Below the Belt with Vin Marco

With his ripped, rock hard muscle, Vin Marco has been setting the muscle worship world on fire. With his live shows on manifestmuscle.com and the hot videos and image galleries at manifestmen.com, Vin Marco is the answer to a muscle worship fantasy and he delivers in front of the camera and now behind as well.

After working with other producers, Vin and his partner Alex decided to form their own company that caters to those who love muscle.  Together, they have created their own genre of muscle worship video with an emphasis on creativity, locations and costumes. “We knew we could do things different and bring something to the viewer that most sites and studios weren't doing” states Vin. 

I had to opportunity to go below the belt with Vin Marco and get the scoop on what drives this muscle god, how he got into the industry and what his passions in life are.

GIO     Vin, thank you for taking the time to do this interview for the readers of my column and your fans! 

Vin      The pleasure is mine and thank you for allowing this interview to take place.   

GIO     Let’s start out by going back in time; were you very athletic growing up? 

Vin      Going back in time is fun!  I would say I was a very active kid.  I was very lean…SUPER SKINNY to be blunt…and played soccer for about 10 years.  My passion as a kid was surfing and the ocean though.  My mom and dad wanted me to play soccer and play the piano but I just wanted to surf! 

GIO     At what age did you start getting serious about body building?

Vin      I have always had an interest in Body Building.  My father had the hardback version of "Pumping Iron" and I would stare at it all the time, maybe stared too much.  It was about when I was 13 or 14 that I started to do curls and bench press almost EVERY NIGHT.  Seems like I had an attraction to big arms and barrel chest.  I'm sure like most kids starting out, I probably worked out my arms and chest like there was no tomorrow. (Laughing)               

GIO     The first time I ever saw you on film was in COLT Minute Man 22, was that your first experience going in front of the video lens erotically? 

Vin      Actually, the very first time I was captured nude with a rolling camera was for Rob T. at Idiom Lmt.  He has a cool site and was very kind, patient and was like a mentor to me.  He taught me a lot and I will never forget some of his words.  First time I ever was photo'd nude was for a guy named Charlie from Seattle. He was the one who actually found me on some random website posting pictures of myself.   

GIO     What made you decide to pursue porn and how did you come up with your name?  Did it have to do with the fact that you look a lot like Vin Diesel? 

Vin      That's an interesting question... I think I was actually born to do this stuff (male erotica) I have been masturbating since I was four years old.  I think I got more practice than most kids that were in my preschool and kindergarten classes (Laughing)  I have always enjoyed attention and have been passionate about body building for as long as I can remember.  Put that into an equation and you have one happy muscled porno guy!  My real name is very close to my stage name, and it was Charlie in Seattle who after taking my first nude shots said, "dude, you can’t use you real name" It took him about .5 seconds to spit out Vin Marco!  People had been telling me there's a guy on TV who looks like me. (Laughing)   I have been chased, asked for autographs, and pointed at more times than I can tell you.  I recently spent a week in Tahiti and there were photographers climbing the resort wall to get pics of me sun bathing.   For the record, I have been shaving my head for 11 yrs now (Laughing)         

GIO     OK, so we will say he looks like you then! (Laughs) Would you consider yourself a porn star or more of a male erotic artist? 

Vin      I like the ring of both, kinda leaning toward male erotic artist but that sounds like I'm trying to glorify porn and porn doesn't need to be glorified its already GREAT!  I love what I do!  I am proud of what I do. 

GIO     Where is home for you these days? 

Vin      Sunny San Diego! 

GIO     You have a very exotic look, what is your national origin or ethnicity? 

Vin      Thank you, I am in immigrant of Mexico, My great grandparents came from England on one side and Portugal on the other side.  Mexico is one huge melting pot.   My parents and grandparents were already living in the USA when I was born; my parents just wanted me to be born there. 

GIO     Let’s talk about ManifestMen.com for a moment.  What was the driving force in creating this website? 

Vin      My partner Alex and I both love what we do, both fans of male erotica but saw there was something lacking for the most part.  We knew we could do things different and bring something to the viewer that most sites and studios weren't doing.  I have said this before and I'll say it again, we were so sick of seeing different guys sitting next to the same pool, or different guys wearing the same hard hat and cut off jeans.   We knew we would always use AMAZING locations and add a cutting edge element.  In short, it was time for change.

GIO     Well you are doing a great job!  I have reviewed the site and I am impressed with the content.  Why do you suppose there is such an attraction to “muscle worship” as a form of sexual pleasure for people?   

Vin      Its been and age old attraction, look at the Greek and Roman sculptures, many times depicted as the perfect male (muscular and defined)  It’s nothing new, I knew I liked it before I could read.   

GIO     How does it make you feel knowing that people are our there watching you and pleasuring themselves while doing so? 

Vin      That's part of the gratification for me.  I'm a true exhibitionist and I get paid to produce what I love to do.  Not only do I love to be viewed, but I now provide a medium for others to express themselves too, all the while someone at home (the viewer) is also being pleasured. 

GIO     For those reading, what can your fans expect when joining ManifestMen.com? 

Vin      Our members can expect to find very masculine men, shot in amazing locations, super high quality video clips, with music that actually sounds great and is very much in tune with the action being viewed.  We take pride in our customer service team who are there to serve our members and assist in anything that we can do to provide the very best product!  We started a blog site www.musclemanifesto.com where Alex and I post almost daily providing pictures and the latest news at Manifest.  It's become quite fun to read the comments left by our viewers and it really provides a place for me to interact with the public. 

GIO     It goes without saying that you have an amazing physique.  What do you attribute your success to in achieving and maintaining your physical form too?

Vin      Balance and symmetry have always been high on my list of features to be attained.  As I have grown, I have managed to keep those two elements.  I have seen so many guys where I say to myself, “he looked so much better when he was lighter" I’ve enjoyed growing but never wanted that to be said about me.  I have taken symmetry and balance with me to the scale! 

GIO     So far, you have only done solo scenes and Manifest seems to be focused on the male solo as well, do you think you will ever do a more hardcore scene? 

Vin      I really don't think so.  I've really enjoyed what I did on video but it seems my focus these days is to just produce.  I have learned to never say never.  I am going to be doing a work out video with Nate Christianson in about three weeks and we plan on making a hot wrestling video sometime soon after. 

GIO     I assume that the majority of your audience is men?  Do you identify as straight, gay, bi or any other label? 

Vin      Correct, 99.9% of our audience are men. I really don't label myself.  I used to try and it would get frustrating because I never felt like I fit any of those labels.  I'm just me and I'm happy being who I am.  I have dabbled in all the above though…(SMILES HUGE)    

GIO     While making your films Desert Warrior and Staining Vegas for Manifest Media, is there one particular scene in each that stands out for you as a favorite? 

Vin      Yes, I love the flashy edge in STAINING VEGAS and getting physical with Trey Rexx was fun.  I momentarily roughed him up.  He was great to work with and is a really cool guy!  In DESERT WARRIOR eating my own... well, I'll leave that for the viewer.  My wardrobe in both were great and the location of DESERT WARRIOR was awesome (White Sands, New Mexico )             

GIO     One of my favorite things to watch in porn is the bloopers that happen while filming.  What is the funniest or most embarrassing thing that ever happened to you while shooting a scene? 

Vin      I was being filmed laughing and grabbing my cock while in traffic and I bumped in to the car in front of me. The Cialis had really kicked in and I could not believe how hard I was...  The guy got out and checked out both cars before I could even take my seatbelt off. How would I have explained the boner, that thing was not going away for DAYS.  (Laughing)           

GIO     I see you have brought your brother Gabriel into the business as well (He is beautiful).  How is it working with your brother and is it awkward being naked and aroused when each other is present?

Vin      I thank mom for showing us there is nothing wrong with nudity.  He was my roommate for a long time and he would watch me do cam shows, never batting an eyelash. As a matter of fact, he would beg me to get him online to show off too!    We are very close and I'm lucky to have him as my brother.  A real friend!  We recently did a duo web cam show on http://www.manifestmuscle.com  and we had a real blast!  We will most definitely have to do it again soon!            

GIO     I understand you enjoy being behind the camera as well. Do you like the production side of the business better than being the model? 

Vin      Yes! I love the production side.  Its great working with others, I feel I can relate to other models and make them feel comfortable as they do what they have to do, especially if they are new to the work.  As time goes on I like producing more and more.           

GIO     You have beautiful tattoos.  Is there particular significance to your skin art? 

Vin      Thank you, I love the simplistic beauty of Japanese art and decor.  I went with a traditional Japanese tattoo for that reason.  I have a lotus flower under my neck on my back that symbolizes the flowering of the human spirit. 

GIO     Since your brother is involved, how does the rest of your family react to you guys doing this type of work? 

Vin      That's the beauty of it! All my loved ones know exactly what I do and I get support on all fronts.  I think when a person is ok with what they do, others for the most part are going to be ok with it too.  I love what I do and they know it.  It’s not so much the monetary reward, it’s about the freedom it has given me.  Freedom in my time and freedom to be who I am.  I get to do what I love and it bring smiles to the faces of others, and hopefully if I'm doing my job right, they get more than a smile. 

GIO     What is the best part about being in this business for you?  And, the worst? 

Vin      I would have to go with the freedom this business has given me.  It's not often you have a hard time finding what it is you like least about your job.  Hmmm, I wish there was more time in the day to find and shoot hot guys!  

GIO     Do you get recognized a lot in public?  If so, how is that experience for you? 

Vin      Depends where I go.  West Hollywood all the time, NYC a lot too, South Beach, San Francisco as well.  I'll go to gyms and the next day I'll get an email telling me that they saw me... I really do like to talk to people and wish more would approach me rather than writing me and telling me they saw me.                

GIO     What is the most positive thing that has happened to you as a result of your porn career? 

Vin      I've been really fortunate and blessed to have met some of the people I have in the past 3 yrs.  I have learned more in these past three years than I could ever begin to describe.  This business has allowed me to express myself, learn more about who I really am, and I've actually come to like who I am.            

GIO     What advice do you have for anyone wanting to become a porn performer? 

Vin      I would say learn to read the fine print.  (Laughs)  Seriously, I think it should be realized once you sign a model release, the images and videos no longer belong to you.  One has to be really sure this is something they really want to do.  I don't have any regrets in anything I have chosen to do, but my decision to do porn was a calculated and well thought out one. 

GIO     Do you watch your own scenes when they are complete?

Vin      I do watch my work, really from a learning stand point, looking for what worked and what I was not as pleased with.

GIO     I see you have worked with Zeb Atlas in the past, are you two close friends and how was he to work with?

Vin      Zeb and I were on the same webcam site for about a year or longer.  We did do a muscleworship scene outside of Las Vegas in a hitch hiker type scenario.  We have become quite good friends and have traveled some together.  It's nice to have a friend who can relate to almost your every move. We seem to have a lot in common and have a mutual respect for one another.           

GIO     Do you have anyone special in your life now?

Vin      Azzy, Sprocky, and Casey (laughs).            

GIO     Aside from ManifestMen, what are you passionate about in life these days?

Vin      I love the ocean, like  I said I grew up on the beach, I don't surf or fish as much as I did when I was a kid but this summer I'm going to make up for the loss time.  I was lucky to have sailor parents, learned to sail and see much of the world at an early age. When I retire believe me, I'll be sailing till "I just cant stands it no more" ....Popeye       

GIO     If I were to ask your two closest friends what your best qualities are, what would they tell me? 

Vin      I think they would say my giving nature or compassion.  I feel for people, I really do.  

GIO     What would they tell me is you greatest opportunity for improvement? 

Vin      Learn to relax (laughing) I am always thinking, now a days I have to make a conscious effort to turn off.  I recently turned off and spent a week in Rome and had a chance to hit the ol' reset button!           

GIO     What do you consider is your best physical feature and your worst? 

Vin      My hair (laughs) Just kidding, I think the hardness of my body is one of the best physical features. My beard is my worst physical feature, I can't grow one (laughing)                      

GIO     Is there one particular fantasy that you have yet to fulfill in life?  If so, what is it? 

 Vin     I think I always wanted to have sex in rush out traffic.  Oops, I already did that (laughing) in broad day light I might add.         

GIO     Do you ever make live appearances dancing and posing? 

Vin      I have performed on a stage at leather bar called the Faultline in LA.  I'm going to be doing more live performances here in the near future.         

GIO     If you could pick any place to go on your next vacation, where would it be and why? 

Vin      Torn between going back to the South Pacific (huge fan of French Polynesia) or maybe Paris, I have never been to France.          

GIO     If there was one famous person either living or dead that you could meet with for an hour, who would they be and why? 

Vin      Living it would have to be Steven Hawking.  One of the most brilliant men of our time and talk about the adversity he has gone though...  He's a living example to keep pushing and pulling no matter what tries to stop us from doing what we want to do. 

GIO     Dogs or cats? 

Vin      I have both.  I love animals!  Dog named Casey, a cat named Azriel and another cat named Sprocket.            

GIO     Boxers or briefs?

 Vin      I have about 200 undies, maybe more.  I wear both and sometime none at all.     

GIO     Lights on or off during sex? 

Vin      A little of both, like a strobe light that way you have the lights on and off.  Just kidding.  I like the lights dim, all my lights have dimmers, and sometimes candles provide just the right amount of light.            

GIO     Is there anything else that you would like to share with the readers that you feel is important they know about you or ManifestMen? 

Vin      I know a lot of people know me for what I do and what I look like but I do make it a conscious effort to keep my life balanced, in terms of making sure I work on my creative side, keeping my intellect exercised  as  much as I do my physical side.    I never want the scale to tip too much in one direction.            

GIO     I cannot thank you enough for taking the time to share with the readers.  I wish you continued success in all your future endeavors. 

Vin      Thank you!  You were great to talk to, and I wish you the same