Zane Michaels THREAD

[ZaneMich]

Hey guys, Zane here. I will try to reply to many of your comments from the old thread on this new thread from now on Feel free to post any pics that you would like to get this thread going!

[ZaneMich]

@ac904411 says:
"I had to read the book to see if i could get any additional insight. Boy did I ever....there is so much more to this story than two
"straight " friends doing gay for pay. You clearly see one was more emotionally invested in the business, and relationship than the other. It almost reads like a one sided love story. One of the two clearly falls fast and hard and the other is a typical young male trying to score all the pussy he can. This appears to be the core of "issues between the two". I found myself cheering for the relationship to be what one wanted, but much to my dismay – it never happened. I truly believe they never messed around off camera – only because one wouldn't. Clearly one of those I see you as a friend, but you see me as a boyfriend relationships."

It was definitely a one-sided story. Whether it was our friendship or our business, it almost always felt very one-sided to me. I wish that hadn't have been the case but that was a major source of frustration but trust me, you weren't the only one cheering and hoping for things to get better! Of course we never messed around off camera, with all the overly-revealing details I included in the book, that would have been a major part to leave out!

[ZaneMich]

@bullwing413 says:
"i read the book but i never wanted to comment before because I didn't want to hurt Zane's feeling - but I have to agree with the posters who have alluded to this being a case on unrequited love. I been there, it sucks big time - but you move on even if it never goes away 100%."

No worries, buddy. Being in the porn industry has given me some pretty tough skin! I don't know if I would call it unrequited love; maybe downright obsession is a better word! Everything was so intertwined that it was usually pretty difficult to tell where the business and friendship weren't destroying each other. I was pretty obsessed with satisfying our supporters and continuing our growth and success while he grew more and more complacent with our success. My drive to constantly do better than we had previously done was often met with opposition- not just from Austin, though.

[ZaneMich]

@babekitty says:
"Interesting to see that people are starting to point out what many of us believed to be true for a long time. I'm one of the few people here that has not read the book yet, simply because I don't have any extra money right now. I would like to read it at some point though. However, as a big fan who followed them closely in interviews, live chats, and saw all of their scenes I consistently got the same impression from watching their videos...that maybe Zane had started to fall in love with him or had at least become extremely emotionally invested in him on a different level.

Regardless of what is revealed in the book clearly most people saw something there, beyond physical intimacy. No one can deny that it was a major reason they were a popular pairing, because they had this undeniable "thing" between them. Maybe whatever it was couldn't be easily labeled or defined but it was clearly there and did come across in their scenes. The majority of people were always surprised when they found out that Austin/Zane were actually straight friends. Unless a person is completely ignorant I honestly don't think most people thought that they were bisexual or gay only because they were having sex. I don't ever assume a porn star is gay simply because they have gay sex on camera, it's more complex than that. So it wasn't the sex, to me it was how they were together and the underlying emotion in their scenes.

My intention is not to disrespect Zane either, if he says he's straight than I have to take his word because only he knows. Sometimes relationships are perceived differently from the outside looking in. Maybe we misread their situation the entire time and falsely believed Zane was into him. I guess it really doesn't matter at this point because it's over and done with. I'm just stating that from everything I saw over the years it was difficult to believe that they were only really good actors and there was no emotional attachment beyond friendship. Essentially if there was never anything there, Zane needs to become an actor because he's damn good at conveying emotional connections."

As far as I know, the book is free to Amazon Prime members but I have no clue how to become one. As far as me being emotionally invested into Austin on a different level, it's hard for me to answer that the way I want to without sounding entirely disrespectful to him. I will just say that I think I've come to the conclusion that he is not emotionally invested in very much at all- the last time I spoke with him in person, he seemed to regret some of his decisions as far as not selling the company behind my back. He actually called himself heartless. I told him I didn't think that was the case but I also haven't spoke to his since.

The undeniable "thing" between us when we filmed was something that we both addressed pretty frequently when discussing our filming schedule. Since I yielded all of the customer service emails, I knew that any scene that we filmed together was the main reason people subscribed. Financially, it was the best choice since we didn't have to pay models or purchase flights. For me personally, I never liked "breaking in" the new guys and we both agreed that it was always easier to film with just the two of us. That "thing" you speak of, for me it was always a sense of comfortability. The shoots were quicker, easier, and I always knew what to expect- those were the easy shoots. Sure there was chemistry, but it was mostly based from being comfortable and being able to relax during a shoot.
As far as me being a good actor, there were a handful of shoots that I actually despised and just couldn't wait to get them over with. If you could never tell, then maybe there is some truth to your statement

[ZaneMich]

I'll reply to some more tomorrow, until then, feel free to post some of my pics on here- I haven't quite got a hand on the new JUB image system just yet! Thanks everybody!

[PhunkSpunk]

[babekitty]

Thank you Zane for starting this new topic. It's truly disappointing that the AustinZane site has fallen apart. I definitely want to stay up-to-date on what's happening with you. Good idea starting this thread! I've said it before but you're awesome for being so open and talking with us. There are so many things I've wondered about over the years. It's very cool that you're willing to chat with us here.

I have a few questions for you, is Austin still living in Vegas or did he go back to his hometown? I'm curious because this partnership falling apart obviously has a big impact on your lives. You almost have to start over to a certain extent. After spending years in Las Vegas running a company and being your own boss I can imagine it would be difficult when it ends. It seems like you have been adjusting well to life back in Ohio. Based on what you've said I wonder if Austin is not adjusting quite so well. From an outsiders perspective I think he took for granted what he had in Vegas. Most people would love to own their own company and be there own boss. He grew complacent, so instead of working to better his own company he will have to work to better someone else's company. Not as fun.

It sounds like there may have already been many problems in the relationship/business partnership prior to this but did Austin becoming a father just add to the problems? I remember watching the interview with 2Guys2Xtreme back in 2011 and when Austin announced that he was becoming a father my immediate thought was that it would affect the business. Like you've said it's difficult to separate personal relationships from the business. How much did that affect an already broken business partnership?

I could probably come up with about a million questions to ask you but I don't want to overstep too many boundaries. So please tell me if that's the case and I will completely understand. Thanks again!

[braex27]

Hey - I think it's fantastic you've started a thread on JUB. You have plenty of fans here.

And that begs the questions - any plans to get back into porn?

[ZaneMich]

I have a few questions for you, is Austin still living in Vegas or did he go back to his hometown? I'm curious because this partnership falling apart obviously has a big impact on your lives. You almost have to start over to a certain extent. After spending years in Las Vegas running a company and being your own boss I can imagine it would be difficult when it ends. It seems like you have been adjusting well to life back in Ohio. Based on what you've said I wonder if Austin is not adjusting quite so well. From an outsiders perspective I think he took for granted what he had in Vegas. Most people would love to own their own company and be there own boss. He grew complacent, so instead of working to better his own company he will have to work to better someone else's company. Not as fun.

It sounds like there may have already been many problems in the relationship/business partnership prior to this but did Austin becoming a father just add to the problems? I remember watching the interview with 2Guys2Xtreme back in 2011 and when Austin announced that he was becoming a father my immediate thought was that it would affect the business. Like you've said it's difficult to separate personal relationships from the business. How much did that affect an already broken business partnership?

I could probably come up with about a million questions to ask you but I don't want to overstep too many boundaries. So please tell me if that's the case and I will completely understand. Thanks again!

Yes, Austin is still in Las Vegas. Yea, starting over wasn't fun but I'm doing it The first couple weeks were really tough just trying to fill my time with other stuff- AZ was a 24/7 job for me that was my entire life for the past couple years. Overall, coming back to Ohio has given me time to clear my head, detach from that situation, and reconnect with my family which I had grown somewhat distant from- mostly because my career wasn't something I could speak openly with them about. Now, whenever we have family gatherings, it's a huge joke about me doing porn. They have all accepted it and now we just laugh at it!

I've heard a few bits and pieces about how Austin is doing but I really don't know for sure. I would guess from what I've heard that he's probably kicking himself pretty hard right now and wishing he didn't let things go the way he did- we had it pretty good for a while.

I don't think him becoming a father became a problem, at least not physically. It may have had a mental affect on him, but that never directly affected the business. Mentally, he may have started distancing himself more but that dynamic wasn't a huge time-stealer of any sort. His job was pretty simple. Film, edit, and upload 1 video per week. Many times, he wasn't around when I would film the new models so It could have taken as little as 1 solid day to do his entire job for the week. He had a pretty cush situation that paid him very well. That was very frustrating for me.

[ZaneMich]

Hey - I think it's fantastic you've started a thread on JUB. You have plenty of fans here.

And that begs the questions - any plans to get back into porn?

I don't have any *plans* to get back into porn. I have received several interesting offers from several studios. One studio was pretty adamant on paying whatever we wanted to get Austin and I to work for them but something tells me that's not going to pan out lol

[PhunkSpunk]

Do you get down to Columbus much? They have a pretty happening gay community down there -- seems like there's a lot more going on then just a party scene.

You seemed pretty tight with Pete and the Corbin boys. Any chance you'd do a scene with Dawson or Connor?

[ZaneMich]

Connor is actually a good friend of mine! I'm sure I could make that happen if I wanted too!

[PhunkSpunk]

don't know what to say here. on one level i think it'd be great if you went to vegas for a long weekend, had a roll or two with some of corbin's cuties, and picked up some mad-money.



those lips . . . i think you'd like . . .

on the other, i think it's great you're back home in the heartland, away from the bright lights, big city, reconnecting with kith & kin & all that. will that work for the long-haul?

[aphs6079]

Zane, I just want you to know that I loved your site - your smile and furry chest kept me as a member. You were also so passionate about what ever you did - kissing, sucking, topping or bottoming. I also loved that you seemed to enjoy taking a load in your mouth or cleaning off a cummy cock. You had some very hot videos with Austin but one of my favorites was when you got to enjoy Austin Wilde's big dick. You took it like a trooper and seemed to enjoy it. Was it as pleasurable having sex with him as you made it seem?

[braex27]

In line with other comments, I think it'd be great if you took a tumble with a few of the Corbin boys.

[CoverModel]

Are you planning on continuing with porn?

[LuvFindsAndyHardy]

This chow chow is all well and good, but this thread needs some pictures of the delicious Mr. Michaels to give it a lil' ZING!

[LuvFindsAndyHardy]

[LuvFindsAndyHardy]

[LuvFindsAndyHardy]

[LuvFindsAndyHardy]

[LuvFindsAndyHardy]

[LuvFindsAndyHardy]

[ZaneMich]

Zane, I just want you to know that I loved your site - your smile and furry chest kept me as a member. You were also so passionate about what ever you did - kissing, sucking, topping or bottoming. I also loved that you seemed to enjoy taking a load in your mouth or cleaning off a cummy cock. You had some very hot videos with Austin but one of my favorites was when you got to enjoy Austin Wilde's big dick. You took it like a trooper and seemed to enjoy it. Was it as pleasurable having sex with him as you made it seem?

Would it be horrible of me to say that I don't totally remember it?? I'm sure it was fine but I think at that point I was having a million thoughts running through my mind of how we were going to be working with them on their future website. I think I personally connected better with Anthony but it was a better idea to not pair up the two "bottoms" lol

[PhunkSpunk]

So many of you guys are handy with tools. I think you should team up with some other gay4payers who do general contracting work and approach Bravo about making a reality series about rehabing homes for rich queens with disposable income.

[Singularity]

So many of you guys are handy with tools. I think you should team up with some other gay4payers who do general contracting work and approach Bravo about making a reality series about rehabing homes for rich queens with disposable income.

Funny you should say that. I was watching a couple of videos the other day from MyStraightBuddy and some of them had the guys setting up some stuff/objects, cleaning the patio, garage, etc. buck-naked.

Another great idea for a gay porn site concept.

[native352]

I have really enjoyed following your comments and I am happy that ZM continues to appreciate and communicate with his fan base. I have to go back and reread your book which I bought and read when it was first published ( seems like a lifetime ago now) because there are three questions I have which I don't think were answered in your book.

1. Apollo was really whose dog?

2. It seems to me that the chemistry and working arrangement began to deteriorate between Jared and Wade when they ceased to share an apartment and began to work from two different locations.

3. Austin (Max) was the one who bottomed for Zane (Tucker) on the evil one's site. Tucker never bottomed until his cherry busting video on AustinZane. After the initial bottoming test video and, if I remember correctly, two others including memorably the flip flop, Austin continued to refuse to bottom despite continual requests from members to do so. I wonder if that was part reinforcing of his fear of being perceived as anything less than straight.

[ZaneMich]

1. Apollo was really whose dog?

That was his dog.

2. It seems to me that the chemistry and working arrangement began to deteriorate between Jared and Wade when they ceased to share an apartment and began to work from two different locations.

I think things were somewhat strained from the get-go but living separately definitely made things extremely difficult to manage,

3. Austin (Max) was the one who bottomed for Zane (Tucker) on the evil one's site. Tucker never bottomed until his cherry busting video on AustinZane. After the initial bottoming test video and, if I remember correctly, two others including memorably the flip flop, Austin continued to refuse to bottom despite continual requests from members to do so. I wonder if that was part reinforcing of his fear of being perceived as anything less than straight.

I'm not sure. But it really started to show his lack of dedication to the company but I tried my best to work around it,

[litper]

I wonder if that was part reinforcing of his fear of being perceived as anything less than straight.

hey, it's only gay if the balls touch!

[Steamer]

Damn you have nice teeth.

[bbjohn]

Hahaha! I was gonna say the same thing, Steamer.

Zane, did bottoming ever become in the least enjoyable, or was it always, close your eyes and think of England?

[PhunkSpunk]

Ironically, bottoming might be the one act that a straight guy might enjoy.

I think the enjoyment of anal stimulation/penetration and sexual orientation are independent variables. Most high-end escorts have a toy or two in their purse in the event a client likes that kind of thing. And of course lots of gay guys don't -- they're called 'tops'.

[bbjohn]

True, Phunk. Good old Logan(sigh) wasn't shy about admitting the pleasure he got from getting dicked. It's a question I wonder about with most of the g4p guys. Other than Logan and Aiden it seems most of the guys are a bit sheepish about admitting their enjoyment of being on the receiving end of buttsecks. It makes 'em (whispered) g-a-y dontcha know.

[statsguy]

^^ The three explanations at cf that I like are:

• Harper in the pa talking about being fucked (for the first time) by Connor. When they get to the point that Harper is cuming (in a rather big way) while being fucked, Harper says in the pa "there's nothing fake about that."
• Kent's comment that he prefers to top, but he cums a lot more when he bottoms.
• Lucas' matter of fact explanation, "it hurts a little at first and then it feels real good"

I suspect that there's more conversations about this bts, but the discussions are deemed inappropriate for viewers. And as you say, the models may not want to talk about it.

I do get a little tired of Pete's giddiness about popping a freshman's cherry (as he says). He's almost sadistic about it. I prefer Connor's attitude which is he enjoys watching a guy go from being fearful of being fucked and having it hurt, to discovering that it can feel really good. I often wonder which models do get pleasure out of bottoming and which don't. I'll be curious to see what Zane has to say on the subject.

[braex27]

Damn you have nice teeth.

I am so glad someone else picked up on this. The teeth are amazing!

[ZaneMich]

Yea, there were a few times/positions that I enjoyed but that never took the apprehension away. Sometimes I was just downright afraid and others hurt like hell!

[litper]

Omg, poor thing is so afraid of being gay....

[ZaneMich]

Omg, poor thing is so afraid of being gay....

Clearly. In fact, I was so afraid of being gay that I decided to create a gay porn company with my name on it, record myself having gay sex and then paste it all over the Internet for the world to see... That's how I face my fears!

You are an idiot and a troll.

[ZaneMich]

In response to the reality show talk, you will actually get to meet some of my crazy family on a new reality show on TLC!

[PhunkSpunk]

one of the trade secrets/rumors i'd be interested in having either verified or repudiated is butt prep for rimming. do they stick peppermint oil or something similar on it so it doesn't taste like butt?

bottoming: extensive foreplay -- too extensive for a 20 minute porn scene -- can make all the difference. however sometimes if you're super horny and really want it, it just goes right in!

ain't lipter a peach?

[ZaneMich]

Hahaha I've never heard of peppermint oil but I'm sure that would help! We just always showered extensively right before a scene! I would buy certain body washes and soaps that smelled better but never really used anything for taste hahaha

[Leosno1fan]

Zane if Austin proposed to you tomorrow what would your answer be?

[Singularity]

Yea, there were a few times/positions that I enjoyed but that never took the apprehension away. Sometimes I was just downright afraid and others hurt like hell!

Afraid how and from what?

In response to the reality show talk, you will actually get to meet some of my crazy family on a new reality show on TLC!

Oh, please don't!

[LpoolEd]

Great to see Zane back chatting...I don't know about returning to porn but I would certainly think long and hard about doing any 'bareback' scenes which a lot sites seem to be doing now, Sean Cody, Corbin Fisher, CockyBoys etc....it is just way too dangerous.

[ZaneMich]

Zane if Austin proposed to you tomorrow what would your answer be?

Negative, ghost rider. Now that I've been removed from the business for a period of time, I've been able to see the type of person he is without having to worry about how my reaction would affect our business. I actually don't care to ever see him again.

[PhunkSpunk]

for the record you're ten times cuter than him

[borg69unimatrix]

You're adorable!!

[bbjohn]

Go on with your bad self, Phunk! But I must say I agree with you. I feel like an old skeezy perv, but Zane is a major cutie! Thanks for the upfront answers, Zane. It's sad that your deep friendship, or what you thought was a deep friendship at the time, ended so badly. Been there. Done that. Got the t-shirt and bumper sticker. But we connected after several years and now are buds again. I wish the same for the two of you.

[Leosno1fan]

Negative, ghost rider. Now that I've been removed from the business for a period of time, I've been able to see the type of person he is without having to worry about how my reaction would affect our business. I actually don't care to ever see him again.

Thanks for your answer! Interesting that you didn't say "Um, dude no because I'm straight"

[MatrixNJ]

>>>In response to the reality show talk, you will actually get to meet some of my crazy family on a new reality show on TLC! >>>

Really? OMG. Say hi to Honey Boo Boo for me. *For the record, I've only seen one episode of that show. LOL.