River Phoenix Interviews Hustlers for My Own Private Idaho

[@sagegarden5310]

This is so strange seeing this because I was an actual male prostitute . We were called hustlers. I am age 52 now n was age 15 then . Did it for many years here in Chicago down town. The area was called Clark n Hubbard. I did I for many years to get money to drink n get high. Moved to Milwaukee Wis at age 24 n ended up meeting my Partner. Were going on 27 years together soon. I'm so happy in life now. There's hope for everyone. RIP River.

[@dashingmay]

Partner?

[@sagegarden5310]

Shel partner means by lover other half

[@johnnascimento178]

I think they may be asking if your partner is make or female?

[@sagegarden5310]

@@johnnascimento178 I'm a gay male n my partner is a male.

[@Azurite..]

You were a hustler at 15!! I bet you’ve got some stories to tell about those days.

[@Sentientmatter8]

Such an honest and vulnerable conversation. This interview is a gift.

[@barblevkulich497]

My heart breaks for these kids. i hope life got better for them

[@afaqiskenderova9029]

Most of them are dead

[@yasmin-uk4gt]

sean was cute tho ❤

[@aaronvigil9910]

​@@afaqiskenderova9029how do you know source(s)?

[@eugen__]

@@afaqiskenderova9029 not true, i dont know about the girl but all the boys are alive and seem to be doing well

[@saarg2975]

@@eugen__how do you know? Genuine question

[@Iceis_Phoenix]

I feel like River is still here...it's such a strange feeling.

[@Josh-kt6jh]

Oρμlεɳ૮ε Pɦσεɳเא he is definitely still here

[@Iceis_Phoenix]

@@Josh-kt6jh 💋

[@jayprivacy1900]

They have pills for schizophrenia.

[@Iceis_Phoenix]

@@jayprivacy1900 you should try taking some then schtizo stalker. 💊

[@jayprivacy1900]

@@Iceis_Phoenix Hahaha! I don't know why KZbin keeps throwing River Phoenix videos in my suggestion box. I want the man to Rest in peace but I really don't give 2 shits about all the other BS. However, I do find it amusing that you are in every comment section with the Alex Jones level conspiracy theories. Hey, at least you're not hoping Frusciante dies this time. That's good. Cheers! I guess I'll see you around the next time KZbin throws another video at me.

[@rory2808]

river is so intelligent, like you could never be bored listening to him talk about various topics

[@Spooky_515]

These kids are pretty clever as well. Interesting to watch River pick their brains.

[@bc1969214]

The blond guy on the right is Mike Parker who River's character was based on. He's in the movie as Digger.

[@melissawright1979]

Just goes to show how dedicated River was to his craft. And how he cared so much about telling the story of a homeless hustler and getting it right in doing so. I was only 6 when he died, but boy do I feel like I miss him!

[@Overlorddz]

yeah there are some questions he asks them that I also wonder about concerning sexworkers. Like if some people cause exceptions and such. Fascinating how serious he is about his work here, that movie could have been a total disaster story and style-wise but he really makes it interesting and easy to follow. I think if you'd watch it muted you'd still get intrigued.

[@reapthewhirlwind6915]

He was also dedicated to heroin

[@littlepinkpie_]

My ears is very sensible to River's voice... his voice is magical💕💕

[@mgmegt5920]

Oh to be in a room with River at night having thought provoking conversations..

[@AestheticallyC]

Fr . Would learn so much from him

[@vonclohk507]

I think at this point hopefully he'd learn from me and my own years of being a junkie. Even though I'm a nobody I'd like to think he'd take my stories to heart.....but probably not. I feel he was going down that road regardless.

[@cozyallyson]

I have no idea how I randomly stumbled across this gem but thank you for uploading. This is amazing. River is so missed.

[@Overlorddz]

Haha if you appreciate this, then the stumbling algorithm was definitely not as random as it seems.

[@coop1083]

river is so proud of him getting off drugs. hallelujah he says. fuckin sad man. river phoenix mesmerizes me with his demeanor. such a brilliant, down to earth, guy. like kurt cobain. when it’s my time, i would love to shake belushi, farley, river and all their hands and say thank you for being you.

[@JDirrty08]

His voice is so soothing 😌

[@adhesiveghost2834]

i love the guy playing blister in the sun on the floor at the beginning. something so sweet about that to me.

[@bryanmmusic]

First guy is a random "rent boy" that they picked up off the street, and the guy named his kid River a couple years previously...

[@marshallleo6589]

Yea Shaun is an actor. He was a hustler early in his life. He not some random rent boy at all

[@adonaiyah2196]

Wait so he named his kid River years before they met River Phoenix.?

[@benjihuxtable6485]

shaun later said in an interview they made that up and he never actually had a kid at that time, although later in his life he did have two kids. im not sure if he actually named them river though, he had them after river passed.

[@kissiangriffin8106]

@@benjihuxtable6485 do you know his full name?

[@wills242]

@@benjihuxtable6485 source?

[@wanderinginthewoods_sam]

I found out that this movie was based off John Rechy's 1963 novel City of Night, I want to read it now so I can really go in depth of the characters. Also because River Phoenix really cares about the roles he gets and cares about the people he came across. He doesn't judge the hustles once as he's talking to him. He's asking questions, with no judgement whatsoever. This is what I admire about him.

[@imeatinggoldfish]

bless them all. love rivers voice

[@jmc6327]

Came across this by accident and so happy I did. Very honest and interesting.

[@bookreaderson]

I still talk to river. He visits when I sleep sumtimes. I was 8 years old in 88 saw stand by me. Memorize evry line. Then Radom times his movies would be on tv cable in the 90s. 97 i saw this movie n changed my life

[@clarkgriswold5903]

Just Rivers body language gives it away that he is so nervous talking about this gay hustler stuff and what these guys are into, I could have never done that kind of stuff and I'm a gay person!

[@Iceis_Phoenix]

He was nervous yes...but brave. People felt they could identify with him and " come out" because of his gentle perseverance. He is a hero to many.

[@ANDJELINA]

Pretty sad to see young kids go through this on their own on the streets :( being involved into drugs and abuse. Scarred for life. Damn its tough to be an actor as well to realize this and act it out....damn.

[@stevenkopko5943]

Spiritual essence of life, will constantly have subtle signs that will be either said to you by someone else, or a physical object with hidden meaning behind it that is meant for you. It ultimately leads to a continuation of life or death. River had the subtle sign in this interview mentioned when one of the male prostitutes said he stopped using drugs and gets naturally high. That message right there was meant for River to hear and for him to stop using drugs. In the end, I will always miss River Phoenix 🔅

[@izarawanjiru]

Deep

[@TarotReaderASMR]

well said

[@ggyxgj3201]

couldn’t have described this better

[@Ryder-888]

life always foreshadows what’s to come, you just have to have the eyes to see it.

[@tecacristiny]

Rio voice was so calm and sweet... #riverphoenix50

[@rachelcook7502]

Both Sean and Mike seem so sensitive and thoughtful and aware, just like lovely people. I love River but he's interrupting a lot/kinda not listening, def seems high. Hope Sean and Mike are okay today. I thought Mike was so moving in the film even before realizing he's the inspiration behind it.

[@Iceis_Phoenix]

Empath's interupt alot. It's our nature.

[@TyrellPatrick]

the point of the interview was to help river get into character it's his job so if he feels like asking something why wouldn't he :p

[@moviemaniac7945]

River was interrupting a lot because he's like spunge he's trying to soak up as much knowledge about them as possible. I do agree he's high but so wat .if you'd lived the life he had you would use something to numb you now an then especially in this situation. To me this was one of the boldest acting roles in Hollywood history. River was such a genius

[@007nadineL]

You can't adsorbed these stories if you don't shut up. He's not even letting them answer his questions.

[@adonicasdaddy]

We spent alot more time together 😉

[@MakeHipHopaconsciencetreasure]

High on life is just more than most people can grasp

[@LaurenMiddleton28]

Just think his son River is 28 years old nowadays.. crazy how times flies...

[@thomaspurcell6442]

I actually don't believe that story you can see the lie.

[@Cedra666]

@@thomaspurcell6442 william richert (who plays bob in the movie and is a great friend of river and still talks about him till this very day) interviewed him and he said he was high and made that story up but later he had a daughter/son I'm not sure and called them river. So he does actually has a child named river

[@saarg2975]

@@Cedra666I’m confused I thought the guy who they are taking to here said his kid is called river? But from what I’ve learnt his name is Shaun Jordan

[@rdkuless]

I went to see the early movie matinee "my own private Idaho".. after it was over, i sat thru it 2 more times, i was struggling with the complexity of the movie.. In this movie, River played a boy that had severe narcolepsy and when stressed he would black out..he was abandoned by his mom, then sexually abused, and to survive he turned to prostitution. he moved to portland, and met Keanu's character. The two of them were merely surviving and being abused by everyone they came in contact with.. Tragic story. In the last scene, he was heading back to Idaho on a remote road, The narcolepsy caused him to black out again, and a car pulls up, you think, "finally, someone is going to show this boy kindness". hoping for a happy ending, and the driver, checks to see that River is ok.. the song, "America the beautiful" begins to play as the driver takes his shoes and leaves him unconscious and alone in the middle of nowhere. I sobbed.. I had to watch it 3 times in a row to grasp the emotions i was feeling. After this touching movie, i was a lifelong fan of both River and Keanu. I wish Keanu would take on more independent films with this level of depth..

[@allsystemsgo8678]

I've seen clips of this over the years. I can't imagine that life, but I living like that. Give them credit. It's a hard life. Hope they've moved on to better things.

[@FRANCISCOANZALDO1978]

River Phoenix ❤️❤️❤️❤️❤️

[@ayaygabriel]

What a phenomenal video. Thanks for uploading

[@sashabrown1796]

"High as a kite, and I just might, stop to check you out..."

[@deadlymina8279]

When the guy said “wanna know how we created him” I was like NO SIR I DON’T WANNA KNOW HOW YOU CREATED HIM.

[@samaraisnt]

you're listening to accounts of underage prostitutes, why are you being precious about a baby being made....?

[@judytripp2914]

River,it's been 28 years ago today,since you had to leave...may you rest in eternal peace 💘😇💋💯😘🥰😍🤩🤗♥️😁🙏🎃🎃🎃🎃🙏🖤🧡🌞🌝😻

[@michaelgoda7150]

Didn’t even notice the kid on the floor

[@user-fb6cw6cb2i]

I wonder where these guys are now

[@noahwitt259]

90sriver tbh prolly dead

[@TheAed38]

Dead or really really messed up

[@LaurenMiddleton28]

@Azitta Akrami i had a feeling he made it!! He is soo well spoken and thoughtful. I would love to talk to him.

[@Iceis_Phoenix]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWbHdZaggMiWeqc

[@ggdebv344]

Scott(a boy lying in a corner) is a photographer and did some acting. Mike(blonde hair) and Shaun(black hair) live in Portland, both married with kids.

[@fairygal8223]

Woh. What a loss of what could have been. R.I.p. River Phoenix❤️❤️❤️

[@Overlorddz]

Wow! This is monumental footage!

[@glittergirl1063]

I feel so bad for these guys.

[@HULKHOGAN1]

Such a shame the way he went at 23. He deserved better. Rest of peace.

[@JacobDean88]

(Not counting personal fruends or family.. .) River Phoenisx is the one person i miss the most. He's also the only celebrity that passed away and still lives in my heart and soul. The guy was amazing. Talented..Gifted.. He was just a normal person who just so happens to also be an actor. He could have just been in his band and still have been the same person... I was a huge fan his whole professional life. Following his movies, music, passions, and spoken words... Minus the career the character had in My Own Private Idaho, i think Mike was Rivers most real roll.

[@meitijobse8121]

SWEET SOUL.... THIS RIVER FLOWS TO THE SEA OF LOVE WHERE IT ENDS.. ♥ ♥ ♥

[@ggdebv344]

Scott(a boy lying in a corner) is a photographer and did some acting. Mike(blonde hair) and Shaun(black hair) live in Portland, both married with kids. and Shaun recently interviewed about River : kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWbHdZaggMiWeqc

[@holeefawk]

I would love to see that interview but it says the vid is private. do you have another link?

[@wolfganghasenmaier8350]

More depth in 36 minutes than in 36 days of recorded politics interviews. I never watched that movie because I had read the disturbing end of what the "character" played by Keanu does then. Me fighting crime since 1986 I always felt a deep bond to some of these homeless characters. Never ever looked down on them.

[@myfriendisaac]

That “Holy Sheep” joke was under appreciated 😂😭

[@other7128]

River's humor was brilliant. He delivered them so casually they fly over your head at first.

[@Greeneggsz]

24:00 or where the guy says “ I’m a bi sexual, the other guy says ima try sexual & River says I’m a try single 😂😂😂😂

[@natalierassat3112]

rivers action to someone naming their kid after him: “i hope he doesn’t smoke” (i’m naming my kid after river too btw) 🙃😀

[@tuhinsikdar7228]

River is the best person on earth ❤

[@anyad6018]

I love River

[@jempalmer867]

My last few brain cells at 3am

[@michaelgoda7150]

Big mood

[@Nargis0507]

4 am haha

[@rayali9854]

Dont worry youll get a refill.

[@angxlhello6200]

It sounds like River was so desperate to find out more about his character and maybe himself talking to them it almost felt like an interrogation, the topics are serious but are being talked about casually I feel uncomfortable, this is very real and sad

[@laoisemeehan]

It was very uncomfortable but in a way I could admire his openness although the bisexual guy was clearly uncomfortable

[@fyfftfyffyfyfyf]

Man the good ol days before phones people actually used to sit around and tell stories and talk 🤔

[@rickyjackson7226]

Real like River

[@meph3188]

Sometimes I really feel like Mike from this film, I'm so tired of being abandoned, I'm not a hustler but sometimes I really feel like it, I'm doing this not for money, just for moment of peace with a guy who needs the same, just a person who cares I guess, but after I just don't want to remember about it, it's just disgusting after. I did this stupid shit with older guys and now I regret about it, I just needed someone. I don't know for what I'm writing this, I just want to tell to someone, because I won't tell anyone, what I have done. Hope that nobody will feel the same like me. Be happy guys

[@youbelonginthezoo]

Very brave and sweet comment. U are loved and valuable

[@meph3188]

@@youbelonginthezoo Thanks for kind words ❤

[@mariamikaella1796]

my take in all of this is he was using the method like that’s just it. getting so immersed in the roles he was playing is just classic river

[@steari]

The whole situation with the towel is weird.

[@robertcarly9183]

Too bad River could not stay off drugs!! River would be 50 this year. Rest In Peace River, gone too soon.

[@DeepScreenAnalysis]

These people introduced him to drugs.

[@robertcarly9183]

Someone did, but we don't know who.

[@startracker5895]

Robert Carlee Keanu Reeves possibly. The addition started after they met. And they were best friends. River would have done anything Keanu did. He really looked up to him.

[@christmastree6817]

He was drugged that day he died

[@vavacadoz]

@@startracker5895 River started doing drugs (like marijuana) as a teen with Corey Feldman and a few other actors. As he grew older, he befriended people who introduced him to harder drugs, some of which being celebrities we all know today.

[@chrishoffman259]

I’ve been a huge fan of him forever, and this is fascinating to see this footage of River. But I gotta admit, he’s so high he’s coming off as kind of a dork. The hustler seems a little annoyed. Maybe it’s just me.

[@sashabrown1796]

River was a dork! Always. He's like a dorky homeschool kid who says random weird crap, and eats dehydrated blueberries instead of candy, and does it all with complete naivete to his own misfit status. He's the coolest because he's the dorkiest.

[@sashabrown1796]

@Lord Of The World I mean, I think he was pretty weird. But not like a cool hollywood guy. Just a regular weirdo. Hahaha.

[@ellesamuse]

"When Imma walking, I strut my stuff Then I'm so strung out." Funny, these are the lyrics to the song melody Sean is strumming when the video starts, called "Blister In The Sun."

[@musicmomma81]

Why is River in a towel

[@rickyjackson7226]

Good one Shell ! Now go take a shower 🏄

[@Iceis_Phoenix]

To get into character.

[@lottie4030]

that's what I said

[@JenMM-u4n]

Gosh I love him. ❤

[@leedavies773]

What a sad state we're in.

[@любовькорабкова-л7п]

Please tell me what happened to the guys hustlers in this video? Are they alive now? Have families or children? And what exactly does River say about the beauty of the female body? I don't take English by ear.

[@CapitalismIsCancer]

kzbin.info/www/bejne/pWbHdZaggMiWeqc

[@Sunnynik_]

​@@CapitalismIsCancer I can't open it, it's set to private ;/

[@oranjelibertine]

Wow vintage footage now of a time long gone. Amazing.

[@nachemiagape9564]

There is something very disturbing about this conversation, especially by the one interviewing

[@blondeboyworld]

How so?

[@linnycrocus6023]

"I shouldn't have to absorb it" dang. It was kind of dissappointing to see the slight homophobia coming from Riv at the end. I love that his friend who was filming called him out on it at the end. He's right....we do see heterosexual intimacy and lustful acts everywhere and we don't complain about "absorbing it".

[@jon6039]

Two underaged boys tell a horrific story of abuse Women in the comment section: omg River Phoenix is sooo cute

[@emberlyashes7880]

We were teenage girls, we weren't raping him.

[@abirose22]

Nobody is saying that what?

[@jon6039]

@@abirose22 there absolutely is and it's disgusting

[@abirose22]

@@jon6039 I haven’t seen any of them my bad. But you’re right it’s not okay and insensitive.

[@lilianebittencourt3850]

If River would be alive, I'm sure part of the world would be better 😢

[@emmataylor590]

Rest in peace river phoenix. ❤

[@asalane20]

This conversation is raw and tragic

[@joyhopwood8012]

Oh River I would have loved to feel your potency!

[@mawishi]

Hehehehhe

[@AestheticallyC]

The lady he’s talking about has to be Martha the time days add up and she prob never told him she got an abortion that’s prob why he said that

[@jgm22]

What happened to Digger or Michael Parker - he was in the film.

[@444sun]

U think he wore sunglasses at night cause they were filming and he was high haha

[@abirose22]

River says he gets shy in interviews so I think that was apart of it. He’s done it before, doubt he was high tbh

[@johnsalay5397]

Happy Birthday River 8-23-2022

[@fyfftfyffyfyfyf]

Yeah totally if you fast for 3 day's you'll feel an unbelievable euphoria!!!

[@judahben-rivhaduj8419]

WATCHING NOW🌅 GOOD YEARS AGO ...

[@janjohansson4292]

I was also 15 and my first bf whas a guy just sexy as he was, And we have 15 years together, This handsome prins charming makes me cry every time see him

[@nikkibeacth]

Mind you that the one with the camera and asking a few questions is Rodney Harvey. R.I.P.

[@mindslaw4961]

Benny Harvey RIP

[@judithtjed]

I remember him from.Salsa, recently saw a docu on him. So heartbreaking. He was gorgeous on Salsa, in the end his whole looks we're horrible due to drugs. Sadly this movie has 2 victims. Them going on method acting for this movie ruined them.

[@adonicasdaddy]

No it's Matt Ebert

[@bellakimble1453]

If you’re reading this comment. Please please please read John Rechys City of Night. So worth the read. An LGBTQ+ book about male prostitution. It’s a wonderful read.

[@kerrieannebaker8595]

awesome. thanks!

[@baerbelleksa]

that book made gus van sant put the Idaho screenplay aside for like 9 years bc he thought what rechy wrote was so much better than what he was writing

[@anthonywilliams9852]

You know River was on the streets too when he was a young boy, with his brothers and sisters, their parents were hippies from the 70s , they used to play guitars and music to folk to collect dimes to bring home to their parents who were nearly always running out of cash. So he blends in with these poor boys because you could say they are just a step or two away from River and his siblings lives when they were very young, and he can relate to these hustlers as he is almost the same age as them, and can feel very much at ease to talk and be understood by them as they use the same kind of street language that he used when he was a street boy.

[@blanketxmaster5103]

33:54 the way the camera man Gathered River🙄💀

[@adonaiyah2196]

Interesting phoenix says glory hallelujah it shows his children of god roots. In that cult it mustve left some impression

[@freckles0829]

Who is the other interviewer in this video, the guy asking a lot of the questions who I believe is also the camera man? At first I was thinking he was Gus Van Sant, but the voice just doesn't sound quite right.

[@holeefawk]

someone said Matt ebert

[@tanyam3335]

River is high.

[@lidiasantoro3098]

If after all that insight a boy like River can get hooked and die, none of us are immune from drug addiction.

[@catwoman8861]

He was never addict. He experimented with drugs recreationally but he wasn’t addicted. His autopsy was proof of that. And he also wasn’t responsible for his death. He went along to the viper room to look after his younger brother and sister. John Frusciante approached him and gave him a deadly speedball concealed in a drink and told him it’ll make him feel “fabulous”. That’s what killed him. This isn’t speculation . It was seen first hand by Samantha Mathis and recounted to River’s friend Bill Richert. You can watch several videos of Bill discussing this on his FB page.

[@dr.7052]

Sorry ,plz help me, in 35:13 what did they talking about?(sorry for my poor English

[@Lunchladydoyle]

He was drugged and killed deliberately. Rot in Hell JD.

[@Cecilia-hb4vk]

​@@dr.7052they are taking about recieving oral sex and the difference between recieving from a Guy and a girl😅

[@nickfarr2751]

does anyone know where these guys are at

[@snowylim6818]

Why the people who choose to leave this world were always the good one

[@Charlito732]

October 1990.

[@ella22yearsold]

I saw a ghost of River Phoenix when I almost drowned in 2012 after watching dogfight.

[@Iceis_Phoenix]

River said monks f**k holy sheep 😆

[@scottyblog]

Ironic that River started getting into the hard stuff during the filming of this movie. Talking about being clean with the interviewee? Maybe he should have heeded the warning example.

[@NovaFeedback1979]

I believe the timeline of him doing harder drugs coincided with this production. So that probably tracks.

[@baerbelleksa]

do you remember where you read that?

[@Overlorddz]

Hey but these guys are in the movie as well!

[@maddymud]

Blister in the Sun to open this

[@hectoraselvllani8250]

Didn't they appear in the movie ?

[@vernonfrance2974]

River made some incisive observations about the Native Americans living in nature while the white men's obsession with money had obliterated nature. He seemed to be testing the waters when he pulled off his towel and said "See the fire in my ass? You'll never see it again." He sat down next to the sleepy one named Scott who had apparently talked to before because he tried to get Scott to talk about stealing a steak for sex while exposing his leg and thigh to the camera and the other two. I got the impression he was turned on and actually trying to turn on the other guys. The one who said he was "Tri-sexual," meaning he would try anything, had at first claimed he was only interested sexually in girls Then he was more honest. He admitted having sex with men made him actually sort of "bi." The long haired blonde guy whose cheeks were flushed said he was totally, irresponsibly sexual and admitted to being bi, was also quite a frank. I am amazed how so many would think these guys in the initial stages of adulthood are not attractive.

[@YummyApple10]

Yeah.. I got that impression too, especially when he fixed his towel right after the guy was unbuttoning his pants.. I felt like he was turned on in some way and wanted to see what attention he would get from trying to seduce the other guys

[@MakeAmericaGreatFasho]

The cameraman seems like he's getting off by this whole thing. River is cool about it but that cameraman gives me strong predator vibes.

[@theweirdandobscure2440]

You have to wonder where they are now, what they are doing in life, could be dead, who knows.

[@btchsssgirlaaa7540]

her life so suck and family preassure her become to star. Feel so bad this guy 🙏 im so mad hear her story. He deserve to be happy and freedoom like anothr teenager.

[@francescaf.7942]

But in all of this, why did River have a towel around his waist? Does anyone know? 😮

[@shonebitl2755]

flowing river

[@YummyApple10]

18:29 😦 y’all see that

[@abirose22]

See what?

[@mikecat6291]

River coming to terms with his homophobia here, how times have changed

[@pescadaro1814]

I agree. Now we can’t come to terms with it.