Jason Workman

Back in the late 80s there was a magazine called MGF, which stood for "Men's Guide to Fashion." MGF is now defunct; it was similar to Details and Men's Health. I used to buy MGF from time to time at B. Dalton or Waldenbooks at Southridge Mall. As a gay boy, I was particularly interested in MGF's annual swimsuit issue. The 1988 edition featured a model named Jason Workman. He appeared in quite a few photographs throughout the magazine, including one in bright-colored swimming trunks. My favorite, however, was one of Jason wearing a speedo. Those photos of Jason provided me with hours of  amusement and entertainment when I was in high school. I couldn't imagine a better looking or more interesting guy than Jason.

My family went to New York for the first time when I was a junior in high school, circa April 1990. One of the Broadway plays we saw on that trip was Meet Me in St. Louis at the Gershwin Theatre. I have a vivid memory of reading the Playbill before the show began. As I was looking at the names and photographs of the cast members, my heart skipped a beat when I saw that Jason Workman was in the cast playing John Truitt. Could this be the same speedo-wearing Jason Workman from MGF? It looked like it was. What were the chances that the man I had spent countless hours fantasizing about was in the same theater as me? I couldn't believe it. My face flushed and I had butterflies in my stomach. My legs started shaking. I worried that my mom might wonder what was wrong. When Jason made his entrance, I knew that it was indeed the same guy from MGF. For the next two hours, my eyes never left Jason when he was on the stage. He was so handsome. He had such a clear and lovely singing voice. He seemed to radiate energy. It was like a dream come true for me. And then it was over. If only I could have met him. But what would I say? At the time I was a somewhat awkward 16 year-old.

After seeing Jason in person, I got quite a bit more usage out of the MGF magazine and the Playbill. Unfortunately, the MGF didn't survive one of my many moves in college or graduate school. I'd pay a rather hefty sum to have it back. After all these years, I still think about Jason with some frequency. So far as I can determine from the Internet, it looks like he's still acting, most recently playing Radames in "AIDA" somewhere in Michigan. After "Meet Me in St. Louis," he was in a mid-90s revival of "Damn Yankees" on Broadway. Jason also had a couple of guest spots on TV programs and soap operas.

Jason, if you should happen to read this, please know that you have a long-time fan in Milwaukee. I'm 33 now and would welcome the opportunity to buy you dinner. I hope to hear from you!