Art by David Angelo 1

 

 The vintage gay art of the sixties that was printed in beefcake magazines of the time often seems quite amateurish, however this example by David Angelo has a pleasing blend of technical accuracy and sensuality. 

 

Inevitably, the model is clad in a posing pouch, a garment that often attracts derision in our own time, but the artist's treatment gives us a sense of size inside and entrapment, a straining to escape that shows us how the men of the time really saw it. Something truly erotic. 

More on vintage pouches 

 Angelo's drawing is based on a photograph of course, the model's physique and face looks rather like the great Rick Wayne.

 

David Angelo - Gunslinger

 

Cowboys were big in popular culture in the sixties, replete with handsome heroes. Angelo has given this one another idealised treatment, with prominent pecs and nipples straining at his tight shirt. The gun belt fulfils a similar restraining role below the waist. This last detail was not pure invention....

 

Robert Fuller as Jess Harper in 'Laramie'

  

Robert Fuller sneaking up behind John Smith in 'Laramie' 

 

David Angelo - Wrestlers

For this image of two wrestlers, Angelo has cleverly used the same stark lighting to cover up a bold erotic statement. 

 

One of the fighters is caught in a position where he's off-balance and vulnerable. His flimsy pouch inevitably draws the eye, but it's also attracted his opponent's hand. It's groping underneath, in the shadow of his groin. This hold has nothing to do with wrestling! 

In addition, the fighter in the foreground is totally naked, and the dark shadow that hides his far leg accentuates the impression that he's presenting his backside to us. 

It's not simply the sexuality that is so daring, it's the homosexuality. In 1960, just putting men together in a picture was suspect.

 

The lattice pattern in the corner is not part of Angelo's picture, it's part of an adjacent image in a magazine spread. 

 

 

David Angelo - Pop Star's Finale

In 1963 when this picture was published, pop music was starting to shed its veneer of respectability with Beatlemania converting music concerts into manic, adoration events. With its focus on young love, however, it was (and still is) relentlessly heterosexual. Not many pop stars dressed in transparent shirts and matador pants like this (not yet). 

 

Nevertheless, many gay artists tried to incorporate pop into their images. Tom of Finland's 'Ringo' openly sought to subvert the idea of straight entertainers and I suspect Angelo is doing that here too, by showing us his rear view, tensed above opened legs, raised up on tip toes. The singer seems to be ignoring his female fans, who are noisily lusting after his front profile. He's casting aside, too, the female shape of his guitar*. "Come and get me", he seems to be saying. To us, not them.

 

Ultimately these images fail to capture the magical attraction of pop stars, because away from the mic', he's just another bloke. I think I have seen art images of a star being seduced on stage, but I can't cite it at present. Sex in front of a horde of screaming women is a bit niche for me!

 

*The singer's own shape has interesting undulations at waist level, with an odd fit into his pants at the left. It's almost as if Angelo couldn't quite decide how slim, how masculine to make him look.

 

 

Angelo - Slave Auction 

Ever since Victorian times, the Slave Auction has been a 'go to' for artists seeking to portray gender power play and sexploitation in a semirespectable way. It fitted readily into the adoption of classical settings by gay artists seeking to avoid censure in the 50s and 60s. 

 

Angelo's Romanesque take has a very unusual night setting, giving him an opportunity to play with light effects*. The physiques of the two spectacularly muscular men who are manacled and up for sale, are greatly flattered by it - to the benefit of their value too, I suppose.  

 

A key ingredient in this scenario is the depiction of the slaves' emotions. One is proudly displaying himself, seemingly indifferent to the fate which might await him. His companion is, if anything, more muscular, but seems to be cast as a younger servant. He reaches forward, holding up the cloth which screens their groins (for the time being). 

 

The bidders we can see in the audience seem to have their own favourites, suggesting these two will not remain united after the sale.

 

*Angelo seems to have achieved this night effect using chalk or crayon on black paper. It gives something of an etched effect. Some of the detailing is spectacular - the creases of the toga for example. Unfortunately, his characterisation of the second slave, using voluminous hair and rounded cherub cheeks is very much of it's time and doesn't work for us, even if we believed in such improbable muscularity to go with it. With a man's head and face, the whole image would work much better.

 

~

 

More Angelo in Part 2 

 

 
 

 

 

FOOTNOTE 

My Saucy Boys in the Regiment

Saucy Boys 1

Saucy Boys 2

Saucy Boys 3

Saucy Boys 4

 Image courtesy of muscleandboots

Diplomatic Language

AI image generated by 'muscle and boots'

caption by mitchmen

After The Parade

 

It had become a weekly ritual. After the Parade, the Colonel would summon a selection of his Officers for a debriefing on how he thought it had gone. One or two of them would be commended for the way his men had turned out and then dismissed. The remainder would have the faults in their Divisions laid out in excoriating detail. The worst would suffer a spanking in front of their colleagues. 

In pursuit of this method of instilling excellence, the Colonel had introduced a new Parade Dress Uniform for the Officers only. It looked wonderful, but the tight pants that replaced the normal riding breeches were made of the thinnest material imaginable. It was true that tough seats were not required for riding in a parade, but it ensured that any punishment afterwards would be much more painful. So thin was the material that the officers riding astride their horses could feel their butts tingling under the stares of the men riding behind them. When mistakes started to happen, they would buzz in anticipation of the inevitable retribution.

 The inspiring original by muscleandboots @tumblr

For more captions click on the mitchmods label below

Morning Ride

1

 

The Prince's stable-boy has earned privileged access to the seat of power. The prince loves his stallion.

2

 

He knows he must maintain the dignity of his position.

Fortunately, the boy responds well to a stern hand.

 

 Original image by muscleandboots

Men in Tights - 2

Continued from Part 1

When Phoenix Flex comes to, feeling slightly fuzzy,  he discovers to his horror that The Silent Shadow has started to remove his hero suit while he was unconscious. 

His arms are trapped in the rolled down fabric so he can't stop him.

The Shadow believes he is impersonating his old adversary, 'The Flash' 

(The Hero who was the suit's original owner).  

Of course, being a Silent Shadow he can't say so to Flex. 

Lacking that info, Flex thinks he must want to steal the suit from him. 

Already he feels it's 'Hero Power Enablement' feature slipping away from him.

As if to emphasise Flex's vulnerability without his suit,

 the Shadow jerks his head back and squashes his right nipple.

 His 'Power-Grip' gloves apply extra-human pressure. 

Flex gasps in agony, but is still unable to defend himself.

Sneering (silently) at his opponent's weakness, The Shadow up-ends him

He transfers his crushing grip back to that other more interesting area.

Flex can't stop himself from letting out an agonised yell as his sore balls 

are subjected to another squeeze.

The Shadow pauses his devastating assault,

To investigate the fascinating shape he has found in Flex's tights.

It's unlike anything he's ever seen before, 

All Heroes have smooth crotches, not this strange little peg*. 

He nudges it tenderly with his hands feeling a strange sensation swirl within him, 

That makes him realise - it must be some evil trick!

*Of course, The Shadow has a human sub-ego with a dick himself, but when he assumes his Hero Villain persona, all inconvenient human traits - physical and psychological are suppressed and hidden.

 

Regaining his self control, he recoils in horror and stamps on the offending object, 

Meanwhile Flex has succeeded in freeing his hands, but it's too late,

His crotch is wide open and his balls (and more) are well and truly busted.

Flex howls, nursing a throbbing (and terribly painful) swelling,

He's unnerved by the silent, unprovoked attack 

and it's vicious success has severely dented his Heroic aspirations.

It's a bitter pill, but escape seems his only option,

He rolls over and begins to crawl away.

But The Shadow is not about to let his new enemy escape that easily

Especially not after experiencing that strange moment of thrall from him.

Be he genuine Hero or clumsy imposter, this character must be neutralised 

For the good of all of Super-Villaindom!

He just succeeds in stopping him from escaping by grabbing his tights.

As Flex continues to wriggle away, his tights peel off in The Shadow's grip.

The Shadow experiences that strange feeling again as he sees what is revealed.

It makes him confused about why he is trying to prevent Flex from escaping.

Dimly The Shadow realises he's being enchanted by those mesmerising globes.

Summoning his reserves of  villainy he looks away and makes a grab for Flex's neck.

A tight choke hold soon subdues his opponent's struggles.

But The Shadow can't stop himself checking out his peg again.

He is convinced that some secret power must lie within it.

Angrily, he hauls the unresisting Flex to his feet,

 how can this pathetic excuse for a Hero mesmerise him so much?

And yet with so little?

Standing behind, the peg is invisible and unable to exert it's distracting influence.

To neutralise it, he delivers a second vicious upper cut between Flex's legs.

It's more effective than he dared hope, Flex screams and doubles up.

But as he bends The Shadow is exposed to the full glare of his hairy ass.

He reels back, his body swimming with more, confused feelings.

Flex sinks to his knees, cradling his crotch and pleading to be spared

To his astonishment, The Shadow finds himself thinking, why not?

Are there not other things he might do with this strangely alluring creature? 

But then realises it's another of his tricks.

To shut Flex up, he pulls back his head and drops down onto it,

locking his neck under his armpit and levering him into a back-breaking arch.

Pit odours assail Flex's senses through the sweaty dampness of The Shadow's suit.

He feels The Shadow's glove tracing lightly across his torso, heading downwards.

It seems to trigger a nerve signal down through the pain in his spine to his ass.

The Shadow, is distracted for some time by the novelty of a helpless Hero's naked body

shuddering with fear and pain at close quarters under his hands.

But he is shocked when he notices that the strange little peg has changed.

It has morphed into something much bigger, firmer and more menacing.

Instinctively he goes for it with his glove, aiming to crush it before it can erupt.

The hot air of Flex's howl suffuses his armpit disturbingly.

Angrily he yanks Flex back by the hair, 

sending him sprawling on the floor.

Once again The Shadow attacks the source of his confusion.

Grinding it under his foot as one might an insect.

To his horror, Flex grabs at his boot as if he likes it there.

The Shadow hastily withdraws his foot.

But instead of scampering away, Flex just lies there, 

Protecting himself but leaving his legs wide open.

He seems to be challenging The Shadow to do it again.

Despite his inner fear, The Shadow obliges, 

He feels a grim satisfaction, crushing Flex's hand as well as his peg.

Looking down on Flex's naked body, his hair- flecked pecs and stubbly chin

The Shadow realises he doesn't want to let Flex go,

But to struggle with all the strange tricks his body seems to offer.

His mind made up, he picks up shreds of the ex-hero's suit 

and begins to bind him with it, hand and foot.

It's the first time he's restrained a defeated opponent in this way.

And he finds Flex's feeble resistance strangely satisfying.

It's almost as if he's collaborating, willing The Shadow on.

Lying naked at The Shadow's feet feet in a V-tied, hog restraint,

Flex squirms, grunting as he half-heartedly tests the bindings. 

But the Hero qualities of the suit have turned against him

The power in it seals his entrapment.

Flex's shoulders are broad and muscled, his buttocks plump and round

And The Shadow finds that sight more mesmerising than ever.

His hands are drawn towards the dark place between the thighs.

Just in time he checks himself.

 If Flex's globes can still enthrall him, what of the deceptive peg?

He kneels to roll Flex over to inspect his unprotected groin.

Flex moans as if he dreads his conquerer's touch. 

The Shadow likes him responding in this way.

As he heaves the heavy body up, he is distracted again by Flex's buttocks

They are now just inches away and bunched up tightly by the rolling action.

Helpless wriggling fingers stretch out protectively across them.

The Shadow senses the mysterious power that lurks down there 

and resolves to look into it later - in a more suitable place. 

As he rolls the defeated Flex onto his side, 

His nakedness spells out the totality of The Shadow's victory.

"You are mine now, Flash" he crows, silently,

"All my life I have wanted you and now you are mine. All mine".

 Flex somehow understands these thoughts

 realising that he has inherited a truly heroic mantle, that of The Flash.

It's a position that exceeds his wildest ambitions.

"Yes master", he murmurs, "I'm yours".

~

And at that moment, in a room, not far away, a weary-looking, strongly built man looks away from his TV screen which is showing a biff-bash movie. He sits wonderingly for a moment, then he takes off his yellow mask, goes to the kitchen and drops it into the rubbish bin. The Silent Shadow has been neutralised at last.

 Now he can give up his job in the Heroes shop and retire in peace.

 Smiling he returns to his armchair, picks up the remote and changes channel.

~

Read the whole saga from Part 1

See stills and video trailer of Phoenix Flex v Silent Shadow

in Hero Hunks at Wrestler 4 Hire

Men in Tights - 1

Ordinarily I don't get excited about masked heroes or masked men. 
But I do get hooked on tight clothes with the right man inside.
In this set from Hero Hunks, Cameron has provided the right man

The Silent Shadow gets to grips with Phoenix Flex at 'Hero Hunks'

Read on for the true story of Flash-Flex.....

Phoenix Flex's oversize mask can't disguise an unusually rugged face (for a hero).

But the impression created below the waist is even more out of the ordinary. 

The garish, upper body styling suddenly fizzles out into pure sex appeal.

In the traditional self-introduction, ceremony, 

Flex makes short work of bending a plastic tube.

Even his mighty thighs seem to be participating 

in this demonstration of amazing strength.

Flex is very proud of his hero suit and the way it shows off his bicep flex.
He picked it up for a song in the 'Help your Heroes', pre-loved suits shop.

With a bit of spit and polish it's come up a treat.

Encourged to buy the suit by the Shop Assistant,

He didn't think much about the previous owner or why it was recycled,

Apart from concluding that he might have been called 'The Flash'.

The shop didn't have the original mask, but found a match in the Toy Dept.

But what mattered was the suit, already impregnated with 'Essence of Hero'.

Flex sensed it's influence as soon as he put it on.

It would give him a flying start in his new career.

But, every Hero has his Nemesis and The Flash was no exception

The Silent Shadow and his finely tuned senses have already picked up

 his hated enemy's scent, reinvigorated by the warmth of Pheonix Flex's body, 

As he perspires inside his new suit, too tight even for underwear.

Silently the Silent Shadow steals up behind the self promoting hero

 and before Flex has a chance to explain, he has him in a choking neck lock.

intending to finish off the despised Flash once and for all.

A dastardly strike between the legs, delivered from behind, takes Flex down.

Before he knows what's happening the Shadow has him in an improvised half-Boston,

a hair-pulling, leg lock combo, that puts the strain on Flex's back and leg joints.

It also plumps up his ass and thigh muscles, momentarily rivetting The Shadow's eyes.

The sudden onslaught of contortion and pain bemuses our would-be hero,

But his worst fear is that his second-hand suit will split at the seams.

To Flex's dismay The Shadow doubles up on the punishment

with a fiendish transition to an equally unconventional surfboard,

Now the hero's shoulders are hurting as much as his back.

It's a torrid introduction to the life of being a Hero.

But the Shadow is presented with a sight like no other Hero has shown him.

Bulbous buttocks nestle between his thighs like a sacred offering, 

The Flash never used to be like this, of that he felt sure.

He must have been on a crash, ass-muscle development course

The Shadow is mesmerised by the sight wriggling before him.

Something goes kerdoing! between his legs.

In a sudden urge, he rolls the Flash onto his back and realises his mistake.

It's not the Flash! He'd shout it out, were it not for his Silent persona.

Instead he he finds himself making a grab at the nearest hand hold. 

Flex, inside The Flash's suit, squeals in shock.

The Shadow is shocked himself at being drawn to the imposter's appendage

It a below-the-belt trick, unheard of in the world of Hero vs Hero struggles

Angrily he stamps on it and Flex squeals this time in true pain.

There's no time for Flex's agony to subside,

The Shadow roughly hauls him up onto his knees.

Thanks to The Shadow's boot, 

Flex's proud prowess is now a shadow of it's former self.

Nestling in shock between those wondrous thighs.

But all Flex feels is the mushrooming agony in his loins.

Consumed with these dire sensations,

 Flex is easy meat for The Shadow's dreaded Finger Stun.

"I'll teach you not to impersonate a much respected Hero", The Shadow silently vows.

But then he finds himself unexpectedly distracted by the imposter's muscular chest.

His finger lingers in Flex's orifice long after the stun has discharged bis digit.

Next Time

Is Flex doomed? Has The Silent Shadow scrambled his brains?

What other torments has he planned? More fingering?

Will Flex ever be the same man again?

Find out in Part 2