1993

At the beginning of 1993, Brain's sense of himself and its out-ward expression seems a continuation of 1992, though I detect an almost imperceptible shift. Just that tad less self-conscious and goofy. More assuredly in control of his image and at ease in front of the camera.

This small shift, as the year progresses, appears to be realised in some minimal body modification ...

 

... and experimentation ...

... though this may come in part from the photographer.

I must say I prefer black and white film here in that removes one just that degree from the distractibly greater erotic charge can be engendered by colour stock.

Just A Big Friendly Blond Bloke

James Huntsman is one those big fleshy muscular blond guys who's just bursting with good health. Added to which he has a great open smile. And seems dead friendly and approachable.

So all up, there'd be none of that debilitating performance anxiety we usually get when we're confronted, across a turned down bed, by the Totally Perfect Man.

Taking a digression, but with a point, I was watching 'A Date with Ted Hamilton' yesterday and the female lead (Natalie Portman) it determined to have six smiles - each to express a different feeling.

Now I discern that James here has five poses - each to express ... well, actually, I think it's the same thing. Does anyone know differently?

The first stand-and-deliver pose goes like this ...

The second has a kinda Karate Kid thing going on, you know, hands on hands off ...

The third I think is a lying down variant of the second ...

The fourth is the pose for back-door delivery - and I'm so loaded and ready to go on this one ...

The fifth and final pose is an on-your-knees variant of the first stand-and-deliver pose - which for me gives a mixed message. I'm just saying!

Of course the question is which pose gets you hardest ... or hard quickest?

I go for five - cos I've always been drawn to a certain degree of semiotic confusion!

How The Selection Can Change The Work

A little over five years ago, I posted quite minimally on Reed Massengill's near decade long photographic essay on Brian Hess - 'Brian: A Nine-Year Photographic Diary' (FotoFactory Press, California, 2001).

The images chart Brian's sometimes radical physical transformations (tattoos and piercings to scarifications) from 1992, when he graduated high school at 18 ...

 ... to 2000.

Over this period the photographer and model became friends.

I wanted to do a series of posts, looking at the major image changes Brian undertook over the 9 year essay.

I know my selection of images can/will change the work, and our identifying images we like will say as much about us as it does about Massengill's photography.

Before I launch out on such a venture, I first wanted to check if this essay hasn't been so over-exposed, in the gay community in particular, so that such a series of posts would only elicit groans loud enough to be heard in far off Sydney, rather than tease out interested responses.

What do you think guys?

A Moment of Levity

In the current sexual political climate, this might be a moment out from the often heated debate?

VNE - Voting in The New Era

Ok, enough of Cléopatre de Mérode and those dusty C19 French music halls and down to the proper business of blog voting.

The candidates for your perusal today are:

 1 Michael Crowe - Classic All-American Beauty

 2 Arik - Erotic Slav with the Hot Hot Knob

 3 Nicco Skye - Foxy Latin

 4 Scott Woodman - Boy Next Door

 5 Leon Falla - Classic Latin Model Beauty

6  Jeremy East - THE Most Sumptuous Balls on the Planet!

 7 Mason Star - New Young Sleeze on the Block

 8 Hawk McAllistar - Guy Next Door

 9 Dirk Jager - Muscles, Haity and a Tad Rougher

10 Nick Youngquest

It's over you to, guys to deliver your verdict, which I'm sure you'll do in erudite comments peppered with witticisms, clever retorts, doubles entendres and the like!

Cléopatre de Mérode (1873-1966) - 

Surely A Figure Larger Than Life

Cléopatre or Cléo de Mérode was someone who, for me at least, has slipped through the cracks in history ... I'd never ever heard the slightest whisper of her name.

As I read more and more about her yesterday, the more and more intrigued I became.

This descendant of an Austrian-French noble family was to become one of the greatest Parisian beauties of the Edwardian Era ...

... a ballerina - a lead dancer of the Paris Opera Ballet no less ...

... a star of the 'Folies Bergere' ...

... the subject of innumerable works of art, both paintings and prints ...

 Cléo de Mérode by Georges Jules Victor Clairin

 Cléo de Mérode by Alfredo Mȕller

... and sculpture ...

Cléo de Mérode by Alexandre Falguiere

... and, at the age of 94, photography ...

 Cléo de Mérode at 94 in 1964 by Cecil Beaton

... and last but not least a lover of King Leopold II of Belgium ...

... publically pilloried in cartoons ...

... though falsely named!

Now this sounds like a life lived full and big, no nonsense at all.

So when I came across the tiniest of fragments of film of her dancing ... I was gob smacked to experience so very little impact. Even taking into account the inexpertness of performers of all kinds to exploit the new medium.

Almost the very essence of droopy knickers.

Hard to fathom!

Filmed in old age, La Goulue (Louise Weber), the great can can dancer and absolute star of Le Moulin Rouge (and favoured subject of Henri Toulouse-Lactrec) easily showed more than the dying glimmers of the powerful magnetic stage persona and performance on which her fame rested.

So for Cléo de Mérode, what's the explanation guys?