Naked Fame (2004)
Colton Ford is probably a household
name in many gay homes although I've never heard of
him. He's a porn star, but he's one of those hulking,
muscular, middle-aged men who is in films by Falcon
and the like. I like cute, fey, frail little gay boys,
so I don't watch that kind of porn. I'd never heard
of Ford, so I was glad that this film put his place
in gay porn into perspective for me as it told his
story.
Colton, whose real name is Glenn,
lives with his partner, porn star Blake Harper, whose
name, ironically, is really Peter. Colton, or Glenn,
has an amazing singing voice so at the age of 39,
well past his porno prime, he opts to leave the adult
film world behind and embark on a singing career.
"Naked Fame" is about that journey.
To be sure it is the titillating
elements of the story that makes one want to see the
documentary and there's plenty here for the viewer
interested in the porn aspect of the story. Filmmaker
and former star Chi Chi LaRue is here, sitting in
front of a leather sling, talking about the industry.
He/She has directed Ford in some film. Some scenes
from Colton's movie are shown and the boys travel
to a couple of clubs and even a "clothing optional"
gathering to "appear live" in the time that the cameras
are running here to document their story. Also, the
pair live in a "webcam house" run by LaRue and are
forced to chat for hours with their visitors, who
pay via credit card to watch them on LaRue's porn
website.
Colton seems okay with all of this
while his partner becomes increasingly more and more
despondent and frustrated. Both of them want to get
out of the business but really have few options. While
Peter works as a nurse, Glenn continues to struggle
with his dream of being a pop star. Glenn forms a
partnership with a guy named Kyle Nevens, a former
pornstar himself, to write and produce a song and
work on getting a record deal. Nevens is a trainwreck
waiting to happen. Imagine "Queer Eye's" Carson Kressley
having an air-headed, evil twin and you will imagine
Nevens. This guy is annoying as hell and it isn't
long before he is scratching his nails down the chalkboard
soul of anyone who happens by. He's a documentary
filmmaker's dream come true, a pure fly in the ointment,
or perhaps lube, as the case may be here ready to
stir up shit.
Ford can definitely sing but in
Nevens hands, his career is stalled. The two write
a song (that one record executive even describes as
"scary") which can be called ridiculous and wildly
wrong-headed. In the lyrics, Colton even has to sing
things like "get into my sling" and other such sexually
oriented nonsense. His voice is too good to be wasting
his time on such drudge.
Filmmaker Christopher Long is really
grasping at desperate straws to make a movie out of
this story. There's plenty of tangents including a
look at drugs which features the random overdose of
a man on GHB which just happens to happen before his
cameras and "Naked Fame's" subjects. It's as if Long
was trying to create a 90 minute film and only had
2 hours of film to choose from.
There are, at least, interviews
with LaRue, Bruce Vilanch and a couple of "divas"
who have had dance hits played in gay bars, like Amber
and Lonnie Gordon. (I've never heard of them, either).
He also interviews Ford's quiet mother and obnoxiously,
loud-mouthed father. Non of this is particularly interesting,
mind you.
Long's film is poorly shot, poorly
lit, poorly edited and has horrible sound design.
He often presents his subjects and interviewees as
if he wants us to laugh at them. It's mean- spirited
and evil-hearted. Certainly, it isn't as obvious here
as it is in other films that do the same thing, but
its there. And the film has no pacing and seems to
go on and on. I thought it was never going to end
when I sat through it.
"Naked Fame" would be a total waste
of time if it weren't for its charismatic subject.
Whether you like older, muscular, construction worker
types or not, Ford comes across as a nice person,
a good-hearted soul and a happy-go-lucky man who deserves
to be admired. Perhaps he's just going about it the
wrong way.
Notes:
Also with a shot of The Naked Cowboy
on Times Square. Ford has an appearance in a club
owned by Britney Spears in the film.
Music used other than Ford's song
include "Kids in America" by Kim Wilde, "Guitar Man"
by Elvis, and a Bob Dylan song. A country and western
hoe-down type tune is used to accentuate an argument.
