"Change the lines that were said before, we're all dreamers, we're all whores. Discarded stars like worn out cars litter the streets of this town."—Jane Wiedlin and Charlotte Caffey's "This Town," The Go-Go's homage to Hollywood.
It's so easy to talk about people anonymously. But once you know them and their situations, it becomes quite difficult. Case in point, Brent Corrigan—subject of the film King Cobra, which I saw at the MiFo LGBT Film Festival in Fort Lauderdale. I used to have lots of fun at Brent's expense. He was young, good-looking, involved in underage porn and was the center of a dramatic murder case. He was like a gay Traci Lords—with a little Patty Hearst thrown in! Since he appeared to have come out of it better than everyone else involved, I felt he was fair game—even when I was onstage in front of him! Then something terrible happened—I got to know him. Despite not liking my jokes, he was charming and we became friendly. The more I knew, the less funny it all seemed.
It should be mentioned that James Franco's King Cobra was done without Brent's assistance or blessing. And perhaps that's why he comes out of it the least fully realized character. Most of the others comes across as damaged and desperate—specifically the guy who "discovered" and exploited Brent, and the two rival porn producers/stars who wanted to work with Brent. They decide the best way to eliminate Corrigan's binding contract with his mentor is to eliminate the mentor. By the end of the film, you have sympathy for everyone involved—except, ironically, Brent. Corrigan comes out scarred but still standing—and showing off his backside to the camera and winking ( his eye, not his ass ). The real Brent Corrigan was wise to not get involved. But you would be wise to see this film—even if you think you know it all.
Also at the MiFo Festival was Strike a Pose, the documentary about Madonna's dancers from the Truth or Dare film ( and the "Blond Ambition" tour ). It's hard to imagine how different the world was 25 years ago—and how Madonna really took it all on with not only her best musical material, but also with a show that had all the bells, whistles, singers and dancers to push her agenda. The dancers ( except for Gabriel, who died of AIDS in 1995 ) reunited for this documentary about that time, their experiences and the aftermath.
Madonna, who several of the dancers sued, is no longer a part of any of their lives. It's clear that Truth or Dare captured these guys at their artistic ( and physical ) peak. And in a way, it ruined them for whatever life would later offer. They tried, they lived in hope and they still hope, but nothing will come close to that time of their lives. It was lovely to see how much personal growth they've gone through. There's a normalcy missing from their lives, but they toured the world with Madonna—that's the trade-off. It's a curious doc that could have ( and should have ) been so much better. Blame it on the Dutch—it was funded in part by Dutch Public TV. I know it's a small country, but couldn't they find some good mikes? The person I understood the most was Jose's mom—and she was speaking Spanish!
Many performers have what I call the "whore mentality"—to become famous at all costs. This leads to some news about the latest whore, Robert Sepulveda from Finding Prince Charming. First, no recap this week. ( Please—we saw this meltdown coming a mile away. ) Logo has announced there will be a second season. On Nov. 3-17, people can post photos of potential suitors. But who will Logo hire to be their next Prince Charming? Too bad RentBoy.com was raided by the feds. That would have been the perfect candidate pool—admittedly, not a pool you'd actually want to swim in, at least not without taking PreP and perhaps a morning-after pill, just in case.
Someone who is whore-adjacent is Cheyenne Jackson. His whorey-ness became more visual when we got our hands on that nasty j/o video of him. ( Some things last forever on BillyMasters.com . ) But this week, our story is about another use for semen. Didya know it could be used to make babies? Chey and hubby Jason Landau just had twins. Last week, their surrogate gave birth to Willow and Ethan. Congrats.
I've often stated that my ideal mate would be an Italian national. But I'm starting to think fondly of the Germans. I should add that my first European sexual encounter was with a German near a bonfire on the banks of the Seine. ( Leave it to me to be in Paris and sleep with a German. ) The German government has introduced a law that will distribute $30 million to gay men who were persecuted for their sexuality after World War II. While over 50,000 men were convicted, reparations will be paid to the 5,000 men who are still alive. So, if there's a German who wants to share dual citizenship with a relatively attractive man with connections and a huge penis, I'm available.
Our "Ask Billy" question this week goes back to our first story. Joshua in Chicago asks, "What do you know about Garrett Clayton? He plays Brent Corrigan in that movie and is gorgeous. He must be gay."
Must he? Depends on who you ask. If you ask Garrett, he'll tell you, "I don't really like talking about my personal life. I like a certain amount of veil." Ask yourself this question—how many straight men use the word "veil" in a sentence? Exactly. While he's undeniably hot, I don't think he captured Corrigan's je ne sais quoi. He needed more "quoi." What he doesn't need—or want—is more clothing. "I like to be as naked as possible," he said. "If friends come over, I'll just have on basketball shorts with no socks, no shirt, and maybe underwear. I hate clothes."
When I'm showing off my foreign tongue, it's definitely time to end yet another column. Let me once again remind you to check out www.BillyMasters.com—the site that has plenty of "quoi". If you have a question for me in any language, send it along to Billy@BillyMasters.com and I promise to get back to you before Logo casts Brent Corrigan as its next Prince Charming. So, until next time, remember: One man's filth is another man's bible.
