Matt Slayer Interview: Porn Podcaster

Matt Slayer hosts the And Now We Drink podcast, a freewheeling, fun-loving interview show that has spotlighted Leana Lovings, Natasha Nice, and other notable pornstars. He’s also boasted other overlap with the industry over the years, including some significant non-sex roles in adult movies. We’re pleased to present a new blog interview with Matt!

Your IMDB bio mentions, “Matt Slayer has a knack for finding the dingiest corner of a stranger-filled bar and coming out of it with a story and a friend.” What’s the key to getting people to open up?

People open up to me because I always come into conversations informally with a lack of judgment. Alcohol is a great conversational lubricant. Everyone has different life experiences and I try hard to be understanding. How and why people got to this moment is essential.

What’s your favorite thing about your home state of Illinois?

I love Chicago – the late-night bars and the food. I’ll go to my grave telling people Chicago is a great town to get fat in.

What was the first porn movie and pornstar to make a big impression on you?

Dream Quest with Jenna Jameson. I saw the playboy tv cut, and it held up as a movie. The features Wicked and DP were putting out around that time was serious filmmaking. They just happened to have people fucking in it.

Tell us about the behind-the-scenes and editing roles you’ve taken in the adult industry.

I started off as a roadie for performers hitting conventions and the feature circuit. I’ve worked as a PA for several companies over the years. I shot camera on a scene for Woodrocket‘s Naked in Public that got my camera work edited out cause the sex scene was too controversial for release. These days I’m editing OF and custom content for a handful of performers. Maybe one day, I’ll get to edit a full feature.

You’ve played several non-sex roles in porn movies (Jews Love Black Cock, The Set Up). Tell us about those experiences.

With Jews, hats off to Joanna Angel for wanting to book actual Jews in the Jewish roles; otherwise, my part 100% would have gone (and rightfully so) to Tommy Pistol. I remember getting a text from Joanna asking me if I could act. I figured it should be easy.

I kept flubbing the damn accent, and I’m reasonably sure if Mike Quasar had to do one more take with me, I might not be here to give this interview. The Set Up was the first time I had worked for Stormy Daniels, and she runs a tight ship. That process was different from other sets previously worked on – it was great. Stormy even allowed me to improv my lines on several takes.

I’ve been booked in a couple of scenes where I’ve played the performer’s father, and nothing makes you feel old like finding out your co-star’s age and realizing you’ve been sexually active longer than they’ve been alive. I could be their father. Weird.

How did your And Now We Drink podcast come about?

And Now We Drink grew naturally out of where I was in my life at the time. So, in addition to the work I was doing in the industry, I was working as a private investigator. During my day, I ended up getting into podcasts. What else will you do when you have 6-8 hours of sitting in your car? I figured, I know a lot of interesting people, I like talking. I’m a white dude with a beard in LA. This means I’m supposed to do a podcast, right? In March of 2016, I ended up at a party at Joanna Angel‘s place and bullshitting with my friend Draven Star. I drunkenly pitched that we start a podcast. I don’t know if Draven thought I was serious or not, but I went home and ordered gear off Amazon, which showed a couple of days later. Then the show’s original version was off to the races with Small Hands as the first guest.

What were some of your show’s most memorable pornstar interview moments?

Some of the most memorable moments for me are the ones you’ll never get to see. There are a couple guests I can’t name here as they were so wild I was asked not to air the episodes. Sometimes, booze and a non-judgmental environment lead people to forget that cameras and mics are rolling. I still giggle at the thought of Kiki D’aire pulling her top open as she sang “A Whole New World” from Aladdin. There was the redacted episode incident where a performer propositioned me on air, and we went and hooked up and then went back on the mic to talk about it. There was an episode with Kit Mercer and Alexis Tae that almost turned into a scene by the end. I had to cut to my camera for a couple of mins as there was no platform I was hosted on at the time that would have been viable for hardcore GG action. There has been a lot of drunken chaos over the years.

What podcasts do you enjoy listening to?

• Legion of Skanks

• Bertcast

• Doug Loves Movies

• After Adult

What pornstar, past or present, would you like to interview on your show?

Well shit, I’d still love to have Stormy Daniels on, which was something we had discussed a few years back but never came to fruition. Angela White would be absolutely great to have on. I owe her that much as she’s directly responsible for me ever tasting vegemite. To round it out I’d love to have Chloe Cherry as a guest. I have a lot of love for Euphoria.

Over the years, how have you witnessed the industry changing?

Well, when I first got in, DVDs, and being on box covers was what people strived for. Most work was studio work, and the tube sites were the devil. Slowly the biz shifted towards performer-created content as the camera tech has gotten more accessible and more inexpensive. The biz is the hustler’s marketplace now, and the days of waiting around to be booked are gone. If you want to make a living, you have to be your own mini-production company.

What are your go-to, preferred drinks?

W.L. Weller special reserve on the rocks.

Elijah Craig on the rocks.

A good New York sour. If you’re in Los Angeles, go to Lost Property in Hollywood, and they make a mean one.

Why do you think porn remains so stigmatized by mainstream media, even in 2022?

I feel that the stigmas surrounding porn are smaller than they once were but part of it just has to do with America’s relationship with sex in general. Americans still have a lot of double standards when it comes to sex. Violence is okay to show en masse, but sex for whatever weird puritanical reason has to remain behind closed doors. Sex is taboo to talk about it even though we all got here from it and hopefully everyone gets to enjoy it. Since sex continues to be taboo in America due to the combination of poor education and religious bullshit. For the mainstream media, it’s business, craft the product that will sell. If that involves shaming and stigmatizing porn and sex workers, they don’t care as long as they can push their product. As society shifts hopefully porn will be normalized enough that stigmatizing it will no longer generate clicks.

Tell us about your favorite video games.

I’ve become a huge fan of social deduction party games Like Goose Goose Duck and Among Us. I can fall into marathon sessions of Paradox’s strategy games like Crusader Kings 3 and Stellaris. A couple of weeks ago, I started a CK3 game, and 14 hours later, I realized I hadn’t slept. Whoops.

Follow Matt Slayer’s podcast here.