I’m a bit of a sucker for the imagery of the beast –the magnetism that some animals have. The tiger is my favourite. I don’t think there is anything more beautiful. But with beauty comes great danger... and that oddly enough makes it even more splendid. At least to my eyes it does.
I’ve drawn on this kind of attraction in Naked Hero, using it as a parallel to the way Lewis Macleod sees Lee Porter – the Body Perfect Englishman. His beauty is undeniable, arguably unsurpassable, but with that beauty, and the raw attraction he inspires, comes danger on so many levels. Yet Lewis is still drawn.
Is this part of human nature? I think it is in some cases. People are attracted to the wrong sort – the ‘bad boy’ image, the beast... the tiger that is there in the wilder men. We see the stripes of black and yellow which is nature’s advert for danger; we see the claws that could rip you apart; we see the teeth that could maul and devour, and yet we are still attracted.
Okay, so perhaps only a few actually succumb. Sense prevails when choosing a mate, but don’t say you’ve never been tempted to encounter the beast, and know what it was like, if only for one night to fall victim to its glory.
Here’s a snippet from Lewis and Lee’s first encounter...
It was whilst taking his first sip that Lewis noticed Lee Porter gliding effortlessly through the crowd - a predatory beast who had spotted its target and was circling before making its strike. Lewis tried to steady himself. He tried to remember that he was the big star here tonight. He was the one that
should be able to intimidate - to take control of the game that was coming, whatever it turned out to be. But this wasn’t a tennis court. This wasn’t part of his world. This was shark infested water and he was already bleeding from an earlier attack. There was potential danger here, magnificently presented as nature tended to do, wrapping its great predators in extraordinary beauty. It was that primal allure which had caused him to stay, but as the beast approached with eyes fixed on its prey, Lewis knew he had to be very careful and remember that behind animalistic splendour was all too often the sharpest of teeth!
“Hello, Lewis. Do you mind if I join you?” asked Lee with the assurance of a man who was rarely turned down.
“No. Please do,” Lewis hesitantly replied, too in awe of the man to avoid the risk.
They both pulled up a stool and sat facing the bar, away from the eyes that burned their backs and the whispers that failed to reach their ears. Lewis looked at his drink, fiddling with the glass. Lee looked at Lewis weighing up the tennis player at close quarters for a change.
I’ve drawn on this kind of attraction in Naked Hero, using it as a parallel to the way Lewis Macleod sees Lee Porter – the Body Perfect Englishman. His beauty is undeniable, arguably unsurpassable, but with that beauty, and the raw attraction he inspires, comes danger on so many levels. Yet Lewis is still drawn.
Is this part of human nature? I think it is in some cases. People are attracted to the wrong sort – the ‘bad boy’ image, the beast... the tiger that is there in the wilder men. We see the stripes of black and yellow which is nature’s advert for danger; we see the claws that could rip you apart; we see the teeth that could maul and devour, and yet we are still attracted.
Okay, so perhaps only a few actually succumb. Sense prevails when choosing a mate, but don’t say you’ve never been tempted to encounter the beast, and know what it was like, if only for one night to fall victim to its glory.
Here’s a snippet from Lewis and Lee’s first encounter...
It was whilst taking his first sip that Lewis noticed Lee Porter gliding effortlessly through the crowd - a predatory beast who had spotted its target and was circling before making its strike. Lewis tried to steady himself. He tried to remember that he was the big star here tonight. He was the one that
should be able to intimidate - to take control of the game that was coming, whatever it turned out to be. But this wasn’t a tennis court. This wasn’t part of his world. This was shark infested water and he was already bleeding from an earlier attack. There was potential danger here, magnificently presented as nature tended to do, wrapping its great predators in extraordinary beauty. It was that primal allure which had caused him to stay, but as the beast approached with eyes fixed on its prey, Lewis knew he had to be very careful and remember that behind animalistic splendour was all too often the sharpest of teeth!
“Hello, Lewis. Do you mind if I join you?” asked Lee with the assurance of a man who was rarely turned down.
“No. Please do,” Lewis hesitantly replied, too in awe of the man to avoid the risk.
They both pulled up a stool and sat facing the bar, away from the eyes that burned their backs and the whispers that failed to reach their ears. Lewis looked at his drink, fiddling with the glass. Lee looked at Lewis weighing up the tennis player at close quarters for a change.