Meet RAY HARLEY

By Josh Eliot

I’m not sure what is going on, but it seems that “breakfast with the porn icons” is an ongoing occurrence! Maybe this should be a new show for HEREtv. I’ve talked about Catalina Exclusive Ray Harley numerous times in my past blogs - the fact that he was discovered at the host hotel of the International Mr. Leather Contest, the fact that he is a proud Toronto Canadian, and the fact that he was one of the sweetest most genuine guys to ever grace the set. One thing I didn’t mention was that he was also involved in a successful long-term three way relationship. A “throuple” that passed all the trials and tribulations you would associate with such a relationship. I haven’t seen Ray since around 2003, so there is so much about his present situation and life that I do not know about. However, I might just get informed really quick. I received a DM from Ray saying that he was in Palm Springs for Christmas and New Years and would like to meet up for breakfast or lunch. He also reached out to Peter Romero and Brad Austin, two other Catalina directors who also live here in the Coachella Valley. We decided to meet at Rick’s Restaurant near the tram in Palm Springs the next day at 10am. Rick’s is probably the best “gay adored” breakfast spot in the desert, yet very unpretentious. I personally love to order the “Paul Bunyan Breakfast Platter” that is so big it comes on two plates, a large, thick ham steak occupying the second plate. Since there will be a large group at our table, I don’t want to take up too much space or come across like a glutton. But secretly I will feel “deprived” not having my Paul Bunyan for breakfast!

I will talk about my get-together with Ray in the second half of this blog, but in the meantime here is a bit from his bio. Ray is a Capricorn and was born in 1967, making him 56 years old. His debut movie for Catalina Video was Meet Ray Harley, released in 1997. His final movie was 69: Discover the Secret, released in 2004. Ray featured an image that was very different from the majority of those cast in Catalina productions, and his striking good looks allowed him starring roles in some of the biggest features we released - titles like 1998's CatalinaVille and Big Guns 2 (where Ray was awakened in the middle of the battlefield one night and overpowered by three hung and horny guys in gas masks); Thrill Me! (1999), co-starring alongside Steve Rambo in a sexually charged murder mystery; Score (1999), featuring Steve Rambo, Blake Harper and Jason Branch who played two Hollywood power couples at odds with the law and each other; Voyager (2000), where Ray was with us every step of the way on that cursed cruise ship from hell, otherwise known as Tampa.

Vermont Reunion (2002), Party in Provincetown (2002) and His Terrible Twin (2003) all featured Ray in leading roles as he joined us on our road trip to the East Coast. Honestly, he was the best model to travel with. I think Brandon Webber (The Rascal Series) was on that trip, as well, to shoot scenes for The Rascal Stows Away, and he wasn’t that great to travel with, if you get my drift. It was like night and day comparing him and Ray on and off the set. The best feeling I had the whole trip was when I put “The Rascal” on the plane in Burlington, VT to fly home. Boy, I guess he still gets under my skin, considering the fact that just mentioning his name sidetracked my whole train of thought.

Ray was definitely a power bottom who could hold his own with the biggest of boys, like another Catalina Exclusive at the time, Maxime Cannon. Their scene in 69: Discover the Secret was pure magic! It’s quite a bio he has, for sure, with supporting roles in movies like Stag Show, Ride ‘Em Cowboy, Junior’s Nude Cleaning Service, Harley’s Crew and Boy Band. I can’t say that I wasn’t a bit anxious and nervous on my way to the restaurant, having not crossed paths in the last twenty years, but when we pulled into the parking lot and saw Ray getting out of his car all that anxiety went away.

We met up in front of the restaurant, exchanged hugs and got ourselves a nice large booth. Brad Austin arrived shortly after, but unfortunately Peter Romero was a “no-show” - still not sure why. It turns out Ray has been living in London, England for the past eighteen years. He showed me a picture of his long-term partner and they make a sweet-ass looking couple. I’d love to share their photo, but they are both very private people when it comes right down to it. Ray clarified to me that it wasn’t really a “throuple” he was in - he was actually the boyfriend of half of a couple, with the permission and blessing from the “other half.” Makes perfect sense now. As fans of Ray Harley already know, he is a classically trained pianist who worked for the ballet in Toronto and now again in London. He wrote and performed the theme song for my movie Score. It was a beautiful number with a haunting melody that really elevated my movie. It turns out his ex-boyfriend and his partner have a home in Palm Springs, so he tries to get out here at least once a year around the holidays.

Of course, Brad Austin showed up with tons of energy, as per usual, and was the first to start throwing out quotes and belly-laugh memories from past days on the set. Ray confessed to me that when we were shooting his first scene for CatalinaVille in Breckenridge, Colorado, he was watching me shoot the four-way scene on a day he wasn’t working. He said he was standing next to me when I shot one of the cum shots and then the facial of the model pretending to cum. He said he was just interested in seeing how I shoot my angles, as it was all new to him. He remembered that the model really over-acted the climax facial reaction, and after I said “cut” I turned and whispered to him, “Geez… That was so dramatic I thought an alien was going to pop out of his stomach.” Sounds like something I’d say, and now that he mentioned it I kind of remember saying it. It’s funny what people remember. Around mid-breakfast, Brad Austin was telling a gross “off-set” story very loudly, so we had to shush him because the guy in the next booth could hear him and was eating re-fried beans. That might tell you something about his disgusting story. At this point when our banter took a turn for the worse, he kept saying that we need to do a podcast. Ray agreed to take part if we were able to one day pull it together. One thing's for sure, when the Catalina Crew and models reunite, there is no lack of storyline to talk about. We snapped a picture outside the restaurant and said our goodbyes. The connection we all have from working together for nearly seven years will always be there, like those amazing screen performances Ray Harley gave to the Catalina audiences in the 1990’s and early 2000’s.

Bio 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.