To Be Smart, Stunning and Slutty:
‘Sordid Truths’ by Aiden Shaw

MEMOIR | Hopefully you know who Aiden Shaw is by the “Sex and the City” reference alone. However, in case you are too young or too prude to know, Mr. Shaw was one of the highest, if not the highest paid gay porn star in history.

British born, he made his way through the California porn industry with his rugged good looks and one of the largest dicks in the industry. Today, retired and HIV positive, Shaw has turned his attention to other pursuits. To date he has written 3 novels, 2 biographies, (one of which became a best-seller), 2 books of poetry, produced and written 2 albums, and managed to get a masters in Creative and Life Writing.

His newest book, “Sordid Truths,” tells the story leading up to where his first biography “My Undoing: Love in the Thick of Sex, Drugs, Pornography, and Prostitution,” begins. Starting with his first trick, the story documents Aiden’s journey of going from a college dropout, to prostitute, to drug dealer, and eventually porn star.

One cannot help being a little cynical when picking up any book by a porn star (yes, there are many). Despite many of us believing we are open minded and liberal, many still believe deep down that porn stars are just uneducated meth-heads whose parents never loved them—and at first “Sordid Truths” reads as much. Alternating between graphic, blush-worthy sex scenes and long-winded monologues, Aiden attempts to show us how despite being a whore he is also smart, witty, and maybe a little deep.

Yet by the end of the book you find yourself caring about what happens to Aiden next. You feel for him and begin seeing similar traits of yourself and people you know in him. The real sordid truth is, deep down he is just like any of us. Despite having a beautiful body, an amazing cock, and money out the ying-yang he is horribly insecure. He wants us to know that he is more than a sex machine or a whore and that the path he walked down could have been chosen by anyone of us. As corny as it sounds, at the end of the day he just wants to be loved. While not a piece of award winning literature “Sordid Truths” in the end, is a thoughtful, sexy book, that will heat up any a cold night.

Shaw’s video plays automatically after the jump. [Also, is it just us or is one of those guys, Jason, from PINUPS Issue 2? (See :50 min)]

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