27 Jul Ray Drecker: Exclusive Male Companion
Last night Nancy and I settled down with a bottle of Shiraz and finally watched HBO’s new series Hung. Spoilers below, shield your eyes!
Ray Drecker is going through some tough times…the NFL career he was planning on never panned out, he’s the coach of a losing high school basketball team, divorced…and his house just caught fire. What is a guy like Ray to do? After attending a seminar on how to become a multimillionaire, Ray is encouraged to “identify his own tool” and embrace the skill/gift that will help boost him up the ladder of success. Ray’s gift is that he is well endowed…and after a receiving the following insult; “you wanna be a millionaire, why don’t you go market your dick!”, he decides to become a straight male escort.
Coach Drecker promptly buys a prepaid cell phone, box of condoms and takes out an ad in the back pages of the Detroit Examiner;
**Big Donnie** Will give you every inch of his love. My size fits all. Tall, Blond, Fit!
Ray’s expert marketing abilities as a male companion are also displayed when he includes a photo of his “gift” with his on-line ad.
**I have yet to participate in this form of marketing, I was hoping James would be the first of our crew to give this a shot…I don’t think it’s going to happen. 😉
Eventually Jane Adam’s character comes along and agrees to act as Ray’s pimp. Tanya starts up Happiness Consultants, which is her take on a male escort service.
So far I have really enjoyed the program. The characters are well developed and the plot has a simple formula that will allow HBO’s writers to keep us tuning in by introducing new, interesting clients and I would imagine, some entertaining regulars. As far as accuracy goes…Hung is not a documentary, it’s a comedy. Straight male escorts come in all shapes and sizes, Ray may not have the skills of Cole Carter…but he does make us laugh.
**This is not to say that Cole won’t make you laugh, his skills do extend to that department.
Mistress Matisse’s most recent column is titled “Male-for-Female Escorts/Market Penetration” and was inspired by Hung. I was contacted by Matisse to answer a few questions regarding my thoughts on the show and it’s potential impact on women hiring male companions. At the time, I had yet to watch the show but did respond back with some thoughts on the topic. I was not quoted in the article, but you can read the column here, and the Q & A below.
Have you seen/heard about the TV show Hung? If so, what do you think of it?
Over the past couple of weeks I have been emailed links to the HUNG trailer but at this point, I must admit, I have yet to watch an episode. From what my friends say, it is an entertaining show.
Do you think the show is an indication that people’s attitudes about women hiring men have changed? Or do you think that the show will, in itself, help change people’s ideas about male escorts?
Although certainly not at the same level as our female counterparts, the presence of male companions in popular culture has been growing. If you had asked about films that include male escorts ten years ago, I would have most likely listed Midnight Cowboy and American Gigolo. Over the past decade the male courtesan has been offered a few leading roles in cinema such as Nicolas Cage’s film Sonny, and now Thomas Jane’s role in HUNG.
Since I have not watched the program I unfortunately cannot comment on its impact regarding the public’s attitude towards women hiring men. I do believe that a more realistic portrayal of what the modern companion is could certainly help to shed some misconceptions about the profession. For the most part, we are portrayed as tragic figures, often streetwalkers with a history of violence giving back room hand jobs to support a drug habit. I am a drug free, full-time student who’s never been to jail. I grew up in a loving household and have never visited a glory hole, despite seeing nothing wrong with them. The money I make from work is used to both pay my tuition and to fund a gallery which I plan on opening when I finish with school.
What do you think the biggest misconception is about male escorts?
I would certainly say that there are a couple of misconceptions about male escorts, but it seems the most prevalent ideal is that the men for women in the escorting world also meet with men. Moreover, the straight card is a difficult notion to get across without seeming to be homophobic. I have lived on the Hill for many years and half of my close friends are either gay or lesbian. I would certainly get more business if I was Bi. I just prefer women, plain and simple.
What’s the biggest real challenge?
Advertising. Although Seattle does have a strong sexual positive community, the hobbyist portion is mostly constrained to public venues for women’s advertisements and men’s discussion of working ladies. Furthermore, this is not just limited to Seattle. Nationally it is difficult to find locales where a straight male escort can advertise to his target audience. I would say that the majority of my clientèle have found me through either a Google search or word of mouth.
The verdict is still out on how the show will effect the public’s view on male companionship. If nothing else, I would imagine it will at least open some eyes to the topic. Apparently Showtime has an adaptation of David Sterry’s book Chicken in the works. Are we about to experience an influx of male escorts on the ol’ boob tube? I can’t wait for the SNL skits!
Edit: I forgot to mention that James Craig was also contacted by Mistress Matisse. You can read his Q & A here.
