I must admit that when I saw the neon orange tan I thought instantly of Brody and was prepared not to like him. Also the "husky", "stocky" type of build has never been my cup of tea. Even from my teens on up I never cared for it. After I got pretty upset over another recent video I decided that I needed to step back, take a chill pill, and look for some positive things to say about this model and his scene.
As with some other models we've discussed in the past the video camera is a little bit kinder to him than the still camera. One thing I liked about Drake overall was his nervousness combined with the very strong hetero vibe he exuded. Those qualities could make him very interesting to watch as a gay for pay model. Time will tell.
I agree with all of you who feel that his behavior in his personal life is quite abhorrent. But once you get past the shock value of the story itself I ask of all of you to look at some other things too. Drake was not obligated to share that whole story with thousands of total strangers. He chose to. I feel that that in itself was an act of contrition. He laid bare all of his recent transgressions. He didn't shy away from nor make excuses for them at all. But he also let us know that he was paying a heavy price for them...emotionally, spiritually, socially and financially. The karma came back on him with brute force.
I'm hoping that the biggest lesson he takes from this years from now is how much he hurt so many other people by his actions. Rather than only lamenting how much grief the consequences of those actions hurt him. As I saw this young man just starting in life, telling his story, and I could hear the pain in his voice and see the sadness in his eyes. At that point I started to feel compassion for him.
Drake was sitting on top of the world very recently. He was engaged to I presume to be a lovely woman, he had the respect and admiration of his future in-laws who thought they were gaining a son-in-law who was a great guy, he had the respect of his parents, he had a job and his own place to live... He was moving in an upward direction. Now he's taken a fall and lost all of it. He's back at his parents' house and relying on them financially. He's right back where he started just after graduating high school. I feel sorry for his ex-fiance and the in-laws of course. They were hurt the most. But I do feel sorry for Drake too.
As Drake told his story our common humanity and our shared maleness overcame the straight/gay distinction. He's in alot of pain...and yes, it's self inflicted. But I also began to feel the empathy. I remember what it's like from the ages of 18-25 for a guy who has hormones raging all the time. Our sex drives were always trying to overcome our conscience and plain good sense. Most of us won the battle and some lost. Drake's actions more or less screamed that he wanted to play the field and he wasn't ready for monogamy. Nothing wrong with that. But you certainly don't get engaged or even promise a girlfriend monogamy until you're really ready.
As I said, Drake's body type is really not my usual type at all. However there was another model who came through here a while back who reminds me alot of Drake. I didn't find him attractive at first, but I found that once I gave him a chance, his personality won me over. I ended up really liking him. I'll mention a link to his vid in a later post. As for Drake though I hope he can do well here. Not just for our own enjoyment but because we know he desperately needs the money. Hopefully he can make enough money here to help him to start digging himself out of the hole he finds himself in. Maybe then he can start rebuilding his self esteem and become the better man that he wants to be. In spite of, and yet because of, all the reasons stated above I am willing to give him a chance. I want to see him do well here.
Chin up Drake! Pick up the pieces...learn from this...and do better next time.
Oh! And his solo vid was decent also. haha
