Gay Star Interviews with Matt the Great!

The very popular gay-for-pay model, Malachi Marx has written an intriguing and candid book about his experiences in the gay adult industry. The book entitled Gay 4 Pay is scheduled for release later this month. You can go to www.gay4paybook.com to pre-order your autographed copy while supplies last. There are a limited number of autographed copies left, so place your order soon. I had the pleasure of speaking to Malachi about his book and his time in the gay porn industry and was very surprised at his candor and humility. You can follow Malachi on Twitter , Facebook and Myspace.

MATT: Hey Malachi, How are you?

MALACHI: Excellent. How are you?

MATT: Good. I appreciate you doing the interview. When is the release date for your book?

MALACHI: It’s tentative but it’s looking like mid-December to just before Christmas. I should know better within the next week.

MATT: Good, so it should be out in time for Christmas then.

MALACHI: Yes, definitely.

MATT: Tell me a little about the book. What are some of the things that people may be surprised to learn?

MALACHI: I was an escort and a gay porn star for a year and a half and I also played the role of a photographer and journalist throughout it. I documented everything and compiled many great stories. It’s a very raw insight into the X-rated industry and how a heterosexual man’s emotions are effected by this industry. So it’s like a journal documentation of what I went through.

MATT: So it’s been like a year and a half long social experiment for you.

MALACHI: Yeah, definitely. It was a wonderful experiment. I learned a lot and had wonderful experiences. And from it I got very passionate material.

MATT: Which came first, the escorting or the porn?

MALACHI: The escorting came first and the porn came second.

MATT: How did you get involved in porn? Did you apply or were you picked up by a scout?

MALACHI: I was actually picked up by a scout. I sent my picture in and they referred me to Randy Blue.

MATT: Do you have any plans to continue in the business?

MALACHI: No I don’t. I’ve retired completely.

MATT: The gay community is accustomed to gay-for-pay models, but what was the attraction for you to do gay porn as opposed to straight porn?

MALACHI: The attraction was obviously the money. The money you get paid… I mean, you can’t even compare. I almost did a couple straight porn gigs but it would pay $250 as opposed to gay porn paying $2,500. So that was the greatest motivation behind it.

MATT: That was kind of a no-brainer I guess.

MALACHI: Right. It was like, OK, what should we do here. It was easy. At first, obviously as a heterosexual, I explored the avenue of doing straight escorting and straight porn, but once I realized that there’s not even a big market at all for it and there’s no money to be made I switched over to the gay industry.

MATT: At what point in your life did you decide you wanted to start escorting?

MALACHI: It was just a year and a half ago. I speak about this in my book. My motivations for getting into it; the different stressers and activators of the occupation, and one of them, the biggest one, was the economic downfall and debt that I had and family issues. I had been a fashion model in New York City and I knew that it went on, but I didn’t know to what intensity I could take it to. On top of that, my girlfriend got pregnant, so I had huge motivation to do something to make quick money. In my book I talk about there being three examples to make quick money, cash, fast: dealing drugs, robbing banks or escorting/porn. Out of those three escorting is pretty much legal, and porn is legal. So, it was an easier decision for me.

MATT: No bank robbing for you, huh?

MALACHI: No bank robbing, no dealing drugs, no more.

MATT: No more?

MALACHI: In my book I talk a little about dealing drugs in the past, some of the things I went through in my childhood. I touch base on that. It’s a really raw outlook. It’s unadulterated, it’s in-your-face real. It’s going to be awesome.

MATT: I can’t wait to get my hands on a copy once it’s released.

MALACHI: Thanks! My main goal is for it to be sold as a movie. I’ve got a lot of offers and the book has not even come out yet. Everybody likes the buzz about it. I’d like to see it produced into a wonderful film.

MATT: That was actually my next question for you, are there any plans for turning it into a movie?

MALACHI: Absolutely. I mean my book only represents about 25% of the content that I have documented and the stories that I have. So, not only could the book itself be a film but what I have in my arsenal back at home is just incredible material – tons of content, tons of data, so I know that I would be able to directly participate in the process of developing a great film.

MATT: Are there any plans in the works for a follow-up book?

MALACHI: Hmmm… well I was thinking about an international version where the book is based mostly in Europe and Asia and different parts of the world. I’ve thought about that and doing a deluxe special edition of the current book with more colorful pictures, but that would be a more expensive book. I’m not too sure right now. I’m going to see how this goes with the book and the film first.

MATT: I hope it all goes really well. I think the reason I do these interviews is the same reason you wrote the book, to give people an insight into the industry and the people rather than just seeing them as models.

MALACHI: Oh, it’s really going put the readers in my shoes. They will feel my emotions and live the stories of my journey in this industry. It’s as if you stumbled upon my journal. I’m excited to share my insights.

MATT: Talk a little about the emotions that were involved when you first started with started with Randy Blue. What were your emotions like at that time?

MALACHI: Well, starting in Randy Blue, it definitely took a lot of training in my mind. I had been escorting about four or five months prior to it, so I had already gotten used to doing gay acts for pay, but porn was a whole new issue. Not only was it gay-for-pay but it had the extra element of fluorescent lights blinding my eyes and about five other guys just watching me. It was such a higher level of physical and mental exertion. By the end of a porn shoot I was just exhausted. It took longer to recover because there was so much work and I had to be so attentive and on point at all times. It was a lot different. It was a big struggle getting into it but once I learned a few tricks and was able to get into meditation with my mind and be able to focus on things that would take my mind to different places, it became easier and easier.

MATT: What are some of the experiences that left a lasting impression on you?

MALACHI: From the porn industry or escort industry?

MATT: Well, actually, both.

MALACHI: Both? The lasting impression is what I learned that I could apply to every day things that I do. I met people and clients from all walks of life, all races, all religions. You name it, I’ve had clients like that. And what I got from it was an increased intuition on people. That’s what I’ve really gained from it; I now feel like I have the ability to understand people on a higher level.

MATT: On the flip-side of that, what would you look at as being the biggest drawback of the industry.

MALACHI: Probably overexposure, losing some friends, people finding out what I do, family issues sometimes – that is the downfall of the business. I also had some drug use during that time that I talk about.

MATT: But you’re clean now.

MALACHI: Absolutely, yeah.

MATT: Good. I’m glad to hear that. Drug use does seem to be a major factor in the gay adult industry.

MALACHI: Huge. I talk about it a lot in my book. The thing about myself is that I’m confident in who I am, and I know how to utilize different substances for different situations. I examined myself, I documented everything, I wrote poems, I did this, I did that, I took pictures. So I felt the emotion of using substances and then tried to convey who I was and what I felt during each time.

MATT: Why do you think that drugs are such an integral part of the porn industry?

MALACHI: Well, honestly I believe it has to do with a sense of emptiness afterward. You do the work, you get the large check, and you’re like, OK, I did it. But yet you feel empty in a way. There was so much excitement, so much thrill, so much mind-bending stress on your body. All you want to do is shut off your mind and body and relax. So a lot of guys smoke weed to relax and then do coke before hitting the clubs. I’m just speaking from my own experience, but I only did cocaine on days when I had worked all day, made a shit-load of money and wanted to go out and fuck some girls to forget everything I had just done. So, cocaine was available and I did it for a moment in time. I have used weed consistently to  help me relax; it enabled me to just be myself in an industry that I was constantly acting in.

MATT: With any experience in life you learn things about yourself. In the last year and a half what have you learned about yourself that you were not aware of before going into the industry?

MALACHI: I would have to say… I mention this in my book; people ask me, “How do you know that you’re heterosexual?” I know more now than I ever did before because I’ve actually explored it. I think that one of the biggest things that I’ve learned from this exploration is that I actually am heterosexual. There’s not a gay bone inside of me. I understand homosexuality better now, obviously, and I respect it now that I know the community, but I know that I’m heterosexual. I’ve never been turned on looking at a guy or been attracted to a guy.

MATT: You have really made a following in the gay community and been accepted by the gay community.

MALACHI: That was definitely my goal in this project. I look at the wonderful demographic and I knew that there was a great opportunity for me to learn.

MATT: Did you encounter any resistance or fall-out from people in the industry of from fans for being gay-for-pay?

MALACHI: Any resistance I had would be from certain fans. I’ve noticed that I’ve lost some fans from me just being honest. However,  the number of fans I have lost is nowhere near all those that are still rooting for me. Some fans have this fantasy about a straight guy actually being gay, I mean it’s a really big play on the desire in their minds. So when I came out and said, “No, actually I’m straight,” it can really hurt some people. It kind of destroys the entire buildup they have created. So I think I’ve done that in the last month by announcing my retirement, by announcing this book, by being on these blogs and doing all these interviews. My assistant, she goes through my emails and we’ve read some funny emails where people have said, “I don’t like you any more, I’m taking your pictures down.” So any resistance I’ve felt has only appeared in the last month or so and it’s very small; I probably have had ten emails out of the thousands that have displayed cold-hearted resistance.

MATT: It’s always best to be true to yourself and be honest about who you are. I mean, you were working in the fantasy business and people need to take it for what it is. You’re right, there are a lot of porn fans that try to impose what their idea of the model should be onto that model.

MALACHI: Oh yeah, definitely, and I touch base on all of that in my book. I touch base on the fact that I had some clients who would try to turn me gay. They had mental games, they had conversations and interrogating questions and things like that. I speak on that, I speak from my angle and how I felt at that present moment when I knew that what they were trying to do was initiate me into homosexuality in a way. They would try to see if it was there. It was really interesting, but a lot of my clients and a lot of the industry like knowing that they guy is straight. My clients actually like me being straight and were aware of this. IA couple times at the porn company us models would ask, “What do you want me to say?” And they would tell us to, “Say you’re straight because percentage-wise guys are liking that. That’s more money for us, that’s more fans, that’s more members.” I know some guys who are bi or who are gay who would say that they were straight because percentage-wise you had a greater chance of turning on the client.

MATT: What are some of the things in the book that the reader will learn about the industry as far as different individuals, models, directors, etc? Do you have stories about them?

MALACHI: Well, the thing is that my goal is to make a very passionate piece of art with this book, not to upset anyone. So this story is only based off of my experiences.  I changed names, I changed cities, I changed some details. I don’t really speak on people or give stories on other stars or directors or any of that. I respect the industry, I respect who I worked with. And like I said, I don’t want to make anyone upset or want to say anything about them in any way. When I give any insight or talk about it I go through great lengths to make sure that people don’t know who it is, because the thing is I’ve had a lot of big-league clients and a lot of people that are famous or in powerful positions and I want to make sure that I’m doing the right thing by not giving any hint as to who it is.

MATT: I think that’s a smart thing to do. Now, right now you have a limited number of hardcover copies that will be personally autographed by you for pre-sales. Do you still have any in stock?

MALACHI: Yeah, I definitely do, I have some in stock. Just the hardcover right now is being autographed. If I see a high enough demand for autographed paperbacks I may consider that too.

MATT: Well, I hope everyone that reads this interview goes over to your site, www.gay4paybook.com and pre-orders a copy.

MALACHI: Thank you very much.

MATT: Like I said, I’m anxious to read it myself. I have a lot of friends in the industry and it’s always fascinating to see someone’s different point of view because everyone has a different experience.

MALACHI: Exactly.

MATT: What’s fascinating about you is being a heterosexual man in the gay porn world and escorting. Your experiences are going to be totally different than someone who’s gay.

MALACHI: Yeah, and there are some people who want to read it and some people who don’t want to read it. I love the controversy and I love the buzz about it, because I know I am producing  a product that I am proud of, and that is what matters.

MATT: Is there anything that you would like to add or to say to your fans?

MALACHI: Just thank you. Thank you to all my fans and thank you for the opportunity to do this wonderful work. It’s been exciting. It’s been a wonderful process and very stimulating and challenging. I’m excited to see this project turn into my dream.

MATT: If you don’t mind sharing, what’s next for you?

MALACHI: Next for me, honestly, I have a few different business avenues that I’ve developed over the past year that I am turning my focus toward, as well as promoting this book. I see myself exiting this industry and taking some time to live in a different country while sipping on a Mai Tai and working from my laptop.

MATT: Wow, gay porn pays more than I thought, haha.

MALACHI: It’s what I did with gay porn. I talk about that too in my book. There are a lot of guys that get into it without the smarts or without the ability to know that this is a window of opportunity for them monetarily and if they utilize it in a correct way they will profit from it and be very successful.

MATT: You know, you just brought up something very interesting. A good friend of mine in the business once told me that very few people that work in porn actually succeed and profit from it. Most of them don’t know how to handle the money and blow it on drugs and partying. And once their looks are gone or wear out there welcome in the business, they end up broke and addicted to drugs with no future prospects. Is that similar to some of the observations you had?

MALACHI: Oh, absolutely. And I really go into detail on the  methods that I used to stay focused and to stay disciplined and to diversify my income throughout the year. I talk about my observations of other guys. I break down examples of other escorts. I mean, there were guys that would get paid a large check from gay porn on the set, let’s say $3,000 to $4,000, and they would blow it that night, going out drinking, going to a strip club, doing coke, buying an eight-ball, doing this or doing that; and by the next morning they would have nothing to show for it. And they would do that over and over again. There were always different vices that these guys had. There were some that got into gambling. They would make $10,000 in a week and they would go spend all lose it all in Vegas. We all had different pitfalls and vices.

MATT: I guess it’s like the old saying, party like a porn star – they took it to heart.

MALACHI: If you play it right – if you discipline yourself and focus and budget things, then you can party, you can have some fun and do well with it. It’s just when these mid-west – and I’m just using an example – but these mid-west kids who are good looking, eighteen to twenty-one years old, come out to LA for the first time in their life and they get paid the most they’ve ever gotten paid in one large sum, and they don’t know how to handle it. They don’t have the attitude or emotion… they don’t even have the ability to own that much money at one time, so they spend it frivolously. They spend it unknowingly and lose it all because they’ve never had the capability to have that much money.

MATT: What they don’t realize is that looks are not forever and a porn career is not forever unless they are able to start directing or producing. They don’t know how to save their money or know how to invest.

MALACHI: Right.

MATT: I guess another disturbing trend is the fact that there is not as much awareness and education about diseases like there once was. In the 80’s and 90’s that’s all we ever heard about. Now, with the exception of a few people, you never hear about it. Some of these young guys going into the industry now have no idea what the risks are and they’re willing to do anything for that check.

MALACHI: Right. I think the porn industry is very safe. When I was involved in it everything was very protected and safe. I was tested every thirty days. Now with escorting it’s a choice. I was always very safe. I was always using protection and sanitizing this and sanitizing that. I went out of my way to make sure. And the thing about it is that when you get into the underground world of escorting you become friends with these fellow escorts, and there are actually red-flag clients that would come up and people would spread the word, “Don’t see that guy, someone told me he was HIV positive, don’t see this one.” So you save these names in your phone to make sure you don’t come across someone like that.

MATT: So what piece of advice would you give to someone who’s just starting out in the business or has ambitions to work in porn or escorting?

MALACHI: Advice? I could give a whole bunch, but long story short, use it as a stepping stone. What did you want to do before you got into gay porn or escorting? What was your dream and your passion before? Use porn as a stepping stone to get to that. Don’t  get disillusioned by the quick cash. Some guys get into it with a goal of being in it for just a year to make some money and all of the sudden they’re in it for ten years because they’re not focused. They don’t remember what their past passion and dream really was. As long as you keep it as a stepping stone then you will be able to move on and be successful.

MATT: Very good. I think you stated that perfecctly.

MALACHI: Thank you.

MATT: Thank you for the interview. This has been really insightful.

MALACHI: Thank you. Thank you very much.