Josh was/is? a favorite but the "business" seems to push for him to do something more and more extreme - i guess ropes and bondage are next followed by seeing who will be the first to fit a VW Beetle into their ass?

BTW - On the intelligence thing I once heard Roman Heart use a cohesive sentence so some of these guys are smart ;-)

I'm really disappointed and saddened by this.

I really wish porn could function more as an interesting sidelight for these men (as it used to do) rather than as their primary means of support. Everyone eventually gets older and less attractive, and there may come a time when Josh (or any other porn star) will find it hard to get even barebacking work. I think the ones who have alternate careers (like Kevin Williams who works in real estate) are much smarter.

Re: making porn one's sole means of earnings, Jason Crew said in a behind-the-scenes in RSS's Lords of the Jungle that he was able to make a living just doing porn (but he escorts as well). I would think to totally depend on it would be rather soul-killing over time. I'm with you, Buddy, it'd be a nice idea (and maybe mentally healthier?) if performers just saw it as a fun, supplemental thing to to do.

I think the intelligence thing, as one might expect, it's all over the map. I believe Rafael Alencar was a dentist, and Adam Faust is an NYU grad.

And as far as Josh, with all the extreme stuff he began doing—repeatedly taking Manual Torres' fist in his mouth straight from Steve Carlisle's ass in Link Evolution—and his rentboy.com profile saying "prefer not to say" in reference to safe sex, I saw this coming, too.

This post was edited 1/11/2008 7:09:13 PM by Dan O.

To think this is the man that John Rutherford thought was a wonderful gift to porn. He has said that Josh is/was the best porn guy he ever worked with. Maybe Dr. Phil could do an intervention ;-}. I think even if there was someone to try to talk with him about this decision, Josh would not listen because he obviously knows how many feel about barebacking in porn and made the decision regardless. Who knows what he was offered to do this. Heart sinking thinking about Jeff Palmer.

I wonder if he'll eventually be paired up with Jeff Palmer or Johnny Hanson at SX, you know, the former Falcon stars.

Josh recently appeared at a club event around here in conjunction with Rentboy.com- seemed charming and had a sly sense of humor-very attractive.

I don't fully grasp why he would elect to do the BB thing, as this will shut down his ability to work elsewhere ( Chi Chi will not be hiring him again, for example).

With all the years in the biz it is too bad he never moved over to the production side - that is the only way to make $$ long-term.

If we assume performing and escort work is the sole source of income, then that does tend to create a work/life balance issue.

Even with the advent of live shows on the net, it is pretty hard to make a decent living doing porn.

Adding escorting into the mix ( unless it is infrequent and REALLY high end) is not exactly a path to great fortune, nor self esteem. And it can be scary!

Be it adult or or legit, the entertainment industry is NOT for the faint of heart- it is a tough business- very few can have a lasting career, particularly in adult work.

Josh has always been a box cover star, had evolved, and as far as I know, was in demand.

And, he seemed smart - you cant be stupid and have a quick wit and sense of humor.

For his sake, I hope Josh does not elect to work with ranting Palmer or zombie like Hanson.

I am sorry that Josh made this choice.

Even with this, I am sure he could supplement his income in another way.

Maybe bartending, fitness instructor or hell, a balckjack dealer - something that would allow him to showcase the good looks and charm.

What do you guys think? Would you hire him for non-adult related work?

---Rik

I suppose that he would say (along with so many other performers that went the bareback route) that he does bareback sex in his personal life so this is no big deal or change. It is his life but if you flashback 10 years ago, when this kind of thing was unheard of it does seem insane. There are so many HIV postive people who are "undetectable." That means they take care of themselves and take precautions as to NOT be infected again AND NOT TO INFECT OTHERS. So, this kind of behavior really frustrates me. When it is done on video for so many to see, it sends a message that this is mainstream and no big deal. I started watching gay porn in the safe sex era (1989). Today, an 18 year old no longer lives in this luxury and gets exposed to this stuff. Is anyone in the business HIV negative anymore? No porn star promotes safe sex anymore. I keep hoping things will change but it keeps getting worse. In 2007, over 2 million people worldwide passed away from HIV/AIDS. It is still here and it is still a bid deal. So many in the gay community treat HIV as some sort of natural progression in life. STOP THE INSANITY.
BTW, I take that back, Michael Lucas is one of the few stars/directors that dares speak out. I probably disagree with most of his rants on other issues but kudos to him.

BTW.. those that say Josh Weston cant get a real job because he was a porn star is not true. Maybe he cant be the governor of CA, but his porn past only limits some jobs. He can lead a normal life after porn if he chooses. Many former porn stars have moved on to bigger and better things.

Does anyone remember the group "ACT-UP." The group was seen as militant and radical because they demanded more money spent on HIV intervention, prevention, and treatment. The group was big in the late 1980's and early 1990's. They were seen as almost a terrorist group when they threw condoms in the Catholic Church in New York City. One of the biggest and most successful directors in gay porn today used to be a member. It is funny to think them as radical today because of how many in the gay community treat HIV today. Where are they now? They should be throwing condoms again at all the bareback studios and performers.

This post was edited 1/12/2008 7:10:35 PM by Porn_review.

Even if he has HIV, why would he risk infecting his onscreen partners who may be negative? I don't know, but somehow I doubt HIV positive porn stars tell each porn partner they are positive.

It does seem that as much gym time as he puts in, that trainer would've been a good fit for him as you say, pornrocks. I would guess that in certain markets—and I believe he travels from LA to NYC—his porn background would've even been an asset for that. Brad Patton was in NYC for a while couple years ago, and whenever he was in the gym, the guys were ga-ga over him. Actually, I saw Josh there once; he was way too roided out.

Not that he still couldn't do it. He will, eventually, have to find something besides porn and escorting to do. I don't know if I were an employer if would hire him or not because he's done BB porn. Someone with no experience and apparently no ambition, no, I probably wouldn't. If I were an employer who provided health insurance, there'd be a concern about the costs of someone who intentionally put their health at life-threatening risk.

I wonder too, like Porn_review, if anyone in the business is HIV neg anymore. I haven't looked in a while, but at one time, besides Josh's, Chase Hunter's and Parker Williams' rentboy profiles had "prefer not to say" under safe sex. That may not mean anything, i.e, maybe they just didn't feel like answering all the questions and that's the default. But I was kind of disappointed.

This post was edited 1/12/2008 11:12:05 PM by Dan O.

Yup he would be a draw at the gym as a trainer, for sure- and I am pretty sure he started in strip clubs and has worked in them off and on.

That is an easier and safer way to make a quick buck. When the DC strip clubs were open none of the dancers ever left with much less than 300, and "name" talent like DC Chandler/Luke did significantly BETTER.

I would also note that some of the dancers were not exactly 25 either, and had been doing it for years, and probably still are--somewhere.

All in all, I think this is a very odd decision on his part-- why risk the backlash of anger from fans and effectivly cut off future work for the big studios?

I just do not see the upside for him on this move.

--Rik