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The idea began on Saturday afternoons at "The Mineshaft" bar. John V., Mark M., John P. exposed themselves and masturbated. John P becomes the manager of the re-opened "J's" (formerly "Hell"-a disco) and meetings began in 1980.
1980 — February: "J's", "Hellfire" (under J's)
1981 — "International Stud" 1982-- "The New York Jacks" becomes our name.
1983 — Candle II, River Club parties, The Poconos in August
1984 — April: "River Club" (formerly 12 West disco), May, "Mindshaft" (Upstairs), 127 Prince Street (downstairs),
1985 — August: Hauska House (PA), New Years Eve--127 Prince Street, November: Mineshaft closes, December: The Stable (across from J's) with peanut shells on the floor!
1986 — February: The Stable becomes "Locker Room"
1987 — "Locker Room", Mondays 1989-- 135 West 14th parties begin 1990-- Summer: Hillside Campground, Oct: "J's Hangout" on Mondays, Wall street Sauna parties
1993 — Mondays and Thursdays at J's, 269 Bowery parties, Valinor farm, PA in the summers
1996 — adding Sundays at "Manhole" under J's. "El Mirage" Special events.
2002 — September: "J's Hangout" closes, move to the "Manhole" 2003-- February: "Studio 253" (El Mirage) Mondays, December: "El Mirage", Thursdays. "Axis" in Brooklyn (never takes off)
2005 — March: Only Mondays at "El Mirage", Rivendell Farm, PA (summer)
2007 — January: 511 West 38th street (10th-11th). April: 122 West 29th street, 3rd fllor on tuesdays 8-11:30 (with Lou Maletta)
2008 — April: 367 West 36th street, Tuesdays 8-12, October: 355 West 39th street 3rd floor, Sundays 4-8. (When 39th street closes the Jacks are without a home for about 6 months)
2009 — March: Paddles, Tuesdays 7:30-11
2010 — added 4-7 at a new location in midtown, Paddles on Tuesdays switches to 7 PM.
2015--October 30th. We hosted a cocktail reception at Leslie Lohman art gallery which was a huge success that drew lines down the block. We showed some art work done for the Jacks back in the 80s and had an extensive display of our history. The New York Jacks has proven to be a valuable institution for so many men over the years as a safe space to express their sexuality and we were gratified at the strong interest that was shown that night.
2020 --The Pandemic forced the Jacks along with most of the country to close down for a year and a half. We opened again briefly in 2022 and had to close again during the spread of monkey pox virus.
2022--We were finally able to re-open at our Sunday space in November to a grateful crowd longing to be back to normal. However, Paddles did not reopen.
2023--We relocated to a new space in October that is exclusively ours so we have more control over set-up and clean-up; a comfortable atmosphere that fosters a feeling of postive vibes for masturbation and friendship. We are excited as we watch the club grow and attract new followers who all seem to love that we are still around to offer a safe space for one of our favorite activities.
Maintaining a club like ours is challenging as our nomadic history will show but the appeal of the activity is strong and the internet has expanded our reach around the world. As long as men like to masturbate together we hope to continue to supply the venue.
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Welcome to the new New York Jacks Blog. Please join the conversation and come to our parties.
Since we often get questions about the history of the New York Jacks, I will be adding some fun facts from time to time and would welcome any additions by any longtime members. Some of the following information was taken from an original Jacks member's article in the New York Native going by the pen name Peter Palmer.
The first JO club to be organized in New York was born on a February night in 1980 in a brand new West Village bar called J's. When a 35 year old advertising manager from Kansas leapt on the pool table in response to shouts of "Show it off!" to exhibit his eight inches to the 16 naked men who gathered that first night, cries of ecstasy echoed in counterpoint to the sleaze music of the reel-to-reel, as one by one, like uncapped fire hydrants, the group reached orgasm. Word swiftly got out that every Tuesday night there was a party at J's. The rules were simple: arrive between 9 and 9:30, check clothes by 9:45, grease up with the lubricant of one's choice, (unscented Albolene quickly became the favorite) beat one's meat to a funky disco beat (Marianne Faithfull's "Why'd Ya Do It" also a favorite), solo or with other strokers. When the party ended the front door opened once again to the public. All for 5 bucks-one of Manhattan's great bargains, even in 1980.
"Tuesday Night at J's" became so popular that within two months, 150 to 200 men would enter the Triangle building at Ninth Avenue and 14th street before the door was locked. The major porn stars showed up to join in the action, fulfilling many a man's fantasy. Admission cards, with "Inner Circle" printed on white stock (the hankie color code for JO) were distributed to the regulars who never missed a Tuesday. A lean, bearded 40 year old from Brooklyn Heights volunteered to tend bar, performing outrageously from the moment he shed his paratrooper's gear. Rock hard, stroking with one hand while fliipping open cans of Budweiser and Diet Pepsi with the other, he often perched on the oak bar or liquor shelf, mixing business with pleasure. His antics were surpassed only by a 31 year old airline mechanic from New Jersey who, week after week, shot his load at least six times, never without the dirty-talking crowd urging him to try for a seventh.
Over the summer, the attendance at J's parties grew, but with the arrival of fall, the sexual climate changed. Newcomers often treated the event as a night at the Mineshaft, ignoring the admonitions of the regulars who registered their protests with the manager. He soon acquiesced and switched JO night to Mondays. During this period, several of the hard-core were invited to perform in Joe Gage's HANDsome, sometimes regarded as the ultimate JO porn film. One man remembers: Joe instructed us to shout "I'm cumming!" when it was close, so the camera could zoom in for a close-up.
With it's discovery by the denizens of other Village and Chelsea bars, J's achieved status equal to that of the most popular, the Spike and the Eagle. J's decided to open to the public seven nights a week, which meant no more private parties. The Inner Circle of JOers was offered the use of the basement, which functions on weekends as Hellfire, a straight/gay S&M club. After the inevitable issues developed, heating problems, plumbing breakdowns, rude personnel who at times mocked the JO activity attendance dropped. Twenty five of the regulars decided to organize and to set their own standards, not subject to the wims of a landlord. They called themselves the New York Jacks.
This began years of migration from one venue to another with the building of a strong, loyal group of men who valued the act of communal JO as their personal choice of sexual expression. Through the ups and downs of the next 35 years, the Jacks are currently in a period of growth and stability. There turns out to be a very strong appeal to men from all over the world and New York is the perfect city for them to meet and enjoy each others naked company.