I was recently perusing (as one does) the June 1992 issue of Heat, a short-lived gay men’s magazine. Amongst the pictorials of cover boy Rob Cryston and fellow gay porn stars Karl Thomas and Sam Abdul is an article titled “The Life and Loves of Keith Haring” by Jack Ricardo.
Keith Haring, Untitled (1988)
Keith Haring photographed by Don Herron (1982)
Bill T. Jones painted by Keith Haring (1983)
Keith Haring photographed by Andy Warhol, Montauk (8/22/84)
Keith Haring photographed by Annie Leibovitz (1986)
This article was published just two years after Haring’s death. In 2019, Gil Vazquez became Executive Director of the Keith Haring Foundation, a role he held for 6 years.
Keith Haring photographed by Patrick McMullan, NYC (8/14/84)
Last month, when the NYC lounge Barracuda announced its closing after 30 years, I posted a couple of photos on social media from a May 5, 1997 appearance by singer/songwriter Jill Sobule. She was interviewed onstage by nightlife icon Candis Cayne, sang a couple of songs, screened the music video for “Bitter” and then met with fans.
That was 28 years ago this week. 30 years ago this same week, Jill’s single “I Kissed A Girl” was released. And now just days before both anniversaries comes the news that Jill has perished in a house fire. It’s a shocking end for such a talented individual, beloved by fans and fellow musicians.
Until the advent of YouTube, the screening of “Bitter” at Barracuda back in 1997 was the only time I ever saw the music video. MTV and VH1 certainly weren’t playing it. Her Happy Town CD had only been out for two months, but it was pretty clear that it wasn’t going to be as successful as her 1995 breakthrough LP – the one with her two hits: “I Kissed A Girl” and “Supermodel”. She would be dropped by Atlantic records by the end of 1997.
When I stepped up to meet Jill that night, I blathered on like the breathless fan that I was, telling her that the album was great and that her fans appreciated her music whether she sold 20 or 20 million copies. She seemed to be touched, gave me a hug and said “Oh, thank you so much.”
Jill sang a song at Barracuda that she had just written called “Money Shot” – a little ditty about a troubled porn star who couldn’t finish the job. She trusted that her audience at this gay club would appreciate it and the song went over well.
The following night, Jill was on the bill as part of a songwriters series at the Bottom Line in Greenwich Village. In the middle of her set, she asked the audience for song requests. I’d had a few cocktails by that point and called out “MONEY SHOT!”
I immediately regretted it.
Her wide eyes got even wider. She looked mortified as she said “Oh no.”
Jill at Joe’s Pub, NYC (April, 2002)
What had been a fun idea at a performance for gay fans in a Chelsea lounge didn’t fly in mixed company at The Bottom Line.
Five years later, I was briefly in a folk trio called The Wormwoods. We shared the bill with Jill and a dozen other singers at Joe’s Pub for two Dusty Springfield tribute concerts. She performed the classic Dusty In Memphis track “Just A Little Lovin’.”
Fast forward to August, 2011: Jill is opening for Fountains of Wayne at Bowery Ballroom on the Lower East Side. At first glance, this might appear to be an ill fit: The “I Kissed A Girl” girl and the “Stacey’s Mom” guys. Their fans can tell you that dismissing either act as a one-hit wonder is an oversight of many albums worth of smart, funny storytelling. Jill won over the Fountains of Wayne audience in no time.
Jill was at the merch table at intermission. “I think you made some new fans tonight,” I said.
She was pleasantly surprised. “They really seemed to like it, didn’t they?”
Songwriters of North America CEO Michelle Lewis called Jill Sobule “a singer/songwriter’s singer/songwriter.” I have similarly called her a musician’s musician. She often performed with just the smallest guitar and played with such intricacy that her audience could forget that it was her only accompaniment. I saw her onstage once with a small children’s keyboard that she had just picked up at a garage sale. Again, she found a way to make it sound like it was all the instrumentation that she needed.
Her song “Mexican Wrestler” epitomized her genius: heartbreakingly funny songwriting and a brilliantly nuanced performance.
Two weeks ago when Jill was opening for The Fixx on tour, she posted online about a concertgoer who took offense at her song “JD Vance is a C**t.” After the show, the woman shoved her and spewed some MAGA bile in her direction.
Jill’s response? She couldn’t wait until her next show – so that she could sing that song again.
I hate the idea of facing the next four years without her take on the unraveling of this administration. I can’t quite grasp that she won’t be here to sing “Underdog Victorious” when we are all on the other side of it.
Some of the many tributes to Jill that have popped up on social media:
Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s posted a link to “So Jill,” a song she co-wrote and performed with bandmate Charlotte Caffey and Lloyd Cole after meeting Jill at a songwriters retreat in 1997.
Photo: Brian Blauser/Mountain Stage Archive, Oct 8, 1995
The last 25 minutes of the May 4th episode of 60 Degrees with Brian Ferrari on East Village Radio is a tribute to Jill, with her songs about Joey Heatherton and Bobbie Gentry alongside covers of “Just A Little Lovin’,” “Stone Soul Picnic” and “Que Sera Sera.”Click to have a listen – the tribute starts at 1:35.
The latest subject in our Artist’s Muse series is Wilbur “Billy” Pippin, a friend, lover and confidant to a circle of artists that included George Platt Lynes, George Tooker, Paul Cadmus, Jared & Margaret French (aka the PaJaMa collective).
Wilbur Thomas Pippin was born on May 25, 1924 in Macon, Georgia. An only child, his father was employed by Railway Express while his mother worked at a dress shop. After the couple separated, Wilbur and his mother moved down the road to his maternal grandmothers house. He attended Lanier High School for Boys, where he was on the honor roll and received recognition for 5 years of perfect attendance. Upon graduation in June of 1942, he enlisted in the Army and served through World War II.
Back in Georgia for the 1946-47 school year, Billy enrolled as a freshman at North Georgia College in Dahlonega, three hours north of Macon. He became president of the drama club and was also voted “Most Versatile Cadet”. His academic career seems to have ended after that successful first year, as life took an unexpected turn in the form of a fellow named Fred Melton.
Sgt. Pippin – the Most Versatile Cadet at North Georgia College (1947)
Fred “Butch” Melton (1939)
We previously mentioned Fred “Butch” Melton in a profile of Artist’s Muse/writer Donald Windham. Butch was an Atlanta artist/photographer who moved to New York in 1939 with Windham, his boyfriend at the time. After the two split in 1942, Melton abruptly married Sarah “Sally” Marshall. The newlyweds settled in Greenwich Village and had two sons in quick succession. The growing family then moved back to Sally’s hometown of Macon, Georgia to live on land provided by her parents.
In the New York Public Library blog post Finding Frederick Melton, Stephen Bowie writes, “Melton dove into small-town Southern life with gusto. He built a modern house and workshop on the property, painted, and worked on the newspaper and in the local theater. But the experiment in conformity didn’t last.”
Whether Butch and Billy met doing local theatre or through some other social event is speculative. Suffice to say that Macon isn’t a very large town. In any case, the two found each other, and sparks flew. Billy did not return to college. In early 1948, Butch left his young family in Macon to move back to New York with Billy.
The couple moved into a cold-water tenement flat at 446 West 55th street in Hell’s Kitchen. Butch introduced Billy to the circle of gay artists that he had left behind 5 years prior. The striking young man soon began to turn up in their work.
Bernard Perlin & Wilbur Pippin photographed by Fred Melton in Cherry Grove, Fire Island (1948)
Wilbur Pippin photographed on Fire Island with George Tooker and Margaret French
Ballet impresario Lincoln Kirstein was apparently so fond of the couple that he tasked them with running Pippin Press, a silkscreen company he bankrolled and named after Billy. The original intent was to make collectible prints of ballet designs and the work of artists like Pavel Tchelitchev. Ultimately Pippin Press found more success producing custom silkscreen wallpaper.
Billy also began exploring photography alongside Butch, forming the “Melton-Pippin Photography” imprint for both of their work. Although he later enjoyed a long career as a fashion photographer, today Billy’s most notable photographs are his 1950 portraits of Jack Kerouac. It was one of these photos that was Kerouac’s choice for the original cover sketch of On The Road.
Jack Kerouac photographed by Wilbur Pippin (1950)
In early 1951, Butch and Billy had a new neighbor when their friend George Platt Lynes moved into the building. Lynes’ relationship with Chuck Howard had recently ended, and he was facing increasing financial woes. Lynes was initially pleased to have the couple as neighbors – Melton helped him with remodeling and silk-screening wallpaper for the living room. But he quickly grew annoyed by the couple “forever borrowing that old cup of sugar…” he wrote to a friend, “… or in their case it was more likely to be a bottle of gin.”
Wilbur Pippin & Chuck Howard, (ca. 1950)
Wilbur Pippin photographed by George Platt Lynes
Besides the thirsty neighbors, the far-west proximity and sketchy neighborhood did not sit well with Lynes. By September, he had fled back to the comfort of the East side, although his finances could not support it.
Fred “Butch” Melton & Wilbur “Billy” Pippin photographed by George Platt Lynes (ca 1951)
The couple remained friends with Lynes through the rest of his life, despite some difficult times. When Lynes fell out of favor with Lincoln Kirstein, Melton was named as his replacement as the official photographer for the New York City Ballet. In 1955 when Lynes was hospitalized with terminal lung cancer, Pippin was one of a small group of friends tasked by Russell Lynes to dismantle and pack up his brother’s apartment. George Platt Lynes died in December of that year.
With Pippin Press winding down, Billy went to work as publicity director for the New York City Ballet as well as press representative of the Broadway show Protective Custody, which opened and closed in late December, 1956.
By the end of the 1950’s, Butch and Billy had gone their separate ways. As with so many others, Fred Melton was dropped by the mercurial Lincoln Kirstein and had been replaced as photographer for the New York Ballet, just as he had replaced Lynes years before.
In 1961, Melton departed New York once again, leaving his collection of ballet negatives to the New York Public Library, intent on spending his last days drinking on the beaches of Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, Billy was working steadily as a fashion and celebrity photographer for the New York Times. He traveled the world through the following decades as a freelance fashion photographer for Vogue and other outlets. In the late 1960’s, Pippin coupled with fellow photographer, Thomas Wier, Jr. For 30 years, the duo ran Pippin & Wier Photography in New York City. Their country home was an old converted schoolhouse in East Haddam, CT. They eventually amassed a menagerie of 15 cats.
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN 10/29/64
Daily Messenger, Canandaigua, NY (12/12/1974)
In 1979, Pippin co-authored the book Catwise with actress Marian Winters. This was a collection of photographs Pippin had taken of his feline family, with classical quotes selected by Winters. Sadly, Winters succumbed to cancer just before the book’s publication.
Hartford Courant, Connecticut (12/14/79)
Pippin and Wier eventually retired to their East Haddam house. Thomas Wier Jr. died on 9/12/2000, age 70. Wilbur Pippin died on 4/30/2003 at his home, age 78.
In 2024, the A. Therian gallery in Cairo, New York featured Billy, an exhibition of rare and previously unseen photos of Wilbur Pippin taken by George Platt Lynes, the PaJaMa collective, and Fred Melton. This collection of photographs shed light upon the striking young man from Macon, Georgia who became a friend, lover and confidant to his great artistic contemporaries.
Madame Spivy is having quite a renaissance in 2025, thanks to the efforts of Ms. Ana Matronic and her newly launched Good Time Sallies podcast. As previously mentioned, Madame Spivy is the subject of the first two episodes. I joined Ms. Matronic to discuss the dynamic lady of song, stage and screen. You can find those here.
The subject of episodes #3 & 4 is singer/nightclub owner Ada “Bricktop” Smith, who we covered briefly in our post about Neeka Shaw, The Forgotten Showgirl.
And if that’s not enough for you… Ms. Matronic has created Good Time Sallies: Radio Spivy on Mixcloud, so you can hear many of the songs discussed on the podcast. Besides a generous serving of Madame Spivy’s stylings, you can also hear recordings by Spivy’s friends, influences and artists who appeared at Spivy’s Roof. Included on the playlist are Fanny Brice, Sophie Tucker, Liberace, Martha Raye, Thelma Carpenter, Rae Bourbon, The Three Flames, Bea Lillie and many more!
Click here for Radio Spivy and hear some fine examples of classic diseuse delivering sophisticated songs.
From the website: Good Time Sallies tells the stories of impactful people who have been left in the shadows as footnotes or minor characters in somebody else’s story, but each of whom made waves, broke molds, and dared to live life as they pleased.
With every episode, Ana Matronic centers these remarkable people and shares their inspiration with the world. From people of letters to ladies of leisure, from bawdy babes and badass boozehounds to Queens on the scene to queens of the obscene, this vibrant historical podcast is all about celebrating the Good Time Sally in us all who is here to take a shot and make her mark.
As you already know, Spivy is one of our favorite subjects here on the blog. Be sure to check out the latest post, which covers her film and television appearances.
I have been an admirer of Ana Matronic since the days when her band, Scissor Sisters was a local group playing around my East Village neighborhood. Her presence, her voice, her connection with the audience as “Mistress of Ceremonies” were a major factor in why I went on to see the band perform live 20 times before their hiatus in 2012. There’s an unconfirmed rumor that I have the band logo tattooed on my ankle.
With Ms. Matronic at the Ice Palace in Cherry Grove, Fire Island (7/2024)
I couldn’t imagine a Scissor Sisters reunion without her. When a UK tour was announced late last year, Ms. Matronic issued a statement explaining why she would not be taking part, teasing an upcoming podcast series that prevented her from participating.
As someone who embraces my own inner Nerd, I was fully on board with her choice to focus on her current passion project. What I did not know at the time was that I would get to be a part of this next chapter.
And now it is time for the big reveal: Good Time Sallies is here!
From the website: Good Time Sallies tells the stories of impactful people who have been left in the shadows as footnotes or minor characters in somebody else’s story, but each of whom made waves, broke molds, and dared to live life as they pleased.
With every episode, Ana Matronic centers these remarkable people and shares their inspiration with the world. From people of letters to ladies of leisure, from bawdy babes and badass boozehounds to Queens on the scene to queens of the obscene, this vibrant historical podcast is all about celebrating the Good Time Sally in us all who is here to take a shot and make her mark.
Photos: Krys Fox @krysfoxphoto
Of course, telling the stories of notable people who have been left in the shadows is one of the reasons this blog exists. On the first two episodes of Good Time Sallies, I join Ms. Matronic to reintroduce that dynamic lady of song, stage and screen, Madame Spivy LeVoe. As you already know, Spivy is one of our favorite subjects here on the blog. Be sure to check out the latest post, which covers her film and television appearances.
I hope you enjoy the podcast as much as I did recording it. Thanks again to Ms. Matronic and Lucy Winter for inviting me to take part.
Also: Click here for Radio Spivy on Mixcloud and hear some fine examples of classic diseuse delivering sophisticated songs.
Ladies and Gentleman, it is time once again to revisit that dynamic lady of song, stage and screen, Madame Spivy LeVoe (1906-1971), also known simply as Spivy. While previous posts have focused on specific songs recorded by the lesbian entertainer, nightclub owner, and character actress, this time around we have an overview of her work in film and television from 1959-1967.
“The Roof is closed – gone forever, and my heart is broken.” Spivy wrote to a friend in August, 1951 after her nightclub had shuttered. The once popular top floor venue at 139 East 57th street had fallen into decline after a decade as one of the top Manhattan night spots. The demise of Spivy’s Roof was in part due to Spivy’s increasing stage fright, which in turn escalated her drinking. The combination often prevented her from delivering the two scheduled nightly performances audiences expected. Paul Lynde would later discuss this on The Tonight Show in 1976.
Spivy spent the next 6 years performing throughout Europe, where she opened and closed clubs in Paris and Rome. In London she appeared at the prestigious Café de Paris. These ventures eventually proved unsuccessful and she landed back in New York by 1957. An engagement at the Blue Angel would be her final New York City cabaret run.
Spivy explained her inability to conquer the fear of nightclub audiences. “I have tried everything but psychiatry – even hypnosis – but I couldn’t lick it.
“Funny thing, I have absolutely no stage fright in front of a camera, no matter how many people are on the set. So I guess this is what I’ll be doing from now on.”
It doesn’t take a psychiatrist to piece together that her insecurities performing in front of a live nightclub audience proved insurmountable as her popularity waned. She had entertained audiences since the 1920’s, but 30 years later her style of sophisticated songs had become a relic of a bygone era. Acting roles in front of a camera proved to be a less vulnerable alternative.
Charlie Chaplin reportedly sought to have Spivy play a character based on Elsa Maxwell in his 1957 film A King In New York. Newspaper columns at the time reported that the production company was unable to secure a work permit for her to travel to the UK for filming.
Her first film was The Fugitive Kind in a scene with Marlon Brando and Joanne Woodward, which was not a bad place to start.
“You come back alone some time, ya hear?” Spivy with Marlon Brando and Joanne Woodward in The Fugitive Kind. (1959)
This led to her being cast in the most memorable television role of her career opposite Robert Morley in an episode of Alfred Hitchcock Presents titled “Specialty of the House.” Spivy plays “Spirro,” the piano-playing proprietress of an exclusive restaurant with a dubious main course.
“Bourbon breeds togetherness…” Flo (Spivy) tips off Peter Gunn (Craig Stevens). (1960)
There is a sameness to the majority of Spivy’s film and television acting roles. She’s typically the barkeep or bouncer at a downstairs dive bar in a sketchy part of town. She usually has just one scene where she kicks someone out of the bar, or delivers a key piece of information to move the plot along. Or both. She is always smoking. She may be shady or morally ambiguous, but mostly she just don’t want no trouble, ya hear?
“Have you lost your feeble mind? He’s still got his baby teeth!” Spivy with Brandon DeWilde & Evans Evans in All Fall Down (1962).
Spivy’s most significant film role was as Ma Greeny in 1962’s Requiem For A Heavyweight with Anthony Quinn and Jackie Gleason. Her tough, androgynous mob boss made an indelible impression on viewers.
“Take a good look in the mirror and then say goodbye to what you see.”
Spivy as The Axe Lady, The Wild Wild West (1966)
One of Spivy’s atypical performances was a 1966 appearance on The Wild Wild West with Robert Conrad. Spivy plays The Axe Lady, a member of a serial killer tribunal who meets her demise at dinner with a steak knife in the back.
Spivy as Tatama with William Smith as her son Catoga in the Daniel Boone episode “A Matter Of Blood.” (1967)
Spivy’s final television role was her biggest since Alfred Hitchcock Presents: a 1967 Daniel Boone episode in which she plays Tatama, an Indian tribe elder. As with the rest of the actors playing indigenous characters at the time, the brown-face makeup doesn’t age well, but she delivers a good performance, in my humble opinion.
New York Times (1/10/71)
Spivy was diagnosed with cancer in the late 1960’s, eventually moving into a series of hospitals and nursing homes that she kept getting kicked out of. Angry and bitter at her waning independence, she would lash out at staff. Her old friend Patsy Kelley arranged to have her placed at the Motion Picture Country Home in Woodland Hills, California where she died on January 8, 1971, aged 64. She is interred at Valhalla Memorial Park in West Hollywood.
The cover of the book George Platt Lynes Photographs 1931-1955 features this photo of Edward Lennox Bigelow, Dora Maxwell, and Johnathan Tichenor (ca. 1943)
I recently acquired a copy of the August 1982 issue of In Touch magazine, which featured the photos of George Platt Lynes. Although Platt Lynes died of cancer over 25 years earlier, this was the beginning of the publication of his male nude photographs, which have now become recognized as his most memorable work.
Just a few months before, Jack Woody and Twelvetrees Press had published George Platt Lynes Photographs 1931-1955, an oversized hardcover book with introductory texts by Glenway Wescott, George Balanchine, and Lincoln Kirstein. Someone wisely permitted In Touch to publish a handful of Platt Lynes’ male nude studies, introducing his work to a whole new generation of gay men. Many of these photos were previously unpublished.
The models in the photo above are Charles “Tex” Smutney and Charles “Buddy” Stanley, subjects of some of Lynes’ most memorable photographs. Of Smutney, David Leddick wrote “few of Platt Lynes’s subjects so perfectly embodied youth and innocence as did this athletic, fair-haired figure.”
The image comes from the 30 photograph “Bedroom Series” of these two undressing and lying on a bed with a third model, Bradbury Ball. (below)
The above photo of The Ritter Brothers (ca. 1934) is now part of the Metropolitan Museum collection.
The subject of two In Touch photos is Blanchard Kennedy, a frequent model for Platt Lynes in the late 1930’s.
The three photos above from In Touch are part of an early 1950’s series of images taken around the bed in Lynes’ studio (see below). The models are unidentified, although the blond is sometimes misidentified as Alexander Jensen Yow or Ralph Pomeroy, two subjects who were also photographed seperately in or around the same bed.
Left to right: Gordon Hansen, Jack Fontan, Dick Beard, Unidentified
The final full-page photograph of an unidentified model illustrates the timeless artistry of Platt Lynes’ work.
Also featured in this issue is a profile of Warhol photographer Christopher Makos, who, like Platt Lynes, blurred the line between artistic and homoerotic photography.
It’s that time again… due to popular demand, we have an 8th installment of WWII-era photos featuring the jockstrap-clad pre-flight training school cadets at St. Mary’s College in California. You can view the first one here, with links to all the rest at the bottom of this post. This installment focuses on those who trained in 1944 – 80 years ago. These men enlisted to fight against a dictator, as opposed to our current situation, where we are all contending with living under one.
I first became aware of these black and white 5″x7″ triptych photos several years ago. Listings turn up on auction sites frequently, where the photos are often accompanied by the index card used to record the physical training progress of the cadet.
The earliest photos (from June 13, 1942) feature the men completely nude, but all subsequent photos feature the cadets in jockstraps, standing behind some sort of grid fencing to better detect posture misalignment and spinal curvature.
There is still some confusion between these photos and the Yale / Ivy League posture pics, since the Navy photos were sometimes used to illustrate stories about the Yale pics. Note that all of these images contain a visible U.S. Navy / St. Mary’s Pre-Flight School placard, even if they have been cropped out in some posts. Similarly the Yale University photos are identified as such within the frame of the photos:
Fortunately for us, multiple photos of some cadets have surfaced, allowing for comparisons of their training progress:
Comparison photos 6/6-8/1/44
Comparison photos 8/1-8/29/44
And while there is a lack of ethnic diversity, there are a variety of body types.
My collection now includes over 900 jpegs of different cadets. While some of these men did perish during WWII, the largest majority that I have researched lived to ripe old ages.
Any surviving cadets would now be over 100 years old. Last year, I discovered one who passed away in 2022 at the age of 103.
One thing these young men have in common, as they were documented in timeless photos of their physical prime: they were far from home, training to fight for their country.
At this time of year, 80 years later, we again salute The Greatest Generation for their fine forms and dedication.
In August of 2020, porn star Koldo Gorantweeted about three fellow performers who had recently died. Goran’s tweet was the only public notice that one of them, Dani Rivera, had been murdered. “I realize nobody talks about it, we are unprotected and forgotten;” Goran tweeted “We are humans, people, enough of contempt.”
Most gay news outlets choose to ignore the passing of all but the biggest names in the adult film industry. Porn companies also seem reluctant to broadcast the death of a performer who is still on their roster, forever young and willing in their website content. An obit is a real boner killer, ya know? Why jeopardize the profit margin?
Additionally, performers who abandon their porn personas and return to life under their real names often pass away unnoticed by former employers and scene partners.
As in previous years, there is a lack of people of color on the list. Why? Is it that few have passed on or that they haven’t been reported yet? For this reason – and due to continued interest from fans – there are ongoing updates to the lists of porn star passings in 2020, 2021, 2022 and 2023. If there’s someone we missed, let us know.
We remember those that were lost in 2024 to prove Koldo Goran wrong – they have not been forgotten.
1) Bo Dixon aka Thom Austin, 62, died in his sleep on February 7, 2024, according to his partner Brad. Dixon was active in films from 2005 to 2008, working for Colt Studios and Hot House Entertainment. According to Queer World News And Life, he left the porn industry “to become a successful body builder, personal trainer and quintessential daddy.”
2) Cole Claire, aka Tristen Wayne Evans had been battling advanced renal disease for two years. In February, the 27 year-old posted on social media that he had decided to stop treatment and enter hospice care. He passed away a few days later on February 22, 2024.
Claire was 19 years old in 2016 when he began working in the adult film industry. The popular model went on to appear in approximately 50 scenes for Helix, Boy Crush and Cockyboys.
3) Rylan Shaw (aka Garret Crenshaw) passed away on February 25, 2024 at the age of 39. Earlier in the month, he announced on social media that he had been battling cancer, stating “I’m not going into details but probably not going to end on a good note.”
The Indiana native appeared in over a dozen scenes at Sean Cody in 2008-2009. After a three year hiatus, he resumed work with Falcon, Men, Raging Stallion, Dominic Ford, Next Door Studios and other outlets. Rylan worked as a bartender in Chicago after he retired from the industry. In 2021 he posted “13 years ago my first vid came out. I ain’t ashamed of it one bit, & I would do it again in a heartbeat.”
4) Evan Mercy was in a motorcycle accident and died from his injuries on May 25, 2024. Originally from Paris, Kentucky, the bisexual performer appeared in approximately 30 scenes from 2012-2014, working for Baitbuddies, All Worlds, Falcon and Dominic Ford, among other studios.
5) Grant Michaels, aka Skylar Hawks, was born on September 6, 1969 and grew up in Zimbabwe, South Africa. He was first seen in the adult film industry in 2004 around the age of 35 and went on to appear in over 125 straight porn films. He also filmed for Colt Studios as Skyler Hawks and on Straight Guys For Gay Eyes. He passed away at age 54 from a “heart attack” on July 19, 2024. His brother is fellow adult film performer Justin Magnum.
6) Alan Marcelo might win the award for Most Performer Aliases. Besides the various spellings of Allan Marcello, Allan Marcelo, Alan Marcello, Allan Marecello, Allen Marcelo and Allen Marcello, he was also billed as Adrian, D’Angelo, Jason, Leonardo, Romeo, Caetano, Caettanno, Caitano and good ole Professor Allan. In any case, he was born in Brazil on February 7, 1983 and began working in gay, trans and straight films when he was 21 years old. He appeared in over 300 titles before retiring in 2012. That said, he does still have an active website with paid content.
7) According to the IAFD, Mike Hollister of Active Duty was killed in a motorcycle accident on Aug 10, 2024. He was 28 years old. Born on October 17, 1995 in Baltimore, MD, Hollister appeared in 4 popular scenes for Active Duty in 2016.
8) Mars Barcelona, aka Mars Gymburger, aka Igor was a Russian-born model based in Spain who appeared in over 150 scenes for Raw Fuck Club, Lucas Entertainment, Kristen Bjorn, TimTales, Fuckermate and other companies from 2020-2024. He also created content for several fan subscription websites. He passed away on September 26, 2024 – one month before his 40th birthday.
9) Giovanni Rosa, aka Michael Milani died of an overdose on October 12, 2024. The 33 year old, originally from Maryland, also lived in Dallas before moving to South Florida about five years ago. Milani was described by a friend as “vibrant and high-energy, with a ‘no bullshit’ attitude.” He appeared in a dozen films between 2019-2020 for Baitbuddies, Pride Studios, Badpuppy, and Man Royale. In addition to his film work, he was also a party promoter and manager.
10) Tate Daniels, aka Trevor, overdosed in Wilton Manor, Florida just two weeks after Giovanni. Their combined memorial was described as an “intervention disguised as a memorial,” offering help to those in the community with substance abuse issues.
30 year-old Tate was relatively new to the industry, with some high profile OnlyFans collaborations under his belt and work with RawFuckClub. He was also photographed by Luke Cruz and Covetimage.
11) Mr. Saukei, aka Mr. Sauki, Mr. Saki or simply Saukei was born Searcy Lee Allen III on December 12, 1982 in Oklahoma. Between 2004-2013, he appeared in dozens of films for Bacchus, Flavaworks, Pitbull and other companies. He was nominated for a 2009 Blatino Award as Best Bottom. He was 41 years old when he passed away in Tulsa, OK on October 14, 2024.
12) Apollo Moon, a transmasc adult content creator known to friends and family as Forest Harader, died in Los Angeles on December 1, 2024, his loved ones confirmed to Them. He was 26 years old and had been on life support for several days. Over the past two years, he appeared in scenes for Brazzers, Grooby and Manyvids.
On social media, friends remembered him as a trailblazer and a “kind and beautiful force” for the world.
13) FitRick81 aka Fitwolf81 aka Rick Araya was active on OnlyFans since 2022 and also appeared in scenes for RawFuckClub. Born June 26, 1981 in Costa Rica, he was living in Miami when he passed away at age 42 on January 20, 2024.
14) Justin Busiere, aka Clayton, was a model and professional bodybuilder who worked with Fratmen, AllAmericanGuys, and MyFriendsFeet, as well as OnlyFans. According to the IAFD website, he committed suicide on Christmas Day, 2024. He was 33 years old.
One of his last social media posts was a quote from Dr. Seuss: “Remember me and smile, for it’s better to forget than to remember me and cry.”
15) Rex was a legendary gay erotic artist and illustrator whose work was closely inspired by Tom of Finland. Rex’s depictions of gay fetish and leather scenes in turn influenced artists like Robert Mapplethorpe. His iconic illustrations were omnipresent in gay bars through the 1970’s and 80’s and prominently featured in Drummer magazine.
The reclusive artist was rarely photographed. His real name and age are unknown, although Jack Fritscher’s research ages Rex at 81 years old when he died. Many assumed the artist had passed away years before his death was announced by the Bob Mizer Foundation in late March.
I know I am not alone when I say that I take comfort in the annual repetition of the holidays: revisiting holiday-themed music, films, television shows… and now internet posts. Dave Holmes’ account of Patti LaBelle’s disastrous performance at the 1996 National Christmas Tree lighting is worth an annual revisit. Trust me.
Not to get meta or anything, but the post you are currently reading has been reworked and updated each year since 2020.
While we’re mining the past and dusting off our chestnuts, here’s the intro to the 1999 holiday episode ofBri-Guy’s Media Surf, an NYC Public Access show that featured yours truly lip-synching a little Esquivel:
Whenever the song pops up on my holiday playlist, I still do this.
I find it interesting that we immerse ourselves in certain pop culture favorites for exactly 6 weeks of the year and then pack them up in mothballs with the ornaments until next year. I mean, Brenda Lee’s “Rockin’ Around The Christmas Tree” is currently at #1 on the Billboard Hot 100. Burl Ives, Bobby Helms and Andy Williams are also in the top 10. Are any of them on your 4th of July playlist? They aren’t on mine.
Gabe Pressman (left) with Marilyn Monroe (1956)
I used to look forward to the annual Christmas Eve tradition on NBC New York’s evening news when reporter Gabe Pressman would read “Yes Virginia, There Is A Santa Claus.” I taped it in 2011, knowing that the tradition wouldn’t last forever. The self-described “little Jewish kid from the Bronx” was 87 years old at the time and continued to work at NBC until his death at age 93.
NBC New York reporter Gabe Pressman’s annual segment on Virginia O’Hanlon’s 1897 letter to the New York Sun Newspaper.
In keeping with this revisit, my other blog posts of Christmas past are back to haunt you like A Christmas Carol, Mr. Scrooge:
There’s a new Motown Christmas Special this year that has already aired in prime time several times this month, featuring Smokey Robinson, Gladys Knight, Martha Reeves and The Temptations. Here is my take on the 1987 Motown Christmas Special – which featured very few Motown acts.
My Canine Christmas Tail is a true story about my dog Sunshine, a basset hound with an appetite for tinsel.
Have you watched Christmas In Connecticut yet this year? How about that delivery woman? This year I was able to update my 2019 post, identifying Daisy Bufford as the actress who played the unbilled role.
The original version of “¿Dónde Está Santa Claus?” is featured in “Llamacita,” this year’s Amazon Prime holiday commercial. Here’s a little backstory on the song & Augie Rios, who sang the original version.
Also – would you like to hear my Spotify holiday playlist?
Way back in 2002, when Limewire was a thing and people listened to music on silvery discs, I started creating Christmas CD mixes that I would mail out or give to people. These were received with a heartwarming combination of feigned delight, veiled indifference and deafening silence. None of these CDs had a pressing of more than 20 copies. I’d like to call them “much sought after” – but no, that’s not really the case, although every once in a while, someone really got into them and would ask for copies of other volumes.
And so, I’m offering this simple playlist…. for kids from 1 to 92. Unfortunately some of the tracks on these dozen CDs are not on Spotify, but I keep adding songs that would be on the current CD volume… if there was one. And now the playlist is over 17 hours of holiday tunes. I recommend listening on shuffle – there’s something to irritate everyone. Enjoy!
Here’s one more nugget to stuff in your stocking: This vid went viral in 2011. Choreographed and performed by Alex Karigan & Zac Hammer of the Amy Marshall Dance Company, it was filmed in one continuous take at the New 42nd St. Dance Studios. There’s something infectious about it: the joy, the corniness, the celebratory queerness of it all. It makes me want to dust off my jazz shoes. Once a year.
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