Instruments - Part 27

 Tambourine

The tambourine was referred to in ancient writings as early as 1700 BC.  Above is a Greek oil flask dating from 450-400 BC, depicting the winged god Eros playing either a tympanon, a hand drum stretched across a circular frame, or its relative the tambourine, which has metal disks mounted around the frame that jingle when you shake it.

This painting, The Triumphal Procession of Bacchus by Martin van Heemkerck, c. 1536, shows a woman in back playing a tambourine to accompany the naked revelers.

No revelry here.  This photo by the circle of Thomas Eakins, c. 1885, shows a young male nude on a couch with a tambourine, but he looks like he's falling asleep.

But the guy in Male Nude with Tambourine and Open Mouth by Lovis Corinth, 1905, is wide awake. "Hey, look at me!"

In 2003, this sculpture by Alan LeQuire was installed on Music Row in Nashville, Tennessee.  It depicts a group of nine naked men and women.  The woman at the top is playing a tambourine.  The sculpture was controversial.  Some local residents thought that naked statues didn't belong in the Bible Belt.  I would remind them of Mark Twain's quote: "If God had meant for us to be naked, we'd have been born that way."

At the 2018 World Naked Bike Ride in Brighton, England, a band called the Phantom Limbs serenaded the naked riders, including the man at right playing a "headless" tambourine (one without a drum head, but with the disks that jingle when you shake it).

And here he is again at the 2019 Brighton WNBR.  Hey, mister tambourine man, play a song for me!

World Naked Bike Ride - Part 36

 WNBR Cops

Sometimes the police harass World Naked Bike Riders or even arrest them.  This cop outside the U.S. Embassy in London in 2005 is telling WNBR riders to move on quickly.  Apparently the embassy thought slow naked people were a security hazard.

But most of the time the police are very cooperative.  In 2011 in Brighton, England, WNBR organizers are negotiating with police to extend the ride, which had been delayed by rain.

And sometimes they're downright friendly.  Here's a 2012 Brighton WNBR rider posing with beaming cops, from the front ...

and from the rear.

This London bobby in 2014 is keeping a stiff upper lip.

But these cops in Canterbury, England in 2015 seem genial enough.

This Brighton policeman in 2016 not only let the naked rider pose with him, he lent him his helmet.

And this Brighton cop looking at FKKlad in 2017 seems to like what he sees.  I agree.  FKKlad is one of my favorite unashamed males.

The 2019 WNBR in Los Angeles was accompanied by motorcycle cops ...

who obligingly directed traffic at intersections to let the riders through.

This police cyclist accompanied the naked riders in Brighton in 2021.

And in the Brighton 2022 WNBR, the pack of naked riders was led by a motorcycle cop.  You can't get more officially supportive than that.

We end with this guy at the 2022 London WNBR wearing a police cap.  However, he's not wearing anything else, so I suspect he's not a real cop.

Ads - Part 32

 PETA

PETA (People for the Ethical Treatment of Animals) is an organization that opposes cruelty to animals.  One of their repeated campaigns has been to oppose the use of fur in fashions and clothing.  Above, Austin Armacost, contestant in Celebrity Big Brother, turns his back on fur.

Austin is gay, and his ex, fashion designer Marc Jacobs, used fur in his fashions, to Austin's dismay.  Austin appeared nude in Celebrity Big Brother, and since then, he has become even less shy about nudity, as seen above.

This anti-fur ad asks men to wear their own fur, featuring David Cross, one of the stars of the TV series Arrested Development, in which his character suffers from a fear of anyone ever seeing him naked, even his wife.  Clearly he has no such fear in real life.

And he had no such fear in the 2002 movie Run, Ronnie, Run, above.

"Think Ink, Not Mink" was another anti-fur slogan, illustrated by basketball star Dennis Rodman.

Rodman became famous for his outrageous behavior, so being naked in an ad was not a big deal for him.

Another PETA campaign was against using animals for food, publicized here by vegan musician Jona Weinhofen.

Weinhofen also seems like he's not shy about being seen naked.

An Italian version of the vegan ad featured soccer star Mirco Bergamasco.

Bergamasco had already shown his assets in the Dieux du Stade (Gods of the Stadium) calendar, above.

Here's another appeal for men to wear their own fur by Nev Schulman, host of MTV's Catfish.

And here's another view of the furry Schulman.  Whoever pixellated the photo missed a spot on the front.

Another anti-fur ad, featuring Steve-O of Jackass.  In his case the statement is very believable ...

because he often appeared naked in Jackass performances (above).

Another "Ink, Not Mink" ad featured rock star Tommy Lee.

Lee has not only been seen naked, like the concert above, but his sex tape with actress Pamela Anderson was widely distributed.

We'll end with a shot from that tape (above).  Perhaps his PETA ad should have said "Kink, Not Mink."

Events - Part 35

Mr. Universe - Part 1

The first Mr. Universe bodybuilding contest was organized in 1948 in London to coincide with the Olympic Games.  The winner was John Grimek, above.

Like the Mr. America bodybuilding contest, contestants in the Mr. Universe contest wore skimpy briefs, but being understandably proud of their bodies, many were photographed nude outside the contest.

After a year's lapse, the National Amateur Body Building Association (NABBA) hosted a yearly Mr. Universe contest.  Steve Reeves, above, was Mr. Universe 1950.

Although it's not a nude photo of him, you might be interested to know that Sean Connery, above, who went on to play James Bond, won 3rd place in the 1953 Mr. Universe contest.

A professional class was added to the competition in 1952.  In 1954, the pro winner was Jim Park, pictured above right with Vic Siepke in this photo by Douglas of Detroit that I got from Vintage Muscle Men.  Thanks, Jerry!

The 1961 amateur winner was Ray Routledge.  I also got this photo from Vintage Muscle Men.

To make things more confusing, the International Fitness and Bodybuilding Federation (IFBB) ran their own Mr. Universe contest from 1959 to 1976.  George Eiferman, above, was the IFBB Mr. Universe in 1962.

Larry Scott was the 1964 IFBB Mr. Universe.

Returning to the NABBA Mr. Universe contest, Earl Maynard was the 1964 pro winner.

Rick Wayne was the 1965 IFBB short class winner and the 1967 and 1969 medium class winner.  Don't ask me how his height changed after 1965, when he was 27 years old.  I got the photo, taken by Jean Ferraro, from Bob's Naked Guys.  Thanks, Bob!

Arnold Schwarzenegger was the NABBA amateur Mr. Universe in 1967, and the pro winner in 1968, 1969, and 1970.  The photo was taken by Annie Leibovitz at a Mr. Olympia contest in 1975.

Helmut Riedmeier was the IFBB tall class winner in 1971.  I also got this photo from Bob's Naked Guys.

Chris Dickerson was the NABBA amateur Mr. Universe in 1973 and the pro winner in 1974.  I got this photo, taken by Bob Mizer, from Vintage Muscle Men.

Dickerson was the first openly gay winner.  He not only posed nude, he made at least one gay porn film.  We end with a clip from it that shows him in a threesome with Dakota and John Tristram.  Dickerson is the one in the foreground.

Next time, more Mr. Universe winners.  Stay tuned.

Vintage Military - Part 37

 World War II - Okinawa

The battle of Okinawa was the last and bloodiest big battle of the Pacific war, lasting from April 1 to June 22, 1945.  Okinawa is part of a string of islands just south of Japan, and it was actually Japanese territory before the war.  The next step after Okinawa was the planned invasion of Japan.

Above, Marines washing on Okinawa using an abandoned Japanese fire fighting device.

We've seen this photo before.  It shows Marines bathing in a bomb crater on Okinawa.  Fighting was extremely fierce.  

This video shows soldiers bathing in shallow coastal waters during the battle.

An estimated 110,000 Japanese soldiers were killed or committed suicide.  This was the first battle in which thousands of Japanese soldiers surrendered and were taken prisoner.  Many of them were native Okinawans who had been pressed into military service and who were less indoctrinated with the Japanese Army's "never surrender" doctrine.  Nevertheless, they were amazed by the humane treatment that they received as prisoners, having been told that the Americans were barbarians who committed atrocities.

Above, wounded Japanese prisoners at the 88th field hospital on Okinawa.

Above, at the 88th field hospital, an American treats prisoners for lice, probably using DDT, which at the time was the new miracle treatment.

Above, LIFE war photographer W. Eugene Smith, wounded on Okinawa.  14,000 Americans were killed on Okinawa as well as 150,000 Okinawans, an estimated 50% of the civilian population.  Many of the Okinawans committed mass suicide at the urging of the Japanese Army.

Okinawa was considered the dress rehearsal for the upcoming invasion of Japan.  The War Department estimated that casualties would be horrendous: 400,000 to 800,000 Americans dead, and 5 to 10 million Japanese dead.  That is why both military and civilian American leaders supported President Truman's decision to drop the atomic bomb on Hiroshima and Nagasaki in August, 1945, forcing Japan's surrender and ending the war.

Not the Same Old Song - Part 25

 Let It Grow

Eric Clapton's Let It Grow was released on his 1974 album 461 Ocean Boulevard.  I couldn't resist using these visuals to accompany the song, although they might not be what Clapton had in mind.

And, by the way, as long-time followers of my blog know, I never post porn.  Or, to quote the song from Gilbert & Sullivan's HMS Pinafore:

What, never?

No, never!

What, never?

Well, hardly ever!