Um...OK. Wow. I just stumbled across this thread today and gotta admit, I was overwhelmed at not only the number of replies, but the depth in which some of the posters went with their thoughts, theories and reasoning. I am glad to read them all--even the not- so- friendly ones. It's nice to see how people feel and to hear their fears and concerns (as well as read the support) about my decision to kick off King Cole's Bi Barracks. From reading the replies there are several things I'd like to address and hopefully either set your mind at ease or else assure you that maybe you're right after all and I have in fact lost *my mind*.
As someone pointed out, a couple of years ago I released a video called Bi Barracks. I made a dire mistake. My mistake wasn't making the film, but making it an unavoidable part of
Active Duty. I posted it on the main site as an integral part of the content. When someone went there--they seen it. I got a lot of hate mail from a lot of guys who were appalled by coming to
Active Duty and being forced to look at some ugly bitches gaping hole. In hindsight (almost immediately after reading the first email) I realized the grave mistake I'd made.
When the smoke finally cleared from all the hate mail, something else interesting started to happen. DVD orders starting coming in at a pretty steady pace and a lot of people bought Bi Barracks. Now, it never reached the stellar performance in sales as say "Band Of Lovers" may have. But, the numbers were noticeable and they told me a story. For every letter I got nailing me to the cross, I saw another 25 orders pile in for the DVD! My point? A lot of people liked it, embraced the idea and welcomed it. In fact, I wanted to do more right away. But silently in my mind I keep re-reading those hate mails and I decided that many of them had in fact made a very valid point. They didn't need to be subjected to something without having a choice. I struggled with this in the shadows for the next couple of years and in fact decided not to release another one.
I have to admit that I had a lot of fun making Bi Barracks (ACT115) and it was very refreshing for me. After shooting over 100 full length DVDs (by that time) I needed a diversion to keep myself sane and fresh. And some of the footage that was captured in that movie (not the sex) was just pure classic
Active Duty. The "line dance" scene with the boys in the kitchen, the wrestling, Chaz sticking a beer bottle up Jagger's ass, Dean off in the background and slowly, shyly sneaking in to be part of the group. For me, the girl wasn't even that much of a factor except to see how the boys reacted to her. And that was even fun. Yes, I was enjoying watching all them take control and allow things to unfold. They were certainly in a more comfortable position than me (or so I thought) being they're straight and all. Strangely I wasn't uncomfortable. I'd watched enough straight porn (and yes did consider myself straight at one point like so many of these guys) and had been with a few girls in my younger days when I was still coming to terms with who I was. Yes, I'm guilty. I'm a rug muncher from way back. But I'm reformed!!
So many of the guys on
Active Duty I find hard to label. Many of them are just sexual. Elijah comes to mind for me as someone pointed out earlier. He's the epitome of the AD guy. Hard to put a finger on him. I don't think you could classify his preference as anything but sexual. Some of our more educated commentors and part-time porno psychologist might very well classify it as bi-sexual. Me? I prefer not to put that much thought into it. We are sexual creatures. Some of us have stronger preferences for one thing over another and some of us have no tolerance for anything outside our realm of sexual interest. This might be called homophobia or it could be heterophobia depending on which online manual you are reading. Me? I suffer from
phobophobia
Don't get me wrong, I'm not looking to dive in any muff myself anytime soon, but if someone else wants to (and just happens to want to put it on film) then I'm all for it. Obviously though if I spent all my time diverting my attention from
Active Duty then we might have a serious problem. This is why I chose Cole for the task and to him it's not a task. He finds as much enjoyment, satisfaction and pride in what he's doing as I do with
Active Duty. His fascination reminds me of myself when I started filming in that back bedroom using only a house lamp with the shade thrown off and a 250 watt bulb (that thank God never burned the house down) and how amazed and in wonder I was to be there doing what I was doing---even if I didn't know what I was doing! Well, thanks to
Active Duty's loyal following (and thanks to Cole for contributing to that) we don't have the problem of no lights and questionable camera's (unless I'm holding it) and we are able to let him loose to create a product that has his name, his creativity and his pride wrapped up in it. He's spent a lot of time on screen and off at
Active Duty (having performed in nearly 30
Active Duty Videos himself) to know exactly how I work, how my mind thinks when I'm trying to capture something and I'm certain that a good portion of that (at least the portion we want to see) is apparent in his work. He also brings a fresh perspective to this type of sexual combination that I've never seen in other bi porn. The key factor being hot, hot guys that we as gay men actually want to see and his savy and precise knowledge of how to please us a little more in the end.
But, no matter how great Cole or I think Bi Barracks is, there will always be someone to tell us how much they hate it. One thing I've always said about new models is that for every one that won't, there are 10 that will. Same goes for Bi Barracks, I believe. I am confident that Cole will find his following and if I can help him do that, I'll be honored. But there are certain lengths I'm not willing to go to compromise the relationship I've built with those that are fans of
Active Duty and who prefer not to be subjected to something they find offensive. But at the same time I don't find it wrong to cater to a demand or a desire that a vast number of people have expressed an interest in when I can allow someone as passionate and determined to make their mark in a genre as Cole seems to be. In another words if you've gotta be subjected to some bi porn then I think Cole's is the best choice.
But you don't have to be subjected. You don't have to let your curiosity get the best of you and you certainly do not ever have to visit Bi Barracks. I've made sure that won't happen. Below I'd like to address some of the concerns I've heard in these postings:
1. Bi Barracks will remain a totally separate site completely unconnected to
Active Duty in any way other than the occasional mention or links of some sort from
Active Duty to Bi Barracks. I think the title is obvious enough to stop that person who has no interest in bi content before they jump off the deep end. Question is...will their curiosity allow them not to look? The site will eventually have a members area and become a pay site, but it will not be included as part of your
Active Duty membership unless you request it.
2. No, we will not use Bi Barracks as a "recruiting" tool. I've done pretty good for the last 10 years recruiting some of what I think are the Internet's hottest guys. I didn't need Bi Barracks to do that and I certainly won't need it to continue. So, no, Bi Barracks isn't a gimmick to get the guys in or enticed. There's way too much involved in a creating a high glamour, high maintenance bullshit way of recruiting guys. I simply don't have time for it. Besides, I wouldn't know how to stop walking up to random hot military guys in Wal Mart with my number scribbled on a torn off piece of envelope. The whole "lie" would just be too much work and I'm really not that smart. Life is too short.
3. No, we will not loose all the AD guys to Bi Barracks because of the chicks. Some of them have already given me a big flat out no. Bi Barracks will be an option after they've done
Active Duty. Although---we may release some Bi Barracks videos of a guy before his
Active Duty. But he will have already filmed his first
Active Duty scene. Why you ask? Because I shoot so much content and stay so busy that sometimes it's months before the AD fans see a new guy. Bi Barracks would be like War Chest to some degree in that regard. Also, as any fool could guess, the Bi Barracks scenes don't pay as much as the
Active Duty scenes.
4. Let's talk about alienating your "core audience". Bi Barracks isn't meant to be an alienating factor or slap in the face for
Active Duty's core audience. It's meant to give those that want to experience something else, something different, the opportunity to do so. I mean come on. We are the ones always preaching "diversity and acceptance". Fine bunch we are to stomp on anyone elses fantasies or desires.
In the end, all the fuss about Bi Barracks is simply bored ass people sitting in front of their computer too long and thinking about things too hard that are really miniscule. It's no wonder that we've been invaded by plastic porn robots who have taken over our sense of taste and thrown us into a world of same. We've been consumed by this tube and that tube and every Tom, Dick and Harry showing us their ass. And in the end sometimes the only thing different is the color on the wall.
I invite you to make a choice. Choose to diversify your interest, expand your horizons, go on a quest for something off the wall and different. Over the last three years I've made a lot of ventures out. Dirty Bird Pictures, XXX Amateur Hour, My Straight Buddy, Covert Missions series, Major Wood, Sea Dog Photo, Bi Barracks and I've always found myself running back to my true love and stayed true to
Active Duty. I've never allowed myself to be too overly taken by something that really doesn't interest me. But at the same time, I've thought it was a great adventure to see how peoples interest are so varied. And, surprisingly, I was wrong. There is a market other than just
Active Duty.
Won't you join me, friend? Won't you reach out and touch your monitor now and join me, friend?
Hugs,
Dink
). But it would be interesting to see how Dink (and, I guess, Cole?) sees how their market builds and what that market actually wants.
