Electrolux Lover

Carl Linder
starring Jack Smith
Lower East Side NYC 
circa 1965

I haven’t found any personal information on Carl Linder, but I did find that he made at least two other films starring Jack Smith: the Devil is Dead (1964) and Skin (1965.)  I have found two other of his films that are available through Canyon Cinema Cooperative: Vampira, the Passion of (1969) and Womancock (1965.)  One must assume that he was of Jack’s circle, like Bill Vehr (1940 - 1988,) author of the highly regarded Avocado (1965) and Brothel (1966,) also starring Smith.  Electrolux Lover is in the collection of the Anthology Film Archive and available to be seen for free on Youtube.  It’s a very well shot and edited short silent film that records Jack’s curiosity and passion for a very phallic vacuum cleaner.  It brings to mind Jack’s earlier pantomime collaborations with Ken Jacobs in the late fifties. One misses Jacobs’ thoughtful musical pairings.  I’ve been watching it accompanied by various renditions of the classic Siboney that were recorded around the same time.  I found the Connie Francis version (1960 y en español) of this Ernesto Lecuona song was especially well suited.

Twelve Photos by Aaron Cobbett

New York City 
circa 2005 - 2017

1.Eli as Robin Hood   

2.Puma Black as a Warrior   

3.Chase Hostler as an Acrobat   

4.He-Man: Master of the Universe

5.Brian Tillman as Skeletor   

6 &7.Brian Tillman   

8.in the Den   

9.Monroe Stevens   

10.Red Phone off the Hook   

11 & 12.AB Soto

Aaron Cobbett used to have a blog that he kept up regularly for many years called Pink & Wrinkly.  I first learned of it through Gengoroh Tagame’s recommendation, followed it closely and kept a file of the photos that I enjoyed, which were numerous.  I forget… it may have gotten hacked…  in any case, he started a new one called Rose et Ridé and I continued accumulating these images.  A friend of mine, another artist interested in this sort of photography didn’t share my enthusiasm for Cobbett’s work.  He pointed out how derivative it was, especially of Jim Bidgood’s delirious efforts, only slicker and more commercial.  I responded that Bidgood was certainly more original and wonderfully eccentric, but that he had stopped working long ago and Cobbett’s models represented a far wider range of ethnicities.  Cobbett also had his own particular peculiarities, fetishes and obsessions, and I couldn’t help feeling very strongly drawn to some of his models, especially as he costumed and shot them (especially Eli.)  Unfortunately his posting petered out and he got rid of those blogs; and my files were destroyed thanks to a ransom virus.  It took a lot of effort to find even a few of my old favorites, but some of his new work is almost as good.  I especially like this fellow called AB Soto.  A couple of the videos that Cobbett has designed and directed for him are worth watching, the best being Cha Cha Bitch.