Thursday, December 29, 2022

Old Acquaintances

In the song Auld Lang Syne, Scottish poet Robert Burns suggests that old acquaintance be forgot, and never brought to mind.  On most eve's of the New Year, people sing the classic with many thinking that they're toasting to remembering old friends.  In reality, the poem is a little more pragmatic, suggesting that some people, and some friends, should be forgotten and left in the past. 

Some people, and some things, are simply just harder to forget.  I'll never forget growing up in the 80's and 90's and seeing my first images of the nude male form.  It started, with male/female layouts in my father's Playboy magazine.  I soon learned of Playgirl, and mustered every ounce of bravery I had to buy issues at the store.  

I've written before about my experiences of and moments of flop sweat, walking to the counter with a Playgirl magazine hidden beneath a copy of another magazine, usually a Playboy or Sports Illustrated. I used to watch for an older female woman behind the counter, then waited until the store looked pretty much empty before heading to the register.  I'd then nervously smile and pray no one came in, or up to the counter behind me, before my magazines were placed safely in a bag. 

Today, I can look back fondly on those memories, a bit both happy and sad that kids don't have to go through that today.  Not shocking to FH viewers, I especially loved their holiday pictorials.  I try to find new ones each year to post, but I think I may have gone to the well one to many times.  I couldn't find a new New Year's Eve shoot to post this year, but I did remember that I gathered up all that I could find a few years ago.  They included models Kory Wolf, (pictured here:) Dan Jacobs,  Jean-Michel Villette and a few others.  You can check them all out HERE:

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