A self-described “kinky bisexualqueer,” pornstar Tony Buff is one of the biggest names on the fetish scene. The co-creator of Titan Media’s hardcore Rough line of videos is also a community activist and touring coach who spends the year teaching others safe and responsible ways to expand their sexual horizons.
No wonder Priape Vancouver invited him to help celebrate its fifth birthday in June. Did I mention he’s fuck-off gorgeous, too?
Buff sat down with Xtra for an interview while he was in town. Here is an excerpt from that session.
Xtra: What appeals to you about kinky play?
Tony Buff: For me, fisting is an extremely intimate act. You see a lot of videos that capture this kind of really athletic, punch-fuck, how-fast-how-hard-how-much can you take sort of thing. And that’s fine, but I take a different approach. It’s about the process, about the ride. It’s slow, methodical, very connected. Lots of eye contact, lots of breathing.
Xtra: Is there anything you don’t do, that is just too freaky even for you?
TB: I’m a man who has sex with men, so I understand that, well... shit happens. But I’m not really into it.
Xtra: I find it interesting that you refer to them as art films, not as porn films. That indicates a certain respect for the form, I think.
TB: I call them that to remind me of what I’m trying to do with it. If you look back, like 1972, Brad Halstead released LA Plays Itself. It was the first depiction of the iconic urban leatherman, and it contained a fisting scene for the first time ever on film. Then we had Christopher Rage capture that essence of BDSM through his movies in the ’80s, and Daddy Zeus was doing it in the ’90s, and I wanted my efforts in the industry to reflect that. To represent, to the best of my ability, the members of my tribe, and actually create community out of it. It’s not just porn for me, it’s a documentation of real play.
Xtra: So you don’t particularly enjoy these studios that simply rely on “boy on couch?”
TB: Yeah, I prefer substance. I love Joe Gage’s movies because he’s a storyteller. I like the setup, the environment, the context. It helps me engage with the people on the screen and actually feel something, rather than just looking at cocks being jacked.
Xtra: Do you think there are more people getting involved in the scene these days?
TB: Sexual liberation and queer liberation, the exploration of people’s kinky sides; I think that’s expanding. But there’s a lot of assimilationist tendencies in the gay community right now, a move to push the drag queens and the leathermen back into the closet because they want to promote worthy things like equal rights — but I don’t think that the two are mutually exclusive. I think it’s extremely important that we encourage a positive sexual philosophy.
Xtra: Have you had a chance to play here in Vancouver?
TB: Oh yeah, I’m a regular. I’ve got a collared boy here. I got to do a demo at the PumpJack — I got to tie up a really beautiful young man in full suspension in front of the crowd. He seemed to enjoy himself quite a bit.
For more on Tony Buff, check out tonybuff.com.