Harry Bush – yes, that’s his real name – was certainly one of the most talented contributors to Bob Mizer’s Physique Pictorial. He may not have reached the mythic proportions of his contemporary Tom of Finland, but then fame has never been a good measure of an artist’s importance.

Finland’s man represents the hyper-masculine and often sexually aggressive, while Bush’s boy is innocence personified, even whilst engaged in the most lascivious of sex acts. His work is meticulously configured, creating in the minds of its onlookers a world of playful, precocious and perfectly sculpted young men, where sex could just as easily be replaced by a game of hop scotch or tag. No bones about it, Bush’s boys are hardly boys, at least in proportion, but they’ve got a decidedly youthful appeal. Despite massive members and sculpted muscles, seen only in the most dedicated and blessed of men, his figures harken back to a point in every homos life, before the seriousness, the sacredness of one’s sexuality took hold.

In memory of the artist, who still possesses the unique talent to turn men into boys, we present you with a gallery of our absolute favorite selections of Harry Bush’s contributions to America’s favorite old fag rag.

Gallery after the jump Continue reading ‘Harry Bush’s Physique Pictorial’

Last week we reported that Apple still sucks, what we didn’t know at the time is, they double suck. That is, Apple’s sweep of “sexually explicit” content – AMG’s Brasil Boys and Beefcake! apps included – is rumored to have come about as a result of pressure from a group of right wing Christian yahoos. The Parents Television Council, a self-proclaimed “non-partisan education organization,” had this to say about its campaign against supposedly pornographic iPhone applications:

Apple is allowing the sale of pornographic applications for the iPhone in its iTunes store, with the content then being downloaded onto the iPhone. Some of these applications are free to children and adults; and links to web sites that lead to even more explicit pornography are also given on iTunes. And even if teens do not purchase or download these apps, Apple provides samples of the pornography on iTunes for all to see. (Click here for a recent article on some of the salacious iPhone apps available.)

Yes, the folks at The Parent’s Television Council clearly have some issues to sort out – most notably their definition of pornography – but the truth is, it doesn’t really matter why Apple dumped a load of content that they already filtered for sexually explicit, or otherwise offensive content. What really sucks about Apple’s great clean out is its bias toward T&A. Yes folks, tits and ass pass the Apple test, but Bob Mizer’s shirtless muscle men are pornographic. While Apple dumped some 5,000 apps containing what they deem to be “overtly sexual,” apps from smut peddlers like Playboy and Suicide Girls are still taking up prime real estate in the iTunes store.

Now we’ve resisted saying it in the past, because, really, we had no proof. But this recent development, and Apple’s possible bending to Christian concerns is definitely a touch fishy. How does the saying go? If it smells homophobic, and tastes homophobic…

A few months back we reported that Apple sucks, well guess what? They still do. At the time, we were red in the face about the company’s arbitrary decision to reject an update to our Beefcake App – a mobile gallery of images that passed even the harshest censor’s standards in the 50s and 60s. Today, we’re a whole lot less shocked and really just over-it that they’ve dropped us from the App Store altogether.

In a polarizing sweep that should surprise no one, the cleanest name in computing, Apple, has reportedly dumped nearly 5 thousand apps from the iTunes store, leaving smut peddlers everywhere scratching their heads. One such smut dealer is AMG. The wholesome folks at Apple Pie computers had this to say about retroactively poo-pooing our PG apps, AMG Brasil Boys and AMG Beefcake:

The App Store continues to evolve, and as such, we are constantly refining our guidelines. Your application, AMG Brasil Boys, contains content that we had originally believed to be suitable for distribution. However, we have recently received numerous complaints from our customers about this type of content, and have changed our guidelines appropriately.

Passing the buck, eh? When all else fails, blame the consumer. Truth is, Apple’s uncomfortable with the idea that sex might somehow taint their sterile image. If they could have, they would have blocked these apps right out the gate. However, at the time, according to a friend of ours who worked in iTunes promotions, the review team for Apple’s apps was made up of a hand-full of people, and the sheer volume of submissions was overwhelming. Basically, there weren’t enough red flags, or referees, as it were, to raise all the red flags needed to keep Apples performance squeaky clean.

We have decided to remove any overtly sexual content from the App Store, which includes your application.

Basically, our hands are tied. For now, we’ll be moving on to more expansive mobile technologies – keep your eye out for new AMG mobile capabilities soon – and reminding ourselves that everything’s going be okay. If this was high school Apple would be rocking one of those lame abstinence bracelets and rallying around the flag pole, and we’d be smoking cigarettes and giving blow jobs under the bleachers. Who’s the loser now?

It should come as no surprise that the fashion industry has once again mined the visual language of physique photography’s past to sell over-priced goods in an over-sexed consumer market. Likewise, there’s nothing especially shocking about Vivienne Westwood exploiting homoerotic imagery to sell clothing (remember that Tom of Finland shirt?). So what is it that makes these ads for Westwood’s new line of men’s underwear and accessories so unusual? It’s the combination of these images with the almost invisible message, “Leonard Peltier is Innocent” (lower left-hand corner).

Continue reading ‘Vivienne Westwood, Leonard Peltier & Bob Mizer?’

If your love for Bob and his band of merry misfits dates back farther than Reagan’s first term, than you might be familiar with AMG’s collaboration with the long-running journal of real sex, S.T.H. (aka Straight to Hell, aka The Manhattan Review of Unnatural Acts). The anti-breeder, pro-boner fag rag is one of the few publications, outside Bob’s own, to feature the rough trade models of AMG’s later days. Under the watch of both S.T.H.’s founder, Boyd McDonald, and current editor and publisher, Billy Miller, S.T.H. has provided its insatiable readership with real-life sex stories, homo-centric political rants and the best in amateur, artistic and pornographic nudes.

Their latest covers – that’s two, count them, TWO – feature a couple of our all-time favorite rough trade studs, Gerald Oglesby and John Apache. Why do we love these boys so much? Well, there’s a certain volatility to their beauty. Sure, they could be just two gorgeous guys, but take a look at the details and you’ll find these two are true misfits. Gerald, for one, sports an insanely long coke nail and John, well look no further than the stars and bars adorning his bicep. Now we’re not saying that we have a thing for racists and drug addicts, what we are saying, is we love these subtle signs. Like Bob Mizer’s character analysis, they give just a touch of insight into the lifestyle of these otherwise untouchable men.

For more from Billy Miller about the new issue of S.T.H., check out his interview in the new issue of Unzipped and outtakes from the interview on their blog.

The charming fellow behind this filthy magazine is always looking for new submissions, so if you’re a pervert with a pen, send your sordid tales to: STH, BOX 20424 NYC 10023 or email them to sth@straight-to-hell.net (no name necessary).

Rod Garetto had it all – a gigantic cock, a wife and kids, and mustache that could make Tom Selleck weep. He wore a diamond stud in his ear and a tattoo on his bicep that read, ‘Rodney’. His fades were always meticulous and his asshole perfectly manicured – details that made him porn’s go-to Latin stud for the better part of the late 80s and early 90s. According to David Hurles, our other favorite photographer of Hollywood street trade, he a was pleasure to work with, and he wasn’t the only one who thought so. Off that gigantic cock of his, Rod built a massive on-screen persona, appearing in films for just about any porn producer with a pulse. Gay, straight, bisexual – it didn’t matter to Rodney, as long as he could stick in his dick and pull out gold. From Black Salsa, to Lords of Cocktown, he spread his Latin seed over many an ass, and, yes, vag, and made his way into the fantasies of lonely wet-dreamers everywhere. Thanks to the advent of VHS, you could spank it to Rodney 24-hours a day, 7-days a week, and never get thrown in the clink. Rodney was a safe lay – no strings, just a big cock attached to a pretty fine Latin guy, with no queer hangups, who, at the end of the day, had a wife and kids at home in the Valley. He was the whole package and now he’s your Mr. February.

For more of Rod and his rod, check out his profile on AMG Classics, and keep your eyes out for new Rodney updates every week in February.

“Big Brother believes it is essential to tell you and me what is suitable for us to read and see—-apparently we lack the his wisdom and discernment and must not attempt to decide such things for ourselves.” Physique Pictorial October 1964

A little over a month ago we introduced you to S&M homo and illustrator, Mike Miksche (aka Steve Masters). In the post, “Mike Miksche – Closeted S&M Homo Artist, Almost Lost Forever,” we claimed that this brilliant artist was a closeted homosexual, which caught the attention of one of Mr. Miksche’s acquaintances. A Mr. Curcio wrote in to recommend that we amend our original post:

“I knew him during the years he worked as a designer at Raymond Lowey. He was not closeted but he worked in the Advertising Industry and the Art Directors were all closeted. He was a very wonderful man.”

So there you have it, Mr. Miksche wasn’t in fact in the closet, but apparently engaged in a marriage of convenience. In a further development, we found that the advertiser-cum-porn-penster actually contributed to Physique Pictorial. His PP introduction came in Nov. 1961 with the above illustrations. Bob Mizer had this to say about the budding illustrator:

“Steve Masters is a brilliant young advertising artist who does physique work just as a hobby. We especially admire his crisp, masculine style, and will be eager to get your reaction to it…”

At the time, full-color prints of Miksche’s work were given out for free with the purchase of a catalog of his color work.

Grand total–$1.25.

So what can we glean from our newfound discoveries? In 1961, you could buy a Mike Miksche print for a mere $1.25. At the same time you might be forced to marry a woman in order to protect your reputation in the workplace.

Conclusion–inflation sucks, but homophobia sucks more.

Mad Dog Mains is like the Holy Grail of rough trade. A mechanic by design, prostitute by circumstance and sometime street fighter, he’s a sexual adventurers wet dream. He looks rather compact in these photographs, and at 5’7” and 160 lb., is certainly not an imposing figure. However, what he lacks in stature he makes up for in strength. His thick, sturdy build makes him a solid bottom or a slightly small, but no doubt powerful, top. The product of German and Russian parents, Mad Dog left his birthplace in Pittsburgh, PA, and made his way out west at the age of 5. Somewhere along the way he picked up a backside full of bullets. Bob Mizer points out in the January 1974 issue of Physique Pictorial that, “Strangely enough he has no tattoos, but his body is slightly scarred with bullet holes along his arm and left buttock.” Mad Dog never backs down from a street fight, or a good grudge fuck.

A. Will Suck Dick
B. Very Affable
C. Hustler
D. A Good Fuck
E. Will Bottom

For more Mad Dog check out the gallery after the jump. And for even more Mad Dog, check out his profile at AthleticModelGuild.com. Continue reading ‘Mad Dog Mains, Pinko-Kraut Streetfighter Has Butt Full of Bullets, Will Bottom for $’

Bob Mizer, as you probably already know, was an equal opportunity employer. Unlike many of his contemporaries, his taste wasn’t at all evident in his photography. Sure, one could venture that in his early age he had a thing for the sweet meat of American body builders, and that later in life, his taste turned to the salty underbelly of LA street trade–but what evidence we have of his sexual appetite, proves no such distinction. He had a “walk-ins welcome” approach to casting, accepting just about any semi-sober model willing to drop his drawers, and successfully disassociating the name Athletic Model Guild with athleticism. Case in point, Skooter Edwards, the innocent-enough Southern twink with the unicorn tattoo. We don’t know much about Skooter, aside from whats evident by looking at him. He appeared in a number of Spanking films for AMG, wore a mullet, loved unicorns and sex (as evidenced by the tattoo on his chest) and spoke with a long Southern draw.

We personally do have a type, one that usually doesn’t permit for twinks or mullets, but there’s something especially attractive about this skinny little Southern charmer. Now, we’re not saying we’d take a bite out of this twinky–we much prefer a nice thick slab of beef–but we are willing to admit that he’s got us rethinking our take on our broomstick brethren. Perhaps skinny isn’t so bad, and anyway, it’s not our job to give you what we want. Our job is to give you what you want. So for you die hard twink chasers, here’s your Mr. January, Skooter Edwards.

Check out a sample gallery of Skooter after the jump and keep checking back at AthleticModelGuild.com for more updates of this beautiful beanpole.

Continue reading ‘Skooter Edwards – Southern Twink, Loves Unicorns, SEX and a Good Spanking’