Warning... this is an adult site. If reading or viewing things about what gay men do sexually with one another bothers you - you should not read this blog. This blog is a reflection of my adventures and thoughts. Some are fun, some not so pretty. I won't name names, or kiss and tell... but I will live to tell. And baby, trust me - I am gonna spill it all over your pretty little party dress. Enjoy!
Spotlighting some recently-released classic diva turns on the part of three of our faves this week.
I must say, you are in for quite the treat.
Up first? The ever-lovely Gwen Stefani in full boot-scootin' style, telling us how he's now Somebody Else's (and she's all the better for it!)
Then we have the smoky-voiced Julia Church, taking us to church in league with the Cheat Code's digital throbber Modern Tragedy.
And finally, Lil Nas X (with a little help from Daft Punk), spurring us all on to be our best, live our life and achieve in the spirit-raising banger Light Again!
Today, we take yet another look at the Surree Stud Series imprint, also known as Surey Books.
The Surree Stud Series was an imprint brought to you by the good folks at Surree LTD, Inc. which operated out of offices at 9465 Mission Park Place in Santee, CA, 92071. Later, the company would become part of Star Distributors LTD., which operated out of a PO Box on Canal Street in New York City, NY.
The books were distributed by the Zorro Distributing company.
In all, from 1975 to 1982, the imprint published 88 titles. The catalog numbering system began as SS-001. After the 55th title, for some reason, most likely due to Star Distributor's acquiring the imprint, the numbering system would restart at SSS-101. It is also at this time that the use of 'Surey' replaced 'Surree'.
The book's covers would undergo only one major design change.
Initially, they appeared with an olive green border, a white background, with the imprint's distinctive wide read banner running at an angle near the top. The white space above the red banner held the distinctive Zorro 'mask' logo belonging to the Zorro Distributing company, the book's catalog number, and the book's price. The book's title would appear on the red banner in large, white block letters - all in caps, with the author's name in black in smaller print beneath it. Under the red banner, in the white space, an erotic ink drawing lending a clue as to what the book was about.
The book cover's design would be altered after the 32nd title. At that point, the distinctive Zorro 'mask' logo and the book's catalog number would jump up to the upper left corner of the olive green border, with the price appearing in the triangular space between the border and the title banner. The red banner would become more of an orange-red, and a bit narrower, while the ink drawings were replaced by erotic color photos of a single male model, duo, or group of male models. Typically, these photos, while professionally done, appear rather generic in nature, having little relation to the subject of the actual book.
The books were introduced on the market at $2.25. However, after the 12th title, the price was dropped $1.95, reverting to $2.25 when color photos replaced the ink drawings on the cover. Once acquired by Star Distributors, the price would rise to $2.95, and, by 1982, to $3.95. Many of the titles would enjoy 2nd and 3rd printings, and also be reprinted by other imprints.
The book's back covers would undergo several changes.
SS-001 to SS-032
SS-33 to SS-55
SSS-101 to SSS-119
SSS-120 - SSS-132
The books back pages advertised titles for the Blue Boy, HIS69 and Manhard imprints. Mail orders were sent to MMB at 9465 Mission Park Place in Santee, CA, 92071, or a PO Box in Santee, CA.
On the internet, these books are highly collectible and typically sell for between $30-125. The 2nd and 3rd printings of some of the titles make collecting these books a bit of a challenge.
Here are the next eleven titles.
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High-Ball Trucker
Author: David E. Griffon
Surree Stud Series
1976
SS-023
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Asstrucker
Author: David E. Griffon
Surree Stud Series
1976
SS-024
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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Fast Tight End
Author: Jim Lawrence
Surree Stud Series
1976
SS-025
According to Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List, this one is about "high school buddies who are brought out by an older bully".
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Truckin' For Chicken
Author: Newt Jennings
Surree Stud Series
1976
SS-026
According to Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List, this one is about a "teen who hitchhikes to California".
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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Stud-Sucker
Author: Tom Raines
Surree Stud Series
1976
SS-027
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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Butch Bi-Trucker
Author: Stuart Rowen
Surree Stud Series
1976
SS-028
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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Hot for Peter
Author: Peter Pepper
Surree Stud Series
1976
SS-029
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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Daddy's Boy
Author: Daniel Adam
Surree Stud Series
1976
SS-030
According to Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List, this one is about "incest".
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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Horny For Hardhats
Author: Ward Michaels
Surree Stud Series
1976
SS-031
Availa ble as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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Teen Trainer
Author: Stuart Rowen
Surree Stud Series
1976
SS-032
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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Hot Bodies
Author: Jack Stone
Surree Stud Series
1978
SS-033
Note: With SS-033, Surree Stud Series replaces the pen and ink illustrations with generic-looking images of male models. Also: the price is now $2.25.
Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing.
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And that's all for now.
Next week: more tantalizing titles from the Suree Stud Series.
In my own personal big gay church, there is a wing dedicated to what can only be described as... The Sisterhood. No matter their musical genre of choice, these ladies came together as a unit, joined arms and mesmerized the world. Their harmonies inspired unity while creating an energy which was absolutely infectious. Hit after hit, they earned their place in music history, sharing their unique vocal stylings.
One such trio?
TLC.
They are the bestselling girl group of all time.
Their sound, their songs, their style informed a generation of young women.
And their message? It was always liberating. Stand up. Be proud. Don't settle.
It was about sisterhood!
They had heart, too. For they sang about the world they saw around them, never sugar-coating it.
The managerial and financial mess they found themselves in early in their careers would have been enough to put a pin it permanently for others - but not these women. The stayed strong. They stayed the course.
It was only true tragedy - the untimely death of a member - which slowed this juggernaut.
But only for a moment.
To this day, they play on. They are out there. Performing. Spreading the message.
Sharing their sound, their style...
The gospel according to them?
Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from their lips.
The topic? Style & Sound.
"In the early '90s, all the girl groups were dressing super feminine. And then we came on the scene wearing Cross Colours, Girbaud, and Nautica." - Rozonda Thomas
"TLC always looked up to male bands. We saw guy groups could just go out and get the fans screaming by just standing there - fully clothed and with nothing but their music... We saw them as the competition more than the girl groups, with whom we wanted to stay unified." - Tionne Watkins
"From day one, we always admired male R&B groups. They would go onstage with no shirt on and baggy jeans, and girls would scream." - Rozonda Thomas
"Bell Biv Devoe, back in the day, we used to look up to them. They had incredible style back then, so we wanted to be like them." - Tionne Watkins
"We don't want to box ourselves within any type of genre, you know? Whatever feels good, if it moves us and we like it, we get on it and make it our own. That's what we do."- Rozonda Thomas
"We did want to stand for something, not just cute girls with cute concepts. Everything we talk about has meaning behind it."- Lisa Lopes
"Starting out as young women, we didn't care that people thought that we were a fad or if people thought we didn't dress girly enough - we were just like, 'Whatever.' We were able to accomplish that with three totally different girls, in a group." - Rozonda Thomas
"For our first album, we were our own dressers. We didn't have no stylists. We came up with all of the ideas when it came to dressing. At that time, Cross Colours and Jabos were really popular, so we were able to get stuff from them, but we always added accessories." - Rozonda Thomas
"When we were first recording, I was wearing a bag on my head." - Lisa Lopes
"When I met T-Boz and Left Eye, they were buying jeans that were a size 38. Three little cute girls dressed like boys was cool back then. Our style was cartoonish but fly at the same time."- Rozonda Thomas
"We were always authentic when it came to our style. From when we started to the height of our fame, we've always been consistent in our look because how we dressed was a result of how we felt. We weren't playing dress-up." - Tionne Watkins
"Everything from the music to our clothes was truly authentic. Lisa and I were in my basement spray painting our overalls." - Rozonda Thomas
"TLC's always been sexy but always tasteful." - Rozonda Thomas
"The magic of the group has everything to do with the chemistry between myself, Tionne and Chilli." - Lisa Lopes
"We can't be tamed at all. We've never been that kind of group. We always used to talk about how our image was as big as our sound." - Rozonda Thomas
"TLC never broke up. We are sisters for life." - Tionne Watkins
Ain't 2 Proud 2 Beg - TLC
Waterfalls - TLC
Girls Talk - TLC
And one last parting shot...
"We want every generation to know a little something about TLC." - Rozonda Thomas
"The TLC sound! That's what's so awesome - we have our own sound." - Tionne Watkins
"We're so blessed to have an amazing catalog." - Rozonda Thomas
"To have a body of work is a blessing - when you have songs that have been around generation after generation that they call timeless music, you can work that for a long time." - Tionne Watkins
"We still have the love for music; it will forever be in my heart." - Rozonda Thomas
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