Big Beer-Bellied Men

Happy Folsom!

Like, if you really cared about masturbation, you'd buy vintage analog.

Husky started in San Francisco a few years after Bear, with the first few issues being digest sized. Issue 5, from 1992, featuring cover man D.J. You can almost see where I live in the 4th photo.

I’m at Steamworks for the twice-monthly bear event, and the music has gone Depeche Mode > Joy Division > Joan Jett > Bauhaus > The Cure, and right now it’s Nine Inch Nails. ❤️‍🔥

Before I knew the word “bear” I knew that Stephen Caffrey in Longtime Companion had my attention.

I don’t ever expect to get issues 1 and 2 - of which there were only 40 and 120 handmade copies respectively - but I do have a book which reprints the photos from those two. Can’t believe I’ve finally got these.

Very happy to add these to my collection.

Photos of Mike Snofield by Jim Wigler, 1995, for Classic Bear issue 1, published February 1996. 4x6 black and white prints from the Bear archives. Only the second photo was published, the rest were unseen.

Photos of Jack Radcliffe by Jim Wigler, 1995, for Classic Bear issue 1, published February 1996. 4x6 black and white prints from the Bear archives.

Photos of Jack Radcliffe by Jim Wigler, 1995, for Classic Bear issue 1, published February 1996. Unseen proof sheet from the Bear archives. The image circled in red in the fourth column was the centerfold.

A seller has started offloading 25 bankers boxes of Brush Creek archives, and I’m beside myself with what might be in there. I was able to grab a set of contact sheets containing 200 photos that Chris Nelson shot of Mike Snofield for issue 15.

You know you’ve done a good job when someone who claims to be a total top busts a load ALL OVER you just from eating his ass.

I heard from another Bear model this morning. He’s joined Bluesky, so welcome! I’ll let him introduce himself if he wants. He’s 64 and still kicking.

Cheers, December

Bear issue 50, July, 1998, featuring Jimmy. The 50th issue of Bear celebrated by printing some or all of the models in color. Jimmy here appears first in an issue that famously features Jack Radcliffe on the cover. 1/

Sorry I haven’t posted in a while. Here’s my cock.

John takes beautiful photos of men, many of whom are bears.

1999 Bear calendar featuring Jack Radcliffe. Here’s the last 4 pages, September through December.

1999 Bear calendar featuring Jack Radcliffe. Here’s May through August.

1999 Bear calendar featuring Jack Radcliffe. Here’s January through April.

A dear friend who also follows this account sent me his 1999 Bear calendar, which is all Jack Radcliffe. There are 16 images total, so I’ll spread them out over several posts. Here’s the front and back covers, along with single-page inserts of 1999 and 2000 calendars.

Bear issue 50, July, 1999, featuring Gary. Oh, Gary. Gary, Gary, Gary. I had *such* a crush this man. He was a regular at the Lone Star. I got up the courage to ask him out, and we went on a very chaste dinner date. I recall that he moved shortly after this issue, but I don’t remember where. 1/

Sorry things have been kinda quiet. With the influx of new users I’ve had to swat down a bunch of accounts. I also needed to scan some more issues. More posts coming shortly!

Bear issue 20, 1992, featuring a reader’s contribution. Proof once again that Bear was far more interested in everyday men than the plucked and perfect porn stars of the time.

There are 71 issues of Bear ‘87-‘01 (64 regular issues, 6 special editions, and 1 collection of erotic fiction). Right now 33 of those are up on eBay, including issue 50, which features Jack Radcliffe in color (pouring champagne into his foreskin). I’m not a seller, just alerting fellow collectors.

Here are 3 higher quality images of Mike taken from Chris Nelson’s 1991 book The Bear Cult.

This is my buddy Duane. For 3 years we played in a band together (he was bass, I was drums). He worked for the magazine, and we used the loft where they processed mail order as our practice space. Like Mitch and Michael, he declined to get naked, but I thought you might appreciate him anyway. 😊

Preorders extended 2 more days. Get your reproduction Bear t-shirt and more!

My buddy @meansteve.bsky.social has been carefully digitizing all the early videos available via Bear. You can now stream or download Classic Bear from 1995 by visiting “VHS Collection” on his website. More titles will be added over time. meansteve.online/vhs-collecti...

Bear issue 44, June, 1997, featuring Charlie. Here’s the rest of his shoot, plus, because it was rare to see the bears in color, I’m including his page from the 1998 calendar. The last black and white image is one of my personal favorites from the entire run of the magazine.

Hi friends, looking for some information about The Bear Fax. If you know anything about its origin or history, would you please DM me? Thanks!

For those of you wondering what Lance looks like now, see below. 🥹

Bear issue 28, 1994, featuring cover model Pete Greene. Here’s the remainder of Pete’s spread - and with that, issue 28 is a wrap.

Get your reproduction Bear t-shirts while you can!

Bear issue 37, April, 1996, featuring Dwayne. This was a reader’s contribution, and I have another one coming up. Once again, Bear proving that the way to get into the magazine was to ask (or in this case, show). I grew up around country boys like this. 🥹

Bear issue 28, 1994, featuring Barry. One of the fun aspects of this project is rediscovering men I’d forgotten about. I jerked off to thick, furry, sweaty, uncut Barry many times. 🥹 1/

I’ll be 54 in 8 days. I was 21 when I first saw Bear. If I could jump back to 1992 and tell baby-gay me not to worry, because one day I’d grow into my looks and be the kind of man I was searching for, I’d be very happy.

Bear issue 44, June, 1997, featuring Buddy LaRue. While not on the cover, Buddy got the centerfold. Apart from the front cover of each issue starting with 21 - and the models in issue 50 - it was rare to see the bears in color. I’m including Buddy’s page from the 1998 calendar below. 1/

Shits And Giggles were items of interest that regularly appeared in Bear, like vanity license plates, suggestive place names, etc. From April ‘96, here’s another Asian bear, Leo from Seattle. Totally adorable.

It’s not Bear, but here’s a little piece of gay history from 1982: Clark Henley’s The Butch Manual. A friend who once owned a copy asked me to pick it up for him. This comes 2 years after The Official Preppy Handbook and 18 years before The Bear Handbook. Very rare.

Bear issue 44, June, 1997, featuring Paul. If I’m not mistaken, an illustration of one of these photos was used in a later issue or issues to advertise the personals section. Paul is peak bear for me personally. 1/

The Lone Star Saloon had been open for 6 months when the 1989 Loma Prieta earthquake forced its closure and relocation. Before the building was demolished, Chris Nelson took this photo, which ran on the back cover of issue 11, and also in his book. I recognize a couple of faces. Read more below…1/

Bear issue 11, 1990, featuring Garrison Hapsburg. I first saw him on the cover of Advocate Men in 1989, a photo from which stayed folded up in my wallet for years. Very likely the first Prince Albert I saw on a man. 1/

Bear issue 20, 1992, featuring Fred. Here’s the rest of his shoot. The little loop of skin connecting his shaft to the head is called a penile skin bridge, and happens when healing after circumcision. I had 2 of these myself until they were removed during an outpatient procedure when I was 15.

CW: incest Bear issue 11, 1990, featuring Big Meat Bela. By request. Bela is the first model to appear in the issue with Jack Radcliffe on the cover, so I’m sure he made a, umm, big impression on a lot of budding bears. 1/

Bear issue 44, June, 1997, featuring Mike. Since I’ve shared his second appearance, in Classic Bear 5, I thought I’d go back his original spread. Mike was Mr. New England Bear 1996.

Love sees no color. John and Joe, 1990, by Chris Nelson. I’m feeling a weird combination of sentimental and maudlin tonight. Is it possible to feel nostalgia for something you never experienced?

Here’s a little long-haired biker love from Chris Nelson’s book. T.C. was a regular contributor to Bear for many years as “T.C.’s smudge.” He wrote the Home Cookin’ column which was DIY sex toys and apparatus, as well as story illustrations of men such as himself and his partner here Lange.

Just a reminder, please respect people’s privacy. If you know any of the models, don’t tag them or share personal details. Some are proud of having appeared in Bear, but to others it was a youthful indiscretion. I always get consent before sharing current photos. Let them make that decision. Thanks.