| Tell
us a little bit about how you see yourself? |
| After years of people
telling me I should be a model, I tried it. I got a very
conservative hair cut and learned they wanted "cookie cutter
models". Everyone had to look alike and not stand out at all. I
couldn't blend in. I don't consider myself what I call "wallpaper
people". A very dear friend told me "It's all about who you know and
the mood they're in!" Very true. There are a million good looking
guys out there. You have to know the right people and be prepared.
|
| What
was your reaction to see your pictures published? |
| It's a great feeling
when I see myself on a book cover or in a magazine. To me, it means
I've succeeded in what I set out to do. In a career that so few
people do. I knew I could do it but couldn't get my foot in the
door. It took me almost 10 years to get on my first cover. I can't
describe to you how that felt. Sort of like walking on the moon for
me.
|
| Did
your family support you or give you a hard time? |
| My family and friends
don't know what to make of me. My parents said to me years ago
"Can't you just be normal?" Translation = 9 to 5 job, 2.3 kids,
white picket fence and short hair! The last comment from my father
was "Just don't embarrass us!" My Mother doesn't know about the
web-site or most of the covers. My 89 year old Grandmother called
me the other day after she saw my Plain Dealer article's photo where
I was been caressed by young women without my shirt on. She said in
a whisper "Oh honey, you're going to go to jail! Those girls were so
YOUNG!" She made me promise never to pose like that again. Fingers
crossed.
My brother thinks it's cool when he
sees me on TV and wants me to mention him whenever I can. A lot of
my friends couldn't deal with all the "celebrity" stuff and
abandoned me. Anyway, I try not to tell people about any of this.
When I got back from NYC after doing my first cover, my dearest
friend from first grade sent me a balloon bouquet that said
"Congratulations!" She got it! I have never been so touched it my
life. I was so choked up when I called to thank her I couldn't even
talk.
|
|
What about nudity? Do you feel comfortable posing
nude?
|
| Nudity is no big deal
if it's done well and I don't look fat. I've posed that way before,
but I didn't sign a release for the pix. I was in PLAYGIRL in 1990
and have been asked back no less than 3 times in a centerfold
capacity. For some reason, the editorial staff always changed before
I did my shoot and it was cancelled.
Once they fired my photographer 2
weeks before my shoot! I'd consider doing it again, but they don't
pay as much as people think. Nothing compared to Playboy. I recently
did a shoot wearing only a sword in front of me. I told the
photographer to let me know if he could see "anything" and NOT to
shoot if he did. When I saw the contact sheets, I had to laugh. You
could see EVERYTHING in almost every frame. The photographer said
"Did you really think you were going to get all that behind the
sword?!" LOL
|
|
And I'm still waiting to see those pics remember?
LOL. Next question, what do you balance your internal self and your
work as a model, which focuses on your external looks?
|
| I've found out that I
scare the hell out of a lot of people. I don't get it. I have to
think it's the hair. Freaks everybody out. On the inside I'm still
the 13 year old fat kid with glasses with tape on the sides. The
outside, well I'm still a work in progress. When people finally get
to know me they say "You're really much nicer than I'd thought you'd
be... and funny too!" I had a book publisher apologize to me at last
year's convention. She said she was afraid to speak to me and was
surprised I was so nice to her. Go figure.
|
|
Well, I can tell everyone that you are one of the
nicest guys I've met -- and you definitely have charisma! So how do
you market yourself? Do you have an agent?
|
I don't have an agent
or an agency working on my behalf. It would be easier if I did. I've
learned from all my years in the business YOU do most of the work
yourself. I briefly had an agent in NYC referred to me by another
cover model. I found out he was HATED by just about every
photographer/agency in the city. Not living in New York doesn't help
either. Although, I have been EARLY for every cover shoot I've done
in NYC. Even the photographer couldn't believe it because the
models who live in the city are never on time.
|
|
How do you see the effect of the
Internet on modeling?
|
Having a website has
been the greatest blessing. I don't know how I lived without one. I
am reaching people all over the world. Waiting for the right person
to call/e-mail!
|
|
| As
your webmaster, I can vouch for that! Since I've known you, you've
had a lot of media attention. I'm sure that's an asset to any author
or publisher. |
| I'm puzzled why I
haven't heard from more publishers. I can and do generate A LOT of
press coverage for the authors on whose covers I have appeared. I
mean A LOT. I have a friend in advertising who said he's never seen
anything like me. He says I've gotten millions of dollars worth of
press coverage. That smells like $$$$ to me. I guess maybe they
aren't interested in making $$$$, but I could be wrong.
|
|
You definitely have the drive to get publicity and
work! Have you had any funny or embarrassing experiences while
doing a job or trying to get one?
|
| As I was leaving the
photo studio looking after my first shoot, a female cab driver came
over to me and said "Hey! You look like one of those guys from a
romance novels!" After ten years of struggling I could say " I AM
one of those guys!!!" Her timing was perfect and it was the perfect
end to a perfect day.
As I was face to face with a very
beautiful and buxom model, both of us in bathing suits for another
cover I thought I'd make small talk. What's your name I asked.
"Delores" I freaked. I thought it was some kind of sick joke from
God. "Delores" is my Mother's name!!!!
While I was walking down the street
after another shoot with my suitcase in tow, with my hair down and
blowing and all. I saw a woman staring at me as she walked right
into the path of a man on a bike. She knocked him off the bike. It
was hilarious.
|
|
After I stopped laughing I asked: What was the best
and most difficult time in your career so far?
|
Just when I think it's
"over" I get a phone call. It's very strange. I can't say there has
been any difficult times, but when my father was dying of cancer
things got a little out of control. There's a movie of the week
there. I consider my life as an adventure. It's been great. Even
when things have gone bad, I've learned from the experience. You
have to have the valleys to appreciate the peaks and I DO!
|
| What
are your priorities at the moment? |
I want to put out the
best possible product. Be it web-site, covers, merchandising. I want
to be the guy who other guys want to copy for their web-site.
Working very hard on all that now. I have been blessed with having
some very talented and competent people surrounding and supporting
me now.
|
|
After staring at your pictures every night for the past five months,
I have to ask how do you keep yourself in shape? Any diet and
fitness tips you can pass on to our readers? |
My fitness routine
would kill most people. 6 days a week, several hours a day. Contrary
to popular belief, I can't eat whatever I want. That's called the
unfairness of life. I have to watch what I eat. I don't do steroids
or even supplements. I can't afford either. I have nothing against
them. You just have to be careful. Keeping a 30 inch waist ain't a
piece of cake.... literally!
|
|
Unless it's birthday cake if I recall. LOL. What
advice would you share with a model who is just beginning a career?
|
| Follow your dreams. I
am living proof that dreams DO come true. Always be prepared. You
have to develop a very thick skin too. Most people can't take the
rejection, which is a very big part of the business. Don't take it
too personally. Sometimes the photographer's best friend got the job
you really wanted. |
