SHOPPING BAG: WEAR YOUR PRIDE
DIGITAL ISSUE #07 | 06.17.20
HEALTH & WELLNESS: REINVENTION “COMING OUT” OF COVID-19 FLIX: THE HIGH NOTE
MEET STRIKING HUNK
JOE WACHS
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TABLE OF CONTENTS: 8. COVER STORY: MEET STRIKING HUNK JOE WACHS
Meet striking hunk and OnlyFans sensation Joe Wachs from Chicago, Illinois, and enjoy his hot photos taken last week by Photo Studio Miami.
16. HEALTH & WELLNESS: HOW CAN I REINVENT MYSELF? “COMING OUT” OF COVID-19
"How can I use this time to reinvent myself?" is likely a question you’ve thought about in the past however many weeks or so. Brian Falduto helps you answer it.
18. FLIX: THE HIGH NOTE
According to Alyn Darnay, The High Note is a musical treat, with a lot of easy-going soul to it.
WIREMAG.COM: ISSUE VIDEO Enjoy our video of digital issue 6.2020 with a photo essay of beautiful Russian model, actor and fitness trainer David Lurs by Moscow based photographer Stas Vokman.
PHOTO BY JORGE FREIRE & ABEL CRUZ. PHOTOSTUDIOMIAMI.COM
14. SHOPPING BAG: WEAR YOUR PRIDE
Celebrate Pride Month by wearing your rainbow pride colors with this watch band, baseball cap, tennis shoes and belt.
Publisher/Editor in Chief
Rafa Carvajal Associate Publisher/Editor
Michael Bustamante
Assistant Publisher & Junior Editor
Nick Sedbrook Columnists
Joey Amato Alfredo Barrios Alyn Darnay Brian Falduto Michael W. Sasser Official Photography Studio
Photo Studio Miami Staff Photographer
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Tel: 305-520-WIRE Email: info@wiremag.com 1541 Brickell Avenue, #2004, Miami, FL 33129 Wire Magazine is published, produced, and owned by Wire Media Group L.L.C. All Rights Reserved. Distributed in print in Miami, The Beaches, and Fort Lauderdale, and digitally worldwide through wiremag.com The views, opinions or positions expressed by contributors to and interview subjects of Wire Magazine are theirs alone and do not necessarily reflect the views, opinions or positions of Wire Magazine, its staff or publisher.
Cover photo by Jorge Freire & Abel Cruz photostudiomiami.com Model: Joe Wachs
PUBLISHER'S CORNER ENJOY REOPENING AT YOUR OWN RISK! Ever since the COVID-19 pandemic started, I have been very cautious to protect my health and that of my loved ones and my friends. I have listened to the scientists and followed the CDC guidelines and recommendations regarding washing my hands, practicing social distancing, and wearing a mask. I also followed the Stay at Home orders because they make sense to slow the spread of the virus and help save people’s lives. I know people who died from COVID-19 and friends who got very ill from the virus, but I have been very fortunate not to contract it. My serology test came out negative for antibodies. As our City started to reopen, I contemplated the possibility of dining out with my dear friends Jay and Taylor and having a drink practicing social distancing. However, I remained very concerned that going to a public place could be risky because some establishments may not have trained their staff properly, or correctly follow the procedures required by City and health officials to prevent the spread of COVID-19. Despite my concerns, this past Saturday I decided to venture out for a couple of drinks and a bite to eat in South Beach with Jay and Taylor. After considering a number of alternatives, we settled on Monty’s because we could sit outside and felt safer in the fresh air. Once we got there, I immediately realized I would be testing reopening at my own risk. Unfortunately, I learned firsthand that some businesses will put my health at risk by failing to properly follow their own COVID-19 prevention measures and the procedures mandated by the City. Some of these easily preventable failures included a hostess speaking to us with a mask not covering her nose, a very pleasant and diligent waiter who pulled his mask down to expose his mouth and nose every time he spoke to us up close, and having a couple sit right next to us at a table clearly labeled with a large red X so no one would sit there to ensure social distancing. The couple was never told by Monty’s to move to the open table next to it marked green for use, and were actually served by a waitress at the table with the big red X. I also never saw anyone at Monty’s walking around monitoring that procedures were being followed or painfully obvious mistakes were being corrected. This experience taught me I cannot and will not depend on any business to care about protecting my health and that of my family and friends. It is up to me to take responsibility for my own health safety by walking out of any establishment that fails to properly follow the rules and procedures for a safe reopening. Cheers,
Rafa Carvajal Publisher & Editor in Chief rafa@wiremag.com
”IN THE LONG RUN, WE SHAPE OUR LIVES, AND WE SHAPE OURSELVES. THE PROCESS NEVER ENDS UNTIL WE DIE. AND THE CHOICES WE MAKE ARE ULTIMATELY OUR OWN RESPONSIBILITY.“
- ELEANOR ROOSEVELT 6 WIREMAG.COM | DIGITAL ISSUE #07 2020
K N U H G N I K I R T S T E E M
S H C A W E O J arvajal z By Rafa C Abel Cru re F ire & e rg Jo y i.com Photos b diomiam photostu
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This week, we introduce you to striking hunk and OnlyFans sensation Joe Wachs from Chicago, Illinois, with some of the hot photos taken last week by Photo Studio Miami. Rafa Carvajal: Where are you originally from and where do you live? Joe Wachs: I am originally from Chicago, Illinois and currently living in Scottsdale, Arizona.
PHOTOS BY DAVID VANCE. DAVIDVANCEPRINTS.COM
RC: What do you do for a living? JW: I am a full-time paid athlete and model, with currently the #1 biggest OnlyFans page in the United States. I also have multiple brand deals with companies for monthly income and run an online coaching business on the side. RC: Who is the professional icon that inspires you most? Why? JW: I don’t have an icon that inspires me the most, but I do look up to Dwayne "The Rock" Johnson because of who he is as a person. He is humble, amazing at what he does, and The Rock always shows how thankful he is and gives back to the community. That’s exactly the imprint I want to leave on the people I meet in my career. I honestly look at myself as my main motivation and inspiration because I know I have tons of potential, and as long as I continue working hard every single day, I will have exactly what I want in life.
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RC: How do you stay in such great shape? JW: Nothing but consistency and hard work. I wish there was a magic pill, but it all comes down to training hard at the gym, following your diet 24/7 and keeping up with your hygiene. RC: What do you enjoy the most about modeling for photography? JW: I love modeling and everything about photography. I enjoy being in front of the camera just as much as I love being behind. The biggest thing I like is creating fine art that shows such expression and creates much more than just an image. We are creating a fantasy and it’s amazing to see it come to life. RC: What is your favorite food? JW: I’m such an all American guy... That being said, I can never go wrong with a big fat juicy burger and fries. RC: What is your favorite pastime? JW: I love scrolling through social media to support my other influencer and model friends. It’s fantastic seeing all of my friends, doing what they love and creating such amazing work! I enjoy seeing all the creativity others have to offer. RC: What is your favorite place in the world? Why? JW: I recently traveled to Aruba, and it was a very breathtaking and beautiful place. I am definitely going back soon. As long as I am somewhere with the people that I love and enjoy spending time with, everywhere is my favorite! DIGITAL ISSUE #07 2020 | WIREMAG.COM 11
RC: What is your current struggle? JW: Juggling all my business ventures and being able to keep sane. With my goals and ambition, it drives me crazy because I never stop working and never know when to take a break. Now, with business being so good moving forward, I’ve been able to hire a full time assistant to help me run all of my work and take on more as myself and as a brand. RC: Is there anything else you would like to share with Wire Magazine readers? JW: Thank you all so much for giving me this opportunity to be on the cover and showcase myself in front of thousands. I also want to thank the amazing photographers Jorge and Abel from Photo Studio Miami for helping create such stunning images. They are now my full-time project photographers who will be working with me moving forward as a team. If you aren’t already, make sure you subscribe to my OnlyFans! I’m currently running a promotion in honor of my first cover and it’s only $3 to join and 65% off. Every single member gets a free video on the house and there is also tons of behind-the-scenes footage from the pictures you’re currently seeing now. Thank you so much.
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SHOPPING BAG
:::::::::::::::: shopping@wiremag.com :::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
WEAR YOUR PRIDE APPLE WATCH PRIDE EDITION SPORTS BAND Apple is proud to support LGBTQ advocacy organizations working to bring about positive change. This rainbow band is assembled by hand from individual strips of colored fluoroelastomer. $49
LEVI’S PRIDE BELT Levi's message for pride this year is: Use Your Voice! This belt has so much to say with its vibrant multi-colored full-grain leather. $48
PINK SUNDAYS PRIDE DAD HAT This versatile hat offers the perfect cover up for sunny days when your face needs some shade. Maybe you’re hiding that bad haircut – this cute hat has you covered, literally! $26.50
PRIDE CHUCK TAYLOR ALL STAR You can never go wrong with a classic Chuck, but the fact that these got pimped out in pride style makes them even cooler. Check out the other pride Chucks while you're at it. $65
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HEALTH & WELLNESS
::::::::::: By Brian Falduto, The Gay Life Coach ::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::::
HOW CAN I REINVENT MYSELF?
Whether it was something you started brainstorming right away or something that occurred to you somewhere along in the quarantined state of the world, “How can I use this time to reinvent myself?” is likely a question you’ve thought about in the past however many weeks or so. We are in the slow but sure process of unfreezing things and that thawing process is coincidentally coinciding with Pride Season. I feel it’s a good time to discuss how the queer community specifically can “come out” of this stronger as our resilient type tend to do after trying times. During this healing chapter I didn’t know I was entering, the most important improvements on my relationship with myself have come during the quiet I remember when I finally came out of the closet my moments. They’ve often arrived right when I’ve started to slow down, or even senior year of college, I wanted the world to stop for more often when I’ve crashed and burned from going too fast. They’ve arrived on a moment. At that time, when the truth about who I nights where I was alone with nothing but my own thoughts and feelings to keep was became non-negotiable, I didn’t know that me company. And they’ve arrived in the form of hurt. When I look back at some coming out is actually a healing process. I didn’t of the perceived tragedies of my twenties, I see that they were actually the biggest know that I would have to spend the next chapter of moments of growth. my life battling 14 years of internalized homophobia and discovering a rejected self that was hidden in Quiet. Loneliness. Tragedy. Does any of the above sound familiar? Look, we all shame. Instead, I just waltzed into my twenties know at its core that this pandemic is a bad thing with a negative impact. It completely out of tune with who I was and with very comes with so many unanswered questions and troubling concerns. But I’d like to little time to figure it out. I had to navigate my new propose an additional way of looking at it, and that is as the healing time that I, role as a gay man while finishing college, getting a and perhaps we, have been waiting for. job, ending a relationship, moving into my first apartment, and all the while having to provide status If you think about what being in the closet is, it’s a form of compartmentalization updates to friends and family that were anything but where we disassociate from aspects of ourselves that don’t feel important or reflective of what was going on inside. worthy enough to present to the world. Those beautifully valid parts of our being
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PHOTO CREDIT: © DEPOSITPHOTOS.COM | ANDREYPOPOV
"COMING OUT" OF COVID-19
get tucked away in the back of our mind and covered with lies. Then, when the lies get removed, there’s still shame, so then we cover up even more with busy schedules and vibrant social lives and beautiful photos of ourselves posted on Instagram, so that no one has to see or deal with the real core of the problem which generally tends to be a lack of love for ourselves. After all, we don’t know who it is that we are loving because we haven’t had the chance to heal. The amount of instant pride we expect from those that come out as LGBTQ after living an incomplete life is basically what it’d be like to ask a brand new dancer to perform triple pirouettes proudly even though they’ve never tried anything like that before.
“CARING FOR MYSELF IS NOT SELF-INDULGENCE, IT IS SELFPRESERVATION AND THAT IS AN ACT OF POLITICAL WARFARE.” - AUDRE LORDE
If this time of being quarantined has been particularly difficult for you, a good question to ask is, “Why?” And pay attention to what comes up. Is it something you’ve been avoiding? For me, some of the difficult moments have been the uncomfortable ones where I’ve realized how many aspects of myself were still being skipped over with the hustle and bustle of normal life. When these thoughts and feelings get uncovered after years of collecting dust, they can be a bit surprising. And as anyone who’s ever been in a haunted house knows, not all surprises feel good.
PHOTO BY DALLAS RILEY
I love Pride Season. I love getting my shortest shorts on and coordinating tank top colors with my friends. I love partying and celebrating a part of myself I never thought I’d even acknowledge, never mind flaunt around the West Village. And it’s okay to grieve the loss of all that. But what if this June is a little less about pride and a little more about healing? It is yourself that you should be most proud of anyway so who better to celebrate it with than you. Perhaps if we get a little quiet with ourselves this year, we can be even louder and prouder next year than we’ve ever been before. I wrote this piece prior to the recent current events involving the Black Lives Matter movement. I want to add that I stand in full support of that messaging and I encourage everyone inside and outside the LGBTQ community to get loud and take the action needed against racial injustice. Let us remember, though, what the Lesbian American writer, feminist, womanist, librarian, and civil rights activist Audre Lorde said, “Caring for myself is not self-indulgence, it is selfpreservation and that is an act of political warfare.” On the topic of healing, it’s clear that America needs just as much healing as prescribed above for LGBTQ persons, if not more. Let us make sure we lead that effort by doing that work on ourselves while we stand up for what we believe in. We can be of better help this way as it is physically impossible to pour from an empty cup. Brian Falduto is an ICF certified LGBTQ Life Coach who is best known for his child actor days as "that gay kid from School of Rock." Brian has launched The Gay Life Coach Podcast and you can catch his latest life coaching podcasts on his website brianfalduto.com or follow him on Instagram @thegaylifecoach.
DIGITAL ISSUE #07 2020 | WIREMAG.COM 17
FLIX
THE HIGH NOTE
You rarely hear me fawning over a movie, but when I finally get the opportunity to review a really enjoyable film, well, it’s just great. The High Note is such a film. It hits all the right "notes." It doesn’t take itself too seriously, it isn’t too heavy, or preachy, or over-wroth with emotion. It just slides right into that "this is fun to watch" category. You might feel like you’ve seen this film before, but you really haven’t. It just feels that way because it’s so dang comfortable and easygoing. Above all that, the film's highest note is its music, which throughout is better than almost any recent movie I’ve seen that’s set inside the music industry. The last time I loved a score this much was by Eminem in 8 Mile, and that was a long time ago. The team of songwriter Sarah Aarons and producer Rodney "Darkchild" Jerkins turned what could have been a lame series of tunes into an outstanding showcase for the exceptional vocal talents of both Tracee Ellis Ross’ and Kelvin Harrison Jr.
DIRECTED BY: NISHA GANATRA SCREENPLAY BY: FLORA GREESON
CAST: DAKOTA JOHNSON, TRACEE ELLIS ROSS, KELVIN HARRISON JR., ZOË CHAO, BILL PULLMAN, EDDIE IZZARD, AND ICE CUBE THE HIGH NOTE Rating: 4.5 Stars (out of 5) Rated: PG-13 (for some strong language, and suggestive references) Running Time: 1 hour & 53 minutes
another, is being pushed into a Las Vegas residency she does not want, by both her manager (Ice Cube) and her record label. Her dedicated and overworked assistant Maggie (Johnson), who aspires to become a music producer herself and is reworking some of Grace’s classic tunes, thinks it’s the wrong move. She believes it’s time for Grace to start writing again and record some new material. When Maggie stumbles upon a talented new singer (Harrison) and convinces him to let her produce his music, a series of events is unleashed that will change everyone’s life forever.
Everything in the film echoes what one imagines is the reality of Los Angeles’ glitzy music scene, with its flashy personalities, fast cars, expensive wardrobes, lavish parties, big promotional shindigs, and powerful agents. It’s all there and just a lot of fun to watch. Director Nisha Ganatra has managed to somehow capture the life of a superstar in a most engaging If you didn’t know, Tracee Ellis way. It’s a refreshing change Ross, who has been a popular from the destructive behavior lead actress in such Television we’re used to seeing in this type shows as Girlfriends and Black- of film. Adding to that, Tracee ish, is in real life Diana Ross’ and Dakota make a great team, daughter. Like her mother, she playing off each other with such has a wonderful singing voice, humor and sensitivity, you’re just but until now hasn’t been able to forced to love them both. capitalize on it. This film and its wonderful main song "Love The High Note was released on Myself" should change that for Video on Demand Friday, May her. 29, 2020. Here's the storyline…
My take… The High Note is a musical treat, with a lot of easyGrace Davis (Ross), a 40-yeargoing soul to it. I think you old superstar singer whose life might just fall in love with this has become an endless series of one. Check it out. moving from one concert to
Alyn Darnay is a film critic; feedback is encouraged at adarnay@wiremag.com. 18 WIREMAG.COM | DIGITAL ISSUE #07 2020
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