As gay-oriented erotic Web sites go, Menatplay.com caters to a very specific niche. It explores, quite successfully I might add, the inherent sexually charged nature of handsome and fit men in (and out of) business suits, tuxedos and other forms of masculine dress. There are solos, duos and multiple-partner scenes. There are themes (i.e. “Medical”) as well as various locations, from stables to boardrooms to tailor shops to locker rooms, store rooms and men’s rooms, and more. Some of the menatplay men have now leapt off the computer screen and onto the pages of an adult-oriented coffee table book titled Business Affairs (Bruno Gmünder, 2007, $38.95). Adrian and Andy of Menatplay.com filled us in on the details.

Gay & Lesbian Times: What is the genesis of the Menatplay.com Web site?

Andy: Menatplay was formed almost five years ago from our bedroom in south London. We took pictures of models with a small digital pocket camera and just kept painting the wall different colors to make the scenes look varied. We started the site out of our own frustration at not being able to find the kind of scenarios and men that we found really hot. We wanted to present truly masculine men in a new light, and the suit-and-tie theme seemed a perfect way to do this, apart from being my own personal turn on. To our surprise, and pleasure, it turned out that thousands of guys out there agree with us, which meant that Menatplay grew beyond our expectations.

GLT: The old adage “The suit makes the man” is cited in the introduction to the book Business Affairs. It certainly holds true in the case of the Web site. Is it a philosophy that you also share?

Andy: Personally, yes. As one of the directors of the site, I can’t deny my interest in the suited man. For me, the suit is the epitome of masculinity. When a man puts on a suit he is transformed into someone more powerful, more dominant than he was before. The suit makes people see you differently. They perceive you to be more confident, serious and in control – all qualities that you could consider classically masculine. For me, clothes in general are so much sexier than the unwrapped naked body. Clothes encourage us to imagine, to fantasize, to want to investigate further – they invite you to undress, they draw you in to thoughts of foreplay and role play. Clothes are the catalyst for the sexual encounter, and for me there is no greater catalyst than the suit!

GLT: Also in the book’s intro there is reference to the “sexy men and stunning clothes” being “pushed into the darker realms of pornography” for the purpose of the Web site.

Adrian: Our images, due to their subject matter of well-dressed men, have the feel, some have said, of a fashion spread or an aftershave commercial. We always wanted to emulate this style, and while images in many male ads can in themselves be full of sexual potency, we wanted to push the idea further. Imagine photographing a beautiful model for a men’s fashion magazine. As the photographer, you may be fantasizing about the model, wishing you could push his boundaries, wondering what the model has to offer beneath his clothes, but your professionalism and the risk of losing your job make this impossible (at least in front of the camera. Who knows what goes on later?). We wanted to have the opportunity to make sexy, classy-looking images of gorgeous men, but then take it a step further and make their sexual potency less ambiguous. Both in our photography and filmmaking, we try to maintain that polished male model look, but turn up the heat a bit (well, a lot). This contrast between the respectable, refined, classy image and the sleazy, decadent, pornographic outcome makes the sexual content of the film or image seem even more highly charged.

GLT: On the Web site, models are identified as gay, straight or bisexual. Have there ever been issues of comfort in any of the more explicit videos or photo shoots?

Adrian: We try to be very aware of what models are comfortable doing. One thing we never do is force straight models to do gay for pay. There are plenty of hot gay guys around who will look great with a dick up their ass and actually enjoy it. We prefer our straight men to be straight, and we just leave the rest to our own imaginations.

But, at the same time, we do try to push their limits as we are dealing with a fetish that most models may not be very familiar with, particularly when we involve aspects of rough sex with bondage or suit destruction in our movies. You can see they don’t get it when they have that worried look on their faces, and we have to assure them that it does look very hot.

GLT: Not all of the models have a grasp of the nature of the fetish?

Andy: It depends on the model. Some of them just don’t get it. They just want to get the clothes off as soon as possible, as they can’t imagine being sexy with clothes on. We try to sit down with models before a shoot and explain the concept and the importance of the clothes; how they look and how they must be removed slowly, piece by piece, if at all. This often goes in one ear and out the other, as the models often start stripping immediately being used to seeing or working for companies who usually don’t have them wearing much at all. The majority of them, however, understand the appeal of a man in a suit, and we are always very aware of what a novelty it seems for many of them to be suited up, and many of them comment on how great it feels. Once the suit goes on, they seem to have no problem getting into character as the demanding boss or the cocky executive. And then there have been a couple of models who are into the fetish themselves, and so really appreciate it.

GLT: Do you have a favorite model?

Andy: I typically get a crush on the straight ones – they are always so stunning. Many of them are so great to work with, but some can be a little stand-offish, which is understandable, I guess. Being filmed while you jerk off for a couple of gay men must feel a little weird. The thing is that silent moodiness can make them come across as even more sexy. The men who know how to wear a suit and have those masculine qualities I’ve spoken about are always more appealing. But then, because we are so fussy choosing models, it’s difficult to find a model on Menatplay who isn’t bursting with masculine appeal.

I’m going to have to be diplomatic and say I like them all for different reasons. Jean Franco looks like a slick gangster in a suit, and I love that look, apart from which he has the tightest butt that looks so hot in a pair of pinstripe pants! Scott is a beautiful blond with clear blue eyes, and we all love his cheeky London banter. Edu Boxer is known for his rough, hairy bear look, which makes the contrast of seeing him in a suit such a turn on. Antonio and Axel are classically handsome Latin visions, probably the most perfect suit types we have. Julian Vincenzo is a huge Hungarian stallion of a man. I could go on. Basically we love them all!