The List Is (In The) Life

Let me count the ways.

TÊTU (November 2007) is back with another shamelessly grade-A (what the "A" stands for, I'll let you guess) issue, this one graced by Greg Vaughan's shoot of 24-year-old Buffalo native Tobias Hayduk. I feel like they keep topping themselves with great-looking models. If you topped yourself month after month, would you even leave the house?

I'm partial to boxers despite finding their profession reprehensible (or because?), so Nicolas Wagner's "Boxing Club" has a lot to offer, including this sexy look at a pair of (pretend) pugilists so stoked they seem to be dodging and weaving in the locker room instead of out in the ring:

There is also a cool portfolio entitled "Homogénique" which covers a history of homosexuality in photography, including gems from the Athletic Model Guild, Tamotsu Yato, Walter Pfeiffer, William Gedney, William Thomas and Lehnert et Landrock. For my money, the best two are a stunning 1938 portrait of Jean Marais by Raymond Voinquel that looks shockingly modern, and 2004's The Lady's Favorite by Alex Aleixo, which juxtaposes a vintage Greta Garbo pose with thoroughly modern beefcake:

This is actually a very reflective kind of issue in that it contains a totally engrossing, 40-page feature on the "1,001 Secrets of Gay Culture." This amounts to a list of who's who and what's what about being gay—and while I'd love to not read this list and do my own (I used to make lists endlessly as a younger person), I couldn't resist it.

From gay to Z.

The categories are lingo, people, cultural leaders, movies/books/music, life & style, sex, politics and TV, and the choices are amazingly thorough (I had hoped Boy Culture—the movie—would make it in, but only one 2007 release did).

Points of interest:

The list is not ascending or descending but the first item listed is "bear" and "clone," "rice queen" and "down low" all make the first page.

Heroes include Sir Ian McKellen, Jimmy Somerville and Derek Jarman.

Gay icons begin with Sylvia Vartan (well, it's a French mag) with Madonna coming in next (at #45—not her only appearance on the list), and interesting names like Kathy Bates (specifically for Misery) and Kathleen Turner (specifically for Serial Mom) mingling with expected folks like Liza Minnelli, Marlene Dietrich and Bette Midler.

Queen Latifah is included on the list of openly lesbian celebrities...

Lesbian icons include Sigourney Weaver, Sharon Stone and Louise Brooks (yes, it's that complete).

Miss Piggy, Jimmy Somerville & Madonna.

Among inspirations, Miss Piggy shares a page with Cher, Blondie and Catherine Deneuve, while they also have two funny lists called Bisexual Before Being Gay (Boy George, Andy Bell, Freddie Mercury) and Bisexual Before Being Straight (David Bowie, Prince, Lou Reed).

A clever use of space puts the faces of Tom Of Finland's drawings next to Rock Hudson and Cary Grant—who look right at home.

Jobriath, George Platt Lynes's work & Ian McKellen as a PYT.

Photographers—who could take over our pop culture entirely at the rate we're buying expensive magazines full of racy pictures of hot men—honored include George Platt Lynes, Wolfgang Tillmans, Bruce Weber and Robert Mapplethorpe, but Jim French's shot of Tony Ward in next to nothing scores a half-page.

Animation that makes the cut includes Dumbo, Bambi, Happy Feet and Rick & Steve: The Happiest Gay Couple In All The World.

Music is thorough enough to include Brandy & Monica’s “The Boy Is Mine,” Big Fun, the Megatone label and Jobriath.

Noteworthy queer albums are by artists as diverse as Kim Carnes, k.d. lang, Carole King, Bronski Beat and Dan Hartman, while books encompass everything from Billy Budd to The Lost Language Of Cranes.

Jake, Dumbo & gerbil.

You’ll find Richard Gere’s gerbil cohabitating with Butt Magazine, AussieBum soaking in Evian, poppers, cock rings and jockstraps. Jake Gyllenhaal is just outside Stonewall, Magnum P.I. is right behind Noah’s Arc, and the entire list ends on an Absolutely Fabulous note.

Buy this issue for sure.

And after the jump, the full list of 100 gay (non-animated) movies. I can live even though Boy Culture missed out because it’s in good company: Parting Glances, Desert Hearts, Midnight Cowboy and Mädchen In Uniform failed to appear as well!

Another Gay Movie, Far From Heaven & Un chant d'amour.

The Passion Of Joan Of Arc (1928)
Tabu (1931)
The Wizard Of Oz (1939)
Rope (1948)
Orphée (1950)
Un chant d’amour (1950)
A Streetcar Named Desire (1951)
Rebel Without A Cause (1955)
Ben-Hur (1959)
Some Like It Hot (1959)
Suddenly Last Summer (1959)
Spartacus (1960)
The Servant (1963)
Scorpio Rising (1964)
Les Amitiés particulières (1964)
My Fair Lady (1964)
Comizi d’amore (1965)
Flesh (1968)
Peau d'âne (1970)
The Boys In The Band (1970)
Pink Narcissus (1971)
Death In Venice (1971)
Deliverance (1972)
Angst essen Seele auf (1974)
The Rocky Horror Picture Show (1975)
La Meilleure façon de marcher (1975)
Sebastiane (1976)
Una Giornata particolare (1977)
Outrageous (1977)
Midnight Express (1978)
Race d’Ep (1979)
Nijinsky (1980)
Taxi zum Klo (1981)
The Fourth man (1982)
Querelle (1982)
Partners (1982)
Streamers (1983)
Torch Song Trilogy (1988)
Tootsie (1982)
Deux heures moins le quart avant Jésus-Christ (1982)
Victor/Victoria (1982)
My Beautiful Laundrette (1985)
Command (1985)
Kiss Of The Spider Woman (1985)
Mishima (1985)
Miss Mona (1986)
Noir et blanc (1986)
Prick Up Your Ears (1987)
Maurice (1987)
Encore (1987)
Gli Occhiali d'oro (1987)
Slaves Of New York (1989)
Edward Scissorhands (1990)
High Heels (1991)
Le Ciel d Paris (1991)
Thelma & Louise (1991)
My Own Private Idaho (1991)
The Wedding Banquet (1993)
Wild Reeds (1993)
The Adventures of Priscilla, Queen Of The Desert (1994)
The Celluloid Closet (1995)
Beautiful Thing (1996)
Heavenly Creatures (1996)
L’Homme que j'aime (1997)
Happy Together (1997)
Nettoyage à sec (1997)
High Art (1998)
Tous les papas ne font pas pipi debout (199)
Les Passagers (1998)
Aimée & Jaguar (1999)
Better Than Chocolate (1999)
Boys Don’t Cry (1999)
Paragraph 175 (1999)
Before Night Falls (2000)
Plata quemada (2000)
Billy Elliot (2000)
Mulholland Drive (2001)
O Fantasma (2001)
Un amour de femme (2001)
Yossi & Jagger (2002)
La Chatte à deux têtes (2002)
Ken Park (2002)
Far From Heaven (2002)
Tiresia (2002)
17 fois Cécile Cassard (2002)
The Rules Of Attraction (2003)
Tarnation (2003)
Mysterious Skin (2004)
Loving Annabelle (2004)
D.E.B.S. (2004)
Brokeback Mountain (2005)
Transamerica (2005)
C.R.A.Z.Y. (2005)
Fingersmith (2005)
Imagine Me & You (2005)
Shortbus (2006)
Vacationland (2006)
Puccini For Beginners (2006)
Another Gay Movie (2006)
Naissance des pieuvres (2007)

Querelle, Pink Narcissus & My Own Private Idaho.