Photography: Sailey Williams
Styling: Inoisell Miranda | Grooming: Blue Michael Cosmetics
Interview by Associate Editor Sacha Azor
This past week, we had the chance to interview Matthew Barker and photograph and interview Jake Mossop, panelists on the LOGO show 1 Girl, 5 Gays, also broadcast on MTV Canada.
1 Girl, 5 Gays is a half-hour panel of one girl (Aliya-Jasmine) and five randomly selected gay men who discuss the taboo topics of love, sex and relationships. The panel of “5 gays” is an always-changing group of men, each having differing backgrounds and points of view.
The show’s original concept was to do a panel of straight guys/couples to discuss love & relationships; however the producers found it hard to get complete honesty from the participants. The show’s concept evolved into what the responses of 5 gay guys would be. Let’s be honest, most girls usually tend to turn to their gay bestie for an honest opinion about their relationships anyway.
The show’s quirky questions, honest and sometimes shocking answers have made it a hit! “1Girl 5 Gays” has been a sleeper hit for LOGO,” said Marc Leonard, Senior Vice-President of Multiplatform Programming for Logo. “Without much initial fanfare, and after much pleading from fans of the show on After Elton.com, it was added to our schedule and quickly became one of the most tweeted and talked about shows on the network.
Jake & Matt was kind enough to talk with XEX, and take us inside the show!
How did you get involved in 1 Girl 5 Gays? What inspired you to audition?
JAKE: I first got involved with 1g5g after meeting some of the guys from the show out and about in Toronto at a nightclub and I just started talking to them about the show and realized that it was kind of lacking having someone to really promote health and safety within a gay lifestyle but also have fun. One of the guys, Dean, on the show gave the producers my name and they called me in to audition. I went in to audition and there was me an four other guys auditioning and I guess I just really stood out and I’m glad to be on the show for that reason.
MATT: I got a call one day from my agent. I was skeptical at first because I was still VERY in the closet; my family had no idea that I was gay. So I thought to myself, “What a great way to come out!” I came out to my family on NATIONAL TELEVISION, I never told my mother about the title of show and simply explained to her that the title of the show was “under construction”. Few days later, after my premiere on the show, I got a call from my mother. “Matt, I think we need to talk about your show”. I hung up the phone and refused to speak with her for weeks because I was so scared. Everything turned out for the better and my family supports me BIG time. My mother is my best friend and she is now a huge fan of 1girl 5gays.
What has been the craziest moment on the show?
JAKE: I think the craziest moment that I’ve had on filming an episode of 1G5G is when I had to try to call out Matt Barker on his statement of saying he could do 50 push ups and so I wanted to put him to the test. I’m fairly competitive and we got down on the floor and pushed it out and I definitely beat him.
MATT: The craziest moment on the show was recently actually. I had said something about eating vagina and said, “Everyone has to try sushi at one point of their life”. Then Aliya Jasmine replied sternly, “Do NOT talk about vagina like”. I was shocked. She had put me in my place and I was on the verge of tears! I did not know what to say. I just felt like I had taken my words too far and upset her, but that was not my intention. I was about to cry so hard in the middle of the taping. I kept it in but as soon as we left the studio I found myself crying so hard I had to call my mom. I just felt like everyone hated me and I couldn’t do or say anything right.
Have you ever regretted saying anything on the show?
JAKE: There’s hasn’t been a time where I’ve ever regretted saying anything on 1g5g but I think…that you know it’s very unfiltered and authentic and so there’s sometimes where I’ve maybe talked too much about a topic and maybe have wanted to keep it personal. But I think what works so well with the show being bold and groundbreaking and pushing boundaries is that … you know you get very truthful honest answers from the guys. And we’re just regular gay men who try to represent the community. So no regrets but maybe sharing a little bit too much.
MATT: YES!! All the time, I got a lot of feedback from the fans of the show about unprotected sex. I had mentioned on the show that my boyfriend & I at the time do not use protection. I regret saying it!! I often say things that I regret. I called my sister a BITCH once and she was furious. I also regret discussing my abusive relationship with my ex-boyfriend. I hate airing my dirty laundry, but when you are in such a safe environment it’s hard not to speak about the things that are bothering you.
Is there anything you would absolutely not talk about on the show?
MATT: I don’t believe in censorship so I try to talk about everything. I try to be as honest as possible with every question. I want everyone to know who I am!! Since I am so honest, people tend to think that I am lying because my answers are not clichéd. Sometimes my honesty gets me in trouble. But I think that is why I am on the show. I stand for being a fearless gay. Staying true to yourself on TV is harder than standing naked to a packed theater. There are thousands of people watching and you can’t see them.
Who do you think reveals the most outrageous and unexpected answers?
JAKE: Out of all the guys on the show I feel that sometimes Santos reveals very explicit intimate answers about love and sex. And sometimes you know we’re just really shocked. But there was one episode I filmed with him and he was talking about a very serious time that he was that he was kind of in a negative sexual experience with another man. And I was on that episode and it’s just you don’t ex… you don’t really expect those things to come up, but they’re also important things to talk about. So I think, yeah, sometimes Santos pushes the envelope and sometimes in a good way.
MATT: Everyone is kind of typical to be honest. No one really says anything that’s not from a “safe” place. Sometimes I find that Andrew speaks from his core. Although he is controversial he speaks from a real place. “He isn’t being a “TV PERSONALITY”. He is honestly just saying what everyone else is thinking. I admire him for that and I strive to be just as confident as him in front of the camera.
Which 5 guys would be your ultimate 1 Girl 5 Gays panel?
JAKE: It’s kind of hard cause there’s so many of us but I think umm I enjoy filming the best when I’m with probably Phillip, Ian Lynch, Andrew, and one more… probably Matt Barker.
MATT: The ultimate panel would have to be, “Santos, Andrew, Philip, Ian Lynch, and Juan”.
What do you do when you’re not on the 1 Girl5Gays?
JAKE: I’m a registered nurse in Canada and I work at a community health center so I spend most of my time working. But yeah nursing’s really important to me. And other things that I do on my spare time would be probably working on my fitness umm and hanging out with friends umm and you know just spending times with people that I love; my family and friends.
MATT: In Toronto I am known as a “Club Personality”. The brand of MATT BARKER is a fresh new look for the new generation of club goers. I have been working as a promoter since I was 18. When I first started people thought I was nothing but a “social climber slut”. My brand was inspired and co-created by MATT SIMS. I am still very new but my parties are being analyzed on an international perspective. Toronto is finally becoming one of the number one spots to party. Personally, I feel that my work in the night life/entertainment scene has changed the way people go out. I am working on creating a new 19+ sub-culture that allows straights and gays to party at the same time. Both of these demographics have been afraid of each other for decades! It’s 2011 and it’s time to party with one another.
As much as I LOVE to party I also like to chill out. I can be found at the movies at least once a week. I also like to go up to my parents place and recharge my mind. Parties are more than glamour and glitter. It’s a business; a creative business that requires my mind, body and soul. I have to put my life into my career or I will fall flat on my face.
What is the Canadian club scene like?
MATT: The Canadian club scene is fresh. Toronto and Montreal are the main cities to party in. Toronto offers sweat and heart. Everyone in Toronto is VERY competitive. The guests that come to my parties are always decked out head to toe in the latest fashions. If you show up to one of my parties looking like a mess you can be sure that your picture will be spread across Facebook faster than a Ke$ha herpes outbreak. I often relate my life to a music video. The night always starts at my loft with about 60 people. Everyone is talking and my photographer CHELSEA WARING is always having a camera in everyone’s face. Toronto is about the people. Promoters used to tell the guests where to go. Now it’s up to the people, they tell me what they want, and I make it happen for them.
How would you describe your personal fashion sense?
MATT: I try my best to look like a “KING WEST SCUM BAG”, which means I like to look like I just stepped out of a GQ magazine. Blazers, Bombers, and the finest shoes accompany me to all my parties. My favorite designers are J. Lindeberg, Tom Ford, Philip Sparks, Michael Kors, Ben Sherman, and Louis Vuitton. But sometimes I look like a mess which is fun sometimes! I hate looking to pretty because than people don’t feel like they can connect with me. I just want to be liked for being as REAL as possible.
Jake! What did you do and see on this trip to New York?
JAKE: This is actually my first time to New York. And it’s actually my first photo shoot with… ever for the show with XEX Magazine. And so other than being here with XEX Magazine I was in town for a water polo tournament. I play in a gay men’s water polo league and the New York team here hosted a tournament and so as you can tell by my voice cheering and yelling and screaming. We had a really good time both in the pool and outside of the pool.
What do you think about the public’s reaction to the show?
JAKE: I think that you know 1g5g is so great because it asks questions that people wanna know the answer to. And so I think that the public reaction, although it’s unfiltered and a little bit bold, it’s kind of what people have been wanting. It’s real, authentic, and so far the feedback to all of us on the show has been really great.
MATT: I think that the MTV and LOGO audiences love the show. Its perfect timing and I have heard nothing but great feedback. In a matter of months my Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/@imattbarker} has gone from 200 people to over 5000. The show is progressive and is allowing television to push the censorship boundaries. I want to create lifestyle art with the show. I want everyone to know what it’s really like to be gay and 1g5g shows the perfect portrayal.
1 Girl, 5 Gays was also nominated for a 2011 NewNowNextAward for “Tv You Betta Watch.” If you’ve not seen it, 1 Girl 5 Gays catch new episodes on Logo TV Monday nights at 11pm or MTV Canada Friday nights at 11pm.
ARTICLE FEATURED IN XEX MAGAZINE: SPECIAL EDITION ISSUE