Catching Up with Rocco Steele

Rocco, thank you for taking the time to speak with us, and while you are in PV nonetheless. In recent years, Puerto Vallarta has become a must-visit gay spot. What do you think has made PV such a red-hot destination for gay travelers?

I am a huge fan of Mexico in general, visiting many cities like Monterrey, Mexico City, Puebla, Oaxaca. I love Mexican culture. Puerto Vallarta is like the big gay destination with big gay events here, so what is there not to like? Vallarta is a city where Mexican culture, great food, and all the gays running around at huge parties come together.

You visited Puerto Vallarta for the first time during Bear Pride in 2021. What did you love about the city that made you excited for this year’s Pride? What does PV offer the bear community?

My first visit to PV was truly amazing for Bear Pride in May 2021. It felt natural to be here, and I was very comfortable so much that I will be returning for Bear Pride 2022. I will be here the entire week at all the events, maybe not performing at everyone, but I really look forward to the pool parties and the Bearadise beach event. That was amazing. If you have never been, it is like a day on gay fantasy island with all of these bears scantly clad running around with amazing food—great drinks, amazing music at this amazing setting that is enchanting. I have never been to anything like it. No matter if you are coming for Bear Week or Bear Pride, Puerto Vallarta is the place for bears to come because there is so much to do here. I love bear events in general as I find them very fun, relaxed, and real. Personally, I enjoy the early evenings in Vallarta most of all.

In PV, that is the time everyone is eating at restaurants and sitting on sidewalk cafes and bars. By walking through the zone, you will always run into someone you know. Later that night, everybody goes out to the bars and gets really crazy partying. I have been in PV during a huge party week like Bear Week or Bear Pride, where the party takes over the city. The streets, the beach, the restaurants, and the bars are alive, and it is like a huge gay party for that week. Next week the party is over, and things settle down. I am in PV now during a non-party week, so I have experienced Puerto Vallarta during both. I love that you can have both.

If you were to take a PV first timer out and about to your favorite PV spots, aside from the bear events, where would Rocco Steele take them?

I would definitely take the first-timer to one of the cabaret shows. On this trip, I went to the Hedda Lettuce show at Act 2 and have not laughed so hard or enjoyed such a great night out in years. I was very impressed with the professional caliber of shows here, rival P-town and NYC.

So, what’s new with you and your underwear brand, 10SevenUnderwear.

The big new splash is swimwear. Last year I launched swimwear, and I really love our new products and designs. It is very popular with clients, so it is the thing that I get the most excited about. We are doing a big launch of new designs in March, a swimwear one launch, and the biggest will be swimwear 2 in April 2022.

Now I’m sure our readers would be angry at me if I didn’t ask: what is Rocco Steele’s preferred style of underwear? For yourself, and what do you like to see other guys in?

I try everything personally that we make, even our thongs. I love literally every style that I produce and am very involved, from choosing the fabric and colors to its actual production, totally in the United States, I am proud to say. I can tell you the most popular selling items: Thongs and Lace. Guys love lace right now. I think it is here to stay. There has always been a portion of our community that has always enjoyed it, but it is really popular now. We are doing several offerings in lace: lace thongs, lace jocks, and netting, including a peek-a-boo pouch and a peek-a-boo back in swimwear. The February launch of thongs will be offered in netting and lace versions. We have brand new, very sexy thongs coming, which I did not have last year.

   

Hair isn’t the only place a Rocco Steele product goes; you’ve recently partnered with Ride Bodyworx to create “Ride Rocco Lube.” How did that collaboration begin?

I would always go to the adult toys shows in LA because, at one time, I had a sex toy line. I was there coincidentally promoting my sex toys, and the booth next to me was Ride BodyWorx. I had been walking around, sampling different lubes and getting a feel of who might be interested in producing my lube. Dean, the CEO of the company, is a fun and really great guy. I told him I had been wanting to produce a lube. He said, come over, let me show you everything we have. I sampled all their products and chose the best for “Ride Rocco Lube.”

What makes “Ride Rocco Lube” the brand everyone needs to use?

It is a premium because it is very long-lasting and very silky. The water base is super slippery. Generally, I prefer the silicone base, but I have used my water base. I find it also very slippery. I can get from start to finish without it drying up on me, so in that sense, I consider both of them like the gold standard of lubes. I am very proud to have my name on both of them. We are also working on a hybrid lube coming soon. It will be like cum lube, a hybrid silicone and water base that will look like semen being launched soon.

You’re also the next great talk show host with your YouTube show, “Just Oral with Rocco Steele.” How have you been enjoying doing that? How do you choose potential guests for the show?

A year ago, March 2021, was our first episode with Drew Dixon, and it was produced by Ride Bodyworx. We were thinking of ways to promote the lube and doing all the traditional methods, so I said, why don’t I do a video that comes to life. I can interview porn stars bringing it to life on a Youtube channel, and they loved the idea, so Ride Bodyworx got behind marketing, producing, and editing the show monthly.  Every show has been enjoyable for me because I love meeting people. I love talking to people and finding out their backgrounds.

In the actual making of the show, we talk about many things, but people have a short attention span; we generally keep the length to 20 or 25 minutes. The most enjoyable part is learning so much about so many people with so many topics, most of which never makes the actual show.   Most of the guests are porn stars or involved in the industry but can also be members of our community whom I find interesting, funny, and compelling. I have had Drew Dixon, Matthew Camp, Hunter Harden from the industry, as well as Danny Franzese from Mean Girls, and Trinity The Tuck from Ru Paul’s Drag Race. Overwhelmingly the majority of our viewers want me to talk about sex and sex-related topics, so I did an episode with Bryan James and PJ Knox, a panel discussion about fisting.

Lastly, you are the “KING of all daddies” and encourage people not to “let age change them.” In an age-conscious society, what is your advice to people on how to not let age change them and embrace their age the way you do?

Thank you very much. When I was a gay baby in my twenties, gay men were dying—the mentors who would eventually show us how to age as gay men were gone. There was a gap in our community when my generation started getting older; there was no one to teach us or be a role model for growing old as a gay man. I think I and everyone in my age group need to set this example. We need to show people how to age and embrace aging gracefully. I want to show gay men how to do it in a very mature, classy way. Yes, it can be scary, and it is okay to be scared.

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