Drawn Together

I'd graduated to stuff like this by age 24.

When I was a kid, I spent way too much time drawing naked people. I was sexualized from an early age thanks to clandestine research conducted on the (heterosexual) pornographic magazine collection of my older cousin Vance, access to which was facilitated by his little brother—my dream brother—Wally. I would spend more time examining the men in Penthouse than the women, though Hustler was my favorite because it was the filthiest and was more likely to show couples having sex. I always thought it was weird that "softcore" existed...it struck me like wanting to eat chocolate chip cookies with less chips instead of just buying the ones with more.

Drawings were throughout these magazines, perhaps most memorably in the form of Hustler's "Chester the Molester" (its illustrator was later convicted of molesting his 13-year-old daughter and spent 23 months in prison, from which he continued the strip) and those racy illustrations in Playboy that were at once sophisticated and sleazy. I don't know if that's what inspired me, but I used to express my sexual urges or, considering my age, my sexual questions/fears/nightmares in the form of elaborately drawn nudes or women with pronounced cleavage represented by a "V."

I remember my mom catching me once—though I didn't know if she'd found a rudimentary penis sketch or a busty naked lady. She just told me, "Don't draw those things anymore," without referring to what exactly she'd found. Maybe that's why I have to few of them to this day—I drew, felt relief, then discarded the evidence.

I also at that time drew bosomy superheroines and elaborate fake movie posters featuring made-up starlets showing too much leg and bearing a beauty mark or two. The films were always tawdry serials at first, then gradually segued into respectable hits and finally Oscar-bait as the leading ladies became less cheap but remained unbelievably ripe, their breasts barely restrained behind tight, Lana-Turner-eat-your-heart-out sweaters.

These, too, were expressions of sexuality, or a trying-out of sexual norms. They became a way to develop a personal sexual history without actually having had one. I was a knowing nine-year-old, to be sure.

Bush's Aames was true.

Somehow, I missed the November 2007 release of Hard Boys (Green Candy Press), a quality paperback with almost 200 pages of drawings by Harry Bush (yes, that was his birth name), a pre- and post-Stonewall illustrator who worked with gay publications like Physique Pictorial and Drummer. Bush, who died in 1994, had an effortless-seeming understanding of the male form, and imbued many of his sketches with an unabashedly perverse, taboo sense of humor.

As far as Bush's work was concerned, separating the men from the boys was most likely to be accomplished with a garden hose.

The "Pubes Bikini" was one of Bush's most enduring themes.

I find his work amazing and insightful and uncomfortably familiar—not all of his obsessions (pubic hair, teenage boys, exhibitionism, prostitution, famous men) mirror those of every gay man, but many are universal at their root even if his expression of them was scandalously frank.

Bush wasn't a happy man—he feared being outed and even destroyed much of his work. He almost didn't leave his creations in the care of anyone. I would argue that would have been a tragic loss, like the one "this big!" that got away.

More than a few of Bush's pieces seemed to be inspired by gay pornstar Lance.

Several more Bush creations after the jump, including a Maxwell Caulfield nude...

Back to the idea of illustrating fabulous women, I'd like to recommend MemoraBEALEia (March, AuthorHouse) by Walter Newkirk. This "private scrapbook" to Little Edie Beale of Grey Gardens fame was compiled by Rutgers student Newkirk, who in the '70s interviewed the Beales for his school's paper after that famous film was released and quickly became a favorite correspondent. He paints a respectful picture of Little Edie, defending her as more of a larger-than-life eccentric than a flat-out kook, and sharing with other fans a wealth of her original notes and many private photos.

The cover drawing, by Bruce Lennon, resembles a fantastic creature from the Dungeons & Dragons Monster Manual, and reminded me of the kind of passionate gay-drawing I referred to as this post began. The rest of the book has a number of other artistic representations of Edie, but it's Newkirk's recollections that draw the sharpest portrait of this one-of-a-kind personality.

Gay men always know how to nail down an obsession, whether it involves what's going on in the pants of a persuadable piece of ass or what's going on in the mind of a woman too fabulous for her own good.

More Bush...

Comments

[Chris]

Your experience with drawing so closely mirrors my own that it boggles the mind. It seems strange that most of my drawings were of women- not real women, but of the women I saw in the old movies on the late late show. I almost never drew men, although I wanted to, I think because I wanted to draw pictures mirroring my sexual fantasies and I was afraid that I would disappoint myself with my limited abilities. Luckily my sexual imagination was so strong that I didn't really need to put them on paper to enjoy them- although now I wish I had. So instead I drew my ladies, and in my limited way got quite good at it and was even able to show them to people without embarrassment. But I really wish that I could have drawn like Harry Bush.

[Matthew Rettenmund]

I think a lot of gay men go through the drawing thing; I have friends who did it, too. Then, later, in art class, I was able to draw women and finally men with an "excuse" for doing so. Bush's skills were pretty amazing, though—I could draw realistically to an extent, and I could draw more abstract figures that were cool. but nothing like what he could do. I think he had a lot of unwitting life models pass through his rooms!

[andy]

"Gay men always know how to nail down an obsession, whether it involves what's going on in the pants of a persuadable piece of ass or what's going on in the mind of a woman too fabulous for her own good."

God, you have a magnificent way with words.

Love Edie. She was too fabulous for her own good. And right on the mark about so many things.

"I don't think you are free if you are not being supported. It's awful both ways."

[Matthew Rettenmund]

Thanks, Andy. That's the nicest thing a roommate has ever said to me. It sure beats, "You have to rely on your face."

[Dody]

Your experience with drawing so closely mirrors my own that it boggles the mind. It seems strange that most of my drawings were of women- not real women, but of the women I saw in the old movies on the late late show.

[Matthew Rettenmund]

I'm tellin' ya, it warrants studies! All the gay guys I feel closest to have similar relationships. It's like you have no acceptable reality, so you draw it, and get drawn into it.

[Linda Compton]

My Uncle Harry's real name was Wayne, but he took on his father's name, Harry Bush. Served in the USAF for 30 years during WWII, Korean, and Vietnam War. Was a secret document courier. He was a doting uncle to us, his 2 nieces, and a wonderful brother to our mother - a master gardener who was always willing to share his knowledge of plants. Made beautiful hanging fuschia baskets. He did a wonderful portrait of me, copying from my high school graduation picture (wish I knew where it went to). He also did some cute paintings for the baby's room - Kermit the Frog and a mouse sleeping in sleigh (from a cartoon I think). Although he was obviously way above the rest of us in intelligence, he never made us feel that way, always patient and kind and making friendly but intelligent conversation with us. Later, when I divorced my husband, he turned against me, really angry about the divorce for some reason that I didn't understand. Didn't hear from him for years until he became too ill to care for himself and called upon my sister and I for help. We came down and did what we could for him...he died within that following year (I think it was emphysema, pardon spelling ??). None of the drawings were found in his condo after he passed.

[Matthew Rettenmund]

Thanks for the comment, Linda. That's fascinating to hear about his private side. So you guys found NONE of his drawings? Someone must have taken advantage of his illness and spirited them away? Were you guys aware of his life as an artist? Or was he hiding it due to the sexually charged nature of his work? (Maybe he destroyed some of his own work rather than have it be found?) He definitely was an amazing illustrator, and his style was so unique. You can spot him a mile away.

[sildenafil]

a greater loss but has had the rock, lyrics miss his talent and infected us with a rage of others, wish you were his art and his talent here with us the man was alone on their own ..