The Real Men blog and Documentary

Anis Mojgani - For Those Who Can Still Ride In Airplanes - Poems / Poetry

2011-07-15T12:26:00.000-05:00

Uncle Bob is Dressing Like a Lady (Documentary)

2010-08-22T11:14:00.000-05:00

A short documentary I edited about an 85 year old gentleman who finally revealed his lifelong secret.

Uncle Bob is dressing like a lady.
Uploaded by synchronicity. - Explore more family videos.

The art of manliness

2010-06-14T00:27:00.003-05:00

http://artofmanliness.com/2010/05/26/vintage-mens-adventure-magazines/

Article in The Oxford Mail

2009-10-31T17:32:00.002-05:00

http://www.oxfordmail.co.uk/news/opinion/columns/4708409.Sassy_and_Single__Where_did_all_the_real_men_go_/

The Masculinity Project

2009-06-02T11:19:00.001-05:00

The Masculinity Project looks at the American Black Male Character.

It's worth checking this site out.

75 skills a real man should master

2009-01-10T20:04:00.001-06:00

The 75 skills a real man should master, according to some...

How real men (and probably most men) would like their women to be...

2009-01-06T19:02:00.001-06:00

The Perfect Woman for the Real Man

What cars do Real Men drive?

2009-01-06T13:36:00.002-06:00

Well, I'm poised at the moment to buy a new car, and I want a sports car. Something that's fun to drive, isn't too expensive, and is reliable. And a convertible. I've been driving a Chrysler LeBaron for a while, and I was seriously thinking about a Ford Mustang.

Then someone showed me a picture of a Miata for sale. And my first thought was "girl's car" or "Gay car". But then I looked at the reviews. It's won the "best car" top spot for ten years running, and is considered to be the best selling sports car, ever!

Miatas sell like hotcakes, and they keep their price, because they're damned good cars and people love them.

I mentioned to a friend I was thinking of getting one. "Chick's car", he said. But why is it? Why should anyone think that? Because women have the brains to know a good car when they see one? Is it some propaganda put out by Ford or the muscle car people (or the oil companies) that we should buy gas guzzling monsters?

I know a woman of 40 who just bought a new Mustang GT. Five liter, V8 with incredible torque, black, burns rubber like you wouldn't believe. So is she a lesbian, or weird, for having bought such a "guy's" car? Is she more of a guy than any guy with anything less than that car?

Of course not. The car you drive doesn't define you. And the way I look at it, if you have such an issue with image that you really need to show that you're a man by the car you drive, you very likely are the one with the issues about your gender or sexuality.

So I'm almost certainly going to buy the Miata.

And yes, I'm likely to get some flak from people who have bought into the image thing. I think what I'll do is get some shots of gay men and straight women driving Mustangs and trucks. In fact, I know a gay man who drives a Mustang as it is.

Imagine: not having a car that you'd really enjoy just because what other people thought. Other people who have bought into the marketing nonsense that you didn't...

The "Real Fight Club" (No rules fighting)

2008-11-19T12:00:00.003-06:00

There's something to be said about fighting. It's barbaric, yes, but we are animals and animals fight. All animals fight - even deers fight, and we have the idea that deer are gentle animals that run away when startled. Truth is, two deer will fight really hard over a mate or territory.

Isn't that just what men do, too?

There is something glorious to be said about sticking so to your integrity that you'll fight tooth and nail for it. Even if we don't fight physically, to put everything we have into fighting for something we think is right is important for our sense of self. When we fight to defend our beliefs, loved ones or freedom, we do something important for ourselves.

Tied up with fighting is respect and self respect, even if it does mean a bloodied nose or broken bones - or loss of pride or material goods or wealth.

We become bitter and hateful not when we lose, but when we fail to fight for something, I think. True hatred comes from cowardice, not from courage.

So in some way I'm drawn to the idea of fight club, or fighting - even though I've generally been a fairly passive and peaceful individual.

But the rare times I've fought, or been prepared to fight, I've found a sense of self worth and strength, and a sense of power and self esteem that I think are invaluable.

The-penis.com: All about the penis, testicles, prostate, male sexuality and male sexual health

2008-11-07T16:54:00.000-06:00

The-penis.com: All about the penis, testicles, prostate, male sexuality and male sexual health

Head Heart and Balls - On being a man

2008-11-07T16:51:00.000-06:00

Head Heart and Balls - On being a man

What men are really thinking

2008-07-11T15:48:00.001-05:00

What REAL men are really thinking?

Robert Heinlein on being a man

2008-06-18T21:09:00.001-05:00

" A man being should be able to change a diaper, plan an invasion, butcher a hog, conn a ship, design a building, write a sonnet, balance accounts, build a wall, set a bone, comfort the dying, take orders, give orders, cooperate, act alone, solve equations, analyze a new problem, pitch manure, program a computer, cook a tasty meal, fight efficiently, die gallantly.

Specialization is for insects."

Does his name make a man a real man?

2008-06-18T11:38:00.000-05:00

Johnny Cash has an opinion on that one.

Bullfighters have to be real men, surely?

2008-06-18T11:32:00.002-05:00

Although isn't it just a bit stupid, if it means having your face and body torn apart in the process?

Online conversation on the subject

2008-06-18T10:16:00.000-05:00

This is a link to an online conversation or "thread" at The Guardian online

Please feel free to join up to The Guardian "talk" and join in the conversation.

Joe Jackson - Real Men

2008-06-18T10:05:00.001-05:00

Joe Jackson - Real Men
Video sent by jesus_lizard

The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance

2008-06-17T23:37:00.000-05:00

Like Shane, John Wayne is the reluctant hero of the story. Jimmy Stewart is the idealist, Wayne is the realist who makes the actual sacrifice. Stewart is bookish and determined, but Wayne knows how to fight and use a gun and, of course, saves the day.

But he loses the girl in doing so - and is never publicly recognised for his heroism, Stewart believing he was the hero all along.

This story is in many ways the quintessential American western: where it takes a real man to do the dirty work nobody else is prepared or able to do.

Shane - last scenes

2008-06-17T23:24:00.002-05:00

Shane is the archetypal reluctant hero. To the boy, Shane is more of a man than his own father, who's a kind man, but who can't fight effectively. Even the boy's mother is attracted to Shane, who is everything her nice but weak husband isn't: "And mother wants you - I know she does!" cries the boy, in one of the last lines of the film.

Shane epitomises the Western hero, much like John Wayne in many of his films - such as The Man Who Shot Liberty Valance. Shane can't shake off his old, heroic, gunfighter self, even when he's disappeared into the shadows to live a respectable, ordinary life. He finally accepts "A man's got to be what he is" - virtually the cliche western line "A man's gotta do what a man's gotta do".

Frank Sinatra - "My Way"

2008-06-17T18:00:00.002-05:00

"But what is a man - what has he got?", asks Franks.

Bare knuckle street fighters

2008-06-17T17:50:00.001-05:00

Does a "real man" know how to fight, no matter what it takes?

Mick Jagger - a charmed life

2008-06-17T17:43:00.002-05:00

Is a "real man" someone who is famous, is adored by many, has thousands of lovers, and who's father many children by several, beautiful women?

Mick might fit the bill there.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ZRwQIuDeapE

Hugh Hefner

2008-06-17T17:36:00.001-05:00

Hugh's been shagging some of the most beautiful women you could meet. And he has pots of money, and does what he enjoys.

Is Hugh a "real man"?

Are we the bad guys?

2008-06-17T17:18:00.001-05:00

Are "real men" the good guys?

WWII paratrooper story

2008-06-17T17:11:00.001-05:00

Vietnam war recollections

2008-06-17T17:05:00.001-05:00

Winston Churchill - "Finest hour" -

2008-06-17T17:03:00.001-05:00

Winston Churchill's speech before the Battle of Britain: an example of true leadership.

Are leaders the "real men"?

Die Hard - the fucking short version

2008-06-17T16:37:00.001-05:00

Bruce Willis/John McLean: many people's idea of a "real man".

But is he?

Metrosexual (movie)

2008-06-17T16:34:00.002-05:00

Gay without being gay: The Metrosexual.

The Authentic Women's Penis Size Preference Chart

2008-06-17T16:33:00.002-05:00

Here it is, guys. The definitive report:

http://www.buzzfeed.com/peggy/the-authentic-womens-penis-size-preference-chart

Most sensitive man (Bedazzled)

2008-06-17T16:18:00.003-05:00

For a time (the 90s) "real" men were expected to "show they were in touch with their feelings"

But how much are we expected to?

Shaft - the opening scene

2008-06-17T16:07:00.002-05:00

The name says it all, really...

Gay men doing macho things

2008-06-17T15:53:00.003-05:00

A macho sport, but a different sexual orientation. Can a "real man" still be so, and be homosexual? Here's what a kid went through who was a footballer, till he was "outed":

What about Alexander? A great warrior, but he liked the boys, too. Was he still a "real man"?

Mind you, he was Greek.

Then there was Brokeback Mountain, of course...

Cowboys? Yep, I guess.

Can ballet dancers still be "real men"?

2008-06-17T15:36:00.003-05:00

Incredible power, agility, strength...but can a man still be a "real man" and dance ballet? Here's Baryshnikov:

Billy Elliot Trailer:

John Wayne tells it the way it is.

2008-06-17T15:20:00.001-05:00

Rodeo

2008-06-17T15:17:00.002-05:00

Do you have to risk your life and limb to prove you're a real man? Have to tame wild animals to prove it?

Fast draw and gun spinning

2008-06-17T15:14:00.000-05:00

Northern Arizona machine gun shoot

2008-06-17T14:52:00.001-05:00

Some women here too!

Bodybuilding

2008-06-17T14:49:00.001-05:00

More transvestites...

2008-06-17T14:47:00.003-05:00

Can a man still be a man if he wears women's clothes? Clip from The Rocky Horror Show:

Eddie Izzard - Executive Transvestite.

Barck Obama on fatherhood

2008-06-17T14:39:00.000-05:00

Omaha Beach, D-Day (Band of Brothers)

2008-06-17T14:31:00.002-05:00

and the real men of Easy Company that "Band of Brothers" was based on:

Superman

2008-06-17T14:27:00.002-05:00

Woody Allen - Bananas scene

2008-06-17T14:19:00.001-05:00

Satinelle ad

2008-06-17T14:09:00.002-05:00

Real ad for Satinelle...

300 - the movie trailer

2008-06-17T14:02:00.001-05:00

Tony Curtis on Cary Grant

2008-06-17T13:56:00.002-05:00

Cary Grant had to have been many a man's role model. He was certainly Tony's...

Sean Connery as James Bond

2008-06-17T13:45:00.000-05:00

If I could be anyone else, it would be Sean as James Bond...

Be a man's man!

2008-06-17T13:40:00.001-05:00

James Brown...and Pavarotti! - A man's world.

2008-06-17T13:28:00.001-05:00

Actually this made me cry!

"Mantage" - funny clip!

2008-06-17T13:21:00.002-05:00

"If" by Rudyard Kipling

2008-06-17T13:18:00.000-05:00

IF you can keep your head when all about you
Are losing theirs and blaming it on you,
If you can trust yourself when all men doubt you,
But make allowance for their doubting too;
If you can wait and not be tired by waiting,
Or being lied about, don't deal in lies,
Or being hated, don't give way to hating,
And yet don't look too good, nor talk too wise:

If you can dream - and not make dreams your master;
If you can think - and not make thoughts your aim;
If you can meet with Triumph and Disaster
And treat those two impostors just the same;
If you can bear to hear the truth you've spoken
Twisted by knaves to make a trap for fools,
Or watch the things you gave your life to, broken,
And stoop and build 'em up with worn-out tools:

If you can make one heap of all your winnings
And risk it on one turn of pitch-and-toss,
And lose, and start again at your beginnings
And never breathe a word about your loss;
If you can force your heart and nerve and sinew
To serve your turn long after they are gone,
And so hold on when there is nothing in you
Except the Will which says to them: 'Hold on!'

If you can talk with crowds and keep your virtue,
' Or walk with Kings - nor lose the common touch,
if neither foes nor loving friends can hurt you,
If all men count with you, but none too much;
If you can fill the unforgiving minute
With sixty seconds' worth of distance run,
Yours is the Earth and everything that's in it,
And - which is more - you'll be a Man, my son!

"Real Men" BBC drama (please read attached blurb)

2008-06-17T12:37:00.000-05:00

All episodes of this series can be watched on YouTube. The first episode can be viewed here.

"The initial inspiration for Real Men came from the sheer number of cases that have happened over the past decade. We realised how endemic the abuse of power within the child-care system had become. I'm afraid it's a phenomenal problem."

"Current research shows that if you're abused as a child, you can develop a distorted view on sexuality and power which may affect you as an adult. We thought it was the perfect, weighty subject for Frank to tackle." The result is an enormously affecting piece of work.
We view disturbing events through the eyes of Detective Inspector Matthew Fenton (Ben Daniels). As he embarks on what he thinks is a straightforward missing child investigation, Fenton soon stumbles upon a network of abuse whose tentacles stretch far into the community.

In order to get to the heart of this web of corruption, he must win the trust of Russell, a vulnerable 12-year-old boy. But the more he probes this case, the more Fenton is forced to confront uncomfortable elements in his own relationships.

David Snodin, the award-winning producer responsible for such landmark productions as Crime and Punishment, Holding On and Great Expectations, thinks that this is an unusually potent drama. "The moment I started reading it, I couldn't put it down," Snodin says. "By exploring the links between the perpetrators of abuse and their victims, I believe that Real Men provides the deepest examination of this subject in a drama to date.
Snodin continues by underlining the authenticity of Deasy's script. According to the producer, "this piece is drenched in truth, so it can't be exploitative. Frank's writing may be dangerous and close to the bone, but it's always truthful. You get drawn into the world of these characters - you don't approve of it, but Real Men just shows you how it is.
"The initial inspiration for Real Men came from the sheer number of cases that have happened over the past decade. We realised how endemic the abuse of power within the child-care system had become. I'm afraid it's a phenomenal problem."

"Current research shows that if you're abused as a child, you can develop a distorted view on sexuality and power which may affect you as an adult. We thought it was the perfect, weighty subject for Frank to tackle." The result is an enormously affecting piece of work.

Real Men wear kilts?

2008-06-17T12:31:00.001-05:00

Tori Amos - Real Men

2008-06-17T12:28:00.000-05:00

Maury: Real Men in Playgirl

2008-06-17T12:24:00.001-05:00

Playgirl ad

2008-06-17T12:23:00.000-05:00

Lexington Bridge "Real Man" video

2008-06-17T12:19:00.001-05:00

Bud Lite "real men" ads

2008-06-17T12:18:00.002-05:00

Three TV ads

Men who knit

2008-06-17T12:16:00.001-05:00

War heroes

2008-06-17T12:10:00.001-05:00

What the documentary is about

2008-06-17T11:52:00.001-05:00

I'm making a documentary about "Real Men" (provision title) and I'm looking to explore different men's ideas about masculinity.

I'm hoping to reach all walks of life, and interview many stereotypes as well as "ordinary guys". Particularly looking for extreme macho types (bodybuilders, footballers, boxers, cowboys, firemen etc) as well as gay men, transvestites, transexuals, large men (obese, tall), anorexic men, men in "unmasculine" jobs and professions (nurses, ballet dancers etc), men with image disorders etc. Also those from "the dark side": pimps, strip club owners, etc.

Please email me describing yourself, and something of your opinions about masculinity. What is it that makes a "real man"? Is it how many women he's slept with, how much money he has, how many children he's fathered, how big his dick is, how much money he has, what car he drives, etc?

Please put the word around, too. If you know anyone who might be interested in participating, please ask them to respond

Thanks.