In his new book,
I Had to Say Something: The Art of Ted
Haggard's Fall, the gay escort gives up the
gory details of his relationship with the head of
the National Association of Evangelicals. Beyond the
kink is a narrative both personal and observant.
As the sun rose
in the early-morning sky on November 1, 2006, Mike Jones
sat quietly in his apartment, staring at the telephone. He
was at the same time reluctant and eager, knowing that
his life was about to change. Picking up the receiver
before the second ring, he took a deep breath and was
patched through as the guest on a local drive-time FM radio
talk show. Jones, a gay escort from Denver, was about
to break the cardinal rule of his profession--he was
going public with the identity of a client.
The ink is still
drying on the pages of the latest offering from
Manhattan-based Seven Stories Press. In I Had to
Say Something: The Art of Ted Haggard's Fall, Jones
recounts, with the help of biographer Sam Gallegos,
how his decision to speak out just before the midterm
elections catapulted him into the public eye, changing
his life and, perhaps, the face of national politics.
Within days of
Jones's revelation, which dominated the national media
cycle, Haggard disappeared from public life. He resigned
from his role as the leader of the National
Association of Evangelicals, came under investigation
by his Colorado Springs–based megachurch, and checked
in to an Arizona facility for "restoration" to address
what he termed his “repulsive and dark”
desires.
Most people will
skim through this book to find the lurid details of
Haggard's secret sex life; a rapid flip-through of the more
titillating highlights must include pages 8, 113, and
174. Jones offers, however, much more. His narrative
is personal and reads like a friend confiding
cherished memories and deep personal introspection over an
afternoon cup of coffee. He covers career, family, and
hopes for the future. Jones is polite
and intuitive, and above all, observant. These skills
proved just as important in his work as physique,
technique, and sexual versatility did.
The reader comes
face-to-face with Haggard as he evolves over three
years: from an over-wide grin with nervous eyes darting
around the room, avoiding eye contact, faint features
in the dark as tears well up during intimate silence,
to a crazed, manic enthusiasm for thrill and release.
This book exposes Haggard's vulnerability, which found its
limited expression in the privacy of Jones's anonymous
sanctuary.
Click here to follow The Advocate on Twitter.
Page 1 of 3
John Ireland has written for Newsweek, In
These Times, the San Francisco Chronicle, The Baltimore Sun, and The Tampa Tribune as well as The
Advocate. He contributed to the book Losing
It: The Virginity Myth.