Category Archives: Eye Candy
James Bidgood at Museum of Sex

James Bidgood was born in Madison, Wisconsin in 1933, at the height of the Depression. From the time of his arrival in New York at 18 years old, he immersed himself in the underground worlds of drag, hustling, and pornography. In the 1950s, Bidgood was a drag queen and set and lighting designer at the legendary New York nightclub Club 82. He attended Parsons School of Design, and went on to design elaborate costumes for society balls, among other jobs that would come to inform his art.
In the 1960s, he turned his attention to “physique photography,” the highly-coded gay pornography of the time, where he found creative freedom, an eager audience, and his own groundbreaking artistic voice. Bidgood was proudly and uncompromisingly “out” during a pre-Stonewall moment when rapid social change around gender roles and sexuality coexisted with widespread hostility and discrimination against homosexuality. His work stands as a crucial link in the history of queer art and cinema, as historically important as it is visually ravishing.
Extraordinarily, almost the entirety of Bidgood’s work was shot in his tiny Hell’s Kitchen tenement. Bidgood literally lived in his sets, and used colored lighting, homemade props, and a variety of clever illusions—from the ingenious use of forced perspective to complex, Rube Goldberg like mechanisms that operated moving sets, fans, or lights—to create impressionistic wonderlands.
The culmination of this work was Pink Narcissus, a dreamily erotic feature-length film depicting the allegorical fantasies of a gay prostitute, and shot almost entirely in the same apartment. Upon its release in 1971, Pink Narcissus was an immediate underground hit, but due to creative disagreements between Bidgood and the film’s producer, Bidgood took his name off the credits, and the film was released anonymously. While rumors flew that the film had been made by a major, presumably closeted Hollywood celebrity, Bidgood remained in obscurity.
Since his rediscovery in the 1990s, Bidgood’s work, made for the worlds of mail-order pornography and midnight cinema, has been exhibited in such prestigious venues as The National Portrait Gallery, The Brooklyn Museum, and the Musée d’Orsay, and is included in vaunted collections such as the Tate Modern, London and Museum of Fine Arts, Houston. Alongside Bidgood’s remarkable photographs, this exhibition brings together a variety of ephemera from his extraordinary life, from vintage physique magazines, showing the original context of the work, to vintage photos from Bidgood’s time as drag queen Terry Howe at Club 82—all evidence of an extraordinary, productive, and utterly uncompromising life.
‘James Bidgood: Reveries’will be on view through September 8th, 2019.
All images courtesy of The Museum of Sex. Full color images courtesy of ClampArt New York.
MUSEUM OF SEX
233 Fifth Avenue (@ 27th Street)
New York, NY 10016
(212) 689-6337
MUSEUM HOURS:
Sunday thru Thursday 10:30 am to 11pm.
Last entry is 9pm
Friday & Saturday 10:30 am to 12am.
Last entry is 10pm
Last ticket sold 2 hours before closing
Joey Suarez Model Actor Singer
Meet Joey Suarez, the Hispanic Miami born, San Antonio bred, New Yorker.
Triple threat, Model, Actor and Singer.
One of 12 children, he is currently a practice manager, managing tax law and accounting at an NYC firm, but spends his free time exploring multiple artistic mediums.
“I don’t have a definite dream job. Instead I have my own silly idea of a balanced schedule. To me having this corporate job provides an opportunity to balance not only my financial sanity but comfortably explore my artistic needs as a singer/composer who ‘models’.”
“I tend to invest a lot of my ‘free’ time into art. Using the daylight for photo-shoot’s whether that is directing, modeling or make-up and at night to composing on the piano in a recording studio with friends. So to me, art is my free time.”
“I don’t believe I started creating real art until I took that stress of making money off my art and let fall on my exterior jobs. The catch being, balance? Well, you earn it. Use that art to alleviate the stress of working and work your ass off to the point no one can deny where that drive comes from. Eventually that balance will weigh on the side of things you’ve always truly wanted, and before you know it: your dream comes true.”
He wrote a moving song called “Memories” about his grandmother, which you can hear on his site.
He recently covered Bruno Mars “Natalie” and you can see/hear that on YouTube.
JoeySuarez.com
Watch for him around New York!
Instagram – @joeywsuarez
Matthew Camp – Getting GO
How did I miss this?
I stumbled upon this cute little movie by accident this week – it’s a Sexy, innovative gay romance with Tanner Cohen & Matthew Camp!
“An affecting drama full of heart and humor, reminiscent of instant classics like Weekend.” — Edge Boston
This wonderfully innovative and exceptionally sexy drama has an infectious energy and a completely unique aesthetic as it tells a classic story of lust becoming love — and then some. Super cute Tanner Cohen (Were The World Mine) returns to the big screen as a college boy named Doc who drunkenly cruises a gay go-go boy named Go (super hot Matthew Camp – well known New York night life performer) with the pretense of making a documentary about him.
“As they grow closer, flirtation blurs the line between subject and filmmaker,” the film’s description reads, “until a steamy night together solidifies deeper feelings.”
Though his character “Go” was inspired directly by his dancing alter-ego, Matthew Camp says he’s actually pretty different from what most believe him to be behind closed doors — he’s quite reserved, completely monogamous, an artist, a perfumer, and nothing like what you’d assume a New York City bar star to be.
“What you see in Getting Go is a rough representation of me,” he says. “I mean, I do run around shirtless all the time, Go and I are both not afraid of a lot of things, and we danced in our underwear, so we’re both confident. But I wouldn’t have handled most of the situations in the same way Go did. I’m not as sexual as him… I don’t go on a lot of dates, I’m very reclusive, hanging out at my house. Go-go dancing was very much a job for me and after I’d perform, I’d leave right away rather than hang out at the club.”
Now 30, Camp reveals that he began go-go dancing when he moved to the city at 21 in order to pay his bills. “I’ve never felt I should be embarrassed by go-go dancing,” he says. “It’s not prostitution – which I’m not judgmental about – but I view dancing more as performance. I don’t like opening myself up to people, so with go-go dancing, people get to just see my body, they don’t see what’s going on in my head.”
See more at Queerty.
WOLFE movies on demand
Gavin Scribner An American in Paris
Every year TIME OUT NEW YORK votes for the top 10 chorus guys and girls on Broadway! This is Gavin Scribner who is in AN AMERICAN IN PARIS @ Palace Theatre.
From Time Out: Broadway musicals kick into high gear every spring, powered by the gifted dancers and singers of their ensemble casts. And each year, we give you a sneak peek at some of the chorus performers who may grab your eye onstage. We’ll be there to give you the latest previews and reviews of the spring season. In the meantime, here is our fifth annual roundup of 20 sexy men and women who will brighten up Broadway in 2015.
The Center – Once Upon A Time
LGBT Center: Once Upon A Time And Now
February 3, 2015 – March 3, 2015
The Center is revisiting The Center Show (1989) by reinstalling artworks from artists such as David LaChapelle and incorporating new artwork, under the curatorial direction of Ian Alteveer, Associate Curator in the Department of Modern and Contemporary Art at The Metropolitan Museum of Art.
The goal of the exhibition, Once Upon a Time and Now, is to encourage guests and supporters to explore The Center including our rich, cultural history while continuing our role as a cultural destination for years to come.
LaChapelle’s artistic temperament is characterized by an unremitting effort to discover the ever newer possibilities offered by the medium of photography. His works from the 1980’s often represent a sort of fusion of photography, collage and graphic art.
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center has undergone a major renovation of their historic main building over the last year and a half, upgrading the capabilities of the space while preserving their unique history in New York City.
Presented to celebrate the renovation of The Center, Once Upon A Time and Now, examines historic works from the 1980s preserved in the renovation and looks to the future with new works.
Featuring: Arch Connelly, Leon Golub, Gran Fury, Keith Haring, David LaChapelle, Stephen Lack, Thomas Lanigan Schmidt, Kay Rosen, Barbara Sandler, Kenny Scharf, Nancy Spero, Robert Storr, Susan Strande, Richard Taddei, George Whitman, and Martin Wong
Alongside more recent work by Deborah Kass, Tseng Kwong Chi, Glenn Ligon
Curated by Ian Alteveer, Associate Curator, Department of Modern and Contemporary Art, Metropolitan Museum of Art
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
208 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011 | www.gaycenter.org
ONCE UPON A TIME AND NOW
FEBRUARY 3, 2015
6:00-9:00 PM
The Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual & Transgender Community Center
208 W 13th St, New York, NY 10011 | www.gaycenter.org
Phone:
212.620.7310
Building Hours:
Mon–Sat 9 a.m. to 10 p.m.
Sun 9 a.m. to 9 p.m.
Casper Andreas KISS ME KILL ME
While confronting his unfaithful boyfriend Dusty blacks-out. When he comes to, his boyfriend was murdered and he’s the prime suspect.
“Kiss Me, Kill Me” is an Alfred Hitchcock/Agatha Christie-style “Who-done-it” set in a little town called West Hollywood.
The fantastic film maker CASPER ANDREAS is back again! An accomplished filmmaker who got his start in 2003 when he wrote, directed, and produced the short film “Mormor’s Visit” as well as his first feature, the romantic comedy “Slutty Summer” (in which he also stars). In the following years Casper produced and directed another five feature films (three of which he also wrote): “A Four Letter Word” (2007),”Between Love & Goodbye” (2008), “The Big Gay Musical” (2009), “Violet Tendencies” (2010), and “Going Down in LA-LA Land” (2011). Casper co-starred in the last two. Casper has collected multiple awards at film festivals around the world for each of his films.
AN AMAZING CAST has been assembled for his new project, KISS ME, KILL ME! Model / actor Matthew Ludwinski, Queer As Folk’s Gale Harold, Michael Maize from True Blood, International Superstar Willam, and many more!
This movie is a passion project. Every single person both before and behind the camera is involved because we believe in it. We are a small group, with a small film, and we want to make this movie for a small amount of money.
Our risks and challenges will be enormous. Even though that is true of every film production, at every budget, the smaller the budget the greater the challenges. Actors can drop out, locations can become unavailable. Pretty much anything that can go wrong in life can go wrong while making a small movie. But our team has a lot of experience in film production and overcoming the various obstacles that will inevitably arise.
And we have passion!
We believe that passion plus experience will equal a great little movie that will, with your help, come together to truly be something special.
This is going to be a great creative adventure.
With your support, there is no challenge too great or risk to large – and KISS ME, KILL ME will then be coming soon to a theater near you!
They need $100,000 and are 1/3 of the way there!
VISIT KICKSTARTER and read more!
Broadway Bares Raises $1.3 Million
The annual flesh fest BROADWAY BARES this year featured performances by Alan Cumming, war veteran-turned-underwear model Alex Minsky, and “RuPaul’s Drag Race” winner Bianca Del Rio giving actor James Franco a “full cavity search”, the rock-and-roll themed Broadway Bares: Rock Hard!
Playbill reports:
The 75-minute show opened with two dads (Matthew Saldivar and Joey Taranto) complaining that they had been dragged to a One Direction concert by their daughters and reminiscing about the great old days of rock. Through the magic of Broadway Bares, they were whisked back in time to watch performances inspired by the likes of Elvis, Michael Jackson, Queen, The Rolling Stones, Led Zepplin and Prince, with their memories putting the sex back in sex, drugs and rock ‘n’ roll.
To date, Broadway Bares has raised more than $11.3 million in the fight against AIDS.
Chris Merchant Gets Naked for Gay Times
Meet Christopher Marchant– a gay violinist living in New York City.
Who knew playing that instrument would result in such huge biceps.
Chris Merchant of WELL STRUNG NYC makes a
splash in this months issue of GT / GAY TIMES!
On sale now at a news stand near you!
One Direction step aside, there’s a new kind of boy band on the circuit. The all-male string quartet Well-Strung features classical musicians who sing putting their own spin on the music of Mozart, Vivaldi, Rihanna, Adele Lady Gaga, and more! Their debut show sold-out Joe’s Pub on May 1st, 2012 in New York after being workshopped at Ars Nova NYC in February. Since then they have played venues across the world such as The Art House in Provincetown, the Leicester Square Theatre in London, 54 Below in New York, House of Blues in New Orleans and Feinstein’s in San Francisco.
Well-Strung stars first violinist Edmund Bagnell, second violinist Christopher Marchant, cellist Daniel Shevlin and violist Trevor Wadleigh. Well-Strung’s show is directed and co-written by Donna Drake with arrangements by David Levinson. The quartet was formed by producer/co-writer/manager Mark Cortale and Christopher Marchant. Additional arrangements are by Daniel Shevlin, Yair Evnine and Christopher Marchant.
New Book looks at the history of New York Nightlife…THE FUN: THE SOCIAL PRACTICE OF NIGHTLIFE IN NYC
is a first-of-its-kind publication, documenting the new forms of
nightlife practitioners to emerge since the turn of the millennium.
Through profiles of over 30 artists, including the royalty of Manhattan
nightlife like Susanne Bartsch and Ladyfag; hybrid forms like Xtapussy
and FCKNLZ; the continuation of minimal wave and goth communities
through Pendu Disco; and the vibrant queer scenes of JUDY, Frankie
Sharp, and My Chiffon is Wet, THE FUN documents the rich
contemporary cultural activity keeping NYC as weird and innovative as
decades past.
voices in the nightlife, including artists Rob Roth and Genesis
P-Orridge, curators and critics Claire Bishop and Jake Yuzna, as well as
journalist Michael Musto providing both historical context and
contemporary understanding of nightlife as a vital artistic practice
that has been marginalized by the arts sector for hundreds of years.
from the explosion of large and small discos throughout the 1970s like
Studio 54, which paved the way for 80s megaclubs; the candy-colored club
kid movement of Michael Alig and the Limelight in the early 90s; the
parallel expansion of the boundary shattering merger of drag,
performance, and music in downtown venues such as the Pyramid Club and
Mother; the rise of Brooklyn as a new focal point in the 2000s with the
emergence of Luxx, Secret Project Robot, Silent Barn and other hybrid
arts/music/nightlife venues; and on into the many vibrant forms found
today.
978-1-57687-659-6, $39.95)
from Paris Hilton and Lydia Hearst to the Backstreet Boys, Foxy Brown
and Gwen Stefani was drawn to their taste for sparkly streetwear glam.
“The clothes were attention getting and fun,” Heatherette’s longtime
friend and muse Amanda Lepore remembers. “They had a distinct look,
which at that time — everyone wanted it. David LaChapelle was using it. All the
celebrities wanted it. It was in demand.” (from Paper Mag).
while Rich is set to launching two fashion lines this spring: Rich
& Warr, a mens line, and a womens, Chantilly Rich, with Chantilly
Lace designer, Chantelle Warr. Although busy, Rich still has his eye on
the club scene. “It’s been fun watching the new generation of kids. When
I moved to New York I was ‘the new’ to the old nightlife generation,”
Richie says. “Now it’s fun to see all the new kids coming on the block
and dressing up. I feel like the style is coming back. Who knows, maybe
Heatherette will too.”
Shirtless Men are Trending on the Streets of New York
FINALLY! A fashion trend I like. Shirtless men.
There, on Bastille Day, was a shirtless guy checking out the windows at
Bergdorf Goodman; there, on Lafayette Street one Tuesday morning, ambled
a shirtless shopper hauling Urban Outfitter bags; there, on the R
train, was a rider wearing nothing but jeans and sandals; there, on
Astor Place, a cluster of topless men flaunting their abs and pecs.
“I was on my way to the bank and I saw not one, not two, but three guys”
walking shirtless across Eighth Street, said Rob Morea, a personal
trainer and an owner of Great Jones Fitness in NoHo. Read the article!
New York Boylesque Stripper Festival April 26-27
BOYS BOYS BOYS!
are teaming up to present the second annual New York Boylesque
Festival—a two-day extravaganza of nearly nude dudes artfully disrobing.
This Friday night Teaser Party,
DJ’d by boylesque historian Scott Ewalt features over a dozen national
and international performers and is sure to get your motor started for a
weekend of non-stop boylesque hotness!
stage to do their thing. Hosted by NYC’s Drag Mama Sweetie.
Gay Cowboys Spotted in New York Bedrooms
What if…
Gunsmoke met Tom of Finland!
If your mother comes to visit, these may not be the sheets for her…
Vice Merchants, a rebelliously luxe bedding company, has released “Cowpokes,”
a full line of sheets, pillowcases and throws aimed at gay men.
Made
from 100 percent Egyptian cotton, 400 thread count, fine Sateen bedding
fabric, “Cowpokes” features a ranch scene of playfully undressed men
engaging in acts of whimsical outdoor fun and farm work, while
frolicking in the buff! Illustrated by K. Commodore, cows, horses and
tractors further set the scene as hot men work hard and play hard in the
foreground.
They are very high quality and soft, as me and my man, rolled around in the hay, on them this past weekend!
“We’re
enthusiastic to expand our brand to cater to the gay community,” Jake
Katz, president of Vice Merchants said. “’Cowpokes’ is a design unlike
any other that allows gay men to spice up their bedroom in a subtle, yet
enticing and playful manner. With these sheets, every night can feel
like a sweaty day with the boys on the ranch.”
Vice
Merchants is a company that believes your bedding should be as sexy and
as much fun as bedtime activities. The company specializes in fine
bedding that brings edgy, richly hued graphics created by illustrators.
They
worked with Brooklyn-based artist K. Commodore has an M.A. degree from
the Rhode Island School of Design, to create these fun sheets. Her work
is known for its insightful and witty look at human sexuality, and has
been exhibited in numerous galleries throughout the United States and
Europe.
When asked, What was the motivation behind the fun farm setting???
Artists
Katie Commodoresaid,” We all got together to brainstorm the next
pattern and decided to go with a traditional toile. My art has always
been about usurping traditional mediums or styles and using them as a
vehicle for portraying sexuality. So the idea of taking a traditional
toile and using fun homoerotic imagery made perfect sense! Traditional
toile, which first became fashionable in the 16th century, has images of
pastoral scenes; what’s more pastoral than cowboys and farm hands???
She
says that some other scenarios considered as well, “Oh Yes! Some of
which we will make in the future! But there are only so many drawings I
can work on at once!”
“Cowpokes” is available in all sheet sizes
with prices ranging from $99 for a Twin Long Sheet set to $235 for a
King Sheet set. The print is also available in duvet and sham sets, bed
skirts, and throw pillows. A complete nine-piece bedding set can be purchased in Full for $399; Queen for $439; King (and California King) for $499.
You won’t find these at Macy’s but you can order them now, discreetly online. And they will be shipped in a plain brown box. VIce Merchants.
Sneak Peak at New Yorks Broadway Bares 2013
From sea to shining sea, this year’s
Broadway Bares will crisscross the country in a racy, raucous road
trip, exploring the United States as the 23rd annual edition of the
immensely popular modern-day burlesque show arrives as Broadway Bares
23: United Strips of America.
This video offers an exclusive
behind-the-scenes look at the Broadway Bares photo shoot, hosted by this
year’s director, Nick Kenkel.
Produced by and benefiting
Broadway Cares/Equity Fights AIDS, Broadway Bares 23will arrive Sunday,
June 23, for two performances only — at 9:30 PM & Midnight — at
Roseland Ballroom in NYC.
In Broadway Bares 23: United Strips of
America, more than 200 of New York’s sexiest and most delectable
dancers will discover — and uncover — amber waves and mountain
majesties that only Broadway Bares could find. This trip across the
fruited plains of America will most certainly be the stuff patriot
dreams are made of. TICKETS ON SALE NOW.
WATCH NOW
New York Teacher Matthew Maleski was Fired for Using School Email for Potential Hook Ups
New York Post said last week, A former male model-turned-elementary school teacher sent out
sexually-explicit emails to potential hookups on Craigslist — but used a school email account to do so, investigators found.
Upper
East Side special education teacher Matthew Maleski attached pictures
of himself clad only in boxers (scandalous?) to his email responses to Craigslist’s
notorious personal ads, according to officials. Why on earth would you use the school’s email???
The fit
32-year-old teacher, who was terminated from PS 183 on Tuesday, had
formerly posed half-nude in ads for a gay social networking App called
“Hornet.”
Maleski, who started working for the Education Department in 2011, made
$56,048 a year. According to the investigation, he said he did not
intend to send the emails from the school account.
Spiderman Adam Roberts is the HERO of the Month
Spiderman – Turn off the Dark!