We revel in the camp brilliance of Richard Gere on the cover of After Dark magazine, Loved by Dal Chodha
No one knows better than us the importance of a great cover. From Rachel Weisz and her goat and Pamela Anderson’s blonde whirlwind to Kate Moss in her four exquisite incarnations for A/W14, at AnOther, the creation of each issue thrums around the central pivot of that one great shot, the image that will inspire the reader. A cover is an invitation to the party within, hinting at the pleasures and new experiences one will find there, and crafting a great one is not easy. But After Dark, the now sadly defunct entertainment magazine that ran from 1968-1982, consistently delivered – never better than in this Richard Gere cover from 1978, Loved by fashion writer Dal Chodha.
After Dark has an intriguing history. It emerged from the ashes of Ballroom Dance Magazine – a periodical catering for the “blue rinse brigade” who wanted to exchange notes on rumbas and cha-chas – and took on the wider scope of entertainment coverage, from dance and theatre to cinema and performance art. Gradually, under the editorship of William Como, it began to subvert the norms of its genre and became unofficially, yet distinctly, homoerotic in tone. Topless male coverstars were a common occurence, including the gay porn stars Casey Donovan and Peter Berlin; Arnold Schwarzenegger appeared, inefficiently covered by a towel, in a photostory about body builders, and much of the advertising became increasingly geared towards the gay market. Many of the female cover stars were gay icons, such as Dolly Parton, Liza Minelli, Bette Midler and Grace Jones. Nearly a decade before any proclaimed gay periodicals were being published, After Dark was acting as the unofficial voice for the counter-culture. And Hollywood was happy to be in on it, as demonstrated by Richard Gere’s nonchalant, half naked pose here.
We are huge fans of After Dark – indeed Another Man 13 was themed around the publication, inspired by its blend of culture and underground sexiness – and we are always on the hunt for examples of great covers. So here we talk to Chodha about his favourite magazines growing up alongside a gallery of our favourite covers from the past.
Why did you love this magazine cover?
I discovered these covers of After Dark magazine on The Gotham Book Mart Project and I was really taken by their energy and gall. Abe Books describes After Dark as a ‘Vintage Gay interest theatre magazine,’ but it’s really about any city at night. The covers are all very camp but in a way that I think doesn’t exist anymore – it is neither Alan Carr nor Tim Cook. I loved this cover because here, Richard Gere stands as an icon of male beauty. He wears pink but he is not effete; he is bare chested but not erotic.
Where would you keep it if you owned it?
It would live on top of the swelling pile of random magazines that I have at home including the Alfred Hitchcock edited issue of French Vogue from December 1974 and some copies of IT (International Times) theunderground newspaper founded in London in 1966.
Who were your pin-ups growing up?
My wall was covered in a hotchpotch of poorly torn out pages from Bollywood magazines, the cast of Beverly Hills 90210 (I remember Smash Hits came with a pack of stickers of them all once, which I promptly decorated my cupboard doors with) and the CK One adverts with Kate Moss shot by Steven Meisel.
Which magazines were your default reading when you were younger?
The magazines I read when I was younger explain the disparate images that were on my bedroom wall: I would buy The Face, i-D and Cine Blitz.
What are your favourite things to do after dark?
My favourite thing is to light some overpriced scented candles and catch up on my pile of reading and/or watchold TV detective series. I am currently watching Peter Wyngarde play a bestselling novelist turned sleuth in Jason King. King is the ultimate cad, but in a different way to Richard Gere.
What’s the best thing you’ve read recently?
I am reading Puffball by Fay Weldon. Weldon is SO good at writing about bitches. I love it. I am always dipping into Nicholas Coleridge’s The Fashion Conspiracy too. The best thing I read recently was Patricia Marx on the rise of emotional-support animals in the US in the New Yorker. She takes a pig to the Four Seasons! What’s not to like.
Who are your style icons?
Anyone who looks as good putting out the bins as they do when they’re in a crowded room. Iconic style for me is about consistency and a certain response to modernity.
Favourite Richard Gere? Days of Heaven, American Gigolo, Pretty Woman or I’m Not There - or other?
I actually really liked him in Nicholas Jarecki’s Arbitrage (2012). He plays a man who is desperately trying to cover up one secret with another. The whole film is so tense and Gere plays a heartless bastard with a lot of style.
What are you looking forward to about November?
Staying in, mulled wine, copious amounts of cheese and basically hibernation. I am also working on a project right now that is thankfully due to finish in November.
