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Those of you who read this column regularly are well aware of porn director and drag star Chi Chi LaRue. Practically every porn star I've ever interviewed has related a story about Chi Chi. And to Chi Chi's credit, every story I've heard has been a fond recollection.

I've interviewed the irrepressible porn-and-drag star several times (the first was for The Guide in 1993), and each time was a blast. Over the years, I've had only one problem when I sit down to write about Chi Chi: Which pronoun should I use? "He... she... I don't really care," LaRue once told me.

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Well, since this particular story starts with LaRue's pre-drag days, let's go with he and him. More importantly, let's get on with the story.

These days, it's LaRue who's telling tales about himself (along with co-writer John Erich) in Making It Big: Sex Stars, Porn Films, and Me (Alyson Books).

"You might think that when sex is your life and you have to direct it every day on the job, it would become tiresome after a while," he writes. "Well, maybe for some folks but not for me. The sight of two (or three or four or 15) perfectly sculpted men worshipping each other's bodies never, ever loses its charm for me. I could watch it every day for the rest of my life and die a happy man."

Indeed, the award-winning porn director has landed his dream job. In Making It Big, LaRue explains how he got there, and how he became a part-time she who has performed from Paris to Peoria.

Born in a small town in Minnesota, where the main source of employment was the iron mines, LaRue determined at a young age that he wasn't a 9-to-5 day-labor type. "It was where my nelly fag persona kicked in," he states.

From those days as a young "nelly fag," right up to the present, LaRue stresses that his parents and family have always given him unqualified support. "They all know what I am and what I do, and they have come to accept it. I may be closer to them now, in fact, than I ever have been," reports LaRue. "That's right, the drag queen porn director flies home to spend each Christmas with his loving Middle-American family."

Also back in Minnesota, the born-performer conceived the drag persona Chi Chi LaRue (known briefly as Chi Chi Box). According to LaRue, there's something we all need to know about drag queens: "They are, to a one, the cattiest of the catty. Drag queens combine the worst of men and the worst of women. They're vicious, territorial, backbiting bitches, and that's if they like you. They can be even worse if they don't." In the book, LaRue names names, separating the drag darlings from the drag downers.

LaRue also offers a firsthand blow-by-blow account of working on his favorite directorial efforts, including Lost in Vegas, Boot Black, My Sister's Husband, Alley Boys, Roll in the Hay, All About Steve, Mirage, Lunch Hour, Songs in the Key of Sex, Courting Libido, Jumper, The Rise, Flexx, Billboard, Secret Sex, The Coach's Boy, Hard Body Video Magazine, Naked Truth, and Striptease. Amazingly, this impressive list is only a fraction of the skinflicks with LaRue at the helm; he's directed more than a hundred.

Of course, LaRue discusses the superstars of porn, including Joey Stefano. "Joey is one of the few people in my life I think I've actually been in love with," he shares.

LaRue also recounts working with Ryan Idol on Idol Country: "He was having tantrums virtually every day on the set. At one point Steve Marks had spit in his ass, Ryan screamed at us, 'Nobody spits in Ryan Idol's ass!' and threatened to come after me with a baseball bat if I left that in the final cut."

Summing up this particular working experience with Idol, LaRue notes, "No one man is bigger than the rest of us, and there's no reason for anyone to behave like that much of a diva. If I can't, damn it, nobody can."

In addition to more dishing, X-rated anecdotes, and even makeup tips, Making It Big includes an insert with photos of Ryan Idol, Joey Stefano, Alex Stone, Hal Rockland, Hank Hightower, Jordan Young, and Zak Spears.

In a nutshell, how does Chi Chi LaRue describe himself... or herself? "I have to consider myself one of the luckiest people of dubious gender in the world."

Author Profile:  Ed Karvoski, Jr.
Ed Karvoski Jr. is the author of All-Male: Quirky Quotes, Intimate Interviews, and Tantalizing Trivia from the Most Desired Men on Earth (Kensington Books)
Email:	edkarvoskijr@prodigy.net
Website:	www.edkarvoskijr.com