Bodybuilders - Part 25

John Davis

John Davis (1921-1984) was an American heavyweight weightlifter.  Some say he was the greatest weightlifter of all time.  Above, at center, he won the Super Heavyweight Weightlifting competition at the 1948 London Olympics with a new world record, lifting 177.5 kilograms (391 pounds).

Here's Davis lifting 303 pounds in 1948.

Davis appeared on the cover of Strength & Health magazine in January, 1941.  The fact that the white athlete (little-known weightlifter Joe Mandallo) was shown clothed and face-forward, while Davis, who far outclassed Mandallo (Davis had won the World Weightlifting Championship in 1938 in Vienna), was shown nude and from the rear, is evidence of the pervasive racial discrimination at the time.

Davis posed nude for Al Urban, but the date is unknown.

Another Al Urban photo of Davis.

Between 1938 and 1953, Davis was undefeated, winning Olympic gold again in 1952 as well as 6 world and 12 national titles and setting 16 world records.

But he said in an interview that he would "never enter a Mr. America contest because I believe a negro cannot win."  In his day, that was true.  The first black Mr. America was Chris Dickerson in 1970.

Hiking - Part 72

 Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest, Idaho

Today's photos are from a hike that Jim Tighe did on Aug. 3, 2024 in the Nez Perce-Clearwater National Forest in Idaho.  Above, Jim at the trailhead.  Jim has removed his clothes (he was only wearing a kilt) and stored them in his small day pack.

The sign for the beginning of the Stock Bypass Trail.

Jim hiking on the Stock Bypass Trail.

Jim continuing to hike the Stock Bypass Trail.

Taking a break along the Lochsa River.

At the junction of the Warm Springs Trail, Jim stashed his day pack in the woods.

From that point on, he was totally naked with no way to cover up.  Above, Jim on the Warm Springs Trail.

Crossing Cooperation Creek.

Crossing the bridge over Warm Springs Creek.  He met someone on the bridge.  Hello!

Enjoying the Jerry Johnson Hot Springs.

Sitting in front of a little hot spring waterfall.

Then Jim hiked back.  This bridge over the Lochsa River leads back to the main road and the parking area.  On the way in, Jim had kept his clothes on until he was out of sight of the road.  On his return, he strolled across the bridge naked, in sight of the road, and at the end of the bridge he greeted two women who had come to hike.

Not the Same Old Song - Part 64

 Someday My Prince Will Come

The song Someday My Prince Will Come is from Walt Disney's 1937 animated movie Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.  In the movie, it's sung by Snow White, but I found a version sung by male vocalist Aaron Bolton.  And of course, "my prince will come" can be interpreted in two different ways.

Weighing In - Part 73

 Marek Bartl

Marek Bartl is a Czech MMA fighter.  At the Oktagon 64 event on Dec. 7, 2024, he had to weigh in naked.  The facility provided a kind of circular curtain to be raised around him, but Bartl began pulling down his shorts before the attendants could raise the circular curtain (above).

Although it was brief, it was captured on video.  Here are some screen captures of Bartl pulling down his shorts ...

before the attendants ...

could raise the modesty curtain.

By the way, Bartl won that fight, and his overall record is 15 wins and 14 losses.

Poem of the Day - Part 73

 Poem of Joys
by Walt Whitman

Poem of Joys, also called Song of Joys, is a long poem published in 1860 by Walt Whitman in his book Leaves of Grass.  I previously used a small excerpt from the poem.  I can't present the whole poem because it's too long.  For example, it has a long section about the joys of being a lobster fisherman and hauling up the lobster pots full of lobsters.  But today I will present several other short excerpts from the poem that I can illustrate.

O the horseman's and horsewoman's joys!

The saddle—the gallop—the pressure upon the seat  

 —the cool gurgling by the ears and hair.

O the joy of the strong-brawned fighter, towering  

 in the arena, in perfect condition, conscious of  

 power, thirsting to meet his opponent.

O of men—of women toward me as I pass—The  

 memory of only one look—the boy lingering  

 and waiting.

O to bathe in the swimming-bath, or in a good place  

 along shore!

To splash the water! to walk ankle-deep; to race  

 naked along the shore.

(Note: this is the excerpt that I had previously used.)

O to have my life henceforth my poem of joys!

To dance, clap hands, exult, shout, skip, leap, roll on, 

 float on,

An athlete—full of rich words—full of joys.

Artists - Part 76

Cornelius McCarthy

Cornelius McCarthy (1935-2009) was a British painter who specialized in the nude male form.

In 1950 he entered Goldsmiths College School of Art.  He was called to National Service (the military draft in Britain), where he continued to draw on whatever materials he could find.  After demobilization, he met Alec Ayres, who would become his lifelong partner.

His style was influenced by Picasso and Keith Vaughan.  Above, Nude Group, 1985 shows some cubist influence ...

as does Two Boys in a Dark Room, 1987.  Note the use of patterns of dots, which became a feature of some later works.

Above: Wrestling With an Angel, 1991.  I don't know if the angel is the white guy or the black guy, but the black guy has an erection.

Pond Edge, 1991.

Chris, Johnny and Jim, 2000.  Note that large portions of the painting, including some of the people, are covered with patterns of dots.

This painting is unnamed and undated, but I'm guessing it's from the same period because of the dots covering much of the image.  And it shows another erection.

The New Gardener, 2002.  Is this how British gardeners get to know their employers?

Sam's Blue Shorts, 2007.

We end with an undated painting.  The website where I found called it Beefy, though I suspect that's not the original title.

Cornelius McCarthy died peacefully at home in 2009.  Several of his paintings have sold at auction, the highest-priced being Two Boys in a Dark Room (the third image in this post), which sold for $3800.

Beach Bums - Part 70

 Playa del Mago, Mallorca

Mallorca is an island in the Mediterranean off the coast of Spain.  Previously we looked at Es Trenc beach on Mallorca.  Today we look at Playa del Mago, another nude beach on Mallorca.  It's also called Cala El Mago (El Mago Cove) because it's located on a little cove, the one at left in the view above.

The beach is nice ...

but very small, so it can get crowded.

The building behind the beach is a restaurant.  This also attracts boats that anchor offshore and come in to enjoy the restaurant.

The beach attracts a large gay crowd, though it's not exclusively a gay beach.

Still, it's a good place for body-watching ...

a little wading or swimming ...

and dreaming.

Gods, Myths, and Heroes - Part 67

God

This one was too good not to include in this series.

World Naked Bike Ride - Part 76

Burlington, Vermont 2008

Today we look at the World Naked Bike Ride in Burlington, Vermont on June 7, 2008.  Above, a couple waits for the ride to start  I'm not sure what his costume represented, but it may have been about the WNBR goal to help reduce greenhouse gas emissions by encouraging people to ride bicycles instead of driving cars.

Other riders gathered on the side of the street, above.

More riders waiting for the ride to start.

And more riders waiting.

Finally the ride begins.

The riders head downtown.

Burlington is a small city, known for its walkable downtown, which also makes it naked-bike-rideable.

The Stone Soup Cafe provided refreshments for the riders.

We end with a campaign sign barely visible in the background saying "Elect Nader."  Ralph Nader ran as an independent candidate for President in 2008.  Of course, you might have been looking at another part of the photo.