In the spring of 2009 I received a phone call from Stuart Davis, who asked if I would consider coming to Bratislava. The grand poobah of BAOL, Mr. George Duroy, had some work for me as a writer. Of course, I said yes! Only a fool would pass up a chance to spend several weeks in Central Europe hanging around BAOL's offices interviewing the employees, cameramen, editors, photographers and models of the most famous gay porn studio in the world.

One year later, I am writing these words from Bratislava and I am on my third working trip. I have just returned from lunch with Johan Paulik. As I work on material for the upcoming BAOL newsletters, I am also helping Johan edit subtitles for future documentaries. And I can't help but flash back 15 years or so, when I was new to the industry and Johan Paulik was among my most cherished erotic idols. Now here I am, sitting across the table from one of the most recognized porn stars in the world, talking about halusky and the antics of his yellow Labrador, Max. It is an example of the strange and wonderful turns one's life can take.

On my first visit, George invited me to lunch with several of the boys, including Josh Eliot, Luke Hamill and Johan. We ate at an Irish pub here in Bratislava Old Town. A few minutes after we sat down, Lukas Ridgeston himself arrived. His body is still fantastic and his eyes just as blue as sparkling sapphires.

As Lukas shook my hand and sat down, my sinuses instantly cleared up. Food tasted sweeter, and I do believe the ozone layer above us in the atmosphere closed up a little. Heads all around Lukas turned in his direction whenever he spoke; he has a mesmerizing effect on people and it was enjoyable to watch it again in person. We briefly met back in 2000, in Los Angeles, when he, George and Johan were inducted into the GAYVN Hall of Fame. I recall flashbulbs popping and people walking straight into walls, distracted by his beauty. It is quite a treat to get to know him a little as a human being, apart from the famous face and body.

I am now a 15-year veteran of the porn business and naturally quite bitter and jaded. But how can I not smile a little bit at my good fortune? Just this week, I arrived to find four new boys draped across the couch in George's front office. Each one of them was cuter than the last. Who needs coffee after such a sight?

In the past year, I have had the opportunity to give identical twins Milo and Elijah Peters their very first interview, which scandalized the porn industry. And now I have met the cousins of Henri Gaudin and Dolph Lambert, both of whom ought to provide BAOL a fresh round of pearl-clutching, as well as high praise, later this year.

I have interviewed Marty Stevens, who has known George Duroy the longest, almost 20 years, and was the subject of some of his earliest photo sessions. Marty says the man has not changed much in the intervening two decades. I believe this to be the truth, having now spent a considerable amount of time with the grand poobah here in Bratislava, as well as in BAOL's offices in Prague and Budapest. He keeps trying to convince me to leave my dissolute life in Los Angeles and move permanently to Europe. Who knows? It's Bel Ami and anything can happen.