Performers - Part 76

Elbow

Elbow is an English rock band formed in 1990.  They are not known for nudity, but while they were performing onstage at the Downs Festival in Bristol on Sept. 2, 2017, a streaker ran onto the stage.  He was quickly caught by security (above).

But then lead singer Gus Garvey reached out to the streaker and pulled him away from the security guy (above).

As the band continued playing their song The Bones of You, Garvey embraced the young streaker ...

and waltzed him around, dancing on stage, much to the delight of the audience.

After a final spin ...

and a pat on the butt ..

Garvey released the streaker, who was promptly apprehended by security again.  As they took the streaker offstage, Garvey led the audience in applauding the streaker.

Here's a video of it.  Later, commentators lauded Garvey for his unflappable handling of the incident, turning a potential problem into something positive and entertaining.

Photographers - Part 76

Werner Bandi

Werner Bandi (1891-1964), above, was a Swiss photographer.  He is relatively little known.

His favorite model was Bob Steffen (1928-2012).  They were introduced in 1943 when Steffen was still in school and Bandi was 52 years old.  It developed into a 20-year relationship.  All of the remaining photos in this post are of Bob Steffen.

Above, Bob Steffen in Blüemlisalp, 1945.

During World War II, with his mother's approval, Steffen accompanied Bandi on various trips around Switzerland.

Above, Der Bogenschütze (The Archer), 1945.

After the war, when it was possible to travel abroad, the two went on cruises together in 1949, 1950 and 1951.

Above, Im Kiental (In the Kien Valley), 1945.

The attractive young man helped the reticent older man, Bandi, make social contact with other people.

Above, Aktfoto von Bob Steffen im Boot sitzend auf dem Thunersee (Nude photo of Bob Steffen sitting in a boat on Lake Thun), 1945.

The Swiss law prohibiting homosexual acts had been repealed in 1942.  This made Switzerland unique.  The journal Der Kreis (The Circle) was founded in Zurich, and for many years it was the world's only homosexual journal.

Above, Aktfoto von Bob Steffen in klassischer Bogenschützenhaltung auf Boot (Nude photo of Bob Steffen in classic archer pose on a boat), 1945.

Der Kreis published photographs by Werner Bandi starting in 1946.

Above, Bob Steffen nackt auf Stein, berühmte Pose nach Flandrin (Bob Steffen naked on stone, famous pose after Flandrin), 1945.

We end with Bob Steffen, Berner Oberland (Bob Steffen, Bernese high country), 1944.

When Werner Bandi died in 1964, he had been unable to make Bob Steffen his legal heir.  But he had already given Steffen his greatest treasure – his photography collection, including the nude photos and pictures of their travels and cruises together.

Calendars - Part 76

Worldwide Roar 2022

Starting in 2010, the Warwick Rowing team of Warwick University in England began producing a nude calendar not only as a fundraiser but as a gay/straight alliance to challenge homophobia.  For ten years they produced these Warwick Rowers calendars.  We've seen some of them in a previous post.

Then in 2020, they changed the calendar name to Worldwide Roar (still beginning with WR, like Warwick Rowers), so they could feature Warwick athletes of other sports, not just rowers.  Today we look at the Worldwide Roar 2022 calendar.  Above, the cover.

The calendar photo for March.

April.

May.

June.

July.

August.  We saw this in a previous post.

September.

October.

December.

The back cover.

In 2024 they changed the calendar name again to Barefoot Man.  We'll see it next time.

Protests - Part 76

 Naked Handstander, part 1

We have previously seen a couple of pictures of this guy, who calls himself the Naked Handstander, including this photo of him doing a handstand in front of Uluru (Ayers Rock) in Australia.

But it turns out he has been doing naked handstands all over the world as a form of protest, so I'm starting a five-part mini-series about him as part of my Protests series.

Here he is in Sydney, Australia.  He has published photos of his naked handstands on his website www.nakedhandstander.com.  Although he has tried to stay anonymous, a 2015 newspaper article revealed him to be 29-year-old Australian Jonathan Scholes.

What is he protesting?  Planned obsolescence – products that are deliberately designed to have a short lifespan so consumers have to buy or upgrade them over and over again.  He hopes that his naked handstands will help draw attention to this issue.

Here he is in Minsk, Belarus.

In Copenhagen, Denmark.

In front of Haapsalu Episcopal Castle in Estonia.

In Talinn, Estonia in 2011.

In Talinn, Estonia again in 2014.

And he doesn't just visit Europe.  Here he is on the Great Wall of China.

Next time: more naked handstands around the world.

Ivy League Posture Photos - Part 55

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Ads - Part 74

The Club Baths

The Club Baths was a chain of gay bathhouses in the U.S. and Canada that operated from the 1960s into the 1990s.  Some of them are still in operation today under different names.

Today we look at the ads for these bathhouses.  I found multiple ads from the one in Houston, some of which also advertised the Club Baths in Dallas, like the 1975 ad above.

Another 1975 joint ad for Houston and Dallas.  Only a line drawing, but it was a bit more explicit than the ads featuring photos.

But some of the ads with photos showed quite a bit.  Here's a 1978 ad for Houston.

Another 1978 ad for Houston.

A third 1978 ad for Houston almost has a frontal view, but not quite.

A 1979 ad for Houston.  Give someone a helping hand.

A 1983 ad for Houston.

I also found some ads for the Club Baths in New York City.

Another New York ad.

 

This New York ad for Buddy Day at the baths featured a nice photo.

We end with this 1977 New York ad.  It appeared in Mandate magazine, so it was able to show a bit more than other ads, but personally, I like the previous ad for Buddy Day better.