IamA male model (NY, Paris) from the period of the original Zoolander (1998 to 2001) AMA!

But why male models?

Not sure I understand your question, sorry.

Above is proof that we are not too smart!

But why male models?

Are you serious? I just told you that a moment ago.

Edit: OMG! I just figured out the whole 'gold' thing! Thank you!!!

Above is proof that we are not too smart!

I CALL SHENANIGANS!! You use the proper too. I stead of to, two, or 2. Gtfo of here Herbert Einstien!

I learned to read good after I modeled. Thanks for the compliment!

You...haven't seen Zoolander?

Okay- Got it. Yeah. We weren't paid for our smarts; just our sheer physical prowess and ability to mindlessly kill on command.

I first saw Zoolander in NY, when it opened. There were a LOT of us male models in the audience. The half-asian guy in the movie was there. (I remember him being a touch inflated by his role) Kees Poort was there, Tirian Harvey... It was amazing. I remember being blown away by the inside perspective of the writers.

But why male models?

See above.

Is there more to life than being really, really, ridiculously good looking?

I was more of a Hansel, having existential adventures with spider monkeys. I didn't seek as deep as Derek. But seriously; I wish I knew. I hope that Ben Stiller jumps on this thread to tell us! (I love that guy)

Have you ever shown up to a casting expecting to make $1,000 to $5,000 a day only to find out that the guy isn't a real casting director and there is no job?

I've seen movies kinda like that. Usually the "model" is asked to do something naughty. Thankfully; No, I was very lucky to have great representation from the start. If somebody treated me badly at a casting, they would get nothing but my middle finger.

Have you eugogalized?

Unfortunately, yes, I have. I was known to say some pretty stupid things on the air. I quit doing interviews after hearing myself talk on Portuguese radio. I was really happy at the time to be sharing a stage with Michael Bolton, and I drank a little too much before the interview...

That no talent assclown?

Do I know you? Sounds like you know me... ;-)

Sorry guys. I'm learning how the flow of Reddit's comment system works. If you are talking about Michael Bolton, I will tell you; That guy is a pro. Before I shared a stage with him, I was pretty grossed-out by his music. Seeing him perform live, without any pitch correction, my opinion was transformed. He is a VERY talented singer. I still don't dig his musical taste too much, but I can say for SURE, that he can sing like a sonovabitch! He is also a really nice guy, unpretentious. I made a crack about him opening for me, and he was quick to pick it up. Whatever you have to say about him, he is a VERY nice guy. (Trust me, I've met a LOT of famous people that are not so cool)

Can I put links in the text here? Is that allowed?

I think so but only the original link, no redirects or link shorteners

Thanks.

Please watch this:https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7P6QYWqRxww

On a scale of 1 to Liberace, how gay are you?

I am kinda gay. I have always felt an affinity with the community. I like getting dressed up and being fabulous, but I don't like weenies so much. At one point in my life, I thought it would be easier to get with guys, but alas, my wang disagreed... I am happily in a hetero relationship with rockstar babe Zia McCabe. I'm trying to convince her to do an AMA too. That's part of the reason I'm doing this. To test the waters. In short; I am the kind of gay dude who can't do dick, but truly adores the puss.

Edit: I originally said some insensitive things about my girlfriend above. It didn't occur to me that joking like this might give the impression that my relationship is just about being 'cool,' or having a rockstar as a girlfriend. I would like to explain that Zia is one of my closest and oldest friends. Our time knowing each other has been some of the most amazing time I have spent on this earth. Loving her is my favorite thing to do. I admire her both in and out of her career, and my relationship with her means much more to me than getting bragging rights here. I am sorry that my earlier comments were so reductive. There is a time and a place to joke like that. I chose the wrong one.

Have you ever had to wear anything ridiculous? Do you feel silly having to walk in some outfits or is it just all in a day's work?

Not really... Unless you consider walking down a catwalk in nothing but your underwear, hair extensions, WAYYY too much makeup, and a pair of shoes which are literally 4 sizes too big flopping on your feet "ridiculous..."

Hmmm... There is also the Karl Lagerfeld shoot, where I wore one of those plastic shell-backpacks, rollerblades, and medieval armor iron gauntlets, while my makeup consisted of saffron eye-shadow, and my hair was braided into cornrows. -I'll see if I can find the picture online. It IS ridiculous.

Sounds badass

In what way does it sound badass to you? Seriously, I am curious. Thinking about how it must seem to others, I'm normally I am a little embarassed. I would appreciate your commentary.

When I envision it in my head you're screaming and have a giant fucking sword

I think it's the gauntlets that bring it all together

It's pretty metal bro

I found some of the photos.

http://imgur.com/a/BoJhv

HA!

Confidence while looking/acting ridiculous is pretty badass in my book. I blush at nothing and can't keep a straight face for long.

Back then, they shot on film. Photoshop was only used by a few post-production experts in the biz. If you blushed, it showed. Now, they can do anything to the image, wipe out color, no problem.

I was good at turning my emotions off, to look confident and be a good model. Good for pictures, not good for relationships.

Do you like the song Africa by TOTO ?

*edit in the obligatory link : https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FTQbiNvZqaY

Actually, I LOVE it. The harmonies are really tight, the synth work is over the top exactly satisfyingly 80s.

I was just rocking out to it, I am a fan as well.

Good on ya! If you're really into that soft rock thing, here's another one of my faves: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=x-Yi762sQTo

Bwah nah, nahnahnah

I LOVE Rick and Morty. I entered their contest to do a voice-over.

Did you ever go to a beautiful people's club that later turned into a meat packing plant when you brought your friend there?

I went to some crazy (beautiful model) party in the meat packing district on NY- I brought my friend there, and he got shitfaced and stole the hostess' big bottle of whiskey. I made him take her flowers and a new bottle of whiskey the next day.

(Then we cut him up into little pieces in a model's satanic ritual of blood.)

Did you ever get noticed in public?

Back in the day, when I would travel to Milan, gangs of little girls (7-11 years old) would chase me through the streets. Nowadays, nobody gives a shit. Male models are kinda disposable...

Do you still work in the modeling industry?

NO! It was very good to me, for a short time, but I am now the Director of a small non-profit in Lawrence, KS, of all places.

What was your diet like on a regular day? Was it strictly controlled? Did you work out a lot?

I was keeping the pounds off by starving myself, walking to castings, and of course LOTS of drugs!

I've heard from female models I know that some girls used to eat cotton or tissues, does this apply to men, and was she just messing with my mind?

From my brief experience working as a model (1998 - 2003, so similar era) I think it's almost more competitive for the men than it is for the women and those things do develop in both genders in that industry. I don't think I know anyone who ate cotton or tissues (I feel like that's a bit of an urban legend or something that's told and retold to the point of exaggeration to talk about model extremes.) but I knew and still know some women who don't have normalized eating habits even ten years after quitting the industry.

Word.

What is this? An AMA for ants?

HAHAHA!!!

Few questions for you....

1) Were you 'discovered' or was it something you were trying to attain? If so, what was your story? 2) What were you doing before becoming a model and what have you been doing since? 3) Any good stories you'd care to share with us ugly heathens? hahah JK.

Thank you for your time in answering my questions.

Let me get back to this one, after a minute...

1&2) I was a musician before I modeled. Lots of photos were being taken of me already, and I got an offer to move to NY, an agency thought I was "ready for Meisel"(A well-known NY photographer) 3)Hmmm... "Good stories?" I suppose you would need to be more specific...

what is your craziest modely night out that is like Zoolander (like you said)?

Well, We could go anywhere. Like; You know those parties with guest lists? Inside you might find a prince of a small country near a tangle of naked, whiskey-soaked models in a hot tub, snorting some powder with a prominent politician, all the while taking turns kissing each other? There were those kinds of nights. It was interesting to go to those kinds of parties, but not as fun as you'd think. No. ...kinda more fun than that...

On a scale of 1-10, how good is your Blue Steel?

Sadly, I truly believe Blue Steel to be the territory of those greater than I...

But honestly? ...8 -definitely an 8...

You do realize you have to prove it now, right?

HA! I'll upload a pic. http://i.imgur.com/7TWaTZW.jpg

Maybe more of a 7... Getting old :-(

of zoolander and glamorama, or any other popular fiction, which is considered to be the most unnervingly accurate portrayal?

Haven't seen Glamorama. The "model apartment" thing in Zoolander? Spot on. Myself and several other 'emerging talents' had an apartment rented to us, with bunk beds and all. The quest for the tiniest cell phone was a REAL thing. Myself and several other boys I lived with ended up being quite close during that time. The gasoline fight was a little much, but we did a LOT of stupid shit. The insane amount of weird or bitchy, designers and casting people we had to work with was real.

from all this craziness, who ended up becoming the most normal and well-adjusted afterwards? also, who among such craziness would you consider the most level-headed?

Kees Poort. He's got a bunch of kids, lives in upstate NY, doesn't drink or get high... He's just a regular, rich, and incredibly handsome guy who can snap his fingers and kinda get whatever he wants, whenever he wants it. I have changed a lot of things in my life, too, but I blew all my money first. I am now pretty content, clean and sober, a pillar of the community... (I just received a commendation from G. Bush Sr.-weird.) I work at a homeless shelter -nobody there knows about my past. Not even my coworkers.

how about designers/agency-folk -- any of them seem steady?

I will always regret the way I left my French agent. I just told her I didn't need it anymore. I didn't think about how much work she had put in. Her name was Geraldine (NEXT Paris), and she helped make my career. I was selfish and stupid. It didn't occur to me to be thankful.. Geraldine was a great person to work with. She had my back.

Did you change your name? I tried to look up other pictures and all that came up was your non profit page, which describes you as a carpenter even though it goes into your girlfriend's "rock star" history.

Although he works in Social Service now, Shine Adams has been a carpenter for most of his life. He and a friend thought up the idea of Sun Cedar one day as they were discussing the difficulty felons face when applying for work. Shine believes that feeling useful is paramount in the journey to recovery, and everybody deserves a chance at an honest days work.

No- I didn't change my name- I was just on the cusp of the internet's rise. It IS kinda rough to find shit with my name in it, because everything wasn't recorded and filed away back then. If you find more stuff, please message me the links. I don't list my modelling background on Sun Cedar's web page, because I don't want that to get in my way. People think you are stupid, if you were a model. People that are perceived as stupid don't get very far with stuff like Sun Cedar. It is easier for me to be taken seriously without my history attached.

Yeah, he must have. I can't find any modeling past w/ the name Shine Adams. I found more of the pictures from that YSL campaign, but his name isn't listed on them.

ETA: I did find this list of 2000 campaigns/ models, Shine Adams is listed for Fendi and Kenzo http://blog.uomoclassico.com/2010/11/2000-springsummer-advertising.html. Maybe he just wasn't credited by name very often? It's just weird.

We weren't credited much before the internet was mature. If you find more, Please message me the links! I did Kenzo, Fendi (twice), Yves Saint Laurent, L'uomo Vogue, American Vogue... All around '98-2000...

What are some misconceptions people have about models?

Many of us are vain, or stupid, however; Usually models start VERY young, before they have had a chance to get to know themselves. The business is all about looks. You are rewarded for being attractive or interesting looking, not for being smart, or nice. Many of the dumb models I met were that way because that is all they had been rewarded for. If modeling is your only real education about how life works, it can lead to a very insecure and limited personality. It really IS kinda bad for your head to model. I know it may be hard to feel sorry for someone who is supposedly perfect physically, and has lots of power and money, but just imagine growing up in your teens and 20s in that environment. It is not easy to become a well-rounded adult in that environment. Maybe don't feel sorry for them, just put yourself in their place in the real world, not all the glossy stuff.

1) Why did you stop being a male model?

2) What kind of drugs were most common?

3) Why don't you use the edit button?

4) Why do you think male models are paid so much less than female models?(40+ times less than female models)

1) I got so spoiled and weird that I thought I could do anything. 2) For me, Heroin and alcohol., for others- coke. Definitely coke. 3) This is my first time commenting on Reddit. I am new, and don't know how very well. 4) Women buy most clothes. It is a women's market, predominately.

Edit: Please message me any tricks to using Reddit. I feel like I'm lost in a sea of comments!

What are male models doing to stop the Islamic conquest of Europe?

We don't know. That's the beauty of it. Some trigger, some... signal will alert us when it is time to strike.

Keep up the good work!

Word.

A couple of questions! Some of my favorite models were popular in the late 90s and early 2000s! Who was your favorite female model to work with? And who was your favorite designer to work for?

My fave female model? Hmmm... I would list Adriana Lima as a stunning person. I did a shoot with her for Interview, where we were dancing with a bunch of other kids. I had to stop dancing with her, because I was becoming too ...focused. (I think she was 16 at the time) -I REALLY adored working with Camelia Clouse and Jen Dawson, Frankie Rayder... They were all really down to earth and fun and funny. Seems like they still are, from our little bit of contact.(Frankie excluded, haven't talked to her.) My favorite designer? Hands down Karl Lagerfeld. Karl is THE real thing. He is a mad genius. He is also really nice. His persona is legit. He is also caring and interested. I have been seriously thinking of reaching out to him, just to say "hello," and "thank you."

Awesome! They're all beautiful women! :)

I know! God it was difficult to be a gentleman...

I had to stop dancing with her, because I was becoming too ...focused. (I think she was 16 at the time)

Hahaha amazing tits, huh?

Adriana has a PRESENCE that just fills the body with thrilling electricity. She is supernatural.

What was the most exciting part about being a model or the part that you enjoyed the most?

I loved being in a new country, with money in my pocket, to go explore. I would hire a driver for a week, and just have him show me around, get the best food. Live like a local, and meet people. I love to see the sights of a new place as I lived life, instead of pulling a destination out of a book and sightseeing. I also loved just knowing that I could go anywhere, buy what I wanted, choose my own adventure... That kind of security really feels great.