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And Manshots also offered some telling biographies of and interviews with most of the great gay porn stars of the past; again, treating their lives (and of course their activities on screen) as something as interesting and entertaining as any feature on a celebrity in a mainstream magazine likePeople. 

And if there was a gay porn star, or “retrostud” who deserved celebrity treatment, it was Lee Ryder. But like many of the gay porn stars of that period, as noted in the all­too­common “Fade Out” feature at the back of so many back issues of Manshots, he died of AIDS-­related complications (in 1991). 
 

Lee Ryder was born in 1959 as Darras Robert Pyron. He was California born and bred, raised in Laguna, and he graduated from Esperanza High School in Anaheim. 

After Mark Reynolds discovered him and featured him in All American Boys, he literally made a splash in Falcon Studio's Huge in 1982. 

He starred in thirteen features between 1982 and 1986, including Bijou titles Screenplay, A Few Good Men, Giants 1, and 2 X 10. 

Now, of course, if one views these films, it's clear that Lee Ryder's cock is pretty much legendary. According to one Jeff Starkey, who reviewed the movie Screenplay in tandem with Ryder's appearances at the Bijou Theater to greet fans and sign autographs back in 1984: 

"Ryder's cock is long, thick, and shapely and is criss­crossed by just the right number of lovely veins. Beneath it hang a perfectly balanced pair of what appear to be 5­pound balls. When his cock appears in public, it is usually hard as a baseball bat, with its swollen head looking purple and petulant." 

Purple and petulant? Wow. Perhaps those adjectives could apply to the cock, but not the person. 

In an interview with Stallion magazine, known for his sexually aggressive but also unforced, natural screen presence, seems rather low­key, both veering between a quiet confidence in himself, but also showing a somewhat self­deprecating attitude. Definitely not the “divo” attitude of so many celebrities: “Everyone wants to look at me, I am the Adonis with the giant cock and all should worship me. 
 

In fact, in the interview, he actually seems rather pragmatic: he does it for the money, and for his business (he actually was a successful floral designer), but ... he actually doesn't see himself as a sex symbol. He just enjoys being himself, and letting a chink of vulnerability come out, being wanted. 

(We also find out in the interview he had a relationship with an older guy from ages 15 to 18, who tragically committed suicide soon after they broke up.) 

To add to the complexity of his character, despite his appearance at the Bijou and other venues as a gay porn celebrity, he actually admits he would rather not be recognized (he even goes to Europe to escape the attention)... and he notices, even when he does, the guys stay away, or “they stare – I guess I do show a big crotch – or they look at my eyes.” 

To be honest, at least for me, the eyes can be just as erotic as, especially in Ryder's case, a dick of death. And Ryder he admits in the interview that he loves his eyes. And rightly so! 
 

His eyes make love to the camera, like those of that famous movie star Joan Crawford (completely the opposite in her approach to celebrity). The eyes themselves create a unique effect in the viewer; they seem to draw you in with a promise of something intense; you think he is looking directly at you via the camera, which could satisfy your desire, but you at the same time feel like you will always want more. Perhaps it's their narrow shape but also richly colored pupils. I don't know, but I can't stop looking at his picture on the cover on Stallion magazine as I write this piece. 

And I promise you, you won't be able to take your eyes off of Lee Ryder in our remastering of Huge (now Huge 1) as he beats his meat while perched on the toilet ­ ­ making it bigger, hotter and harder. He, Rick Jensen and Matt Stoker roll around on the cold concrete floor, licking each other's hairy armpits and sitting on each other's faces. 
 

Lately here at Bijouworld we've decided to follow some “food porn” people on Facebook and Twitter. 

Now, there's a pretty obvious connection between food and sex (I think it may have been Freud who lumped to the two together as some kind of primal desire in all humans). In fact, the ancient and medieval monks and hermits and mystical philosophers like Pythagoras tended to abstain from both food and sex in their attempt to gain union with the divine. These gents (and ladies too) seemed to get off on who could eat the least! Saint Catherine of Siena supposedly subsisted during her last years only on the Eucharist. 

You can't have one without the other, it seems. And if you are not getting enough of one, you may tend to overcompensate with the other. Though, I do wonder: If the Golden Girls seemed to enjoy regular sex (even Sophia), why were they always eating cheesecakes late at night? 
 

So, what's the big fat deal with food porn? We keep getting images of the most fattening, rich, decadent dishes. Some of the food in the pictures may not be that fattening, perhaps, but they just look delicious (the presentation, perhaps). I've noticed lots of peanut butter, melted cheese, chocolate, pizza (gooey fare); overall, perhaps a greater preponderance of desserts. 
 

So, it's not necessary to associate food porn directly with, say, that movie Nine ½ Weeks with its fun and at that time shocking food in the fridge sex scene (I now think of it more like the mommie porn of Fifty Shades of Grey).
 

The Urban Dictionary gives a few definitions that involve stunning photos of food that cause you to break a diet, Food Network stars like Rachael Ray, and, most interesting, status symbols on social media. Apparently it is safe way to get attention on “clean sites” like Instagram or Pinterest, as well as a way to show you appreciate art, because the photos are so “artistic.” I guess we've diverged aesthetically from Andy Warhol's austere soup can art. What we are trying to do now is find some connections between some of our gay porn titles and food porn. I did note an obvious connection between Club Mandom 1: Blue Collar Cheese Factory and melted cheese, and I am sure there are more sweet and savory ones. 

So, dear readers: Is there any food that tends to get you thinking of sex? Or if you aren't getting sex, are there foods that you crave? Can you think of sex and food (or better yet, eat and have sex) at the same time? Are there foods you like to eat while watching porn, or are you so satisfied with one you don't need the other? Let us know your yummy answers in the comment section of our blog! 

And be sure to check out our food-related titles such as Rough Trades, with its memorable grocery delivery man elevator sequence, and Morning, Noon and Night, in which Kansas City Trucking Co. director Joe Gage (in his only sex role) participates in a three-way orgy of food and sex and takes a large squash up the ass!

Housed in what used to a synagogue in the Rogers Park neighborhood of Chicago, and for a nonprofit, in an enviable position (they own their own building and their board is incredibly generous), the museum showcases the history and imagery of two previously taboo subcultures that are now in the vanguard of discovering and also interpreting what used to be their secret, hidden history: LGBT leather and BDSM (both gay and straight). 

The museum regularly exhibits recent work featuring BDSM/fetish-related themes by current artists, but its claim to fame, at least I think, is its stunning collection of original homoerotic art by the legendary artist Etienne, including the murals which once graced the walls of the Gold Coast leather bar. My friend, with her art history background, immediately saw these works as art, and worthy of deep analysis. 
 

 

One can also learn about the history of and view artifacts from leather motorcycle, commonly known as “patch” clubs, some of which involved into the gay sex/BDSM clubs of today, and also study the diverse contributions of women and transgender persons to this subculture. There's even a room with dungeon equipment (I must admit, my friend was somewhat shocked at the violet wands on display and some of the more fierce-looking whips). 

What both of us found really enjoyable was the comfortable room where one can watch documentaries on gay and sexual history. I didn't get the title of what we were watching, as we got there in the middle of it, but the documentary seems to be about the sexual revolution of the 1960s and its influence on the stellar growth of the straight and gay porn industries in the 1970s. The documentary showed scenes from and analyzed that controversial film Censorship in Denmark, by Alex de Renzy. It was an explicit documentary that mixed footage of Copenhagen tourist attractions with on-the-street interviews and hardcore scenes from the city's live sex clubs and movies, one of the first of its type to be shown at an art house and reviewed in the mainstream press. 

So much of the way we live, especially our personal relationship dynamics (both healthy and unhealthy, I might add), depends on what happened in the 1960s and the 1970s. But this time of liberation sprung from a rich, hidden history of courageous people living in the shadows but also fighting for basic personal freedoms; the Leather Archives & Museum is now bringing this history to light. 

We didn't get a chance to visit the library, a formidable archive that includes vintage leather/BDSM magazines like Drummer and interviews with notable figures in the various kink cultures, but there's time for that. 

As Lisa White in the Chicagoist article says, “This isn’t the place to take Grandma when she comes up to visit (unless you have the most badass liberal Grandma around). But it is a wonderful look into two vibrant communities and a great resource. “ 

After we concluded our visit, my liberal badass friend and I topped off our visit with lunch in the Mariano's cafe, where I said the word “sex” quite loudly there (gasp!), shocking a tweenish boy who was emptying his tray into the garbage. Hey, after that visit, of course, the topic was on our minds. 

Check out the Leather Archives & Museum website for more information, and of course check out bijouworld's extensive fetish/BDSM product line of DVDs, books, magazines, and sexcessories. 

One of the greatest stars of 70s and 80 gay porn, one of those gay macho idols who just exuded steamy uninhibited mansex, is gone. I've tried to locate him, and I can't find him.

Where are you, Will? 
 

 

Will appeared in some of the legendary gay porn movies of all time, and he worked with gay porn icons like Al Parker and Bruno. He made notable appearances in Wanted, Fire Island Fever, the Bullet Videopacs (available on DVD from bijouworld.com and streaming at bijougayporn.com), and of course, the Joe Gage classic, L.A. Tool & Die. 
 

 

 

 

But what I was trying to dig up was some personal information ala “Lifestyles of the Rich and Famous.” He's achieved celebrity status as a gay porn retrostud par excellence, but what do we really know about him off camera? 

I found out he was born in 1951 in Jersey City, New Jersey. He was active in making porn films from about 1978-1999. (He made one bisexual movie, Bi Surprise.) He appeared in some movies under the name Matt Harper. 

He showed up in many advertisements and reviews for the movies he appeared in in such retro rags as Playguy, Honcho, Mandate, and Studflix. But I could not locate one interview with him. Not one. 
 

I did some more digging (trying not to get distracted which happens when I look at pictures of him in his gay macho glory), and I did find out something not too exciting, but interesting: he was a disco DJ. He spun vinyl at San Francisco gay bars in the Castro district such as the Badlands and the Aloha. Chances are he probably played “Baby I Love You,” by Easy Going, which is the song in the bar scene in L.A. Tool & Die. 

One person on a message board claims he did not show up to spin in the big engineer and workboots he wore in many of his films, but in preppy Bass Weejuns. That person was disappointed. I empathize. 

I'm afraid that he may have suffered the same fate as so many porn stars of that era: death from AIDS, but I can't find any record of it. 

Does anyone know is Will is still around?

We at Bijou Video are preserving his substantive legacy, especially in our recent remastering of the Bullet Videopacs. 
 

 

Check out a couple of classic Will Seagers videos as an end of the summer snackgasm. 

UPDATE! From a private source: Matt Harper aka Will Seagers of #vintagegayporn fame is still alive and well, living with his long-term partner. Watch his movies now at bijougayporn.com/tour/sets.php?…

I was reading craiglist recently, under missed connections, and I came across this disturbing post: 

“My friend was visiting from out of town this weekend and spent a significant amount of time in the Hole at Jackhammer Saturday night. He is a furry cub and had unprotected sex with 25-30 people. If you participated in this scene, please get tested in the coming weeks!”  

How scary and also sad. A friend of mine, who also read the post, emphasized the sad part, thinking that perhaps this scene exemplifies what can happen when someone from out of town (assuming he's from a rural town with no opportunities for hooking up) comes to the big city; he must have felt like a kid in a candy shop trying to catch up for lost time.  

I take this post as a frightening reminder: safe sex only, guys. You don't want to spend the rest of your life on expensive medication. 

And be thankful for the person who made the craigslist post; perhaps he might be able to save some lives in the long run. 

The life you save may be your own.