In the close quarters of the apartment Clay Weiner shares with his girlfriend, fashion designer Rachel Comey, on the eastern edge of Little Italy, an acquaintance is made. I am here at the suggestion of STEP editor Emily Potts, who observed and was impressed by Weiner’s creative range when he spoke at the STEP Stretch conference last fall.

My goal was to meet Weiner and learn more about his history and motivations. As with almost any assignment over the years that has involved a “wunderkind,” I started the interview somewhat dubious, not of the man’s starry talent—already well documented—but of his capacity to articulate motivations and humanity, things that spark imagination and fire commitment, things often buried under the avalanche of “success.” So, whether one regards it as cynical or informed, I believe the only aurora borealis I’ve ever seen was more ephemeral than bright.

DOG IS LOVE
During the course of our first conversation, Weiner (pronounced like “whiner,” a fact that no doubt has invited snickers from childish observers since the toddler Clay Weiner first spoke it to a stranger) excused himself to take his beloved, 12-year-old paraplegic black Lab mix named Mona for a “walk.” This was accomplished by gently lifting Mona’s stricken hindquarters, enabling her to convey herself to the apartment’s bathroom under the ebbing power of her operable front legs. Once there, he helped the dog conclude her business by gently applying pressure in the area of her paralyzed bladder or colon, thus releasing her urine or excrement. This has been routine for Weiner for three years; for Comey, the act has been routine since a car struck Mona in 2000.

The scene fascinated me. And made me uncomfortable, even a little sad. It was the essence of a man in a moment. In a business of selfishness, in a megalopolis of narcissists, in a nation of materialists, in a world of egoists, I realized in watching Weiner “walk” Mona, I had met a young man of compassion and depth. If you want to know a man’s soul, ask his dog.

ABOVE: MTV Choose or Lose 2004: This was part of a larger Emmy Award-winning effort of MTV’S Choose or Lose campaign to encourage young people to get out and vote during the 2004 Presidential election. "For this spot I was asked to focus on the issue of gay marriage. As the essence of this issue is one of human rights, and has little to do with homosexuality, I wanted to avoid confrontation and relate instead on an emotional level," Weiner says.