Anonymous Boy
| Tony Arena | |
|---|---|
| Born | circa 1965 Franklin Square, New York |
| Residence | New York City |
| Nationality | American |
| Other names | Anonymous Boy |
| Occupation | artist, writer, filmmaker |
| Known for | queer and punk media |
Tony Arena (born circa 1965, Franklin Square, New York) – also known by his pen name Anonymous Boy – is an openly queer artist, writer, and filmmaker. He is known for his queer punk comics, his column in Maximum Rocknroll magazine, his public-access television program The Wild Record Collection, and animation such as his film Green Pubes.
He adopted the pen name Anonymous Boy after G.B. Jones, the editor of queer punk zine J.D.s, credited an illustration he'd submitted to "an anonymous boy". His erotic and romantic drawings of punks garnered much attention, and after the demise of J.D.s, his work appeared in many other publications such as Outpunk, Speed Demon, RFD, The Burning Times, Aunt Franne, Teen Fag, NYQ, YELL Zine, Androzine, and many more. He also provided some record cover and insert art for the bands Pansy Division, The Lone Wolves, Limp Wrist and for the cover of the queer punk compilation record, Stop Homophobia #2, released by Turkey Baster Records.
In 1995, Arena premiered his film Green Pubes, the first animated queercore movie, which played at film festivals around the world. Created on a limited budget, his DIY animation effect worked to the film's benefit.
After this, he and boyfriend Ron Grunewald began producing a regular public access television show called The Wild Record Collection which appears on Manhattan Neighborhood Public Access Television on Friday nights. The New York Press awarded the show Best Public Access Music Program of 1997. From September through October 2006 The Wild Record Collection was featured as part of a video-art exhibit called Everybody Dance Now, curated by Kathleen Goncharov for the Elizabeth Foundation for the Arts gallery in New York City, and in 2011 it was included as part of the "Shindig!" segment of "TV Party" at the Museum of The Moving Image in a screening honoring the eccentric aspects of Public Access Television. Public Access pioneer George C. Stoney, widely regarded as "the Father of Public Access" was in attendance to vehemently criticize the featured programs as the "worst" of what Public Access had to offer.
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