Porn Valley- I had a chat with Rusty Nails on the set of Defiance Film’s blowjob competition this week. Nails takes his name from the fact that he’s been in construction.

Nails used to build sets for David Lace about five years ago. “A friend of mine had his own website- after hanging out with him so long- he got into the porn business and associated with Lace. One weekend I happened to be over at the house when they were shooting. Instead of being a gawker I was interested in setting up stuff for him. They liked my work ethic and so they invited me to California to build sets.” From there, after six months of assisting with lights and cameras, Nails did his first scene with Mako Lee. “From there it took off,” he says. “Periodically I’d do scenes but aside from that I had a regular 9 to 5’er,” says Nails.

“I was doing construction- mostly architectural signs for government-funded jobs.” Nails telling me this strikes an odd chord because I had been in that line of work as well for a couple of years. Nails points out that porn is now the full time job whereas it hadn’t been. “At the time my mom didn’t approve and I didn’t want to disappoint her. Last year- not to sound insensitive, she passed away.”

Nails also had his home in Vegas burglarized on three different occasions. “I said screw that. I’m going back to California. I signed up with Jim South and have been going pretty strong since. Jim has been pretty good to me.” Nails tells me he has a weakness for Asian women. “I’m into martial arts and Chinese art,” he says. “It’s just the Asian persona.”

Nails was a rowdy and rambunctious kid. “Hell on wheels.” Nails was born in Hollywood and grew up in the Valley. He majored in art. At 17 he got a scholarship to the Pasadena Art Center. “It was for drawing Jack Nicholson,” he laughs. “It was a contest with 99 students and I took first place.” I ask Nails if this was one of those back of the comic book deals, can you draw Jack.

“I started doing that when I was five,” says Nails. “I love art.” Nails’ recollection of the first thing he ever drew might have been the pirate in one of those comic book ads. “Then a turtle then I think it was Toucan Sam off a cereal box. From there I used to draw the Incredible Hulk and the different members of Kiss,” he says. “Then I started doing portraits and that’s mostly what I do- portrait art.” Nails never figured himself for porn but his sexual escapades in high school gave him an inkling. He lost his virginity when he was 14 but is not going to divulge the information except to say he had been drinking with this girl who was also 14.

“Mom was away- the alcohol made us more comfortable. From there after we were done, we were pretty drunk and my mom was coming home. So I dropped her off at my friend’s work which was an arcade. My friend calls me back and says she’s throwing up in the back room. I had another friend come pick her up with me. I took her home and nursed her. She called me up the next day and said she was sorry that she got sick.” With that she made it up to Nails big time. “Then she introduced me to a friend of hers. I got passed around like a puppet.” Nails says he does prefer older women nowadays. “As far as dating guys- for a relationship I like a mature woman.”

But the last time Nails has been in a serious relationship was 1996. “I got hurt pretty bad and I’m not willing to go there again right now. I think that’s why I’m in porn.” Nails is also very iffy about a porn relationship. “I’m a private person off camera,” he says. “I have a cat and his company keeps me happy right now.”

For recreation, Nails shoots pool, goes to the movies. “And I like to kick box,” he adds. “I go to the beach and hang out by the pool.”