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Monday, September 30, 2024

Acquired Tastes XLIII: Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 208 - Spade Classics, Part 4 of 5

Acquired Tastes XLIII:
Gay Pulp Fiction, Part 208
Spade Classics
Part 4 of 5

Today, we take another look at Spade Classics.

This was yet another imprint brought to you by the good people at Star Distributors, LTD., the Spade Classics imprint lasted a three years, from 1972-1974, publishing 52 titles in all. Star Distributors, LTD. operated out of a P.O. Box at the Canal Street Station in New York City and are responsible for numerous, short-lived vintage gay pulp imprints. As with most such publishers, information is in short supply.

The books covers went through four distinct styles changes. Initially, they featured a solid black background with the title in a unique bold white font, below which you'd find a black and white erotic drawing done in a linocut style. Their unique logo, a black card spade set in a white Mars/male symbol with the name of the imprint could be found in the upper left corner of the cover, the price - in the upper right, and the author's name below the linocut style drawing.  

That changed with the thirteenth book in the series. Then, a new style, similar to the first, was introduced with a white banner which ran the width of the top of the book, containing the Spade Classics logo, name and price. The artwork, by the same artist, was now framed in a circular frame with the sides cut flat. The artwork also softened a bit, looking more like a pen and ink drawing or an engraving, rather than the rough linocut look used previously.

A third style is introduced with today's titles. It's very similar to the first, but now the logo on the left side has gone vertical. Also, a new script font takes the place of the previous bold block font for the book's title. In addition, the illustration appears softer, more like a pen and ink drawing rather than a linocut. 

This third style adorns only three titles, before the publishers revert to the first cover design. They will then introduce a fourth style, which we will take a look at next week.

All the authors are presumed to be writing under pseudonyms. 

These books tend to sell for between $25.00 to $55.00.

Here are the next ten Spade Classic titles. I was able to locate all ten covers.

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Hank’s Navy Buddies
 Author: Parker Schaeffer 
Spade Classics
 1973 
SPADE-131

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Norman’s Twelve Houseboys
 Author: Paul Stevenson 
Spade Classics
 1973 
SPADE-132

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Hard On Randy
 Author: Lance Peters 
Spade Classics
 1973 
SPADE-133 

According to Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List, this one is about a "teen who goes to a boys’ school".

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 Sucked Into Success
 Author: Sal Peters 
Spade Classics
 1973 
SPADE-134

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The Hung Roommate
 Author: Steven Brooks 
Spade Classics
 1973 
SPADE-135 

According to Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List, this one is a "college story".

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Teenage Trainer
 Author: Jack Evans 
Spade Classics
 1973 
SPADE-136

According to Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List, this one is about an "athletic trainer and his boys".

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The Meat-Eater Millionaire
 Author: George Ferren 
Spade Classics
 1974 
SPADE-137

 According to Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List, this one is about "a black man who inherits his white lover’s millions and becomes a model".

 Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing for $1.95.

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Hot Country Chicken
 Author: Larry Lowe 
Spade Classics
 1974 
SPADE-138

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The Willing Guide Boy 
Author: James Marcus 
Spade Classics
 1974 
SPADE-139

 Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing for $1.95.

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The Chicken Cruiser
 Author: Ronnie Lord 
Spade Classics
 1974 
SPADE-140

  According to Hommi Publishing's Big Ass List, this one is about a "young man who picks up hitchhiking high school boys".

 Available as a downloadable PDF or ebook at Hommi Publishing for $1.95.

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Roommates - Dixie

Sunday, September 29, 2024

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip: RuPaul

Sunday Diva/Three From The Hip:
RuPaul

In my big gay church there is a wing dedicated to The Divas Who Represent. They're not all flashy or cocks of the walk - in fact, some never officially came out of the closet during their lifetime - but they are all extraordinarily gifted, sharing their songs, music, and insights, allowing the world at large to learn, in the most subtle of ways, what it's like 'being green'. Thanks to their gifts and their bravery, they help make the world a little more gay every time their voices are heard. And that's been their true super power all along... their voice; they were heard. They mattered. And, whether they liked it or not, they represented!

One such lightening rod, the spark which started a fire?

The sublime RuPaul!

No arguing with this queen. What she puts down is law.

And she's earned it. This diva works harder than any other in the business. 

Disciplined. Focused. On point.

And if you make the mistake of thinking that it all came by accident? Well, then, you don't know this queen. 

She is a thinker. A planner. A schemer and a dreamer. Early on, she developed a philosophy of life, a point of view, a mantra - embracing her 'otherness' and turning it into a strength.

From there? She took the world by storm, elevating an art form whose time had finally come.

Yes, there have been the detractors, but this queen? She doesn't give a frack!

If she hang up her spurs tomorrow, this icon will have done more - for not just drag, but the  community as a whole - than any other gay ambassador (with the exception of Elton John).

But don't count on it. It'll never happen.

This queen built a kingdom: one she is going to rule over forever.

The gospel according to her?

Well, here are three from the hip, dropping from her lips.

The topic? Life, Success, and The Matrix


"Life is not to be taken seriously."

"Honestly, it's important to not take this whole process of life on this planet too seriously. And you need games to remind you that every aspect of your experience on this planet is a game. And you have to be a good sport. You have to strategize, and you have to have fun."

"I love games. My favorite thing on this planet to do is to play games. And if you don't enjoy games, then you're really missing the point of what this life is."

"Life's journey - it unfolds for you as you are ready for it."

"I don't think there is a life in the mundane 9-to-5 hypocrisy. That's not living."

"I've lived my whole life in the life - I've lived my whole life doing the thing, I've been doing my own thing. And I think my life speaks volumes about what one must do."



"The secret of success in every field is redefining what success means to you. It can't be your parent's definition, the media's definition, or your neighbor's definition. Otherwise, success will never satisfy you."
 
"Personally, I experience success when I enjoy what I'm doing. I love the creative process, even if the end result isn't embraced by anyone else."

"It's true in everything, not just in drag: To be a success, you have to understand the landscape. You have to know thyself, and you have to know your history so that you can draw from people who have figured out the equation you are faced with. It's not rocket science."


"In my life, I've been able to really examine society in a way most people who aren't outsiders don't get a chance to do."

"There are only two types of people in the world. There are the people who understand that this is a matrix, and then there are the people who buy it lock, stock and barrel."

"I remember being 14 years old, making a pact with myself. I would never join into the matrix, never join into the status quo, and I would always fight it. It always felt like I was on an operating table and the anesthesia never worked." 

"This is an important thing: People who live in the mainstream and the status quo think that everyone else is there to serve them."

"Usually, people who don't have a broad perspective see gay people as servants - as people who are there to make them look good."

"People don't know how to place me in their consciousness. They think, 'Oh, you must be here to make me look good. That's what gay guys are, right? You're an accessory for my straight life.' Just because your limited view is that everyone's there to serve you and that you're the only person in the world. It doesn't work that way."

"I don't think drag will ever be mainstream because it's counter to what the mainstream directive is, which is picking an identity and sticking with it for the rest of your life."

Cover Girl (You Better Work) - RuPaul

Don't Go Breaking My Heart - Elton John and RuPaul

Sissy That Walk - RuPaul

And one last parting shot...

"It's important to find your tribe."

"I had mentors, growing up in gay life - older gay men who told me about our history and the history of art and culture - but somehow, the younger generation missed out on that synergy."
 
"For my tribe, the people I found years ago, we've found sanctuary in the irreverent, in the off-center, in the quirky... And that's how we stay entertained, and that's how we stay engaged in what would otherwise seem to be a really cruel world. A really harsh world."

Saturday, September 28, 2024

Weekend Onesie: The Magic Of Burton Rice - Part IX

Weekend Onesie:
The Magic Of Burton Rice
Part IX

As you may know, on Thursdays, Wonderland Burlesque does a series of posts about old movies, featuring movie posters. During the course of research, I fell in love with a particular type of poster art, enough so that I wanted to learn a bit more about the artist.

That's what I'll be sharing with you the next few Saturdays, as part of the Weekend Onesie series (which is rarely about a single image, so, not sure why I cling to that title).

I remain in awe of this man and his work; the sheer volume and quality is astounding. He must have slaved over his drawing table like a madman. His movie posters for Bluebird and Pathé are not all he did... he also created book covers, advertisements, and sheet music art. For this series, I've chosen to group them according to visual type.

I find his use of color and white space quite amazing and far ahead of his time. 

Here's a bit of information (all cribbed from various sites) about the artist and samples of his work.

The Magic Of Burton Rice

American designer, illustrator, photographer, and poster artist Burton Rice is best known for his work creating posters for the Bluebird Photoplays division of Universal Pictures between 1916 and 1919. Little else is known about him.

He was an American native born in a Chicago suburb on April 15, 1894. Records show that he returned from France in 1917, when he was 23 years old, and again in 1924, aged 30. In 1943 his draft registration card showed him living in New York city, and self-employed.
 

Burton designed a wide range of products, but you might know him under a different name. When designing fashion pieces, he often used the pseudonym of Dynevor Rhys. No one knows why Rice did this. Some believe he wished to save his real name for fine art, but this was never confirmed. This change happened after his New York studio burned down in November of 1923. After the fire, Rice began submitting magazine covers as Dynevor Rhys.

In 1959, he returned to Chicago.

He died in Paris on April 4, 1977.

Through his years as a designer, Burton Rice produced many impressive pieces. His posters help capture an era. Through his work, we can better experience the time period.

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The Tango Scene - Rudolph Valentino
from the 1921 motion picture 
The Four Horsemen Of The Apocalypse

Friday, September 27, 2024

Friday Fun: Happy National Crush A Can Day!

Friday Fun: 
Happy National Crush A Can Day!

Oh, you know you wanna!

Yeah, man... crush that can.

Who can crush that can? The candy man can... 

I love me a big ol' sugar stick.

So, do it up right, boyz.

Honor this holiday and...

Crush that can!

You'll have a spankin' good time!

Round One over already?
No problem, boyz...
You can recycle me!
- uptonking from Wonderland Burlesque

Forever Spank - Daddy's Groove
feat. Ron Louis Smith
































Spank - Jimmy Bo Horne