Not many directors in the gay porn industry have a name that demands its own domain. Then again, Joe Gage is unlike most directors. As if the legend needed any more proof of his influence and popularity, Titan Media launched JoeGageMen.com in May to house the icon’s work with them — 10 years after he started his fruitful relationship with the equally iconic studio.
“Joe Gage has become an integral part of the TitanMen family over the past 10 years,” says Vice President Keith Webb. “Joe’s style of films is surpassed by none and lends a unique viewpoint to our library of content. Joe has a very passionate and loyal fan base that loves his unique style of film. We decided to branch out and give those fans, and many new fans, a home to enjoy all of Joe’s films for TitanMen. The response has been great and we are very pleased with the outcome.”
TitanMen brand is known for straight-forward, no-nonsense sex with little if any dialogue. Joe’s films compliment and round out our customer offering by providing unique takes on gay male masculinity and sex. -Keith Webb VP, Titan Media
It all started more than a decade ago, when the director made a trip to Pennsylvania.
“TLA invited me to come to Philadelphia to participate in their gay film festival and sit on a question-and-answer panel of directors that included Bruce Cam — the head of Titan — Chi Chi LaRue, Michael Lucas and others. Bruce and I hit it off, and a few days later he invited me out to San Francisco and offered me a three-picture deal. I was happy to accept,” Gage recalls.
“I had come out of a long, self-imposed retirement to try my hand at this new-fangled digital stuff; made a few small movies for Tony Alizzi at MSR. The chance to play in a bigger arena with all the resources at Titan’s disposal was very intriguing… we decided that I would make a few titles for them and we would keep an eye on how it went. As the movies became progressively more and more successful, my contract kept getting extended.”
“Men’s Room: Bakersfield Station” was the first fruit of their labor, receiving instant acclaim and launching a string of hits that continued with the likes of “Back to Barstow,” “Arcade on Route 9,” “Alabama Takedown,” “Cop Shack on 101” and his favorite: “There’s a special place in my heart for ‘110° in Tucson.’ Big movie, big vistas, big men.” The relationship has continued through this year with “Chain Reaction,” following two entries in 2013: “Caught in the Act” and “One Thing Leads to Another,” nearly 30 titles in total.
“We are proud to have the largest collection of Joe Gage films in the world,” says Webb. “TitanMen brand is known for straightforward, no-nonsense sex with little if any dialogue. Joe’s films compliment and round out our customer offering by providing unique takes on gay male masculinity and sex. The most popular and successful genre is Joe’s unique take on intergenerational sex. Joe knows how to walk right up to the line, giving us some of the most spectacular mature men with younger men sex in the world.”
Gage instantly etched his name as a future hall of famer in the 1970s with “Kansas City Trucking Co.” (1976), “El Paso Wrecking Corp.” (1977) and “L.A. Tool & Die” (1979).
“As a young gay man coming out, the very first gay adult film I saw was Joe’s original version of ‘Closed Set,’” recalls Webb. “It portrayed masculine men having sex with each other, which is what I was looking for. Growing up, society taught us that gay meant feminine or ‘not manly’, and ‘Closed Set’ blew that misconception away! I finally saw that ‘gay’ could be masculine, strong and aggressive! Joe creates a unique sense of suspense, drawing the viewer into the scene through means other than just sex. He tells a story and creates a feeling without having to use much dialogue to get his point across.”
Along with his Titan work, Gage has also continued to create films with Dragon Media, a company started by Ray Dragon — who was directed by him in “110° in Tucson” and another Titan hit, “Deep Water Beach Patrol” (and its sequel, “Lifeguard!”). He has continued his popular “Sex Files” series (now up to Vol. 16), along with more story-driven works like “Dad Takes a Fishing Trip,” “Dad Gets Into Trouble” and “After the Heist” — many of his films starring performers he worked with at Titan, including popular leading man David Anthony.
“One of the reasons my relationships are so good is that I would cut my tongue out of my head before I ever referred to any of them as ‘models’,” Gage says. “I find the ‘industry’ term dismissive if not downright disrespectful. Kate Moss is a ‘model’. The guys working for me are ‘the actors’, ‘the performers’ or just ‘the men’.”
Gage recently released “American Bukkake” with Dragon Media under the Joe Gage Private Stock label: “The power dynamics inherent in bukkake fascinate me, and I wanted to try putting a varied group of men on a closed set to see what I could do as I explored the practice. It came out real good.” He is completing the third entry in the “Doctors and Dads” series for “Sex Files,” is in the middle of shooting a new feature and is in pre-production on a big movie to be released around Christmas time.
“The followers of my blog/website (joegage.com) constantly tell me what they want to see: ‘Joe Gage Sex Files’ — an ongoing series of compact, loosely connected sex scenes; a Joe Gage movie — bigger efforts, with more storyline and a full-fledged ‘movie’ feel to them; and now Joe Gage Private Stock — wall-to-wall, man-to-man sex that returns me to my gonzo days,” he says, adding that he is in discussions with Titan to continue the relationship.
“Titan has helped build my ‘brand’, and presented my work to a very wide audience. Their reach is phenomenal,” Gage says. “I try to give my Titan productions a slick, big-studio look, as opposed to the more loosey-goosey, try-anything approach I take with my work for Dragon Media.”
Thankfully for the fans, they can now see all of his Titan hits in one warm, welcoming home. “It always feels good to be recognized for the work,” Gage says of the honor. “After all, over the years it has become my life’s work.”
