He Was Young, He Needed the Money

While out to dinner the other evening, I mentioned to El Jefe that he should go over and comment on the Chick's blog for Thursday, as it was Group Therapy Thursday, and she wanted people to confess something that others wouldn't know about them.  I asked El Jefe what he might contribute.

"Well, I could tell them about my Cosmo spread." he said.

And I started laughing because I had forgotten about it.  And because it was TRUE.

First Cosmo Cover Ever, 1972.  A bit before El Jefe's cover spread.

Back in the day, El Jefe was a young studly soldier in the U.S. Army.  Tall, blondish, lovely eyes.  Cosmo magazine swept into town to do a photo shoot about unusual occupations for women, and they chose being a soldier as one of them, in particular the Staff Sergeant of the Year.  (This is where I should probably be insulted over the phrase "unusual occupation for women" having been a soldier at that time myself, but I have gotten over it with the help of a lot of therapy, chocolate and margaritas.) 

Of course no good woman soldier should be alone in her photos - she should be surrounded by buff men in uniform (this I completely support) and this is where El Jefe comes in.  He was the right height and build (i.e. Tall, blond, blue-eyed - they were going for a very WASPy look) for what they were looking for, and he got to be one of the nameless buff men to hang with the hot Army Chick Representing For Those of Us Who Wore The Uniform Back Then.  So he actually was ORDERED to participate in a spread for Cosmo. 

He said it was interesting, and that they had to do all kinds of poses.  He spent half the morning (or 20 minutes, it just seemed like a long time) hanging half-way up a rope.  Apparently when he was done he had huge guns ("Talk about this way to the gun show!").  I asked him about if he did his best "Blue Steel" and he said no.

"I'm pretty sure there's a lot more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking. And I plan on finding out what that is."

There is a rather sad ending to this story, though.  Not a single picture of El Jefe made it into Cosmo.  Apparently it was too much hotness for the masses.  That and they only used one picture from the photo shoot. 

G and S thought this was all very interesting, and wanted to know why he agreed to have his picture taken for Cosmo.  He thought for a second, and then said, "I was young, I needed the money."

Comments

[The Cheap Chick]

And it was that or selling his body on the streets of Fayetteville (sp?). I love that he was ORDERED to participate.

"Soldier, drop and give me 20 poses. Be fierce!"

[Mrs. G.]

Aww, but you painted a picture of his studly former Cosmo glory in this post. Long my it live!