4 STARS
The introduction interview is brilliant. Funny. It frames the pictures in a theme, and gives a good sense of Trachtenberg's character. During it he explains how he got to doing what he does and pretty much says that it's not a technology mastery issue anymore, but a storytelling one.
And that's what these are, frozen moments which encourage the viewer to write the stories.
The images themselves are capricious and meant to be taken with a grain of salt. Don't be so serious, yet there's some interesting commentary about life and societal expectations that are being discussed.
There are ones that are absolutely contrary and those which highlight aspects repressed by traditional representations of masculinity. It's fun, but Trachtenberg is talking to the viewer and so are the subjects.
Some images have a date, but quite a few have captions that are just as humorous. It gives one the confidential, insiders' scoop feel.
Besides hoping for a fresh slice of pop culture, I was interested in the process of redefining and the presentation of contemporary masculinity. Deconstruction of the binary of blue collar beefcake and white collar alpha with more than a taste of irony. And it was.
The Red Blooded part is meant to be mocking, to tear down shallow, stereotypical representations. The American part is loosey-goosey too with a dog, two Canadians and a Brit. If you're looking for an unexpected and attractive coffee table book featuring a wide array of celebrities that will undoubtedly spark a couple conversations, this is a good one. It's a gentle prodding, not a Taser.
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