Batman Seeks Robin

Who is Robin Hafemann, I'd like to know. The other day I was noticing that a single head shot of him, fully clothed, was going wild on Tumblr, collecting note after note.  I needed to know more.  Soon I learned that the good folks at Coitus had recently posted a series of photos of him by photographer Sbastien on their  website.  So, other than being an extraordinarily gorgeous fellow, who is Robin Hafemann?  It seems that he is a German volley ball player,  still just seventeen years old.  Will he continue his volleyball career, or pursue a career as a professional beauty?  I'll be on the lookout.

The Past

True confession.  I once, long ago, got caught shoplifting a copy of Tiger Beat from a grocery store. Yes, it's true. Sadly, I had the money to pay for it,  but I couldn't let myself be seen buying a magazine with shirtless boys on the cover. Could not do it.  So, naturally, I stole it.  Or tried to.  Had it been a copy of Playboy, no problem! I was buying Playboy (for the articles) from age 16 with no shame, and no questions asked. But Playboy marked me as a heterosexual, and Tiger Beat marked me as... something else.

On another occasion  I successfully excised a centerfold from some teen rag on a drug store magazine rack. It was a full body portrait of Jimmy McNichol, lying on the floor. He was wearing white overalls, no shirt, one nipple artfully exposed.  I had to have it, so I carefully pulled it out of its rightful home and stuck it into a copy of Esquire, which I was going to buy anyway, and it was mine. 

It's hard to recall in this era of social media when every teen idol has a Facebook page, as well as an Instagram, Keek, and Twitter account, that in those days if you wanted to find out about a star you liked there was nowhere to turn but the teen mags. They gave a remarkably false impression of the world these kids lived in, making it seem as if they were all wise beyond their years, clean-cut, heterosexual, hardworking, studious, and drug-free, and most of all, single and looking.   Teen fan magazines still exist,  but they aren't what they once were, although the content is remarkably similar. I suppose that someone still reads them, or at least pulls out the pinups in them and sticks them on their walls. If  the internet had existed then, I, a teenager who was not yet out,  never would have taken the chance of getting caught stealing Jimmy McNichol's photo.  I would have found it on the internet, and "enjoyed" it on my computer. Times change, and not always for the worse.

Below, some examples of what a young Vera was secretly salivating over.

Robby Benson

Sean Astin

Willy Aames

Christopher Atkins

Scott Baio

Ian Mitchell (briefly of Bay City Rollers)

Clark Brandon

C. Thomas Howell

Jimmy McNichol

Leif Garrett

Matt Dillon

The Future

Speaking of the internet, Shannon from InternetServiceProviders.org sent me this graphic about the future of the internet. What do you think? Are you reading this on a mobile device?  Do you think the next billion internet users will lead us to a new era of cultural diversity, or a new era of cultural segregation? 

A Reflection On The State Of The Blogosphere, With Gratuitious Pictures So You Might Read It

Gratuitous hot boys to get your attention.

I undertook a somewhat depressing task last night.  I deleted dead links from my blog roll.  How sad to see so many blogs I love either dormant, or just gone. I decided that I was going to retain links to blogs I like that haven't updated in ages in the vain hope that someday they will revive.  Best example is the DreamBoats blog,  which was great, not because of the beautiful pictures posted there, but because of the funny and creative approach it's creator took to the subject of beautiful boys in the media.  Not a day goes by when I don't mourn the lose of that site. 

It's bad enough when a favored blog disappears without warning- "Loco Luke,"  where are you and your Luscious Lads?-  but it seems even worse when a blog's title and URL is usurped  by some outside force.  F**K, I Love You was a lovely, funny, real account of one persons life, and now it is nothing more than a standard issue porn spam trap.  Finally removing that link actually made me cry. 

Is the traditional blog dead?  Have people's attention spans degenerated to the point that only the low maintenance, quick fix joys of Tumblr will do?  I post to a Tumblr blog almost every day.  I don't really get anything from it, certainly not a sense of accomplishment or achievement.  I sometimes do with this blog, very occasionally, but only when I accept the fact that I won't necessarily receive feedback, or praise, or anything at all except perhaps some pride in a job well done. It's usually the blog entries into which I have put the most effort that get the least feedback, and lowest traffic.  It's a fact.  I have a small group of readers who do take the time, not every day, but now and again, to tell me what they are thinking, or acknowledge a post they enjoyed, or even to reassure me when I am most obviously need of a boost.  They know who they are, and I love them,  I really do.  But sometimes when you see that thousands of people have visited your site on any given day, and most don't bother to say a thing, good, bad, or indifferent,  it's hard not to feel like it's all a huge waste of time.  I'm not threatening to close down this site, I'm not, but I am saying that there are days, and weeks, and months when it's easy to ask, "Why bother?"  

Some blogs disappear because the powers that be somewhere simply decided to shut them down for some reason.  Please check out this site  to find out more about "disappeared" sites.  When that happens it is truly infuriating, like helplessly witnessing an act of murder.  But those blog owners can, and often do, live on to fight another day.  The worst thing is when a blog owner lets "Why bother?" become "To Hell with it" and closes their blog. It breaks my heart.  It makes me wish I were a better audience.

Haven't We Met Before?

I've been seeing the above photo on Tumblr a lot lately, I'm sure I've reblogged it at least once myself, and even though I thought that I should know where it came from,  I could never recall its provenance until recently. That's because the photographer's tag has always been removed, which I consider to be the act of a very rude person.  Not surprisingly, it turns out that this is the work of Jean-Philippe Guillemain, the Paris-based photographer and connoisseur of male beauty. This is a model called Maximilien.  Guillemain has chosen to post only four photos of him at his site, www.aguill.com, all four absolutely flawless.

Browsing through Guillemain's site makes one feel a bit like Alice falling down the rabbit hole, into a wonderland where everyone is young, male, beautiful and perfect. Where does he find them I wonder?  Does he wander the streets, approaching every beautiful specimen he encounters?  Do they come to him?  Or is it just that in Paris all the boys are beautiful?  I suspect that it can't be true, but it's a nice idea.

Here's another example of Guillemain's art and exquisite taste: Paul.  Enjoy.

Mr. Lachowski Strikes Again!

"Francisco Lachowski is featured in the latest Peter Alexander catalog sporting some really cool underwear and pajamas."

You know that when I read a line like that it captures my attention.  Do you know that the first time Francisco Lachowski appeared on this blog was way back in June of 2009? Chico was just 18 years old at the time. Since then he has risen to the top of the modeling profession,  gotten a not-too-distracting tattoo, and become a father.  Still as lovely as a spring day,  as these photos from franciscolachowski.com prove. Love him.

If There's A God, Thank Him For This Face

I'm a sucker for a great set of cheekbones and Bambi eyes.  Californian Ted Velasquez has both, plus the kind of long, thin physique that makes me lose my blob.  Also,  an irresistibly lush and lascivious  mouth.  If George Chakiris and Sal Mineo had a child...