BijouBlog

Hi Folks! Will Here. And, here is another title that is more like a riddle. Let's dive right in and find out what's up!

Your guess.

Although Bloomingdales was a beautiful and exciting place to work, the internal politics were not. As soon as word got out about my nom de plume, Will Seagers, and being a former star of stage, screen and bathroom wall, everything changed! It's funny how queens can be such prudes! But, that was OK... “Je ne regrette rien.” All of you Edith Piaf fans will get this one. But, for those who neither speak French or "Piaf"—"I have no regrets!" I love my past.

Elle ne regrettait rien.

So, having the summer off did give me lots of time to contemplate my next job. I came to the realization that I am a quirky guy who doesn't fit into every work situation. I needed to find a more off-center and hopefully artsy calling for my next work adventure. A friend came to my rescue.

To be more accurate, it was a friend of a friend of a friend. The ex-lover of my Alan's best friend heard that I was looking for work. He hooked me up with an interview at one of the branch stores of a made-to-order furniture company. I'm not sure if they are still in business, so I'll keep the name of this company on the QT.

My first assignment (during my interview) was to take a dozen or so objets and decorate an étagère. I got a lukewarm response from my interviewer. That didn't bother me as the objets were rather unrelated and tacky. Next, I was asked if I could sketch or draw on graph paper. To that I responded, "Yes!" I had some graphics courses in engineering school (that I knew would come in handy someday!). That perked up my potential new boss and I got the job. 

I went to their "academy," located across the Hudson in New Jersey at their factory/headquarters. This was a rather tedious week of repetitious sketching and learning the different styles they manufactured. Truth be told, I thought all this Formica furniture belonged in a John Waters movie. But, hey! I have sold many things with which I wasn't enamored.

Sorry, John. I couldn't resist.

I was a quick learn. And, within a couple of months, I was running one of their stores in the Murray Hill section of Manhattan. Oh...did I mention that more than half the employees of this outfit were gay?! Hallelujah! No pretenses...and lots of that artsy feel I wanted from most everyone. I was at that location for about six months and then was promoted to one of their flagship stores in the Upper East Side.

Two men owned the company. One was very handsome and had a very beautiful wife. Oddly enough, they used to be regulars at Fujiyama Mama's restaurant and were devoted clients of my Alan. I only found this out when Alan and I attended the company's Christmas party, and the three of them started screaming when they saw each other. This whole company was a party group. That's what made it fun to work there. But, all fun things come to an end.

The company ran into financial troubles and was bought out by a rather run-of-the-mill investment company. The new head honcho did not like gay people, and my neck was on the chopping block. Not only did I lose my store and manager position, but they wanted me to commute to New Jersey and work as a salesman at one of the stores over there. When I figured out that this move to working in New Jersey was grounds for me to leave and collect unemployment, that's just what I did. It was time for some serious thinking. And, I had some help from above...the stars!

I remained in touch with my friend Bob, the Vedic Astrologer in South Beach. It was his couch and apartment that I called home for my last few weeks in Florida before heading to north. He had family in upstate New York and would always drop by for a few days to visit Alan and me in New York City. One of his visits came right after I left the furniture company. I was distraught. I couldn't contemplate growing old in the harsh and helter-skelter climes of the city. I thought about moving back to San Francisco...it had been my rock for 14 years. Bob intervened. He very brusquely said, "No! You've already done that." Next, he put an astrology "map" together for Alan and me. It was called Astro-Cartography. With our combined birth data, he found that both Alan's and my Venus lines went straight down the middle of New Mexico. "New Mexico?" I said. He said this was great, in that Venus ruled relationships, and most people's Venus lines ran through unreachable places, like the middle of the Pacific Ocean or up in the Arctic circle!  A synchronicity began to happen. A good friend and co-worker of Alan's at Good Enough to Eat restaurant had family in Santa Fe. This friend promptly made arrangements with her mother for us to have a place to stay while we investigated this new proposal.

Astro-Cartography...a road map from the Heavens.

We were only there for a week, and we both fell in love with "The Land of Enchantment"! In that week, we found ourselves a lovely, brand new casita right across the street from our friend's mother. I even went job hunting and landed a position with Home Depot. It was there and waiting for me when I arrived a month later. That job was another shortstop in my resume...but, N.M. wasn't.

Bienvenidos and adios!

It was late September of 1999. There was a slight chill in the air. And, after taking a sentimental drive around town to say goodbye to my favorite spots in the Big Apple, I pointed my lovely Saab 9000 towards the George Washington Bridge to "Go West Young Man"! I started my cross-country trek solo...to be joined by Alan later that week. Please check in to see how this odyssey unfolds!

Bio of Will Seagers:

Will Seagers (also credited as Matt Harper), within his multifaceted careers and participation in numerous gay communities across the country in the '70s and '80s and beyond, worked as a print model, film performer, and DJ, just to name a few. He made iconic appearances in releases from Falcon, Hand in Hand, Joe Gage, Target (Bullet), J. Brian, Steve Scott, and more, including in lead roles in major classics like Gage's L.A. Tool & Die (1979) and Scott's Wanted (1980). He brought strong screen presence and exceptional acting to his roles and was scene partners with many fellow legends of classic porn.

Will Seagers, present day

You can read Will Seagers' previous blogs for Bijou here:

Welcome Matt/Will | What's For Dessert? | On and Off the Set of L.A. Tool & Die | Wanted, Weekend Lockup and Weekends in Hermosa Beach | Honeymoon in the Palms | Birds of a Feather | The Stereo Maven of Castro Street | The Pass Around Boy | The Ecstasy and the Agony | Fitness and Fantasy | Chasing the Boys and Chasing the Sun | Becoming Invisible | The Reverse Story of Dorian Gray | Pin Money | One Organ Leads to Another! | The Wheels of Steel | Feast and Famine | An Alphabet Soup of Powders and Pills | Merry Christmas (and Getting Re-Organized) | Now and Then | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Badlands | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: Moby Dick Bar | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: "Just Another Stroll Down the Castro!" | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Hamburger Mary's | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Long Live the Stud! | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Club Life..."Hit me with your Rhythm Stick!” | A "Split Ticket": SoMa/Folsom and The Haight! | Staying Vanilla in a Flavorful Culture | A Little Secret | Recollections of the 1977 S.F. Gay Pride Parade | Life's a Beach | Flora & Fauna | Once Is Just Not Enough! | A Love of Cultures – A Knack for Languages! | For the Birds | It's About Time! | The Perfect Storm | Hello Chicago/Adieu Fire Island Pines! | Sex in the Woods! | My Life at the Gym | The Last Picture Show | Cumming Attractions! | The Peter Pan Syndrome | Valentine's Day Reflections | The “Idus Martias” and a Peacock! | Taxing I.M.H.O. | Nope...This Sure Ain't Kansas! | The French Connection | Water Baby | Pride: You Wear It Well! | Life Goes On... | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 1 | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 2 | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 3 | A Christmas Haiku | It's My Party & I'll BLOG If I Want To! | "Werk!" | Heart Throbs from the Past! | Homage to the Stars & Studios of My Era | Traveling the Arc | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 1 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 2 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 3 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 4 | "Brick Wall" | A Gap! | Life in South Beach | Club Memories of South Beach | Finding Love on a Dance Floor? | My First Week Back in the Big Apple | A Long Honeymoon!

By Josh Eliot

Which came first? The “Pizza Oven” or the “Pizza Boy”? In the case of the William Higgins 1985 film, The Pizza Boy: He Delivers, the concept of the Pizza Boy came first, then Higgins used the movie’s budget to gift himself a pizza oven. Even though the opening shots of a fully cooked pizza-pie coming out of an oven were actually shot in a real pizza parlor, Higgins had one of the rooms in his house transformed into a faux pizzeria, where much of the movie’s storyline took place. Just one of the perks of being the writer, producer and director. Even though the cheap wall paneling and fake brick ruined the realism, it certainly wasn’t the focus for the audience, who was treated to a movie jam packed with hot stars. The film made such an long lasting impact that there were many other studios trying to cash in on the delivery boy theme, but there are only three official sequels released by Catalina Video.

The box cover photo art for Pizza Boy was everything! A 6’ 1” tall, naked muscular stud lying on red satin sheets, looking sexy and vulnerable. I remember those very sheets when I started working with Catalina Video in 1987, as they were part of our inventory in the wardrobe and props department, just like the wrestling uniforms from Down for the Count, which I used years later in SwitchCraft and The Rascal Joins the Wrestling Team. I never thought to take a black light to the outfits or props we had stored at the studio, but if I did I’m sure it would not have been pretty.

Steve Henson was the chosen one to grace the movie poster and VHS cover for the film. He was someone Higgins had pined for since he met him through Matt Sterling in 1984. Sterling’s movie Like a Horse (1984) was a massive hit, which also featured Steve Henson on the cover. He was the new “It” boy of the moment, but exclusive contracts weren’t really a thing back then and the big wigs of the major studios (HUGE, Catalina and Falcon) all played nice—mostly—and shared with each other. Nine times out of ten, Matt Sterling, John Summers or John Travis got a hold of the new studs and prepped them for stardom. In addition to narrating the movie, Steve Henson performed in the final scene of the film with co-stars Chaz Holderman, Brian Hawks and Matt Ramsey (Peter North). Side note: Peter North has a new documentary coming out discussing his career—the trailer is on YouTube! He was such a nice guy when I shot him for Valley of the Bi Dolls, and from what I can see from the trailer, it was not a fluke. My cameraman, Brad Austin, begged me to let him shoot the cumshot from underneath and I obliged, of course. Who knows, maybe I would have taken one for the team if I was single at the time!

In 1985, Steve Henson worked with Troy Ramsey in the opening scene of Pizza Boy. Troy Ramsey also worked for Catalina Video in The Young and The Hung, and Bi Coastal in 1985 for director Tom DeSimone. He returned in 1988 and I worked as videographer with him in The Big One and Powerline. Steve Henson then went on to work for Sterling again in Inch by Inch in a threeway with Brian Estevez and another Pizza Boy alum, Tony Stefano. Tony Stefano made only one other movie in his career before leaving the business, Delivery Boys (1985), where he was introduced as Tony Marconi. Prior to that, he made a couple of solo posing films in 1980 for the Athletic Model Guild. After leaving the business, he worked in New York City as a bartender at Uncle Charlies, then died at age 30 of an accidental overdose. Steve Henson’s career kept rising, with a role in Falcon’s The Other Side of Aspen 2 (1985) with Eddie Marks and Jeff Turk, and in Giants (1987) with Brian Maxon, Cory Monroe, Mark Miller and Bill Bix. In 1989, director Marc Fredericks cast Henson in two scenes for View to a Thrill opposite Adam Grant and Rex Chandler. After that movie, Steve Henson left the industry, and there is little to no information about him since then.

Even though the image of Steve Henson as the original Pizza Boy is burned into the brains of all of us from that era, the movie itself featured an amazing cast of players, which includes Chad Johnson, David Ashfield, Grant Fagan, Brent Woods and Michael Gere, in addition to others. The sequel, Pizza Boy 2: Meat Lovers Special (1999), features Tuck Johnson as the beloved delivery boy with something extra. I produced and Mark Jensen (Mike Skiff) directed the feature. I have to say that Tuck Johnson was always, always one of my very favorite models to work with. Super sexy, handsome, with a big ole dick, all wrapped up into the sweetest, kindest soft spoken guy you could ever meet. I directed him in Boy Band, Voyager, Score, The Rascal, Escape to Echo Beach and others. If you are not familiar with his work, I urge you to look him up; what an underrated, stand-out performer--who never needed Viagra! A powerhouse top or bottom who left it all on the set before going home to where he lived with his mother—so sweet!

Hans Ebson took over the role in Pizza Boy 3 (2000) for director Peter Romero. Hans shone in Hostage in the Grand Canyon (2000) as the kidnapped victim held captive by an escaped mental patient. This storyline was, as Chi Chi would say, “Hot... So hot.” As for his stint as the lead in Pizza Boy 3, it was a little uncooked, so we stopped continuing the series after that one. I’m ashamed to say that I even made the director use a frozen pizza in a scene just to keep the budget on track. However, after Channel 1 Releasing purchased the company, they put out a fresh from the oven new version entitled Pizza Boy 4: Slice of Pie? (2017), starring Xavier Hux and directed by Catalina alum Chi Chi LaRue! I know absolutely nothing about that movie, as I have never watched it, but if Chi Chi was involved, I’m sure it is a solid piece of entertainment. It kind of speaks to the quality of Steve Henson as a performer—when you start with the best, it’s really hard to improve.

Bio of Josh Eliot:

At the age of 25 in 1987, Josh Eliot was hired by Catalina Video by John Travis (Brentwood Video) and Scott Masters (Nova Video). Travis trained Eliot on his style of videography and mentored him on the art of directing. Josh directed his first movie, Runaways, in 1987. By 2009 when Josh parted ways with Catalina Video, he'd produced and directed hundreds of features and won numerous awards for Best Screenplay, Videography, Editing, and Directing. He was entered into the GayVN Hall of fame in 2002.

Hi folks! Will here. This title explains the fun, travel and adjustments my Alan and I had over the first year or two of being together.

Since the two of us have similar humor, we spent a lot of time laughing and poking fun at life in general. Alan has a great smile. So, it was always on my to-do list to make him laugh and smile. He always obliged!

I think one of the things that helped in our relationship then and now was our diverse working schedules. When I met him he was working at two very successful restaurants and making a bundle from both! Fujiyama Mama's, on Columbus between 82nd and 83rd Streets, was the first of his work locations that I visited. It was pleasantly wild and avant-garde. Great food, cocktails and ambiance were always "on tap." Add to that a very theatrical waitstaff and you have more than an ordinary late 1990s night out.

Way more than a Japanese restaurant.

The other restaurant to which Alan added his charm was Good Enough to Eat, also located on Manhattan's Upper West Side. At the core of the success of this restaurant was its wonderful home-cooked comfort foods and its family-like atmosphere. Again, as mixologist and server, Alan made a very comfy income. Here, one could very well be rubbing elbows with a lot of New York's elite who were dressed down and surprisingly inconspicuous. I remember him coming home many times telling me who he met while working. He was most impressed with JFK Jr.!

The name says it all!

He was also a very talented florist. He had two friends in the business that loved his work when he was available. When his stint at Fujiyama Mama's suddenly ended, one of his friends with a flower shop in Manhattan and a second one in South Beach gladly scooped him up and put his talents to work! This would lead to a couple of extended stays in Florida. I was not a fan of that. As the old saying goes, "absence makes the heart grow fonder." But, it also gave me the excuse to go down on weekends and visit him in South Beach—still one of my favorite getaways! At that time (the late 90s), Pan Am was a major player in the New York-to-Florida flights, and their fares were great! One memorable client of the South Beach flower shop was Oprah Winfrey. She didn't make appearances at the shop. To brighten up the place, she would have Alan or the shop owner come to her condo on the all-too-exclusive Fisher Island of greater Miami Beach! 

Another of his talents was as a stylist—setting up scenes with photographers at various shoots around town and ultimately Florida. If you are getting the impression that Alan is a workaholic—you're absolutely right. So, while in Florida it wasn't uncommon for him to be off on shoots with photographers there and all over the Caribbean when not at the flower shop.

Our wonderful friendship with Patricia in South Beach and New York.

When I "Pan Am-ed" my way down on the weekends, I did command a personal audience with Alan! We partied a lot at local clubs, restaurants and, of course, the beach. It was an exciting and growing chapter in our relationship. It was at the beach where we first met our wonderful friend Patricia. She was in and out of Miami frequently as a flight attendant for a German carrier. IMHO, this all happened during the pinnacle of South Beach's "Gay Revival" history. Like in San Francisco, gay pioneers went into run-down neighborhoods and gentrified them. But also like in San Francisco, more hip straight society was right on their heels and more or less took over. Regardless, who could resist all that Art Deco architecture and the fabulous beaches?

Be careful whose heels you come in on!

Of course, time marches on and things change. The South Beach flower shop was sold, taking away half of Alan's income. So, his return to the Big Apple was imminent. This was supplemented by more stylist shoots and a foray into a new SoHo flower shop. Needless to say, I was happy to have him home again, even though I had to share him with his work and our growing bird family!

Me and the kiddies patiently waiting for Alan to get off work.

Meanwhile, I had gone through a few changes (workwise) myself. All that glitters is not gold. And the short-lived glitter of Bloomingdale's came to an end after just six months. My initial impression of my co-worker situation was spot on. Between the back biting of the assistant manager of the department and the cattiness of the other sales people, it was at the end of my probationary period that they sacked me. It was (almost) comical at my exit interview. I have never heard the phrase "below standards" used to describe my work. It didn't bother me—I knew it wasn't true—I considered the source. My sales were good and I had a lot of complimentary letters from clients. But, I did leave with at least one golden memory. It was spotting Catherine Deneuve on the main floor and locking gazes with her. After a second or two, she actually smiled back at me. I'll never forget how beautiful she was!

It was the beginning of the summer. I decided to take my time and not rush into another "seemingly perfect" job. Oh, and did I mention that Sandy Hook and the Jersey Shore were just an hour away? I made good use of that proximity and had a great time until once again gainfully employed in the fall. You see, things just have a way of working themselves out. More on this enchanted journey coming up. Stay tuned!

Bio of Will Seagers:

Will Seagers (also credited as Matt Harper), within his multifaceted careers and participation in numerous gay communities across the country in the '70s and '80s and beyond, worked as a print model, film performer, and DJ, just to name a few. He made iconic appearances in releases from Falcon, Hand in Hand, Joe Gage, Target (Bullet), J. Brian, Steve Scott, and more, including in lead roles in major classics like Gage's L.A. Tool & Die (1979) and Scott's Wanted (1980). He brought strong screen presence and exceptional acting to his roles and was scene partners with many fellow legends of classic porn.

Will Seagers, present day

You can read Will Seagers' previous blogs for Bijou here:

Welcome Matt/Will | What's For Dessert? | On and Off the Set of L.A. Tool & Die | Wanted, Weekend Lockup and Weekends in Hermosa Beach | Honeymoon in the Palms | Birds of a Feather | The Stereo Maven of Castro Street | The Pass Around Boy | The Ecstasy and the Agony | Fitness and Fantasy | Chasing the Boys and Chasing the Sun | Becoming Invisible | The Reverse Story of Dorian Gray | Pin Money | One Organ Leads to Another! | The Wheels of Steel | Feast and Famine | An Alphabet Soup of Powders and Pills | Merry Christmas (and Getting Re-Organized) | Now and Then | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Badlands | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: Moby Dick Bar | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: "Just Another Stroll Down the Castro!" | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Hamburger Mary's | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Long Live the Stud! | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Club Life..."Hit me with your Rhythm Stick!” | A "Split Ticket": SoMa/Folsom and The Haight! | Staying Vanilla in a Flavorful Culture | A Little Secret | Recollections of the 1977 S.F. Gay Pride Parade | Life's a Beach | Flora & Fauna | Once Is Just Not Enough! | A Love of Cultures – A Knack for Languages! | For the Birds | It's About Time! | The Perfect Storm | Hello Chicago/Adieu Fire Island Pines! | Sex in the Woods! | My Life at the Gym | The Last Picture Show | Cumming Attractions! | The Peter Pan Syndrome | Valentine's Day Reflections | The “Idus Martias” and a Peacock! | Taxing I.M.H.O. | Nope...This Sure Ain't Kansas! | The French Connection | Water Baby | Pride: You Wear It Well! | Life Goes On... | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 1 | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 2 | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 3 | A Christmas Haiku | It's My Party & I'll BLOG If I Want To! | "Werk!" | Heart Throbs from the Past! | Homage to the Stars & Studios of My Era | Traveling the Arc | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 1 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 2 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 3 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 4 | "Brick Wall" | A Gap! | Life in South Beach | Club Memories of South Beach | Finding Love on a Dance Floor? | My First Week Back in the Big Apple

Hi Folks! Will here. For the first time in a while, I have a title for my blog that pretty much explains itself! So, let's dive back in.

My warm welcome to Brooklyn, followed by a magical night at the Roxie, only needed a third component to prove that good things come in threes! And, this third component was finding a great job at one of NYC's famed "Carriage Trade" retailers within the first week of being back!

One of my first sights when arriving in Brooklyn.

I have to give credit to my sister-in-law for coming up with the idea. But, after all, she did spend a lot of her career as a "headhunter." I'm sure she was motivated to get me gainfully employed, so I could find my own apartment and give them back their "couch!" LOL.

All suited up for my new job.

I remember the interview as being a rather quick and straight forward - a "one-two punch" in terms of how quickly the personnel manager looked me over and hired me. My retail experience, communication skills and the fact that I was wearing my favorite midnight blue Armani double-breasted suit, helped me to land this spot in one visit. BTW, my sister-in-law and my niece not only came along to show me the way, but accompanied me right into the waiting room of the personnel department. I have to say they were my good luck charms ... particularly my little niece. You see, in 1992 right after her birth, I was asked to be her Godfather. It was and still is an honor, and is something I really cherish to this day.

So, with my prior sales experience in the men's department of a very prestigious San Francisco retailer, I was assigned to the Men's Designer Department of this legendary New York store. There was a vacancy in the department created by an internal promotion. So, they urged me to start the next day. I was thrilled!

A great place to start my endeavors in New York.

That next day was a bit of a challenge. The department manager and his assistant were both very cordial and welcoming. But, that's where it ended. I could virtually feel a chill from the other sales people in the department upon my introduction. It sort of reminded me of scenes from the movie The Women, when Joan Crawford was interacting with her fellow sales folks at the perfume counter of Blacks Fifth Avenue. LOL. Yes, this was the wonderful reality of the commissioned sales world ... competitive doesn't even scratch the surface! (Meow!) Even thought I am sensitive by nature, I was not going to let a bunch of puffed-up sales queens get in my way. So, I wanted to dig right in and let them know that this was not my first (retail) rodeo!

Meanwhile, my social life had become just as busy. I had a potential new beau. Although it was not "sex at first sight," something inside me told me it would be worth the wait ... and it was. The fireworks and sizzle were certainly there ... but, I could sense a lot more was just below the surface. I had the same kind of feeling just after meeting my first partner, Tommy. That relationship was my "rock" for 14 years. It was only his demise from A.I.D.S. that finally separated us in 1989. Remembering this very special and unique feeling, I knew I was more than ready for him, us and the rest of our lives! Like I said before - this might sound corny and melodramatic - but, here we are 31 years later.

My stay in Brooklyn quickly proved to be awkward for all parties involved. My intended mission was accomplished (and then some!). I was working, dating and doing a pretty good job on "Take Three" of living in New York. It was time for me to have my own place. It turned out well that I didn't try to live with my new beau right away.

Washington Heights ... my new digs.

I found a nice, simple studio apartment just north of his place on Riverside Drive and 155th St. in Washington Heights. "The Heights" was an adjustment. It was so far away from central Manhattan and my work. But, I had my heart set on this new man and knew my proximity to him mattered a lot. I got to meet his friends and got invited to a lot of dinners and events.

I knew my ambitions were starting to take shape. I just had to be cautious ... something that I am not used to. But, patience paid off some six months later, when he acknowledged my diligence and asked me to move in with him. I was so happy! This is when the greatest (and ongoing) chapter of my life began! So stay tuned, as I return with my next episode - The growing pains of love and living together!

Bio of Will Seagers:

Will Seagers (also credited as Matt Harper), within his multifaceted careers and participation in numerous gay communities across the country in the '70s and '80s and beyond, worked as a print model, film performer, and DJ, just to name a few. He made iconic appearances in releases from Falcon, Hand in Hand, Joe Gage, Target (Bullet), J. Brian, Steve Scott, and more, including in lead roles in major classics like Gage's L.A. Tool & Die (1979) and Scott's Wanted (1980). He brought strong screen presence and exceptional acting to his roles and was scene partners with many fellow legends of classic porn.

Will Seagers, present day

You can read Will Seagers' previous blogs for Bijou here:

Welcome Matt/Will | What's For Dessert? | On and Off the Set of L.A. Tool & Die | Wanted, Weekend Lockup and Weekends in Hermosa Beach | Honeymoon in the Palms | Birds of a Feather | The Stereo Maven of Castro Street | The Pass Around Boy | The Ecstasy and the Agony | Fitness and Fantasy | Chasing the Boys and Chasing the Sun | Becoming Invisible | The Reverse Story of Dorian Gray | Pin Money | One Organ Leads to Another! | The Wheels of Steel | Feast and Famine | An Alphabet Soup of Powders and Pills | Merry Christmas (and Getting Re-Organized) | Now and Then | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Badlands | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: Moby Dick Bar | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: "Just Another Stroll Down the Castro!" | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Hamburger Mary's | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Long Live the Stud! | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: Club Life..."Hit me with your Rhythm Stick!” | A "Split Ticket": SoMa/Folsom and The Haight! | Staying Vanilla in a Flavorful Culture | A Little Secret | Recollections of the 1977 S.F. Gay Pride Parade | Life's a Beach | Flora & Fauna | Once Is Just Not Enough! | A Love of Cultures – A Knack for Languages! | For the Birds | It's About Time! | The Perfect Storm | Hello Chicago/Adieu Fire Island Pines! | Sex in the Woods! | My Life at the Gym | The Last Picture Show | Cumming Attractions! | The Peter Pan Syndrome | Valentine's Day Reflections | The “Idus Martias” and a Peacock! | Taxing I.M.H.O. | Nope...This Sure Ain't Kansas! | The French Connection | Water Baby | Pride: You Wear It Well! | Life Goes On... | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 1 | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 2 | The Dance Floor and the Booth, Part 3 | A Christmas Haiku | It's My Party & I'll BLOG If I Want To! | "Werk!" | Heart Throbs from the Past! | Homage to the Stars & Studios of My Era | Traveling the Arc | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 1 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 2 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 3 | Music Is My Way of Life, Part 4 | "Brick Wall" | A Gap! | Life in South Beach | Club Memories of South Beach | Finding Love on a Dance Floor?

By Josh Eliot

[Originally published 02/28/25]

The first time I remember seeing both Lee Ryder and Rod Phillips was in one of my favorite movies, The Biggest One I Ever Saw. You may or may not know that the two of them actually dated. I personally never worked with Lee Ryder, but I was videographer for a couple of Rod Phillips scenes in what turned out to be the last movie John Travis directed for Catalina Video before moving on with Scott Masters to start Studio 2000. The movie was called Hard Steal, and Rod was cast in the lead as a sexy cat burglar. Director John Travis had worked with Rod Phillips in the past and was developing his comeback. Around the same time, Chi Chi LaRue was on the set of Sharon & Karen when one of its stars, Tony Davis (Hard To Be Good), brought his friend Nick to the set and introduced him to Chi Chi. Nick's amazing looks took Chi Chi’s breath away and he immediately became obsessed with making this stunning new boy a star - a star named Joey Stefano.

Chi Chi’s first order of business was to show Joey off to all the major studios, including Catalina. Producer Scott Masters vowed to never let Chi Chi direct movies for Catalina, so Chi Chi left the company and started working for In Hand Video, building up his directorial resume. When Chi Chi introduced Joey to the Catalina GM, he got an instant green light to direct a movie for Catalina Video starring Joey Stefano, much to the horror and anguish of Scott Masters. Billboard was on the schedule to shoot as the Joey Stefano blockbuster for Catalina, but at the very same time John Travis was prepping for his movie Hard Steal. Part of the agreement for Chi Chi to direct Billboard depended upon him allowing Joey to also take a supporting role in Hard Steal. It was an easy yes for Chi Chi to agree to, but Scott Masters, as always, had the last laugh by refusing to let Chi Chi use his name as director; instead, he demanded Chi Chi come up with a more masculine name for the credits. This is where Taylor Hudson was born. Any Catalina movies with Taylor Hudson as director were all really Chi Chi LaRue. In addition, Scott Masters made me swear that I would never show Chi Chi how we lit and shot our underneath penetration and oral shots, fearing that he would use that technique in other companies' movies. Of course, I did not oblige his order and showed Chi Chi in great detail how we got perfect lighting on underneath shots. Masters was pissed when he saw the final cut for review, but I didn’t care because those camera angles made the movie and Catalina, as a company, look better.

I’ll get into the scenes that Rod Phillips shot in Hard Steal for his comeback, but before that we need to go back and explain how Rod Phillips started in the adult film industry in the first place. A young man named Darris Robert Pyron from Norco, California, when not traveling the world, worked mostly as a florist, with his highest profile job supplying special arrangements to the Beverly Hills Hotel. Darris always dreamed of owning his own flower shop, so he started modeling to save up the money for it. Darris took on the name Lee Ryder and burst onto the scene in 1982 with a solo j/o in Biker’s Liberty, later shooting a full scene in Huge, a music-enhanced movie directed by Matt Sterling. In 1983, he became a “gay-household” name, working in A Few Good Men, Huge II, All American Boys and the mega-hit Spokes for Falcon.

One day in Laguna Beach, California, Lee Ryder locked eyes with Gregory Leslie Patton in the Boom Boom Room gay bar. If you were gay and passing through Laguna Beach, you always made time to stop by the Boom Boom Room. The bar had a hotel attached, which made it very easy for the sex worker boys to connect with their clients. It was midday when Gregory popped in there to kill some time while his car was in the shop. Lee was 24 years old and Gregory was 21. As the story goes from the Rod Phillips (Gregory) interview in Men & Films (Bijou, 1987 - a recent Bijou re-release!), it was lust at first site. Lee Ryder worked his power of persuasion to get Gregory into the adult gay film business with their first role together in a Falcon Studios loop called High Voltage, in a threeway with Mark Hunter. Gregory took on the name Rod Phillips, "Rod" for his big dick and "Phillips" referring to a type of screwdriver. 1984 became a very busy year for the hot, new, in-demand couple, with Lee Ryder starring in Steve Scott’s Screenplay, plus The Biggest One I Ever Saw alongside his beau. Additionally, Rod Phillips made the films Boys Town: Going West Hollywood (Nova Studios) and Windows (Vivid Man). They were both in demand as sex workers and night club performers, but arguments over money, other sexual partners and jealousies resulted in them separating from their relationship and eventually leaving the business. Lee continued making a few movies like 2 X 10 and Sticky Business in 1985 and 1986, then retired. Rod left the business, then made his first comeback in the movies with Too Big For His Britches and Bare Tales in 1988. Dropping out of site after making those movies, he returned in 1990 to star in Plunge (Falcon Studios) and Hard Steal for John Travis and Catalina Video.

In Hard Steal, Rod was paired with Joey Stefano for one of the scenes, and while I’ve read that the two were dating at the time, my memory tells me that they met on our set and started dating afterwards. It makes the most sense to me, but Chi Chi LaRue, if anyone, would know the exact details for sure. I remember the chemistry with these two; Joey was acting very shy around Rod as he recognized him from his movies in the 1980s. One of Joey’s requests to Chi Chi was to work with actors like Jack Wrangler, Cole Carpenter, Eric Manchester and Chad Douglas, but Chi Chi had to explain that those movies were shot years ago and those guys are no longer in the business. I think the fact that Joey recognized Rod from that era really drew him towards him. For Rod’s part, you could just see in his eyes how he was instantly drawn to Joey, not taking his eyes off him even when they weren’t interacting. That’s what I remember and why I really think that was the day they met. They dated, as well, but for an even shorter time than Rod and Lee. Rod, at the end of the day, was really down to earth and not all about the “porn scene,” whereas Joey was up and coming and had lived and continued to embrace the party life. Little known fact: Sometime in 1991, Joey Stefano auditioned with Aaron Spelling's people, at their request, for the role of Matt Fielding, the gay character in the TV show Melrose Place. Doug Savant won the role and did a great job, even with all the limitations on gay characters at that time. Could you imagine Joey in that role?!

After breaking up with Joey Stefano, Rod Phillips left the porn scene only to return three years later for a small role in Chi Chi LaRue’s Hologram (1993). That was his last movie. On May 24th, 1993, Rod Phillips passed away at the age of 32. Rumors that he committed suicide are questioned in Live Journal, stating that he was diagnosed with HIV-related lymphatic prostate cancer, which escalated quickly during the last weeks of his life. Two years prior, on July 10th, 1991, Lee Ryder passed away, also at the age of 32, from complications of AIDS. On November 26th, 1994, Joey Stefano passed away at the age of only 26. It is documented that Stefano had a rough childhood that led him to drug use, including heroin, starting at the very early age of 15. When he did not show up to set one day, producers went to his hotel room and found his non-responsive body. It was later determined by the medical examiner that he died of an accidental overdose of cocaine, morphine, heroin and ketamine. A very sad ending for three very beloved stars of the 1980’s and 1990’s. Two decades in gay porn history that wouldn’t have been remotely the same without them.

Bio of Josh Eliot:

At the age of 25 in 1987, Josh Eliot was hired by Catalina Video by John Travis (Brentwood Video) and Scott Masters (Nova Video). Travis trained Eliot on his style of videography and mentored him on the art of directing. Josh directed his first movie, Runaways, in 1987. By 2009 when Josh parted ways with Catalina Video, he'd produced and directed hundreds of features and won numerous awards for Best Screenplay, Videography, Editing, and Directing. He was entered into the GayVN Hall of fame in 2002.