Jeff Stryker: The Poet Laureate of Dirty Talk

Like many diehard consumers of hardcore gay porn whose first exposure to the genre came about in the mid- to late-1980s, the first model* who made an indelible impression upon me then was Jeff Stryker. The reasons for his pre-eminence are multiple, and not merely related to the size of his member; his looks (which put me, at least, in mind of the young Elvis Presley) and his rough, dominating manner seem to complete the fantasy - fantasy being the whole point of porn in the first place - of the rough trade top. No less a wit than John Waters has referred to Stryker as 'the Cary Grant of porn'.

Born on this day in 1962, Stryker was discovered by legendary porn producer John Travis in 1986 and immediately got on the porn treadmill, starring in dozens of films a year owing to the fact that the shelf-life of the average porn star is about five years.

Stryker's real innovation, however, was in the creation and marketing of the Jeff Stryker dildo, although even this highly successful endeavour was tainted when it was revealed that its manufacturers had added an inch to both the length and the girth of the popular adult conversation piece. Stryker later confessed to being hurt by this turn of events, although it's nothing on the hurt its many consumers have felt. If Stryker got screwed at least he was well-paid for his first attempt at bottoming; no doubt they were gentler than Stryker ever was.

Nowadays, of course, most porn stars with even minor name recognition have been honoured with similar rubber trophies, but Stryker's marketing juggernaut has also extended to an album of music entitled Buck Wild, including the title track of one of his most famous films, 1986's Bigger Than Life; another bears the imaginative title Pop You In The Pooper**. Additionally there have been Jeff Stryker lube, condoms, and playing cards. As gay porn continues its steady transit to the mainstream, expect to see much more of this sort of merchandise available; it's important to remember, however, that the marketplace might be somewhat stretched, seeing as who was there first.

*While I have no problem calling them porn stars, I cannot bring myself to call even the best of them porn actors, as some do.
**Warning: Do not click on the link unless you have headphones in or your computer is muted; it's definitely NSFW from the first line.
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