Page 56 - AVN July 2018

FEATURE |
THE GONZO GODS
What does it take to be a great gonzo performer? Being in peak physical
condition clearly rates high, but there’s so much more. Top-flight
performers understand how they need to move in order to deliver the
very best visuals to those porn fans who like the men hard and the action harder.
We asked veteran gonzo director Jules Jordan about what he looks for. “Stamina
is definitely the one trait necessary to make a great all-sex performer,” Jordan
said. “Although our days are short, they require the ‘ultimate sex’ to occur. As an
all-sex, gonzo director I want to see all angles of the action, and clearly show in a
very explicit manner the sex acts that are occurring with as little cuts as possible.
Our productions will often feature group scenarios, which require a lot of fluidity
in changing partners and positions frequently.” And in addition to the strictly
physical side, there’s also a matter of chemistry. As Jordan explains, “I generally
look for compatibility with the female star first, then how agile the performer is,
or if he has any talents or features that make him special.”
FEATURE | By Sherri L. Shaulis and Sharan Street
Jason Brown
A two-time AVN Award winner who
has been active for more than a decade,
this drop-dead-gorgeous performer has
worked for a wide array of studios, but
most prolifically for Jules Jordan Video,
Blacked.com and Dogfart. And he’s also
honing his hip-hop chops; follow
@Kyro009 on Twitter.
Dredd
Though he shot prior to last year, Dredd
really came into his own in 2017, working
with Jules Jordan on the Dredd series, in
which he takes on some of porn’s most
prominent female performers. According
to Madison Greene of AdultEmpire.com,
Dredd’s popularity has skyrocketed the
past six months, putting him in such
company as Mandingo, Lexington Steele,
Manuel Ferrara and Rocco Siffredi.
Markus Dupree
Last year, this hardcore hottie was
everywhere, garnering 20 nominations
prior to the 2018 AVN Awards Show. By
the end of the night his arms were full
of four awards—one of which was AVN
Male Performer of the Year. The Russian
star gave a rousing acceptance speech,
thanking mentor Rocco Siffredi as well as
many of the directors who have helped
his career.
Steve Holmes
The quintessential Euro-stud, Holmes is
a two-time AVN Male Foreign Performer
of the Year winner (2005 and 2006) as
well as a 2017 inductee into the AVN
Hall of Fame. And he’s still a busy man,
performing for a wide field of blue-chip
studios.
Mandingo
Closing in on two decades in porn, this
AVN Hall of Famer is so popular that he’s
one of the few male performers whose
name appears regularly in DVD series
titles: e.g., Mandingo Massacre (Jules Jordan
Video), Meet Mandingo (Hard X/Mile
High) and Mandingo: The King of Interracial
(Dogfart).
Top from left: Jason
Brown, Dredd.
Middle: Markus Dupree,
Mandingo (photo by
Kevin Moore), Steve
Holmes. Bottom: Sean
Michaels (photo by
Kevin Moore), Mr. Pete.
56 | AVN.com | 7.18