by John Hobbs
Photography by John Skalicky
www.skalickyphoto.com

The Idaho Kid

Endless deadlines, flaky writers and sleepless nights aside, there are days when it seriously pays off to be in the magazine business. Today, we hit pay dirt when charged with the task of throwing birthday cake at the scantily clad and oh-so-sexy Ryan Liddell, who agreed to be the face of IN Los Angeles’ 10th anniversary issue. The 25-year-old hottie with the body, who carries himself with a small-town hospitality so rare in L.A., was so easy to work with that we’ve invited him to attend our 10-year anniversary party where he’ll be signing copies of this issue. If you can’t wait that long, Ryan can be found working the bar at Fubar and Hamburger Mary’s or on MySpace at myspace.com/oliverandcomp.

Name: Ryan
Age: 25
Hometown: Meridian, Idaho
Job: Bartender at Fubar and Hamburger Mary's WeHo
Best Part of Your Job: The people I work with—and no dress code!
Drink of Choice: Anything with vodka
Best Physical Feature: Smile
What Part of Your Body Would You Change If You Could: I hate having hair on my chest. Thank you Mach 3!
Where were you 10 years ago?
Ten years ago, I was a sophomore at Meridian High School, weighing 125 pounds on the wrestling team.
Who would’ve thought you’d grow up to be the very good-looking face of IN’s 10th anniversary issue! What brought you to L.A. in the first place?

Idaho's more a place to retire or raise kids. I wanted to be in a big city by the beach: I love swimming, surfing and sunsets! I also wanted to live in a place where I could be independent and comfortable with my sexuality.

What do you miss most from home?

My parents, who will be getting a copy of this issue.

You’ve bartended at a few places around Southern California, which must make for some interesting stories. What’s the most extraordinary thing to happen to you while slinging cocktails?

Well, you [do] see some pretty crazy things working at gay nightclubs. Perhaps one of the craziest was a night down in Long Beach when a girl hopped up on PCP jumped over the bar, kicking and screaming. We threw her out only to watch her jump on the hood of a moving taxi. The cops took over from there.

When you’re not working, what do you spend your time doing?

I love going to the movies or catching an episode of Weeds, Dexter or Heroes on TiVo. You can catch me enjoying a drink with friends on Santa Monica Boulevard or playing pool at one of the Long Beach dives.

Are you taken or single?

I'm single currently, but I prefer relationships.

What kinda guy has the best chance with you?

I'm attracted to outgoing, spontaneous and goofy and, yes I'll admit, a dash of crazy! But my ideal guy today might not be five years from now. I'm still young and changing, so ideally someone willing to let go, be free and just love.

Where would you like to be 10 years from now?

I enjoy bartending, but I want a lot more out of life. Ultimately though, in 10 years if I'm still healthy, surrounded by friends and family, I'll be happy. The rest is just icing on the cake.

Speaking of cake—even though you let us cover you in cake today, we’re guessing you don’t see too much cake with that sexy little body. How do you stay in such great shape?

Cheeseburgers and sex! Well, that and a ridiculous amount of sit-ups each day.

We’re always on the lookout for Starring guys. If you’d like to grace the pages of IN Los Angeles, please submit photos and a brief e-mail introducing yourself to editor@inlamag.com.