The Quarantine Q&A: Manuel Skye

As the COVID-19 pandemic continues to halt much of the industry, GayVN caught up with some talent in front of and behind the camera to see how they were handling the time off—and what they see ahead for their industry and community. In this edition, we catch up with Manuel Skye—who has performed for a wide variety of studios in 2020, including Cocky Boys, Kristen Bjorn, Masqulin, Lucas Entertainment and Men At Play. BJ: Where are you right now? In general, how do you think the people in your area are exhibiting safe behaviors? MS: In Montreal, like most big cities, the streets were empty when quarantine started. People here are very laid back and respectful, so it wasn’t an issue at all. The thing though that really baffled me was to know how much people were not washing their fucking hands—how bad it is for the media to have to repeat it so many times. But the lockdown in Montreal is now over. How have you personally been adjusting during COVID-19? How has life changed for you and your loved ones? What have been the biggest adjustments? When I’m Montreal, I barely ever leave my house anyway, so it’s not such a struggle. Since I started yoga, I was basically in quarantine except for when I travel. I FaceTimed with my family almost every day. We even had a dinner all together online with my sister and parents. I started to write a book about spirituality back in December, so it definitely gives me more time now to focus on it. I also feel that more than ever, the world will need this type of teachings in the new reality that we will see when the crisis is over. (If anyone wants to join the mailing list to stay informed, they can do it at 7skyesunder.com). What has been the hardest thing for you, and what do you miss the most? Nothing can break my mood. But I definitely miss travelling. After three weeks, I like to be abroad. I had planned to come back home in the spring for two months, which is already rare—but starting in May it was supposed to be my next European tour. We shoot a lot in Spain, and I made amazing friends there; it was sad to see them at the top of the pandemic so soon. I also had plans for Italy, London, Paris...all hit really hard. So for now, I’m often glued at home—and my kitten is happily glued to me, too. Did you have to adjust your exercise routine? How creative did you get? I’m so blessed I have all my aerial and balance equipment at home, so I can hang from my own ceiling and do my elevated handstand. I do miss the gym weights, but I traded my gym outfit to simply underwear, dancing at times with the music and training on my terrace when the sun is out—still in undies, while the neighbors peekaboo when I do my handstands on the chairs…#FreeCircusShowAlert! When do you think the porn industry can get back to creating content, and how will this affect how things are done in the near-term and longer-term?  Montreal's lockdown is over and productions now have resumed. No one can travel still, so as expected, everything is shot locally. So lucky are the ones who live in a city where content is recorded. We now have three months’ worth of content to catch up to...so it feels like I am on a mission to repopulate the Earth (laughs). I sometimes have to squeeze two shoots per day to meet the deadlines. Every model will fuck together at one point. Still, I really hope to start back travelling in the fall. Let’s see how things go. I’ve seen firsthand how many gay men on the hookup aps don’t seem to care about social distancing and are more than ready to still hook up with a stranger. How do you feel about that, and what would you say to them? I’m not here to school anyone. When you take risks, you have to be accountable for it. Too much people have opinions about everything at this point; I’m just happy to be in my high vibration bubble. Realistically, how long do you think it will be until gay men can feel comfortable hooking up on the apps? Our society was already based on fear, since religions came in the picture. Fear has always been the way to overpower and control people. In the gay world, this syndrome was even more present with the fear of sexually transmitted diseases. Now what I really hope for, is that fear will fight fear. That people will be so sick of living in fear, that they will lighten up and live freely. Fear is a humongous catalyst to create that exact reality you’re scared of. If only the world could learn to use that same power to create the things they really want in life, like health and beautiful, sacred and fearless sexual experiences. For now, only the brave will start to hookup indeed. Hoping that their high vibration will spread around. Talk about the importance of porn during this time for people, who need safe ways to get off, relieve stress, etc. Now more than ever it seems porn is proving how much of a purpose it has. Thank God there is porn for a time like this. I’ve always said that porn actors are peace makers. Even myself, if I’m blue balls, first I become not motivated to do anything, then I start to be irritable. So viva porn! Fans are also present more than ever, so I’d love to give them a big thanks. What lessons about life should this pandemic be teaching us? That we all are one as a planet—and all equal. Breath is the essence of life; we must keep some of these new habits to have a safe and clean environment in the future. It was about time that we reorganized our society and our lives with today’s technologies, working from home if we can. Mother Nature is more powerful than any of us alone; we must treat her with respect. This is also a time of introspection. If you were not happy with your lifestyle, you’ll have to find creative ways to create the life you really want and contribute to bring happiness and good vibes on this amazing planet. You know how much I love Madonna; well, from her and I, the message is the same: “Wake up!”