Lost Boys: Vintage Images of Roger

Lost Boys: Vintage Images of Roger

Perhaps Jack Fritscher of Drummer Magazine put it best when he wrote: "Roger is Mom’s apple pie baked by Tom of Finland." The man certainly caused a stir in the industry. His live stage show? Legendary. And his image, even after all these years? Inescapable. 

Roger, the one-named gay porn wonder, did not come into being on his own. He had plenty of help; industry stalwarts and a manager/lover who devoted their energies and talents in order to create a legend. 

Who was the man beneath the famous physique? And what were the happenstances that conspired to forge this phenomenon of a man who captured the lust and attention of the gay community?

Roger

AKA: Tom Garrett, Malo, Paul Malo, Daryl Hanson. Daryll Hanson, Daryl Roger Hanson
Birthdate: December 31, 1954

Birthplace: Detroit, MI

Death: 1982

Hair: Dark Brown

Eyes: Brown

Height: 5' 11"

Years Active: 1972-1980

Films: 14

Compilations: 10

Studios: Hand In Hand, Falcon, Target, YMAC, Advocate, Bijou, Bullet Productions, French Connection

Daryl Roger Hanson was born in Detroit, Michigan on New Year's Eve in 1954. He was the youngest of three brothers. In 1971, at the age of 16, he quit school and persuaded his mother to sign him up as a US Navy recruit. However, due to his involvement with drugs, he came under closer scrutiny by the powers that be and, within a year, the Navy issued him a discharge due to his status as a minor. 

Once on the streets, he made his way to Daytona Beach, Florida where he began dancing in a seedy topless joint - the kind with sawdust on the floor and go-go girls in cages. To augment his income he would also pose nude for local college art classes.

Soon the seventeen year-old caught the attention of an "aggressive, but not pushy" marketing man named Jim Bacon. In 1972, after watching the bar's stage show, the older Bacon tried three times to work up courage enough to follow the boy into the mens room. The third time did the trick; from that point on, the pair were inseparable for the next seven years.

The two hit it off immediately. After talking business, Bacon took over 2,000 Polaroid photos of his young charge "in every erotic pose possible." After adopting Hanson's middle name as his only name. Bacon took Roger and the 2000 Polaroids straight to porn kingpin, Don Embinder. Embinder appreciated what he saw. As publisher of the popular Blueboy magazine, Embinder was in the unique position to help launch a career in a big way. He ordered a photo shoot and put the unknown on the cover of Blueboy. The issue sold like hotcakes, garnering international attention. Yes, ladies and gentlemen... a star was born.

He would go on to do a number of photo shoots for Target and Falcon Studios, remaining a popular centerfold model throughout his career.

 

BLUEBOY Feb/Mar 1977 

BLUEBOY Apr/May 1977 

MANDATE September 1977

BLUEBOY January 1978

MANDATE September 1978

HONCHO November 1978

BRONC September 1982
DRUMMER 021
IN TOUCH #30
NUMBERS: 100 NUMBERS #3
PLAYGUY (#5) v01 n05, (#7) v01 n07, (#9) v01 n09
STUDFLIX v03 n02

BLUEBOY PRESENTS ROGER
BLUEBOY: FOR WOMEN ONLY VOL. 1
BLUEBOY: THE BEST OF STEVE & ROGER
BLUEBOY POSTER: ROGER
TARGET: JAVELIN #3

TARGET: LANCER #1
TARGET CALENDAR 1978
TARGET CALENDAR 1979
TBT-1: TARGET BY TOM
TOM GARRETT B&W Photo Set (PJ-02)
GARRETT & RAZ B&W Photo Set (PM-02)
TOM GARRETT Slide Set (SJ-02)
GARRETT & RAZ Slide Set (SM-02)
LANCER Slide Set (SO-05)
FALCON: ROGER & FRIENDS
BRUNO GMUNDER: ULTIMATE FALCON
GUISE
MASCULIN – MALES U.S.A – Jon Target
MAN’S IMAGE: TOP MAN

BD-34 – Photos / CD-35 – Slides  

Roger and Bacon moved into a comfy home in Woodland Hills, California, complete with a pool and a well-stocked wet bar. The couple quickly became high rollers in industry circles, partying at their home with all the major players of the day - photographers, directors, stars and millionaires alike. Chris Dickerson, the black Adonis who was crowned Mr. America was one of their closest friends. “We all drank like fish,” Bacon said. ‘Our bar had a marble floor and it was always sticky from the spilled drinks.”

Lou Thomas, one of the co-founders of Lugar and COLT Studios in New York, who split from partner Jim French to start his own Target Studio, attended parties at the couples home, and after meeting the main attraction, wanted to get in on the ground floor. He often visited Bacon and Roger, bringing his cameras, lover, and a couple of additional models in tow. Thomas would shoot his Target loops right there, at the Woodland Hills pool. Oddly, Bacon’s mother, who lived with the couple, never copped to knowing what was going on. However, "she treated everyone as if they were members of her Sunday School class," Bacon said.

Roger appeared in many film loops during the pre-condom era, co-starring with other notable porn stars of the time, including Al Parker, Jack Wrangler, Chuck Samson, and Bruno, while working with top directors like Jack Deveau and Wakefield Poole. The scenes he filmed for Target Studios would later surface as part of the Bullet Video series. In addition, he also shot two films for Hand in Hand Studios and several for Falcon. And even though COLT's Jim French had photos and film of the young star, due to the fact that Roger would not sign on as an exclusive model for COLT, none of it ever saw the light of day.

Deveau, owner of Hand In Hand films and something of an innovative maverick in the industry, was a favorite director of Bacon's. He shot Roger and Jack Wrangler in two 1977 films, Hot House and Sex Magic, both of which proved hugely popular, adding considerably to the Roger mystique.

1977 

Adonis Cockplay 14
Heavy Equipment

Hot House
Sex Magic

1978 

A Night at the Adonis
Academy
Double Whammy: House Painter
Dune Buddies

1979 

Boys From Riverside Drive
Sex Machine

1983 

7 Up and Cummin
Bullet Videopac 5

Bullet Videopac 7
Super Studs

However, there was one aspect of Roger's career that set him apart from the competition - one might even say, a single moment. 

Leaving Los Angeles for San Francisco, Bacon had just one thing in mind in order to solidify his rising star's status - a live show. At the time, San Francisco was to live gay porn shows what New York's renowned Broadway was to musical theatre - if you could make it there, you could make it anywhere. Bacon had convinced Cliff Newman, owner of the famed Nob Hill Theatre, to book Roger for an extended engagement sight unseen. 

As director Wakefield Poole, who was brought in for support, recalls:

"When Roger arrived at the Nob Hill two days before his scheduled opening, he auditioned for Cliff. When Roger finished, Cliff said, 'If that's the act you intend to lay on San Francisco on this stage, you have your first week's guarantee and your ticket back. I suggest you use it. San Francisco will laugh you off the stage.'

I took a good deep breath and said to Roger, 'Now that Cliff has said that, I'll tell you what I think. You're a very hot man. You've got everything but backup to pull you off. If you're willing, Cliff and I are going to take you apart and put you back together.'

 

Roger was wonderful about it. He opened up. We added in the wet nylon beach pants and white headband that had made him famous on that center-spread Blueboy bicycle seat. We added in the beginning and closing classic muscle-posing presentation.

Such a hit! The audience tore the house down. Every night thereafter, Cliff kept working with the production, making the lights, sound, and visuals always a little different. He kept the act fresh. Roger ran for weeks to an SRO house."  

With the help of Wakefield Poole and Nob Hill Theatre owner Cliff Newman, Roger's stage act was honed and polished. The sensation it became resulted in a myriad of other bookings, including The Jewel Theater in New York and The Park-Miller and Eros Theatres in Manhattan. His engagement at the Jewel Theatre in New York would be forever persevered by director Jack Deavau as part of his 1978 film Night At The Adonis. To get a true sense of what these live sex shows were like, this is the film to see.    

Jack Fritscher of Drummer magazine once wrote: "In San Francisco, New York, Washington, and Los Angeles, Roger’s SRO appearances cause lines to rival Star Wars. At New York’s Jewel Theater, the crush of fans literally caved in the plate glass of the box-office. Any man who has seen Roger once will see Roger twice. Once is definitely not enough."

To read a detailed description of Roger's travelling multi-media show, check out Fritscher's article, here. Warning: Fritscher's writing is an acquired taste (it sometimes resembles beat era poetry or the writings of someone max'd out on speed). He also rambles, is incredibly self-referential, and tends to wander off-topic (because the only topic he truly wants to write about appears to be himself.)

In addition to everything else Roger was busy doing, he also worked as an escort through ads in gay magazines, eventually becoming the star attraction at an exclusive male brothel. According to Fritscher an evening’s pleasure with the man would cost you around five hundred bucks.

All of this activity led to a couple of life changes for the young star. 

Bacon said that shortly after the San Francisco shows, with his popularity at an all-time peak, "Roger got very focused with bodybuilding, He cleaned up his act and didn’t do party drugs. He’d go to the gym by day and he’d come home at night."

A magazine profile published at this time, described Roger as "a health nut for vitamins, (who) doesn’t drink or smoke tobacco, and gets his main high from sex."

Through it all - the whole rocket ride - his manager and lover, Jim Bacon was at Roger's side. During the seven years the pair were together they traveled throughout Europe, Japan, and Singapore. Occasionally they traveled as tourists, but more often than not, it was so Roger could perform at a given theatre. His show in Singapore, in particular, was a runaway smash.

All this effort, drive and activity to promote and create Roger eventually took it's toll on the couple's relationship. In 1980, they split up, with Roger heading for the fast lane lifestyle of  Las Vegas, claiming he was done with the gay porn industry. Once there, Roger explored his sexuality, and not just with the boys. He would go so far as to marry a young woman who left him six months after the ceremony. This seemed a tipping point, for it sent our young star into a tailspin. 

After that point, without Bacon around to reign him or the focus of work, "Roger turned to speedy drugs and speedier company." It all ended quite badly.

In 1982, with two or three other people in tow, Roger was killed in a auto accident just outside Las Vegas' city limits. 

He was only 27.

No one in the industry wanted to believe it was true, but his death was confirmed by two sources: his ex, Jim Bacon and director Tom DeSimone. Still, that didn't deter some from trying to keep more than just his legacy alive. 

During the early days of the internet, a man posing as Roger ran a scam, offering to sell blurry photos to the gullible. In addition, in 2000, an imposter posing as Roger appeared on a number of Yahoo! groups. He told stories of having attended Al Parker’s memorial service in 1992, remaining in touch with co-star Jack Wrangler, and maintaining a monogamous relationship since the late 1980's while living in a suburb of Chicago. However, none of it was true and he was soon exposed as a fraud.

The truth is? 

The comet known as Roger plummeted to earth, perishing in a desert outside Las Vegas, though his legend lives on in the carefully preserved photos found on the internet... the one place where no one ever dies. 

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This was a fun one. I have to give most of the credit to Jack Fritscher, as it is his writing and interviews that served up the lion's share of the facts in this post. His obsession with Roger, while echoed by many others, found voice in the pages of Drummer magazine, thus providing a great deal of the information you've read today. 

For me? I recall coming across the photospread Roger did in a suit. And while I appreciate his look and the quality of the photos (and that suit!), I must say, he never really did much for me. Whatever quality it is that others see which causes them to quiver? It's lost on me.

That's all for today.

Thank you for reading.

 Starboy - The Weeknd feat. Daft Punk

Written In The Stars - Elton John 

feat. LeAnn Rimes

Who Did It Better? Love Is The Answer

Who Did It Better? 

Love Is The Answer

For today's chapter of Who Did It Better?, we travel all the way back to 1977, to take a look at a true pop treasure, Love Is The Answer.

Throughout his storied career, Todd Rundgren would wear many hats: songwriter, solo artist, producer, innovator, inventor, and band leader. His restless spirit, unbridled ambition, and burning passion for music would lead him down many a path. In 1973, after releasing several successful solo albums, Rundgren longed to be part of a group and formed the musically progressive Utopia.   

Love Is The Answer is a song written by Todd Rundgren and recorded by his group, Utopia for their 1977 album, Oops! Wrong Planet. The group's previous albums were synthesizer-driven prog rock, featuring songs concerning various sci-fi/spiritual concepts with lengthy instrumental solos. Oops! Wrong Planet found the group reigning in those excesses while concentrating on more traditional song structures and lengths, as well as a more commercial pop sound. In an interview with Songfacts, Rundgren shared "that Utopia's Oops! Wrong Planet was a 'bummer album,' and that they included this song on it to make it more uplifting."

Rundgren shared his impetus for such songs in the pages of Rolling Stone: "From a lyrical standpoint, it's part of a whole class of songs that I write, which are about filial love," Todd Rundgren explained. "I'm not a Christian, but it's called Christian love, the love that people are supposed to naturally feel because we are all of the same species. That may be mythical, but it's still a subject."

Love Is The Answer, the album's closing cut, was released in August of 1977 as it's lead single. Despite the group making numerous television appearances and receiving favorable feedback regarding the song, it failed to chart. The song would go on to become the group's signature concert closer and a fan favorite.

Fast forward a year and a half later, England Dan & John Ford Coley - a popular pop-folk duo who'd been recording since 1970,  who were working on their fourth and final album for their label Big Tree, decided to tackle Rundgren's Love Is The Answer. It was a bit of a musical departure for the duo, marking a move to a more sophisticated, urban sound. Otherwise, the song was a perfect fit for them. 

Dan Seals is the brother of Jim Seals (of Seals and Crofts), a diehard follower of the Baha'i faith. In the mid-seventies, Jim Seals converted both his brother and John Ford Coley to the religious sect. According to Bill De Young, "Rundgren’s gospel-tinged Love is the Answer was like a crib sheet for the Baha’i faith, to which England Dan and John Ford Coley belonged."

Released as the lead single in March of 1979, by May of that same year, the move paid off big time, giving the pair their sixth (and final) Top 40 song and fourth Top Ten. Not only did the song hit #10 on the Hot 100, it also hit #1 on the Adult Contemporary chart, where it stayed for two weeks.

As John Ford Coley recalled, "Of all the songs we released as singles, that was my favorite. The song first of all had a classical base, and the middle had a gospel section which I loved." 

Due to its uplifting message, the song would go on to be adopted by a number of Christian pop acts, becoming something of a staple in that community.

And that's the whole story.

Now? On to the competition!

The Song: Love Is The Answer

The Competitors: Utopia vs. England Dan & John Ford Coley

Love Is The Answer - Utopia

Love Is The Answer - England Dan & John Ford Coley

Utopia

Classic Rundgren piano intro followed by a fascinating, if a bit pitchy, bit of backing vocals; very ambitious for a pop song. Rundgren's lead vocals are pitched so that they play with that uncomfortably weird break between his chest voice and his head voice. And then there's also that signature warble of his one has to deal with - you either love it or hate it. His voice, with it's rather nasal tendencies, is an acquired taste. While I've learned to accept it, I do feel it's the major drawback of this recording. 

Those backing vocals are solid and stellar, and, quite obviously multi-tracked. The group consists of only four members and that is a full-fledged choir singing we're hearing. As a matter of fact, aside from it's rather powerful, universal message, it's the choral leanings of this composition that motivated the Christian community to embrace this song. It's also those choral leanings that rescue this version, as Rundgren's lead vocals sound much more sturdy backed up with a full-on choir. 

"Someday we all must die." Pretty heady stuff for a pop song. Not only is the theme rather existential, the music it is coupled with, structurally, is incredibly sophisticated. And the way Rundgren chooses to deliver that line... with the stretched out, middle-eastern influenced "all" followed by the rather bratty tone on "die", one can see why, for AM radio, this song would have proven a bit of a stretch. The idiosyncrasies of Rundgren's style are the sort of talisman that could make or break a given recording. 

By the second verse, things become rather strident. Rundgren's delivery feels shouted and stretched, losing all sense of the lovely melody. While a raptured hysteria is what he's aiming for here, it comes off rather tone deaf. But then, to the rescue, come those stellar backing vocals, working as a balm tethering Rundgren to the heart of the recording. This song has a bridge leading to the bridge - that's how advanced Rundgren's songwriting can be! 

The gospel call and response bridge compositionally works so well. Here, it feels a bit rushed and somewhat muted, and rather than a gradual build, we get more of a burst which fails to work because of that trash can sounding synth drum overpowering the proceedings. However, I do like the handclaps. And then, vocally, Rundgren takes a few risks he perhaps shouldn't. Not only is his delivery at times flailing and over the top, but those suddenly treated vocals, as we proceed into the final chorus, take this listener out of the experience. His desire is to transport us into a rapturous state, but instead of powerful, the moment is rendered false. 

Rundgren and the group would never be satisfied with their arrangement for this song, tinkering with it in live settings throughout the group's life. Just go to YouTube and click and compare the various live recordings to discover what I mean. 

As a single release, I can see why this failed to catch fire. There are simply too many peculiar elements at play, with the primary culprit being Rundgren's musical choices as a vocalist. As a listener, there were far too many 'whiplash' moments - some of which are pretty egregious - for my comfort level. 

England John & Dan Ford Coley

I know that harpsicord like synth sounds rather dated, but it certainly gets one's attention - something quite key when it came to getting play on AM Radio. The other thing that worked in favor of this single? That intro worked perfectly as a sound bed for a DJ to talk over. By the way, that's Ernie Watts playing that pitch perfect soprano sax solo. The backing accompaniment with it's backbeat emphasis and the smoother than glass lead vocals of John Ford Coley place this one firmly in the Yacht Rock category; a smart move as the likes of Toto and Christopher Cross were ruling the airwaves at the time. 

It's evident, due to the elongated and slightly skewed way Coley sings words such as "short" and "found" that he would be a natural for the cosmopolitan world of country music which he would later become a part of, yielding an astounding eleven #1 country hits on his own. By the time we hit the chorus, this is going down smoother than a poolside piña colada. The harmonies are seamless, which is the perfect word to describe this whole recording: seamless. Nothing gets in the way: strings and icy synths and saxophone and vocals all meld into a lovely relaxing tumbler. This results in a product that's a bit faceless, lacking a distinguishing traits, save for Coley drawl, but one that satisfies nonetheless. 

Oh, I love that string flourish as we move into the second verse. I'm glad they kept the middle-eastern tinged delivery of "all"; it's served as one of the hallmarks of this song. The harmonies on the second verse get a bit squeaky - for some reason, anytime a vocalist strains at the top of their range it makes me uncomfortable. It's that stretching/reaching/strainng; causes me to quiver, but not in a good way. 

I like the keyboard counter-melody they've placed on the chorus; nice balance, nice fill. Moving into the bridge to the bridge, "Or are we just a dying planet..." is one of those occasions when a drawl really comes in handy, as it naturally creates an incredibly effective plaintive sound. Oh, that synth pad at the end of the bridge into the bridge (I'm sure there's a musical term for that, but I do not know what it is) is equally effective, creating kind of backdraft, cleaning the listener's sound palate. 

The vocal play back and forth coupled with a gradual build makes for a very potent musical moment. You could argue that the lead vocals become a bit strained and musically untenable, but that's what happens when artists who are not gospel singers attempt to sound like gospel singers - something I normally do not recommend (or tolerate), but, here, we'll let it slide. ("And when you're near the end..." for example, borders on parody. It's like Southpark's Cartman singing as if he's having a bowel movement.) 

A big choir sound and synth pad swoop later we are into the final chorus. They keep it nice and warm, reintroducing all the elements that have brought them safely thus far, including numerous sax flourishes. It establishes a wave of goodwill that we, as listeners are only too willing to ride out until the end. I love the head voice/falsetto ad libs the main vocalists throw in near the end. They add a bit of color, leading to a very satisfying conclusion.

The Verdict 

No surprise, here. Yes, their version is a tad 'corporate' and faceless, but it works well and, as I remember, sounded incredible on the radio, so I am giving this to England Dan & John Ford Coley. Yacht rock is one of my guiltiest musical pleasures (you know, something you're loathe to admit liking, but still adore.) And while some of the vocals are a bit over the top or a tad annoying, I think they compliment this arrangement and end up giving this group's version a bit of personality. 

Utopia's version, on the other hand, is sunk by Rundgren's vocal idiosyncrasies. While frequently charming, here, his vocal indulgences come off as flawed and troublesome. A pity, as this is one of his strongest compositions. 

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And that's my nickel's worth. 

Okay, your turn! Leave your choice and thoughts in the comments section. I love a differing opinion. 

Until next time...

Thanks for reading... and listening!

     

Love Is The Answer - Utopia

on The Mike Douglas Show