EVERYTHING YOU WANTED TO KNOW ABOUT GAY PORN STARS (But Were Afraid to Ask)

Well, if that isn't a catchy title, I don't know what is!

This is one of those series that will lure an audience simply on the title alone (heck, I said, "Sign me up!" when I heard about it). After watching the complete 2-disc Here! TV series of Everything You Wanted to Know about Gay Porn Stars (But Were Afraid to Ask), I will say that it isn't going to win any prizes on cinematography, editing, or style. Almost the entire series of 7 episodes (ranging from about half an hour to an hour) is shot talking-head style, with shirtless porn actors sitting against a blank wall with rather harsh lighting. Not exactly creative (even one actor points out that his doing an interview without a shirt on pretty much cancels out any earnest attempt at him being taken seriously).

The first disc, with its half-hour episodes like, "Honey, I'm Home" and "Everything You Wanted to Know" are pretty much hit-and-miss, covering a hodge-podge of topics all over the place. How did you choose your porn name? How did you get into the business? Do you regret becoming a porn actor? What is your dating life like? Is it possible to have a relationship with someone outside the porn industry? Do, err... "accidents" ever happen during on-screen sex? Depending on the interviewee, the answers are fluff (particularly with the younger, twink-ie boys) to thoughtful (from the older, jaded men). These episodes are vaguely interesting, but alone are not enough to recommend the series.

If you are at all interested in the topic (and if you clicked this review, admit it: you are!), go straight to disc two, which contains the most interesting stuff. "Harlow Cuadra" is a stand-alone episode all about the case of a porn actor convicted of murdering Cobra Video producer Bryan Kocis in 2007. There series creator interviews Cuadra (now in prison) on the phone,  making for somewhat awkward visual filler, but a fascinating narration about a man who claims to be innocent. (Looking up the case on the internet, it looks, still, like the case is stacked very heavily against Cuadra and his partner Joe Kerekes, also accused.

There are a whole bevy of actors interviewed throughout the series, and the ones who emerge as the most interesting are Nick Capra, whose romanticized vision of having a healthy relationship with a man outside the industry is shattered during the course of the film; Johnny Hazzard, who seems like he has a good head on his shoulders and isn't completely fucked up (yet?); and Joey Milano, who emotionally talks about his late mother (and his struggle to survive, and outlive his family's demons).

But the one that haunts me is tattooed Nick Piston in the excellent disc-two episode "Drugs Are Like That", which profiles drug use in the porn and escort industry. Piston has literally been to hell and back, alluding to extremely, EXTREMELY dark times in his own life, emerging scarred, thoughtful, and intelligent. He is brutally honest about his struggle with drugs, and the stories he tells are chilling, and often extremely sad. "There's something familiar about living in loneliness..." he says, explaining the need to escape your life by getting high, and you just want to give the guy a hug. This episode is a brutally honest portrayal of drug-use, whether in the industry or not, and alone makes the series worth watching.