Jerry Douglas: The Gay Porn Blog Interview, Pt. 1

There are precious few in gay porn of comparable stature to Jerry Douglas. There are personalities that are bigger, directors flashier and power brokers that are more intimidating. But Jerry Douglas -- who got his start in 1972 writing and directing the groundbreaking Back Row with Casey Donovan -- has always been a maverick who's loved more than feared. And that's a real rarity in this industry. Jerry was in town finishing post-production on the upcoming Buckshot release Beyond Perfect and took some time to answer the questions of a few neophyte screenwriters (er, us) to talk about the nature of the erotic, the business of showing-it-all and his "x-rated Rashomon."

Gay Porn Blog: Is porn screenwriter an oxymoron?

Jerry Douglas: Not for me. Never has been. I’ve always believed that sex is hotter if the viewer gets to know the characters as human beings first and then is even more anxious to see their sexual side. It’s sort of a prick-teasing process. I’ve never been interested in renting a motel room, throwing two guys on a bed, and saying “Go to it.” A very good friend of mine once explained it this way: “Sex in context is more interesting then sex in limbo” – and I agree with that 100 percent.

GPB: What are the major obstacles in creating a story in the adult genre?

JD: The problem of course is to make the webbing between sex scenes as interesting – and as sexual – as the explicit action. A good porn script is like the libretto of a good musical – you find your set pieces and web them together with a libretto. The best screenplays for adult films should be as much of a turn-on as the old in-out. And like a good musical comedy, the sex scenes (which serve the same function as the musical numbers) should advance the story, reveal character, and enrich the theme. They should have as much dramatic impact as erotic impact. We have sex for a lot of different reasons --- to pleasure ourselves, to pleasure our partners, to hurt our partners, to show off, to exercise control, to yield control – and ideally, in any film, we should know why two people are fucking at any given moment in time. I always make this very clear to my actors before we begin an explicit scene: Why are you here? Why are you having sex with this man at this moment? What do you want to achieve? It certainly keeps all the sex scenes from looking and feeling alike.

GPB: What do you try to communicate with your scripts? What are your major themes? What stories do you try to tell?

JD: I suppose if I were writing a master’s thesis on the subject, I would have to say that a majority of my films deal with “coming to terms” -- not necessarily “coming out” (although that is often a large part of it). Trade Off, Dream Team and Honorable Discharge are about coming to terms with one’s homosexuality, Fratrimony, Flesh and Blood, and Family Values are both about coming to terms with incestuous impulses, More of a Man is about coming to terms with one’s Catholicism, Buckleroos and the new one, Beyond Perfect, are about coming to terms with the demands of maintaining an ongoing relationship.

GPB: You often bring use love in your scripts, rather than just lust. Does romance have a place in porn?

JD: If romance has a place in your life, then it has a place in your porn. If it doesn’t, then robots having heated, energetic sex is enough. But I suspect, whether they admit it or not, most people are looking for romance (in one form or another), and though lust is enticing and inviting, it is all too often like a Chinese meal – you’re hungry again twenty minutes later. Loving is much more nourishing (and for me, at least) more interesting to put onscreen.

GPB: What advice would you give to aspiring porn screenwriters?

JD: Get to know the industry and the practicalities that are essential to make your script financially feasible. And don’t expect to have someone buy your script – most directors write their own scripts.

GPB: How do you write dialogue for non-actors?

JD: The same way I write for professional actors. I write a character and look for someone who can inhabit it. I don’t hire “non-actors” for my films – I hear men who have shown me in the interview and audition process that they are capable (with a bit of directorial help) to handle dialogue and to create a character. I spent many of my early adult years directing “amateurs” in community theatre productions, and they require a completely different approach from so-called “professional actors.” So do adult film performers.

GPB:Can you make a living writing porn?

JD: Of course not. I’ve never known anyone who could.

GPB: What is your writing process? Where do the stories come from? How do the projects manifest themselves?

JD: For me, the project always begins with a germ of an idea – something that has happened to me, something I have observed among my friends, a newspaper clipping of something that has happened in another corner of the country. For example, over the years I’ve known several people who have been arrested in tearooms, and I decided I wanted to make a film about entrapment – that turned about to be Kiss Off. I’ve known a few closeted celebrities in my time, and I knew I wanted to explore the problems of being a closeted celebrity --- that turned out to be Diamond Stud. I’ve seen so many relationships go sour during the third year – I suspect the seven year itch comes early for gay men – and I thought that would be an interesting dynamic to dive into. It became my latest film, Beyond Perfect, which stars Brad Patton and Jason Kingsley as a pair of lovers who are beginning to cheat on each other just after their third anniversary. Right now I’m a little bit pregnant with the germ of an idea about the stalking of a porn star. Who knows if it will grow to fruition? So many of the ideas don’t...

Part two of our conversation with Jerry Douglas next week...

-- Mike

Gay Porn Before & After: Casey Jordan

Once upon a time, circa 1988, Casey Jordan was this cute-ish little insatiable bottom boy. He did a couple movies for Falcon ("Out of Bounds", "Perfect Summer", "Spokes II") and then he went away.

In 1994-95 he re-appeared in New Pledgemaster and "The Backroom" (both also Falcon), but when he returned, he looked somewhat ... surgically enhanced ...

2005, he cropped up again, as Kyle, Colton Ford's borderline psychotic manager in the genius tragicomedy Naked Fame. The best part of the entire doc (besides the part when Blake Harper breaks down and cries at a circuit party) is when Colton fires him.

Casey, Jocelyn Wildenstein called: She needs her face back.

-- Jack

Gay Porn Before & After: Tyler Hill

Blake Harper on Naked Sword
Colton Ford on Naked Sword

Gay Porn Sneak Peek: "Bully"

DV8 Entertainment, Jason Curious' brand-spanking-new production company, just wrapped filming their first feature, "Bully". In a statement on the production, Curious used all sorts of breathless exclamations you would never expect from a PR master: "I just don't know what I did to deserve something this incredible my first time out. Companies work years to get something like this."

The film chronicles the meltdown of a sexually confused Bobby Williams in the title roll. It features the first on-screen bottoming of twink-fave Christian Owen (pictured) and also features Marc Anthony, Antonio Madiera and Caleb Carter (who made his debut a few months ago in AMG Resurrection.

Adding to the massive chicken appeal is DV8's first Exclusive, Shawn Strong. For some exclusive pictures of the 6'3", 9"-cocked lad, click "Continue" ....

-- Jack

Gay Porn Sneak Peek: "Chi Chi LaRue's Warning"

"Warning" is a lush, oversized volume of photos that you and your coffee table has always wanted. It's gay porn stars though high fashion photog Greg Thompson's lens.

It's like that issue of Visionaire -- sans pubic hair clippings -- that leaves you in a glamour stupor, (but with a hard-on.)

It's a generous portion of Johnny Hazzard -- looking the best I've ever seen him -- thrown in for good measure.

It's what gay porn has needed for a long, long time.

Click "continue" for a sneak peek.

Click here to purchase "Warning" on TLA

Click here for more Chi Chi.

-- Jack

Hunter James: Très En Vogue

(One of) My favorite gay porn bloggers, Hunter James, appears in a Steven Klien-shot layout in this month's Italian Vogue. I'm feeling so, like, strangely proud of him ... it seems like just yesterday we were smoking -- er -- cigarettes on my couch ... and look at the bitch now! Click on the images below to see the rest of the shots posted on his site.

Gay Porn Review: Michael Lucas' Auditions

Michael Lucas has always held himself at a distance. The latter-day-Garbo doesn't necessarily want to be alone, but his movies are certainly detached emotionally. From his blase ruminations on monogamy in the Fire Island Cruising series to his vengeful machinations of Dangerous Liaisons, the dedicated top man is careful to distinguish sex from love. In fact, love rarely enters into his movies at all.

While such distance might be off-putting, lately Lucas has been using his fascination with the flat and superficial as a springboard for raw, no-strings-attached sex. And his powerful attitude, no less controlling than his character in Dangerous Liaisons is intensely sexual.

Take his Auditions "reality" porn (read "amateur") series where the proverbial casting couch is front and center as Lucas "auditions" new performers. Sometimes he joins in, sometimes he extracts personal histories from the would-be porn stars who come to try out -- or try out to come. Talk about hometowns and hobbies echoes the hollow interest of trick-chat, and with a wave of his hand directing the sex to commence. It's sex as power, Foucault en flagrante. The actor-director not only sets the scene, he also partakes of the spoils. It's hard not to envy him, orchestrating sexual performances like a lascivious puppeteer.

People have intense feelings about Mr. Lucas -- some swoon at his metropolitan charms and piercing eyes, others find his self-assuredness arrogant -- but Auditons series is some of his best work, harnessing his control and his cool for impressively raw sex.

And best of all, it's priced accordingly. The money he saves on sets and crew allow him to price the tapes well below competition. The newest, Auditions 5 -- starring sexy Israeli Omer, is currently priced to move on his website for $34.95. What's not to love about that?

-- Mike

Gay Porn Sneak Peek: The New Wet Palms

Mark your calendar! After a six-month hiatus, three more episodes of Wet Palms are scheduled to hit the web in early November. Jet Set exec and WP Producer Mark Hovanec has promised that the new episodes will wow even the most jaded porn watcher: In addition to blackmail, kidnapping, adultery, drug addiction and corporate raiding, the season finale -- or should I say climax -- ends with a real bang.

Who will live? Who will die? And more importantly, will straight loner Lucky Hanson (Gabriel Knight) ever fuck a guy? You'll never know unless you watch. (Just because Jack and I wrote the scripts doesn't mean we're going to spoil the surprise!)

The new episodes don't debut for a few weeks, which gives you plenty of time to catch up. NakedSword.com members can watch the first six episodes free. Of course, you can always pay-per-episode, too, but I'm all about conserving porn dollars.

Exclusive image gallery after the jump ...

Socialite Ethan Marc goes slumming with Jason Crew.

Whistleblower Brad Benton digs for dirt on Simon Jett (Michael Soldier).

New poolboy Pete Ross and Sister Roma (Wet Palms' maid Mona Lott) get ready for publisher Simon Jett's Man of the Year party.

Clockwise from bottom: Gus Mattox, Michael Soldier, Bret Wolfe, Zak Spears.

Detective Marcus Iron gets some distressing news from an old flame.

Wet Palms manager Bret Wolfe horses around with Pete Ross.

Ethan Marc comes to the rescue of model Jason Ridge.

Pharmaceutical magnate Zak Spears makes hired assassin Drew Peters take his medicine.

Do porn stars ever stop having fun?

-- Mike

Introducing Tyler Riggz

After just having watched the hardcore trailer for Channel 1's forthcoming "Wrong Side of the Tracks", I have to admit my interest is piqued. Look's like Chi Chi's got a blockbuster on her hands to rival Bolt. Click here to see the trailer.

As far as I'm concerned, La Hazzard will always be on the wrong side of the tracks until he's on the right side of my bed, but I have to admit that he does look particularly fetching in the trailer slapping his face with that giant cock. To whom does the member in question belong? Why, that would be Channel1's newest exclusive, Tyler Riggz, seen below.

Hello, Daddy! Me likey!

-- Jack

Francois Sagat: The Gay Porn Blog Interview

For someone who describes himself as “too reserved,” Francois Sagat sure is captivating. The scalp-tattooed Parisian hates to cook, doesn’t like to leave his house and moons over straight men – j’adore his misanthropic nature! He’s also DAMN SEXY.

I came across Francois – pardon the unpardonably easy pun –- the other day while watching a sneak preview of Raging Stallion’s astonishing late winter release, Arabesque.

“Take a look at this one,” said studio chief Chris Ward, and slid me his picture across his desk. Look at him? I can’t take my eyes off him!

Where the hell is the Concorde when you need it?

Age? 26 (5 June 1979)

Day Job? Bartender

Hometown? Paris

Where do you live now? Paris

How can fans get in touch with you? I already have a website under construction, and I can get in touch by email,of course. Maybe some fans can see me sometimes on dating, chatting gay websites,and on Friendster, for example!

Does your mother know? I let my mother understand what I am doing right now in this industry without saying the word "PORN", but she's not stupid and we're too much close together. She’s known I’m gay since I’m 19 so it’s a kind of easier than I expected. She doesn’t wanna know more about my activity, but she accepts.

What’s up with your tattoos? I have a tattoo on my back -- the star and the moon of the Arabic sign, the Muslim drawing. It’s not a religious signification for me, it's just really beautiful. I love Arabian guys, that's all.

I have this special "scalp tattoo" on my head. I was inspired by the thug, black & latino guys in USA -- they cut every side of the front in an absolutely symmetrical way -- I loved it. And it goes with my dark side.

How did you come up with your porn name? First I thought about just SAGAT as a porn name, and then Frank Sagat, but I was definitely turned on by my real name Francois Sagat, it sounds really good. Chris Ward had the same opinion about that and I wanted to do a wink on my Slovakian background. Sagat is a Slovakian name and also the name of the Street Fighter videogame hero.

How'd you get into porn? I've always wanted to do porn, I was just shy and not ready (physically as well as spiritually) to contact somebody few years ago. A French production contacted me on a gay website one year ago, then I had a meeting with them and I started very fast.

Favorite porn sex scene? I don't really have favorite scenes, all scenes with Dred Scott I ever seen. But there’s one film with really hot scenes,it's Manplay Extreme 1.

A sex act you haven't tried? I never tried gang bang, it sounds really exciting but it is laborious to find the good ones and the good situation...

What's your best asset? I try to be funny sometimes, and I'm not taking myself seriously. I'm not proud, I'm not snobbish...that's my best asset

What is your worse asset? I think I'm too much reserved, and apparently cold. And also I'm never satisfied about myself.

Worst habit? Staying in front of my computer too much. By the way, I don't go out really much, or hang out with friends...

Celebrity you'd most like to bed? Matthew MacConaughey -- because he seems to be so distant, and bad tempered guy -- I don't know why. He's really amazing with shaved head and facial hair!

Last concert? I went to [Madonna’s] Re-Invention Tour, the most beautiful thing I saw. The beauty of the Devil...

Secret fear? I hate big bugs, and I m especially afraid of the deep ocean.

Favorite magazine? V magazine New York (visionnaire new york), a really good support for beautiful images and articles.

Fav non-porn movie sex scene? The scene with one of the Wayans brothers with his girlfriend in US Footballer sportsuit in Scary Movie.

Fave album/CD to fuck to? The Golden Age Of Grostesque by Marylin Manson/Mobscene and also Be Aggressive by Faith No More.

Biggest Turn-On? Hairy faces and Rugbymen

Best Meal You Cook? Sorry, I hate cooking...

What's next for you? I'm keeping working -- and moving on and trying to give the better of me.

-- Mike

Dead Guys for Gay Eyes

I've gotten a few emails from readers asking why -- despite my morbid fascination with dead porn stars -- I haven't mentioned the missing-turned-dead American strippers whose bodies were found in a quarry in Montreal last month.

I guess I was genuinely sketched by the possibility that they were murdered, and getting more creeped out by the fact that I'd wanked to Mark (right) on Jake Cruise's excellent new amateur site Straight Guys For Gay Eyes (see "Nick" and "Nick II").

Well, yesterday the cause of death was officially ruled "accidental" (link via Towleroad) . The tragic-comic spin being that a video surveillance camera captured the two trying to skip out on their cab fare: Chased by the driver, they jumped the fence surrounding the quarry, ignoring the signs in French warning of the impending 50 foot drop. Le ouch.

For more pictures of Mark/Nick check out SG4GE.com (You sick fuck!)

-- Jack

Sean Cody: Meet Bailey

Bailey is the first new guy on Sean Cody to really make my dick move since Franklin.

If the description is accurate, the smooth 18 year old would be the quintessential Sean Cody man:

Bailey is totally comfortable with his sexuality. He digs the ladies, but swears he’s never had any guy-on-guy action before. He’s the textbook definition of an exhibitionist.

Until someone broke out the butt plug ...

How boring would it be if Sean Cody's boys didn't didn't get a bit fruity?

(Mr. Cody continues:)
He really showed off his ass for the camera and on his second day of shooting, while watching a straight porno, he agreed to use a toy on himself. As the girl in the video fucked herself, he duplicated her actions as he thrusted a dildo up his tight ass in the shower.

What happened to the buttplug? I'm not going to ruin the surprise.

-- Jack