By Dian Hanson
In mid-July, not the nicest time of year to spend in a sweltering storage facility, I moved David’s archive from two very cluttered storage units into one larger, cheaper one. Christopher Trout’s loyal, young and most important, strong, friends Heather and Hamish came long to help and between us we humped about three hundred boxes of files (David is a great scholar on virtually everything), books, catalogs, magazines, model releases, videotapes, audiotapes, negatives, slides and prints from the two old dusty spaces into the new slightly less dusty space. It took us about three hours of hard labor, but when we were done we had created something slightly like order for the archive. This means I can actually find photos of specific models now, which many of you have asked for, and also have access to, and a way to duplicate audiotapes for sale.
OR Cassettes
David always felt his audiotapes were his finest achievement, and having driven around LA for a few weeks in my big Lincoln Town Car with the abuse of smoldering hustlers blaring from my sound system, I think I agree. These tapes, made by leaving a model, hustler or criminal alone in a room with a tape recorder and a one-hour cassette, can be chilling. Some used their time as primal scream therapy, others followed surprisingly imaginative scripts of their own invention, telling of tricks they’d fucked and fucked over. Some just describe in rich detail their plans to rape/rob/murder David. He values these tape above all. If you still have a means of listening to audiotapes, write for details. Tapes are $15 for 60 minutes, with 30 minutes of two different models.
One of a Kind Wrestling Prints
More exciting for most of you will be a find I made in the wrestling files. David had always told me he didn’t make larger format prints, as he had no outlet for selling them. However, I have found a limited number of gorgeous, vintage, 8 x 10 black and white wrestling prints, dating from around 1985. These glossy prints are in perfect condition and were personally printed by David in his own darkroom (when I showed them to him he finally remembered making them for a proposed gallery exhibit in the ’80s). David will sign these prints. The Leslie/Lohman Gallery in New York has shown interest in mounting an exhibition and sale of these prints, so if you’re a wrestling fan you’d better get them now.
Rare 5x7s
For those with stricter budgets, I also found a stash of 5 x 7 hand printed black and white wrestling prints as well. These feature popular models, including Springer, Brian Diaz, Dakota Bradford and Kermit. These all feature the Old Reliable studio stamp.
Last of the OR Catalogues
I also found a single box of Old Reliable catalogs. Again, these are in pristine shape and uncirculated, but they are the only catalogs left. David says he even destroyed the film used to print the catalogs, so there can be no more. We’re starting low on the price, considering that these are really like magazines with hundreds of photos of Old Reliable models, but as the box empties the price will go up. Again, act quickly, as begging later will do no good.
The Man Himself
As for David, he’s finally starting to get some physical therapy to help him regain use of his hands, largely because he’s about to turn 65, the magical age when Medicare kicks in. It’s 10 and a half months since his stroke, so we’re not sure how much he’ll benefit from therapy, but seeing his slow improvement with no therapy, I have hopes. As for his dirty little mind, it remains sharp, and his humor is intact through it all. The best times are when we sit and talk about his models, every one of whom he remembers in graphic detail, from first glimpse, to the pick up, the posing, the sex, to the crimes, imprisonment, release and return, when they would show up even more magnificent, he will tell you, with new muscle, new tattoos, and new tricks for his camera or recorder.
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