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TALES FROM THE CRYPT     MAGAZINES
The ROLL CALL (updated 8/24/98)  

The MAN-AGE Story
Where to begin, where to begin. JMC grew up in a heavily Italian town in NJ on a street where parents beat their sons if they didn't succeed playing Little League. Intelligence was considered a liability, since few on the street had any. He & his folks moved into a Cape Cod that had been built for them, unaware of what they were getting themselves into. They were intelligent, talented, gentle people who went out of their way to help others. Unlike other parents on the street JMC's adored their child (& later other two kids). For the 20 plus years he lived there it was like being in n a war zone, a feeling I'm sure other Gay kids felt & still understand. His first boyfriend lived down the street & was known to be a bed wetter so his parents never let him stay over other kids homes. Len was Italian, sexy & was nicely put together. He & JMC were close friends for a good number of years.  So when JMC decided he was tired of relentlessly looking through library books for pix or drawing of naked guys he decided to try & get Len out of his clothes by getting him to play strip scrabble (don't ask). Unknown to JMC, Len was a boytoy to other boys (years later he found out a mutual friend used to have Len over to watch as he put on his mother's dresses). Len couldn't wait to get out of his clothes & John out of his.. Neither knew how to have sex but it was hot fun play up in the attic on some occasions.

In Homophobic High School JMC was a mess what with 3D erotica in the boy's locker room and being head-over-heels in love with a beauty named Chuck who knew but seemed okay with being worshipped from afar. JMC never did see any of the Physique mags but did find After Dark at a local store. So when the drama teacher announced a weekend trip to NYC to see "Man of LaMancha" he jumped on it - a chance to see his first Broadway play & one he loved - AND a chance to find a "adult bookstore". He got both. Free time before the play and he found his first store. Blood pounding, frightened they would know he wasn't 21 (he looked older than his age luckily & was dressed in his Sunday best) he walked in. There across from him, Nirvana. A wall of magazines & on each a beautiful guy fully nude and looking friendly. It was the late 60s and his mind had just been totally blown! Words can't describe to people today what that feeling was. Today nudes are everywhere. Back then coming from a hostile town, where guys would beat you to pulp is they knew you were Gay, finding a place where unbelievably beautiful guys his age & older would let you look at them nude and like it. That they let someone photograph them & put the pix in a magazine that a shy, timid person like himself could buy was beyond understanding. To top it off the cover said $5.00 & had a sticker reducing it to $3.00. How is that, he thought. Priceless treasures reduced? The clerk, looking at him like he was nuts, said the $3.00 bucks was right "you want it". Those first two mags contained pictures by CHAMPION (though the studio's name wasn't it it) & RMX.

After graduation he went to the RCA Television school in NYC which led to working for the Hughes (as in Howard) Television Network. From this dead end place he began his career as a Rock photographer (1973). He shot concerts, photographed Cabaret performers & actors & had a great time. He regularly picked up a magazine called QQ (Queen's Quarterly - a name they wisely changed to QQ) & The Advocate. He saw an ad for a new subscription magazine to be called "In Touch" & immediately subscribed. The next summer he saw on a newsstand a b&w magazine with the WAY over made-up face of Rudolf Nureyev on the cover called "Dilettante" & wrote them a letter asking if they'd be interested in his Rock photography. They were & he was given the cover story for issue 4 which featured his pictures of Rick Springfield at Max's Kansas City, the first openly Gay Rock Star JOBRIATH, Gay folk singer STEPHEN GROSSMAN & some others. They wanted him to cover Rock & Pop music & they then went under. They return in early 1975 as "Mandate" & he and the other two "Dilettante" photographers (Jürgen Vollmer & Roy Blakey) were the first asked to re-join. JMC also attended a new very popular play in the Village called "Let My People Come" who's cast were young, attractive & naked - a lot. He attended & was able to meet comedian Larry Paulette. He expressed to Larry his dream of photographing beautiful guys nude & Larry said some of the cast were open to posing for mags. JMC had fallen for a cutie named JOE JONES & Larry said no problem. A meeting was set up & Joe said he'd love to pose. Joe was his first model & many more would follow.

JMC spent '75-'77 doing a great deal of Rock photography & doing nudes of hot guys. He was now NYC rep. for "In Touch" & had music columns in "Mandate" & other mags. He was working with Gay publications & music publications worldwide (Revolt, the S.A.N. group, Campaign, Zipper, Him, etc.) He had become friends with the people at "Hand-in-Hand" films, the MGM of Gay filmmakers. This was a time of contacts & cooperation, "you help me & I'll help you". Every time a new Gay magazine was created he got a call to contribute pictures or create a music dept. & do reviews. Not comfortable with writing he went through a string of writers that had to have been the inspiration for Murphy Brown's secretaries. In the course of photographing the legendary Blueboy discovery  ROGER at the Eros he was introduced to a cutie guy named Charles Herschberg who was doing Roger's bio (stop laughing). Chuck was a very good writer & said he'd love to join forces.  From then on JMC only used Chuck for his Rock interviews. Chuck also expressed his dream of being a famous nude model/porn star - but didn't want to do porn. JMC photographed him & he was a good model. At the time Capital records had a group called "Klaatu" (as in barada nicto) who never toured, never did interviews & were never seen. They were a test of press agents' talents & they were a success for a time. So JMC said let's see if I can pull the same trick. He took his photo sessions & Chuck's non-de-porn of DAMIAN CHARLES & set out to create a "porn star" who wasn't. He got Chuck lots of magazine covers here & overseas and some interviews. "In Touch" ran a piece by Chuck & his lover about their first meeting. And "Damian Charles" was invited to host or co-host events (not "The Mike Douglas Show" though. It was all surreal.

In 1978 Chuck called to say he found a hot guy he had sex with wanted to pose & be his lover. The former was a must & the latter he was still thinking on. JMC showed up for the shoot to find a really CUTE, hot, smooth skinned very self confident young man, AL RICHARDS (insert theme from "Jaws" here). JMC decided if Chuck didn't want him he'd take him. Al was a natural. He posed in the shower waving his huge tool all over then posed in a chair focusing attention on his heavily traveled love canal. He & JMC decided to pool forces and start a studio. Two other partners were part of the mix, Henry -the manager of the Rock Disco Hurrah that JMC was house photographer for & the fabulous Barbara Ross. Barbara was the art director & creative force behind "Dilettante". Her sense of style & design were outstanding. Her mistake had been to teach a screaming queen named John Devere with no talent & a set of knifes for back insertion how to design the magazine. When "Mandate" came out John Devere decided to use what he learned to give people the false impression he had talent & dumped Barbara. It was at their first meeting that Barbara created the name MAN-AGE by hyphenating manage. She & Henry decided not to continue as part of the new company however so JMC & Al were on their own.

Al turned out to be composed of alcohol & pills. He earned his money as a hustler. During most days he lay on his bed fully nude sleeping. Then at 8pm or so he woke up, showered, douched, dressed & loaded into a doctor's type bag: dildoes, poppers, assorted pills & other sex related items & out he went into the night. He returned in the early hours, put his stuff away, took all his clothes off & went to sleep. All this while JMC did work & regretted the partnership. In 1979 Al finally resigned & left NYC. 1980 brought about JMC's first experience of running a magazine. A well know bookstore owner had purchased QQ & asked JMC to come in with his knowledge & experience. Although no further copies of "QQ", "Body" & "Ciao" were published JMC had gone full circled & ended up being the magazine's last Editor. They instead published "ABOUT TOWN" which provided it's own adventures & finally got JMC to meet & become friends with the "Hand-in-Hand" Star he most loved - CHRIS MICHAELS. By summer's end "About Town" was dead. Chris & JMC joined stripper Ricky Valentine to try & create a management company for male strippers. JMC had met "Hand-in-Hand" discovery KEITH ANTHONI shortly after his debut in the film "Catching Up" and they not only became friends but Keith posed, except for film stills, exclusively for JMC. A new strip club was opening called the SHOW PALACE on 8th avenue. Keith had been hired to be the first week's star & he asked JMC & friends to watch over him. It was a success but no further work loomed. Then the Eros, who first began hiring names to perform, got the deal of a lifetime. They were picked to host the East Coast debut of Jaguar's big new movie "Grease Monkeys" & it's Star KIP NOLL (who everyone worshiped) would be performing live on stage with co-stars Lee Marlin & Nick Rodgers. JMC had been the first to review the film in "About Town" and could not live without meeting Kip. He was able to get credentials and got to see the show & go backstage afterwards to meet Kip (the hell with David Cassidy). Kip needed to send a telegram to his owners in California & JMC was entrusted with walking him over to Western Union. Kip walked but JMC floated. Chris had also introduced him to someone else he was passionately in love with, STARS magazine cover boy DONNIE.

Just before Christmas (I hope you're all still awake) Donnie asked JMC to join him to pick up his friend Glenn who was coming in from DC. Glenn M. Turner was the Publisher/Editor of STARS magazine. STARS had debuted in 1978 like Man-Age & JMC had written them about contributing but got no response. They went to Penn Station for what was to be an historic meeting. JMC & Glenn hit it off and talked of many things. When they parted back at Donnie's apt. they promised to keep in touch. In June of 1981 JMC finally was able to go down to DC to see it for the first time & visit the offices of STARS. To his surprise when he sat down in Glenn's office he was handed a complete set of STARS issues encased in a loose-leaf notebook & was told he was now assistant Photo Editor & Man-Age was the house studio. His assignment was to photograph Man-Age discovery PAUL DiROSA for the cover of issue #12. JMC had sent over to Glenn assorted images of Paul the month before & that had sealed the deal. From that day until his death in 1986 Glenn & John were best friends & were as close as brothers (see Glenn's site here at The ARCHIVE). On this trip too JMC made his first visit to the Chesapeake House, DC's best strip club. It was here he met TOMMY WILDE. Tommy was 19 and breath taking & his voice was music. He had striped at the club & was a hustler but not all the time. He & John hit it off and after much talk Tommy agreed to pose for Man-Age.  Oddly enough, Tommy had auditioned for Glenn the year before and had been turned down. The first session was done outdoors at a site where a house was being built & a white sports car with red interior was borrowed. The picture became famous as STARS used them for an ad. They are still the best & most sought after shots of Tommy. On his next trip down (JMC went down every 3-4 months & stayed almost 2 weeks) the cover picture was taken, Tommy was photographed in his backyard in front of the brick wall of his house. STARS #13 became the biggest selling issue to date. The second & final issue of STARS (#27) to have Tommy on the cover was the biggest seller in STARS history.

Glenn was set up by the reagan administration in 1983 to drive STARS out of DC. He decided to move the magazine to San Francisco into the building just vacated by Drummer. In 1985 JMC did the first & only Man-Age video - "Singular Sensations", now an extremely rare collector's item featuring Gary Wilde & Kevin Marsh. Glenn lost STARS that year & would return to DC in December. December was when JMC was finally able to find a backer for his dream magazine OUTCOME. This was also the year Champion retired for good after completing his "Clothing Erotica" series. He & JMC had finally met in 1981 & became good friends, pupil & teacher. Champ passed the studio on to JMC whom he felt would take good care of it. Unfortunately & fortunately the physical transfer didn't occur till the end of 1986.

OUTCOME was launched in early 1986 & Glenn traveled to NYC to stay with John & work on the first issue. John met him in Penn Station exactly where they had first met '80. Glenn was trim & looked the way he always wanted to look. John's heart sank as he knew immediately Glenn had A.I.D.S. & his time was coming. Glenn had hidden it from everyone out here & denied still. He had limited energy, was bitter & slept a lot. They talked a great deal as always & did work on the magazine. He asked for money to travel back to San Francisco to retrieve all of his photography for John. John was to have it all & was to credit it to GUILD INTERNATIONAL, a name Glenn picked because of his ownership of  Dr. Lynn Womack's Grecian Guild. That was the last time they saw each other. Glenn's brother got him back from SF & he died in August. In September a fire, caused by a drug dealer in the apartments next door, swept through the block & cremated JMC's home & all of his possessions in a swift 90 minutes. Champion lived on the other side & a great deal was lost  but since it hadn't been turned over yet to JMC, as he didn't have the storage space, it was spared. Glenn hadn't lived to see OUTCOME having died before the first issue was published. JMC stayed with his beloved parents for the remainder of the year. In 1987 he began again & published issue #2. While the magazine was loved (still is as a collector's item) they had the worst distributor on Earth. By the time they were able to replace the shit bag it was too late. Funds ran out. JMC decided he'd had enough of being a professional photographer too. The models he, Champion & others had photographed had come from all walks of life & posed for fun. Now models were overwhelmingly money hungry hustlers asking obscene amounts of money to pose (keep in mind most in real life would be lucky to earn minimum wage in a fast food dump). The cost of film & developing and prints kept climbing. The public was more interested in hardcore videos. So he closed the doors on MAN-AGE STUDIOS & never regretted it.

The End