Queerying: Colby Keller

Photography by Victor Jeffreys
It’s no secret, we’ve had a crush on Colby Keller since we first laid eyes on him. And made us out and proud to say we’re not only turned on by sexy, furry guys, but also guys who aren’t afraid to expose their brain too. We’re avid readers of Colby’s Big Shoe Diaries, as well as enjoying him these recent scenes here, here and here (plus a bunch more!). So we’re thrilled to sit down and have a conversation with the man who’s always on the watch for penis.
QC:
Hey Colby! How are you? What have you been up to lately?
CK:
I’m great. I’m working on a series of drawings this week now that I have some time back home. I travelled a lot in January.
QC:
Do you mind telling us a little about these drawings? What inspires you? What prompts you to create?
CK:
They are drawings of dirt piles that I make from photographs I’ve taken. I’m inspired by so much it’s hard to make a publishable list. I have, from a very early age, been compelled to create. I don’t really know what it is, just that I am compelled. I think most artists feel this way about their inclination to create.

QC:
Do you mind if we ask how you fell into porn or was it more calculated. Perhaps something you always wanted to do?
CK:
Since owning some of my first porn when I was 15, I had always been curious about the act. And I came of age before everyone had recorders and cameras on their phones, so I wonder if I wouldn’t have started self-recording first had their been that option.
QC:
Do you enjoy doing live webcam, pay-as-you-go work?
CK:
I do. I view it both as a well-paying job and a fun way to interact with fans of Randy Blue and my blog, the Big Shoe Diaries. Because I don’t have a set schedule, I only go on when I’m “in the mood” which makes it a lot more fun and laid back for me and entertaining for the viewers.
QC:
What’s a perfect day for Colby?
CK:
Wake up at 9:00 a.m., eat breakfast while reading the news online, draw ’til lunch, go the gym, catch a matinee or go for a hike, draw some more and blog, make dinner, enjoy a glass of scotch with friends or watch a movie in my apartment.

Photography by Gabe Ayala
QC:
So we were loving your photos, Colby in the Cupboard from a recent trip to LA. In that post, you claim you only get laid on camera, lately. Is this because you are a bit shy outside of a porn set or because its just not on your mind? Really, I can find more than a handful of guys who’d be happy to volunteer.
CK:
Thanks. Gabe is quite talented. I might have exaggerated a bit for the sake of the narrative arc of the post. And on that last trip, I was fortunate to spend a lot of time with friends, in addition to working with CocksureMen. So, I actually didn’t have too much time to even try. But, I also want my readers to know that even porn stars don’t have non-stop access to great sex. We all have dry spells and sex/intimacy/relationships take work.
QC:
Do you find people make false assumptions about guys in porn, such as having non-stop access to sex? Because of that do you prefer guys that have some understanding of the porn business or guys that have nothing to do with it in a relationship?
CK:
The people who make false assumptions about guys in porn are usually the kind of people that like to make generalizations about all people and attempt to view the world in black and white. How’s that for a generalization? For friendships and relationships, I prefer people who are smart enough to know that porn is like any other business.

QC:
You, clearly have an artist’s eye and style that is a very welcome breath of fresh air, as porn stars go. Do you consider your work in porn very much an artistic exploration? Or is it more primal, less high-brow than that?
CK:
Conceptually yes, I think the act of doing porn in America is an artistic practice, but thinking about the details of some of the studio work I have done involved some degree of compartmentalization, the primal parts being the most fun. 😉
That’s one of the reasons I like doing photo shoots with the likes of Gabe Ayala and Greg Endries, or that XTube video I just did. The exploration of the erotic through photography is definitely more in line with what I would like to do if I could, but we all have to eat. And fucking hot guys for money is something I really shouldn’t complain about. Even at it s worst it’s never that bad.

Photography by Greg Endries
QC:
Is it that you feel photography lends itself to more interpretation and reflection, whereas filming doesn’t? I often wonder this: Do you think there’s a viable market for more artistic and erotic porn making?
CK:
No, I was mostly speaking in the sense that I’ve done a lot of porn filming. I think the same distance exists between the stills that I’ve done for work and the stills I’ve done for fun. If there is a viable market for art porn film, I hope to be a part of it in the coming months and years… everyone should stay tuned to colbykeller.com to see where I end up going with that one.

QC:
What artists—erotic or not—are turning you on lately?
CK:
I think I mentioned in an interview last month on how important the Maurizio Cattelan exhibit at the Guggenheim was for my artistic inspiration. His talent and skill mixed with his sense of humor and ability not to take himself too seriously is incredibly inspiring.

The work of Marurizio Cattelan
QC:
Cattelan is great. There is a playful nature about his work that I absolutely love. I also feel like he is making fun of the art world or society a lot of the time. The sense of humor you project to your audience is charming and captivating in a similar way. What’s your favorite work he’s done?
CK:
I can’t pick a favorite but I’m always a sucker for work that references or represents the self and the annihilation of self. There is nothing I don’t like in the Guggenheim exhibit right now.

Colby Keller fan art by John Cowan
QC:
Do you find you fly west a lot for porn work? Would you ever consider living on the west coast? If no, why not?
CK:
I do fly west for work as there are a lot of companies out there I enjoy working with. If I could be friends with Carrie Brownstein, I might move to Portlandia. 🙂
QC:
I loved living in Portland. It’s a great town! And yes, there’s a quirky weirdness that you’d probably love too. That show, Portlandia isn’t that far off in some regard. 🙂 You’re in Baltimore now… beyond the obligatory John Waters conversation, what do you love about Baltimore?
CK:
Unfortunately, I haven’t been yet but I gather it’s similar to a lot of other cool, quirky cities: Baltimore, Pittsburgh, New Orleans, Brooklyn, etc. I think the show is pointing its finger at the genre of living that happens in places like this.
I love Baltimore. I love its size and its proximity via relatively good public transportation to both DC and NYC. It’s inexpensive and yet the colleges (especially MICA the art school) make it very vibrant culturally. There’s great food here and there’s something about the town that’s admirable as it embraces a difficult past and looks forward to the future hopefully.

Photo by Victor Jeffreys
QC:
What things are important to you?
CK:
Knowledge and compassion.
QC:
If there is one thing you could do over or change in your life, what would it be?
CK:
Well, then I wouldn’t have that thing to worry about or change then would I? So, no.

QC:
Good answer! What’s something your fans might be surprised to learn about you?
CK:
I think I’m pretty open on my blog. Hmmm….surprised? I don’t like horseradish.
QC:
Even on a roast beef sandwich? How about wasabi? 🙂
CK:
I know, it’s so limiting, but I just can’t eat it.

Photography by Gabe Ayala
QC:
You posted a great follow-up piece to a question started by the Bay Area Reporter, is porn dying on Big Shoe Diaries, and I think it’s an interesting topic. And I think you’re call to “control the means of production!” is without a doubt where porn is headed. Much like mainstream film, the grand old golden (shower?) days of porn are dead. I think a lot of it has to do with greed, the taboo of porn has faded and our accessibility to it is everywhere/anywhere we want it to be. Do you find this exciting as a performer or scary as it introduces some anarchy into the mix (and let’s be honest, probably a lot less money for scenes, etc.) What’s good about this? What’s bad?

Colby channeling his “inner-virgin quarterback Tim Tebow” on the Cocksure Men set.
CK:
Well, that was actually my Minister of Propaganda, Karl Marxxx who also writes for Big Shoe Diaries. I think it’s an exciting time to be alive. The internet and the rapidly evolving digital age in which we live means that content-driven media will be evolving too, and quickly and I think it offers some great new ways for all of us to interact. Sure there will be losses, but gains too. It’s going to be exciting to see where it goes from here.
QC:
Marxxxism: The Pornographer’s Manifesto would be a great film, don’t you think? Uniting porn workers of all lands? Something for everyone! The Minister of Propaganda has a good point, as do you. Porn or what we culturally perceive as erotic evolves…or does it? Do you find old vintage porn movies sexy? Is there an erotic formula that’s missing and we need to find again?
CK:
I like it! Gosh, I think your last question is both the question and the answer. I think eroticism evolves and pornography chases it. The formula will always need tweeking. I do have to say I think it’s time for some more feature length art/porn films like Boys in the Sand, or some remakes of the classics.

QC:
On a side note, what prompted your video “Who Controls the Means”?
CK:
It’s a line lifted from Karl Marx and part of a series of Communist Children’s Songs written by Karl Marxxx.
QC:
I love it!

QC:
Always a weird question, but if there were to be a retrospective of your life and career, what would you want to be remembered for? Or do you prefer to live your life not that calculated?
CK:
Yeah, I think that there’s more to come. If I died today, I’d probably be remembered for seeing penis…and that’s fine with me.
Thanks, Colby!
If you’d like to see more of the penis that Colby finds amongst other porny delights, become a regular on his blog, The Big Shoe Diaries. You can also find him on XTube, YouTube and of course in more hot porn movies in the future, as well as our ongoing coverage here at QueerClick.