HOOK: E-zine By, For, and About Men in the Sex Industry

For the first time in years, a documentary about male hustlers hits the airwaves - first in limited theaters and now on cable. HOOK grabbed 101 Rent Boys Producer Randy Barbato for an interview to discuss the complicated documentary that involved 101 of LA's talented trade.

HOOK: Where did the idea come from?

Randy Barbato: It came from the fact that our office was around the corner from Santa Monica Blvd. So, we’d see the boys. And partly ‘cause Fenton and I always have felt like hustlers. What’s the difference between getting a car with somebody or pitching an idea in a boardroom? You are both telling people what they want to hear.

We wanted a different take on the business so that it was a more humanistic point-of-view that comes more from conversations than from a standard interview format. We wanted to blur the lines that they are the subjects. Like "Look at these weird, freaky people who sell their body." That is not what this is about. This is about how much we have in common.

Of course, there is some eye candy.

HOOK: So, what was your favorite confection?

RB: Tommy Cruise’s butt. I’m a butt man. I didn’t even have to ask him to show it. He knew I wanted to see it.

HOOK: What was the best piece that landed on the cutting room floor?

RB: There was so much. Every single one of the boys had compelling stories. It was the most difficult film to edit because of the hours of footage. I was compelled by everyone. There were some extreme people. But those people would start talking and you didn’t want to leave.

Lex Kyler said a lot. It was pretty amazing. He has a healthy outlook about sexwork in general and articulate about how he approaches it. I wish we had more of it in the film. This story about one of his johns being killed. We might include it in the DVD version.

There was also this one guy. He tells this horrific story about he liked to beat his dick. He was a crystal addict. His dick had scars and blisters. He is even kind of shocked himself that he has gotten to this point. You can tell he liked the idea, but the drugs seemed to amplify it. It was pretty gross.

HOOK: Out of all the interviews, what's the biggest thing you learned?

RB: Hustlers are people, too. I didn’t learn that though. I already knew that. I hope people get that from this film. I did learn that there are quite a few sexworkers that are drug addicts or that came from broken homes. When we started, we though we wouldn’t see that stereotype in real life. And while a lot aren’t, a lot are.

Like with any job, if you don’t come from a place where you understand what you are doing and why, it can spiral into a nightmare. That can be particularly difficult for guys in the sex industry. And some can’t handle it. On the other hand, there are lots of people that are clear-minded about it and have enlightened viewpoints about sexuality. I learned a lot about my own sexual behavior and about judging others. It was really about figuring out what makes us feel good and what we can live with and not impose our judgments on others.

HOOK: What about the talk everyone did after you were done? There were a number of criticisms of methodology.

RB: We paid everyone. We did do that consciously. They should be paid for their time. That was controversial in the world of documentaries. There is, to a certain extent, we felt a sense that we were the johns. We paid these guys to come talk to us. There was a feeling for the viewer of being the john.

So many films about the industry are just porn – acceptable versions of it. We went into this knowing and accepting that. We paid these people because we knew that. People coming to see this are there to be viewers. We just don’t include the cumshot. It doesn’t payoff for what people want to see. there will always be criticisms of what we did, but I was there. I connected. I would say 99 out of the 101 wanted to talk. It is impossible to represent all that footage. We did make editorial decisions. Sometimes, we were more extreme.

HOOK: How can we push the public to open their eyes even more about men in the sex industry?

RB: People articulating or experiencing extremity in any respect (negative or positive), it is easier for that to resonate with strangers. A lot of times, we have difficulty expressing our own extremes. It gives us a chance to let our feelings resonate. It’s important when you watch the film to notice that there is an arc. It ends quite positive with some stronger voices. This one guy, Renee, talks about how he’ll go to parties and how everyone knows he is an escort callboy. He can feel himself being judged, but he finds that he has strength not to be ashamed of his work. He saw people projecting their own shame on him. He feels good about what he is doing. it was great. I gave him my number…(laughs)

HOOK: So, have you ever hired one?

RB: You are the first person to ask that. I was wondering how long it might take. I will just say this: I am a very generous guy and I have been known to pick up the tab.

HOOK: What do you think these guys want most often?

RB: Money. I mean, everyone wants love. I think very few people in the sex industry are looking for love. It is work. We are all looking for love. Aside from that…definitely, money.