NewFest Review // NSFW // College Boys Live!, screened late night Monday at New Fest, drew a crowd most likely due to the salacious title, expecting a film full of cock shots and gay-4-pay frat dudes wrestling in jello.
Screengrabs of CBL
Boy were they surprised.
The documentary by George O’Donnell, dove into the lives of the founder, stars and members of the NSFW website, College Boys Live. A “voyeur” site, as described by founder Zac Adams, the site gives paying members 24/7 access to webcams located in every corner and crevice of a twink-filled house in the suburbs of Florida. The boys, who are hand picked by Adams and his husband/co-manager Jonathan, are signed to a 6 month contract, where in return for rent and food they must chat with members for 2 hours, 5 days a week, and hold down jobs or go to school. Additionally the boys must also spend the last 30 minutes of every chat session naked, yet Adams insists the site is NOT a porn site. Mmmmhmm.
The film is truly a train wreck, in the best possible way. Part Jerry Springer, part Real World, part Queer as Folk, we watch the boys of College Boys Live (or CBL as they refer to it) battle not only the local homeowners society who are trying to shut them down, but also each other, literally, with fists.
The stars of CBL are a mess, mostly from broken homes, who are clearly lost boys to Zac Adams’ tragic Peter Pan. (Side note: aside from being well into his forties, Adams showed up to the screening in skinny jeans and red streaks in his rocker mullet… yikes!). The winner of all the boys though being JC, a pathological liar who says his father was in and out of jail, his mother was a whore, and despite the claim that all the boys are drug tested, has a severe case of meth face.
A combination of webcam, newly shot, and local news footage, the style keeps viewers riveted, wondering what is going to happen to the house, the stars, and the members, who in a case of GREAT judgment from Adams, are sometimes invited to the house. The boys do see themselves as a family and we feel for them when they are fearing eviction from their palatial abode. The film is a definite must see, especially if you are feeling down about your problems. While equally depressing and comical, the viewer walks away reminded that a good thing, like free rent, usually comes with a price. Oh, and don’t smoke meth.
Related posts:
- NSFW; The Village Voice has resorted to showing porn on its website Traffic must be down at VillageVoice.com. Or at least that’s the impression you get once you realize the photo journal you’re browsing is actually...
- BUTT curates Ace Hotel’s pay-per-porn The editors from BUTT magazine have teamed up with hospitality innovator Ace Hotel to curate a selection for its soon to launch gay porn pay-per-view...
- Mark Doty @ Wilde Boys ...
- “Boys In The Band” Fundraiser for NewFest UPDATED: Critics aside, “Boys in the Band” is without a doubt a landmark play. When it debuted in 1968 it was the first play...
- Robbie Cooper’s Art-Porn Project SEXTUBE // Who doesn’t like porn? Outside of the queer-elite bubbles of New York, masturbation remains an untouchable subject. And this is why video artist...
Tags: College Boys Live, Frat Guys, Gay Sex, Meth, NewFest, Porn
-
You had me at “Florida suburbs.” I can only imagine the drama that would ensue if us at H-N were housed together and filmed 24/7. That would not be pretty. Great review, TP! xx
-
Sounds like exploitation trash. I think I’ll skip it at this year’s SF Frameline Festival (otherwise known as the SF LGBT film fete) even though I have free tickets.
-
Depends on ones definition of exploitation
-
Zac exploits the guys he gets to live in his house. A job and or schooling is not a requirement to live in the house. As a matter of fact many who stay at the house dont have a job and they probably didnt even finish high school. They’re lazy freeloaders. Its all about the tricks. The more sex you can bring into the house the happier Zac Adams is. A roof over their head is all that is required. Paying members supply tips to the housemates in order for them to buy food.
There’s alot of underage drinking in the house. Its all for Zacs benefit and its all disgusting! -
Clearly you speak from experience. The documentary presented a very different story.
-
I can’t even remember how long ago I first found out about this site, although I do remember that it was when CBL was in the original house; it was many, many years ago. It wasn’t the train wreck it has become– the guys all got along with each other and were even friends, they were smart guys, and there was absolutely no evidence of drug abuse or members sending individual guys money, yet alone visiting.
Then as that group of guys trickled away, Zac started bringing in guys that were obviously “damaged”. This is when the drama dial got cranked up to 11 and the guys started churning at a very high rate, along with accusations of theft, drugs, prostitution, barebacking and, well, you name it. Zac has admitted on the forums for the site that the guys are not required to be in school or to have jobs, and says that is primarily because they are in the suburbs, and transportation is a problem. He says that he tried requiring them to have cars, but claims that invariably the guys drove their cars to the house and the cars always immediately died, stranding the guys at the house with no money for repairs. I think BTrick is totally correct in his description of the houses these days.
As for whether the site is “porn” or not, I don’t know about now but each “shift” used to include masturbation to orgasm, and the cameras always caught all of the sex that went on all over the house between the guys themselves, or anyone who happened to be having sex in the house.
-
@Mike — Very insightful comments. Thank you.
7 comments
Comments feed for this article
Trackback link: http://www.homo-neurotic.com/2009/06/11/college-boys-live-isnt-porn-right/trackback/