 MR.
AND MRS. LEATHER
He’s handsome, charming, and rich, ladies! He’s Mr.
Leather Toronto 2007, Steve Martin (no, not the
comedian). The bad news is that he’s not single – in
fact, he’s married to MLT First Runner-Up, Peter
Rex. A leather power couple! Call them Mr. and Mrs. MLT.
“I honestly thought Peter would be the winner,” said Martin
over brunch at Hair of the Dog. “I guess the judges saw in him
what I see in him,” explained
Rex, romantically. Wearing
Boss tuxedoes, they were
married on May 20th
in a ceremony officiated
by Rev.
Brent Hawkes, two
years to the day after
they met.
“I didn’t mind who
won,” said Martin. “We
just wanted to do it
together.” By day, Martin,
45, owns and operates
Corporate Specialty Services, a
commercial cleaning company he
started 12 years ago that now has
over 40 employees. He was born in a
small town in New Brunswick to a French
Catholic family of 11. He went to the
University of Western Ontario to study law but
eventually dropped out. “I probably do better than
most lawyers,” he told me.
Rex, 43, is an accountant and a model and a slave.
You can see a lot more of him in the Tom Bianchi
DVD On the Couch: Toronto. Born in St. John’s and
raised in Nova Scotia, he ran as Mr. Steamworks and
I, for one, look forward to seeing him in their print
ads. Martin and Rex say they are fairly monogamous,
which I assume means they at least have to agree on
the third.
As MLT winners, they have a busy year ahead.
They’ve already chosen their charity – the PWA
Foundation – because “there is still such a strong
need for it.” Since Martin ran as Mr.
Churchmouse & Firkin, he will likely raise
money through leather brunches at the establishment
he loves. “We go to the Firkin a lot,” he
said. “They actually listen to you. A simple thing
like asking for brown rice, and they said, ‘No, we
don’t have it but if you like it, we’ll bring it in for you and guess what – they’ve been serving it ever since.”
One of the most exciting things about winning anything is the
prize, and both men came away with an armful of gift certificates,
including a one-year premium membership at
Steamworks, valued at $1,000.00 (huh?). Although past winners
have used some of their gifts as raffle prizes, Martin said they are
going to keep all of them because re-gifting “would be an insult
to the sponsors.”
Martin’s not the
most controversial
MLT winner.
The furthest
he ventures into
argument is to
say, “I’m not
crazy about Equal.
It’s not sweet
enough. I like
Splenda or Sweet &
Low.” He uses moisturizer
and it must work
because he has no eye bags
whatsoever. Both men credit
their good bodies to “a whole
lot of intelligent training and a
whole lot of intelligent dieting.”
Aside from their health regime, they do
enjoy the leather lifestyle. Martin’s
favourite toy is the paddle and Rex’s fave is
a set of leather handcuffs: “They’re
amazing. They don’t pinch and they don’t
bruise.”
Then they took me to see their place. My
jaw dropped at the splendor of their threefloor
Radio City penthouse suite, with its
breathtaking view, fabulous furniture, more
bathrooms than Woody’s, and even a hot tub
on the deck. “I wouldn’t say we’re rich.
We’re doing well,” understated Martin.
The only bad thing about the condo is that
Martin had to give away two parrots that
he had for over 18 years because they
screeched, causing the neighbours to
complain.
I understand. I screeched when I saw the place, too. Polly want
a leatherman.
paul bellini
buzideous@fabmagazine.com
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