I AM: HOT ROD

What I love about these interviews is the opportunity they afford me to match a performer’s in-person energy with their sexual on-screen energy. Hot Rod’s magnetic, goofy, and slightly cocky personality abounds in this interview, and my crush on him only grew afterward.

Julian: Welcome back to the studio, haha

HotRod: Right? It’s like I’m not in this place for months then suddenly I’m here 3 days in a week.

J: Well, it’s nice to have you around. Let’s get into it. Tell us a little bit about yourself.

H: I’m Hot Rod. I’ve been an adult entertainer since I was 19 years old, so 6 years now. I grew up in the D.C. area. When I was a kid I was really into extreme sports stuff. I loved X-games, roller blading, you know. I wasn’t really into the regular sports. I wasn’t into basketball, even though I was always tall for my age. Later on I went to an art school. I didn’t really enjoy myself there, so I started doing porn. I’ve worked with a lot of studios, kind of riding this out for as long as I’m having fun. I’m constantly reminding myself to move to the present, to keep myself here and enjoy what I’m doing. I’ve won and have been nominated for a few awards, and yeah, I’m just enjoying where I am at the moment.

J: I love how you say “so I started doing porn,” so casually.

H: I mean, that’s basically how it happened. I just did it. I applied, I got an interview, and then I was in front of a camera. I didn’t tell anybody, there was no discussion of what the best path was. I knew that I wanted to do porn, so I went for it.

J: That’s cool. I suffer from indecision sometimes, so it’s admirable to hear about people just going after something they want. So, you went to school, you have a blog which is nicely written and has some good ideas behind it. I think a lot of people view porn stars as people who don’t have anything else going for them. What was your motivation for wanting to be in porn?

H: If people have ever thought I was stupid, it was because that’s what they wanted to believe, and I was playing a roll.

I mean, really, there was no reason why I wanted to do it. I just wanted to. I guess if you really want to get into it, I was pretty insecure growing up. Porn was a good way to push myself. I was also at a point, like I said, I really didn’t like art school but I wanted to be doing something. I’m smart and I’m talented, so I’m not too worried about my future. I have my own plan for what I want to happen, and I knew that I would have a successful future. It was almost like I worked backward. I wanted to get this out of the way. I think that a lot of guys, when they get into porn, they don’t have a plan for after, and they founder in a vacuum of lost popularity and no plan.

I will say that I definitely didn’t expect to be around this long. I figured that people would get tired of me after a while, haha! But once I realized I was going to be here for a while, it wasn’t an option for me not to succeed.

J: Your trademarks are your tattoos. Can you tell us a little bit about them?

H: The first tattoo I got was the trail paw prints. I got the idea by watching porn, actually. The guy in this scene had paw prints traveling up his thighs, and I just thought it was the sexiest thing. He had little paws, though. My tattoos have developed a life on their own. The paws have developed into a brand and a mission for me.

I guess, maybe subconsciously, I did envision longevity. I wanted my tattoos to be memorable. The rest have to do with nature, music, animals. My tattoos are very, cohesive and naturey. I love nature, haha.

J: What has been your favorite scene to shoot with TIM?

H: You know, I really really enjoyed this last one I just did for you guys. The guy had this big uncut cock, the space we were shooting in and the atmosphere on set was really sexy, I just really enjoyed myself. I don’t know what Max is planning on doing with that scene, but definitely keep an eye out for it.

J: You’ve worked for quite a few studios. What would you say differentiates a TIM shoot from any other?

H: You know, Treasure Island scenes are so simple to shoot. Everything flows. I love to be natural, and Treasure Island shoots really tend to mesh with that. There’s no direction, they don’t put a lot of rules on you, there’s no… stuff they make you do. They let me be me on a shoot. You know, we show up, we find out who we’re working with, we shoot, and we enjoy it.

J: You’ve been pretty public about a spat you had with Chi Chi LaRue about a dildo she “modeled” after your cock a while back. Have you guys worked out your issues?

H: You know, I was very upset when it happened. In the end, though, I decided to make the best of it.

At the beginning I did my rants on blogs, on my own Web site, you know, wherever I had a voice. It helped. I put it out there, I was venting. Just like anything else, I wanted to do something — to vent — so I did. But I couldn’t change anything. My face was on the package. I lived and I learned.

Now that I have some distance from the whole thing, I guess I’m a little bit flattered. I mean, yes, I was screwed over, but she could have chosen any other model for that dildo. Actually, the dildo was just nominated for XBiz “Toy of the Year.” Yeah, I guess I’ll forgive her, haha.

J: You’re young. You’re only 25 years old and you’ve made a name for yourself on the barebacking scene, which has a lot of men in their 30s and 40s. Do you get treated differently because of your youth?

H: You know, if it does happen, I don’t know. I don’t pay attention to naysayers. It’s how I’ve gotten through a lot of things. I don’t really care. I ignore everything but positivity. I don’t know what anyone thinks of me because I’m busy taking care of myself.

J: A lot of performers in the porn industry have a regular nine to five. Do you have a career out of the porn industry?

H: I’m always doing something. I dabble in a million things. I keep up with drawing and painting. I want to have a showing this summer. I’m actually launching a Web site soon, which will be live on the 30th. I do some modeling on the side, nothing serious.

I do anything that interests me. I don’t let myself get put in a box. I’m excited to do whatever is creative and expressive. I love to see my face in places, haha.

J: What do you like to do for fun?

H: I’m pretty regular at the gym. Staying fit is something I do for myself.

I love movies. Scary movies and comedies tend to catch my attention the most. I always think that I won’t like action movies, but then I go with some of my friends and I really enjoy what I see.

I go to happy hour a lot. I love a good cocktail, haha.

Eating is one of my favorite things. I love food.

When I’m hanging in a group of friends, I don’t have an agenda. I am open to all ideas and trying new things.

J: I like to ask people what they think of the move to start enforcing condoms in porn.

H: That’s a hard question for me. I understand that for the people who are really trying to implement this they really think they’re doing a public good. I admire the sentiment. But they need to realize how invasive and stupid the implementation of that would be. It sets a scary precedent.

J: How do you like to meet the guys that you hookup with outside of porn?

H: I like to be anonymous when I’m meeting guys. I don’t get recognized a ton but I get recognized enough where I wonder in the back of my mind if a guy is hooking up with me for me or because I’m “Hotrod.” I used to be a lot more active with the hookup apps and stuff. I’m not really the most social person so that helped. I don’t use them as much anymore, so I meet people when I go out to places.

To be honest I’m looking for “settle down,” for lack of a better term. I don’t want marriage and kids or whatever, but a boyfriend would be nice for a bit.

J: What kind of guys are you into?

H: Physically?

J: Sure.

H: I’m really into guys who look different. Something exotic in the face, something that is interesting to look at. I like odd and beautiful. Big butts are my weakness.

J: How about on a more abstract level?

H: That one is harder to answer. I feel connections to people, and it’s hard to place a finger on why. I mean, trust is absolutely necessary, but that comes after some time. Fun guys, supportive. I need supportive right now at this point in my life.

J: As I was putting together the questions for this interview I realized that all of my interviews have been with white men. We’ve read about the lack of diversity in gay porn, what do you think about that?

H: I’ve definitely noticed it. You know, people get comfortable when things are working. No one wants to change something that is generating a lot of money. I mean, I’ve benefitted in a way since in this industry I’m something different.

If something is going to change we need someone to step up, to take charge, to step out of the box. Once that happens, I think that there will be more of a call to change.