Spotlight On J.C. Adams

    J.C. Adams began his career in porn in 1995 as a reviewer for the respected Adult Video News trade publication. Three years later, Adams was writing a column of his own called The Adams Report. Because it was so popular, an online spin-off was eventually launched –which then became the incredibly popular Gay Porn Times blog. When Adams isn’t furiously typing out his latest exclusive or following up on some hot new scoop, you can usually find him making the rounds at most of the major A-list porn events.    
    Although he writes about the adult industry, Adams approaches his work in the same way as any ambitious mainstream news reporter would – and that’s one of the things that makes him so extraordinary. While some other porn bloggers might still be nursing hangovers from the previous night’s porn world intrigues, Adams will typically have already posted something about the event. With that kind of discipline and work ethic, it should come as no surprise that he was asked by XBIZ –another of the porn industry’s biggest publications – to contribute original LGBT content.
    We recently caught up with this hard working porn journalist during a rare lull in his schedule and we took the opportunity to learn more about one of gay porn’s premier commentators.

What changes have you seen happen in the porn industry since you began your career?
It’s been fascinating to see how porn has evolved from a dirty little secret into something with mainstream acceptance, even if it’s still talked about in the media with a giggle. A sex tape can now make you more famous – unless you’re a real porn star, that is. It’s an interesting dichotomy. On the gay side, we honor and elevate our erotic idols – as long as they don’t step outside of their porn box. Once they do, we tend to smack them down hard. That’s a relatively recent development and a troubling one. Thanks to the Internet, we can argue about this stuff more readily. That can quickly become counter productive, but the ability to do so is cucial.

Has the new XBIZ gig created any extra stress for you?
My blog writing can be more colloquial, snarky, and casual (or all three) as the situation warrants. XBIZ is more straightforward with a very “just-the-facts, ma’am” sort of style. It can be a schizophrenic experience juggling both styles.

How do people react when they learn that you write about the porn industry?
It has been an invaluable ice-breaker from day one. You can almost hear the record-scratch sound effect when someone finds out. People have always been curious about it especially straight men.

How do you manage to keep your blog reporting impartial and unbiased?
I try to own up to my biases so that we’re on a level playing field. Otherwise I’m genuinely curious about every side of an issue and want to present it fairly so that people can make up their own minds. I know it might generate controversy (and therefore traffic) to thunder from the heath for one side or another – but my method seems to be working, too.
Have you ever felt star struck when meeting someone in the industry?
The first time I ever got weak in the knees was meeting and briefly interviewing Kevin Williams. He was being honored at the Gay Erotic Video Awards in 1997 or 1998, and was dashingly handsome in a form-fitting tuxedo. And he had just had sex in his limo with Jeff Palmer, so he was radiating erotic mojo in that moment, like a force field, and it was almost palpable. The first time I met Lukas Ridgeston was when he was receiving a GAYVN Hall of Fame award in 2000 and that was also a memorable experience. Flashbulbs were popping around us and people were so distracted by his fame and beauty that they would trip over chairs or walk straight into walls.

Do you find a lot of creative fulfillment in writing about porn? Are there other areas you’d like to explore as a writer and reporter?
The heavy workload brings a certain fulfillment. You have to constantly crank out product and that feels good on a certain level. And I do enjoy chronicling an industry that the mainstream would otherwise ignore. This is our history, in a way. You want to learn about a society? Take a good look at their porn. That being said, I’ve had a long non-adult writing career. I’m writing, producing, and directing a short film in the Spring. That’s my non-porn creative outlet. I decided almost a year ago to make a concerted effort to expend my creative energy in new directions, just so I don’t drive myself completely nuts – because the work load will claim every bit of your life if you let it.

What are your plans for the next decade? Do you still see yourself in the adult industry?
I envision Gay Porn Times as an industry resource along the lines of IMDb, but with more personality. I can’t imagine I won’t be involved, but I doubt I’ll still be falling asleep over my laptop.

Contact Danny Valle at [email protected]