I can’t believe how fast this weekend goes!

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So after I got that XXX-Men scene up yesterday, I raced off to the opening of Cockyboys‘ weekend-long fan event at the Music Box Theater in Chicago. CockyCon started a couple years ago as a way for the guys who make Cockyboys happen to meet the people who really care about Cockyboys. And that’s an understatement because the fans of CB border on obsessed. But in this weird, only positive sort of way. It’s tough to explain, but I’ve got a post coming up about what that brand is doing that’s so outside of ‘mainstream’ porn, and whether or not that’s a good thing.

The CockyCon opener was a sit down talk with director Jake Jaxson about his work and a preview of an upcoming project starring Carter Dane, Boomer Banks, Levi Karter, and (shockingly) Jimmy Durano. The extended clip they screened included all these guys frolicking on beautiful beaches in Puerto Rico, and getting down by the pool (all the stuff you’d expect from a tropical fuck film). But it also featured some pretty intimate interviews with all of the performers about their experiences coming out, what they like sexually, and who they are as people.

 

 

This prompted an interesting discussion among the performers after the screening that offered some candid insights about the differences between the people – the actual guys who get naked and fuck in movies for you to jack off to – and the personas that are demanded – the guys you see in interviews, twitter, on red carpet stuff, or at events – in conjunction with that performance. Because at the end of the day, porn is fantasy and whether you think they’re good actors or not, they’re all performing. They’re super exposed and open to ridicule in ways that even mainstream stars aren’t, because of our culture’s puritanical perception of sexwork and pornography as low-class, or shameful.  Again, I recorded the talkback and I’ve got some followup questions for the guys, so expect an extended look at these ideas, early next week.

 

 

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After the Cockyboys event, and a quick dinner/nap combo, I was off to Steamworks Baths in the heart of Boystown, to meet up with the guys from Titan for a live bathhouse fuck show. My intention was to get some pics and a clip or two to share with you guys but I was told immediately that, 1. I better strip and get in a towel immediately or I wouldn’t be allowed upstairs, and 2. there was no way I could take my phone/camera into the actual bathhouse.

Now, as disappointing as that was, I totally get their rules and was shocked at how well enforced those rules seemed to be. I’ve spent some time in some bathhouses, and if I’m being totally honest, I fully expected to roll up to Steamworks and find a seedy, sticky, dungeon that discouraged touching of floors or walls, even on the best of days. Instead, I discovered a well (if dramatically) lit facility that smelled clean (!), had virtually no attitude (!!), and boasted a full-size gym, temperature regulated douching facilities, and a live DJ (!!!).

I made my way up to the third floor to find that the show was already well under way, and that Nick Prescott was already getting mercilessly pounded by Titan Exclusives Dallas Steele and Dirk Caber, while a crowd of super hot guys (wearing only towels) watched and cheered them on. If I had known that places like this existed when I was a teenager, I would have skipped out on all my stupid college and moved immediately to an apartment above one of the five North American Steamworks locations.

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Today is another screening for Cockyboys (the new episode of this series) and the IML marketplace (where I will definitely be allowed to take photos). Then tonight, is the Damn Grabby Awards! If you’re not going to be there with me, I’ll be live-blogging the event here starting at 630PM, so check back.

 

– tyler