Homoerotic Archaeology: Savage Male (July 1996), Part Two

Friday, July 19, 2019

Savage Male (July 1996), Part Two

Despite an advertisement in the August 1994 issue of the popular music magazine Spin and spreads with models from Falcon and Hot House, Savage Male experienced a brief life, running from 1993 to 1997 and only releasing thirty issues. Like many of its peers, the publication offered erotic fiction, nude pictures, and video reviews. Unfortunately, its features did little to distinguish it from what, by the 1990s, became an overly inundated marketplace of homoerotic magazines and, like Heat and several other publications, it suffered an ephemeral existence. Broke into two parts, this July 1996 issue is an exemplification of this factor. In the second part (see the first part here), spreads of models Karl Bruno and Chase Hunter are accompanied by an interview with Jeff Stryker, an equestrian-themed quiz, and a behind-the-scenes look at Chi Chi LaRue's Under Covers.

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What is Homoerotic Archaeology?

In 2016, I discovered several discarded boxes at an estate sale. Under their flimsy flaps were hundreds of well-worn issues of homoerotic magazines from the 1970s, 1980s, and 1990s. I purchased them out of mild intrigue and, as I perused their pages, I was startled to realize that something commonly disregarded as pornographic smut earnestly chronicled the evolution of gay culture: the social and sexual liberation of the 1970s, the crushing devastation from AIDS during the 1980s, and the gradual strengthening of the community in the 1990s. As a gay man, I was touched by the subtle narrative these publications told. As a historian, I was motivated to digitally preserve their content. And, as an educator, I was driven to create a platform to share that information freely with others interested in the progression of gay society. Homoerotic Archaeology is that venue. Here you will find the advertisements, articles, short stories, and (of course) pictures found in these magazines lovingly preserved and presented for future generations of gay men to enjoy and study.

Why Preserve Homoerotica?

As early as the 1970s, scholars such as June Rook have stressed the need to preserve homosexual history in an effort to combat repression and establish a cultural background for future generations. Much of the preservation process admirably focuses on the substantial works of homosexual artists and thinkers; however, it sadly ignores other elements quintessential to the community’s history, particularly homoerotica. Although frequently labeled obscene filth, homoerotica has, just like the significant creations of artists and thinkers, been a prevalent part of the group’s culture and has played an integral role in shaping identities and perceptions (consider how influential Tom of Finland’s hypermasculinity has been in molding the body ideals of modern gay men). Due to this factor, the conservation of homoerotica is just as essential as the preservation of major artistic and theoretical homosexual works.