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Average customer rating:

Well written partial bio of a sexy guy and his adventures
Bombastic self aggrandizement
Extraordinary.
A well written account of an interesting life in progress.
Witty, often absorbing with immersions in Asian religion.

In the Flesh: Undressing for Success
Gavin Geoffrey Dillard
Manufacturer: Barricade Books
ProductGroup: Book
Binding: Hardcover

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ASIN: 1569801185

Customer Reviews:

Well written partial bio of a sexy guy and his adventures.......2005-12-15

Hi, Everyone,

Gavin Geoffrey Dillard first came to my attention when I saw Track Meat, a gay guy porn film of the late 1970s. He was billed as Gavin Geoffrey in that movie. He writes about how that film came into being in this book.

Gavin also shows the reader how that film made him famous enough to be pursued by many admirers on the streets of west Hollywood. Those pursuers included some rich and famous types. Gavin hints at who's bed he shared and occasionally drops some names that we know very well.

Gavin has been a poet and a world traveller, but he also did a few on camera appearances after Track Meat. A lot of the book is about Gavin's spiritual beliefs and those people he met who were into various ideologies. Any reader who finds Gavin to be attractive from his photos or films will find themselves getting jealous of so many lucky guys who enjoyed rendezvous with him in bath houses and gardens and film sets. Some of his most intimate partners had no idea he had starred in a porn flick.

After spending time with some of Hollywood's biggest producers, Gavin went back to being very available for low cost and sometimes free activities.

He also seems to have done well at cooking, gardening, writing and acting onstage.

This is an interesting read for the most part. I was not as interested in the religious meanderings as some might be. I did find his UFO sightings to be believable. I really liked what he said about his experience with AIDS.

I liked the book and would recommend it. I also recommend his video of Track Meat if you can find it. I will probably buy more of his books.

Gavin was a Rob Lowe lookalike before Rob Lowe, so maybe Rob is a Gavin lookalike.

If you like the book about Gavin, you will also like the books about Joe Dallesandro.

Tom Willett

Bombastic self aggrandizement.......1999-12-04

A bit part player in gay porn who says he has slept with everyone in Hollywood and trys to make his story sound grand and mystic. He is no more than a misguided glitter boy who can't find his way in life and can't grow up. He would lead you to believe that he has all of the answers and more talent than the legends. Poor writing and a story that I couldn't finish.

Extraordinary........1999-05-02

Rarely have I witnessed such openness by a writer. This book is a high-water mark for the human spirit and testimony to the fact that its radiance will shine if left unfiltered.

Whatta breath of fresh air this was for my closeted spirit yearning to be as free!

Some questions: I was perplexed by the turnaround on Tom in the last paragraph of his chapter. Tom and his truths seemed like a great touchstone for the author. What are the markings on Gavin's last picture? Are they the wax burnings from his trysts with Race?

What erotic, delicious portrayals of sexual attractions and fulfillment. This guy can write and illuminate.

One of the most liberating, good-feeling books I've read. My human experience has been broadened--only if vicarioiusly. I am emboldened to live my life more "in the flesh".

Such a life is a boon to us all and surely has moved far along on the path to fulfillment.

A well written account of an interesting life in progress........1998-11-05

Gavin Dillard is best known for his poetry, nicely drawn, evocative, and sometimes haunting. In his autobiography, of life so far, he brings many of these same qualities to his prose, together with an engaging wit. He takes his reader from his brief but successful career as a gay porn star, to a lucrative career as an escort, which led to an exciting long-term-relationship, and on to his search for self in poetry and Asian religion. The LTR finally became an obstacle to the publication of this book because the mogul believed he was too readily identifiable and brought in legal bottom-feeders to keep a major press from releasing it. But, it's here! The journies to self-hood through Asian religion will be appealing and accessible to any reader who has made that trek, or even contemplated it, but it is likely that other readers will find it more difficult to get into than the rest of the book. Still, it would be worth the effort. Dillard is still evocative and articulate as he continues his inner quest, and the wit never quite dies on it, a rare achievement.

Witty, often absorbing with immersions in Asian religion........1998-10-28

The book, often witty and absorbing, could have been called "Gav Does It All." Dillard describes his brief but successful career as a porn star, escorting, a longer term relationship, and his self-validation through a return to poetry and immersion in Asian religion. The porn star experience and escort life have been described before, but rarely with such fresh wit. His ltr turned sour and, by his tell, the other guy managed to keep his book out of print at a major house by tying it up in legal knots, presumably because he could be identified easily by others in the Hollywood set. There is no question but that Dillard writes well. His earlier poetry contained some finely turned verses and some haunting passages. In this book, he shows us once again that he is a wordsmith, in a different form. True, the excursions into Asian religion will leave readers who have not gone down that road somewhat baffled because Dillard is less successful at taking his readers through these inner experiences than he was at keeping us with him as he did it all.

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