LGBT

Get To Know The Creative & Intelligent Steve MacIsaac

With the excitement of NYC Comic Con coming up very shortly, many comic book loving aficionado’s are bracing for what will hopefully be an epic weekend of seeing the creative art of thousands upon thousands of illustrators, artists and so much more. Something that will hopefully get some representation there is the awesome LGBT artists that represent the vast amounts of backgrounds covered by our community.

Speaking of LGBT and comic books, there is someone that I recently was given attention to on my Facebook page due to his incredible comic strip line called “Shirtlifter”. This happens to be produced and made by Steve MacIsaac, who resides in the heart of Long Beach, California. Not being a stranger to comic book writing, Steve has had a lush and quite incredible history and backstory in this particular world of art. From his sex positive and very successful comic called “Sticky” to his successful completion of his 5th series of “Shirtlifter”, Steve has done and seen a lot in the comic world and has a lot to talk about regarding it. I recently sat down with Steve to get to know him a little more. I learned about his first interest in comics, inspirations, how “Sticky” and “Shirtlifter” came about, his thoughts on the LGBT comic world today and his incredible upcoming event taking place this Friday. Take a peek into his world.

Steve MacIsaac, Ryan Shea, Manhattan Digest — Credit to: Steve MacIsaac

At what age did you discover that comic books were something you wanted to make a career out of?

I guess it depends on how you parse the question; I began drawing on my parents walls when I was about four years old; I learned to read from Peanuts, became an aficionado of superhero comics when I was eight years old, and started making my own strips and stories when I was about 10. So I am a long term cartoonist, in terms of interest, but gave it up in my teens because I was frustrated with my drawing ability. I didn’t come back to it until my late 20s, when my somewhat lapsed interest in comics came raging back, and I actually had something to say.

Did you have any inspirations in terms of authors, series, or illustrators that got you to this point?

I think everything I have ever read has influenced me in some way. I try not to have direct influences – I try and solve problems by coming up with a “Steve MacIsaac” way to do it from all the things I have internalized, rather than cribbing directly from other artists. I hate making lists because I will mail this and immediately hit my head because I have left someone obvious off of it, but people I admire and have been influenced by: Charles Schulz, Jaime Hernandez, Eddie Campbell, Dylan Horrocks, Dan Clowes, Dave Sim, Alex Toth, Tom of Finland, Gengorah Tagame, Fabrice Neaud, Alison Bechdel, Maurice Vellekoop, Kurt Vonnegut, Flannery O’Connor, David Sedaris, David Lynch, Roman Polanski, Derek Jarman, Edouard Manet, Andy Warhol, Robert Mapplethorpe, Barbara Kruger, The Velvet Underground , Coil, Brian Eno, Talking Heads, The Fall, The Magnetic Fields, The Mountain Goats, Judith Thompson, Brad Fraser. I could go on and on.

From “Sticky” to “Shirtlifter”, your comics have a huge gay theme to them. Was this the arena you wanted to work in from the get go or was it something that found its way during your career?

I didn’t particularly set out to do gay comics, at all, but the biggest stumbling block I had to becoming a cartoonist when I was younger was not really having anything to say. It wasn’t until coming out, which I did rather late (I was 26) and being rather confused by the gay scene, being somewhat shy and clueless and not really fitting like I fit in (which, to be fair, was also true of me when I was trying to be straight). Doing STICKY was a way of me coming to grips with sexuality, with who I was and who I was attracted to, while the SHIRTLIFTER material is me coming to grips with gay culture, with what that means in the early part of the 21^st century. I was interested in comics, formally, and I didn’t see any material out there that was addressing gay issues in a way that I felt was representative of how gay men are currently living their lives. And in any medium, when you see a gap that is not being served, that is an opportunity.

For people who don’t know, what is the premise of the comic “Sticky”?

Dale and I wanted to do wordless, sex-positive comics, in the vein of Tom of Finland, that showed real people having meaningful sex, in a real world context and with the personality of the guys coming through, in contrast to the dehumanized, stock going through the motions that is more typical of erotic work. “Carnality and sweetness” was a tag line that we thought up to describe the work – sex with a smile rather than a sneer.

You have also developed a line of comics called “Shirtlifter”. Can you tell our readers what those are about?

SHIRTLIFTER is my catch all anthology title where I write about whatever comes to mind. The stories in there explore the intersection of culture, identity, and sexuality: how gay men strive, succeed, and fail to make sense of the paradoxes and opportunities that present themselves in contemporary gay life, particularly the construction of presentation of masculinity. The first issue was a 32 page short story about American ex-patriots living in Tokyo; the second was a collection of 10 autobiographical short stories. Issues 3 – 5 have all formed one continuing story, “Unpacking”, exploring the relationship between a commitment-phobic gay man and a straight, married businessman. The stories are a mixture of funny and serious; I try to make them feel as real as possible, to the point where some people have accused me of spying on them and their friends. That always makes me feel good; the characters, even when they are not behaving as well as they should, are still fairly relatable.

You created and were successful in your Kickstarter for the 5^th series of Shirtlifter. How awesome! Do you plan on doing any more crowd funding for upcoming novels?

I’m not sure – I’d rather not rely on Kickstarter too much, as it is a well you can’t go to too often. But the truth of the matter is that print runs are expensive, and my sales, while consistent, take a long time to recoup their initial outlay. So I wouldn’t rule it out, at least for number 6.

What is your hope with the Shirtlifter series? Do you hope that it can be transformed into a television series for LOGO or something?

I do comics because I like the form, and I think they express my ideas in a way that would be hard to duplicate in other media. Comics allow for both the rich subjectivity that is possible with prose, and the objective distance provided by film or theatre. The observer is both observing and being, depending on the cues that the cartoonist is providing. That an being able to speed up or slow down the pace of consumption, depending on the layout and design that you use, gives me a pretty big toolbox that I am happy to explore. I don’t consider my work to be a jumping off point to something else. Which is not to say that if someone was interested I would say no – I love film and TV as medium, and did a lot of theatre when I was in my 20s. So I am interested in other media. But the reason I do comics is because of their unique ability to present and form ideas. When the medium is firing on all cylinders, I think it is the narrative experience provided is unrivaled.

Do you feel that LGBT comic book artists get the credit that they deserve in that particular world?

I’m on the fence about this question. On one hand, Alison Bechdel is unquestionably one of the comics industries best cultural ambassadors; she is up there in with Chris Ware and Art Spiegelman as being a serious cartoonist with strong public awareness. At the same time, she has gone on record as feeling very out of place and ignored within the mainstream comics community for the first 20 years of her career. She was carried in LGBT bookshops and mainstream bookstores, but not comic shops. She became successful despite the comic book industry, not because of it. I think things are definitely changing; there are more LGBT titles than ever before, and many superhero comics are including queer and trans characters. But most comics shops don’t carry indie titles, and many of those that do don’t carry many queer indie titles, mostly due to lack of promotion or resources than internalized homophobia (though that honestly plays a part as well). Hopefully the success of Anne Ishii and Graham Kobekin’s Massive book, as well as Ed Luce’s Wuvable Oaf book (both from Fantagraphics) are helping increase queer visibility in comics shops.

Tell me about your Long Beach event that is happening on September 11^th?

It is taking place at a store called MADE, which is at 236 Pine Ave, just down the street from my house. I’ve never done a reading in my own city before, so I am kind of excited. It’s a new shop that’s opened up, featuring locally made clothing, food items, arts and crafts, and also has a shelf allocated to local authors. So it seemed like a good fit for the venue. The evening will start as a mixer, people can browse the store and the books and art while having some beer and wine and snacks, then I will do a reading from previous work, the newest SHIRTLIFTER and a few stories that have not yet been published. I’ll have books available and will sign throughout the evening.

What else is next for Steve MacIsaac? What is your biggest hope for your career?

Now that it’s done, I’d like to collect “Unpacking” in a single volume, revising a few things and making some layout changes to give it more room to breathe. I’m also working on the next issue, which will be another suite of short autobiographical pieces, similar to what I did in SHIRTLIFTER number 2, with an eye to eventually collecting all those short pieces together in a single volume. Beyond that, I am not sure. I’d like to continue to do work that reflects the culture around me, as well as possible expand my horizons. I’m kicking around an idea for an science fiction story, but that’s still pretty gestational. So far, the world around me has proven to have more than enough material for me to turn into comics, fictional and otherwise.

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Theater Review: IN BED WITH ROY COHN

by Ryan Leeds

A riddle: What do you get when you cross Ronald Reagan, Barbara Walters, Roy Cohn’s mother, Julius Rosenberg, random appearances by a stuffed frog, a Latina caregiver, a cameo from Richard Nixon and a African-American Adonis named “Serge?” If anyone can offer an accurate guess, please contact me. After sitting through a painful 90 minutes of the new Off-Broadway play In Bed With Roy Cohn, I’m not sure that even its playwright Joan Beber nor her director, Katrin Hilbe have the answer to this brainteaser.

Cohn (Christopher Daftsios) was a prominent, Manhattan lawyer who made his mark during Senator Joe McCarthy’s witch hunt into US Communist activity in the 1950s. Later, he represented prolific mafia figures, Steve Rubell and Ian Schrager of the famed Studio 54, and even real estate mogul slash current GOP rabble-rouser Donald Trump. Cohn’s brash, pit bull style made him one of the most feared and despised figures in legal and social realms of the eighties. Self loathing and egomania guided his contempt towards fellow Jews and homosexuals and he died of AIDS in 1986 (his closeted nature forced him to deny the diagnosis to his dying day.)

In Bed With Roy Cohn chronicles the last days of Cohn’s life. Personalities appear in his state of dementia and deliver various lines of non-cohesive gibberish, making it nearly impossible to form a collective picture of its subject. You’ll understand who this complex personality was with a little internet research or by watching Tony Kushner’s masterpiece, Angels In America. But with all the mishegas in this show, you’ll have no idea whether you’re seeing a piece on Roy Cohn or Roy Rogers.

God bless the cast, though. They are doing their best to scoop water from this inevitable Titanic and they all deserve better material. Near her demise, Cohn’s mother (Marilyn Sokol) laments, “I have no story”- a line that generally summarizes the whole messy bed. I really thought that Doctor Zhivago would walk off with the prize of being the worst theatrical experience of 2015, but my vote was premature: In Bed With Roy Cohn currently holds that title.

In Bed With Roy Cohn is now playing on Theater Row (W. 42nd between 9th and 10th avenues). For tickets and more information, visit http://www.inbedwithroycohn.com

Theater Reviews: KNOTS and MAGIC TRICK

by Ryan Leeds

Those dog days of summer are finally here. You know…The time of year when we stroll longer in the park, sip white wine in an al fresco setting, or take in a smidgen of kink and beg for burlesque? Alright, maybe the latter is reserved for those seeking an outlet for a somewhat naughty escape. If that’s the case, the season’s end might bring a devilish smile to your face with two adult theatrical offerings.

Yamadera Productions’ psychological one-act, Knots recently ended a successful run at the NY Fringe festival. The three character play, written by Jean-Daniel Noland, invites us to explore the meaning of life’s loose ends and the figurative and literal bounds we set within ourselves and our relationships. Noland’s script, under the excellent direction of Adam LeGrant, is well researched and convincingly executed by a strong cast, though it does occasionally waver into the zone of pretension.

Marc La Vasseuer (Man), opens the piece by talking with his therapist, Kevin Kilner (The Doctor) about his childhood trauma of being tied to a persimmon tree by his mother, Lucy Lavely (Mother/Woman). The Man carries his memory of bondage into a relationship he forms with a waitress, also played by Lavely. The two have an electric connection until his obsession becomes relentless. Noland’s device of using non-specific names for his characters serves the play well, as it broadens the scope to a universal, “everyman” level.

There is definite, dangerous fire in Knots and the cast does a fine job of keeping the action ablaze. One wishes that Noland’s characters wouldn’t focus so much on the history lesson of various knots and other superfluous historical trivia. Conversationally, it seems to be a stretch for even the most academic individuals. Still, Noland’s script is generally (no pun intended) tightly woven and offers dark and delicious delicacies sure to satisfy the dark corners of the mind.

Kim Gainer and Chet Siegel in MAGIC TRICK. Photo courtesy of Kacey Stamats

At Theater Row, an audacious and engaging work, Magic Trick, is being presented by Caps Lock Theatre Company. Mariah MacCarthy’s play focuses on Bana (Chet Siegel), a paraplegic who finds herself caught in the complexities of a relationship with her boyfriend Eric (Ethan Hova), and a burlesque dancer named Clara (Kim Gainer).

The two and one half hour story is woven together in non-linear segments and as the action unravels, we soon learn that Bana is lacking integrity with nearly everyone close to her. Meanwhile, both of her love interests are left trying to piece together the remnants of her emotional baggage.

Clara, played with laser sharp sexiness by Gainer, convinces Bana to try Burlesque dancing. The pair create “The Medicine Show”, dubbing themselves Foxy Cotton and Clara Tin. The result is an energetic, bawdy, and amusing dance number that elicits a rousing cheer from the audience. Siegel and Gainer are a perfect combination and their chemistry-both in this number and throughout the play- is erotic and endearing. Hova also brings a smoldering allure into the trio as the jilted lover and Gina Doherty delivers some sass to the mix as the stage kitten.

Chet Siegel and Ethan Hova in MAGIC TRICK. Photo courtesy of Kacey Stamats

Tim McMath’s versatile and effective set design creates a moody atmosphere as an apartment, bar, and burlesque stage and Lois Catanzaro’s lighting adds mercurial emotion to the libidinous affairs.

From the synopsis, it sounds like Magic Trick couldn’t possibly work: A bi-sexual love triangle about a wheelchair bound girl, her hunky boyfriend, and a burlesque dancer ? And tickets are how much? Yet thanks to MacCarthy’s knack for creating authentic dialogue for her characters, the piece is hugely successful. I might suggest some occasional edits, as I did find myself checking my watch near the end but as a whole, Magic Trick is impressive, thoughtful, and worthwhile theater.

Knots finished a sold-out run at the NY fringe festival on Saturday August 29th. More information can be found at http://www.knotstheplay.com/

Magic Trick is currently playing on Theater Row (W. 42nd between 9th and 10th avenues) through September 12th. For tickets and information, visit: http://capslocktheatre.com/

Get To Know The Hilarious & Dynamic Trio Called The Under 5ers

by Ryan Shea

Even though I consider myself to be quite the funny person, especially my lack of dieting and amount of men I’ve been with lately at the height of my comedy/f my life mentality, it takes a lot for me to really find something out there in the universe that is really fucking funny. Ramona falling asleep on the Real Housewives of New York City reunion? Hilarious. That crazy white lady pretty much asking Donald Trump to eat her baby? Hysterical, and probably factual. But I found something so much more funny, silly, sexy and so many more adjectives in the Under 5ers, which is a web-series about three friends just trying to make it in New York City and all the issues that 20 something’s face while being here.

The Under 5ers is Matthew Wilson, Alexandra Nader and Sami Horneff. All three of them have an incredible background when it comes to theater and arts in general (American Musical And Dramatic Academy, London Dramatic Academy and Upright Citizens Brigade just to name a few) and that training really shows in just how incredible their comic timing and acting is in each episode. Subway issues? Dating issues? Job Issues? Brooklyn? COVERED! And done brilliantly. If there is a “next” in terms of what is next in comedy, these three are it.

Now they are diving deep into season two of their incredible show which just premiered on August 13th. Lucky for me, I was able to sit down with the three of them over dinner and get to know them a little more. They each talked to me about how this all came about, what The Under 5ers actually mean, comedy inspirations and what they are hopeful in their next steps. Take a look!

The Under 5ers, Manhattan Digest, Ryan Shea — Credit to: The Under 5ers

How did you three crazy people find each other in the first place?

The short answer is that we all met in an acting class. The more interesting answer is that not only were we all in the same acting class, but we all happened to be collaborating on a musical at the same time. The musical was the brain-child of our acting coach who aimed to get a group of artists together to develop, write, and star in a show. The three of us ended up writing a good portion of the score, and, in doing such, discovered our passion for creating new material and developing our personal style of comedy. Our acting class met till 5:30pm and our musical rehearsal started at 7:00pm, so in that hour and a half, those of us involved in both would go out to dinner. With Patron, a fabulous Mexican restaurant in Hell’s Kitchen, around the corner, the three of us quickly separated from the pack and bonded over our mutual love of margaritas. At Patron, we started brainstorming ways to create our own content. We’d write ideas on napkins or dialogue on bar tab receipts. And thus, The Under 5ers was born.

For each of you, was comedy that was always something instilled in you and something you wanted to do?

Matt: Growing up in McMinnville, Oregon and being a son of a truck driver…hell yes, comedy was instilled in me. I didn’t always want to “do comedy” but comedy was always there for me.

Sami: I actually got my start in Musical Theatre, where timing is essentially everything. From there, comedy came naturally, and the more I trained, the more I discovered my passion for both writing comedy and performing in it.

Alex: “Your features are too big.” This is the comment everyone always told me in my professional life. I was a small ethnic girl with a big smile, big eyes, and an uncomfortably loud way of speaking. Comedy was and is the only field that lets me be who I am and feel proud of it.

Similarly, who were your comedy inspirations growing up?

Matt: I grew up watching and mimicking Jim Carry and his many facial expressions. Then later in life I was touched and moved by Robin Williams. The honestly he brought to his comedy was unlike any other.

Sami: Because I grew upon the stage, funny theatre woman were my inspiration. Bernadette Peters, Kristin Chenoweth, and Kerry Butler have understated comedic strength and impeccable timing- I grew up attempting to emulate that.

Alex: I could not shout Lisa Kudrow’s name loud enough. She was everything I wanted to be. She is funny, sharp, honest, and most of all- weird. She doesn’t apologize for who she is or what she does. She marches to the beat of her own drum, and that is all I can hope to do as an artist.

How did you come up with the name The Under 5ers?

People ask us this question all the time and there are multiple answers. The nice answer is that we “aim” for all of our episodes to be under 5 minutes long…but we failed at that.

So the real answer is, we all started to see a particular pattern among our friends on Facebook. They would post any and all exciting casting victories (including but not limited to first round callbacks and extra work). With these “big name TV” opportunities, many ‘likes’ would follow. “Oh my God, Tracy you got a part on Blue Bloods, we cannot wait to watch”. When we finally did, turns out Tracy was the dead body in the corner. In our industry an “Under 5” is an actor that is hired for a guest spot of less than five lines. It’s a very ‘down on your luck’ concept that we wanted to extract and input into other life scenarios outside of the acting business.

The Under 5ers, Manhattan Digest — Credit to: The Under 5ers

For people who don’t know about you guys, what is the web series all about?

The professional answer is: “The Under 5ers is inspired by the lives of three twenty-somethings living in New York City. It is a new web series about struggles, survivals, and hilarity along the way.” … so basically it’s a Three’s Company dynamic with Girls content. We KNOW there are a lot of shows out there about twenty-somethings not knowing who they are, and we don’t pretend to be anything but that. However, what’s unique about us is our commitment to letting our stories and our characters be as weird and honest as life is.

You are currently in the 2^nd season of The Under 5ers. Let’s take this back to the first season. What was that experience like and what have you learned the most when it comes to developing a webseries?

The first season was an experiment- one that we are very proud of. It was a labor of love. We had absolutely no budget, no experience, and no crew, only a camera and a commitment to making something funny. We were truly shocked when we started getting recognized on the street and our peers who we looked up to kept asking when they could make a guest appearance. We knew we had something that we had to continue. Season One taught us to have confidence and conviction in our writing ability no matter what the financial obstacles were.

When it comes to developing a web series the biggest lesson we learned was consistency. It’s about being organized, scheduling meetings and sticking to them, and having back up plans even for your back up plans.

What exciting things are in the works for season 2?

Alex: Plot!

Sami: Character development!

Matt: HOT GUYS!

Your tagline is “One city. Three Friends. A whole lot of problems”. What do you think is the biggest struggle for 20 something’s in NYC and how can they alleviate that?

Figuring out who the hell you want to be. For the first time, twenty-somethings have the luxury of being what Aziz Ansari calls “emerging adults,” which means they can take the time to make mistakes and experiment with careers, relationships, and identity without fear of peril. We’re living in a revolutionary time, but with the amount of choice that we have, we’ve found it’s hard to make one.

What would you say is your biggest hope for this show going forward?

Once a week, we would get together and fashion our own writers’ room at Sami’s kitchen table. It was as close to church as the three of us would ever get. Our hope going forward is to keep collaborating and to invite other, more experienced artists into our circle. #JudeApatowPleaseLoveUs

Anything else exciting coming up with the show that you would like to add?

We don’t want to give away any spoilers, but we think our audience will be happily surprised with the direction this season will take after the first two or three episodes of exposition. We introduce re-occurring characters, and you’ll be able to see real development in the three friends as they experience the pains of growing up. As for Matt, Sami, and Alex as creators…..whelp, we’re still trying to figure that out.

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Check Out Bare Beef Tees- No Pants Required…

by Ryan Shea

I’m always on the lookout for the next great thing in gay brands, especially in the fashion industry. With the summer still in full swing for another month, many gay men are on the hunt for their last big vacation to take before the warm weather makes its exit and the brisk Fall weather makes its way in. So why not try to find some really great fitted tees that show off your physique, have a great pop of color with some awesome and sexy graphics to go along with? This is where Bare Beef Tees come along.

I discovered Bare Beef on Instagram actually, where that particular page alone has amounted to 6,000 followers in a short period of time. Pretty impressive for any Instagram page. The page is chock full of super hot beefy guys modeling some of Bare Beef’s signature and great tees for the masses to enjoy (including myself). I was very curious to know more about how the brand came about and so much more, and got the opportunity to do so. I sat down with owner Al Bare who told me more about the business, how his shirts are for men of all sizes, upcoming events, and so much more. Take a look.

Credit to: Geo Honaker for Vision Video Photography

So how did the concept of Bare Beef tees start?

The idea of Bare Beef tees came about from several compliments and conversations shared with friends, followers and admirers regarding my artwork. It was our collective belief that there was a community out there that would both enjoy and appreciate fantasy images of bear and leather men on quality tees and tank shirts.

When it came to coming up with a name for them, how did you land on “Bare Beef”?

A friend and I were brainstorming with one another about a name that would both suggest and sort of be a twist for the word “bear” and the word “beef” to denote images of sexy muscular hairy-beefy–bare chested fantasy men. So we thought it was just a good marriage of words to come with Bare Beef as our company name. While there are numerous t-shirt companies geared for the bear community that featured cartoon oriented designs and phrases we however wanted our designs to feature actual images of beefy muscular guys.

Design wise; was there anything you drew inspiration on when it came to making the tees themselves?

As an artist, I drew upon images from tv, movie and photographic prints as well as everyday men I saw at the gym , bear events, clubs or just regular guys on the street with a strikingly handsome face or aspect about their bodies that I could draw and even enhance wherever i chose.

You use very bold and strong colors on your tees such as a sharp red and black for instance. Do you tend to shy away from a softer color palette due to the intensity in how the models wear the shirts?

Since the original drawings are grey from their inception and then outlined digitally, a lighter color palette would not necessarily provide as great of a contrast as it does with the bolder t-shirt colors. This way the bolder “colored fabric canvas” provides a backdrop that stands out more and shows off the artwork a little more prominently. As we continue to grow and designs become more varied we will very likely incorporate different color palettes accordingly for their respective designs.

Are these shirts designed for men of all sizes?

Currently our designs are available in Medium to XXXLarge sizes. Even though most of our customers are members of the bear community (bears cubs,otters,chubs) as well as the leather community, we have however more recently received many requests from smaller framed guys that we will of course be certainly fulfilling in the very near future.

What is your take on gay men’s fashion today. Do you find that it is a bit one note or do you think we are improving when it comes to body acceptance in the community overall?

When discussing body image acceptance as a whole within the gay community and all of its sub-cultures I personally believe that there is still need for improvement. The bear community has long been identified as one in which body image shape, size; etc has been much more accepting and less critical when compared to the other sub cultures. The other cultures have both promoted and continued to revere a more slender, fit contoured physique and thereby have not embraced nor been as accepting of fashions which were casual or otherwise.

You have amassed over 5,000 Instagram followers which is quite impressive. How were you able to build on that with your brand?

When the original idea came up to begin this line of tees and tanks we asked friends, acquaintances and models to wear a tank or tee and had a photographer take several provocative pics of the guys. Then, we slowly released the pictures one by one via Instagram exclusively and we gained an impressive following right from the start with the release of the first couple of pictures. From there it just grew and grew until the launch of the line in May. We have had several customers who have purchase a tee or tank then took a selfie of themselves in their tee or tank and then we posted those and received even more attention and more followers from those postings. We also try to keep up with our customers by liking and commenting on their posts.

Price-wise, what does an average Bare Beef shirt cost?

Industry-wise we are on the low end since some of the retailers actually sell their tees and tanks from anywhere $40-$50. Our tees are only $26.99 and tanks for only $24.99.

Do you have any events coming up with Bare Beef that my readers would like to know about?

Yes thanks very much for asking …International Bear Bash in Orlando, FL in September; Hibearnation in St. Louis, MO. in November; and North American Bear Weekend in Lexington,KY in February. There’s also a chance that we’ll have our shirts at the Mid-Atlantic Leather in Washington, DC in January although that is not yet confirmed. At each of those events, our line of tees and tanks will be available at the Vendor Market at the Torso Menswear booth.

What is your ultimate hope with the Bare Beef brand?

We hope to expand from just the line of tees and tanks and broaden the line to include items such as hats, underwear, shorts, swimwear or even gym bags. Ideally we’d like to see our line crossover into the other cultures and be worn by guys of all genres.

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Get To Know The Handsome & Thoughtful Marcus Isaacs

by Ryan Shea

Its always a good thing when you can find a duality in the industry that you work for and be successful in doing so. This can be said about adult film star Marcus Isaacs, who has built quite the impressive reputation in his nearly three years of being in the industry. With an industry that has such a high turnover rate, Marcus’ popularity seems to continue to grow due to a multitude of factors such as good looks, charm, personality and being able to perform on camera. He also rides the line very well with many different top studios and has been a fan favorite of many for the past couple of years.

I met Marcus a couple of years ago at a mutual friends housewarming party where I was first introduced to how enigmatic & sweet this guy really was. I recently caught up with him at a local Crunch where the talks of doing this interview surfaced and he was completely game. Marcus talks about his time in the industry, his inspirations that got him there, his surprising take on the bareback side of things, and where he sees his hopeful future. Take a look.

Marcus Isaacs, Manhattan Digest — Credit to: Marcus Isaacs

So tell me what got you into the adult industry in the first place?

Actually Morgan Black was the first person to talk to me about what the benefits would be, and that it would change my life. At the time, I was just starting to go to the gym after not going for a couple of years, and to be honest I always had this inkling to be notorious and have a bit of fame and I knew that would be a way to experience that. Also, I’m a very sexual person so I saw it as a way to seal things in time so that when it’s all said and done and I’m 50 or 60 I would always have those videos to look back on, and not the amateur ones but the ones produced by studios and projects that I worked on so I could say that I was part of that world.

And I’ve always loved porn and porn stars so I kind of wanted a little bit of what they had going for them and be desired by fans and people alike, travel a bit and of course have sex with really hot guys. It’s as simple as that.

Did you have any inspirations in the adult world besides Morgan that drove the desire to be in that world?

I was a huge Damien Crosse fan at the time; I remember he was a huge inspiration for me. The inspiration was any porn star that was really freaky but came across as organic. I would see scenes with him or back in the day with Lucas Entertainment when Chad Hunt was with them and even the old Colt Models, just kind of wanting to be extremely sexual on camera and have people see that it wasn’t acted. Damien exemplified that type of organic behavior and its definitely inspired me when I do my scenes.

You are in the industry where there is such a high turnover rate, yet you remain relevant and more popular than ever. How have you been able to manage that over the course of three years?

I never was exclusive to a studio, so I think sometimes when someone goes really high that people get a little tired of seeing them over and over again in one particular venue. It’s kind of like a hit song; it gets tiring after a while. I know for me that I was never exclusive, and never solely did condom porn and worked with a lot of studios but always had the thoughts in the back of my mind with sticking to one type of porn or one studio in that it would have been better for my career. But at the end of the day I really like that I wasn’t with one studio or something for a long time and then did whatever after. I’ve worked with so many studios and that has helped my longevity due to being versatile. What I mean by versatile for example is that there are a lot of stars that won’t do bareback, they are against that, so it enables me to be open to working with a lot of studios based on what they are promoting and not be stuck to one specific genre.

Are there any particular scene partners or scenes that stick out to you as a favorite since you started?

The best time was my video “Breeding Marcus Isaacs” with Treasure Island Media. I felt so honored that Max Sohl did an entire collection of scenes based on myself. I was really humbled by it. I was really appreciative of that whole thing so I think that was the most memorable project or group of projects because that was six or seven scenes and then the last scene of the movie was an entire group scene with me in the middle. I don’t think a lot of stars get to have a video that has their name on it, so that was really kind of the biggest thing for me.

Are there any guys you would love to work with?

Obviously Damien Crosse but two other guys who I think are really hot and would love to work with are Rogan Richards and Shay Michaels.

So what’s your take overall on the industry today?

I guess it’s ok, I don’t watch a lot of porn. If I do watch porn it’s either bareback and/or straight porn. Although the men in big studio condom porn are beautiful, the scenes are extremely inorganic and boring to me. It’s rare that you find a gay porn actor that looks organic on camera. The big studios are boring, and the talent is lackluster. The positions are all the same too, and half the time the bottom isn’t even hard. Its one thing to be hot but you have to make it look real and portray the fantasy you’re trying to get across well.

So there seems to be more and more stars nowadays doing a good mixture of condom and bareback. What has been your experience with doing so since you began your career?

So I was a little calculating when it came to doing bareback. My first scene ever was a threesome with Treasure Island Media that consisted of me, Morgan Black and Dominic Sol. At the same time I had scenes scheduled with Titan Media, so I went to Titan and did those scenes letting them think that they were the first scenes they I did but in actuality they were with Treasure Island. As soon as Titan found out that I did those scenes, they chopped me off and said that I couldn’t work with them. Besides that incident, I actually did condom porn for a while, working with some of the top studios like Raging Stallion and then worked my way into working with the bareback ones as well. It hasn’t hindered my opportunities though.

So seeing as you have done a good amount of bareback porn, there are people out there that are critical of that particular part of the industry because they think it brings more negativity to the gay community overall. What is your take on it?

I think it’s just a matter of what people choose to look at; I don’t think the medium is really the effector here. Whether they see it online or come across a lot of people in their life in the age of pRep that aren’t going to want to have sex with a condom either, it is still going to be there. The influence is still going to be there if they choose to look at condom or bareback, or go to a sex party where everybody doesn’t want to use a condom. Porn shouldn’t be looked at as what influences someone’s decision making, someone’s education should do that. It is simply a fantasy.

In doing my research on you, you also have done escorting for Rentboy for quite some time now. What do you think, in today’s day and age where you can find someone that would be into you in a click of a button, do people actually want to pay for an experience like that?

The reason is because, I think Grindr and Scruff and these apps are so difficult sometimes. Guys can be such jerks, hide behind their phones, play games and not be serious. They aren’t very nice to each other so I think a lot of times these guys who hire Rentboy’s just want a professional. There are no games, they show up when you want them to and they give you the fantasy that you are looking for. These apps can be so much work in terms of the back and forth, is this guy serious, is he just enjoying this type of thing with no end result, it can be maddening. So going through something like Rentboy is simple and time efficient while getting what you want at the end of the day.

You are based in Manhattan like a lot of other guys in your industry happen to be nowadays. Do you ever plan on relocating?

It’s interesting you say this because I was talking about this sort of thing with my boyfriend the other day. I have been in Manhattan for 18 years now and the thought of relocating elsewhere is something I would consider. There are reasons of course, but a change of scenery wouldn’t be such a bad thing.

What are you hopeful for in your career going forward?

I think I got another solid year in me with this industry. I would love to continue working with great studios and hot guys, like the scene I just did with Rocco Steele. That is the type of scene that had such chemistry and a connection, so if I could do a few more scenes like that and be memorable then that would be perfect. I love doing really organic and beautiful stuff and hope to do that as my career goes on.

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Are Gay Packs Really Just Cliques?

by David Baxter

It’s come to my attention that the bears, and cubs, and otters, and wolves, and whatever other Patronuses we gays are using, are forming themselves into “packs.” What’s a pack, at least to gay men, and not animal behaviorists? Beyond it being a group of friends who go places and hang out, I’m honestly not sure, though I have a feeling that after this article is shared on the internet, we will all know a little bit more. [Read more…] about Are Gay Packs Really Just Cliques?

All The “Tea” About Bear Week 2015 In Provincetown

by Ryan Shea

Ahh, summertime. The weather is warm, the Mister Softee trucks are everywhere, and the bears no doubt spend one fabulous weekend flocking to Provincetown, Massachusetts for its 15h Annual Bear Week which just occurred between July 11th through the 18th. Seeing as last year was my first year experiencing Bear Week in all of its glory (see more of that write up here), I decided to give it another shot with the full understanding of what I was going into. Last year was a lot to take in, and I’m not just talking about the variety of men at the PTown Inn Pool nor the Dick Dock (or as I lovingly refer to it- the gay Dunkin Donuts). I was aware of what the week had in store for me, yet this year seemed to be quite different from last year in many different ways.

This time around, I decided to relax a lot more and not stress the need to be at every single event and be out from 8am to 2am every single day. That concept can catch up to you pretty quickly and your batteries will burn out by day three most likely. The other thing I promised myself was to cook a lot more and eat at home as the restaurants (although fantastic) can get pricy and run up quite the bill for yourself by the end of the week. I kept both promises and had a much more laid back, not so expensive week that actually turned out to be quite the positive for me.

The hysterical and talented Peter Bisuito (left) and his amazing partner Mark Flanders

This year’s Bear Week was chock full of fun times, great parties and a wonderfully organized event that really made its 15th Anniversary one of its best years to date. The amount of men that came up this year seemed to have doubled from last year, and the general consensus that I got from this year like I did the last is that everyone for the most part has such a friendly disposition and really enjoys the level of getting to know each other at such a great capacity that it is nearly impossible for you to not enjoy yourself. Some of the fun events that I really had fun at was the Boston Ironsides Charity event, Comedian Peter Bisuito’s hysterical comedy show, Bear Week’s very own Furball, The Fireman’s Ball and of course the daily Tea Dances happening at the world famous Boat Slip Resort right on Commercial Street. Oh and anytime spent with my favorite guy George Unda (Detective Marcus Martinez on “Where The Bears Are”).

Before and during my time at Bear Week I was a member of the “Bear Week In PTown” Facebook page which sort of lost track of what the page was supposed to be about. Eventually it turned into a catty posting session of men being angry at each other for throwing shade about a “Did I Bring Too Many Clothing Options” post to the ferocious taking down of selfies that people would post on the page (myself included. Peter Griffin voice- GUILTYYYYYYYY.) The reason why I bring this matter up is I feel content like that would make someone not want to go based on a complete strangers reaction to a simple post that in the long run really shouldn’t mean too much. Is Bear Week overwhelming? To some, yes. Can you go the entire time without feeling that way? Absolutely. As I said in last year’s post, it really is what you make of it. I will say that if you do go alone it is is a little harder to penetrate (giggity) the field that is Bear Week, however as I ant to go nsaid previously there are so many amicable people there that it is hard to really justify any negativity at the actual event. Just go, find what is right for you, and enjoy the heck out of the entire thing. It is exhausting, exciting, liberating, sexual, boozy, hilarious and so many other adjectives all wrapped in eight days or less. It is up to you though to determine which adjectives you leave with.

Want to go next year? Check out the Bear Week page for official registration dates and more.

The Best Gay Experiences in New York City- Where To Go?

by Ryan Shea

If you are a gay man in New York City, you find that the options for gay friendly establishments to be quite plentiful and exciting to encounter. For tourists who are visiting New York City, the buzz that you hear about the gay scene is true but you find yourself wondering what to try and where to go to experience all the fantastic aspects that gay life offers here? Well look no further, because we have you covered. From gay bars to masseurs, strip clubs to something extra, we can guarantee that you are going to find something that works for you and for you to enjoy for yourself or with a group of friends. Check this out.

Gym Sportsbar, Manhattan Digest — Credit to: Gym Sportsbar

The Best Gay Bar In NYC- Gym Sportsbar, 167 8th Avenue between 18th and 19th Street

Gym Sportsbar is a great example of what a friendly, neighborhood gay bar should be and lives up to that notion and then some. With over ten years in business in the Chelsea area, the bar provides a great and relaxed atmosphere for you and your friends to enjoy with amazing BOGO drink specials for happy hour to make you even happier that you showed up. Gym Sportsbar, long for Gymbar, has the best and nicest bartenders who always have a smile upon their face when serving you and can throw whatever event you have going on with their great downstairs location. Definitely something to check out next time you are visiting or in the Chelsea area. For more information check out their official website.

Stonewall Inn, Manhattan Digest — Credit to: Wikipedia

Best Historic Gay Landmark- Stonewall Inn

Now that gay marriage is officially legal in the entire United States (no matter how hard the right side tries to ignore that fact), it is always good for any gay or gay friendly person to visit Stonewall Inn and understand how much of an impact this place is for gay culture and so much more. Not familiar? Google “Stonewall Riots” to really understand the epic struggle gay men had to endure in the late 60’s and early 70’s. Still with that retro type feel to it when you walk in, Stonewall has a great duality of a fun place to hang with friends yet understand the cultural relevance of what makes it historic. Official site.

The Best Masseurs In NYC- Bryan Knight and MuscledJim

This one happens to be a tie for me as they both are phenomenal masseurs who have strengths in each of their own areas. Bryan Knight is so good at what he does that he won the Hookie Award for Best Massage last year and was nominated for it again this year. So that has to mean something. Bryan has this to say about why you should work with him- “Men come to me for the perfect balance of therapeutic work and male bonding. Being large, muscular and a man, not a boy, puts other men at ease to let go. A discrete, convenient location and Good public track record are available for your satisfying experience.” For more on Bryan, you can actually check out my interview with him or check out his official site for more details.

As for MuscledJim, or Jim, he is someone who I met a while ago and is amazing at what he does. He really brings the full experience of what a masseur is supposed to do, and that includes having an enigmatic and inviting personality that make everything that much better. Here is what he has to say for himself- “I have been doing massage for over 16 years. I do a deep tissue, sensual swedish massage for men that lasts for one hour. It is on a massage table using biotone oils. I relax your muscles and ignite your senses. I hope my engaging personality immediately puts you at ease. I love to awaken your body’s sensitivities. What makes me unique is that I look for and amplify your authentic self in a way that your body, mind and spirit feel amazing when we are done.” To book a session you can contact him at [email protected].

Best Gay Dance/Strip Club- Adonis Lounge. Wednesdays & Saturdays at Evolve- 221 E. 58th Street between 2nd/3rd Ave.

I have profiled Adonis several times in the past for Manhattan Digest as they are always doing big things in the Upper East Side. Adonis takes place twice a week at Evolve on the Upper East Side, and other locations throughout the month. The vibe at Evolve and Adonis is quite laid back, with several stunning and chiseled men available for you to chat it up with or get a lap dance if that’s what your heart desires. Owner Tim de Ituriaga has quite the answer as to why he thinks his is the best- “Adonis sets the bar to an all new high through our ability to lower your expectations even further regarding all those pretenses associated with strip clubs, as well as the many stereotypes about strippers which we prove are all true! We stand behind our guarantee that you will not find worse conversations anywhere on Earth, but who cares if the speaker has nice abs”. Gotta love him. For more info, check out their official site.

Erotic Hypno, Manhattan Digest — Credit to: Erotic Hypno

Want something a little different? Try Neil aka “Erotic Hypno”

There is nothing wrong with going beyond the norm for you to satisfy whatever you feel is wrong with your current status. Luckily, I have the perfect solution in Neil, who is also known as “Erotic Hypno” or an Erotic Hypnotist. Not necessarily something you would see posted outside the local supermarket, but from mutual friends experiences with him he really gets deep into issues that you are having sexually and helps you work through them. His explanation on this reads as follows- “Erotic hypnosis is the use of hypnosis in a sexual context. I can use hypnosis to enhance and create sensations, and to help my clients live out all kinds of sexual fantasies. I can also use hypnosis to help clients with sexual issues, and I even do more standard hypnotherapy (smoking cessation, sticking to a diet/workout regimen, dealing with stress and anxiety, etc.).” I highly recommend using him as an alternative to the alternative you have been trying. For more info on him, check out his official site.

Happy Hunting Everyone!

Bear Skn- The Next Great Line In Underwear For Men Of All Sizes

by Ryan Shea

When you are a man of a certain size (like me), shopping for good fitting underwear can be just as much of an issue as finding a shirt of pants that showcase the goods all in a great way. I ran into that particular issue last weekend when I was picked to be a Gogo Bear at Furball NYC, which happened during Pride Weekend at Space Ibiza last Friday night. I had some options readily available for myself however I didn’t like the way it fit me and the colors of them didn’t gravitate the eye the way they wanted to. Luckily, one of the sponsors for Furball NYC was this great clothing line called Bear Skn who also provided underwear for all the GoGo Bears for the evening. I tried mine on, which had a great green color to it, and was ecstatic with how it looked, felt and got me through the evening (If you are dying to see how it looks just go to my IG- @musiccub. #selfpromotion.)

With so many mainstream and gay underwear lines focusing on the muscled and chiseled dude, it can be difficult to navigate the world of boxers and briefs for the huskier and thick dudes who want to feel just as hot and sexy as the fit ones do. Bear Skn does exactly that. Their attention to detail when it comes to size, color and body type really shows and with a line of underwear that goes up to 6XL you can guarantee that you’ll be able to find something that fits you to perfection when you try it on.

I recently sat down with their fabulous owner Jody Koenig who explained to me about the history of Bear Skn, its hopeful future and honest thoughts about their competitors in the market right now. Take a look.

Bear Skn, Manhattan Digest — Credit to: Bear Skn

How did the concept of Bear Skn begin?

It all started when Co-Founder Bjorn R-G was a member of an underwear of the month club and wasn’t really getting anything to suit his needs. When there was a style he liked typically it wasn’t offered it in his size. We started asking our friends about their underwear and it became clear that there was a need for comfortable and stylish underwear for bigger guys.

Conceptually and design wise what was your original image for the brand?

At Bear Skn, we think of ourselves as craftsmen. While the tools of our trade may be a bit finer than a hatchet, we wanted an iconic logo that conveyed a sense of craftsmanship and masculinity. A hatchet is not merely a blunt tool. It can be also be used to shape something new. We think that Bear Skn has shaped something new that you will truly appreciate.

We started with our standard issue in basic colors black, red, green, blue, and a purple. Then for our premium Backwoods Button down that features the classic buffalo check print. The backwoods really shows the masculine image that we want for the brand.

The name too, how did you come up with that, in particular the spelling of SKN?

We went through a number of different names actually. We tried using our initials but that sounded more like a law firm than a men’s clothing brand. The name “Bjorn” actually means “Bear.” It worked out that it was a fun name that had a great image, and still had personal elements to it. We continued to play around with the name but the SKN spelling came down to what was available as a URL.

What are the options of apparel you can get?

Currently Bear Skn is focused on underwear. We have a brief, trunk and soon to be released boxer brief style. We listened to feedback on our first line and made the adjustments that our customers we asking for. Bear Skn also has plans for socks, loungewear, shorts, swimwear to mention a few.

Do you find bears are still underrepresented when it comes to clothing options in the community?

For a larger man, finding a good fit can be difficult. There are options out there, but you really have to dig and try things that maybe your not use to. There are not many brands that focus on providing new and stylish looks for this size range. You are limited to one outdated look.

Manhattan Digest, Bear Skn — Credit to: Bear Skn

What’s your opinion on well known gay clothing labels such as Andrew Christian and Nasty Pig? Do you think they miss the mark when it comes to men of a certain size?

I think they are serving their market very well. As a business you have to find your ideal customer and market directly to them, they have found their group and going after it. That’s where Bear Skn comes in to focus the men of size!

What is next for the Bear Skn brand?

The main focus for us is on growing the breath of our product line and getting into more retail locations. We see more fun colors and introducing more interesting new style.

For more information on Jody’s fantastic line, check out their official website. Right in time for the upcoming Bear Week in Provincetown as well! Happy Shopping everyone!

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