On the Rag, Vol. 925

 

This week's rag 'n' mag roundup features Deni Avdija, Ollie Muhl, Charley Thompson, Amuka, Benito Skinner, the Skivvies and more BELOW.

Weekend Tennis Roundup

Iva Jovic and Kaitlin Quevedo picked up trophies; Borna Coric has a new beard; and the Davis Cup Final 8 is set. Full report plus all the ATP beef that's fit to post BELOW.

Remains of the Day (09/22)

NYT: An heir to Thailand’s Singha beer fortune who accused his older brother of sexually abusing him as a child has taken on his powerful family and sparked a rare national reckoning over sexual abuse. Read my post about the disturbing allegations HERE.

Page Six: The poor Gerber family. First “The Shards” and now this?

Ad Watch: Yowza. And to think he was eliminated in the first round of "Finding Mr. Christmas"

The Wrap: Elliot Graham, Oscar-nominated editor on "Milk," dies by suicide at 50

KIT212: A blond Benito Skinner was spotted at the Burberry show during London Fashion Week

NYP: Inside the minds of the romantic hustlers who allegedly charm their way into the hearts -- and wallets -- of the ultra-rich 

PGN: Chelsea Manning has found a new way to express herself by making electronic music and DJing as she builds a life beyond the activism and controversy that made her infamous

Complex: Princess Diana's brother claims she once told him she wanted a divorce because Charles was "in love with his valet" -- reviving decades-old rumors about the monarch's sexuality

Attitude: Former police officer accused of killing Australian presenter allegedly disguised himself as Uber Eats rider

Boystack: "Boy Culture" celebrates 20 years with a look back at the gay film's journey from novel to big screen

Irish Times: A fellow Saint Etienne obsessive reflects on saying goodbye to a band whose music has provided the soundtrack to much of her adult life

Genocide Watch: Indonesia's president has designated the spread of LGBTQ culture a "nonmilitary threat," fueling fears of an escalating government crackdown on the country's gay and trans communities

Greg in Hollywood: Catching up with potential couple Joe (Jonathan Bennett) and Lucas (Van Hansis) on “General Hospital” 

PinkNews: Two teens on trial for murder and robbery after man allegedly targeted on Grindr

Washington Blade: U.N. human rights chief sounds alarm over "comprehensive onslaught" against LGBTQ rights

Hot Cat of the Day: With his dads finally home after being away for more than a week, Harvey wasn't taking any chances with me today! 

Crush Course: Mencrush turns up the heat in Baja California with “Crush House,” a new reality competition featuring 10 creators battling for $20,000 and the title Most Valuable Crush

The Caftan Chronicles: Three Madonna-obsessed Gen X gay men have the ultimate M-themed fag-out, dishing on everything from favorite albums and videos to her best looks, biggest missteps and enduring hold on gay culture

Tennis Tuesday: Robert Farah

 

One week after Lorenzo Musetti took the plunge, it only stands to reason that I would discover noted attention whore Robert Farah has also jumped on the ATP Underwear Model bandwagon, which you can see more of BELOW.

See You Later

 

About to head to the airport. Saint Etienne and Altered Images did not disappoint, which is to say nothing of their homeland about which I have plenty to say in the days ahead!

Carefree in Caerphilly 🏴󠁧󠁢󠁷󠁬󠁳󠁿

Another fantastic day in the U.K., this time touring Caerphilly Castle -- a sprawling medieval stronghold famed for its vast moat and leaning tower. Tomorrow we’ll visit another celebrated citadel (in Chepstow) -- I’m married to a kastle kween, whereas I pretended my Fisher-Price fortress was my play village’s local theme restaurant -- before heading to Exeter for the Altered Images concert of my (childhood) dreams. 

Fun fact: Following her band’s breakup, singer Clare Grogan attracted what she later called a “crazy bidding war” and signed with London Records. 

She then recorded the solo album “Trash Mad” in New York with former Altered Images bandmate (and later husband) Stephen Lironi. 

The album was produced by Mark Kamins, best known for producing Madonna’s debut single, “Everybody.” But when its lead single, “Love Bomb” (b/w “I Love the Way You Beg”), failed to chart in 1987, London Records canceled the planned follow-up, “Strawberry,” and shelved the LP.  Another album track produced by Kamins, “Reason Is the Slave,” eventually surfaced on London Records’ 1987 various-artists compilation “Giant,” but that was it.

Although Kamins had an impressive résumé -- as an A&R man for Island Records, he signed the wonderful Waitresses and Was (Not Was), and as a remixer put his stamp on records by David Byrne, Bow Wow Wow and KajaGooGoo -- looking back I’m not entirely convinced he was up to the Grogan task.

(She wouldn’t release another album until Altered Images’ “Mascara Streakz” in 2022, which I can’t get enough of.)

The intriguing part is that even Grogan does not currently seem to know where a usable master of “Trash Mad” is. In 2024, she mentioned searching her attic for the album’s digital audio tape (DAT). In a 2025 interview, she said the album definitely exists and that she owns – or once owned – a copy, but thinks it may be at somebody else’s house. She jokingly added: “It couldn’t have been that bad.”  

If anyone has a bootleg, please contact me!