Smarter Than the Average Bear

By Callbear, San Francisco

I've had a beard since I was in the Navy. I gained a gut when I got a desk job with the National Park Service. The race between losing my hair and having it gray has been constant. However, I found that no matter what shape I was in, I could score.

I entered a Viking contest at a neighborhood bar. I came in second out of two. After the contest, I was approached by two men who asked me to pose for the second issue of a new publication. Well I was already well into balding, I was graying and I was way out of shape. You want ME to pose?

Yes they did...for Bear Magazine.

After a bit of soul searching and calculating my chances for being asked to run as vice-president, I agreed. I was featured in the second issue. According to the publisher at that time, of the eight models they had featured up to then, I had generated the most mail.

Now I never considered myself a looker. I got on well enough to get laid. But this was something new. I was getting fan mail? Guys were jacking off to my pictures? Can you say ego stroke?

A short while later, I was approached by the cover model of a later issue, Rex. He was running an escort service and he needed a "daddy" type. He screened the calls and paged the best man for the job. I could run an independent ad using the pager number if I wanted and be available for his pages as well.

This was a new wrinkle. Men would pay for my company? After recalculating my political future I signed up. I also started running an ad as San Francisco's Original Callbear as seen in Bear Magazine. You know...callgirl, callboy, callbear. It worked, and so did I.

I expected to be nervous and self-conscious. I expected to be rejected. I expected all sorts of unpleasant feelings to come welling up. The last thing I expected to feel was power.

I had no trouble finding the location of my first client. I was full of expectations, both good and bad.

The client answered the door.

"Is this alright?" is the first thing I asked, indicating myself. Something I have asked ever since. He indicated I was fine. I walked in and saw money discreetly laid out on a table. That was the moment. I got an instant erection. This man was going to pay me to have sex with him. Some little switch flipped in my head and I realized he was probably having doubts himself. Once I figured that one out, I knew it was all my show.

He thought I was the professional. That I knew what I was doing. My God...I was in charge. I put him at ease. I led things along. I got him to tell me what he really wanted. I had a great time.

In the beginning, being the only bear who was "modeling" sparked a lot of interest. Many of those early clients didn't have a clue where to find someone who looked like me. I probably lost some repeat trade by explaining about the Lone Star. Men were looking for a dad, big brother or a blue collar experience. There was also a group of younger men who liked bears but because of peer pressure couldn't be seen in public with one. Their friends would have ridiculed them. A third group of men who knew what they liked but because of their busy schedules found it easier to order bear take out. There was a whole world of men who wanted me enough to pay. The ego stroke was getting faster.

Bear Magazine filled a real need and gave a name to a vague collection of men...bears. Imitators followed in the steps of Bear Magazine and all sorts of bear events started to take place. Lots of bearded hairy "mature" men began advertising locally. Just like the definition of a bear, they came in all shapes and sizes....muscles, chunky, hairy with no beard, bearded with no body hair.

I did an early video for Bear Magazine that is now about 10 years old. It sold briskly, and they put me on a notecard.

I was also contacted by a documentary maker. He was interviewing San Francisco escorts of different types and with different attitudes. I made the cut and was one of 5 men interviewed. I came off as easy going, warm and friendly (a "big ole bear") with a sense of humor. I put Male Escorts of San Francisco in my pager message resume and got clients from that film.

I still know I'm not a "looker", but I do have a "look". While I never made a living as an escort, I always had a good time. I cut back on escorting when my full- time job became more then full time. I only saw a few regular clients. I've changed jobs and now have extra time. Maybe I should expand my client list. There are still men out there who don't know where to hunt for bears.

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