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ZAK SPEARS NEWCOMER INTERVIEW

NEWCOMER INTERVIEW (1991) - Interview conducted by Alonso Duralde

A corn-fed Midwestern boy with a devastatingly-disarming style and basso profundo voice, Zak Spears is poised to make a big splash - literally - on the gay porn scene. His most recent video "Hologram" features a steamy four-way in which he not only has an intense, noisy, head-banging orgasm, but also gets drenched with literally gallons of ejaculate. This tall, tan 27-year-old is just getting started in the biz, but he already qualifies as a one-man Chamber of Commerce, with nothing but the highest of compliments for all his co-stars and directors. We chat at a West Hollywood coffee house following the premiere of Catalina's "Valley of the Bi-Dolls," which Zak has attended with director Chi Chi LaRue, who discovered Spears and with whom Spears was bunking until he could find an apartment of his own in L.A.

So you're moving out here. From where?

Minneapolis.

Are you from there originally?

I grew up in Rochester, Minnesota, and then through Chicago, and then my family moved back to Minneapolis.

So I guess the obvious question is how does a Minnesota boy get involved in making adult films?

A good friend of mine, Joey Morgan, who is in the business, is from Minneapolis also. So Chi Chi was performing at The Gay Nineties - no, he was performing at the Saloon - and Joey took me down there and introduced me to him. The next month, they flew me out, and I did my first film for Catalina, "Handjobs III," which was a solo. Then I did "Model Behavior" the next day. Chi Chi was director on both of those.

Let's backtrack a little. What were you doing in Minneapolis at that time?

When Chi Chi met me, I was a diesel mechanic, working on, like big garbage trucks. I used to work for a company called Waste Management ... long story short, I'm much happier now, doing what I want to do.

Were you able to be openly gay working in that atmosphere?

Basically, they gave me shit for being gay. Not putting down mechanics, but they were what most people think of when they think of mechanics. Rednecks, everything was "pussy, pussy, pussy." They put down women, they basically put down anything that wasn't white and Anglo-Saxon. These guys were very backward in their thinking. I actually dreaded getting in my car and going to work every day, so it's an excellent change - I was looking for something different, definitely.

So now that you're into this new career, what are your goals? Where do you see yourself going?

Chi Chi has some ideas for me. I'm going to start dancing soon, performing around. I definitely plan to do a lot more films; I'm really enjoying it, and from what I understand, the people I work with are really keen on using me, so I'm really happy about that. I've gotten to work with some really fantastic people and I'm happy about that.

You've done three films so far, then?

Four. "Handjobs III," "Model Behavior" "Hologram" and I just did part two of "The Abduction" for Falcon, "The Conflict: The Abduction Part Two", I think it is called. That's actually a two-part film and it's really good. It was really fun to do. I loved working with Steven Scarborough, and the guys with Falcon were fantastic.

The first "Abduction" was pretty intense, even by Falcon standards. Do you do a heavy S & M scene?

I play a heavy, period. Basically, I play a big asshole walking around in knee-high boots, smacking people with riding crops, something I didn't know I was into, but I enjoy it now! It was a fun experience, I got to do things I'd never done before. Did a really fun fisting scene in it with Ray Butler.

Any other large implements? I know there were quite a few in the first one.

Most of the stuff I do is domination-type things, handcuffing guys to a pipe suspended from the ceiling and hitting them with riding crops, yelling at people. I did a scene with Jesse Tyler where we flip-flopped - he was a lot of fun to work (with), nice guy.

So this was your first time to get into some of –

-- the heavier stuff, yeah.

Will you be adding that to your repertoire now?

As far as my private life? Well, I consider myself a very versatile person. I also consider myself very open to a lot of things. I'll try almost anything, as long as it doesn't hurt me or the other person.

"Hologram" will probably be the first thing a lot of people see you in and it's a star role, what with that four-way scene. It's really interestingly put together, but one of the best things about it is that you're really in there going at it until you have a really intense and noisy orgasm. That other cum shot, where the hologram machine sprays all over you, is certainly interesting - did you know going in that it was going to get that splashy?

They told me kinda briefly about it, but they didn't tell me it was going to be that much. It was kind of an interesting thing, they had four guys around me at the time, squirting me with condiment bottles. We had to do it two takes because one of the models, Michael Chads, who's a friend of mine, his hand's shadow kept getting in the shot, so we had to do it again. This stuff was a combination of pina colada mix and Breck hair conditioner all over my body, 'cause that's how they make fake cum, and we had to towel off, blow dry my chest hair and do it all over again, and it was cold that night, and to say the least, that stuff takes the heat out of your body. (Laughs)

Ah, show business!

But it was fun, though. We had a really good time that night. They weren't going to do it a second time, but I said, "No, let's get it right, let's do it again."

What a trouper.

No, I loved doing that. I'll do a take over and over and over again until we get it to a point where it's really good. And speaking of "Hologram" - a friend of mine saw some coverages of that, and he said, "Zak, you have some violent orgasms." And I'm not acting. That's the way I am when I come. My head's banging on the wall, plaster's coming loose...

You were clenching your teeth so hard, I was afraid they were going to break.

When I have an orgasm, I basically black out. For some reason, I just close off my air and whoosh!

Some people like being come upon and some don't, and in "Hologram," you get quite a lot on you. Is that something you like?

Sure, as far as films goes. When I'm with someone I care about, they can do anything they want but... I prefer cumming on people, I think that's hot. I like having intercourse with someone and then just shooting all over their back or all over their chest, then licking it up, whatever.

When you are working, are you as comfortable with dialogue scenes as with the other stuff?

I like doing dialogue, and they like me to do dialogue, because of my voice. I guess there's not a lot of people who sound like some kind of Neanderthal from the Stone ages! (Laughs)

Yeah, but that's a good thing...

I've always enjoyed it myself.

Were you one of those people who acted a lot in high school?

Not at all. I was very much a loner when I was in high school. I came out to my parents when I was 12. I came out publicly in junior high when I was 16, which, knowing how cruel teenagers are, was a major head trip, but it was a good learning experience. Basically, when I said I was gay in junior high, that pretty much isolated me, because nobody wanted to be associated with (basso) a homosexual. It was like: "Oh, my God, if I associate with Zak, everyone else is going to think I'm a homosexual," which was a real stupid thing to think, but back in Rochester, they were pretty naïve.

Was there a clique of hip loners or were you really on your own?

I was totally a loner. I wasn't a jock - I graduated at 6-foot-2 and 155 pounds. I was the nerd in class who would raise his hand, and my watchband would slide down to my armpit - it was that bad, I was really, really small. I wasn't a brain - I'm not stupid, but I wasn't, you know, really into the academic part, so I didn't fit in with those guys, and I've never done drugs, and still don't, so I didn't fit in with those guys, either. I wasn't at Door 6 at the high school every day, smoking a joint.

So you're basically, running out of high school social groups here.

Basically, yeah I went to school, did what I had to do, got out, and went home.

So what did you do in your off-hours?

I did a lot of reading when I was a kid - it was something I could do by myself. Family is very important to me. It's something I hold tighter than anything else, so I tried to concentrate on them. I've got three younger sisters and an older brother, almost the Brady Bunch thing happening. (Laughs) So at 19, I was done with school. I got out of there and went to Minneapolis and I've lived there ever since. And now I'm very tired of that town - it's an interesting town, but it's time to move on.

Chi Chi certainly knows how to make a first impression. What ran through your mind when you met?

Well, when I met Miss Chi Chi, I walked up to this person, bigger than life, wig, full drag, very nice person. I wouldn't say I was intimidated - I was taken aback, very surprised. It was a very interesting experience. I love Chi Chi to death. He's a wonderful person and a very good friend. There is a big family around Cheech - like I said, he's a wonderful man, very big-hearted, very real, and it was a great comfort when I met him. I trusted him off the bay, and he's helped with everything. He's basically guided me through what I'm doing now. People come into this business with a negative idea of what people are like, but everybody that I've met - the crews of Catalina were fantastic, the crew at VCA were just as nice, the people at Falcon were absolutely... I haven't had a moment where I didn't feel I couldn't trust them. It's been a great experience so far, and I look forward to having many more. I'm very happy.

So tell me about "Model Behavior" - who are you with in that one?

That was my very first [non-solo] film. The first scene I did was with Wes Daniels, who was very understanding, very cool with everything, helped me along. Then the other scene I did was with Alex Carrington, and we did a fantastic flip-flop in a hot tub. We were very much into that. It was fun working with both of them - they're wonderful people.

It's interesting - you've got the deep voice, you've got the beefy look, and you're obviously open to being very versatile on screen.

Which is the way I am in personal life, too. Films are business, and I do them for business, but in my personal life, if I really care about somebody, I'm versatile as well. All these guys who are so "I'm a top, I'm a top," you stick a dick up their ass, and suddenly it's, "Yes! I'm switching!" (Laughs)

Did you date at all back in Rochester? Did you have boyfriends?

In Rochester, no. It's very... the two main businesses there are the Mayo Clinic, which is world famous, and IBM. If they ever pulled out of that city, it would be laid to waste. There would be nobody left in that town. So no, there wasn't anybody to date there - the ones that were out were definitely not my type.

And what is your type?

Well, without trying to sound superficial, I like very masculine men. I don't have a problem with it, I'm just not attracted to men who have a real feminine side to them. It is not something I hold real close to me. I'm gay, I like men, that's what I want - men. Right now, I'm very interested in bodybuilders. It's something I want to develop in myself.

Were you a fan of porn before you started in the business?

The funny thing is, yeah, I was, I've been watching videos since I was 19, which has actually come to be more of an advantage, because I came here and Chi Chi would say, "Well, we've got this guy." And because I know these people from their movies, I could suggest a certain guy for a certain scene, and they'd say "That'd be cool." It's kind of fun that I know who I'm going to be with and if I don't, they give me pictures and generally I like them, since Chi Chi knows my taste in men.

Any dream co-stars you'd like to work with?

I could give you A LIST from Hell. A couple of guys I'd really like to work with are out of porn right now - Race Jensen. I've always been a big fan of his, and Chris Williams, bless his soul, passed away, and Troy McKenzie, those are three blond guys I really like. Tom Katt, I met him on the set of "Retribution." Wonderful man, very sweet! I'd like to work with him some time. There's quite a list...

So when you're not working, what do you like to do?

I love working out, which I know sounds real cliché. I like going out with my friends. We go to a lot of films - "Jurassic Park," the new Tina Turner movie, real variety of things. There's a lot more to do out here in L.A. than in Minneapolis - Minneapolis closes at 1 a.m. Just when the party starts, it's "Okay guys, gotta shut down now."

So it's more like "The Mary Tyler Moore Show" than "Purple Rain?"

(Laughs) Oh yeah, very much like "Mary Tyler Moore." Minneapolis has a real distinct persona. It's hard to stomach some times. I have a friend who lives in Minneapolis who I've known since I was 19 - there's never been anything sexual, which is probably why we're still friends. He's like my big brother - and even though he's still there, he agrees with me that people in Minneapolis have a lot of growing up to do. You get very tired of their attitude. I know people who, unless you're in their clique, they're like, "Whisper, whisper, whisper" and "Oh, I slept with X" when they don't even know X. I've actually had a couple of people come up to me, without introducing themselves or saying hello, pull my collar back to see where I bought my shirt. That's how pretentious they are. I'm not saying all of them are like that, but there's a large group who think that the clothes make the man, and I'm sorry, it doesn't work that way. Bad attitudes - that's one of the reasons why I'm getting out of there.

Uh, I hate to be the one to break it to you, but you'll find no shortage of attitude in L.A. either.

You're gonna find attitude anywhere, but that much attitude in that small of a town is way too concentrated. I'm not putting down Minneapolis - Minneapolis is a great place to live if you have a boyfriend, but if you're looking for one, it's difficult to find one. At least for me it is. It's just not there for me.

Obviously you've been open with your family for some time - do they know about your new career?

Yeah, they do. They seem okay with it. The thing is, as long as I'm happy and as long as I'm careful and safe and in good health, they're okay with it, which I'm really quite surprised about. They dealt with me coming out at 12 and they can deal with this.

I would think that for a former high school guy/outcast to be a buff sex symbol would be...

(Laughing) Oh, I don't consider myself a sex symbol! I'm very insecure about that...

Well get used to it! You're gonna be one now, and that's gotta be a real rush.

I take it with a grain of salt, I really do. People compliment me and I thank them. It's always nice to hear compliments. I don't blow them off because I find that rude, but beyond that I don't let it go to my head.

One last question: just out of curiosity, tell me about your tattoos.

Well, the one on my arm is a Soviet state seal. I got that three years ago. The one on my ass is a steroided-out Winnie the Pooh. I had a friend of mine who's an artist - actually, Tigger's my favorite, but Winnie the Pooh looked better - make him into a bodybuilder. And that represents to me what I want to be - I consider myself a very lovable person. I'd like to give a lot of love to somebody I care about a great deal, and I usually spoil them rotten. But I want to be very large, very muscular, but still have that teddy-bear, kid side inside me.