BY VINCENT LAMBERT
“Do you have what it takes to be an MSR sex pig?” reads a banner at the Lure, a leather bar in the meat-packing district of New York City. This is exactly what Los Angeles–based MSR Video has come to town to find out. There, amid the cigars, flannel and chaps, co-directors Tony Alizzi and Jack Francis work the crowd, hoping to find some fresh talent for the sex-party video they are filming one weekend in early February. “We’re looking for a certain gritty New York mentality,” Alizzi says. “New York is a melting pot,” Francis chimes in, “and that is what we want this movie to be about.”
As the Lure fills up with its usual assortment of manly men, several tentatively approach the MSR table and inquire about the shoot. The adventurous ones fill out a form asking for their vital statistics, including cock size. Then they are taken to a private area to be photographed. The following day the co-directors will interview the most promising candidates.
Three days later, on the other side of town, Alizzi and crew arrive at El Mirage, an underground sex club in the East Village. (Francis has returned to L.A. for emergency foot surgery following a fall.) It is 8am, and they begin to set up the scenery and lights. The cast of 22 guys begins to gather to shoot the main orgy sequence. Most of the models pass right by the muffins, fruit and energy bars that have been laid out for them. Well-known performers such as Max Grand, Jack Simmons, Chad Hunt, Michel Mattel, Gabriel Cortez, and Rick Allen mingle with many newcomers and first-timers (four of whom were discovered at the Lure talent search).
Still photographer Chuck sets up his equipment and begins doing glamour shots of the leads. By 11am, the filming is ready to begin. Cortez is casually draped in a sling, and Hunt is getting blown by Grand, but many of the models mill around, not quite sure what or whom to do. Alizzi surveys the two monitors (although there are three cameras) and decides to reorganize the action. He splits the guys into two decidedly A and B groups. Most of the well-known models gather in the front, while the remainder, about eight guys, are relegated to a back corner. One unexpected star of the A group turns out to be a certain masked man named Guy, who confesses that he has a “real career as a modern dancer” and cannot risk showing his face. But this doesn’t stop him from showing everything else, including his perfect body and huge cock.
The action continues for about 40 minutes when Alizzi calls for a break. The guys drink water and smoke cigarettes. Simmons clowns around, donning Guy’s black leather mask and strutting about with an oversize black dildo. But there is no time for fun—the shoot is on a tight schedule as the sex club must be open for business that night. After a few minutes, the guys are repositioned, new partners are chosen and it is back to work.
Alizzi paces, asking for “more verbal commands” from the group. They moan and offer a few “Fuck that ass!” type responses. While a Will Clark look-alike attempts his first cum shot, Carlos Morales sucks Grand and Hunt through adjacent glory holes. Meanwhile, Coral Sands, another newcomer who doesn’t want his handsome face seen (he is also legit), goes behind a curtain and gets his pierced dick sucked through a hole by Cortez.
Soon it is time for cum shots. “This is when I feel like an expectant mother,” Alizzi whispers. Following a few hours of work, several members of the B group begin leaving the set and dressing. They have only been paid for a half day, and it is already about 1:30pm. Lunch has arrived (cold-cut platters, salads and rolls), but most of the guys are too busy to eat.
By 3pm everything has been shot, and the film is wrapped. (Some location scenes of the models on subways and in taxis were filmed in Times Square the previous night.) The remaining guys dress and snack on leftovers. Checks are written, and the crew begins cleaning up. “I can’t believe we finished early and underbudget,” Alizzi says with amazement. “I was going for the feel of the classic Joe Gage movie Closed Set, and I think we got it.” He looks at the food and realizes that he hasn’t eaten anything all day. “I’m gonna make a baloney sandwich with potato chips on it,” Alizzi says. “I always used to eat that as a kid.” It’s a well-deserved treat for a hard-working porn director.
Reprinted from Adult Video News magazine (2001)
