True Blood's Bloody Cover

I was so busy watching HBO's True Blood finale that I overlooked this cover for Rolling Stone's September issue, shot by Matthew Rolston. Saying this magazine was eye catching would be an understatement.



I when I look at this cover, I wonder about several things:

I wonder about the boundaries that separate art and pornography, the "envelope" thats being pushed, and whether it is a good, or bad thing. I wonder if this cover would have made it past the conceptual stage if the characters were Black. I wonder if there was any controversy, any protesting by the same people who claim to care about our morality. I wonder if the seeing the cover made people feel homophobic.

Y'know, just wondering...