BijouBlog

Interesting and provocative thoughts on gay history, gay sexual history, gay porn, and gay popular culture.

Captain Psychopath

By Josh Eliot

In the spirit of All Hallows Eve month, I thought it might be appropriate to write about a very sinister sounding fellow. The sheer mention of his name draws fear and anticipation of an upcoming doom. This guy will cut you if given a chance, and trust me you’ll be in stitches. Okay, enough of this dramatized text. The haunting character I am referring to is none other than YouTube sensation Captain Psychopath.

Captain Psychopath

 

Born, raised and currently living in West Norway, the Captain’s real name is Didrik. His initial YouTube channel featured gaming videos, but was quickly deleted because Didrik was unhappy with the videos he was posting. He decided to start a new channel in which he would post video reviews and critiques of other channels' gaming videos. He fully intended his reviews to be hard hitting and edgy, so he chose a name that reflected the critic’s attributes, Captain Psychopath. He found some success amongst the gaming crowd, but things took a more focused direction when he came across the “PG” version of a little movie posted on the Catalina Collection NEO YouTube Channel which I affectionately call Boy Band.

When he discovered the movie Boy Band and saw the viewers responding from around the world, he realized that its cheeky content united people from all different sexual orientations. The movie featured an all-male cast and the central character of Nance Freeley, music agent, played by Sharon Kane. The viewers really embraced the campiness of the movie, and started creating “memes” from assorted scenes. Keep in mind that the Captain is a straight, whiskey drinking guy who is comfortable with himself and has no judgment or negative connotations about watching and enjoying an all-male movie, albeit “PG.” We need more like him, and as the story goes on you’ll see that there are thousands just like him who appreciate and embrace the content of all-male action. The fact that these movies have made their way and flourished within the mainstream audiences of Instagram and YouTube is something I never expected when making them. It was always assumed that gay men and maybe gay women (I read that Rosie O’Donnell liked to watch all-male gay porn) were the only audience. A major percentage of the subscribers to the Captain Psychopath and Catalina Collection channels are straight and from all over the planet.

When the Captain discovered Boy Band, he thought to himself, “Hmm, no one’s done any videos reviewing gay pornos, maybe I should try.” What the Captain meant by reviewing gay pornos was not your typical review. The Captain uses humor and a little bit of sadistic ribbing to make his well-rounded videos so funny and watchable. Trust me, some of the reviews he did of my movies hurt in places, but he always had me laughing my ass off! They are so well done that I always feel the need to “share the link” with friends. Once deciding how to proceed with his channel, the Captain reached out to his friend at Hikikomori Media to collaborate with him to review Boy Band and other features from many adult gay studios. The guys' joint venture received 10x more views than anything else he uploaded in the past. He wants me to mention that he was “way too hard” on Sharon Kane in the Boy Band review. It was his first time seeing her, and because he associated her with her character Nance Freely – who, let’s face it, was a bit of a cunt - he went to town on her. Which he regrets to this day, as she’s really won him over, just like so many of us.

Even though he felt that he hadn’t quite nailed his style with the Boy Band review, he persisted. Realizing that there were a lot more movies out their like Boy Band, he got in touch with Kurt from Catalina Collection, who shared content with him to use for his cutting and humor filled reviews. I personally discovered the Catalina Collection and Captain Psychopath’s YouTube channels during the Covid-19 lockdown and I’m so glad I did. It actually flooded me with so many memories when watching these movies back after 20 some odd years! I hadn’t viewed most of them since I initially watched them for release on VHS. It lit a match under my ass to start editing again and start an Instagram and YouTube channel of my own. The Captain really inspired me with his tongue (get your mind out of the gutter) and cheek approach to re-embrace these little mini classics from the 1980’s and 1990’s and help re-introduce them to a new audience. In fact, we are teaming up in October for a joint release. I will be releasing the new, enhanced and updated 25th Anniversary Edition Director’s Cut of CatalinaVille (“PG” version) for my YouTube Channel, and the Captain’s channel will release the new movie with Director’s Commentary, as he questions and “ribs” me on the spot throughout the movie. I hope I’m not a big bore!

Instead of candy for this Halloween Season, I’ll give you some “Eye Candy.” Here are a number of links to some of the great content on Captain Psychopath’s YouTube channel:

Captain Psychopath's review videos

 

With 28k views and counting: Pizza Boy 2 & 3
With 32k views and counting: Cockpit
With 68K views and counting: Voyager
And with 163K views and counting: Billy Herrington- Did You Know Gay Men?
(A parody on “Did You Know Gaming?” which is a huge YouTube channel on gaming.)

The Captain forwarded me some pics he found from a magazine story on Voyager that I didn’t remember existed. Vincent Lambert was along on the cruise as a “press agent” and covered the whole sadistic affair - even photographing me having an interior breakdown when the ship fried one of our video decks. Since Voyager was really “Voyager of the Damned” (see previous blog), a fucking nightmare cruise straight to hell, I thought sharing the pictures here would be Halloween appropriate!

Behind the scenes images from Josh Eliot's Voyager

Behind the scenes images from Josh Eliot's Voyager

 

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.

 

You can read Josh Eliot's previous blogs for Bijou here:

Coming Out of my WET SHORTS | FRANK ROSS, The Boss | Our CALIGULA Moment | That BUTTHOLE Just Winked at Me! | DREAMLAND: The Other Place | A Salty Fuck in Saugatuck | Somebody, Call a FLUFFER! | The Late Great JOHN TRAVIS, My POWERTOOL Mentor | (Un)Easy Riders | 7 Years with Colt Model MARK RUTTER | Super NOVA | Whatever Happened to NEELY O’HARA? | Is That AL PARKER In Your Photo? | DOWN BY LAW: My $1,000,000 Mistake | We Waited 8hrs for a Cum Shot... Is That a World Record? | Don't Wear "Short Shorts" on the #38 Geary to LANDS END | How Straight Are You Really? | BEHIND THE (not so) GREEN DOOR | The BOOM BOOM Room | CATCHING UP with Tom DeSimone | Everybody’s FREE to FEEL GOOD | SCANDAL at the Coral Sands Motel | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Castro Theatre | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Midnight Sun | RSVP: 2 Weeks Working on a Gay Cruise Ship | VOYAGER of the Damned | I'M NOT A LESBIAN DIRECTOR | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: THE FOLSOM STREET FAIR | Diving into SoMa/Folsom: A TALE OF TWO STUDS | BALL BROTH | My 1992 “Porn Set” Diary | Out of Print | There’s a Gloryhole WHERE??! | LUNCH HOUR: When the Big Boys Eat | IN and OUT and All ABOUT | UNDER the COVERs with Tom Steele | 8 Is Enough on Sunsex Blvd | Steve Rambo & Will Seagers For Breakfast | The Many Faces of Adult Film Star SHARON KANE | The ALL-MAN Magazine Interview: The Man Behind Catalina Video

  886 Hits

"It's About Time!" My Love Affair With Clocks & Fine Watches

By Will Seagers

 

Hi Folks - Will here. These last few blogs have been of a more personal nature. This one will let you know what makes me tick!

I always admired the way my father carried himself and how he dressed. I learned that meant including a watch to finish off the look. He was not much for jewelry or fancy watches... a simple Timex with a striped fabric band usually did the trick.

 

Timex
 

I don't remember wanting or having a watch for myself until I was into my late teens or early twenties. They were usually very nice watches that my father won in sales contests or the like. If they were too fancy he considered them "fag watches" and passed them along to me. LOL. Unfortunately, I don't have any pics of these "hand-me-downs" to show. But, I do remember they were both Bulova Accutron watches - great timepieces of the day. One was a round face and the other was a tank (Cartier styled) watch. I loved them and wore them with pride until the "watch buying bug" really bit me!

That happened back in the early 70s when I was a flight attendant stationed in San Juan, P.R. Although I noticed all the great Rolex watches worn by members of the flight crews, I had my heart set on on a more artistic representation in timekeeping - a black ceramic Rado watch. Beautiful lines that even rivaled the Movado Museum watch.

So, I took advantage of my flying benefits one day and took a short hop from San Juan to St. Thomas - a mere 20 minutes away. This was the place to come and shop for watches and jewelry! I remember walking into a duty free shop and right up to the Rado display. Out of the corner of my eye I could also see the Rolex display. I felt like someone yanked me by the scruff of the neck over to the Rolex counter. My jaw dropped as I eyed a very simple and inconspicuous "Air King" model. After only a few minutes of gazing at it and (of course) trying it on, I was out the door and headed back to San Juan. That watch stayed with me stayed with me for decades.

 

Will wearing an Air King Rolex on his 40th birthday

On my 40th birthday wearing my Air King Rolex.

 

"Rollies" were know for their quality and for holding their value. And, when some rougher times arrived in my life I sold mine to keep me afloat financially. I immediately felt a hole in my life (and in my heart). I was determined to get one back on my wrist ASAP! That happened shortly after I met my current spouse back in the mid 90s. A wonderful and lucky event happened in my life. I wound up with a painting that no one else in my family wanted from my recently deceased (Finnish) Aunt. I knew it had value. But, I was blown away when we took it to an auction gallery in the Upper East Side of Manhattan. A very distinguished man rushed over to us and asked about the painting. I recognized him from The Antiques Roadshow. Yep. He was of that caliber! Long story short, he took it to Amsterdam for the summer and showed it to many potential clients. In the fall he invited us to the auction where it was about to be shown. My spouse and I were shocked when the auctioneer announced, "The opening bid for this rare Dutch Masters oil on wood painting will start at $12,000!” It ended up at just under $25,000. My partner and I were delirious. It was quite an unexpected chunk of change! After the dust had settled, I went to the Tudor watch store on the west side and replaced my Air King!

That watch remained with me for over a decade. It was one day in my store that a client who was a gemologist from a local Rolex dealer commented on my watch. It was sort of a back handed compliment. She said to me that my wrist was really too big for the 34mm watch face and that I should come and look at a Submariner - which measured 40mm. So, I did. And, that started an almost decade long cavalcade of buying and trading up Rolex, Panerai, and Breitling models. It was a glorious period of time - I enjoyed every minute of it.

 

Will wearing his Rolex Submariner at a haircut appointment

One of a couple of Rollie Submariners worn to a haircut!

 
Breitling Divers' model

A lovely Breitling Divers' model that I purchased around 2008 in Santa Fe.

 
Breitling Navitimer Montbrilliant

Another Breitling - and a real looker. The "Navitimer Montbrilliant” But, with the joy of aging and decreasing eyesight, the multi dials were too hard to read.

 
Breitling Navitimer Montbrilliant

A Panerai. Like the Breitling, I couldn't get used to the rubber watch band.

 
Rollie Platinum Yachtmaster

One of my favorites - a Rollie Platinum Yachtmaster.

 
Will wearing a Gold and Platinum Yachtmaster

A Gold and Platinum Yachtmaster - might just be the all time favorite!

 
Rollie Oyster Perpetual

A retirement self-giftie - a Rollie Oyster Perpetual.

 

When I decided to stop working I literally pulled the plug in one fell swoop. I was very uncomfortable in my final retail selling position and needed to be free from all of the pettiness of the retail scene. I didn't have anything lined up in the wings. So, I made a pact with myself to sell to sell my final Rolex, a GMT Coke model, back to the jeweler from whom I bought it. It pained me to do so. I thought I would never see one again. And, that has been the case, so far. It was a nice lump sum to put in my bank account as I figured out how to start my retirement years. All of my crazy buying patterns came to an abrupt halt. And, I have survived!

 

Rollie GMT Coke

A Rollie GMT "Coke" with its distinctive dual colored bezel.

 

During my retail working years I also enjoyed adding various clocks to our home. I love regulator clocks, cuckoo clocks, mantle clocks and of course my French styled Bonnet Grandfathers' clock. It's really very amusing when the hour arrives in our home - it sounds like a clock store!

 

Regulator clock

One of two regulator clocks. This one in the living room.

 
Grandfather’s Clock

I always loved the way the French did a Grandfather’s Clock.

 
Cuckoo clock

The newest Cuckoo clock hangs in the kitchen.

 
Treble clef-shaped clock

A musical time piece from my friend George!

 
Digital clock

A very futuristic digital clock gifted to me by Tommy, my first partner, in 1977.

 

So, there you have it. You know a little bit more of what makes me tick! In a day when most people tell time by their cell phones, I delight in looking down at my analog watch face or looking across the room at these pieces of history, waiting for them to chime. And, in very quiet moments, I love to listen to the subtle murmuring of the machinery of time... tick tock, tick tock.

PS, folks - I am a Capricorn, the sign ruled by Saturn and, in Greek mythology, Kronos, the keeper of time.

 

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 image

Will Seagers, recent photo


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 ParadeLife's a Beach | Flora & Fauna | Once Is Just Not Enough! | A Love of Cultures – A Knack for Languages! | For the Birds

  843 Hits

The ALL-MAN Magazine Interview: The Man Behind Catalina Video

By Josh Eliot

I didn’t give interviews often, back in the day. Not because I was opposed to them but because Mike, our general manager, started alienating the company from the competition. There was a time when he stopped running advertising campaigns, taking part in industry functions and even shunned the critics and award shows. It was like pulling teeth at one point to get him to submit screeners to the committees for award consideration. Luckily for us, Chi Chi was all up in the industry business and she would get whatever they needed from the warehouse and into their hands. We were all at a loss as to why he suddenly became Kim Jong-il and treated the company like South Korea, closing it off from the rest of the Industry. Only he knows why, and thank goodness he eventually pulled the hair that was stuck up his ass and started embracing the industry again. I was working at David Weiss’s House One duplicating facility, making titles for an upcoming movie. They had much superior editing equipment and if Tab Lloyd wasn’t using the equipment they’d let me go over and use it to create cool titles and effects. It was on that day that Ethan Clarke showed up to question me for All Man Magazine. If I had known he was going to take a picture of me that day, I wouldn’t have worn just a white t-shirt to work. Not the best look for a photo. But the cigarette, that was a staple - a bad habit that stuck with me from working on all those shoots with John Travis. Luckily, I quit that habit a few years later.

November 2003 All Man Magazine cover and Josh Eliot photo
November 2003 All Man Magazine cover and Josh Eliot feature

ETHAN CLARKE: How long have you been working for Catalina Video?


JOSH ELIOT: I started working at Catalina in October 1987, so it’s been sixteen years. Due to some legal technicalities, at the time, they could not shoot gay adult videos in Los Angeles, so Catalina set up a studio in San Francisco, where I was living. I applied for a job as a still photographer because I was going to school studying film and video production. (laughs) Actually, I took some photos that a friend had taken to go along on the interview with Scott Masters and John Travis and presented them as my own, thus bullshitting my way into the job. I did later tell them all about it an we had a good laugh. I was interested in doing video camerawork and directing, but they were only looking to hire someone for still photography. So, I took the job that was offered, agreeing that eventually it would parlay into doing camerawork. The stills I took the first couple of times weren’t that great! But you know, timing is everything. The head of their production (Dan Allman / Cameron Leight) was getting ready to retire. They liked me and made me the second cameraman and hired a new still photographer. When Dan Allman retired about six months later, I was bumped up to head of production. I was totally trained by the best. John Travis or Scott Masters would tell me everything they needed for a shoot. We’d build the sets and one of them would fly up to San Francisco and we’d make a video. Eventually John Travis trained me to direct.


ETHAN: Well you learned from the best.


JOSH: Yes, I did! He’s great, a real sweetheart.


ETHAN: How long did you stay in San Francisco?


JOSH: Since Catalina’s main headquarters was in Los Angeles, when it was legal to shoot there again, I moved down to L.A. It was a major change to find a place to live and find a new crew. Photographer Jeff Burton was the first person I hired, and he stayed with us for about thirteen years. Scott Masters and John Travis moved on to found Studio 2000.


ETHAN: How long did it take you to get used to living in Los Angeles?


JOSH: You know, I came kicking and screaming, but it really didn’t take that long. It was really an easy transition, you can’t beat the weather, and I did live in the heart of west Hollywood. But it did take me a while to get used to the slower pace.


ETHAN: What was the first production you worked on for Catalina?


JOSH: I did stills for BULGE: Mass Appeal with Kevin Glover and Kurt Bauer. The first feature I directed is Runaways starring Jake Corbin and Danny wade. Scott Masters watched everything I did from a monitor in his office and gave me advice. He taught me a lot.


ETHAN: And what is your most recent video?


JOSH: His Terrible Twin, with Andy Hunter in a dual starring role. There are two versions - the two hour VHS and the DVD special director’s cut with a behind the scenes documentary and other bonuses. Last year my big movie was Boy Band; we included a music video in that one.


ETHAN: Who taught all those models their fancy footwork in their dance routines in Boy Band?


JOSH: (Laughs) Well, we taught them about three steps at a time and then would cut the camera, re-position the angle and start filming again, reminding them, “You ended up with your legs crossed. When the camera roll, uncross your legs, spin around and point to the stars.” Cut together, it looks great, as if they did the entire music video from beginning to end without stopping.


ETHAN: You also did the Rascal series.


JOSH: Yeah, we just finished the sixth and final episode, The Rascal’s Graduation Gang Bang, directed by Peter Romero. I directed the first four of the six and had enough! Catalina used to produce two videos a month, but with the emergence of DVDs we shoot one movie a month and re-release a remastered DVD version of an older movie with lots of bonus scenes and photo galleries. They look really good and they’re not just direct linear transfers. Viewers are getting their money’s worth.


ETHAN: Who are Catalina’s current exclusive models?


JOSH: Steve Rambo, Ray Harley and Maxime Cannon who can be seen in our newest release, Super Sized! And he is, with a 12” dick. He’s the epitome of what you want in a performer. The dick goes up, stays up and fucks like nobodies business. He lives in Canada, but I told him if he moved here he would be in every single movie we shoot! Ray Harley’s new movie with Anthony Holloway is Junior’s Nude Cleaning Service from our new Generation Gap Series. Besides those guys and Rambo, we had Chris Champion, Hank Sterling, Ty Fox (for a five picture deal) and Matt Powers. I just talked to Matt the other day. He’s on the East Coast now, teaching martial arts.

Catalina Exclusive models Ray Harley, Ty Fox, Steve Rambo, Chris Champion and Matt Powers

Catalina Exclusive models Ray Harley, Ty Fox, Steve Rambo, Chris Champion and Matt Powers

ETHAN: What do you think about the new influx of talent coming into the gay adult industry compared to guys fifteen years ago?


JOSH: We used to shoot a lot of straight guys in the beginning. It was often like pulling teeth to get what we needed. There weren’t that many guys doing video work then and many of the models were “gay for pay.” I’m very happy with the selection now. The sex is more aggressive and the models all know what to do! It wasn’t like working with the straight guys who had to be told how to proceed move by move. I love the new breed of models like Jesse Cooper, Tommy Saxx, Jack van Dean, Brad McGuire, Blake Harper and Jason Branch. Blake was going to play the lead in His Terrible Twin but got a mainstream gig.


ETHAN: How much fun was it shooting Pillage and Plunder on a ship? As well as Cockpit 1 & 2 involving airplanes?


JOSH: The ship we shot Pillage and Plunder on was older than the S.S. Poseidon. It was a good video, but you can be sure as shit that I will never set foot on that boat again! The Cockpit videos directed by Brad Austin were great fun. The highlight of the first one was the plane crash, the debris and all that jazz. Cockpit 2 was shot mostly in Yosemite, California. We had a wonderful and secure shooting location on a huge ranch.


ETHAN: What was your all-time favorite movie you directed?


JOSH: Definitely it would be a tie between Revenge of the Bi Dolls and Score.


ETHAN: I’m sure your fans will be anticipating all of Catalina Video’s releases and particularly a reunion of Chi Chi LaRue and Sharon Kane in an upcoming project. Some other of Josh’s movies are: CatalinaVille, Cat Men Do!, Easy Riders, Getting Off in Palm Springs, Jawbreaker and Thrill Me!

 

It’s funny. Now, re-reading this interview after all these years, I see quite a few subjects mentioned that I recently wrote blogs about. It’s good to see that the details and specifics match and my memories are holding up to the test of time.

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.

 

You can read Josh Eliot's previous blogs for Bijou here:

Coming Out of my WET SHORTS | FRANK ROSS, The Boss | Our CALIGULA Moment | That BUTTHOLE Just Winked at Me! | DREAMLAND: The Other Place | A Salty Fuck in Saugatuck | Somebody, Call a FLUFFER! | The Late Great JOHN TRAVIS, My POWERTOOL Mentor | (Un)Easy Riders | 7 Years with Colt Model MARK RUTTER | Super NOVA | Whatever Happened to NEELY O’HARA? | Is That AL PARKER In Your Photo? | DOWN BY LAW: My $1,000,000 Mistake | We Waited 8hrs for a Cum Shot... Is That a World Record? | Don't Wear "Short Shorts" on the #38 Geary to LANDS END | How Straight Are You Really? | BEHIND THE (not so) GREEN DOOR | The BOOM BOOM Room | CATCHING UP with Tom DeSimone | Everybody’s FREE to FEEL GOOD | SCANDAL at the Coral Sands Motel | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Castro Theatre | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Midnight Sun | RSVP: 2 Weeks Working on a Gay Cruise Ship | VOYAGER of the Damned | I'M NOT A LESBIAN DIRECTOR | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: THE FOLSOM STREET FAIR | Diving into SoMa/Folsom: A TALE OF TWO STUDS | BALL BROTH | My 1992 “Porn Set” Diary | Out of Print | There’s a Gloryhole WHERE??! | LUNCH HOUR: When the Big Boys Eat | IN and OUT and All ABOUT | UNDER the COVERs with Tom Steele | 8 Is Enough on Sunsex Blvd | Steve Rambo & Will Seagers For Breakfast | The Many Faces of Adult Film Star SHARON KANE

  1060 Hits

"For the Birds": My Lifetime With Feathered Friends!

By Will Seagers

Hello, Friends! Matt here. After writing a blog a while back mentioning Jim Bentley and my common love of Moluccan Cockatoos, I am back to do more detailed story telling of my lifelong love of birds.

Once again, my childhood buddy, Michael, who I have mentioned in several of my blogs, shared yet another hobby with me - having cage birds. It was his grandmother, " Nana," who started us both on this journey. In her backyard and in her house she had quite a "community" of birds. In her back yard was a freestanding modestly sized aviary filled with many finch varieties as well as some soft-billed birds. Inside her home were Cockatiels and some very operatic Canaries! I was mesmerized by this collection. On almost a monthly basis, Michael and I would accompany Nana to "The Bird Farm" for supplies and sometimes new family members! That's when the bird bug bit me!

I decided to build an indoor aviary in our basement... much to my father's surprise. I built it under our living room's bay window. So, when I added the flat wall of wire mesh to enclose it, a trapezoid was the resulting shape. Sorry, I have no existing photos of this aviary. It turned out surprisingly well. I was quite successful at breeding finches that I traded to the local pet shops for bird seed and other avian supplies. Every time there was a family gathering, the basement and the aviary were part of the celebrations.

 

Star Finches

It all started in my teens with finches like this lovely Star Finch!

 

When I went away to college I had the depressing task of disbanding my aviary and "farming out" my rather large bird collection. While in school and staying with my Aunt (the Finnish one), a very good friend of mine gifted me with a Toucan. I was blown away by this spectacular gift. He was the original Biki Noka - Finnish for big nose! Not every experience in the bird world was a pleasant one. At this time (1969), aviculturists had not perfected a diet for many exotic soft bills like Toucans. You had to improvise a lot. The suggested diet of the time was soaked Monkey Chow with plenty of fresh fruits and veggies. Alas, the tough part about Monkey Chow was that it was very hard on birds' livers. Ultimately,I lost this beauty and I was crushed. It was several years before I had birds again.

"San Francisco, Open Your Golden Gates" - bird cage gates, that is! When I settled in with my first partner Tommy, I felt secure enough to start back up with a new bird family. This time, I was not only interested in finches but in Parrots and Cockatoos! Finches and rare Parakeets came first. I had great luck again in breeding them. My "aviary" in the living room bay window seemed to be the perfect spot for all sorts of finches to live happily and reproduce. I regularly went to pet shops in town where my little folk were eagerly scooped up for sale. My first attempts with parrots were a wild captured cockatoo and an African Gray - both with no success. The wild captures were too afraid of humans to bond.

 

Flight cage in S.F. apartment

This bay window had more than a view! It was a small apartment with a large flight cage.

 
Shafttail Finches

Two of the S.F. Flight cages residents, Shafttail Finches.

 
Parakeets in hutch

Also from S.F., a converted hutch cabinet with breeding Splendid Parakeets.

 

It was around 1986 or so when I went to a bird show in town (S.F.) and met a local breeder of fine Cockatoos by the name of Gloria. She had a spectacular female Moluccan Cockatoo with her at the show that wasn't quite weened or ready for sale. I left her my name and number for when this youngster became available. In two months the bird was ready. I traveled down the peninsula below San Francisco to a lavish compound/park where Gloria bred her birds. I made the purchase that day and took my "Gloria" home. I had never known a bird to be so affectionate and cuddly. Tommy and I loved to hold and caress her.

 

Gloria, the Moluccan Cockatoo

One of the grandest birds I ever owned – a Moluccan Cockatoo... Gloria!

 

In 1989, I lost Tommy to AIDS. Without him at home to lavish her with attention, I had to re-home Gloria. Cockatoos require enormous amounts of attention and will self-mutilate without. I came home to find her cage bloodied from her attack on her own air sacks. I was in tears. I tried to make it work. But, Gloria needed the constant attention I could no longer give while I was away at work. A painful lesson and memory. A similar tale was to be told bout "Bingo," my one and only Macaw. He was adorable and cuddly but would go berserk and shriek when I left for work. It was not fair to my neighbors. A great friend with a bird collection came to our rescue and gave Bingo a great home.

 

Macaw on Will's shoulder in S.F.

Last of the S.F. pics... Bingo, my Harlequin Macaw!

 

It was 1991. I was recuperating from my devastations in S.F. at my Aunt's house in N.J. I was shell shocked... I needed a bird! Oddly enough, a wonderful opportunity opened up with a friend of my Aunt. This friend was desperate to find a home for their Yellow Headed Amazon parrot. I moved like lightning to get that bird! It was a life saver for me and the bird! This bird was already a great talker and loved me from the jump. I had this bird for several years until I had to move. My sister rose to the occasion and was delighted to be his new Mama!

 

Buddy on Will's shoulder

Another time and place... My return to N.J. and my “Buddy,” the Yellow Headed Amazon.

 

Next step - my new life with my current spouse in NYC. I was bird-less for almost two years. It felt like a hole in my heart. So, I started up with finches, then Love Birds. Then my partner discovered a great bird store downtown - Urban Bird. While touring the store, we came upon Dede. It was love at first sight. Dede is a Red Lory... a talker and one of the cutest birds on the planet. Besides being a striking color, Dede had quite a rambunctious personality. Without hesitating, we made the move. A couple of weeks later, my partner was back at Urban Bird and happened upon a beautiful Citron Cockatoo. So, we went down to see "Louise" and she came back home with us.

 

Dede on Will's shoulder

Having dinner with my new friend Dede a few years later in NYC.

 
Birds perched in kitchen

Dede's pal and soulmate, Louise, a Citron Cockatoo.

 

The Southwest. It is not an easy thing to move across the country with birds... in a car anyway. So, My partner flew with them from NYC to the desert. They had to go to a vet first to have their health certified. That's when we found out that Dede was a boy and Louise was indeed a girl. They adjusted to our new location quickly. The second "Biki Noka," an African Gray, joined the family in 2001. He is my "papa's boy!” Smart as a whip and a loving bird, as well.

 

Biki Noka

A few years later and Biki Noka joins the family!

 
Birds at Christmas

At Christmas time, helping unwrap the gifts.

 
Two birds in dramatic lighting

Mr. DeMille, we're ready! A magic lighting moment with my two “hams!”

 

Our complete family is currently 19 birds consisting of Dede, Biki, and Louise; in addition there's a pair of Love Birds, a Jenday Conure (Biloxy), five finches, three parakeets and three Cockatiels. They are a handful and a lot of maintenance... but, I love every minute of it. I particularly love Sunday breakfasts when my partner is home and cooking up a storm. At the table he and I act like trees for all of the "kids" to perch upon. I am so happy that our lives have settled down and we have been able to keep these birds for decades! They're our kids! Yes, after all of these years I am truly glad that "the bird bug bit me!" They are incredible creatures!

 

Will's current bird room and aviary

The Bird Room & the aviary.

 
Will, present day, with birds on both shoulders

Morning rainbows with Biki and Louise!

 

 

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 image

Will Seagers, recent photo


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 ParadeLife's a Beach | Flora & Fauna | Once Is Just Not Enough! | A Love of Cultures – A Knack for Languages!

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The Many Faces of Adult Film Star SHARON KANE

By Josh Eliot

Sharon Kane

 

Hands down, the very best part of my career with Catalina Video was the projects I shot with adult film icon Sharon Kane. Muse is a word that comes to mind when I think back about all the projects we worked on together. We first met when Chi Chi introduced her to me. The movie was Valley of the Bi-Dolls and I was casting the role of Ceily Fontana based on the Neely O’Hara role, as you probably already know if you’ve read my previous blog, “Whatever Happened to Neely O’Hara.” I’m pretty sure anyone reading this knows and loves the performance Patty Duke gave in Valley of the Dolls, and as things turned out, Sharon was able to get right up there with her, in my book, and take things up a notch with the original music she wrote and performed in the movie. We took things to a whole other level in Revenge of the Bi Dolls, where I got to imagine how things would have progressed had Jacqueline Susanne written a sequel. Neely gets her revenge on all those who rubbed her the wrong way. Sharon has the ability to say a particular line fifteen different ways. I would create entire movies around her. In the boy/boy movies where she would do a non-sexual role, I made her a central focal point. Case in point, the music agent Nance Freely in Boy Band and the school superintendent Ms. Narkwurst in the Rascal series. In the bisexual movies, she was not only a central character but also a screen vixen, even playing three different characters in Night of the Living Bi-Dolls: Zombie Ceily, Tanya and Margo Peyton. In between my projects, Sharon also worked with other Catalina directors like Brad Austin and Chi Chi LaRue on roles with very diverse personalities.

In The Big Switch 3: Bachelor Party, Chi Chi LaRue’s bisexual movie, Sharon played a stripper jumping out of a giant fake cake we rented, playing upon her days as a dancer at Alex DeRenzy’s Screening Room Theatre in San Francisco where, she recently told me, Desiree Cousteau also worked and was quite a wild child. In Brad Austin’s Cockpit 2, Sharon played Mama, a hillbilly with two sons who held a couple of survivors from a plane crash hostage on their psycho farm. She stole the show in a scene where she was talking to her sons on a two-way radio. In order to get a better signal, she improvised by raising one of her pigtails (wrapped around a metal hanger to keep them firm) into the air and adjusting it like an old TV antenna! The crew roared with laughter! It was moments like this where we fell more and more in love with this fabulous actress. She would literally become her characters and try to think and react how they would, always bringing a surprise and delight to every situation.

In the Rascal series (click link for trailer), she played Ms. Narkwurst, an Ilsa She-Wolf knock off who ran Rossmore Academy where little Ricky Haskell attended. She took him under her wing to her own detriment, as he was too much of a “little monster” for anyone to handle. She nailed the role with her accent, and when her character went blind because she had an itch during her Lasek surgery, she improvised on set again with a show-stopping scene of her falling out of bed then tripping and smashing into anything and everything in her way. In Cracked (trailer link), She played Joan, a bitter mother-in-law who is “dead-set” on getting her deceased son’s fortune away from his surviving wife. Based on the Patty Duke movie You’ll Like My Mother and the Joan Crawford movie Strait-Jacket, this movie is not straight nor will you like this ax-wielding mutha.

Sharon Kane costumed for a variety of roles
More of Sharon Kane's characters

 

In Boy Band (trailer link), Sharon as Nance Freely, music director, stole the show away from the boys with her over the top, fouled-mouthed, spoiled rich-bitch character, who would instill fear in anyone and everyone she dealt with. As Miranda in His Terrible Twin (trailer link), she took a different approach as a very grounded, down-to-earth theater performer and singer, drawing upon more of her real life persona. It didn’t pay off for her, unfortunately, because that dirty rotten twin, who was so sweet with her during their duet of “When Trouble Calls,” stuck it to her in the end - not in a nice way. Now, Ms. Challenger, on the other hand, from SwitchCraft (trailer link), was all about handing out the punishment and abuse. Sharon didn’t hesitate to chop off her beautiful golden locks to get into the character of the butch gym teacher from hell, obsessed with firm and tight muscular bodies. When frump Edwina Simplestein, played by Chi Chi LaRue, crossed her path, it sent Ms. Challenger into a frenzy! Challenger smacked around and wrestled to the ground poor Edwina, humiliating her in front of the other students. The tables turned when Edwina got her revenge on the gym teacher in the end, turning her firm body to flab, and breaking bones in her body through (s)witchcraft.

The movie The Hills Have Bi’s (trailer link) was the most different type of role I wrote for Sharon - that of Clarice. She played a rich Beverly Hills matriarch whose husband’s behavior with other women, including their son’s fiancé, causes her to lose her self-esteem. The son’s fiancé, looking like a young Heather Locklear, has a secret in that her mother and relatives are hillbillies, played by Chi Chi LaRue and Moist Towelette. Their visit to the mansion contributes positively to Clarice’s growth as a sexually charged, newly independent and proud woman. Sharon performed two songs, one as a duet with Clint Yeager (“Desires of the Heart”) as well as the theme song (“The Hills Have Bi’s”). That’s caviar on her face in the photo, in case you were wondering.

This is but a quick bullet point blog about my favorite gal in the adult film business. It’s just the tip of the iceberg as she has worked with incredible directors and co-stars for many decades. There is an amazing podcast with her, which was recorded recently and released through The Rialto Report. I was truly blown away with all the information and experiences this wonderful woman has lived through and experienced. If you click on only one link in this blog, this is one to pick. It’s amazing!

 

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.

 

You can read Josh Eliot's previous blogs for Bijou here:

Coming Out of my WET SHORTS | FRANK ROSS, The Boss | Our CALIGULA Moment | That BUTTHOLE Just Winked at Me! | DREAMLAND: The Other Place | A Salty Fuck in Saugatuck | Somebody, Call a FLUFFER! | The Late Great JOHN TRAVIS, My POWERTOOL Mentor | (Un)Easy Riders | 7 Years with Colt Model MARK RUTTER | Super NOVA | Whatever Happened to NEELY O’HARA? | Is That AL PARKER In Your Photo? | DOWN BY LAW: My $1,000,000 Mistake | We Waited 8hrs for a Cum Shot... Is That a World Record? | Don't Wear "Short Shorts" on the #38 Geary to LANDS END | How Straight Are You Really? | BEHIND THE (not so) GREEN DOOR | The BOOM BOOM Room | CATCHING UP with Tom DeSimone | Everybody’s FREE to FEEL GOOD | SCANDAL at the Coral Sands Motel | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Castro Theatre | DEEP INSIDE THE CASTRO: The Midnight Sun | RSVP: 2 Weeks Working on a Gay Cruise Ship | VOYAGER of the Damned | I'M NOT A LESBIAN DIRECTOR | Diving Into SoMa/Folsom: THE FOLSOM STREET FAIR | Diving into SoMa/Folsom: A TALE OF TWO STUDS | BALL BROTH | My 1992 “Porn Set” Diary | Out of Print | There’s a Gloryhole WHERE??! | LUNCH HOUR: When the Big Boys Eat | IN and OUT and All ABOUT | UNDER the COVERs with Tom Steele | 8 Is Enough on Sunsex Blvd | Steve Rambo & Will Seagers For Breakfast

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