet is out of control-- this torture shit, real almost death-like shit needs stopping. There are good artists out there who need a fucking slap. What the fuck is all this shit? Hello! Wake up ladies, if you want some fucking wanker taking a chainsaw to your tits... This shit ain't sexy, it's downright fucking derranged. What's "Freaky" today is "Ok" tomorrow... It's a downward spiral into something that you don't really want.

Betti Mustang: (very excited at getting a rise out of Tony) Okay, would you say the same about some of the erotica that's out there?

Tony: I've read erotica shit written by men on some sites and it's rude, crude and downright nasty and degrading. It lacks any emotion or feeling-- it says more about the arseholes that write it, and makes me embarrassed to be male. But then again, if you think that all males are the same-- all sport fishing and fucking then get the fuck off my boat. My message to men is to get off the male-bonding and get a real life fellas. Try lving beyond your bollocks and beer and your friends opinions. Emasculated? Never! The silent art kid will kick yer head in if you ain't careful!

Betti Mustang: Well said. Um, to change the subjec a bit, do you have a "real" job?

Tony: I assist Irene in running “The Hideaway”. I run the bar, wait on tables, talk to the customers about my art, clean the pool and throw people out. I maintain the place and carry out all the building works, improvements, alterations, etc. Irene and I built this place together from what was an absolute wreck of a joint. See "Time to Trade Up" on the SK message boards.

We sold our Commercial Interiors business in England to come to Oz four years ago. I do a couple of building projects for people here and there-- all physical hands on stuff, plus the odd logo, portrait commission etc. Life is good down under for Minnie Muse and the Marlboro Man.

Betti Mustang: Thanks so much for your time, Tony! We look forward to having you back here at Sex-Kitten in the future. Maybe we can hang out in The Parlour again sometime.