Interview by Matthew Lowe
Photography by Michael Frahm
27-year-old Maurits is from BUTT’s hometown of Amsterdam, which he lovingly refers to as a ‘dollhouse’. Last Saturday, we made coq au vin and spoke about falling for guys in other cities, why he dislikes like being called a writer and his idea of the perfect armpit — it’s broad, quite hairy and it smells, in case you were wondering.
Matthew: So Maurits, what did you do today?
Maurits: I went to the gym. It’s a hot gym — a lot of Turkish and Arab guys.
Is that who you go for typically?
Not typically, I don’t really have a type. The gym is very straight and suburban, which I like. I like how the guys look at themselves constantly in front of the mirror and compliment each other. Once, I was checking out a guy, and I caught the glance of an older lady who was doing the same thing. We just looked at each other and started laughing. It’s like she knew exactly why I was there.
What’s your ethnic background?
I’m a Dutch Jew. I wasn’t raised Jewish, although my mother is Jewish. The Jewish side is there, but I wouldn’t be able to say how. I guess I have the best of both worlds: I have an uncut penis and I’m Jewish.
Is it the best of both worlds?
I've heard. A guy in Tel Aviv thought it was special.
What were you doing in Tel Aviv?
I was there for an art project, a collaboration between Amsterdam-based artists and Israeli artists. The guy worked in this café I went to every day. At first, we just made eye contact. Israeli men stare a lot — that’s their thing. They won’t approach you, they just stare. I don’t know the word, but there is a specific word in Hebrew for it. That kind of stare that means: approach me. They’re like cats. It’s like a staring contest. Anyways, I’m not very good at flirting during the day while sober, so nothing really happened. But when I ran into him on this website Atraf, we hooked up. We spent a few days together, actually. It was a thing. I often go away and end up falling for someone.
Oh yeah?
When I was eighteen, I was chasing this guy in Barcelona. I was in New York last year for a few weeks and it happened again. Bill from Chicago. It’s crazy for a young guy to be called Bill. It made him older and didn’t suit him at all, so I called him William. We ran away to Niagara Falls together.
You’re working on your first novel. Do you think of yourself as writer?
No, not at all… Especially, in Dutch. The word for writer, schrijver, is really specific. It means writer of novels, whereas I would say I’m a journalist or a visual artist.
What’s it about?
It’s about a guy, roughly my age, who goes looking for his brother who has been missing for ten years. He travels through different cities… Berlin, then Rome, then Hungary, then Barcelona. He goes to Tel Aviv as well, and New York. He’s trying to measure the distance between him and his brother, both emotionally and physically. There’s sex and love along the way too.
Is your protagonist gay?
Yeah, he’s gay.
Is it autobiographical?
Mostly. My brother went missing thirteen years ago while he was traveling through India. It was never a conscious decision to write a novel about my brother. It’s almost like he just floated away. Absence is a big theme for me.
Do you think absence has something to do with the strong romantic and sexual connections you find on your own trips?
Probably. I have this urge to disappear. A part of me would like to be that person, but I would never be able to fully pursue it. I need my family and friends.
Do you write from your own sexual experiences?
Of course. Describing sex is the most difficult thing for me, though. I’m writing a novel about grief, but find the sex scenes impossible because you can’t rationalize it. Your head doesn't think now move my leg here and he puts his… I think if you’re aware of sex on that level you’re probably not having good sex.
What’s your favorite position?
It’s awesome when my legs are up in the air on the guy’s shoulders. I’m not always a bottom, but when I am that’s my favorite position. Everything just seems to fit so well. Actually, it’s more like knees on chest. I’m quite compact.
Do you jerk off when you write?
No. I've written about masturbation, but I've never masturbated while I write. My writing doesn't turn me on.
Do you want it to turn others on?
Yes.
What do you see when you look at this inkblot?
I see a rug, made from a skinned cat.
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