Customer Reviews

Bob's World: The Life and Boys of A.M.G.'s Bob Mizer

5 star:		(7)
4 star:		(0)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(1)
1 star:		(2)

 

 

This VERY large volume was composed of material directly from the AMG archives. It's not only Bob's photos but also the photos taken of all of his props and personal possessions that were amazing for me to see. The book also uses, for the first time, Bob's personal diaries as well as interviews with his closest friends, some of who died shortly before the completion of the book, to paint a complete picture of the history of the studio. I consider myself maybe not an expert but certainly well informed about the AMG legacy and this book (and accompanying DVD) were full of material I'd never laid eyes on before.

I didn't know much about Bob Mizer until my gay roommate turned me onto his work, so I may not be the most, I don't know, 'educated' about vintage gay photography, but I love this book. There's something so sweet about these photographs (I know what you're thinking-- "sweet? porn-y beefcake photos?"--but bear with me). Maybe it's just looking back gives everything a rose colored glow, but something about the photos just makes me giggle. Even the hustlers that didn't want to be there give good photo face... And I love Pantero El Salvador! It might sound weird, but I think the backdrops are incredible (purple mountains!!!). Definitely a great book to add to your collection if you're into this sort of thing, and would probably make a good gift for your naughty friends.

Bob's World is quite possibly the only book of Bob Mizer's photography that is as interesting to look at as it is to read. No other publication comes close to rivaling the honesty and humor, not to mention true appreciation, with which this book was edited. Through a series of interviews with friends, colleagues and models, Dian Hanson delivers something no one else has ever been able to - the real Bob Mizer. As per usual, she gathered only the best of a vast collection of previously unprinted photographs for this beautifully printed tome (embossed cover). He may have been known for his early black and white beefcake, but Bob's World proves that color was no barrier for Mizer. If you're a collector of his work, the oral history, as well as excerpts from Mizer's personal diaries, and even an illustrated map of the AMG compound, make this book a must have.

Bob's World would have been a great biographical book. If it had plumbed a little more history into some of the more famous men who modeled for bob.
I'm talking about the ones who went on to become well know actors.
Such as Glenn Corbett, Sammy Jackson, Ed Fury and Dennis Cole. I would have like to know a little more about them.

Iremember seeing these pictures in that pictorial some years back. I always enjoyed the models and often got off on seeing them. This collection is great and well worth the cost.

if you are looking for an overview of the innovations of Bob Mizer...look elsewhere.
too bad that Taschen and their female editor grabbed this archive and tried to make a book out of it. Clearly, there is no understanding of Mizer's contribution here...just a showy, weak effort to make money from his images.

Some great images are included, because Bob M. broke the mold. But not the histroy he deserves.

not sure why Tashen thinks it own nudity...but this is one for the dustbin.

Bobs world issimply one of the most interesting books that I have purchased. The lush photographs and intimate text bring to life Bob Mizers envyable world.

The saturated color, improbable backdrops and props are deliciously kitsch and downright pop. Some of the them reminds me of Pierre & Gilles' photography, for whom Mizer might have been an influence. The themes vary: classic portraiture, candid snapshots, hillarious staged photos (especially the ones showing the models jumping or spreadeagled and hanging from various contraptions). The photo showing Tico Patterson laying on a coffin lid borders on the uncanny.
It was a great idea to include a map to "Bob's World" (reminiscent of tourism flyers) and a bird's eye view (with explanations and all) of Bob's property back in its heyday and after his demise, for it gives a sense of time-flow and intimacy to the reader! Another plus is the publication of the real meaning Mizer gave to the pictorial code he assigned to some of his models in Physique Pictorial (which may have "archeological value" in studies of gay culture). Although it has accounts from close friends (as well as Mizer's tongue-in-cheek and at times acid comments plus pictures of his memorabilia), the book is NOT a formal biography, but a tribute - lame or otherwise - to Bob Mizer's work. It may function also as an introduction to Mizer's AMG body of work as published in later period Physique Pictorial (by the way, the complete reprint of Physique Pictorial has been published by Taschen in 1997 and may still be available). It seems, though, that this book is more of a tribute to the models themselves (as the title implies) and the imaginary they represented (and still do!): names like Brian Diaz, Rod Garetto,Cougar, Tico Patterson, the many aliased John Apache... By portraying the imaginary of an undomesticated and streewise manhood Mizer's work is timeless, like David Hurles' of Old Reliable fame. Thanks to Taschen, Bob's "futureless" boys are kept for posterity, after all (in color and in big format too!) and so, following one of his model's quoted concern, I do hope Dian had their names spelled right!
I agree that it is not a definitive study on Bob Mizer (or AMG for that matter), and I wish this book by Ms Hanson may inspire more scholarly and in-depth works, which are long overdue for such an excentric, intense and self-motivated person, whose work, done single-handedly, undoubtedly left a deep imprint in promoting heightened self-esteem for gay persons and shaping gay culture in the US and abroad, if not only by his own merit but for introducing pop icons (like Tom of Finland, Art Bob, Quaintance and others) into the american and international scene via Physique Pictorial.

Viewing the contents of the bonus DVD may be like taking a trip to Mars as they are totally alien to today's gay erotic aesthetics. Itself woth the price of admission!!

Dian Hanson has created a beautiful and haunting compilation of Bob Mizer's photography.Hanson also provides readers with insight into the lives of Bob Mizer and the troubled but strikingly handsome men who worked with him.This is what makes the book a five star text for me,it's far more than a naughty coffee table book.Mizer seems to have been a kind soul to have captured all of the guys in a flattering and erotic manner.The looks in their eyes are alluring to the reader and makes you wonder what they were thinking and what their future would be.Mizer photographed African-American men in a way that did not exoticize them,the photos do not differ (in terms of layout,costuming,angles,and setting) from the White and Latino men who posed for Mizer.Mack Carlson,Mike Reuter,Gerald Oglesby,Marco Willi,Tory Bell,Chuck Horshaw,Brian Diaz,and Jeffrey Willis are my favorite guys featured in the book but really almost every guy in the book is very appealing.I also loved the silent films that are on the dvd that comes with the book,each short film is a sexy romp from start to finish-the best two films are the twins mirroring then wrestling and the "sailor's girl" which has a fun twist.Overall it's a treasure of a book for those who like erotic photography with gay American history.

Like most of Taschen's re-hashed compilation coffee table books, "Bob's World" is a tacky "outside looking in" analysis that will only excite people who have never heard of Bob Mizer, or who are desperate for any sort of vintage male nudity. We have the obligatory shots of guys wrestling, and guys smiling by the pool, and guys spanking each other, all surrounded by Dian Hanson's strangely oblique commentary. Clearly, the woman only researched her topic months before writing this book, and the photos, (all of which have been widely available elsewhere,) are among Mizer's most sedate work. I'm always disappointed by Taschen books, no matter how intriguing the subject, and this lame tribute to AMG is no exception.