ABOVE: Michael Mancini fever was real.
BELOW: Keep reading for the cum dump-turned-lawyer, Jinkx hits Broadway, Santos's connection to a contract killer ...
(Image via Honcho)
When I announced the death of the gay-mag empire Mavety Media in 2009, it was a wildly successful post. It seemed almost every gay man remembered seeing Honcho, Torso, Inches, Playguy and/or Mandate at some point.
Now, so many years later, I'm wrapping up my interview phase on a project related to Mavety Media's magazines, to gay print porn history and to Mr. Mavety himself.
If any of you reading this know someone who worked in print porn, was a photographer, illustrator, model, etc., please reach out at matthewrettenmund@gmail.com.
Also, if you are a gay man with a stack of older gay publications or ephemera you're done with, I'd be interested in adding them to my archive. I'm most interested in copies of the above titles that I do not have, and of similar/competitive titles. I'm also quite interested in local periodicals like Michael's Thing, Where It's At and the like, invitations, posters and of course original illustrations and photography. If you have things you haven't been able to decide how to rid yourself of, I might be the right repository!
On that note, DO NOT miss reading the new memoir by Sam Staggs, who was once an editor of the Mavety titles, which he has cheekily titled Did You Sleep with the Models? You can read three chapters at his Substack, here.
ABOVE: Today would've — and could've, and should've — been the day Sal Mineo turned 84.
ABOVE: Has anyone ever worn/not worn a towel better 'n Billy Hufsey?
ABOVE: Happy 70th to Mandy Patinkin and his tucus!
BELOW: Keep reading for Madison Cawthorn's last stand, Hakeem Jeffries rising and more ...
ABOVE: So far, Facebook's answer to losing 2-factor authentication is ... bye. And now Musk is openly welcoming white supremacy to Twitter. So follow my various Instagram accounts (here, here, here — depending on your tastes). It's my least useful social media presence for me, but might be the last man standing.
BELOW: Keep reading for Chippendales nudity, Kanye & Trump & Fuentes, calendars showing skin and more ...
Probst as Shawn Mayotte, as shot by Kurt Deitrick (Image via magazine cover)
Doug Probst, who as a youth appeared in the gay-porn film Hot, High, & Horny (1983) and who last year published a gut-wrenchingly revealing memoir about his tough life, has died at 57.
Doug was battling a cancerous tumor in his throat and succumbed to the effects of his cancer overnight at his home.
His death is all the more upsetting because he was trying to be optimistic and posted on social media right up to the day he died. So while his condition was extremely serious, it was a surprise to his family. My condolences go out to his wife and son.
Meeting Doug several years ago in L.A. (Image via Matthew Rettenmund)
Doug had a hard time in life from birth. He was unwanted by his parents, who he said molested him; grew up mostly in foster care; was on the streets as a teen turning tricks in the early AIDS era; became an in-demand escort to Hollywood elites but lost his money over time, including to drug addiction; turned up HIV positive in the '90s; and then battled cancer.
Still, Doug should not only be remembered for the negativity he endured, but for the positivity he projected. He did a lot of work on himself and was upbeat about kicking cancer, or at least persevering as long as possible. I was able to speak with him right after his diagnosis because he feared losing his voice (his voice never did leave him, which was a small mercy), and he was filled with I LOVE YOUs. He never stopped praising me and telling me how much I meant to him, as I'm sure he did with others who were much closer and more deserving of those words, because — in my opinion — he was reacting against the lack of warmth he had as a kid.
It is a cliché, but I'll never forget him, and I'm grateful that we met via John Michael Cox.
Early last year, I posted a long Q&A with Doug that I urge you to read because (1) it goes extensively into his personal life as a survivor of incest, rape, drug abuse, HIV and more, and (2) he was extremely proud of the piece.
(Image via video still/RubHim.com)
I'm shocked to read over at Queerty that rather enthusiastic retired porn star Trace Michaels stands accused of murder in a cold case that was cracked via DNA under the victim's fingernails.
