Mike Quasar Interview: Piracy, ‘Closing Time’ & More

Director Mike Quasar describes himself as the “reluctant pornographer.” His sly, sardonic sense of humor pervades many of his movies. And he gained some of his most prominent mainstream exposure yet with his participation in Jon Ronson’s widely discussed Butterfly Effect podcast. Go inside the mind of this porn master in this new Adult Empire interview (and don’t miss Quasar’s latest movie, Wicked‘s Closing Time, now available on AE as a VOD exclusive through 6/14/19)!

Give us the reasoning behind your self-proclaimed title “reluctant pornographer.”

Long story short: I never sought out being in the porn industry. As a matter of fact, I tried to escape several times in the mid-nineties, but like Pacino in Godfather III — “Every time I try to get out, they pull me back in!” Also, I think one of the qualifications for being a good pornographer is also being a pervert, which sadly I am not, so my approach to porn is very clinical. I know what shots to get. Apparently no one can tell that I’m not also aroused at the same time. 

You’ve been in the industry a long time. Can you give us some insight on the ups and downs you’ve seen happen in the industry throughout the years?

The downs have been that it was once a very exclusive industry, almost a secret club that very few knew the secret handshake to. Now everyone with an iPhone is a “content producer.” Also, the crippling effect of piracy on the traditional studios. Strangely, in the era of free porn there are ironically so many more ways too monetize. They’re are girls today making five times what girls made 20 years ago just from their Snapchat. Even though I’m now a dinosaur, I have never been more in demand as a camera op/director in my entire career. 

What does a typical day look like for you?

A typical day is waking up, usually shocked that I’m still alive due to my massive drinking problem, I drink about five cups of coffee and then drive off to my location where I mostly turn on autopilot and shoot another porn movie. It’s a gift that I’ve been doing this for so many years that no one can tell when I’m phoning it in. 

Give us the run down on your band, The Cocks. How long have you been together? Do you have any groupies? How many shows do you do a month? Where did you meet your fellow band members?

When I originally moved to LA, it was with the band I was in. We struggled for a few years here and then the music scene changed dramatically and we hung it up. I was 24. At 48, an old acquaintance told me her fiancé’s band needed a drummer. They were called the Cocks. They had a very flamboyantly gay lead singer and most of their songs were comedically about promiscuous gay sex. It was just ridiculous enough for me to be interested and now we’ve got a decent following and usually play around LA twice a month. 

Is there a certain type of porn that you like directing best?

Without taking anything away from the people who pay me to shoot it — I am very appreciative- I am very bored and uninspired shooting the current trend of “step” porn. I get it done, though. I check all of the boxes required and move on. Wicked gave me an opportunity to write actual stories with believable characters and since shooting for them I have made several movies that I am extremely proud of, Closing Time being one of them.I definitely prefer shooting features, so much so that I am sometimes disappointed that I have to put sex in them. 

What are some of your tips and tricks for making the most out of a porn movie budget?

You have to do most of the work yourself. In many cases I am the camera man, still photographer, lighting person, and editor. With Wicked I have a small crew and we work efficiently to cover as much ground as possible. Also, for me, the writing is the most important part. If there’s a good story, you don’t have to spend a million dollars. Without a good story, you just have drone shots and mansion exteriors for no reason. 

How did you come up with the concept for Closing Time?

I was discussing ways to make Wicked’s feature movies more episodic with Axel Braun and he suggested I pick a theme that I could revisit where the story can pick up again. He originally suggested something music related but I decided to go with my other passion; alcohol. Hence, the series is set in a busy tavern. 

Tell us about selecting the cast for Closing Time – did you have stars in mind for these roles?

Periodically I “discover” amazing girls that perhaps some other directors wouldn’t necessarily think of to cast as a lead in a feature. Lacy Lennon was someone I had been shooting a lot in gonzo movies and “step” movies and I thought she was both stunning and very smart. I knew she’d be great in a lead role and I was absolutely right. Whitney Wright I had also been shooting a lot and she has been in some of my features for Wicked so I knew she would be great as the co-lead. She is beautiful for sure but also one of the funniest and quirkiest people I know. When I was writing the script, I was able to write with both their voices in mind, which is something I love to do because the dialogue is literally written for them only. I think the performances are more believable in the end. 

Did you face any roadblocks when directing Closing Time?

The only roadblock was not getting done by 10 p.m. on the first day of shooting because that’s my hard rule for myself and the crew. In the early days I was on sets until 5 a.m. and I will never do that again so I schedule everything so that everyone knows we will work hard all day but leave at a reasonable time. I think we wrapped at 10:30 that day. 

If you got the opportunity to remake a classic porn film, which one would you choose?

Other than the classic Andrew Blake movies, I’m not such a fan of porn that I would want to remake anything and his movies are perfect as they are. 

Can you talk a little about the Butterfly Effect podcast?  

I was approached by Jon Ronson’s producer Lina Mitsitzis regarding a project for audible.com regarding the effects of free porn on people like myself. I am always suspicious of “mainstream” people wanting to do stories about the industry but she immediately struck me as earnest and genuine and ultimately has become one of my best friends. Jon was a pleasure to work with. He came in with no agenda and just wanted to tell a compelling story, which he did brilliantly. I was surprised and honored that I was featured in so much of it. The final segment where I got to speak with Fabian Thylman, the architect of free porn, was a personal triumph for me. I got to tell him what I had wanted to for so many years but I also came away with a begrudging respect for him. He saw things coming that were inevitable with or without him and seized the moment. 

What did you think of Jon Ronson’s follow-up porn podcast about August Ames? If Ronson delves into porn again, what area do you think he should cover?

The Last Days of August is difficult to listen to because of the subject matter and for those of us who knew August but once again, I think he did a brilliant job telling all of the different sides to the story. He very ethically says early on in the podcast that he’s not setting the listener up for a “gotcha” moment where we find out there was definitive evidence of foul play. It’s not a murder/mystery type of thing. It’s a sad story of a beautiful girl from rural Canada who lost her way. As for future topics, I think porn is tapped out for Jon. There’s really nothing else to tell at this point. 

In your view, what is porn’s most effective means of battling piracy in 2019 and beyond?

There is no way to effectively battle piracy anymore. As I said to Fabian in The Butterfly Effect, the problem isn’t that my porn is being uploaded for free — I can get it taken down, at least temporarily — the problem is everyone else’s content is being uploaded for free. There’s so much free porn it doesn’t matter who it belongs to. Outside of superfine, most people don’t know who shot or directed what. They’re just looking for two minutes of something to jerk off to. At this point it’s a “if you can’t beat ’em, join ’em” scenario. Continue to sell to the people who are still willing to pay but try to monetize the stuff you can’t control any way you can. Pornhub knows they can’t just go on stealing porn indefinitely. Eventually they’ll be nothing left to steal. They are basically becoming the Spotify of porn. You get paid far less than what you should but at least you get something. 

Tell people why it’s important to pay for their porn.

People should pay because like in any other business, the people that create the product have families and bills and responsibilities. As much as some people like to suggest what we do is “art,” art doesn’t put gas in your car. 

What other upcoming projects are you working on?

I am presently shooting my 36 scenes a month for Zero Tolerance while also doing camera duties for Joanna Angel and Jacky St. James and at some point I have to write the sequel to Closing Time because it’s on the calendar for next month! I just wrapped another movie for Wicked called Upon Further Reflection which I am very proud of. It [came out] on May 22. Other than that, I working on having enough from time to maybe one day go feed some ducks or something. 

Browse Mike Quasar porn videos here.

Mike Quasar image courtesy Twitter