Bobby Darin Taking a Shower

This is the uncensored version of the photo of teen idol and 1960s singer Bobby Darin, perhaps an illustration from his "Splish, Splash (I Was Taking a Bath)" (1958).

It looks legitimate, like the real photo taken before censoring.

But when modern singers cover the song, they're usually shown in the bathtub, not in the shower, as in this rendition from a "Blast from the Past" performance at an Alabama high school.

The effect is the same.

The full post on Bobby Darin is on Boomer Beefcake and Bonding.

Naked Protests

It is quite common for protesters to take off their clothes to publicize a political injustice or social issue.  These students are promoting a workers' union.

Generally the nudity has nothing to do with the issue being publicized.  The nudity is meant only to draw viewer attention, and perhaps to emphasize the vulnerability of the protesters in the face of giant corporations or authoritarian governments.  Here, for instance, Tibetan students strip to their underwear to protest Chinese oppression.

The most famous naked protest is the Oblation Run at the University of the Philippines, named after Oblation, a statue of a naked man on campus.  Every December since 1977, members of the Alpha Phi Omega fraternity have taken off their clothes, put on masks to hide their identity, and run through the streets to promote a designated issue.

Since the protesters are university students, the themes are often educational: no tuition increase, wage increase for university employees, an end to fraternity violence.

Political themes are also common: free and clean elections, the ouster of President Joseph Estrada, an end to martial law on the island of Mindanao.

Fraternities at several University of the Philippines campuses participate, but the most frequent is Dilman, the main campus in Quezon City.

Politicians regularly condemn the Oblation Run as decadent, lewd, and immoral, but there is no law against public nudity in Quezon City, so there's not much that they can do.

Besides, you're supposed to be looking at the signs, not the physiques.

The Famous Nude Photo of Fred Dryer

When Fred Dryer was starring in Hunter (1984-1991), about a tough, trigger-happy, macho cop, a nude physique photo appeared purporting to be from his early modeling days.

It looks like it's from Physique Pictorial or a similar gay-coded physique magazine.  The guy looks sort of like Fred Dryer, and he has the same jarhead buzz cut.  

There are some problems, though.

Fred Dryer was born in 1946, so he couldn't have posed for this photo any earlier than 1964.

1. There were no nude physique photos until the late 1960s, and then they were in color.

2. In the late 1960s, Dryer was in his 20s.  This guy is at least 10 years too old.

3. Dryer had long hippie hair and a Castro Clone moustache.

But the guy is hot, whether or not he's actually a now-obscure tv star.

The full post is on Boomer Beefcake and Bonding.