Social Lubricant: A Conversation With Markus Kage

You may wonder how a straight man becomes a gay porn star. For Markus Kage, it started after he quit mixed martial arts––a gradual outcome of self-sabotage. With a rippling body vibrating with testosterone, Kage decided to become a stripper. Though he danced for women, it didn’t take long before he was being pawned off on gay friends who were looking for a slice of the beefcake.

“I got paid $500 to let this guy blow me one night,” Kage recalls. “He was annoyingly confident in his skills and bet me it’d be the best blowjob I ever had. So, I wagered that if he couldn’t make me cum within 30 minutes, he had to pay me. Needless to say, I was proven correct.”

From stripping, Kage got into modeling, where he began working among people in porn. When modeling wasn’t paying the bills, he grew more curious about the adult industry and soon found gay scenes were more ample and lucrative. Having already engaged in some gay-for-pay activity as a stripper, Kage wasn’t concerned as long as he was making good money. Now, Kage is a veritable porn star, working with the biggest names and studios in the industry.

RIDE spoke with Kage about internet trolls, being a straight man in gay porn, and the type of men he prefers to bottom for.

RIDE: Gays like to say: ‘A guy knows what a guy likes.’ So answer the question once and for all: Do men give better blowjobs than women?

Markus Kage: For me, not even close––women do it better. But while I have zero attraction to men, I also have an attraction to a very specific type of woman. So regardless of gender, if I’m not attracted to you, it really doesn’t matter how skilled you are.

RIDE: Now that you’re a popular gay porn performer, you mention that you’ve undergone a transformation of sorts, saying it has made you a better person. Can you explain what you’ve learned?

Markus Kage: It’s been a bit of a double-edged sword. I feel like I’ve changed in many positive ways, but I also feel like it’s worsened my narcissistic tendencies. Also, I wouldn’t say I am a true “giver of no fucks” just yet, but I am actively pushing to get there. And I can still be an emotional bitch sometimes––those keyboard warriors talking shit can actually hurt you! I feel like dealing with trolls has made me a stronger person emotionally. At first, I used to go off on haters, but I chose to grow up. (OK, I lied. Every single one of my social media accounts was deleted because I apparently broke their terms and conditions for this reason.)

RIDE: Speaking of trolls, a massive appeal to gay audiences is that you identify as straight. But you receive a lot of skepticism as well. How do you deal?

Markus Kage: Oh my God, yes! Never thought of the hate I would get from a small number of closed-minded individuals in the gay community. I would have thought that being part of a heavily judged and persecuted community would mean that they are very open and welcoming, but some took out misguided hatred towards me.

But I was fully aware of the fantasy many gay guys have of playing with a straight dude. I totally get it, forbidden fruit. But wow, some people have gone off online over me being straight, stealing money from gay performers, and lying to the fans.

When have I lied? I’ve been openly straight my whole life and have never pretended otherwise. It’s simple: if you don’t like what I create, don’t watch it. Anyone watching a movie is well aware that people are pretending to be other people to tell a goddamn story. Why the hell does anyone think porn would be different?

RIDE: You were a professional MMA fighter for nearly a decade, why did you decide to leave?

Markus Kage: Performance anxiety, which led to self-sabotage, which led to a severe self-hatred, and then depression. I got into fighting on a whim, back before the UFC had regularly scheduled PPV events. Once I discovered that “Holy fuck, I’m actually pretty good at this,” I got scared and skipped training sessions.

I would drive an hour to the gym, sit in the parking lot as the class started, staring at the clock in my car, then yell at myself, and drive home. Eventually, I was on a heavy dose of steroids and only lifted weights to get big, still taking pro fights.

A week before what could be said at the time was the biggest fight of my career, I went out drinking and got in my first and only ever street fight which landed me in jail with severe nerve damage in my neck.

After a few more injuries––tore my bicep off the bone––and more steroid use, I was feeling like shit and lost a few fights, which fucked with me. I was about ready to quit there, but before I did, I auditioned for an MMA reality show. The producers contacted me, loved me, flew me out to LA for the real audition. But, true to form, I self-sabotaged my ass off, came home, hated myself, and quit fighting.

RIDE: Do you prefer topping or bottoming, and why?

Markus Kage: Topping, for sure. It feels more natural to me, I can actually cum, and it’s not uncomfortable until the third hour [laughs]. With anal I’ve never felt this prostate nonsense I hear guys go on about. Mostly, it just feels like I’ve got to shit. With time and practice, I learned that I can relax, and I will not, in fact, shit. Who knew!

RIDE: It took a while before you were comfortable bottoming on camera. Now you’ve done several scenes. What changed?

Markus Kage: Since I genuinely had no interest in it, nor did I remotely enjoy it, I figured I’d hold out for as long as possible until the fans demanded it so that I could get a higher price tag for the virgin scene. But it didn’t pan out as such.

Cumming when not really into it can be difficult––add in a camera crew, some Trimix, and we got a dick that just refuses to cum sometimes. So, if I can’t climax more in my scenes I’m going to stop getting scenes and this will all have been for nothing. Cue taking it in the ass.

It was my call. I hadn’t cum a few scenes in a row, offered my ass in case the studio was getting tired of my lack of climax, and it worked. So I figured out the whole douching and warming up thing on my own. I recently made an anal prep tutorial post on my OnlyFans, I highly suggest everyone go check it the fuck out.

RIDE: You were once paid to poop on a plate for $300. What other odd requests have you received as an escort?

Markus Kage: I love how thorough you researched me! I’d have to say that was definitely the oddest. I get the normal stuff like making a personal jackoff video, say their name, cum on undies, and mail it to them. I haven’t had any of the odder requests some guys get, like purchasing old toenail clippings, or pubes. So, if anyone is out there with some obscure requests send them over!

RIDE: Is there a type of man you prefer to bottom for?

Markus Kage: Because of how I grew up (essentially in a very macho homophobic environment), I didn’t want to bottom for someone I could beat in a fight. I figured if you couldn’t kill me in hand-to-hand combat you didn’t deserve to fuck my ass.

But then I remembered I’m a fucking actor. I’m getting paid for this, the fans want it, and I smartened the fuck up. I will film with anyone for the most part. I’ve yet to show up on set and chosen not to go through with the scene because I wasn’t okay with who they put in front of me––or behind me, I guess.

I’d prefer a medium-size dick though if I have to make one suggestion. Too small feels like a finger poking at my asshole. Too big can fuck right off––I don’t need 12 inches checking what I had for lunch yesterday, and I don’t need a forearm ripping apart my little butthole. Somewhere in the middle, please and thank you.

Bobby Box is a freelance writer and editor. He writes about sex and relationships and men’s lifestyle topics for other publications and websites such as NewNowNext.com, Advocate.com, Bustle.com, AskMen, Playboy, Elle, MANdatory, Elite Daily, and more.