The Cock Destroyers
The Cock Destroyers | |
|---|---|
 Top: Sophie Anderson in July 2022. Bottom: Rebecca More in July 2021. | |
| Occupations |
|
| Years active | 2018–2021 |
| Television | Slag Wars: The Next Destroyer |
The Cock Destroyers were a pornographic double act comprising Rebecca More and Sophie Anderson. After meeting at a British porn awards show, the pair set up a joint OnlyFans account featuring niche porn films. In October 2018, the pair uploaded a video to Twitter requesting clientele for group sex, which went viral a few weeks later after being retweeted by a drag queen and then again in March 2019 after being sampled in a King Princess track. They went on to feature in A Tale of Two Cock Destroyers and co-host Slag Wars: The Next Destroyer with Matthew Camp, both for Men.com. They also presented a sex education lesson for Netflix.
More and Anderson split up in 2021, with More continuing to keep abreast of Anderson's life. A planned reunion on a second series of Slag Wars was scuppered by Anderson's health and went ahead anyway with More, Camp, and Fantasia Royale Gaga. More announced Anderson's death in December 2023, though she had in fact died the month earlier, and the second series of Slag Wars paid tribute to Anderson when it was broadcast from September 2024. In October 2019, Blu Hydrangea, Divina de Campo, and Baga Chipz, contestants on the first series of RuPaul's Drag Race UK, named their drag girl band the Frock Destroyers after the pair; the trio became the first such band to enter the UK Top 40.
Career
[edit]Formation and virality
[edit]Sophie Anderson first encountered Rebecca More after visiting her OnlyFans account.[1] Both were pseudonymous pornographic actresses who had independently entered the sex industry via escorting and webcamming.[2] The pair later met at a British porn awards show, shortly after which they performed together as part of a film involving a burglar at a bachelorette party in which both had sex.[1] After bonding over their shared looks and libido, the pair began performing together in twice daily group sex with paying customers.[2] Anderson and More later set up their own joint OnlyFans account. In December 2020, Lillian Stone of MEL Magazine wrote that the account's contents included "the kind of imaginative, goofy porn you’d never see from mainstream porn studios", citing Who Framed Roger Rabbit spinoff "Rebecca Rabbit and Her Carrot Dick" as her personal favourite.[1]
By late 2018, More had acquired a significant gay fanbase on Twitter; Sirin Kale of The Face wrote in July 2019 that they were interested in her "sassy theatrics and memeable promo videos".[3] In October 2018, after finishing a £300 morning session at London's St James's Hotel and Club[3] with several clients including chief executive officers, doctors, and a police officer,[2] the pair filmed a video in their hotel room[4] calling out for clients for the afternoon session, which was uploaded to More's Twitter account.[2] The 69-second video depicted the pair describing themselves as "cock destroyers"[5] using heavy British accents and lewd gestures which, according to Conor Williams of Interview, lent the clip "a bombastic theatricality".[2] The pair stated in the video that they were on the hunt for "six more dicks" to "despunk".[1]
In early November,[6] after being retweeted by a Chicago-based drag queen,[7] the video went viral on Twitter and became popular among that platform's gay community,[2] resulting in coverage from the BBC.[3] The video's popularity among that market segment has been attributed to the pair's attitude to sex mirroring that of some queer men.[2] The Cock Destroyers went viral during a period in which memes of pornography were popular, with clips of Cock Destroyers saying "I’m too expensive for you" and "it will be a small fee to pay, but I’m sure you won’t mind" going viral around the same time.[8] More later stated that the success of the video compelled her to upload only safe for work content to Twitter in case any further clips went viral.[6]
In March 2019, King Princess uploaded a track to SoundCloud named after and sampling the pair followed by a 48-second clip containing the track and several cocks, prompting the original video to go viral again.[9] King Princess had originally crossed paths with the Cock Destroyers after she asked the pair to record a birthday message for her manager.[10] In October 2019,[11] the pair played non-sexual roles[12] as a pair of rival brothel madams in A Tale of Two Cock Destroyers, a four-part series of gay pornographic scenes produced for Men.com and TLAGay.[13] Recorded in a suburban manor estate,[14] the video was their first venture into that genre and also featured that genre's Ty Mitchell, JJ Knight, Johnny Rapid, Joey Mills, Leander, and Jonas Jackson.[11] Rose Dommu of Out.com described the film's vibe as "The Favourite, but with more anal".[14]
Later works
[edit]In March 2020, to promote Netflix's Sex Education, the pair rebranded themselves as "sex education destroyers" for a one-off trans inclusive sex education video in which they walked through several facets of sex including HIV, pre-exposure prophylaxis, post-exposure prophylaxis, consent, vaginal pleasure, anal sex, and douching. Nick Duffy of PinkNews described the video's curriculum as "gloriously queer" and wrote that it "left us hoping for a full Cock Destroyers series".[15] That November, the pair co-presented the safe for work four-part reality television series Slag Wars: The Next Destroyer alongside Matthew Camp.[16] Narrated by Chase Icon,[17] the series sought to find a third Cock Destroyer[18] among seven sex workers and OnlyFans creators,[19] who were described on the programme as Slags in an effort to reclaim the word as sex-positive.[20] The show was streamed on Men.com and the purpose-built safe for work domain SlagWars.com[16] and won by Tyreece Nye.[21]
They raised money for HIV and sexual health charity the Terrence Higgins Trust by doing a sponsored 10k run on World AIDS Day [...]. They appeared at Pride events. They reached out to LGBTQ+ people on social media who were struggling. They supported trans people during their transition. They fought against homophobia, transphobia and bigotry. They advocated for the rights and dignity of sex workers, helping to destigmatise and humanise those working in adult industries. [sic]
Alim Kheraj of Dazed talking about the Cock Destroyers while eulogising Anderson[22]
In May 2021, following speculation caused by More tweeting about a "viscous email" [sic] she had received, Anderson tweeted that the pair had split.[23] More kept abreast of Anderson's life after the breakup and retired from studio work in 2023.[24] Later that year, Anderson was scheduled to reunite with More for a second series of Slag Wars but dropped out for health reasons; she was replaced by Fantasia Royale Gaga.[25] Anderson died in November 2023,[26] though news of her death was broken by More the month after; eulogising Anderson, Alim Kheraj of Dazed praised the pair for their staunch support of the LGBTQ and sex worker communities.[22] The second series of Slag Wars aired on the queer streaming service Outflix from September 2024; the first episode paid tribute to Anderson and was released alongside a documentary on how the Cock Destroyers became famous.[27]
In popular culture
[edit]In October 2019, that year's RuPaul's Drag Race UK contestants Blu Hydrangea, Divina de Campo, and Baga Chipz formed the Frock Destroyers,[28] who took their name from Anderson and More's outfit.[29] They had formed the band as part of a challenge to write, record, and perform verses to "Break Up (Bye Bye)" and beat Filth Harmony,[28] whose name riffed on Fifth Harmony.[30] Upon release, the Frock Destroyers' version became the first UK Top 40 single by a drag girl band, peaking at number 35.[29] In December 2020, Emma Garland of Vice likened the Love Island alumnus Megan Barton-Hanson to a tamer Cock Destroyer,[31] while in February 2023, Matty Healy stated in an episode of The Adam Friedland Show that he found the pair "terrifying".[32]: 18:34
Discography
[edit]Singles
[edit]| Title | Year | Peak chart position | Album |
|---|---|---|---|
| "Slag Wars" (with Andrew Barret Cox and Jan featuring Mark Mauriello and Hayley Moir)[33] | 2020 | Did not chart | Non-album single |
References
[edit]- ^ a b c d Stone, Lillian (16 December 2020). "The Cock Destroyers Aren't Just a Meme — They're a Movement". MEL. Archived from the original on 16 December 2020.
- ^ a b c d e f g Katz, Evan Ross (11 December 2019). "The Cock Destroyers Want to Make the World a Better Place". Interview. Archived from the original on 11 December 2019.
- ^ a b c Kale, Sirin (4 July 2019). "Cock Destroyer: How Rebecca More Went from Meme to the UK's Most Loved Adult Star". The Face. Archived from the original on 9 October 2024.
- ^ Staples, Louis (21 November 2018). "We Spoke to the 'Cock Destroyer', the Porn Star Who's Become a Gay Icon". Vice. Archived from the original on 25 August 2024.
- ^ Milton, Josh (6 May 2021). "Fans fear the C*ck Destroyers may have broken up and they aren't taking it well". PinkNews. Retrieved 11 September 2024.
- ^ a b "Rebecca More: The straight porn star turned into a gay icon by the internet". BBC News. 21 November 2018. Archived from the original on 10 April 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ QX (26 December 2018). "QX Meets...Rebecca More". QX Magazine. Retrieved 28 August 2024.
- ^ Manavis, Sarah (19 November 2018). "The Rise of the Porn Meme". The New Statesman. Archived from the original on 25 August 2024.
- ^ Song, Sandra (3 April 2019). "The British 'Cock Destroyers' Have Officially Resurfaced". Paper. Archived from the original on 24 August 2024.
- ^ Hunt, El (27 November 2020). "King Princess: "When Harry Styles Tweeted About Me, It Was a Huge Deal"". NME. Archived from the original on 4 March 2024.
- ^ a b Dommu, Rose (8 October 2019). "The Cock Destroyers are Finally Starring in a Gay Porn". Out. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019.
- ^ Hussey, Megan (8 December 2023). "One Cock Destroyer Honors Another: The Feminist Sexpert Honors Sophie Anderson". Sexpert.com. Retrieved 11 October 2024.
- ^ Neuwave, Robert (8 October 2019). "UK's 'Cock Destroyers' Appear in New Series from Men.com". AVN. Archived from the original on 8 October 2019.
- ^ a b Dommu, Rose (14 October 2019). "I Went Behind the Scenes of the Cock Destroyers' Gay Porn". Out. Archived from the original on 25 August 2024.
- ^ Duffy, Nick (12 March 2020). "The C**k Destroyers are Teaching Inclusive Sex Education for Netflix and They're Doing a Better Job than Most Schools". Pink News. Archived from the original on 27 September 2024.
- ^ a b Street, Mikelle (13 November 2020). "Matthew Camp, Cock Destroyers to Host 'Slag Wars' TV Show". Out. Archived from the original on 13 September 2024.
- ^ Smoke, Ben Charlie (17 November 2020). "Inside the Cock Destroyers' New Reality TV Show". Vice. Archived from the original on 27 August 2024.
- ^ Smith, Reiss (27 November 2020). "Slag Wars: Meet the 7 Queer, Trans and Non-Binary Icons Competing to Be the Next C**k Destroyer". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 11 September 2024.
- ^ Pierce, Barry (22 December 2020). "Slag Wars is the Future of Queer Reality TV". Dazed. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024.
- ^ Tabberer, Jamie (12 November 2020). "Slag Wars: Meet the LGBTQ+ stars competing in Men.com's first SFW reality TV show". Attitude. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Smith, Reiss (18 December 2020). "The C**K Destroyers' Slag Wars Reached Its Big Climax – And the Winner is Ready to Make the World a More Inclusive Place". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 23 September 2024.
- ^ a b Kheraj, Alim (5 December 2023). "Sophie Anderson Will Always Be More Than a Meme". Dazed. Archived from the original on 4 September 2024. Retrieved 27 August 2024.
- ^ Tabberer, Jamie (7 May 2021). "The C**k Destroyers 'Parting Ways,' Sophie Anderson Confirms". Attitude. Archived from the original on 27 August 2024.
- ^ Wratten, Marcus (13 September 2024). "Cock Destroyer Rebecca More on Slag Wars, Sex Work and Sophie Anderson's Legacy". PinkNews. Archived from the original on 23 November 2024. Retrieved 15 September 2024.
- ^ Fox, Dale (9 September 2024). "Slag Wars Season 2 with Rebecca More and Matthew Camp: Release Date, Trailer and More". Attitude. Archived from the original on 19 September 2024. Retrieved 6 November 2024.
- ^ Slater, Bailey (1 October 2024). "Rebecca More: "Slag Wars 2 Is in Memory of Sophie Anderson"". Gay Times. Archived from the original on 21 November 2024. Retrieved 25 October 2024.
- ^ Wratten, Marcus (9 September 2024). "C**k Destroyer Rebecca More bringing Slag Wars back for season two". PinkNews. Retrieved 9 September 2024.
- ^ a b Curto, Justin (31 October 2019). "RuPaul's Drag Race U.K. Recap: The X-Factor". Vulture. New York. Archived from the original on 25 September 2023. Retrieved 25 August 2024.
- ^ a b Levine, Nick (11 December 2020). "Charting Queens: How Drag Finally Punctured Pop". The Independent. Archived from the original on 24 September 2024.
- ^ White, Brett (7 November 2019). "What Time Will 'RuPaul's Drag Race UK' Episode 6 Premiere?". Decider. Archived from the original on 8 November 2019.
- ^ Garland, Emma; Casas, Clara (16 December 2020). "There's Only One Megan Barton-Hanson". Vice. Retrieved 19 November 2023.
- ^ Creamium Town Archive (9 February 2023). The Adam Friedland Show Ep. P05 | Matty Healy. Retrieved 28 August 2024 – via YouTube.
- ^ Cock Destroyers, Jan, and Andrew Barret Cox, "Slag Wars (Official Theme)," (Spotify), featuring Mark Mauriello and Hayley Moir, released as a single on 14 December 2020. Archived from the original on 23 November 2024.