Lost Boys: Vintage Images of J.D. Slater

Lost Boys: 

Vintage Images of J.D. Slater

J.D. Slater hardly qualifies as a lost boy, for how can you be lost if you never went away? 

A long-term mainstay of the industry, his is an interesting story; sort of what happens in life while you're busy making other plans. He never intended to pursue a porn career and yet... in many ways, it became his life's work - both in front of and behind the camera.

J.D. Slater
Birthdate: 1954/1955

Hair: Brown/Balding

Eyes: Grey Blue

Years Active: 1981-2011

Actor: 165

Director: 70

Studios: Watershed Productions, Raging Stallion, Falcon, HIS, LeSalon, Hand-In-Hand, Bijou, Vivid, LA Video, etc.

J.D. Slater was born in Long Island and raised, as he describes it, as a “good little Catholic schoolboy.” Post-high school, he attended UCLA, where he earned a Bachelor’s degree in Psychology. After that accomplishment, he moved on to  Fordham University in New York, earning himself a Master’s degree in Clinical Psychology.

He claims it was never his intention to go into porn. In an interview, he said "porno was the farthest thing from my mind. I was expecting to be a psychotherapist." And his entry into the industry was hardly a typical one. Before he ever stepped in front of a camera, he served as an editor for the legendary Blueboy magazine. In addition he ran a promotional company and was the lead singer in a band called Frenzy.

His first appearance was in 1981 in the movie HandSome. After a casual photo taken by a friend who was a photographer landed Slater on the cover of Numbers magazine, director Joe Gage (AKA Tim Kincaid) saw it and demanded that Slater appear in his current film. The magazine cover in tandem with the film served as a launching pad for Slater's porn career. Soon he was being sought after by some of the biggest names in the industry, including Wakefield Poole. 

(Selected filmography, as a performer)

1981 

HandSome
Hunk

New York Men

1982 

Hollywood Hunks

1984

Need It Bad
In Heat
One, Two, Three...

1985 

And The Heat Goes On
Bring Your Own Man
Caribbean Cruising

Encounters Of A Different Kind
Hot Roomers
International Skin
Shooting Stars 5: J.D. Slater
Stud Busters
Two By Ten
Voyeur  
What The Big Boys Eat

1986 

Bait
Chip Off the Old Block
Dynastud
Hard
My Masters
Nightcrawler: A Leather Sex Fantasy
Star Shots 6: J.D. Slater
Video Games 10: Cum And Cum Again 3

1987 

Daddies Plaything
 
1988 

A Night Alone With Al Parker
Barebacked Leather Dogs
Breaker Blue
Crazed
Custom 8: Erotic History Of Christopher Rage 2
Frank Vickers 2: Worship
Guilty
Ranch Hand
Soul And Salsa

1989 

Bears And Cubs
Confessions
Mud! Apocalypse Again

Soul And Salsa 2

1991 

Bad Boys
J.D. Slater Top to Bottom

2001 

SexPack Three: Lewd Developments

2003 

Porn Star Is Born

But, again, Slater proved to not be your average porn star. While on set, he paid attention, learning all aspects of filmmaking. 

Subsequently, he started to direct and produce. "In 1986, I'd established my image, and learned how to make a film. So I started directing and producing." Yet directing and producing still was not enough, and by 1990 he owned and was operating his own production company. 

His desire for autonomy in the industry was driven by his dissatisfaction with the films he was being offered by other companies. By 1990, Slater felt that the industry had become stale. Gay porn? Sterile and lifeless. He longed to make what he referred to as "big guerilla filmmaking things". 

Operating on his own, Slater created films such as Smut, Motorsexual and Confessions. His dream project, 1990's Guilty marked the launch of his own production company, Watershed Productions. 

It also nearly landed him in jail. 

Copies of the film Guilty that he'd shipped to England were seized and declared obscene. Slater now found himself looking at 25 years if convicted. In addition he found himself facing, "Senate investigations, indictments and extradition attempts to (not one, but) two foreign nations."

It was during this same period that he faced challenges of a more personal nature. In 1989, Slater was diagnosed with cancer, HIV and tuberculosis all in one blow. It would be an understatement to say it was a lot to deal with all at once.

Fortunately for Slater, his good standing in the gay porn community would be his saving grace. As he recounted in an open letter written to GAYVN in 2006, "When my family had abandoned me and the government had cut off all subsidies, it was the people I had spent years working with who rode in like the cavalry, nursing me back to health and ultimately giving me the strength and support to carry on."

And carry on, he did. After dealing with his illnesses and legal woes, Slater, with Chris Ward, would found Raging Stallion Studios in 1999. It was also at this time that he began to concentrate on his music once more, creating soundtracks for the studio's films. Raging Stallion became one of the major  adult film studios in the world. Later, Michael Brandon would be brought on as co-owner.  

In 2006, there was an incident at the GAYVN Awards ceremony. The winner for picture of the year, Lucas Entertainment's Michael Lucas, told the crowd "Fuck you!", which didn't sit well with Slater, who promptly threw a drink in Lucas's face. Slater later apologized in an open letter to GAYVN members, explaining his actions. 

Slater has an incredible body of work to his credit; having performed in an astonishing 165 films and directed 70.  He is a member of both The GAYVN Hall of Fame and The Grabby Awards Hall of Fame. In 2009, Raging Stallion merged with AEBN/NakedSword.com. AEBN subsequently purchased Falcon Studios in 2012, which was helmed by Chris Ward until his retirement in November of 2015. 

In 2009, he released a CD entitled Western Skies and Eyes of Blue. His self-named website has since been shuttered. 

As of 2021, his whereabouts remain unknown. 

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On occasion I would see Slater's picture and wonder who he was. 

After researching him? 

Still not sure I have the whole story. But something tells me he likes it that way.

Pictures of him are hard to find. Below, is the best I could do. He's pretty much dropped off the radar. Lots of old profile pages on the net have been cleared of pics and information. I suppose when you've spent as many years a part of the industry as he has, he has some clout. 

I remember his films - shelving them at the video store I worked at on Lake Street. His balding pate? I found it sex as hell, along with his porn stache. He looked dirty and testosterone-filled.

I still own a copy of Chip Off The Old Block. It is one of my all-time faves. I also remember Dynastud. 

Let's all hope he's alive, healthy and doing well. 

That's all for now...

Thank you for reading. 

A Different Corner - George Michael

Turn The Page - Bob Seger