Thursday, March 3, 2011

The Man Behind The Man Crush Blog

Antoine Reid, The Man Crush Blog
More than just a pretty face, Antoine Reid, owner and creator of The Man Crush Blog, has the wit and knowledge it takes to create a successful blog. Young, ambitious, and driven, he is set to rule the blogosphere providing a space where gay men and straight women, can come and ogle beautiful men. Men, this is not your Dudetube or Queerclick, the men featured in Man Crush range from straight to gay celebrities, athletes, and musicians. The site also provides fitness tips, music reviews, and other related news.

Boymeetsboyblog was able to online interview Antoine about his blog and well, get the real dirt...about himself. The man behind The Man Crush Blog! Antoine, I will cook with you any day! Enjoy!


Boymeetsboyblog: What was your inspiration behind your blog?


The Man Crush Blog: I was watching ABC World News over the summer when the whole oil spill thing happened. I thought ABC’s choice of reporters – Matt Gutman and David Muir – made for some real must-see-tv. Yes, I know, horrible situation and that wasn’t the point of the coverage but I really was taken by them. So, I went online to specifically look up information on Matt Gutman and found, to my surprise, that he had very little of an Internet presence. No personal website, no bio, no pictures. I had been blogging but my posts at that point weren’t much of anything so I decided to do a post about how hot I thought Matt Gutman was and titled it “man crush of the day” not thinking that from then on that’s what people would come to expect from my blog. 

BMBB: How do you think you compare to other sites such as Dudetube.com?


TMCB: Well, The Man Crush Blog is a baby compared to sites like Dudetube.com, QueerClick or GayPornFanatic.com. On the flip side, I think my blog is a bit different from these sites. A lot of the popular sites for gay males are saturated with porn and that’s about it. The Man Crush Blog has the occasional porn actor featured but it has it’s fair share of other hot guys who are athletes, media personalities, actors, musicians, etc. In addition to the “Man Crush of the Day” posts there is a lot of other subject matters covered including fitness/exercise for gay men, music reviews, articles about interesting magazine articles that’d be of interest to gay/bi/closeted men and more. So, we’re all playing for the same team but probably approach our subject matters and audiences in totally different manners. I aim to make The Man Crush Blog not just a “gay” blog but a place you’d come to on a daily or regular basis for news, pictures and entertainment as you would, say, PerezHilton or TMZ without the sleaze and attitude.

BMBB: You look at men all day for your blog, what do you look for in a guy?


TMCB: I probably look for too much in a guy, to be honest. As superficial as it sounds, looks and attractiveness come first. I take note of eyes, build, fitness. I like a guy who is independent – I support myself and like my “me” time and am not into guys that need babysitting or need to spend every waking hour attached at the hip. A guy has to stimulate me intellectually before he can stimulate anything else near, around or associated with me. As you can gather, I’m rather selective and probably a tad on the intimidating side. I like pretty, hot, chiseled, cute guys of all kinds but have learned that just like Judge Judy says – beauty fades but dumb lasts forever. 

BMBB: You see naked men day in and day out because of your blog. How does it affect your opinion of real men in real life? Do you believe it affects the way you choose a relationship? If so, how?


TMCB: Seeing men in various states of undress for my blog (mostly for the Tumblr component of The Man Crush Blog) grounds me a bit more than one would think. I feel like I’ve seen it all, been there, done that. One would probably get the impression from the blog that I’m a wild guy always looking for trouble or a hook-up but honestly I’m the complete opposite. I’m super picky; I haven’t done the whole “relationship” thing because I’m pretty selective and tend to only attract old men and future “To Catch a Predator” guys. So when it comes to how my blogging affects me offline, I tend to approach men offline like I would a guy I’d feature on part of the blog – admire from afar but it usually doesn’t translate into much at all. If anyone feels so inclined to woo and (attempt) to impress me, please step on up!

BMBB: We met on Twitter. With all of this social media and technology connectedness; do you think people connect more online rather than in person now? Do you think this is the NEW relationship? Especially, for gay men? Why?


TMCB: I’ve always felt the Internet is how people meet first. People are mostly shy but having the safety barrier of the Internet helps make people feel more at ease about approaching or interacting with someone they would never have the balls to approach in real life. I don’t think it’s anything new but it’s a different type of relationship we’re all embracing and working with. Through the blog I’ve met some genuinely nice guys that I enjoy talking to on a regular basis through tweeting. I wouldn’t be delusional and say we’re at all in or near a “relationship” by old school terms but we have a nice Internet-based association. I think everyone has a Internet-based friend or relationship that we value as much as those we have with people we see on a regular basis face-to-face.

BMBB: Describe your ideal first date.


TMCB: It would be low maintenance – we would do like they did it back in the day and cook something together. I have this Bree van de Kemp side of me (Desperate Housewives reference) that enjoys the whole cooking, domestic, kitchen kind of stuff. I think you learn a lot about a guy about a guy by how he conducts himself in a kitchen. If he thinks he’s too manly or masculine to cook, he’s not worth your time. He’s not looking for anything but a slave and I’m no Britney Spears, I won’t be a slave for anyone. If he asks how he can help or is willing to learn, the boy’s got potential. I can’t deal with high maintenance guys. I like ones who are willing to bring something to the table and actively take part in the date and make it a memorable experience. Going out for coffee, going out to eat, it all bores me to tears and is so unoriginal. I’m usually the one who has to think and do everything so a guy who takes charge and wants to treat me … hey, I’m game! I’ve yet to encounter such a guy though so I don’t think he exists outside of my daydreams. 

BMBB: What do you think is alright to do on the first date? Kissing? Sex?


TMCB: Oh no, sex on the first date? That’s not a date, that’s a hookup. I have an odd relationship with sex. I just feel like people, especially gay guys, have no sense of dating or letting things develop slow. It’s all, “Hey. Let’s have sex.” Uh uh, ain’t gonna happen on my watch. It drives me crazier than Brintey circa 2007 that guys make such a big deal about sex anyway. What’s the big deal? As SNL Joy Behar would say, “So what, who cares?” I can “take care” of myself so a guy had better be able to bring more to the table than sex. I’m also weird about kissing on the first date. What’s left to look forward to if you’ve given everything away during the first encounter? Be a tease. Hug, embrace, flirt, leave something to the imagination so that there’s a need for a second or third date.

BMBB: Do you believe in love at first sight? And, have you ever experienced it? Give me details, if yes. If not, why not?


TMCB: Nope, Madonna answered that question in “Get Together” when she asked the same thing and replied that it’s an illusion. Love at first sight is usually infatuation or horniness. For one thing, no one really knows what love is. Love isn’t just those warm and fuzzy feelings – it can be sadness, happiness, joy, despair, angst, bitterness – and that compound emotion usually comes from a relationship that’s lasted a while and has a history. So, no, I’ve never experienced that but infatuation at first sight? Heck yeah, I have that kind of experience everyday.

BMBB: What is your number one pet peeve about a guy? Why?


TMCB: Lack of substance. It’s weird – the really nice guys tend to be the ones who lack in the looks department but the guys I like and think are good looking usually end up just having their looks going for them. You talk to them and they have nothing to say. They’re nothing more than bobbleheads and after a few conversations you’ve learned all there is to know about them. I guess I’m always hoping for a total package and being a child of the 1980s have come to expect that perfect guy that despite the obstacles and flaws turns out to be “the one.” Unfortunately though this is the real world and not some Molly Ringwald movie.

BMBB: Tell me a little bit about the Man behind the Man Crush Blog.

TMCB: I have a degree in journalism but within that field, my specialty is more so visual communication than it is simple writing. So, a lot of what I’ve learned in university is put to use through my blogging. Offline I come off a bit shy and then once people get to know me I think I come off as bitchy, sarcastic and pessimistic.


Some other shocking things about me that usually surprise most: I don’t drink alcohol (at all), I don’t smoke and am very Nancy Reagan anti-drugs when it comes to other drugs and abusive substances; I’m 26 and have never been involved in a romantic relationship; never been kissed (just like that Drew Barrymore movie!); I really enjoy cooking; I draw most of my bitchiness and wit from women like Chelsea Handler and Joy Behar; I’m a fan of dramatic soaps like All My ChildrenDallasDynasty and Desperate Housewives and the only movie that really makes me tear up is Top Gun (don’t ask). 

BMBB: What made you decide to become a blogger?


TMCB: My strong dislike of one of my college roommates. Since no one would listen to my complaints about what an absolute mess this guy was I blogged about it and all the other inept people in the housing community. My roommate found out, I got exiled to the farthest reaches of the campus but they deemed me unfit to be with others so I got my own room! Haaaay. I was excited and it was the first time anyone took notice of my blog and writing. I took a couple years off and started up blogging again which led me to my current blog.

BMBB: What do you hope to accomplish with your blog?


TMCB: This will sound crazy but I hope to flip the script and make objectifying and exploiting men en vogue. There are an abundance of blogs with straight men who will spend hours on end talking about hot girls, breasts and sex but that doesn’t exist much for gay men and women. I want this blog to be the place where guys who like guys and women can come and check out, talk about, and objectify men. On top of that, I want to dish out some content catered to gay men because really, beyond porn, there isn’t much out there for us. I hate how magazines like Men’s Health or Details have a huge non-heterosexual readership but they cater all of their content toward the heterosexual male. I do the exact opposite; The Man Crush Blog, posts, and content are all meant to be consumed and read by gay men. Women and fag hags are welcome, too, but unless I’m gushing over some pop star like Britney, Xtina or Madonna you probably won’t find a huge presence of women on The Man Crush Blog. It’s my overall hope that people will get hooked to the blog and will jump on it first thing in the morning and the last thing at night and will feel like they’re being recognized and catered to.

BMBB: So, what’s next for you and the Man Crush Blog?


TMCB: Just this month I’ve expanded the range of content offering on the blog: I’ve started “Jacked” which is the blog’s gay health/fitness section; “Fluffer” that covers guys and news out of the adult film sector; “Sticky Pages” for hot finds from magazines I read; “Beat It” which will include music/entertainment stuff and of course “Man Crush of the Day,” the main feature and shines a spotlight on a hot male actor, musician, athlete or media personality. In addition to those, there’s a picture-only component of the blog attached to Tumblr (http://mancrushoftheday.tumblr.com), a Facebook group (www.facebook.com/mancrushblog) and of course Twitter where I interact with fans of the blog, bitch about what I’m watching on tv and do tons of other random things. I have domination on my mind for this – I’m going to go hard with the blogging and am looking forward to making it everyone’s guilty pleasure.

8 comments:

  1. Looks like you've got some competition.

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  2. Thank you for the interview. And nope, The Man Crush Blog and Boy Meets Boy isn't in competition. We support one another in promoting the hotness of men.

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  3. well said decaptain! This isn't a Xtina and Britney cat fight ya'll!

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  4. Give me a break! Men have been exploited and objectified for years. Its really nothing new. Maybe not on the same level as women but it has been going on. So far what I read I found to be primarily hackneyed, shockingly vacuous, insubstantial, banal, trite, supremely insipid, and inane. I can't believe you have a degree in journalism. Where did you pick that up, Bryman college? Your blog is drivel. I can get the same shit browsing the celebrity forums on justusboys without your self-righteous bullshit added in. Go review more Britney Spears or Lady Gaga albums, Homosaurus Rex.

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  5. It looks like someone found a dictionary and thesaurus. Go you! xo

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  6. No but I am a college graduate and an avid reader so I guess my vocabulary is a little more extensive than most. Sorry but I cant help it if this blog is vastly more interesting than his. His blog is glorified jerkin' material. There, I used a contraction, better? haha!

    P.S. Post more!

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  7. I am working on a few more posts...I have had to get some material...in other words, date. ha. But I have two coming up soon!! From dirty talking in bed to meeting men at work.

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