I came across Jaime’s videos maybe a week or two ago, when my good friend Pino showed me a video of a struggling musician in an over-dramatized music video showing a bearded guy with a guitar wonder the streets, collecting coins from the ground and playing in an empty venue. Of course Pino was drooling over the guy, however I was quite disgusted by the shallowness of the piece and went on a rant about how bearded guys are being worshipped for nothing else but their facial hair and how this is equal to a woman being worshipped only for her tits. As well as, how most of the artists using bearded dudes in their art, just use it as a convenient excuse to get cock.

It shouldn’t be a surprise that the video by Jaime Carrera isn’t concentrating on multi-layer-techniques and symbols, since he is mostly a self-taught artist who has never studied art formally. And yet, despite that fact and despite the overflowing drama, the overall impression of his videos is rather visually pleasuring than infuriating.

Jaime Carrera was born and raised in Ciudad Juarez, Mexico. At 17, he moved with his parents to Kansas, finished high school and initiated his interest in photography by learning to develop and print film in a community college course.

He relocated to Chicago in 1997 to pursue an art career and within a year he began exhibiting his work professionally, beginning at the Around The Coyote Arts Festival. Mr. Carrera now lives and works in Minneapolis, where he had his first solo show, Domestica, at the Flatland Gallery in 2002. Since then, his artwork has been shown at various galleries and spaces, such as Intermedia Arts, Rogue Buddha Gallery and Outsiders And Others Gallery.

He recently returned from a month-long tour of the eastern U.S. with the band Faggot.

Mark has one of the most amazing beards and moustaches I’ve seen. I asked him how he’s taking care of it, but this you can read yourself in the interview below. He is 33, studied at LSU, born in Lutcher, Louisiana. Mr. Louque is also a DJ and much more based in P-Town, Massachusetts. We sat and had a chat about parties, sex and beards – in other words, about Berlin. After which we produced the photo shoot together with Sean Johnson. You can see the instant boner results in the gallery at the end of this post.

What are you doing right now?

Right now I’m recovering from a long weekend of music men and mayham.  I’m living for this city.

What are you doing in Berlin? Where do you go?

I’m here in Berlin to DJ and to let myself be inspired by it’s night life.  I think that I’ve started this DJing thing solely as an excuse to be in Berlin. When I’m here I do the typical things like the museums, go to Berghain, and eat my weight in Döner Kebaps.  But I think my favorite place to go is to drink beer at Grosse Freiheit.  This neighborhood haunt in Freidrischain is the only gay bar in Berlin where the juke box plays death metal AND Laura Branigan.  Sitting under cheap disco lights, which in the U.S. can be purchased at RadioShack, you discover a room full of local german men here instead of the typical American/European sex tourists.  Near the coat check you begin to hear the voice of Kate Capshaw which is confusing until you find the ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom’ pinball machine tucked behind a wall at the entrance to the dark area. This makes me very happy.

What is CHERYL?

CHERYL is a group of 4 twenty-something artists from Brooklyn who throw a rad party.  I was lucky enough to join them here in Berlin and Barcelona for their European Tour.

What music do you play at CHERYL?

When I DJ for CHERYL I totally compromise my artistic integrity by playing more accessible electro-y party music, where typically I would play very moody/dark house and disco. But it’s good for me to dig into my music collection and experience other genres.    I do the same thing with my radio show/podcast called “The Crave Club” where I play everything from country to techno.

Is this the only party you organize?

Beyond all that I have two parties in the states that I can call my own:  FAG BASH and XOO.  FAG BASH is a party I do during the summers in a very faggity place called Provincetown (where I live year round).  Here the kids get dressed in trashy outfits and go down to the basement of a str8 bar (where actual ‘fag bashings’ have occurred) where they are greeted by Mama Lee Curtis, covered in laser lights and dance to a mix of nu disco, new wave, classic house, and other sounds that evokes and celebrates gay dance history.  However this party is totally mixed.  We’ve created an environment there that includes everyone.  The problem with nightlife in the U.S. is that every party every club has such a specific audience.  Homogenization leads to boredom.  I am retaliating.

XOO happens monthly in Bushwick, Brooklyn.  Same basic ideas as F.B. but here the music is much darker and synthy for the post-apocalyptic eastern Brooklyn kids.

Explain in great detail how you take care of your beard.

For my beard I use the greatest trimming tool ever invented called “The Peanut” by WAHL.  But NOT the wireless version!!  My beard, the peanut, and I have a very close relationship.  We’re always together and we take very good care of each other.  I use a Tazmanian beard gloss to keep my facial hair tame and moist and if I have a long mustache I’ll use a wax to curl it.  I touch my beard and have my beard touched by others to keep it stimulated and satisfied.

Has it come to your attention that there is a cult called markdirtylouques.com?

I love mindless cults.  In lieu of joining mine please watch the double episode of Strangers with Candy season 2 on the aforementioned topic.

How did you feel during the photo shoot?

I felt fine during the shoot.  Sweaty… yes well I’m always sweaty however covered in sheep skin rugs would make anyone sweaty.  Not because I was hot but because you took them off your dirty ass floor and put them on my back.  I was lucky to not develop a rash from all the filth.

You loved it. Is there any border you would never cross in a photo shoot?

No. Except the Canadian border which I am not allowed to cross for one year after attempting to DJ there without a work permit.  Otherwise I have no borders as long as the nudes are done tastefully.

What music do you play while having sex?

Music is for dancing not sex.  I obsess so much about music that I wouldn’t pay attention to the guy/girl that I’m with.

When was the last time you were with a girl and how was it?

A real girl???  I made out with Amber this summer.  The weird part was not that she’s a girl but that she was trying to make some guy jealous so she got flirty and licky.  And even weirder is that we don’t really like each other.  And even weirder still is that I liked it a lot and I think about it all the time.

What are your fetishes?

Do fetishes still exist? I love it all except the gross stuff. It’s always nice to explore someones personality thru fetish however a queen in leather is still a fagget.

The exbeariment Josh Rotter conducted in the emblematic San Francisco scene changed his perception for men, masculinity and fetishes. With a starting point like that it’s pretty easy: “Truthfully, I’ve never even kissed a beard. Preferring a neat workspace, I find excessive body hair too unwieldy.” The author dives in the vibrant bear scene in Castro and lets himself go the hairy way.

On his journey to beardom Roth experiences get very intensive – he needs just a couple of nights to study the bear nature, to find the perfect key to a bear’s heart or at least hairy chest (honey). Then Josh gets his beary climax when he realizes:

“I was squeezing my way out [of the bar] past the throngs of Bears, Cubs and Otters at the now packed club, he said “hi,” rubbed up against my hairy cheek with his and kissed my face. Going into insta-shock, I felt a static electricity run from his face to mine with the bit of friction. As my fingers caressed his furry upper chest through his V-neck shirt, I suddenly understood what everyone was talking about. I discovered the joy of Bear.”

Read more about his experiences and the outcome of this journey in the wilderness here. In the meantime also take a look at those stunning scientific bear guides which will help you plan your hunt better:

If you’re visiting San Fran soon, you will definitely need this piece of info:

Want to bear it up for the weekend? Let your tufts flow and dress to impress—a hair shirt for starters—and head out to The Lone Star Saloon or The Eagle Tavern on Sundays for bear bust. If you want to dance with somebody, then head to Bearracuda @ Deco Lounge on the first, third and fifth Saturdays of the month or to hear Honey Soundsystem @ Paradise Lounge on Sundays. With sloths of bears in town for International Bear Rendezvous Weekend 2010 (Feb. 12-14) don’t miss your chance at finding your bear-y Valentine at one of three special dance parties including: Magnum @ DNA Lounge (Feb. 12), Bearracuda (Feb. 13) and the notorious IBR Underbear Party (Feb. 14) @ Deco Lounge, headlined by DJ Rotten Robbie. Get your tickets before they sell out. You better hairy!

imagery and more info: thebolditalic, harryhorror

The winter is over. Bears are awake. I officially announce the beginning of the hunting season. More:

imagery: harryhorror, menwithoutclothes, szakall, loveofhair, haikalnoyes, beardslover, carrottop

Antonio Ballatore (more pics in the bottom) is a New York native, who believed he would be a rock star by the age 40. While giving more attention to his rock stardom, he still had a couple of hours between gigs to learn how to build houses. His newly discovered talent led him to design restaurants and clubs in Manhattan and, later, design sets for world-famous photographers, including Annie Leibovitz and David LaChapelle. If you think he got my attention with his designer skills, you would be perfectly wrong. Of course the looks were the pure reason why my friend Lin made me focus on those hands, those tattoos, that beard and this smile. Photos and videos speak for themselves. Oh, yeah, and he is hetero – how sad.

Antonio Ballatore is also the new champion of HGTV’s Design Star, is ready to bring his distinct and edgy design aesthetic to HGTV audiences. His resulting HGTV show, The Antonio Treatment (video below), premiered on March 14 2010.

Antonio resides currently in Los Angeles with his English bulldog, Chewie.

Take a look at his portfolio at: Celestine Agency.

Endangered species who need our special attention. 7 +1 every every week starting this Monday. Here is the first set of boys…

imagery: lagodilot, loveofhair, thewetsnow, zooted, steve753, baristabenjamin