PORN DIRECTOR JAKE CRUISE THINKS THAT LIONS ARE SEXY AND FEELS THAT THE REDWOOD FORESTS ARE THE TRUE CATHEDRAL OF GOD
- I don't know when I first discovered Jake Cruise. It was probably when long preview clips of his videos started showing up on PornoTube. For those of you who aren't familiar with Jake he's sort of like the Ron Jeremy of gay porn- a sleazy and well-spoken old perv who gives his videos a playful feel. Perhaps (somewhat like Ron) Jake's participation in some the scenes he produces give the average porno loving queer the ability to better fantasize themselves with Jake's muscle bound co-stars. I recently asked Jake if he would be interested in being interviewed about his views on some environmentalist topics. I was thrilled when he swiftly responded with a yes.
- JOHNNIE: What is a place in the great outdoors that you really love? Why does it mean a lot to you?
- JAKE: The redwood forests of Santa Cruz. I went to college in Santa Cruz and the campus is located within the start of the redwood forest. When I hiked into the forest I felt as though I was in the true Cathedral of God. With abundant life everywhere I felt both peaceful and energized. I imagine I would have a similar feeling if I ever go to the rain forests of Costa Rica.
- JOHNNIE: Global warming is so hot right now! Do you think climate change is a real concern and do you think that it's been caused in part by human activities?
- JAKE: Yes, it's a concern for humans and yes, it is caused in part by human activities. But I fear the hubris of man when we say we are destroying the planet. That's utter nonsense. We can only destroy the ecosystem we currently live in, but another will take its place. Every nuclear bomb could detonate across the globe and life on Earth would continue. We do not have the power to destroy the planet. At least not until we learn to literally blow the entire planet up. Hopefully that day will never come.
- JOHNNIE: Here's a question that I wanted to ask you as an industry professional. I had this idea for a porn called Deep Ecology. It would all be set at night in forests or on mountains and beaches. It would involve scenes that emulate mating rituals in animals and possibly plants. The movie would also be spliced with stories, poems, and facts about the earth with some activist stuff thrown in there. Do you think something like this could work?
- JAKE: It depends by what you mean by "work." Would it be commercially successful? Nope. Would it appeal to certain people. Yes. I'm not sure how sexy a plant's mating ritual would be. But I can see some animal's mating behaviors as being sexy. When I was in my late teens there was a club in San Francisco called The Lion's Den. They put out t-shirts with a male lion mounting a prone man from behind, while "biting" his neck. I thought it was super hot! But I think you have a good idea and if you can get some of your gay friends who are really into nature to do it, you could have something. One thing I would advise against is to use porn stars for this type of movie unless they feel passionate about your cause. You want to convey a message that will only come from people who are passionate about animals.
- JOHNNIE: There's a porn site out right now called Fuck For Forest that donates all their proceeds to saving the rain forest but a lot of organizations won't take their money. Do you think porn could be a good fundraising outlet for charities or do you think our culture is too far away from wanting something like that?
- JAKE: Well, they just raised an additional $15. I joined to take a look around. I think this will appeal to a lot of people, but you already defined the problem. Porn is so taboo still in our society that it will be difficult to openly make a donation. However, if they were to set up a non-porn DBA (doing business as) they may not have a problem.
- JOHNNIE: What animal or plant do you think you're the most like? Why?
- JAKE: I've always thought of myself as being part wolf and part dolphin. I have no idea why. They have both been my totems since I was a small child. Best of luck with your project and I appreciate your activism. We need more guys like you out there.
- JOHNNIE: Thanks so much for doing this interview! I really appreciate it.
PIN-UP PHOTOGRAPHER HAS HOPE FOR THE FUTURE OF THE EARTH AND WANTS A MUD BATH
Pinups, created by Christopher Schulz, is a triannual publication featuring photos of men in various locales doing a variety of things in various states of undress. Each issue has only one or two models, no text, and can be unfolded to make a pin-up poster. Artist AA Bronson has called Pinups ”a coyly elaborate one image publication.” As such, the genre of Pinups is eventually difficult to prescribe; but the guys Pinups features feel very real and are quite sexy. I personally own issue #7 and intend to buy #11 as soon as I get back to the States. I also recently e-mailed Christopher Schulz to ask him a few questions for Jungle Guts.
JOHNNIE: Pinups often features guys who could be categorized as bears in the gay community. I’ve always felt that something about the bear persona has an aura of earth love. As an expert on bears, could you elaborate on my inkling?
CHRISTOPHER: I’ve always been very careful to not identify the models as bears or any other group because it’s too limiting. I believe the models’ beauty transcends trappings of the bear identity. The men that are featured in Pinups don’t all share bear characteristics—some are thin, some are chubby, some are hairy, some are smooth, but they are all comfortable with their bodies and don’t hide physical characteristics regardless of cultural ideals. You’ll find no bleached, bronzed, waxed guys giving Zoolander face, trying desperately to be sexy in Pinups. Instead, you’ll see men in the nude, going about their day-to-day as though clothes were never invented.
¨And God said, This is the token of the covenant which I make between me and you and every living creature that is with you, for perpetual generations:
I do set my bow in the cloud, and it shall be for a token of a covenant between me and the earth.
And it shall come to pass, when I bring a cloud over the earth, that the bow shall be seen in the cloud:
And I will remember my covenant, which is between me and you and every living creature of all flesh; and the waters shall no more become a flood to destroy all flesh.¨
-Genesis 9:12-15
Today I helped guard 24 endangered Hawksbill hatchlings from crabs and birds as they made their way from the nest to the ocean. They´re only four centimeters long at this point in their life so it´s quite a journey.
One of the reasons why these turtles are threatened is because climate change has increased the amount that the tide comes in on these beaches here in Ecuador by several feet. The sea turtles are laying the eggs too close to the water’s edge and the nests laid on these beaches are more likely to be drowned by the sea. A few feet on a beach might not seem like a big deal but if you’re a sea turtle it’s life or death.
