Some Men are Lookers

The Buddies Cycle #4

by Ethan Mordden

Some Men Are Lookers, Ethan Mordden's much lauded fourth volume in his "Buddies" cycle, follows the exploits of his best-loved characters-Dennis Savage, Little Kiwi, Carlo, the 'elf-child' Cosgrove, and narrator Bud. Mordden lays bare the emotional landscape of the city within a city that is Gay Manhattan. Blending the comic, the sexy, and the at once idealistic and realistic, these stories represent Ethan Mordden at his very best.

Genres: Fiction, LGBT, Gay, Gay Fiction, Short Stories

352 pages, Paperback

First published January 1, 1997

Reviews

[Dennis Holland · Rating 4 out of 5]

Some men are lookers absolutely and, after spending four volumes of quality time with them, these sexy and sophisticated men are friends in my head indeed.

[Erik · Rating 4 out of 5]

Wrapping up the fourth volume in Ethan Mordden's Buddies series has helped solidify Mordden as one of the "great" queer writers for me. Yet another book that uses the author's satiric yet thoughtful prose and storytelling skills to bring the reader right into the milieu of gay life in the 90s, "Some Men are Lookers" is a must read.

Following the life of the same cast of characters - Bud, Carlo, Dennis Savage, Virgil, and Cosgrove - Mordden's fourth volume uses his characters to show how gay life and gay community have shifted and changed after the onset of AIDS in the 90s. With characters struggling to grow up in the era, understand monogamy in the presence of HIV, and use the disease as a tool for romantic manipulation, Mordden, as usual, doesn't stray from considering even the dark underbellies of gay life.

"Some Men are Lookers" should be read again and again, in concert with the rest of the series, a series that truly tells the story of gay life through the decades.

[Liam Ostermann · Rating 2 out of 5]

In 1997 Mordden produced a new book in the 'Buddies' series after announcing after the 1988 third volume 'Everybody Loves You' that the series was over and 'Some Men are Lookers' is less a continuation of the old series as a resurrection in a new format. The biggest difference is that all the earlier volumes were largely based on magazine articles (many were revised and new previously unpublished stories were included) and this volume while still constructed as a series of tales comes closer to being a novel than any of the other volumes. I first read it sometime in the early 2000's and enjoyed it enough to seek out the other volumes. The problem is that when I came to reread 'Some Men are Lookers' and even more when I read the previous 'Buddy' volumes I found that I had considerable problems with the whole series.

On a purely literary level I found most of the recurring characters barely more than ciphers, clichés, or cut-outs and woefully underdeveloped and the most opaque of them all is the narrator Bud who, although dominating the series, is the nullity at the heart of this unsatisfactory series of books. I have reviewed all the previous books in the series so will try not to repeat myself here, though almost anything I said in previous reviews could be repeated against this book.

The biggest problems in SMaL is the 'gay family' with Bud, Denis and Carlo as the 'adults' and Little Kiwi and Cosgrove as the 'children' always doing 'crazy' stuff. But the antics of Kiwi and Cosgrove are those of immature 14/15 year olds and suggests mental retardation not charming naivety. Neither Kiwi when he moves in with Denis Savage at 20 nor Cosgrove when he moves in with Bud at 18 are children - they are young men and that both play the role of 'house boy' to their older partners and have no friends their own age and no independent activities or interests outside their 'homes' and for most of the time are frightened of the city and of standing on their own feet is deeply creepy. I am not concerned with the age disparity, I am concerned that they have no interest outside of serving their partner. If you wrote a female character like Kiwi or Cosgrove it would be attacked, rightly, as a misogynistic and disturbing cliché.

Bud, Denis and Carlo are presented as men of the Stonewall generation - indeed Bud has written about how they bestrode that era - "Bliss was it in that dawn to be alive..." - they come to the city and forge lives and define a new era. Of course time passes HIV/AIDS happens and they get older - that happens to everyone as they age but what is unacceptable is that as men of the Stonewall generation who created 'Gay', in Mordden's annoying hyperbola, when they slow down, retreat from the fray and withdraw into private life they bring with them Kiwi and Cosgrove and instead of preparing them for the world they infantilize them. If they were females in heterosexual relationships Kiwi and Cosgrove would be described as being kept 'barefoot and pregnant'. Mordden plays around with Denis Savage's and Kiwi's ages in SMaL so as to downplay the grotesqueness of Kiwi's idiotic behavior as a 30+ year old and to hide the fact that rather than being a coeval with Cosgrove the age difference between them is at least 11 years.

I actually find most of the 'Buddies' series deeply disturbing because it is so false and fake - but I did enjoy SMaL when I read it - so I give it two stars.

[Jack · Rating 5 out of 5]

I love this series and I don't want it to end.

[Adele · Rating 3 out of 5]

Continues the progression in the Buddies Cycle from short stories to more of a novel. Rather than one or two chapters I really like and read over and over again there is one scene I read over and over again. I also really like the competition in Venice for some reason. Cosgrove continues to because a more fully developed character, but unfortunately the more I get to know him the less I like him. Honestly, in this book he is an annoying little jerk.

[Brian · Rating 3 out of 5]

I would give it four, but Cosgrove and Kiwi really need to grow up and start acting their ages - so annoying.

[Bruce · Rating 3 out of 5]

Not sure how I feel as the book moves from the more chaotic short story format with little insights into gay life at the time into a more cohesive narrative structure in this book.

Feels like quite a time jump from what seemed like early 80s in the previous books to what feels like early 90s in this book (based on CDs but renting movies on VHS). The lives of the main group of friends has jumped quite a bit and it's interesting to see how things have changed. Bud is now more of a partner to Cosgrove (still childish). Cosgrove still having relations with Virgil (turning into a moody 30 year old). Virgil having issues with Dan (converting from teacher to writer). Meanwhile they all seem to live fine lives without really having to work. Carlos pops in as a hunk amongst them living his free wheeling life after his previous departure and return in the previous book.

Introduces some other new side characters for side stories but mainly focused on the fallout between Virgil and Dan and then leaves on somewhat of a cliffhanger of whether they resume some relationship to make peace amongst the group.

The parallels to modern gay culture are still present. It touches on AIDs a little bit still but the book felt less relatable with the mix of relationships this time.

[Scott · Rating 5 out of 5]

My favourite of the series so far.

[Andrew · Rating 4 out of 5]

"Isn't that funny? When you're closeted, most of the world seems straight. When you come out, everyone turns out to be gay!" p. 147

[Greg · Rating 5 out of 5]

best gay fiction from the 70s

[Michael Holland · Rating 3 out of 5]

It's a fun read if you have kept up with the lives of these characters. Mostly funny, sarcastic vignettes of gay men living in New York City!

[Mrs. Danvers · Rating 5 out of 5]

This is my favorite in the series.