September 26, 2025 would have been Lucas Murnaghan’s 50th birthday. The celebrated underwater photographer and orthopedic surgeon lost his battle with cancer nearly 5 years ago on March 21, 2021. His longtime partner Antonio Lennert has kept his legacy alive with reissues and reprints of his finest photos.
From Murnaghan’s website: “Lucas was never defined by a single identity. He was an orthopaedic surgeon, a healer who combined precision with deep empathy. He was a photographer, whose underwater lens revealed truths about intimacy, masculinity, and vulnerability that had rarely been seen before. He was an entrepreneur, a teacher, and a storyteller. But above all, he was a human being whose curiosity, humour, and generosity touched everyone around him.”
In a 2020 Ted Talk, Murnaghan charted his path as an uptight overachiever following the family tradition by becoming a doctor, coming to terms with his sexuality and the circumstances that led him to become a full-time photographer and entrepreneur in recent years.
I started following Lucas on Instagram in 2018. I knew nothing about him but his photographs spoke for themselves: stark, striking images that often played with what he described as “the balance between vulnerability and confidence, pride and shame, solitude and connection.”
Murnaghan’s photo Suspended Animation on the cover of Bruno Capinan’s 2018 CD.
When he began to promote his photography, his initial impulse was to hide his “day job” as a medical doctor, feeling that it prohibited him from being taken seriously as a photographer, or having an artistic point of view.
“I felt like I was entering the art world from the side door. Well, as it turns out, there is no front door. As an artist, that’s all we can do… gather up our entire lives and transmit it into our work. To do anything less than that is to not be honest with ourselves or our audience.”
For more images and information regarding his book Beneath The Surface, please visit www.lucasmurnaghan.com/
From the website:
“Today, as we celebrate his 50th birthday, we also celebrate the many lives Lucas touched—from his patients and colleagues to his collectors, collaborators, and friends. His photography remains not only a body of work, but a legacy: one that continues to challenge, inspire, and connect us.”
I recently happened upon a very special and atypical issue of Mandate. The June 1988 edition of this skin magazine is the “N.Y. Gender F..k” issue. Although it contains 6 regular photo layouts of masculine models – including 3 Brazilian Kristen Bjorn models and the burly bear on the cover – there are also several articles devoted to drag performers such as Charles Busch and John Epperson. Elsewhere in the issue is an editorial on “Nellyphobia” (or “Nelliphobia,” depending on whether you go with the spelling on the cover or in the article). It’s not a scientific study, really.
As a whole, the drag/genderfuck theme was not quite the regular magazine filler one would expect. I am curious as to the reaction that it received at the time.
Today, the article “New York Redefines Drag” serves as a history lesson on the late 1980’s drag scene.
I was unfamiliar with Cutter Sharp / Razor Sharp / Ultra Sharp, so I asked a fellow lifetime queer New Yorker of a certain age. He recalled; “(Cutter) was out and about NYC in the late ’80s and early ’90s. He was on (local public access game show) Be My Guest with Sybil Bruncheon… and he appeared at Night Of A Thousand Gowns with the Imperial Court as Empress Razor Sharp. He held a seminar at the Gay & Lesbian Center on Drag Queen Enlightenment. He also did reports on GCN (Gay Cable Network) from The Monster, The Saint, The Pyramid, and other clubs.” I also learned that Cutter Sharp was known as a professional hair stylist and that his name appears on a 1994 panel of the AIDS quilt.
John Burke, aka Sybil Bruncheon, Charles Busch, and David Drake are interviewed in the article as well. The three are still active, all these years later. If you don’t know their work, Google ’em.
Next up is an interview with John Epperson – the legendary Lypsinka. Epperson is still going strong, 40 years into his career.
Mike Varady coined the term “Nelliphobia” and challenges it in an editorial piece about the shaming of feminine men. “We are supposed to avoid being a stereotype, which is any person who happens to have at least a glimmer of truth as far as being a gentle person, a nonfighter – something to be proud of – is concerned.”
While some of Varady’s conclusions and/or choices of phrase now seem dated, he was certainly hitting upon an issue not often discussed in gay skin magazines at that time: a push-back against gender conformity. “The notion that ‘We’re just like everyone else, except for…’ is foolish… and quite damaging to us.”
In his closing paragraphs, Varady admits that the piece is bound to be unpopular with readers, that he has created “a headache for the editors” with anticipated angry response letters. But he goes one step further:
“Who knows? Maybe someday we’ll even read an erotic story or have nude photos in Mandate in which a willowy queen is the sex object! Now that would really be destroying a stereotype!”
Even the music section of this issue is planted firmly in downtown genderfuck. The music documentary Mondo New York is featured with performances by Joey Arias, Dean Johnson and John Sex.
While doing research for my previous post about a 1990 tour of gay Greenwich Village, I found a December 1991 clipping from Bob Harrington’s “Bistro Bits” column tucked into my journal. Harrington’s column was a regular feature in the performing arts publication Back Stage. In pre-internet days, performers would buy this print weekly for the audition listings. “Bistro Bits” was a column highlighting the cabaret scene. It was here that the annual Bistro Awards began in 1985 – created by Harrington to honor excellence in cabaret .
Another prominent feature in Back Stage at the time were the obituaries. Every week there would be death notices for entertainment industry professionals – usually young men dying far too young of “undisclosed causes.” This was at the height of the AIDS crisis and the stigma surrounding it may be lost on those too young to remember. “AIDS complications” were seldom cited in obituaries and listing it as a cause of death could be considered slander. That said, some men began to request its inclusion in their eventual obit: a final act of defiance in a world that was dragging its feet to find a cure.
I mention this to give some context to the level of courage it took for Harrington to write this column.
East Meadow High School (1968)
Robert William Harrington was born on October 2, 1950 in Richmond Hill, Queens and grew up in East Meadow on Long Island. Harrington graduated from East Meadow High School in 1968. He was just a couple of years younger than both of my parents, who graduated from W.T. Clarke, East Meadow district’s other high school. He then went on to study at SUNY Oneonta, where he graduated in 1972.
SUNY Oneonta, NY (1972)
Harrington honed his writing skills while working as a bartender and became known as an expert on the cabaret scene. In 1982, he began writing a column for the Long Island monthly magazine NightLife. He continued writing for the publication when they moved to New York City in 1984 and also launched his “Bistro Bits” column in Back Stage. In 1986, he began contributing reviews for the New York Post, and was an occasional guest on Joe Franklin’s local television talk show.
Harrington was a driving force behind the Manhattan Association of Cabarets and Clubs and also very active with Hearts & Voices, an organization that brought music to AIDS patients.
A few months after his announcement in Back Stage, Harrington was quoted as saying; “I’ve gotten tons of letters from people who have survived five, ten years with AIDS. This is the ’90s. We don’t have to die, we’re gonna make it.”
Bob Harrington died on October 19, 1992. He was 42 years old and was survived by his mother and three brothers.
A tribute was held at Caroline’s on November 12, 1992. The show was hosted by Jamie deRoy with performances by Julie Halston, Nancy Lamott, Jim Caruso, Margaret Whiting and Karen Saunders. All proceeds went to Hearts & Voices.
Another tribute took place the following month:
New York Daily News (12/8/92)
The following year, The Bistro Awards named Rosemary Clooney as the first recipient of their highest honor: The Bob Harrington Lifetime Achievement Award.
New York Daily News (2/5/93)
Back Stage editor-in-chief Sherry Eaker spent several years compiling Harrington’s “Bistro Bits” columns into a book. The Cabaret Artist’s Handbook: Creating Your Own Act in Today’s Liveliest Theater Setting was published in 2000.
I recently found myself perusing (as one does) the January, 1990 issue of In Touch For Men. An article titled Touring Around The Village caught my eye. Wesley Allen took a walking tour around Greenwich Village, writing about the gay bars, shops, and restaurants.
This was the New York City that I fell in love with – the one I would visit on day trips from Long Island and was finally able to move to the following year. (See The Lion In The Emerald City and 1991: Homo Alone for more on that. ) These were the shops I frequented and a couple of the bars, too.
Of the 26 businesses mentioned here, four of them still exist at the same locations: The Monster, Ty’s, Marie’s Crisis, and Julius. Around the time that this magazine hit the stands, The Duplex, which originally opened in 1951 at 55 Grove Street, moved to its current spot at 61 Christopher Street.
In 1991, I moved into a 5th floor walkup on East 6th Street between First Avenue and Avenue A. Tunnel Bar was my neighborhood spot, just around the corner on First Avenue at 7th Street. On slow nights, the bespectacled bald barback would sit cross-legged on the far end of the bar, absentmindedly clicking his tongue ring on his teeth like some sort of queer lizard. I couldn’t decide if it was creepy or adorable.
A few years after Tunnel Bar went out of business, Saifee, the hardware store next door expanded into the space. I would reminisce about what it used to be whenever I would go in to buy plant dirt and screws.
I used to joke that the bar I frequented the most was Uncle Charlie’s, but it was just so I could hold my friends’ coats while they cruised the preppy boys. I was invisible there – never quite handsome or stylish enough for the clientele.
Postcard for the 56 Greenwich Avenue location of Uncle Charlie’s, which closed in September, 1997.
The Bar on Second Avenue was another neighborhood spot that I frequented, followed by The Boiler Room, which opened right around the corner on East 4th street in 1994. The Bar went straight a few years later, undergoing many hetero iterations and name changes in the ensuing years. The Boiler Room remained its gay seedy self until the Fall of 2024, when it moved to 45 Second Avenue.
Another item of interest in this issue of In Touch: A very nice photo of Madonna paramour / model Tony Ward.
I usually only post a year-end list of gay porn stars that have passed on, but there have been so many notable passings thus far in 2025. Lets pay tribute to those lost in the first six months of the year.
In August of 2020, porn star Koldo Gorantweeted about three fellow performers who had recently died. Goran’s tweet was the only public notice that one of them, Dani Rivera, had been murdered. “I realize nobody talks about it, we are unprotected and forgotten;” Goran tweeted “We are humans, people, enough of contempt.”
Most gay news outlets choose to ignore the passing of all but the biggest names in the adult film industry. Porn companies also seem reluctant to broadcast the death of a performer who is still on their roster, forever young and willing in their website content. An obit is a real boner killer, ya know? Why jeopardize the profit margin?
Note that at least two of the men listed below have had studio content posted months after their passing without any mention of the fact.
Additionally, performers who abandon their porn personas and return to life under their real names often pass away unnoticed by former employers and scene partners. Case in point: A reader recently alerted me to the passing of Trent Locke in July of 2022 at the age of 32. Locke was a high profile performer with a 5 year career working for Colt, Falcon, Raging Stallion, Next Door, Hot House, Lucas Entertainment, Cocksuremen and several others companies. Surely some adult film news outlet would have noted his passing, right?
Once again, this year’s list is short on people of color. Why? Is it that few have passed on or that they haven’t been reported? For this reason – and due to continued interest from fans – there are ongoing updates to the lists of porn star passings in 2020, 2021, 2022, 2023, and 2024.
We remember those that were lost in 2025 to prove Koldo Goran wrong – they have not been forgotten.
1) Chris O’Donnell, aka creeohdee was born on 6/18/93 and lived in Phoenix, Arizona. He was a popular TikTok influencer and also active on Onlyfans from 2022-2024. While best known for his fitness videos, he was also candid about his battles with mental health and substance abuse issues. He committed suicide at age 31 on 1/11/2025.
2) Shawn, aka Kenny only appeared in a handful of scenes. He was Shawn at Active Duty and Kenny at GayCastings. The Chico, California native was born on 6/14/95. He made his film appearances in 2015 when he was 20 years old. In his interview segment at GayCastings, he mentioned previous health issues that had interrupted his pursuit of a medical degree. According to the IAFD, he passed away on 2/1/2025 at age 29.
3) Roman Mercury was born Hermes Sant Anna Filho on 6/22/79 in Sao Paulo, Brazil and died of a “heart attack” in late February at age 45.
Based in Las Vegas, Mercury was a latecomer to the adult film industry: he was 42 years old when he made his studio debut in 2022 with Raging Stallion’s Heavy Load Movers. His IAFD profile lists 93 titles in the past three years. He earned two GayVN Award nominations at this year’s show.
Friend and co-star Gregg Dixxon paid tribute in an Out magazine interview and on social media, writing; “Roman left us unexpectedly, leaving behind a legacy of passion, talent, and kindness that touched the lives of so many around the world…. His family will spread his ashes in the ocean near his favorite place to live in Southern California. Roman, you will always be missed, but never forgotten!”
4) Tim Kruger, was 44 years old when died following an accident at his home on March 1, 2025. Born Marcel Bonn on January 25, 1981 in Dusseldorf, Germany, the adult film actor, producer, and director appeared in his first film back in 2006. Of course, he was best known for his website TimTales, which he started with the help of his partner, Grobes Gereat, in their hometown of Berlin in 2009.
A statement written by Grobes was posted on the TimTales blog :
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that I have to share the news of the passing of our beloved Marcel, the man you all knew and loved as Tim Kruger. To the public, he was the ultimate ginger pornstar; to me, he was a sweet, caring partner of over 20 years. He was also my best friend. He touched the lives of everyone who had the privilege of knowing him.
“I am very aware of the stigma that surrounds deaths in the porn industry, so let me make this very clear to hopefully cut down on the inevitable speculation: Tim’s death was a tragic, yet simple accident at home. There were no drugs involved, nor was there any indication of foul play or suicide. Though my heart is broken into pieces, I find solace in the countless memories he gifted us. And I know that he died knowing he was loved. Tim’s legacy of compassion, love, and joy will live on in all who knew him.”
5) Damien Stone was born in Moldova on 9/16/92 and emigrated to the U.S., where he grew up in Pennsylvania. He began his prolific film career in 2017 with appearances in gay, bisexual, and trans porn scenes. Among the companies he worked for were MEN, TransAngels, ManUpFilms, FaceDownAssUp, WhyNotBi, TheGuySite, Bromo, and NakedSword.
Stone retired from studio work in 2020 and competed in bodybuilding competitions. He later transitioned to OnlyFans content and was active on social media up until early February.
On 3/11/25, family members confirmed that Stone died of “complications from an enlarged heart.” He was 32 years old. Four months later, Bro Network posted a new scene featuring Stone with Boomer Banks.
6) Popular Sean Cody model Brendan, aka Michael Johnson was involved in a murder/suicide on 4/13/2025. He was 35 years old and living in Oak Grove, Kentucky. Brendan appeared in approximately 10 Sean Cody films between 2015-2017. According to his social media accounts, he later pursued a career in country music.
7) Jay Massage, aka JayM4m,Cmtcpt, Desmides, Elcmt, and Itsdesmipeach, reportedly died of an overdose in early May, 2025. He was known as “the unofficial masseuse of the gay porn stars.” FitnessPapi posted about the passing, but it was unconfirmed as his OnlyFans and other socials began to be taken down. The IAFD updated his profile, while his Instagram account has been turned into a memorial page referring to addiction and recovery.
8) Brad Knight was a straight porn star who also appeared on the Spunkworthy website. He was 36 when he died of stomach cancer on 5/6/25. He detailed his cancer battle on his Instagram page.
Born 12/29/88 in San Diego, Knight appeared in hundreds of straight scenes over a 14 year period and was voted 2016 AVN Best Male Newcomer. He also directed several films for Blazed studios. In late 2019, he left the U.S. adult industry and moved to China to teach school, but resumed his career in Europe three years later.
9) Colton Ford, aka Glenn Soukesian 62, died in a Palm Springs, CA hiking accident on 5/19/25. Born on 10/12/62 in Pasadena, Ford entered the porn business at age 40 and appeared in titles over the next 22 years. The companies he worked for included Falcon Studios, MRS Releasing, RawFuckClub, All Worlds, and Mustang. In 2003 he was awarded GayVN Performer Of The Year.
Ford was a rare crossover, with film and TV credits including Another Gay Sequel: Gays Gone Wild!, Hellbent, The Lair, and The Next Best Thing. The 2004 documentary Naked Fame chronicled his attempts to transition from adult films to a music career. He went on to release 3 albums and several EPs.
His stage work included a 2011 Off-Broadway appearance in Little House On The Ferry. Earlier this year he appeared in a Palm Springs production of How To Succeed In Business Without Really Trying. Click here for more about Colton Ford.
10) Travis Youth, aka Gregory Reno from Decatur, IL was born on 7/19/94. Between 2019 – 2024, he made 29 films according to the IAFD. He performed as Dave at Sean Cody and Greg Toreno at TheGuySite, but it was as Travis Youth at Gayhoopla and BiGuysFuck that he made the most appearances.
11) Koby Falks, aka Anthony Cox was born 9/7/82 (or 1985) in Cloncurry, Queensland, Australia and died at age 39 (or 42) on May 28, 2025. In just three years, Falks had racked up 75 appearances for RawfuckClub in addition to his OnlyFans and JustForFans accounts. He often appeared with his partner Sam Brownell.
Talent agent Matthew Leigh shared a tribute on Instagram, writing “”We have lost a trailblazing creative spirit far too soon. But I truly believe his light and legacy will continue shining brightly above. Rest peacefully, Koby. You will be missed, always.”
12) Nathan, aka Nicholas Tulloss passed away at 29 years old in Los Angeles on 5/20/2025. He appeared in two scenes for Military Classified back in 2017 and returned for one more in 2021. Site owner Rob Navarro posted on social media: “For 20 years I’ve enjoyed great success working w/many models who have brought us joy but along w/success sometimes tragedies hit & today I’m writing about one… w/a heavy heart I announce 29 yo civilian NATHAN passed away… RIP Nicholas!”
13) Kolby Gigante‘s stage name was inspired by his 6’7″ stature. Born on June 19, 2000, he made appearances at Gayhoopla and HotGuysFuck websites in 2023. The MenofPorn website posted about his death at age 24 on May 10, 2025.
14) Brazilian bodybuilder Gustavo Boton was a content creator alongside his equally muscular partner, Andres Vergel. Besides OnlyFans and JustForFans, the duo appeared in approximately 10 scenes for RawFuckClub in 2024-25. Vergel posted a heartfelt tribute to his partner in late July, stating that his beloved “Nene” had passed away the previous month. “I love you, my hero… the love of my life.”
15) Mr. Cali, aka Robert Franklin, died suddenly at age 38 in early July, 2025. Born December 9, 1986 in Long Beach, CA, Mr. Cali made his first film appearance at age 29. The IAFD lists 80+ titles over 10 years for Noir Male, Treasure Island Media, Dawgpound, and Raw Strokes, among others. He was also a music entrepreneur and digital content creator under the Mr. Cali Entertainment brand.
As news of his death spread, many fans paid tribute online with one noting, “… heartbroken and shocked to hear of the sudden passing of legendary Black Gay Adult Entertainer Mr. Cali. Not only did he help to usher in this new era of Black Gay Porn but he was never afraid to be out as a member of the community.”
16) Sean Cody’s Jamie, aka Kyle Allen Mills, 35, passed away due to a fentanyl overdose on August 6, 2025. The North Carolina native was born on May 14, 1990, and began working with Sean Cody in 2009. He was one of the most popular guys on their site, with 16 appearances between 2009-2012. His videos have since been removed. Recent posts have detailed his legal troubles, and a GoFundMe was established to help cover funeral costs.
Next month will mark five years since I started the Artist’s Muse series on this blog – profiling the men who inspired, and were subjects of, mid-century artists like George Platt Lynes, Bernard Perlin, George Tooker and the PaJaMa collective: Paul Cadmus, Jared and Margaret French. Last summer I compiled some of these stories and photos for the Fire Island Pines Historical Preservation Society website. “The Fire Island Muses of George Platt Lynes & The PaJaMa Collective” focused on the subjects of the artwork they created during their time on Fire Island. Click here for the full post.
This summer, Vogue has entered the mix with a piece titled The 1940s Vogue Photographer Who Turned His Lens to the Male Muses of Fire Island. Honestly, it sounds as if he happened upon a coven of beautiful gay men, rather than importing his friends and lovers from the mainland. While it’s true that Lynes would photograph models and “attractive men that he heard of through word of mouth,” this applied to his studio work back in New York City. On Fire Island, the photos were of his intimate circle.
Lynes’ Fire Island photos are inextricably linked with the PaJaMa collective, as they all vacationed together and posed for each other. Artists like Lynes, Tooker and Perlin were all influential on each other’s work, especially the photographic aspects of their creativity.
Lynes with Paul Cadmus, Glenway Wescott, Donald Windham, Jared French & the Fire Island Lighthouse, PaJaMa (ca. 1938-40)
The Vogue piece displays several photos from A.Therien gallery’s recent collection of images featuring fellow photographer Wilbur Pippin, who was profiled here back in April. These are additional photos from that collection:
Wilbur Pippin with Fidelma Cadmus Kirstein and George Tooker, photos by George Platt Lynes & PaJaMa (ca. 1948-50)
In 1943, Lynes was so enamored of Jonathan Tichenor that he left his long-term threeway relationship with Glenway Wescott and Monroe Wheeler to be with him. The pair moved in together and Lynes shocked his discreet friends by announcing that they planned to be married. Tichenor was the subject of many Lynes photographs during this period, including some memorable shots snapped on Fire Island. The relationship imploded in 1945 when Tichenor ran off to become the second husband of socialite/artist Bridget Bate.
Jonathan Tichenor, Fire Island, photos by George Platt Lynes & PaJaMa (ca 1944)
Lynes met aspiring dancer Randy Jack in 1947 while he was working for Vogue in Los Angeles. The pair moved back to New York the following year, where Jack found success as a model. They parted ways a few months later. Read more about Randy Jack here.
Lynes with his boyfriend Randy Jack (ca 1948)
Ten days after the departure of Randy Jack, former military man Chuck Howard moved in with Lynes. Throughout their relationship, Lynes frequently photographed Howard on Fire Island. He later became a successful fashion designer and restaurateur. Read more about Chuck Howard here.
Chuck Howard photographed on Fire Island by George Platt Lynes (ca 1950)
In 1950, Lynes created a studio beach scenario with dancers Nicholas Magallanes and Tanaquil LeClerq in poses from the George Balanchine/Jerome Robbins ballet Jones Beach. Magallanes was also a member of Lynes’ social circle and a frequent model for his nude photography.
Nicholas Magallanes and Tanaquil LeClerq in Jones Beach, George Platt Lynes (1950)
Lynes’ most iconic Fire Island image is of dancer Francisco Moncion, seen here with some alternate shots from the contact sheet. The influence on the work of Herb Ritts and Bruce Weber is evident.
Francisco Moncion photographed by George Platt Lynes on Fire Island (ca 1948-50)
The Vogue profile of George Platt Lynes concludes that his work for the magazine may have provided him with commercial success, but that his Fire Island portraits show that success comes in many forms.
In the April 11, 1936 edition of the New York Age newspaper, Joe Bostic wrote in his “Seeing The Show” column about show he attended at the Apollo Theatre. The headliner was an unknown: the now legendary blues singer Lead Belly. Bostic was not impressed:
The advanced publicity stated that this man had been in two jails on murder charges and that the wardens, on hearing him work out on his guitar and vocally, had set him free. Maybe they did but after hearing the man myself, I’m not so sure that musical excellence prompted [the] actions. It may have been that both they and the other inmates wanted some peace during their quiet hours. No. Lead Belly isn’t the man, if it’s music that you want.
After reviewing other aspects of the show, including the comedy of Pigmeat Markham, Bostic concludes his review with this:
Midge Williams, the sensation from the west coast, looks, acts and sings like she knew most of the answers as a personality soloist…. She’s too good for the company she’s in at the Apollo this week.
I’ve had a bit of an obsession with the mysterious Midge Williams since I first heard her recordings of familiar jazz standards… sung in both Japanese and English. In the mid 1930’s, she was the first female African American singer with a national radio show. Midge worked with Bunny Berigan, Fats Waller, Duke Ellington, and Jimmie Lunsford. When Olympian Jesse Owens had a short-lived foray as a bandleader, Midge was his singer. She toured with Louis Armstrong’s orchestra for three years, from 1938 until 1941, when she ended up hospitalized in Detroit. And then… nothing. She died of tuberculosis in 1952 at age 36.
That’s the story in a nutshell, according to the liner notes of her CD compilations and the few websites that mention her. Several years ago, I set out to fill in the blanks on this forgotten artist.
Midge started out in a family group with her three brothers. They were The Williams Quartette, later The Williams Four, performing in clubs and churches in the San Francisco area. They later joined the Fanchon and Marco vaudeville circuit and performed up and down the West Coast during summer breaks from school.
A musician / arranger named Roger Segure took them under his wing and became their manager, securing work on local radio and then traveling with the group to China and Japan. The opportunity to hear swing jazz vocals sung live was heralded as a major event in the history of Japanese jazz. During their stay in Japan, Midge recorded several sides, singing in English and Japanese, accompanied by the Columbia Jazz Band:
Midge crossed paths with writer Langston Hughes as he traveled through the Far East. Back in New York a few years later, Hughes would write songs for Midge. She recorded his “Love Is Like Whiskey” in February, 1938. Another song, “Night Time,” with lyrics by Hughes and music from her manager Roger Segure, was the theme song to her radio program. Unfortunately, no recording of the song exists.
The New York Age, April 16, 1938
California Eagle, (8/17/39)
Attempts by gossip columnists to stir rumors of a romance between the two proved unsuccessful.
Midge was just 21 years old when she began hosting her own radio show on NBC – a twice-weekly 15-minute program. She recorded several dozen sides while also making club appearances. A prominent figure in Harlem society at the time, the African American newspapers covered her every move… until her alcoholism resulted in a dismissal from the Louis Armstrong Orchestra.
Baltimore Afro-American (4/30/38)
Her last studio recording was with Lil Hardin Armstrong (Louis’ ex-wife) and her Dixielanders in 1940:
In April of 1946, Midge made an appearance on Jack Webb’s radio show. She was in fine voice on a cover of “Cow Cow Boogie”:
Shortly after the Jack Webb radio performance, Midge settled into a six month engagement at Mona’s 440 Club, the legendary lesbian bar in San Francisco. It is from this period that we have a photo of Midge, an image that has been widely circulated. One of the most familiar photos depicting lesbian nightlife of the 1940’s, it was also used to promote the 1993 documentary Last Call At Maud’s.
Midge Williams (left) with fellow Mona’s singer Kay Scott and friends (ca 1946)
I was recently perusing (as one does) the June 1992 issue of Heat, a short-lived gay men’s magazine. Amongst the pictorials of cover boy Rob Cryston and fellow gay porn stars Karl Thomas and Sam Abdul is an article titled “The Life and Loves of Keith Haring” by Jack Ricardo.
Keith Haring, Untitled (1988)
Keith Haring photographed by Don Herron (1982)
Bill T. Jones painted by Keith Haring (1983)
Keith Haring photographed by Andy Warhol, Montauk (8/22/84)
Keith Haring photographed by Annie Leibovitz (1986)
This article was published just two years after Haring’s death. In 2019, Gil Vazquez became Executive Director of the Keith Haring Foundation, a role he held for 6 years.
Keith Haring photographed by Patrick McMullan, NYC (8/14/84)
Last month, when the NYC lounge Barracuda announced its closing after 30 years, I posted a couple of photos on social media from a May 5, 1997 appearance by singer/songwriter Jill Sobule. She was interviewed onstage by nightlife icon Candis Cayne, sang a couple of songs, screened the music video for “Bitter” and then met with fans.
That was 28 years ago this week. 30 years ago this same week, Jill’s single “I Kissed A Girl” was released. And now just days before both anniversaries comes the news that Jill has perished in a house fire. It’s a shocking end for such a talented individual, beloved by fans and fellow musicians.
Until the advent of YouTube, the screening of “Bitter” at Barracuda back in 1997 was the only time I ever saw the music video. MTV and VH1 certainly weren’t playing it. Her Happy Town CD had only been out for two months, but it was pretty clear that it wasn’t going to be as successful as her 1995 breakthrough LP – the one with her two hits: “I Kissed A Girl” and “Supermodel”. She would be dropped by Atlantic records by the end of 1997.
When I stepped up to meet Jill that night, I blathered on like the breathless fan that I was, telling her that the album was great and that her fans appreciated her music whether she sold 20 or 20 million copies. She seemed to be touched, gave me a hug and said “Oh, thank you so much.”
That night at Barracuda, Jill sang a song she had just written called “Money Shot” – a little ditty about a troubled porn star who couldn’t finish the job. She trusted that her audience at this gay club would appreciate it and the song went over well.
The following night, Jill was on the bill as part of a songwriters series at the Bottom Line in Greenwich Village. In the middle of her set, she asked the audience for song requests. I’d had a few cocktails by that point and called out “MONEY SHOT!”
I immediately regretted it.
Her wide eyes got even wider. She looked mortified as she said “Oh no.”
Jill at Joe’s Pub, NYC (April, 2002)
What had been a fun idea at a performance for gay fans in a Chelsea lounge didn’t fly in mixed company at The Bottom Line.
Five years later, I was briefly in a folk trio called The Wormwoods. We shared the bill with Jill and a dozen other singers at Joe’s Pub for two Dusty Springfield tribute concerts. She performed the classic Dusty In Memphis track “Just A Little Lovin’.”
Fast forward to August, 2011: Jill is opening for Fountains of Wayne at Bowery Ballroom on the Lower East Side. At first glance, this might appear to be an ill fit: The “I Kissed A Girl” girl and the “Stacey’s Mom” guys. Their fans can tell you that dismissing either act as a one-hit wonder is an oversight of many albums worth of smart, funny storytelling. Jill won over the Fountains of Wayne audience in no time.
Jill was at the merch table at intermission. “I think you made some new fans tonight,” I said.
She was pleasantly surprised. “They really seemed to like it, didn’t they?”
Songwriters of North America CEO Michelle Lewis called Jill Sobule “a singer/songwriter’s singer/songwriter.” I have similarly called her a musician’s musician. She often performed with just the smallest guitar and played with such intricacy that her audience could forget that it was her only accompaniment. I saw her onstage once with a small children’s keyboard that she had just picked up at a garage sale. Again, she found a way to make it sound like it was all the instrumentation that she needed.
Her song “Mexican Wrestler” epitomized her genius: heartbreakingly funny songwriting and a brilliantly nuanced performance.
Two weeks ago when Jill was opening for The Fixx on tour, she posted online about a concertgoer who took offense at her song “JD Vance is a C**t.” After the show, the woman shoved her and spewed some MAGA bile in her direction.
Jill’s response? She couldn’t wait until her next show – so that she could sing that song again.
I hate the idea of facing the next four years without her take on the unraveling of this administration. I can’t quite grasp that she won’t be here to sing “Underdog Victorious” when we are all on the other side of it.
Some of the many tributes to Jill that have popped up on social media:
Jane Wiedlin of The Go-Go’s posted a link to “So Jill,” a song she co-wrote and performed with bandmate Charlotte Caffey and Lloyd Cole after meeting Jill at a songwriters retreat in 1997.
The last 25 minutes of the May 4th episode of 60 Degrees with Brian Ferrari on East Village Radio is a tribute to Jill, with her songs about Joey Heatherton and Bobbie Gentry alongside covers of “Just A Little Lovin’,” “Stone Soul Picnic” and “Que Sera Sera.”Click to have a listen – the tribute starts at 1:35.
The latest subject in our Artist’s Muse series is Wilbur “Billy” Pippin, a friend, lover and confidant to a circle of artists that included George Platt Lynes, George Tooker, Paul Cadmus, Jared & Margaret French (aka the PaJaMa collective).
Wilbur Thomas Pippin was born on May 25, 1924 in Macon, Georgia. An only child, his father was employed by Railway Express while his mother worked at a dress shop. After the couple separated, Wilbur and his mother moved down the road to his maternal grandmothers house. He attended Lanier High School for Boys, where he was on the honor roll and received recognition for 5 years of perfect attendance. Upon graduation in June of 1942, he enlisted in the Army and served through World War II.
Back in Georgia for the 1946-47 school year, Billy enrolled as a freshman at North Georgia College in Dahlonega, three hours north of Macon. He became president of the drama club and was also voted “Most Versatile Cadet”. His academic career seems to have ended after that successful first year, as life took an unexpected turn in the form of a fellow named Fred Melton.
Sgt. Pippin – the Most Versatile Cadet at North Georgia College (1947)
Fred “Butch” Melton (1939)
We previously mentioned Fred “Butch” Melton in a profile of Artist’s Muse/writer Donald Windham. Butch was an Atlanta artist/photographer who moved to New York in 1939 with Windham, his boyfriend at the time. After the two split in 1942, Melton abruptly married Sarah “Sally” Marshall. The newlyweds settled in Greenwich Village and had two sons in quick succession. The growing family then moved back to Sally’s hometown of Macon, Georgia to live on land provided by her parents.
In the New York Public Library blog post Finding Frederick Melton, Stephen Bowie writes, “Melton dove into small-town Southern life with gusto. He built a modern house and workshop on the property, painted, and worked on the newspaper and in the local theater. But the experiment in conformity didn’t last.”
Whether Butch and Billy met doing local theatre or through some other social event is speculative. Suffice to say that Macon isn’t a very large town. In any case, the two found each other, and sparks flew. Billy did not return to college. In early 1948, Butch left his young family in Macon to move back to New York with Billy.
The couple moved into a cold-water tenement flat at 446 West 55th street in Hell’s Kitchen. Butch introduced Billy to the circle of gay artists that he had left behind 5 years prior. The striking young man soon began to turn up in their work.
Bernard Perlin & Wilbur Pippin photographed by Fred Melton in Cherry Grove, Fire Island (1948)
Wilbur Pippin photographed on Fire Island with George Tooker and Margaret French
Ballet impresario Lincoln Kirstein was apparently so fond of the couple that he tasked them with running Pippin Press, a silkscreen company he bankrolled and named after Billy. The original intent was to make collectible prints of ballet designs and the work of artists like Pavel Tchelitchev. Ultimately Pippin Press found more success producing custom silkscreen wallpaper.
Billy also began exploring photography alongside Butch, forming the “Melton-Pippin Photography” imprint for both of their work. Although he later enjoyed a long career as a fashion photographer, today Billy’s most notable photographs are his 1950 portraits of Jack Kerouac. It was one of these photos that was Kerouac’s choice for the original cover sketch of On The Road.
Jack Kerouac photographed by Wilbur Pippin (1950)
In early 1951, Butch and Billy had a new neighbor when their friend George Platt Lynes moved into the building. Lynes’ relationship with Chuck Howard had recently ended, and he was facing increasing financial woes. Lynes was initially pleased to have the couple as neighbors – Melton helped him with remodeling and silk-screening wallpaper for the living room. But he quickly grew annoyed by the couple “forever borrowing that old cup of sugar…” he wrote to a friend, “… or in their case it was more likely to be a bottle of gin.”
Wilbur Pippin & Chuck Howard, (ca. 1950)
Wilbur Pippin photographed by George Platt Lynes
Besides the thirsty neighbors, the far-west proximity and sketchy neighborhood did not sit well with Lynes. By September, he had fled back to the comfort of the East side, although his finances could not support it.
Fred “Butch” Melton & Wilbur “Billy” Pippin photographed by George Platt Lynes (ca 1951)
The couple remained friends with Lynes through the rest of his life, despite some difficult times. When Lynes fell out of favor with Lincoln Kirstein, Melton was named as his replacement as the official photographer for the New York City Ballet. In 1955 when Lynes was hospitalized with terminal lung cancer, Pippin was one of a small group of friends tasked by Russell Lynes to dismantle and pack up his brother’s apartment. George Platt Lynes died in December of that year.
With Pippin Press winding down, Billy went to work as publicity director for the New York City Ballet as well as press representative of the Broadway show Protective Custody, which opened and closed in late December, 1956.
By the end of the 1950’s, Butch and Billy had gone their separate ways. As with so many others, Fred Melton was dropped by the mercurial Lincoln Kirstein and had been replaced as photographer for the New York Ballet, just as he had replaced Lynes years before.
In 1961, Melton departed New York once again, leaving his collection of ballet negatives to the New York Public Library, intent on spending his last days drinking on the beaches of Puerto Rico.
Meanwhile, Billy was working steadily as a fashion and celebrity photographer for the New York Times. He traveled the world through the following decades as a freelance fashion photographer for Vogue and other outlets. In the late 1960’s, Pippin coupled with fellow photographer, Thomas Wier, Jr. For 30 years, the duo ran Pippin & Wier Photography in New York City. Their country home was an old converted schoolhouse in East Haddam, CT. They eventually amassed a menagerie of 15 cats.
The Commercial Appeal, Memphis, TN 10/29/64
Daily Messenger, Canandaigua, NY (12/12/1974)
In 1979, Pippin co-authored the book Catwise with actress Marian Winters. This was a collection of photographs Pippin had taken of his feline family, with classical quotes selected by Winters. Sadly, Winters succumbed to cancer just before the book’s publication.
Hartford Courant, Connecticut (12/14/79)
Pippin and Wier eventually retired to their East Haddam house. Thomas Wier Jr. died on 9/12/2000, age 70. Wilbur Pippin died on 4/30/2003 at his home, age 78.
In 2024, the A. Therian gallery in Cairo, New York featured Billy, an exhibition of rare and previously unseen photos of Wilbur Pippin taken by George Platt Lynes, the PaJaMa collective, and Fred Melton. This collection of photographs shed light upon the striking young man from Macon, Georgia who became a friend, lover and confidant to his great artistic contemporaries.
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