I first met this intriguing lady, Amanda Wildefyre, quite a few, (well, not THAT many!) years ago and immediately discovered a kindred soul, for we are both ‘gear head’, techno-bondage, nut cases of the very worst or best kind, depending on one’s viewpoint. We have enjoyed many happy meetings over the course of our friendship and I’ve always found her to be truly inventive, highly intelligent, and an evil-minded lady. I look forward to many more happy years of mutual inventiveness.

AW: The first time I became aroused at the thought of “bondage” was at the movie Fantasia at age five. There’s a scene where the young lady centaurs are getting ready to dress, and cherubs swoop down then wrap up their hair and breasts in vines and flowers. Wow, that made a deep impression. After that, I enjoyed dressing up my horse statues in bridles and body harnesses made of ribbons. These were likely inspired by the harnesses circus ponies wore, and by the harness descriptions in the book Black Beauty. “Oh, no, not the snaffle bit! Oh, that big, hard bit!”

AW: Gee, I’d have to divide that up into ‘favorite standing piece’, ’favorite leather piece’, ‘favorite hood’, and so on. The pieces that I use the most often are my

What was fun for me about this set, was that it took about 45 minutes to lovingly snug it down and fit it onto the person’s body. There was a lot a detail in the lacing of the top and the bottom, and deciding how best to fasten the two pieces together – and, just like a corset, it could later be made into an even more rigid bondage appliance by tightening the laces yet again. And then, to make matters even worse (better, from my perspective), the suit came with a large set of leather straps, which fit through D-rings along all of the extremities and torso. So, putting the straps on added another 20 minutes or so to the application time – more sighs and groans. At that point, the suit and its occupant were

AW: Hmm, I see you’re trying to get me to write a book here. I think at heart, I’m an engineer. I like bondage because it has a design element and work-ability mixed with sex appeal. Part sculptor, part inventor, I have to fit all these bits of gear together to satisfy a purpose, and to create a specific sensation in my subject. Each texture – whether rope, latex or leather – has a different effect on the nervous system. Each bit of gear has its purpose – support, restriction, irritation - and its sub-text - aesthetics, then there’s humiliation or other psychological effects. Having so many variables to work with keeps me endlessly fascinated – and a lot of other people too, from the looks of it.

AW: For some reason, the scene doesn't really start for me until the subject is tied up. There’s not much there to interest me without the element of restriction, even if it starts out relatively minor – a chastity belt worn under the clothes, or a corset and heels on a cross-dresser. I never really enjoyed corporal discipline until I recently got a wonderful spanking bench from Huse. After about two months of modifications, the piece is immobilizing, adjustable, and comfortable for most subjects. Now, I can’t get enough of corporal discipline … but only when combined with heavy bondage on “The Bench”.

As for vulnerability – well, that’s the other key, isn’t it? There’s no greater rush of power than to say to someone, whom you’ve totally trussed: “Now that you’re helpless, let’s have some fun.” If the person is submissive, they will send off this lovely vibe of “Yes, I’m all yours …” And if they resist, well then, damn!, that’s just the luck. “Clearly, you have underestimated exactly what would happen to you once I had you here, helpless, and just the two of us. Shall we find out now?”

AW: For some subjects, the look is definitely a part of the power of the equipment. I’m all for figuring out how to extract the most control over someone in any given bondage situation – by making them look fantastic, shiny, feminine, and objectified – or by finding just the perfect balance of restriction and pain. Or, optimally, both.

AW: I’ve always found fetish dressing to be very bondage-oriented, and many of my clients who do not specifically identify as cross-dressers really enjoy ballet boots, corsets, hobble dresses and other restrictive clothing.

That being said, bondage acts as a marvelous turning point in a role-play session. For example, a man comes over expecting a ‘routine physical’. However, because he had been abusive to his secretary the week before, she made him an appointment with me, Mad Dr. Wildefyre. At first, the exam seems normal, although he is a bit unnerved at the thought of being examined by a female nurse (The doctor is out on a house-call right now. I hope you don’t mind?) Due to new OSHA requirements, all patients must be bound before they can be examined (The instruments are very delicate, you

AW: My favorite scene is one in which I get to try some new equipment, or expand on some wild idea. A recent highlight was creating a full-body, fiberglass cast for my friend charger pony (www.chargerpony.com). The cast took on a life of its own and has since been retrofitted for use at every party as a rodeo ride – with charger as the bucking bronco, of course. Once we fortified the cast with resin and painted it red, it was the hit of every event. Charger remains locked and immobilized within the cast for hours at a time, teased by an electric butt plug, while every lovely lady in the place has her turn with him. Between the springs (thanks again, John), and the vibrator fitted into the saddle, it makes for a very stimulating ride.

AW: One of my favorite scenes comes to mind. A client from San Francisco wanted to be turned into a rubber mannequin over the course of the day by a team of dominant women. For the purpose, he had amassed quite a number of pairs of latex panties, each with different holes, attachments, etc., which, when applied one after another, created quite a sensation.

We went a little further with the idea and finally had him in two corsets, alternated with three latex cat suits, innumerable pairs of latex panties, stockings and gloves, two or three latex bras with breast forms, neck collars, thigh-high latex boots, and three hoods, all layered one over the next. We had had one of the corsets custom-made for him at Dark Garden Corsetry, complete with an attaching chastity strap into which his latex-covered ‘clit’ slid nicely. Then, over the whole thing, the frame of a TollyBoy metal chastity belt was locked on. He was quite immobilized, even without any further attempt at bondage.

Yes, where bondage is concerned, one layer is hardly worth trying.

AW: I do think switching is important, especially to learn the subtleties of degree – when to tighten things, when to vary the position, when to let the person out (or not!). I have discovered, however, in getting tied up, that I am not a very good sport about it. I usually go far out of my way to turn the tables on my unfortunate captors, humiliating them and escaping in the process. I’ve talked about it with other dominant women, and some of them have experienced the same thing.

AW: Once you have your subject in bondage, electricity is a fun way to work up to sensory overload. You could have one machine on the electric butt plug, one on the balls and shaft, and another one powering, say, an electric urethral sound. Then, put the Venus suction cups on their tits, and commence with a flogging or caning.

Another way to incorporate electricity with bondage is to combine a dog-shocker and/or other remotely controlled electric training device with the locking leather chastity jock sold by Mr. S. If your unit is small enough, there is no way for the subject to remove or unhook the electrodes once his cock is locked away in the jock.

I have a fetish for high-tech torture (enema pumps, electrolysis machines, fucking machines, etc.), probably due to repeated viewings of James Bond movies when I was young. Electricity is especially fun, because you can employ it from a distance, whether by design, or through the use of home automation software (see discussion of overnight bondage below).

AW: In and of itself, I don’t find breath control erotic for its own sake. On the other hand, I do love the gear associated with breath control. I love re-breather bags on hoods – the way they look, the way they sound, the way they add to the subject’s experience of being cut off from reality. I’ve always loved breathe-through gags, especially those that inflate, again because they add to the sense of bondage without endangering your subject. I’ve enjoyed the use

AW: Many of my clients enjoy cross-dressing to some degree, whether forced or voluntary. There is something very dear about dressing men up to look hot and sexy. One of my favorite bondage scenes is to force a man to get acrylic nail extensions, then drill the ends so that padlocks can be threaded through the holes and attached somewhere devious to immobilize their hands – to a broom perhaps, or a rack.

Many years ago, I did a full-body rope harness on my TV slave Diane at a local men’s leather event. The theme was ‘body harness contest’ so I thought it would be cool to spend the evening putting her in an elaborate pink rope harness so she could compete on stage at the end of the night. Three hours later, she looked fantastic. Unfortunately, the group was more than a bit ‘femme-shy’ and there were complaints from those who wanted a

AW: I have many favorite fantasies, but one I never get to do often enough involves floating people in water in inflatable rubber bondage devices such as latex body bags. Some of my clients may remember my flotation tank in the garage, complete with a heater and filtration system. What I have in mind now is to build a more elaborate version in my basement, complete with a hoist and assorted attachments for bondage – basically a fully capable SUBTERRANEAN, AQUATIC TORTURE CHAMBER!

AW: The longest I’ve ever had anyone in my leather body bag was 47 hours – he almost made it to 48, but I took him out an hour early, so I could make him do it again to get credit for the full two days.

When someone spends a night in the cage, they are generally immobilized on their backs, face-to-face with a large monitor for hypno-domination videos. I use catheters, external and internal, rather than bathroom breaks (puh-leez!). I also have a system using a bite valve to dispense water on demand, much like that used by long-distance runners. Many get wired to a variety of electrical stimulation devices and these are switched on and off all night long by the home automation program on my computer.

Unless someone specifically requests not to be let out until morning, I usually honor a sincerely-worded request for some lessening of their bonds. However, no one spends the night in my studio without being locked up to some degree or another! Remember, it’s a dungeon, not the Hilton.

AW: I’ve collected a lot of medical-related equipment, including a birthing chair, a traction bed, an orthopedic table, and a chiropractic table. These items were not common when I first got them, but now are ubiquitous, thanks to the Internet. Scientific Equipment Liquidators has the best local selection of used medical gear, but I’ve heard of people buying lots of fun things, including birthing chairs, from eBay.

AW: For the most part, I have one of everything to fit anyone, so there’s no real need to bring their own bondage gear. Some clients enjoy bringing special pieces along when they come to see me, and I love to see what people find in their travels. Recently, I had someone come in with a really impressive leather isolation hood, but no way to track down where he got it. So I sent it to Skeeter at Mister-S, and she made one up for me. It’s really cool, having two inflatable bladders that cover the ears to block sound, and tighten the hood around the face at the same time. Love that multi-functionality!

AW: I’ve had quite a number of folks who’ve commented that they never thought bondage could be as severe or as complex as I make it. Many see their sessions with me as a step beyond what they’ve done previously, or they want to go directly into bondage fetishism, as opposed to being trained as a slave, for example.

AW: Well, what a great fantasy that would be! No, not many. I do have a wonderful slave, karen , who began seeing me with the intent of becoming a client, but she was just too useful and fun. She’s made me a long list of wonderful bondage devices, including a full-body leather suspension harness, a tit-suction harness for my Venus machine, pony harnesses for my human horse cart, and two sets of bondage straps: one in white leather for the medical room and one in black patent leather to go with shiny latex.

AW: I don’t think of myself as an edge player, so I generally stick to things I know will work. People have asked me to do things – like set them in concrete – but if I don’t feel right about something, I just avoid it. On the other hand, there are probably lots of people out there willing to push the envelope, and I say, Play on!

AW: I don’t have any elaborate protocols, but you would be surprised at how difficult it is for people to follow the rules I do have.