Having Fun with Gus Mattox

By Troy, Chicago

A few days after I interviewed Falcon exclusive Gus Mattox for HOOK, I was at a client’s home, looking through his impressive pile of porn, stacked neatly for all who might enter to see. Hoping for some unambiguous visuals to provide us with an easy clue as to how start the hour off right, with one foot well-placed in the direction of whatever room we would end up naked in, I forgot myself completely as I started gushing at every hairy chest and well-lit asshole shot. Later, I forgot myself even more completely when I yelled out (louder than necessary to be heard) that I had just done an interview with the very attractive man who was looking right back at us from the December ‘03 issue of Unzipped. Luckily, the session was coming to a close during this second go-round of porn viewing, and I no longer had to prove myself in any way to this client. I was not someone who would pretend to be entirely unimpressed by having had some form of contact with a hot, male form who turned out to be a lot more than Gus Mattox - a nice, outgoing fellow with an abundant sense of humor.

Continuing this enjoyable interview, Gus had become easily engaged in topics that had nothing to do with music or gay porn – like his favorite movies. What I told my client was that Gus Mattox was very friendly and easy to talk to. (There were times when Gus asked me questions. Not what I had necessarily expected and a pleasant surprise.) My client said Gus had cute ears, but was mostly interested in knowing what were Gus’ favorite movies. I wouldn’t have picked Gus’ ears (though certainly worthy of “cute”-status) as my favorite part on his body, but I did like his movie choices. Screwball comedy from the ‘30s and ‘40s are Gus’ favorite, with Preston Sturges and Claudette Colbert receiving special mention. I, personally, would like to see Gus follow his heart, career and libido all the way to doing a musical remake of “It Happened One Night”, with Gus and any other gay male porn/musical-comedy star of his choice reprising the Claudette Colbert/Clark Gable roles, busting down their own walls of Jericho.

HOOK: First, I want to say how much I appreciate you taking some time out of your day to let me interview you for HOOK.

Gus Mattox: No problem.

HOOK: So, how has your experience been making movies so far?

Gus: Very, very fun. I can’t say that enough. If there’s one word to describe it, it’s been fun. Though it’s also really, really hard work. And the people have all been great. Very professional and just very nice. Because I’m exclusive with Falcon, I get to see the same people, and I really look forward to seeing them.

HOOK: How many movies have you done?

Gus: I have done four so far – only one has been released. The others should be released this spring or early summer.

HOOK: Is porn what you thought it was going to be like?

Gus: It’s so much different. It can be really exhausting. It’s fun, it’s sex, but it’s a job! You may be expected to be able to maintain an erection for six hours - not always the easiest thing. And I was kind of surprised at how ultra-professional everything is. You have to show up and do your job. It’s not like a bunch of guys getting together and say, “Hey, let’s make a porn!” It’s very professional. It can be very sexy and fun, too, but it’s all on a schedule. In that regard, you might as well be making a soap commercial.

HOOK: I read in another interview you did that you would like to be able to do the porn and work on your music simultaneously. How is all that going?

Gus: I’m focused on porn right now, so I have not been involved with music or my career in mainstream showbiz here lately...though, I don’t see that it has to be a problem. My peers, who have found out what I am doing, are very intrigued. And I hope that I can control others perceptions about a person who has done work in both industries. That a person can do both things! I mean I might not ever work for Disney, but that’s okay. [laughs]

HOOK: Do you ever imagine a situation where both your professions may coincide? Do many of the people whom you used to work with or see a lot know about your segue into porn?

Gus: Everybody knows I let no opportunity go by. Literally, all of my friends know. So, if the two coincide, it’s no coincidence! I pretty much tell people right away. My family? Yeah, well, they know I am working in the adult entertainment business. I am pretty sure they know, but it’s not like they are going to sit down and watch one of my movies. [laughs] It’s a combination of being up front about who I am and, again, wanting to have the chance to change people’s perceptions about what being a porn actor is. It’s a really funny thing, I am completely aware of how many people probably feel about pornography, so if I can be upfront about it right away, then it can become not such a big deal. I don’t want to seem evasive about it.

HOOK: How do people whom you used to work with respond to when they find out?

Gus: They’re usually surprised out of their gourd! They’re interested. But ultimately this is an advantageous position, professionally speaking. Making porn will get you noticed. But as far as any negative reactions go, there really haven’t been any. Any publicity is good publicity, so if porn helps me to meet my other goals, then great!

HOOK: What kinds of positive stuff has come out of doing porn? You mentioned that getting noticed can be very helpful. Have you started getting recognized by people on the street?

Gus: Lots of positive things have come from doing the porn. Having lots of sex with some good-looking guys for one thing. And, yeah, people are recognizing me – even if they aren’t always aware of it! There really is an element of celebrity in it. There is a big New York gay rag, HX, and I got to do an interview with them. And one day not too long ago, I was at a coffee shop in Chelsea, and two guys came up and asked if they could sit down next at my table because it was so crowded. So, these guys are flipping through a copy of HX and checking out the guys in the magazine. Then they came to my page and they’re looking at my picture and they’re deciding whether or not they think I’m cute. [laughs] And I just started laughing and they were being friendly, going “Oh, this guy thinks we’re being funny.” They didn’t have any idea that I was the guy in the picture!

HOOK: That is a very funny story, Gus. I love it! So have you made some friends while making your movies?

Gus: You know what, absolutely! Everybody has been so friendly. I have spent some time with Colton Ford and his boyfriend the last time I was out in California, and they are both super guys. I have kept up an e-mail correspondence with a few of the guys I met during the shoots.

HOOK: You mentioned that making porn is work. Might it be difficult to be expected to have sex with a guy that you may not be attracted to?

Gus: If there are guys in the scene who are not necessarily my type, you find something that you can get into: personality goes a long way, a big dick maybe... and I’m an exhibitionist to begin with. I’m also a professional. I know what’s expected of me and I just do it.

HOOK: Have there been any guys that you have performed with that you especially enjoyed? Do relationships get formed between guys on the set?

Gus: Sure, Tag Adams, Jon Galt, Tyler Gunn (who is so, so fucking cute) and Matthew Rush is a star. That boy has star quality. He can just walk into a room and all eyes go to him. It’s pretty exciting. I don’t know what goes on with the other guys. Very often it will take several hours to shoot the scene, and I’m exhausted. I just want to go home. Though I am a horrible flirt! [laughs]

HOOK: What about being in porn and dating someone? Do you think it might affect your love life?

Gus: What love life? [laughs] No, actually, between touring with 42nd Street for a year, doing the porn, and then getting back and just spending time at my own place, the opportunities for dating have been negligible. I am not dating at the moment.

HOOK: If you were to meet a guy you liked, how many dates before you would tell him about your work?

Gus: I would tell him upfront. First date. But that’s just me.

HOOK: Do you think it would be easier to date a guy who was also in the sex industry?

Gus: It might be easier to date someone who also did porn, or at least was in the industry. Even if he were in the industry, it might not be so easy because I can be a handful!! [laughs] But I would never want to hide something from the other person. There are a couple of guys I work with who have also escorted. They also had boyfriends and in both cases, the boyfriends were okay about the porn, but not about the escorting.

HOOK: Why do you imagine that is?

Gus: I think it’s—and this is not necessarily me talking here—because there is something of a celebrity status identified with doing porn – it’s exciting to be associated with that maybe. Whereas if you’re an escort, they see you as a hooker. And to me, prostitution is the most honest profession in the world.

HOOK: Well, thank you for saying that. Would you ever consider going into escorting?

Gus: I have had a couple of mildly serious offers to escort. If someone offered me $2000 to sail across the Atlantic Ocean on the Queen Mary, I doubt that I would say no. And like I said I would have no problem with it personally. And I love sex! [laughs] But it’s not part of my grand scheme to escort.

HOOK: What is your grand scheme?

Gus: To make a name for myself. Porn already has made me more visible. And it’s been said before: there is no such thing as bad publicity. And regarding my career in mainstream showbiz, say someone in the business who might have some initial negative reaction about porn actors might also be intrigued enough to go check out my writing and get an entirely different impression of the person and their capabilities. So, it always helps.

HOOK: So what all would you like to achieve professionally?

Gus: Well, I want to continue making porn and would like to be able to do some acting in mainstream stuff. I also compose music, though I haven’t done a lot with my music lately. Outside of the acting, I want to be doing journalistic writing.

HOOK: And how will you know when you are done with porn?

Gus: When I stop having fun.

Visit Gus at www.gusmattox.com. Photo courtesy of John Skalicky.

Troy lives in Chicago where is working toward a graduate degree in psychology. He plans to stop escorting no time soon. His favorite angel is Sabrina. Link to him here.