Skeeter Kerkove continued his barrage on all things Kerkove-less over at AdultFYI yesterday. One of his constant topics has been how Jules Jordan made his money simply ripping off those who came before him (namely John Stagliano and Jim Powers). The Stagliano connection is one I have never tried to deny. Jules found what he liked and refined it to his own tastes. Jim Powers I’m a little more skeptical about, but I will give Skeeter the benefit of the doubt on this one.
Today Gene posted a reader e-mail that really hit it all on the head (http://adultfyi.com/read.php?ID=22519). The real crux is this: all this hardcore porn we colloquially call "gonzo" goes back to Alex deRenzy a/k/a Rex Borsky and what he did in the late 80s and early 90s. John Leslie and Joey Silvera will be the first to say that deRenzy was far and away their biggest influence as pornographers. I think many of the other legendary "old school" directors would concur. Alex has been gone for several years now, but if we’re trying to build a creation myth for sweaty, hardcore, asshole-reaming porn, let’s do it right and start with him.
Yeah Jules Jordan made his money by ripping off/shooting good movies. Skeeter got his money from his wife and dumb asses buying his movie once cause it has a nice box and never buying it again after seeing the crap he puts out.