This article originally ran in the February 2016 issue of AVN magazine. Click here to see the digital edition.
Growing up, Tony Dimarco was always a big fan of Falcon movies. He remembers seeing Spokes early on and how it left an indelible impression, specifically the hot male cyclist orgy in a barn. Little did he know at the time, but he would have a hand in continuing the legacy of the iconic series that started in 1983.
“For me, it gave me permission to fantasize. My favorite scene would have to be the orgy in the first Spokes and the orgy in Spokes III with Mason Wyler. Both were kind of dirty, raw and cathartic. Back in the day, watching guys like Dick Fisk and Lee Ryder was a dream come true to a young gay man growing up in New Jersey. It’s an honor to have a chance to be a part of the Spokes legacy.”
He helmed the fourth entry in the series—Urban Spokes, released earlier this year—following two other sequels: Spokes II: The Graduation (1988) and Spokes III (2006), each installment featuring a cream-of-the-crop cast representative of its era.
“When coming up with ideas for movies, you never know when an idea will click and do great or when it will fail. It’s a gamble, and sometimes an idea will strike a chord with people. I think that’s what the original Spokes did,” Dimarco says. “It spawned so many sequels and was successful partly because of the simple concept: perpetually horny, well-built guys with big cocks who ride and love to fuck. I think it endured at Falcon for all these years for those reasons. Plus, the tight-fitting biking outfits left little to the imagination. Actually, maybe that’s it … the tight biker shorts. That could be the reason why everyone loves it.”
Dimarco notes that Falcon Studios Group President Tim Valenti wanted to do something special to commemorate the studio’s 45th anniversary. Instead of doing a one-time “anniversary party” to celebrate the milestone, he wanted to do something bigger and better.
“And what better way to celebrate an enduring legacy than to pay homage to it,” Dimarco says. “He thought, ‘Let’s re-imagine the classics, make them new again and open them to a new audience. Chris Ward resurrected The Other Side of Aspen with part VI in 2014, but Spokes is the first to celebrate the 45th anniversary. There’s another film in the works with an original Falcon director slated to direct, but we can’t reveal the details just yet.”
Hot House is also getting in on the fun, resurrecting its Skuff series (more on that next month). As for Urban Spokes, Dimarco had the idea to do a cyclist-themed movie for some time, and the anniversary presented the perfect opportunity. Because the times and technology have changed a lot since the original film, it gave him lots of room to explore.
“Besides, the fascination with cyclists is something that hasn’t gone out of style. Cyclists have adapted and changed slightly with each new generation. I think that’s why the legacy of Spokes can continue,” Dimarco adds. “When you look at what turns us on, it’s oftentimes what we observe around us in our daily lives. Who hasn’t passed a hot bike rider on the side of the road peddling and didn’t have a few dirty thoughts? The guy struggling hard to get up that hill, breathing heavy, his muscles pushing against those tight-fitting biker shorts … you think, ‘What would it be like to have sex with him?’ I think many have had those fantasies, and the Spokes films allows us to explore those.”
For the latest installment, the director wanted to take it off the county side roads and barns and bring it into an urban setting.
“There’s an element of excitement and danger to riding in a city populated with cars and tourists—and also beautiful views. ... To put it on the streets and hills was a nice change of pace, and of course it was fitting to film in San Francisco, the birthplace of Falcon Studios. We wanted to honor that, too. It was so special that we could film it here.”
Dimarco says that he has always wanted to do a film based on urban bike messengers, so it made perfect sense. The city setting afforded him the ability to feature a wide array of cyclists and make it more modern—daily commuters, bike messengers and speed cyclists all meshing together. He watched only a little bit of the older films to see what he could pull from them.
“I didn’t want it to influence me too much, since I wanted to create a new vision of the original concept. We worked with Jack Shamama to write the script. We paid homage to the original—the speech that Trenton Ducati gives at the induction ceremony is the exact speech that Lee Ryder gives in the first Spokes. It was kind of cool that we were able to include that.”
Dimarco notes it was fun working with “porn legend” mr. Pam on the production, who lightened things up and served as a nice yin to his more serious yang. He was also excited to work with new performers like Griffin Barrows, Connor Patricks and Rod Peterson along with standout exclusives J.J. Knight and Ryan Rose. Add to the mix A-list porn veterans Trenton Ducati and exclusive Brent Corrigan, and it made for a memorable shoot.
“And to top it off we got to shoot with a drone … so cool!” Dimarco says. “There were a lot of great memories on set, but I have to say for me shooting the orgy in the warehouse was a highlight.”
Yet another homage to the original that’s certain to have fans along for the ride.
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