Something happened to gay porn in the late '80s.

While the industry rode the videotape boom
through the early to mid '80s, an ever-increasing
number of hack directors began populating the ranks.
No longer was the gay porn business simply for film auteurs like Matt Sterling and William Higgins; now everyone wanted a piece of the action. Gay porn of the late '70s and early '80s was an exclusive society. Only those who could afford to produce a porn film (and "film" is the key word here) and distribute it properly to gay movie houses were able to survive. Those directors, like Higgins, became extremely successful -- not only for their business savvy, but also for their keen eye and their technical know-how.

In the mid to late 1980's, because the videotape was so incredibly easy to distribute, profits went through the roof. Example: Now, someone on a farm in Kansas was able to purchase a videotape through the mail. Whereas before, this same Kansan, if he desired to quench his thirst for a gay porno, would have to travel to the nearest large city that, if he were lucky, had a gay movie house. Or, if he were fortunate, he would have a movie projector in his own home where he could set up a ramshackle movie theater of his own. That is, if he even had a film to watch.

Producers discovered that it almost didn't matter what you put on tape. It would still sell. Just slap a pretty face on the cover and it'll fly out the door. What's that you say? They'll return the video? Oh, a few might, but they were betting that the majority of men who bought said video would be too embarrased to return it (which is, for the most part, a reality). On top of that, videos were incredibly easy, and cheap, to produce.

With the "videos on the cheap" equation in place, what about the talent pool? In the early '80s nearly every film produced had an amazing cast. With the expanding need for new talent for the multitude of fast and cheap videos churned out, directors were taking just about anyone off the street. This is not to say that all late '80s performers were lacking, but there was a very noticeable drop in quality from the early '80s actors like Lee Ryder, Leo, Lance, and Bill Henson.

Those same downward trends that began in the '80s continue today. Some studios, Falcon being a good example, can still turn out a relatively high number of videos without sacrificing quality. Why can Falcon succeed? They spend lots of money. They care about what the finished product looks like. Their directors aren't hacks. Don't misunderstand either, Falcon isn't the only studio that can still produce a great video. Directors like Kristen Bjorn (himself a former early '80s performer), Jean-Daniel Cadinot, Mike Esser, some of Chi Chi LaRue's work, along with Falcon's own John Rutherford, they all turn out good stuff. But for every Rutherford, there are ten hacks taking a quick buck out of your naive pocket.

How do we remedy this? First, read last month's column 10 Things I Hate About Gay Porn, which will describe, in detail, just what sucks about gay porn videos today. After reading that, you'll understand what to avoid, and what to watch out for. Secondly, don't let yourself be taken advantage of. If a video looks interesting to you, do some field work on your own. Read magazines that report on the gay porn world and include reviews of current releases. Some of these publications include: Unzipped, Manshots, and Skinflicks.

In addition, the Internet boasts a number of sites which feature reader-submitted reviews and commentary about new and old videos. These sites include: ManNet.com, Radvideo.com. Lastly, view any of the ten videos listed below. Notice that six of the ten were produced in 1987 or earlier, and notice that there are none that were released between 1988-1996. This tally would have certainly included a video or two from that era, if there had been any great releases that sprung to mind.