'Are You Ready For Them???'
Although I hadn't heard of
California Dream Men before seeing the post from phofman, I did know some of it's performers. There were more than a couple of Playgirl centerfolds who shook their groove thing on stage with the show. Both Steve Mateo, (who I featured
HERE:) and Danny Celaya, (
HERE:) were early members. When the popularity of mainstream strip shows began to wane, the show basically closed in the US, while continuing to thrive in Europe.
The California Dream men went on for another decade touring in Europe until the early 2000's. There is a another group, California Dreams currently touring Europe, but that is a European-based all-male dance group based not in the US, but in the Czech Republic.
'Because the California Dream Men performed mostly in Italy and Germany there has been less censorship than was the case with the Chippendales and Manpower. The guys would sometimes be full frontal nudity, both in the show and the official merchandise, but the focus was never on the penises' (unlike the London Knights for example)
In addition to the many stories, images and videos that phofman shared on the thread on
lpsg, many other posters added to the thread with additional videos and visuals. Because they were so popular in Europe, they were often featured in European magazines including some hot full nudes in the Italian magazine Eva Tremilo back in 1999.
When I contacted phofman about sharing his hard work, he was eager to have the California Dream Men and their story shared with as many people who would enjoy and appreciate the material. phofman continues to add to the thread when time allows for taking screenshots, upscaling and archiving. Instead of my just copying phofman's work, and the work of the other contributors, I chose some of my favorite images to share. I encourage you all to check out the thread in it's entry on lpsg
HERE:
There were a few performers however, who I think need their own spotlight, and will feature a few individual dancers, (and performances) in the future. There is also a great book, which I just ordered by Tyler White, one of the members who toured Europe with the California Dream Men.
In the book,
Hillbilly in Hollywood, white recounts his personal journey and the group’s experiences during its European tour, revealing risqué behind-the-scenes stories of drugs, sex, humorous episodes, and political entertainment drama that would capture the attention not only of the group’s many fans but also that of a broader audience. The book is available on Amazon
HERE:
'At the time I didn't understand why the show had closed so suddenly, but a year later I heard that the producer had sold over half of the rights for the California Dream Men in Italy to the promoters who were his partners in this country. Were he to form a musical group only from California Dream Men cast members, he would have to share any resulting profits with the local promoters. But if he could use the fame of the California Dream Men show to start a separate boy band for Sony, he could be the sole owner.
When the Italian promoters of the show learned about how the producer was damaging the California Dream Men franchise in favor of X-Dream, they were so angry with the producer that they decided to prove to him how powerful they were. So they had not done any advertising of our shows in Rome. They were willing to let the show close instead to letting the producer get the best of them. And that is what happened.'
Tyler White
