Below the Belt with Big Roger 

Big Roger has been performing for over 10 years as a stripper, physique model and erotic performer.  A transplant from Mexico to Canada, this former competitive swimmer and professional modern dancer has learned how to capitalize on his image and looks to create “on stage” persona that keeps fans coming back for more.  With the help of his new talent agency, FabScout Entertainment, Big Roger took on the infamous Cupids Cabaret over Thanksgiving weekend (with fellow Canadian and friend Jeremy Hall) and his performances will be the talk of the town for months to come.  Although he is a very shy man by nature, when he hits the stage he is “able to block out the crowd” and give the fans a great show every time.  I had the pleasure of sitting down with Big Roger after his performances and a photo shoot with me for this fascinating interview.  Enjoy!

Gio                  Thank you very much for taking the time to do this interview! 

Big Roger     Thank you Gio (Big smile). 

Gio                  What prompted you to pursue work as a physique model and then an erotic physique model? 

Big Roger     I always liked body building since I was a kid.  I never looked at it as a sexual thing; rather it was a desire I had to get big because when I was little I was very skinny.  I started stripping about 10 years ago for women and someone told me that I could make more money stripping for men and that is how the adult stuff started. 

Gio                  You mention being skinny as a kid, let’s talk about your childhood for a moment.  At what age did you decide to start focusing on building your body? 

Big Roger     As a child I was a competitive swimmer for about 11 years and I wanted to start training when I was about 13, but my parents would not let me because I was a good swimmer.  Back in Mexico they would not let you use weights as a swimmer because they said it would make me stiff and have a negative effect on my swimming.  So, I could not start training until I left my home at the age of 18. 

Gio                  Where in Mexico did you grow up and compete as a swimmer? 

Big Roger     Mexico City, but I was born in the north not far from Texas. 

Gio                  When you were a competitive swimmer, what was your best stroke? 

Big Roger     I was very good Back stroke. 

Gio                  OK, so after high school you started body building.  How did you get started stripping for women? 

Big Roger     I was studying in Ottawa, Canada and I really wanted to move away from there because it was just too cold for me and I did not have the money to move away.  I wanted to move to Vancouver because I knew that it really did not snow over there and I needed the money to stop school and move.  There was an ad in the local paper for “dancing” and I went to check it out because I had studied dance from the age of 16 – 18 at a dance school and was pretty good at it, so I thought I would see what it was about.  It turned out to be for stripping and I thought I would just give it a try and see if it worked for me to make the money I needed to leave Ottawa. 

Gio                  Very interesting...what type of dance did you study? 

Big Roger     It was modern dance and I got a job at a resort in Manzanillo Mexico as a dancer and I was trained in all the shows for six months and worked there as a dancer.  When I left Mexico (and the resort) I was supposedly going to Canada to study French with the help of my parents, but I lied to them and took the money and did not actually go to school. 

Gio                  Ahhh, you were a bad boy back then!  So you move from Ottawa to Vancouver after you started stripping…how is it living in Vancouver?  

Big Roger     I have traveled to a lot of cities and Vancouver people are very friendly.  They do not have issues with gay, bi or straight issues and pretty much everyone living there is happy being mixed together and that is very nice.  There is no segregation of community and everyone is just nice to each other. 

Gio                  Sounds like Utopia!  So, you go from dancing for women to dancing for men, what was it like for you working as a stripper? 

Big Roger     Well I had no idea about stripping and what was entailed at he beginning…I pretty much learned everything on my own.  I danced because I was a dancer, not because I was a stripper…I just liked to perform.  At the beginning I did not realize that I should get myself hard before going on stage and that I was supposed to make the audience horny.  I did not know anything about lap dances or private dances; I had to learn all that on my own.  Back then I was taken advantage of by many customers because I was naive and did not know what to charge people for those types of dances.  For the first 6 months I was doing lap dances for free (big laugh), and would get a dollar or so as a tip.  Back then I was also much smaller, I was about 158 pounds of lean muscle.

Gio                  And what do you weigh now? 

Big Roger     225 pounds. 

Gio                  Wow, that is a big change.  What are your physical stats? 

Big Roger     52 Chest, 20 Arms, 19 Forearms, 33 Waist, 27 Quads, 19 Calves….ahhh… 

Gio                  And of course the all important…cock size?  My readers like to know these things… 

Big Roger     (Big Laugh) Oh yeah, 8 Inches. 

Gio                  Very impressive!  What is your workout regime like? 

Big Roger     I workout Monday – Friday and I train Legs, Back, Chest, Shoulders and Arms one each day.  Every day I do Calves, Arms and Abs.

Gio                  Do you do cardio as well? 

Big Roger     Not right now because of a knee injury I cannot do much cardio. 

Gio                  Sorry to hear that!  Let’s get back to your performing, is this your first time performing in Florida? 

Big Roger     Yes, it is my first time. 

Gio                  You and Jeremy Hall just completed two nights of shows at Cupids Cabaret, how was performing totally nude for you?

Big Roger     It was fun, I had a good time!  It was a little stressful because I have never had to cum on stage before in front of a large crowd watching me.  I have done it for a movie with 5-6 crew people, but this was different.  The first night when I saw that the club was packed, I was very nervous and was anxious about being able to perform and being able to get myself hard.  But, when I got on stage I was able to pretty much block out the crowd and I concentrated on turning myself on and I had a great time with it! 

Gio                  Well I can tell you that even though you were nervous, you did a great job and from the reaction of the guests at Cupids, you pleased not only yourself, but all who were there to see you!  Was this the first time you have performed totally nude? 

Big Roger     No, I did it one other time for Dallas Gay Pride about 4 years ago at a club that had an indoor shower set up.  It was me and Mark Dalton in the shower together.  However, you are not allowed to be nude in Dallas like you can at Cupids.  So, Mark left after a few minutes, I do not know why…maybe because he was horny or because he was getting hard…I dunno, but I was only alone in there for about 20 minutes total. 

Gio                  At what point did you decide you wanted to move from dancing/stripping to performing on camera.  I know you have not done hardcore sex on film, but you have done solo work and you also worked for COLT Studio in a mutual JO scene right? 

Big Roger     Yeah, the most hardcore thing I have done was with COLT. Chris Wide and I jerked each other in the video Muscled Up.  It was filmed about a year ago. 

Gio                  Well Chris Wide is a good scene partner to have for your first duo. 

Big Roger     (Big smile) Yeah, he was great and very sexy.  But there was no kissing or sucking, just touching each other and jacking each other off.  So far that is the farthest I have gone on film. 

Gio                  Have you worked for any other studios? 

Big Roger     There used to be a website called Musclestudio.com (no longer exists) and I did my first solo video for them.  I then did a couple more for a site called Hardheroes.com.  For my own website BigRoger.com I have done one full video and a bunch of short video clips of me.  I am also in one of the Body Builder Jam videos from Jimmy Z Productions in Los Angeles. 

Gio                  How was it for you performing in front of a camera the first time? 

Big Roger     Well working with Chris Wide was not a bad way to start, he got me totally turned on during the shoot.  He is hot, so that made it easy.  The overall shoot took 2 days to film and I am glad I had Chris to work with and John Rutherford as a director. 

Gio                  When did you launch your own website BigRoger.com? 

Big Roger     It has been running about 4-5 years now. 

Gio                  If someone joins your website, what can the fans expect to see? 

Big Roger     There are over 4,000 images of me in the galleries including me nude, hard and playing with myself.  There are over 30 short video clips of me playing with myself and there is one gallery on there with me and another guy playing together.  There is also a Live Webcam that I do shows on weekly, a message board, live chat and we are working on new enhancements all the time. 

Gio                  Do you identify yourself as gay, bi, straight or a combination thereof? 

Big Roger     I am bi, but I have been in a gay relationship for 9 years now.  So at this point many would say I am gay.  But, I am still attracted to women and have had sex with women, but right now I am happy being in a totally gay relationship with my partner. 

Gio                  Very good and congrats on your nine year relationship!  (He smiles)  Why do you think you have had a successful relationship for the past 9 years? 

Big Roger     Communication and trust are the most important.  For me communication is the key though.  I cannot keep my mouth shut and I speak my mind rather than hold things inside.  Even when we are apart, I keep in touch and let him know exactly what is going on with me and he does the same. 

Gio                  That is great advice for any relationship!  Do you have any plans on doing anything more hardcore in the future with your video work?  Or will you keep to doing more modeling and solo work? 

Big Roger     It does attract me as a fantasy.  But, being in a gay relationship over the past 9 years, I have pretty much done all my fantasies and I do not think I need to do that on film with anyone else.  So for me, it is either keep my boyfriend or do hardcore porn…and I prefer to keep my boyfriend.  So, out of respect for him I will not do hardcore porn at this time. 

Gio                  I can totally respect you for your decision to focus on your partner and respect him as well.  What is the most romantic thing you have ever done for your partner? 

Big Roger     Well this past anniversary he was away on a business trip and while he was away I got together photographs of us from every anniversary over the past 8 years and I put them on a table along with a cupcake for each year we have been together with a little note that said what was going on with us during each of those years.  When he came home, he cried when he saw what I had done. 

Gio                  Well I am going to cry, that is so nice! (Both Laugh)  What is the nicest thing he has done for you? 

Big Roger     Well in Mexico we do not have ginger bread houses for Christmas like in the USA and Canada and I always wanted one.  This last year, I was on a trip before Christmas. While I was away he was acting weird and I was thinking bad thoughts, like maybe he had an affair or something, because he just sounded weird on the phone when we spoke.  But, when I got home there was a huge ginger bread house set up in our living room and that was what he was doing every time I was calling home.  It was very romantic because he remembered I always wanted a ginger bread house. 

Gio                  Damn, you two are just too sweet.  On the exterior you are all brawn and on the inside you are as soft as a marshmallow!  (Big Smile)  Is he from Canada or a transplant as well? 

Big Roger     I met him in Canada but he is originally from India. 

Gio                  I know you grew up in Mexico, are you a true Mexican? 

Big Roger     (Laughs) well I am French/Mexican, my parents were born in Mexico, but my grandparents came from France.  We still have relatives in the north of France. 

Gio                  Cool, do you have brothers and sisters? 

Big Roger     I have one brother and he is gay.  He is 26 years of age. 

Gio                  Is he a body builder as well? 

Big Roger     No, he is skinny…he used to be a competitive swimmer as well.  And the funny thing is he knows what I do as far as the porn business and he is also very interested in it.  Maybe one day he will do something in porn as well. 

Gio                  Well that would be cool and if you two worked together it would fulfill the fantasies of many men out there I am sure (Big Laugh).  But I will not open that can of worms….(Laugh).  Actually Vin Marco has done a solo video beside his brother…but that may be too weird for you. 

Big Roger     Well maybe not Gio! (Big Smile)  To be honest I have had dreams about it before…(Blushes) 

Gio                  Well that is cool.  Aside from the porn industry what are you passionate about in life?

Big Roger     To be honest, for me I am focused on my relationship.  There are so many couples I’ve known for a long time that are breaking up a lot this year.  So I am worried about that and I do not want that to happen to us.   Right now I am also working as a party promoter in Vancouver. There is no other promoter in Vancouver right now that does any of the gay parties, so I am working hard at establishing that in Vancouver.  The reason I am doing that is because I have traveled a lot and have made many great connections that help me in creating great gay events in Vancouver and I want to help the gay nightlife scene get better. 

Gio                  That is excellent!  If I were to ask your two closest friends what your two best qualities are, what would they tell me? 

Big Roger     Uhhh, Always happy and also shy.  (Smiles) 

Gio                  And what would they tell me is your biggest opportunity for improvement? 

Big Roger     To slow down on partying because sometimes I do not know how to stop.  But right now I realize I am growing up and have stopped going out as much as I used to as it is not as important to me anymore. 

Gio                  You mentioned you have traveled a lot.  Where is the one place you have not gone to yet that you really want to visit? 

Big Roger     I have always wanted to go to Australia and have not been yet.  Last year I was supposed to go to Mardi Gras there and right before the trip I was in London and fell down some stairs and broke my Knee.  That injury had me laid up for about three months and I am still recovering.  I was supposed to go to Sydney, so hopefully I will get to go in 2007. 

Gio                  That sucks about your injury!  I have always wanted to go to Sydney as well…maybe one day.  Where is the most interesting place you have gone to? 

Big Roger     I went to India and that was a very interesting trip.  It was actually tough being there.  People over there were very interested in me because they do not have people that look like me over there and they stared at me…a lot!  They would actually stop me in the streets wanting to know who I was…they thought I was a celebrity or something.  And it would not be just one or two people, it would be groups of 20 or more people stopping me and wanting to get their pictures taken with me.  At first I was fine with it, but the whole 10 days I was there this happened and by the end I was fed up with it. 

Gio                  Speaking of photographs, do you get recognized often from your physique modeling and video work? 

Big Roger     Yeah, it happens quite often and for the most part people are very nice about it.  But mostly I notice people staring at me and for some reason I think they are scared to approach me and talk to me.  So sometimes I do not know if they know who I am or they are just staring because I am big, so it is odd at times.   

Gio                  Why do you think people do not approach you when they recognize you? 

Big Roger     I do not know honestly.  I am always friendly and nice and have never been rude to anyone that has approached me.  If they do come up to me I am always nice regardless.  I guess for some reason some people are intimidated and just do not come up to me…maybe because I am big…I don’t know! 

Gio                  Well, I have spent the last few days getting to know you and I can attest that you are a very down to earth guy and very friendly.  You may be a big guy on the outside with a “bad boy” look, but you are a gentle soul and for all you fans reading this interview, do not be afraid to approach Roger, as he is a very nice man. (Roger is blushing).  You mentioned to me that you have a dog at home, tell me about your pet. 

Big Roger     He is a miniature schnauzer and 8 years of age.  And his name is Zsa Zsa. 

Gio                  OK – how gay is that?  (Both laugh) If that does not prove that you are a big baby, nothing does!  I am sure he is adorable though…  How did you end up being represented by FabScout Entertainment? 

Big Roger     Well Jeremy Hall is from Vancouver and I met him last year at a club and he was telling me about his agent Howard and how he could possibly help me get more performance gigs.  Over the years that I have been doing this work, I have never had an agent and have been doing everything on my own.  Since Jeremy Hall mentioned Howard to me and FabScout Entertainment I decided to look into what they did and find out of they were a good agency and reputable.  I figured it was time to have someone professional help me to get performance gigs and so I contacted Howard and he and I worked out a deal that I like.  So far it has been great! 

Gio                  Well I am glad to hear that!  What is next for you with regard to travels or performing?

Big Roger     Well I am going to Madrid this coming week and then I am going to London.  When I get back from London I am going to go spend Christmas with my family in Mexico and then I go to LA for New Years.  I will be traveling with FabScout to Las Vegas in mid January to perform at HustlaBall and some other events out there as well.  From there, I am not sure at this point what is next. 

Gio                  Wow, you are a busy man.  Complete this sentence; the best thing about being an erotic physique model is… 

Big Roger     Getting all the attention from people. 

Gio                  And the down side is… 

Big Roger     Probably that it makes me less approachable for some reason.  Some people also look down on me for doing this type of work. 

Gio                  If you could give advice to anyone wanting to get into the adult industry what would it be? 

Big Roger     If you really like it and you want to do it…do it.  Do not let others stop you from doing what you want to do.  If it excites you and turns you on, then go for it.  Do not do it just for the money though, you need to enjoy it more than the money. 

Gio                  What is the one thing you would like the readers of this interview to know about you that may surprise them? 

Big Roger     That I am actually a very shy person and I would love to be able to walk up to people if I am out at a bar and introduce myself, but I really cannot do that because I am very shy.   By looking at me or seeing me on film, people would not think that I am this way, but I really am very shy and it is very hard for me to initiate conversations with people that I do not know. 

Gio                  However, if someone approaches you in a club…you will engage in conversation right? 

Big Roger     Exactly, as long as I do not have to break the ice. 

Gio                  I understand that, I am sometimes the same way.  I want to thank you for posing for me this evening as well for my photography portfolio and a new set of photos for your gallery on BigRoger.com! 

Big Roger     My pleasure Gio, it was a great photo shoot and I look forward to getting those images when you finish editing them. 

Gio                  This was also your first photo shoot with your new tattoo on your right upper arm.  What is the significance of your old tattoo on your forearm and you new one? 

Big Roger     I am an Aquarius, I love water and I was a swimmer for many years.  I am very attached to water…I love it.  My favorite body part on a guy is forearms and they have to be big and I like seeing tattoos on big forearms.  So I put one on my forearm first of an abstract wave with the name of my boyfriend in it.  After getting that tattoo and looking at pictures of myself I thought that my body was too big for just that small tattoo on my forearm and I needed something else bigger.  So this new tattoo is a continuation of the abstract water wave that goes from my elbow to my shoulder.  It is just the outline right now and I will go back soon to have the color added like the one on my forearm.  That will take about six more hours to complete. 

Gio                  Well they are absolutely beautiful.  Well now I am glad I put you in the water for our photo shoot! (Both Laugh)  It must have been Karma that made that happen.   Thank you so much for taking the time to do this interview with me today. 

Big Roger     It was my pleasure Gio and I thank you for all you have done the past few days.  Take care…