JD on Oli
What were you hoping for?
To enjoy a fun night out with someone I did not meet on a dating app.
First impressions?
I loved his collection of colourful rings and his super queer moustache.
What did you talk about?
Oli’s fascinating and storied career, including a hilariously cool detour where he got into marketing smoothies. Our shared fascination with the lesser-known queer history of the internet. Radical Faeries. Oli’s script in progress. LGBTQ+ politics.
Q&A
Fancy a blind date?
Show
Blind date is Saturday’s dating column: every week, two
strangers are paired up for dinner and drinks, and then spill the beans
to us, answering a set of questions. This runs, with a photograph we
take of each dater before the date, in Saturday magazine (in the
UK) and online at theguardian.com every Saturday. It’s been running since 2009 – you can read all about how we put it together here.
What questions will I be asked?
We
ask about age, location, occupation, hobbies, interests and the type of
person you are looking to meet. If you do not think these questions
cover everything you would like to know, tell us what’s on your mind.
Can I choose who I match with?
No,
it’s a blind date! But we do ask you a bit about your interests,
preferences, etc – the more you tell us, the better the match is likely
to be.
Can I pick the photograph?
No, but don’t worry: we’ll choose the nicest ones.
What personal details will appear?
Your first name, job and age.
How should I answer?
Honestly
but respectfully. Be mindful of how it will read to your date, and that
Blind date reaches a large audience, in print and online.
Will I see the other person’s answers?
No. We may edit yours and theirs for a range of reasons, including length, and we may ask you for more details.
Will you find me The One?
We’ll try! Marriage! Babies!
Can I do it in my home town?
Only if it’s in the UK. Many of our applicants live in London, but we would love to hear from people living elsewhere.
How to apply
Email [email protected]
Most awkward moment?
When I showed up at the restaurant, there was someone else sitting at our table. She was not Oli.
Good table manners?
Impeccable. We both ate pizza with knives and forks.
Best thing about Oli?
His love for documenting our culture. I felt as if I was talking to a friend I’d known for ages.
Would you introduce Oli to your friends?
Without question.
Describe Oli in three words.
Radical, kind, cool.
What do you think Oli made of you?
I hope my long tangent about the history of radical queer activists trying to establish an independent queer country wasn’t too boring.
Did you go on somewhere?
We got the bus to the tube station together and went our separate ways.
And … did you kiss?
No, we had a friendly farewell hug.
If you could change one thing about the evening what would it be?
Get Napoli on the Road to bring their incredible pizzas to east London.
Marks out of 10?
A 10 for Oli’s fun vibes.
Would you meet again?
We exchanged numbers but then my phone was stolen the next day. Sorry Oli! I will be texting you back.
Oli on JD
What were you hoping for?
Wine, a sexual revolution, someone to share TV subscriptions and future co-parenting duties with.
First impressions?
JD looked as if they were from a 00s indie guitar band.
What did you talk about?
Queer politics. Lemons. Pears, LGBTQ+ volunteering. Organic wine. The usual.
Most awkward moment?
I made a sassy joke about JD’s fashion choices which they didn’t hear. Repeating it louder, and explaining it proved a smidge uncomfortable. I should save my sass for second dates.
Good table manners?
JD encouraged me to eat more than 50% of the pair of shared desserts. I think I’ve found a life partner.
Best thing about JD?
Interested in the world and support the causes they’re passionate about.
Would you introduce JD to your friends?
Sure thing, I reckon they’d get on.
Describe JD in three words
Warm, inquisitive, socially conscious.
What do you think JD made of you?
Fun, chatty, a polychromatic babe?
Did you go on somewhere?
We shared a bus.
And … did you kiss?
A fumbled half-cheek kiss adios, post-number exchange.
If you could change one thing about the evening, what would it be?
The same delightful restaurant, but in east London, where we both live, would have been tremendously convenient.
Marks out of 10?
10. A charming new queer friend.
Would you meet again?
Absolutely. JD recommended a cocktail bar in London Fields with a decor that matched my wardrobe.
JD and Oli ate at Napoli on the Road, London W4. Fancy a blind date? Email [email protected]
