MasculineCurves

Pulse Magazine

I have a new favorite magazine, Pulse. Actually, I can’t call it new simply because it’s been around a few years. But I had not heard of Pulse until I happened upon a posting of this fantastical cover shot on the Wandering Caravan blog. Pulse is published quarterly by Gay Men of African Descent (GMAD), a New York based nonprofit.

I think it’s obvious why the cover of the 2007 Summer Pride issue caught my eye, and I thought it was interesting enough to share on this site. Pulse is a high-end glossy worthy of both praise and criticism. The concept for the cover spread demonstrates the diaspora of African ancestory. Frank is Black/Slovenian, Daniel is Black/Panamanian, Josh is Black/Columbian, and so on. Here’s the criticism part: Take these models for exactly what they are—Face Value! While I personally find beauty in men of every skin tone, the men on this cover were not chosen because of their mixed ethnicities. They’re on the cover because of their high cheek bones and chiseled chins. Their faces are heavy with eye shadow and mascara, and smoothed by the wonders of Photoshop’s “dust & scratches” feature. So if you are a man of African descent (or of any race for that matter), don’t beat yourself up because you don’t have gold eyes, a thin nose, straight hair, or skin without pores like you see here. This is not reality.  It is shear high-fashion artistry, and at that – it is very well done!

Pulse is jam packed with smart and relevant editorial for gay men of color. In this issue, acclaimed writer L. Michael Gipson delivers a compelling short on the victimization of black gay inmates, and GMAD executive director, Tokes Osubu, asks Barack Obama some pretty tough questions in an exclusive interview. The best thing about Pulse is it’s absolutely free! You can download a PDF of the current issue and back issues at the GMAD website.

Men in The Media: Bobby Blake

A little known fact about former porn megastar Bobby Blake is that he was an ordained minister before he ventured into the realm of adult entertainment. In a recent podcast of the Herndon Davis Diversity Reports, he tells Davis that his huge success in the industry was God’s plan and he has no regrets. Blake, who retired from the industry in 2000, also plugs his biography which is scheduled for release in May 2008. The Bobby Blake Story is a tell-all tale about his meteoric rise to fame despite the disturbing mistreatment of black actors by producers and studio owners.

“There were times when I brought a movie shoot to a complete standstill. I just did not play games. And it’s because that people were buying my movies at a very extremely powerful rate. [The fans] gave me the power that I have today. And I had the [inaudible] to stand up against the owners and producers, because they needed me if they wanted to make the money,” he tells Davis.

Be sure to log on to gayradio.com and listen to every candid and compelling moment of the hour-long interview. It takes an unexpected twist towards the end when host and interviewee engage in a heated debate over a controversial topic. What do they agree to disagree on?  You’ll have tune in and hear it for yourself.

Men in The Media: Daniel Radcliffe

Yep! That’s Hairy Harry Potter all grown and sexy! In the last six years we’ve literally watched Daniel Radcliffe go from kid wizard to Hollywood hunk right before our eyes. He turned 18 last month, and it seems as though everyone’s biting at the bit to dig their claws into this one. Writer Simon Garfield got the first crack with an exclusive profile on the coming of age actor in the August issue of the ambiguously gay Details magazine.

Garfield jumps right in by broaching the subject of getting to watch Radcliffe portray an Australian teenage orphan who experiences his “first” romantic encounter with the opposite sex in the upcoming December Boys (scheduled for limited release in the United States in September). And he doesn’t hold back when he probes Radcliffe about the infamous nude scene in last Spring’s stage revival of Peter Shaffer’s Equus. “Our hero’s member is ‘average’; that is, no one gasped with envy when he unzipped, but no one asked for a refund, either.”

In the interview, Radcliffe reveals that he plans to pursue his acting and writing career in lieu of a college education. “The paparazzi they’d love it,” Radcliffe cites the publicity circus campus life might evoke. “And also if there were any parties going on, they’d be tipped off as to where they were, and it would be all that stuff.”

[photo credit: Steven Klein for Details]

Men in The Media: Ngo

Not only has Star Jones recently disclosed that she underwent gastric bypass surgery in 2003 to lose more than 160lbs, but she’s also coming forth with who’s been responsible for helping her keep the weight off. It’s none other than model/actor Ngo. In the September issue of Glamour, Jones credits her personal trainer for helping her stay focused on her fitness goals.

You’ve most likely seen Ngo gracing the pages of Vogue, Vibe, and Men’s Health (to name a few). And his acting career is taking off with appearances in several independent and feature films, including 2006’s Phat Girlz.

But Ngo just isn't your ordinary run-of-the-mill male supermodel.  Born in Framingham, Massachusetts while his Nigerian father was attending  Harvard University , he moved to Nigeria with his parents at the age of  two and remained until he reached adulthood.

On his website, Ngo explains that while he has achieved success in the industry it hasn’t been an easy ride.  “Work was hard to come by early in my career, because there were limited job opportunities for black models in the business. To this day, I still have people in influential positions tell me I am too big, too muscular, too tall, to grow my hair and all kinds of other insensitive comments which were meant to consciously or unconsciously break my spirit.”

Well, we’re glad he kept at it, and we can’t wait to see more of this fine African Adonis.

[photo credits -  Sara Jaye Weiss for Glamour (top); Richard Corman (middle, bottom)]