Thursday,
May 3rd, 2001
DumbBlonde writes on AdultDVDTalk.com: A bi movie set in the forties, this indeed looks different. WooHoo! Blake Harper and Keri Windsor are both really attractive, I'd love to find out who does who. It's too bad Tina couldn't have tied Luke up and forced him to watch some hot scenes! But, I've got to give Luke credit for overcoming whatever, and giving us a good glimpse behind the scenes. I mean, if you scan through large paragraphs where he manages to keep the focus on himself, you DO get the occasional nugget of information about the movie, such as:
"The movie is set in the 1940s and everybody wears costumes. Shanna McCullough wears a hair covering that in Jewspeak I'd call a sheitl." and:
"Jason Sechrest, porn journalist and PR man for Keri Windsor among other porners, kept propositioning me the whole day." and:
"The woman who took my virginity was Chinese."
And we do learn that Luke found the wardrobe assistant very attractive. Actually, the more I read Luke the more I like him - he seems to be a friendly enough guy, and I'm glad that his visit to a bi set was positive enough to snap him out of his depression (which I'm sure if he thinks about THAT real hard, will be enough to send him back into it). But, not being Jewish, he loses me when he starts in with the religion. I find my eyes glazing over and my attention starts to wander, like when you're cornered by some bible thumper. Luke, you write very well, but PLEASE, for your own sake as well as ours, pick a side already!
Linda Lovelace Again
Linda Lovelace appeared yesterday on Bob Berkowitz's show Lovebytes on Eyada.com (you can listen to the archived interview) with her writer Eric Danville (who's married to porn writer Abby Ehman), the author of the new book, "The Complete Linda Lovelace." (See www.completelindalovelace.com)
Bob: "Why another book on Linda Lovelace?"
Eric: "Because she's got the best story in the adult industry. Having been a star from the beginning and helping to create the industry. Then a couple of years later, going against it, and saying she's not a fan of pornography. Her story runs the whole spectrum.
"I'm putting things into perspective. Deep Throat came out 30 years ago... I've wanted to straighten everything out. Tell where people have the wrong ideas and the right ideas. And I wanted to show how her fame affected her life."
Bob: "Linda, how did you become Linda Lovelace?"
Linda: "I had the misfortune of meeting Chuck Traynor. He started out as a nice person and then did a complete 180 and beat me up from that day forward, physically, mentally, psychologically... The psychological damage will never go away. Linda Lovelace became a fictitious character who did everything she needed to do to survive and be alive today."
Bob: "It was never your intention to become a porn star?"
Linda: "Never. I will never be able to walk away from the name..."
Bob: "If it was so troublesome, why would you cooperate with a book that has so many pictures of what you did that you find so abhorrent now?"
Linda: "I'm not too pleased with the amount of pictures that are in there. Eric mentioned a few. I never expected there to be so many. I'm kinda disappointed. I think my story needs to reach all levels of society. A lot of people, even after 30 years, still think that I was a super sex freak that Mr. Traynor created."
Bob: "The cover is you topless with just 'Lovelace' covering your breasts."
Linda: "It doesn't bother me being topless. I did the Legshow magazine in January of 2001. I'm completely dressed in it. And I don't think there's anything wrong with being sexy as a grandma. And a great grandma too. Sex per se is not an evil thing, what happened to me is an evil thing. That I was beaten and forced into it wasn't right."
Bob: "Who is Linda today?"
Linda: "Linda is always late, a procrastinator. My middle name is Murphy. And I proved that walking out of the Sheraton. I'm just another human being who lives week to week and enjoys the hell out of my grandchildren."
Eric: "She's a very nice lady and a lot more open minded than people would think. Mainly because she did cooperate with me on this book and gave me an exclusive interview in the back. She knows I work in the adult industry and she gave me the first interview with someone she knows works in porn in 25 years.
"She answered every question I had. I offered to show her the questions beforehand and she said, she'd just do it.
"Linda was only actively participating in the adult industry for about six months total. It's changed a lot in great part because of what happened to Linda and the notoriety that she got. Women are not yanked off the street and coerced into it. There's a profit motive for women being in it. It's something that women do by choice now."
Bob: "There's not the exploitation that might've happened during the Linda Lovelace era."
Eric: "No, definitely not. There's a lot of self exploitation which I support totally. But as far as people being coerced into working in porno movies today, that doesn't happen."
Linda: "I would never say that it doesn't exist. Because everyone thought Linda Lovelace was a super sex freak and I was coerced into it. And had I been brought up to anybody, they wouldn't have known. And they couldn't have known. Because had I told the truth, I would've gotten more abuse."
Eric: "Some people did know back then. I think Damiano knew what was going on between you and Chuck. He sort've said that."
Bob: "I talk to a lot of people in the porno industry today and my sense is that these are very strong women who are dying to get into it. They think they're going to be rich and famous."
Eric: "They think they're going to be the next Linda Lovelace."
Linda: "I'm not rich and famous."
Bob: "When people come up to you today and go, 'Wow, Linda Lovelace!' How do you react to them?"
Linda: "I just act nicely to them. To them, I'm a superstar. An icon. It's like I was the star of Romeo and Juliet."
Eric: "She's very gracious when she meets people. That's true. She accepts compliments about Deep Throat and accepts congratulations on getting away from Chuck Traynor and everything."
Linda: "I've lost two jobs over the years because of being Linda Lovelace. I had the opportunity to go to Norway and actually march against the viewing of the film after all these years. There was a particular voice that said to me, 'Oh, why don't you just get over it?' There's no getting over it. It will be with me for the rest of my life. And I will hold my head up high and say, 'Yeah, that happened to me and I'm the survivor here. And if you want to listen to me, this is what happened to me. And if it happened to me, it can happen to you.'"
Bob: "What made Deep Throat such an event?"
Linda: "It bridged that gap that society has with viewing sex and discussing it. It was a so-called comedy. And when people can laugh at something that scares them and makes them a little uncomfortable, and feel more at ease, that opened the door to people to be more relaxed about it...
"At [a movie memorabilia convention this past weekend], a gentleman came up to me and said he and his wife saw it and their whole sex life changed because they became more open with each other. And that's great. I'm just sorry that people feel the need to go see pornography to enhance their sex life."
Eric: "The man we have to thank for this, and Linda's not going to like me for this, is Al Goldstein of Screw magazine. He reviewed the movie and called it the best porno ever made, and as soon as the word got out, Screw was an up and coming paper, everyone respected its opinion about matters sexual, when he wrote that, lines started going around the block. And it just snowballed.
"I'd like to think that, not in terms for Linda, but for the general populace, it changed things for the better. It opened up a lot of conversations about oral sex, about sexual relations between people..."
Bob: "Linda, porn has become so mainstream. It's middle America now..."
Linda: "I don't understand your question."
Eric: "I'm pretty surprised. In the last four or five years, with shows like this one and the Howard Stern Show, cable TV shows like The Man Show which has porn stars on. A lot of times, the only reason they would get into the news or on TV is if they committed suicide or as a joke. But there are some people who take them seriously. I think porn is an interesting phenomenon and it is certainly widespread but I don't think that it changes people's attitude a lot.
"Companies started marketing Deep Throat on videotape in 1973 and would actually rent you a VCR since no one really had them back then."
Linda: "I think people are more open to communicating with each other now than they were."
Bob: "All for the better?"
Linda: "I think so. For the better. I think it will be better still when people can communicate with each other and not have to watch porn."
Bob: "But some people find porn entertaining and stimulating."
Linda: "I don't."
Bob: "I know that you don't, but some people do. It encourages lovemaking and trying new things. What's wrong with that?"
Linda: "There's nothing wrong with that. For people to communicate better sexually is great. That's the problem with half the marriages. That they seek porn, that's not my thing. I think they should just be able to talk to each other about it. And yeah, Deep Throat did open a lot of doors for people and to me that's great. Now why do they need to watch anything more?"
Bob: "Eric, you write an awful lot about sex."
Linda: "That's got to be bad for your sex life. After you write about it all day long, who wants to go home and do it?"
Eric: "Not necessarily. My wife is going to be on your show next week. The first time I saw her on your show, she was talking about the first time we actually had sex.
"I think this country is really hung up about sex, especially with everything that happened with President Clinton and Monica Lewinsky. He could've been stealing money right and left and he could've been ordering hits on Castro, but the thing that really pissed off people the most was that he was getting blowjobs in the Oval [Office].
"We're not as open about it as people in Europe or France..."
Linda: "I don't think it is nobody's business who the president does... He doesn't do anything different than what anybody else does in the world. If you took any business executive, I'd say that nine out of ten have had a little bit of experience like he's had. They didn't get caught."
Bob: "It's very interesting. You are not comfortable with pornography, kinda anti-porn, but you are a proponent of good healthy sex."
Linda: "Anyone who's ever looked at my Leg Show article, not bad for a granny. I have two cousins who look at me and say, 'You don't look like a granny.' There's no reason in the world that you can't look sexy at 89 or 29 or 19."
Eric: "That's one of the things that I brought out in the book. She told me at one point that she thought it was ok to look sexy, and I told her, 'I think some people would be surprised to hear you say that because they think you're repressed and hung up... She said, no, I'm just a normal woman who's got a normal woman's desires and likes to do what a normal woman does.'"
Bob: "Linda, are you married?"
Linda: "No, I'm not married please. That's one mistake I will never make again. I'm a firm believer that marriage is the first step to divorce. Why ruin a great relationship by becoming engaged forever? I would live with somebody but I will never marry again."
Bob: "Are you involved with anybody now?"
Linda: "No, I'm not."
Bob: "You can't get the book in bookstores or at Amazon? Why not?"
Eric: "Because I've been working in publishing for ten years and I am tired of getting screwed. It's a total business decision. I wanted to start my own publishing company anyway so this is my first release."
Bob: "Eric, you work in porn. Are there Chuck Traynors in porn today?"
Eric: "There is a certain element of Chuck Traynorism in some of them [suitcase pimps] but not to the extent that happened back when Linda was working in the business."
Linda: "You can't say that. You're not behind that closed door."
Eric: "I've met a lot more of them than you have."
Bob: "Eric, where do you think the porn industry is going?"
Eric: "A lot of them are running scared because they are worried about having John Ashcroft as Attorney General. Bush has said he's going to vigorously enforce anti-pornography laws."
Bob: "Linda, do you favor the government shutting down the porn industry?"
Linda: "No. I don't think there should be any sort of censorship in our society. What we need to do is educate people about what's out there..."
Eric: "I've read a lot of articles on her and I've never seen her say that the government should shut it down."
Linda: "It's so frustrating when everyone says, 'Well, how do we know that you were a victim?' At what age are we victims? Does a 13-month old baby wake up and say, 'I don't want a bottle this morning. I want a penis.' In this country we have a book distributed that tells men how to approach a schoolyard. What child to look for. The one that's over by himself. How to get that child to come home with you. And how to get that child to have sex with you. That still runs rampant in this country. And that's protected under First Amendment rights. And everyone says, 'I don't want to talk about child pornography. We all know that's wrong.'
"Well, yeah, we do all know that that's wrong. But it exists. We have an instrument that we insert inside of a female baby to enlarge it in order to take the capacity of a man and the baby hemorrhages or bleeds to death. That's acceptable? That's ok? That's the type of pornography that I am totally against. And Eric says that there is absolutely no way that this is going on right now. I'm sure it is. Behind somebody's closed door, somebody is getting abused and forced into it."
Eric: "Not that I've ever seen, and I've been meeting women in this industry for ten years."
Linda: "Yeah, but you're not in Middle America where Suzy Bell has been told that hubby's bringing home six guys tonight. And live out in the middle of a farm. It does still exist."
Eric: "I see your point. I've done work for Leg Show magazine for Dian Hanson, a big fetish magazine. A lot of swingers write to those magazines, a lot of people whose lives are built upon multiple sexual partners and meeting them in hotel rooms and having consensual infidelity. Consensual infidelity is a big fantasy for some people."
Bob: "We're all opposed to child pornography."
Linda: "Everybody always separates it but they're related."
Bob: "Then you should be in favor of censorship."
Linda: "I'm not in favor of censorship. I'm in favor of people being aware of what's out there."
Bob: "One of the larger producers of porn films said, 'we're not interested in a child audience. We're totally interested in adults. We've never had a kid, we've never exploited a kid, we wouldn't want this to get into the hands of children. We're interested in entertaining adults.'"
Eric: "That's why I put the adult only banner on the book because I don't want kids looking at this."
Bob: "What did you tell your own children about sex?"
Linda: "That it is a beautiful thing. That falling in love is wonderful. Fall in love all your life and don't ever get married. My kids are open enough where they are enjoying themselves and my grandkids are too little now. They're almost four and almost one year old."
Eric: "She's a wonderful grandmother."
Bob: "Your kids did get married?"
Linda: "My son got married and he's divorced. My daughter is living with someone."
Bob: "Which you support."
Linda: "Yes, I am all for that."
Deep Throat was Bob and Eric's first porn movie.
Linda: "I was out with my dad and his girlfriend down in Florida for St. Patrick's Day. And this girl looks over at me and says, 'Oh my God. You're Linda Lovelace.' And I went, 'How did you figure that out?' She goes, 'I've got the movie.' I say, 'It's 30 years later.'
"They were sitting two tables away from us and I was fascinated by that. It still goes on like that. People can still remember that face. It still looks that familiar?"
Eric: "Yeah it is."
Linda: "I had a really decent job for a too morally strict company. As a temp, I was top of the line. My name was always up on the board and customers were always asking for me. So I decided to go on fulltime, and within two weeks, they separated our relationship because they found out about Linda Lovelace. And it had nothing to do with my work or my performance. That was the second time I lost a job because of that. It's caused some difficult situations for me in that aspect."
Bob: "We've interviewed Brandy Alexandre who says that she got fired from her job working at a cemetary in Los Angeles. Because they found out at one time in her life she was a porn star."
Linda: "That's totally wrong. It's discrimination to the maximum."
Bob: "Yes. But the reality is that it [porn] is a decision that will live with you for the rest of your life.
"Do people still watch Deep Throat?"
Eric: "A guy that works at the video company that owns the rights to it says they print up 2000 copies a week."
Linda: "I haven't watched it."
Linda: "My son has been at parties where they say, 'Let's watch this,' and my son will just walk away and that person will never be his friend again.
"My daughter's been confronted with the Playboy magazine [issue featuring Linda Lovelace] and she'll be like, 'You stupid F blank, loot at the blank date. And then she'll say, 'Do you want to know what really happened to my mother?' And she goes on a big long thing. She will confront it while my son will just walk away."
Eric: "Her daughter's read Ordeal. Her son hasn't read Ordeal yet."
Bob: "I have a friend, Candida Royalle, who was an on-camera porn star and now she makes them as a producer, director and writer."
Eric: "She's a very nice lady."
Bob: "I have no interest at looking at any of her films. Because it's not the person I know."
Eric: "I didn't see any of her performances until after I became friends with her and it was very weird."
Linda: "She does erotica too?"
Bob: "She's a director of adult films from a woman's point of view."
Linda: "I would find that interesting."
Bob: "I ought to hook you two up."
Linda: "We've met."
Linda says she's thinking of suing the most recent company that fired her.
Eric: "Was that the one where your picture was up on the wall as employee of the month?"
Linda: "Yes."
Bob: "It amazes me when I talk to these young people [starring in porn] and they will say, 'Oh yeah, my parents support me.' That a parent would say, 'This is great. I'm glad that my daughter is schtupping her guts out on camera.'"
Eric: "We did meet one guy at a convention over the weekend who was guiding his daughter through her adult career, making sure she doesn't meet the wrong people and that's she isn't mistreated."
Bob: "How did you two get hooked up?"
Eric: "When I heard that Ron Howard was planning to do a movie version of Ordeal, I wanted to get a straight writing credit. Not that I have anything against porn, but I wanted to be in Vanity Fair or something. So I got her phone number from the guy who works at Arrow Films and I asked her for an interview. I told her where I was working at the time. I worked at Screw. And she wanted nothing to do with me at all.
"So, I decided that instead of doing an article, I would do a book. And about a year and a half later, I called her up. One thing I remembered from Out Of Bondage was, why do people keep bringing this up again? I didn't want her to be totally caught by surprise. I didn't necessarily want her blessing, but I wanted her to know that this book was going to happen, and if she would give me an interview, it would make it as complete as I wanted it."
Eric: "Why are you helping to promote this book Linda? What's in it for you? Are you getting a piece of the action?"
Linda: "Yeah, not much. What's really in it for me is that I am helping Eric out."
Eric: "Yeah, she's great."
Linda: "I'm letting people see where it's really at. Now you're getting his opinion, he's pro pornography, and me, I'm against pornography. And the two of us met and it worked out."
Eric: "She's real nice and I'm real nice. We're two friends working off of each other's opinions."
Bob: "Is Ron Howard doing a film about your life?"
Eric: "No. Their option lapsed."
Linda: "It's not the first time. When it finally does happen, it will be because it is the right time and the right group of people."
Eric: "For 20 years, they've been trying to get that movie made."
Linda: "The only thing that's stopping it is someone with some insight [is needed to do it].
"I was looking forward to him [Ron Howard] doing it because no matter what he does, he always gives 100% honesty and truth and does a lot of research."
Bob: "Why doesn't someone do it?"
Eric: "Because of the subject matter, it would have to be an NC17 movie, unless you wanted to dilute it and not really tell the whole story. And I know that Linda is more concerned with having the whole correct story told.
"I've seen a copy of the script for the proposed Ron Howard movie and it wasn't very good."
Linda: "It was pathetic."
Eric: "It spent a lot of time talking about the publishing of the book, which really isn't the story. Getting the story out there isn't really the story. What happened with Linda and her perspective of getting away from Chuck Traynor, that is the beauty of the story."
Bob: "Why do you think so many people doubted you, Linda, and didn't want to believe your story?"
Linda: "Society didn't want to know that they were partially at fault too. They wanted to blame my father, my childhood, my mother, blame somebody. It wasn't anybody else's fault but society. We created the Mr. Charles Traynor that did this to me."
Eric: "When Ordeal came out, it made a lot of people feel really guilty about liking Deep Throat. They resented that. It was so much a part of some people's upbringing and insight into sex, that to have that taken away made them very resentful."
Bob: "Where is Chuck Traynor today?"
Linda: "I think he lives on a ranch in Nevada. He's going blind and is having a difficult time getting around."
Bob: "Does that make you feel good?"
Linda: "Only if he's suffering."
Bob: "Did you talk to Chuck Traynor, Eric?"
Eric: "No I didn't. Because I've read so many different interviews with him that I knew his story wouldn't change."
Bob to Linda: "What was the upshot of your relationship between you and Traynor? Did you ever sue him?"
Linda: "No. There are no laws for the victims of our society... The statute of limitations on your property has a greater length of time than on your personal body. Judges and lawmakers have to realize that you are not held captive for two-and-a-half years and abused on a regular basis and then wake up the next day and everything is peaches and cream. It takes years and years to get up.
"When my children were little, there were times that I would be playing with them, and get a flashback, and start crying. There were times when I was in bed with my husband and he would touch me in a certain way and it would be a total flashback. It takes a long time to heal all that."
Bob: "It's amazing you have such a healthy and comfortable feeling about sexuality today, given what you went through?"
Linda: "I'm not going to let him take something so beautiful away from me."
Eric: "She's very interesting. She's quite a woman."
Linda: "I'm going to be at the Hells Angels tattoo convention in Manhattan on the weekend of May 18 [in New York]."
Spam From Vivid
Brandy Alexandre writes on RAME: Does anyone else get spam from Vivid? I've gotten my third email spam and I ALWAYS report it as such to all involved--web hosts, ISPs, etc. I never in my life asked to get porn spam from Vivid or anyone else. The messages are moronic and I think they need to get the message that this form of advertising is ugly and irresponsible... and against the new spam laws.
ZHR29: brandy alexandre is a waste. i understand you being online
so much because you run a great site. But Brandy is a joke. She is always
sounding in on issues on your site. If she is a real porn star, she
should be on set or on her back with a strangers cock in her. But being
the ubiquitous 3rd party that is always sounding in on your site's topics
makes me think she is lame. Asia Carrera is online on the time, and
that is because she runs an awsome site. I can be online too a lot b/c
I am a porn guzzling ZHR29: dork and that is my perogative. But this
girl is just flat out lame.
ZHR29: Luke, I wish you would tell us more about what it was like hanging
with Julie Meadows. She is so good to look at and actually looks like
she enjoys having sex on camera and allowing the sexy and deviant side
to come out. There is not much info on her as she is not one of the
top 5 stars in the biz. But she is one of my favorites and your lucky
ass got to hang out with her on a set. You have to let me and your vast
readership in on the merits and times of hanging with the beautiful
Julie Meadows. ZHR29: Oh, and did I tell you I am sick of Brandy Alexandre.
The best part is...is that she will respond to my comments. Hahaha.
BrandyAlx1: But dude, what do you call what you're doing? Sounds like sounding in on issues on Luke's site to me. How do you rate the privilege and I don't?
Brandy Alexandre writes Luke: You know, people say that I cling onto the industry trying to hold onto a fading star and the like, when it's really just a matter of surrounding myself with things I know, and being in places where I don't have to lie. Granted, if I let everything go I'd just be another fascinating woman. My "past" is so far behind me. But the people who turn their back on their pasts are people who want to forget where they come from or where they've been. I know how I've changed from my porn experience, and not only has it made me much of who I am today, I don't regret it, am proud of some minor accomplishments, and feel comfortable with it even when I don't know anyone anymore. It's family. Just like if I found a 4th cousin once removed whom I've never met in my life, there would still be a feeling of kinship. Without hanging on, at least a little tiny bit, it would be like going into the witness protection program.
From Jeff in NYC: Nici Sterling was on the opie and anthony radio show on WNEW in NYC today-she said she did enjoy her 18 man gang bang. She also took the"Wiffle Ball Bat Challenge"-which involved her putting a wiffle ball bat in her pussy as far as it would go-SHE BROKE THE RECORD FOR THE SHOW.She Did so well, they actually coined a name for her technique. She then put on a Whipped Cream bikini which you can see pics of at wnew.com she also plugged her site nicisterling.com
Porn & Coke On ET
Gemini writes: Thursday May 3 on "Entertainment Tonight", a cute little brunette porn star (the preview a few minutes ago did not say her name) will be talking about her addiction to cocaine.
Janine & Julia Ann
Nyphil writes on BigDoggie.net: I saw these 2 lovely ladies dance together at Deja Vu in Queens about a month ago. It was the first time they danced together in a long time and they told me they might still dance together occasionally. However, they are both still active on the dance circuit as individuals.
Alisha Klass In Car Accident
I've heard that Alisha Klass was in the passenger seat in an Audi. The guy who bought her a ton of flowers, lent over to smell them. They were on Doheny. They hit a parked car on Alisha's side of the car. The car skidded 30 feet and then the airbags blew up. They thought the car was on fire. She's ok, she's just bruised and battered. She's sore. She's stiff and her face is bruised. Her back is messed up.
DRP writes: Have a question hopefully yourself or one of you're listeners may be able to answer. I was watching Inside Adult with Alicia Klass on Playboy earlier tonite. Is it me or does she look heavier than ever? I know this may sound a bit mean, but a girl this known in industry and obviously has fans, isn't she supposed to be taking care of her figure instead of blowing it up? Kylie Ireland has never looked bettter though. I was just curious if people who watch porn are into chubbier woman now.
Alisha Klass writes: Dearest Luke, I'd like to offer you my deepest apology for not coming thru for you and inviting you on the set of Inside Adult. I just read what you posted about my car accident. Wow, you're pretty good. How'd you get so many facts correct? Thanks for not dropping my dates name. My face shattered the windshield, but I just had some light bruising. My neck is just getting tight and I have whiplash, but I will be fine, thanks to the beautiful exotic flowers and the airbag. I've had to cancel my appearance on "Howard Stern" for Friday and my feature engagement at "Club Gossip" in Long Island, but my friends are spoiling me with comfort. I'd like to use your site as a venue to thank all of the people who have sent on-line get well cards and their kind words to suchklass@aol.com. Thank you very, very much. Luke, please mark your calendar for May 16th, cause you're going to come have a blast on the set of "Inside Adult" and get great interviews from my guest. Tonight I had the pleasure of interviewing Kylie Ireland and Ginger Paige. Thanks for a great show girls. They both look incredible. OK Lukster, I'm off to gab with my girlfriend and then hit the sack. You're wonderful and I hope you have a great night. Oh, also, I have a huge meeting with the director and producer (female) of 3000 miles to Graceland on Monday night. Much on the table, I'll keep you posted.
Luke, isn't it funny that there's only one pencil head that keeps writing dumb comments to try and make me look stupid. He's probably some guy that has nothing better to do with his time like, try and run a successful, honest business or something. You see, now that I'm not surrounded with things that cause me anxiety, I'm able to enjoy food again and perhaps I'm just finally carrying my normal weight. That was a great attempt to spell my name too! A happy healthy girl!
Brian Kushner writes: What's the big secret about her date, it was reported the day it happened that it was Bruce Willis!
Alisha Klass writes: Luke, to answer Brian's question and to clarify his comment. I was not with Bruce when I got in an accident and I just didn't want to post my dates name because he writes for a prominent television show and he was arrested. Due to the time of the morning it was and the nature of the accident, it looked as if he was drinking or had to be on drugs, which is understandable, but now true. So until he is clear and, innocent, I'd like to leave it at that. We figured out exactly what happened. I thought my face shattered the windshield, but it was actually my right hand that was holding all the flowers. He leaned over to smell the flowers and kiss my cheek and at the same time he accidentally moved his driving hand towards me and then we side swiped the parked car. Just a freak kind of thing that happened. The marks on my face were from the air bag and the top of my right hand is bruised. The flowers, we'll let's just say that they went everywhere. It was kind of funny, they were falling out of the car. So there you have it. Once again, I'm still receiving many kind notes of concern, thank you, they're very much appreciated. Have a pleasant evening.
Renfro writes: After reading the post by Ryan Levi and the rebuttle by Matt Brandenburg, I'm confused as to where the term "whiz kids" came from, neither of these silly little bastards could win a spelling competition with a Chia pet, much less an inbred 2nd grader from Unclehumper, Alabama. Dr. Dreidel? This kid is living proof that trailer trash has no ethnic preference. I find it terribly difficult to muster much sympathy for someone who refers to his closest friends with monakers like BigA and Stinkhole or whatever the hell he called them. I did however find the little anecdote about his girlfriend becoming a stripper and bringing home guys to screw in his kingsize bed amusing. And like most love stories, his ended in tragedy when his bimbo tossed his clothes in the yard, but left the window open so he could hear her fornicating with the aforementioned Stinky.
As for Matt, I find it highly unlikely that someone who can't spell "quit" could earn 650K per year. We're probably talking about a little moronic jackass who blew the trust fund his investment banker father left him, because that was the only way he could attach himself to women. And now he's peddling gay internet content and probably blowing Catholic Priests and high school band teachers at public rest areas to pay those car notes. I wouldn't be suprised if young Matt, has to sit behind the wheel of his Mercedes on a doughnut cushion, from the pain of repeated rear entries to pay for his toys. I have to close with Ryan. I'm sure his stripper girlfriend left him homeless and screwed his "friends" in front of him, less because of the Jewish short cock urban legend, than just because he is a complete loser. What really offended me was that he had the nerve to invoke the Holocaust. Him invoking the greatest tragedy of the 20th century is no different that a toothless redneck who's married to his Sister in Polk Country, FL screaming about how a Nigger took his uncle Bubba's job at the post office, or a young black man in Compton breaking into liquor stores and gun shops because "Whitey" is keeping him down. In fact Ryan's comment touch something much deeper, the loss of over six million innocent lives. Although I think "trailer trash" aptly describes both of the little bastards, I would not feel just in my criticism if I didn't end by calling them Dumbasses.
Asia Carrera writes on her Bulletin.html page on AsiaCarrera.com: I have been shooting my ASS off lately! Apparently I'm back in vogue again, since I've dropped a lot of weight since my Hawaii trip in February. (That vacation got me up off my butt and running around for a couple weeks, which inspired me to actually stick to a healthy diet and crap once I got back home) Ironically, the fans are not quite as thrilled with my weight loss as the directors and producers are - my emails have been telling me that you guys prefer 'womanly curves' to 'anorexic waifs'. But even though a super-lean body may look great, it doesn't always feel so hot. I get sick a lot more when I'm skinnier, I feel weak and tired all the time, and I suspect it makes me a bit grouchy as well.
Farrell Timlake Says Racquel Darrian Was A Drug Whore
On last night's Luke F-rd Live, my cohost Farrell Timlake says that he knew Vivid girl Racquel Darrian used to be into hard drugs and would flip tricks on the side.
Brandy Alexandre writes: How is that newsworthy, i.e., different from any other porn star these days? I admit, it was rare and much frowned upon to be both a hooker and a porn star in those days, but now? Purely interchangeable. It's as difficult to find a porn star who *doesn't* "flip tricks" today and it was to find one who did in my day.
Robert Lombard of Creative Image writes: Oh boy! What I am about to write will SURELY get some individuals UPSET. I personally think posting information about Adult Girls who have substance problems NOW or in their PAST, perform 'privates' NOW or in their PAST is not in the BEST INTEREST of the Adult Industry or productive. Remember WE all live in a fish bowl. And I for one feel WE should trade information on the GOOD things. BAD things if it helps someone from staying away from individuals who have BAD history with treatment towards talent, NOT PAYING THEIR bills etc. NO, I am not a crusader. Nor do I want to change the world. My motive is pure and simple. WE are in business. Let US not FORGET..successful businesses are run with ethics, integrity and honesty. MIX in a little understanding, love, kindness and respect for good measure. Non of US are perfect. I for one have had my share of problems from personal to business to substance abuse. I have encountered some AWESOME INDIVIDUALS since my limited involvement within the Adult Industry and I have encountered a few SCUMBAGS. The Awesome ones OUT WEIGHT the Scumbags.
Brandy Alexandre Is Ignorant, Spiteful, and Now Hypocritical
Farrell Timlake from Homegrown Video writes: Allow me to explain, so the context is not misunderstood. You, me, everyone and anyone who got paid to have sex on camera is a ho. Get over it, stop making hypocritical demarcations between what you do, what strippers do, escorts, phone sex operators, etc. Any person who is an erotic entertainer is a hooker. Every top fashion model you could ever name is a hooker since their sexuality is what projects and enhances the clothes so teasingly draped upon them and their sex appeal is your lure to notice them. Every hollywood actress and actor who ever did a steamy love scene is a hooker. Get over it. Hookers, ho's, sluts, whores, geishas, escorts, whatever. Who cares?
You are not better than any of them because 'you only did it on camera'. Stop being a hypocrite. Every woman's magazine in the world panders to the same sexual craving as the most dire 'pornography' when it proclaims "Sex tips to save you marriage" or "Spice up you sex life with these romantic tips". We should all be looking at one another and singing "You are a hooker, I am hooker, wouldn't you like to be a hooker too".
What is the score? Are you trying to somehow say that you are better than a hooker working Sunset and Vine because you only got ass-f---ed and gave great head on camera? Please. Spare me. I was in Los Angeles and making movies the same time you were and I knew plenty of talent that either came to the biz from escorting, or left the biz to pursue more prosperous careers as escorts.
God bless all of us. Too bad we do not live in a society that reveres and considers sexuality sacred and recognizes the positive impact all that sex, sex, sex can bring to this world.
I speak my mind as Farrell, from Homegrownvideo.com, where we are happy to say that we love everyone who benefits from sex materially, spiritually, or otherwise. God gave us orgasm. Now please respect it, honor it, and give praise to all those who make more orgasms possible in this otherwise violent chaos of existence. Raquel Darrian is blessed. Ruby is blessed. All the ho's are blessed.With every quiver and shake they bring us all one step closer to bliss. Besides, let he, she, or he-she who is without sin cast the first stone, honey.
BrandyAlx1: Sounds like Farrell's still mad about being exposed as a net menace with his cascading popups and totally wrong about HIV and AIDS. Much the pity that he can't be a grown-up about people with differing opinions. I think the day he decides to bend over for a guy with $20 on Santa Monica, he'll know the difference between a whore and a porn performer.
Luke Gets Mail
Dudley Moore writes: Getting back to Bill Gates and Internet porn, no one has yet taken responsibility for the worldwide Internet invasion, and no one is ever going to. Society itself bought into it, after all. But how did this sexual incursion occur without any foresight or public oversight?
But here's the plus side: proliferating Internet porn may suggest a new, and broader, legal definition of pornography: "visual content in any publicly available medium (Internet, TV, movies, magazines)which would inflict primal scene exposure on supervised or unsupervised viewing children." Such material would only be made available in a way that legally ensures responsibility should such traumatic exposure occur. In a society which cares about its children, why shouldn't a child-protective definition be the standard for porn? If such damage does in fact occur, do we have any other responsible choice?
Tom writes: Hi Luke, Maybe Logan is trying to make you jealous? Sending you that picture of her with Pauly Shore. That Pauly real likes the porn chicks. Its odd to me that she would even of asked your help on how to get into porn. When she knew a big star like him. Pauly being so close to the porn industry for so many years. I would of thought just a few phone calls from him thats all it would of taken to get her porn career moving.
Crazycanuck writes:
1)Asia's site is top hit because it is free and has a sense of humour
2)If CNN backs off from putting that former NYPDBLUE star on the air, their chicken s---s---nearly all the talking heads that sit behind the desk are just mouth pieces any way--- with a few ecceptions real reporters stay in the field to report and let the lazy, uneducated people sit behind the desks anyway...may I remind you that headline news already employs three for weathergirls(reporters) as ancors and only one went to university and the other two are high school drop outs.
3)Tom cruise has to sue more people per year then any other actor. Between him and Keanu, who cares if their fudgepackers--just use it as ammo the next time your old lady says how much she wants to f---em
And two quick question.has Stephanie Swift and Dee retired from the porn industry.
And will you be updating any of the information about aids in the industry--or have you made peace with 'certain' people and agreed to keep it to a minor side bar to your reports.
Sergio writes: "Is Brazilian porn largely produced by jews or by homegrown luso-degenerates." There are no jews in Brazilian Porn. Don't ask me why. In Brazil, jews are more like a secret society, like the masons. No lusitan people in Brazilian Porn either. Lusitans comes from Portugal, and that's EUROPE. Learn geography, dammit. Brazilian porn is largely produced by stupid people in search of a quick buck. They saw what Stagliano did with a camera and figured out that it was easy to emulate. Well, they were wrong.
Michael writes: Hey Luke I was wondering if you could help me with Inari Vachs email address. A friend of mine is Serbian and we saw a porno with her where she says that her name means PURITY in SERBIAN my Serb friend says that that is not a Serbian word and that Inari doesn't look Serbian to him. Well we want her email address so he can write to her in Serbian and see if she has any idea what he is talking about.
From Inside.com - Tom Cruise Files $100 Million Lawsuit Against Porn Actor Who Claims Homosexual Affair With the Star
I found this story on Inside.com:
Tom Cruise moved to quash rumors about his supposed homosexuality with a lawsuit filed Wednesday against what the complaint described as a pornographic film actor who is allegedly spreading tales about a continuing affair with the Hollywood star.
Chad Slater, who is also known as Kyle Bradford, ''has concocted and spread the completely false story that he had a continuing homosexual affair with Tom Cruise and that this affair was discovered by Mr. Cruise's wife, leading to their divorce,'' according to the suit.
The defamation complaint seeks $100 million in damages. It was filed in Los Angeles Superior Court.
Azlea Anistia Update
Mr Marcus tells AVNGossip.com that porn star Azlea Antistia has retired from porn and is opening a clothing store.
Academia Or The Rabbinate For Luke Levi?
Spankin Hank writes: Luke, the idea of a life in academia sounds right for you except for one little thing ... coeds. You will be all over them; you will be unable to resist them; you will play the role of the sensitive professor and nail those babes -- with serial precision, and you and your university will drown in sexual harassment lawsuits.
You'd make a rip-roaring Conservative Rabbi -- except for one little familiar problem:
The babes.
You'd run through your female congregants like a hot knife through
butter...
You'd be up to your ears in litigation...
An irate husband would probably shoot you.
The (numerous) lesbians in shul would despise you.
You would have to come to shul packing heat.
And just to be contrary you'd make it a point to attack archeology and
biblical criticism.
You want to be a writer. I know. And I sense that you are best suited for the life of a writer. You also want to be a husband, right? What about a father? Can you see yourself in that role, or are you too narcissistic?
Skeptical writes: One broad in 18 months and Luke's the Jewish Warren Beatty?
Chaim writes Luke: Conservative shuls do NOT attract lots of dykes. In fact, conservative shuls do not attract lots of anybody. I have no idea which denomination you would be best suited for, but I have no doubt that you would be a very successful Hollywood Rabbi.
Luke says: Almost every time I go to Jewish singles programs filled with folks above the age of 30, I've regretted it... Because all I meet there are my mirror image - 30s singles losers. I now believe that people should marry in their 20s if they can. The pickings get slimmer after that, particularly if you're a female.
Robert writes: I have been to several church functions for singles over thirty and I always leave dissatisfied and thinking that these people are not my peers.
Rumdar replies: Women in their thirties who are not married yet are totally bonkers. We have discussed this before. I think guys that are still married in their late forties, early fifties are the losers. By that stage in the marriage the old gal's chemicals are fried. She is usually rather dreadful to look at and worse to listen to. Where she was once just nutty she is now unhinged. Luker, your problem is you are not dating young enough women. You are in the mid thirties with the Hollywood good looks. Come on already, you should be dating women in their early twenties. Why grow up so fast buddy. Enjoy! Enjoy!
Luke says: I want you guys to know that I am living my life as your sacrifical redeemer... Everything I go through, and relate to you, is to give you the opportunity to vicariously experience the pain and triumph of salvation. I want you to experience my travail, join with me vicariously, and then achieve eternal bliss.
Robert writes: Of course, this generous offer comes much too late for us to "vicariously" enjoy Kendra Jade.
Rumdar responds to Luke: All those hours in shul, shunned by the congregation (cept for the homely Asian convert, fellow misfit) The same desperate faces at Jewish Singles, romantic dead ends with comely Hebrew virgins, stalked by Lynne Lopitan.Do you think Luke would be offended if I passed on this most generous offer?
Fred writes: What happens if, when you're done, there is no triumph? Does that mean all we get to experience is pain?
Amber Stevens On Luke F-rd Live
Amber Stevens, a customer service girl and reviewer at EroticVideos.com was our first guest on Tuesday's show.
Listen here. Read the chat here.
Amber said it was a terrific place to work but there were many strict rules, set by the owner Kelli.
Webmaster Brad Shaw writes: "Luke, this lady who runs eroticvideos.com is schizophrenic. She is not what she appears to be. I believe she also operates all4u.com and a paysite at klubkelli.com She is a one woman operation who takes on the persona of this cute babe. Trust me, she looks like me, with boobs, and that's not pretty! I knew her when she ran the operation out of her parents house in Oklahoma and had a 1978 Cadillac Limo drive her around because she was scared to drive."
Amber: "You're not allowed to date anyone you meet through business. If a customer calls and curses you out in every language, you have to suck it up. Girls have days where they're just moody. But you can't react for any reason."
Luke: "What if you have PMS?"
Amber: "You can't do it. You just don't work that day if you think that you can't handle it. She has a no tolerance policy and if it is ever violated, you're gone. She's seriously evil about that."
Luke: "Do you guys fear the new administration and what it might mean for your business?"
Amber: "Absolutely. One hundred percent. It has already made a difference. Membership sites are cutting off zipcodes [for fear of prosecution for obscenity, which is determined by community standards]. Sales have dropped in some membership sites as much as 60%. Ours have dropped 20% by virtue of not being able to ship states like Oklahoma, Alabama, Mississippi, Utah...
"We had been shipping to these states with the exception of the state of Utah, which has made it a criminal offence. We didn't want our customers to go to jail. Our wholesale department did not ship to these states but retail, yes, because the fines were only $250 for retail...
"We got away with it for eight years. We are just as guilty as everyone else. But when the Bush administration came into place, Kelly [owner of EroticVideos.com] said, 'Here are the rules.'"
Luke: "Do many of your customers call you up and ask for phone sex?"
The customer service for EroticVideos.com is entirely staffed by female ex-strippers.
Amber: "All the time. Oh my gosh."
Farrell Timlake from HomegrownVideo.com: "We had to get rid of our customer service 800 number because people assumed it was phone sex."
Amber: "It was my idea to put phone sex banners in our chatroom... We worked out a deal with IGallery for phone sex but the thing never worked out. The lines never got set up."
Luke: "Do you guys sell gay videos?"
Amber: "We do. And that's a recent debate in our office. I'm fighting to keep them because it bothers me that they want us to pull them [for fear of obscenity prosecution]."
Luke: "What's it like being a woman in this oppressive patriarchal environment?"
Amber: "I think it is great because we get away with a lot of stuff that you never could as a man. We could say that Chasey Lain's new video is so icky, but if you say it, they're going to have their lawyers all over you. Because you're a man and that just makes you a pig.
"Remember our review of that new Devon movie, "The Pinup." Everybody freaked out about it. But we didn't get in any trouble. A man stole our review and posted it on his site and he got in legal trouble."
Farrell: "Steve Hirsch did not come down and personally kick your ass?"
Amber: "No. I'm a girl. I would cry. I think he's nice to all of us, particularly me, because I'm the one who had the problem with the lipstick. He asked what my problems were. Devon has beautiful full lips and they put on this nasty lipstick. And he was nice about it and took notes, or sounded like he took notes, and he thanked me for my honest opinion.
"A movie like Jekyl and Hyde is a girl movie. And Guess Who's Going To Blow Me #7 is a guy movie. There's no plot. Just sex, sex, sex. If a guy calls, I'm not going to send him to Jekyl and Hyde."
Luke: "What percentage of your customers are women?"
Amber: "It's dropped. It was at 23% but now it is more like 17%."
Luke: "Have you ever been intimate with a porn star?"
Amber: "No."
Luke: "Do you know any of them?"
Amber: "Yes, through Vivid. I would so become a lesbian for Chasey Lain."
Luke: "What's going on with Devon these days?"
Amber: "She's always complaining about something new. She appeared in the January issue of Penthouse. They didn't sell well, so we bought the remaining stock. We were going to offer them to her fans. That means her issue is sold out. And she is furious. And we can't grasp why. And it probably didn't help that someone from our warehouse called her 'a fat pig,' in writing. And that person is no longer with us. But we can't control somebody's opinion."
Farrell: "Devon's just the hugest thing?"
Amber: "Not anymore. She's really plummeted. I would've bet you a trillion bucks a year ago that she was going to dominate the world. But as soon as she split from Vivid, her fans turned on her. It's sad. All of us wanted to stand behind her but everyone is turning their back on her. People are cancelling her shows, her appearances. Her sales have plummeted beyond belief. She's now beat by Taylor Hayes. But to be beat by a brunette is really sad.
"Nothing sells better than a blonde with big tits. We could put a no-name blonde up today against one of the world's best known brunettes like Racquel Darrian or Nikki Dial, and the no-name girl with big tits will probably outsell both of the brunette girls."
Luke: "So which girls sell the best?"
Amber: "Jenna Jameson. It was Devon. But now it's Taylor, Racquel... I would've bet good money that Devinn Lane was going to be a great porn star. I was wrong. Out of the top 20, she's number 20. She's beat by Dascha and Dyanna Lauren. My new favorite is Brianna Banks. A good head on her shoulders and drug free."
Farrell: "We have the original video of Sylvia Saint doing two guys in the butt at the same time. It was one of her first performances. Frank Thring, playing his producer's card, jumps in. She's totally into it."
Amber: "I would much rather watch a girl like her suck a guy's cock than some nasty skanky girl who's overweight and overaged..."
Farrell: "It's all about how people are getting into it and whether they're having fun. Looks become so superficial."
Luke: "What syndromes are strippers prone to?"
Amber: "They've all got these loser boyfriends who stay in their homes while she works and makes the money."
Farrell: "Why did you strip?"
Amber: "My sister did it. She told me about it and I'm like, 'Ok.' I was so young and stupid.
"There's a girl in our industry right now that does escort work here in Houston. And we all found out about and we seriously talked about removing her titles from our site but Vivid talked us out of it."
Jeremy Steele, 73 minutes into the show, sang a song about Quasarman to the tune of "Dust in the Wind."
Quasarman
Desperately in need of content
For his site
Calls me psycho
But his illuminations are not really bright
Quasarman
Just a piece of s--- called Quasarman
You're not nice
Are insults the only thing that you can bring?
Get a life
I already said that I was sick
W hen I had tried to sing
Quasarman
Same old stupid jokes
From Quasarman
Quasarman
What would he do without me,
Quasarman?
Jeremy then sang a song about my show.
It's the Luke F-rd Show
It's the Luke F-rd Show
It's the Luke F-rd Show
Everybody listen
It's the Luke F-rd Show
It's the Luke F-rd Show
It's the Luke F-rd Show
He'll tell you all the news
About porno and the Jews
Does this guy have a clue
Who he's talking to?
Do we really want to know
Unless Moses was doing blow
Otherwise why would we go
To listen to his sermons
It's the Luke F-rd Show
Who is he interviewing?
It's the Luke F-rd Show
Is it someone that I know?
It's the Luke F-rd Show
What's the s--- he's stirring?
Drink it up, drink it up
His s--- soup
It's the Luke F-rd Show
Tell me about the Torah
It's the Luke F-rd Show
Tell me about Tera
How much does she charge
For a private show?
It's the Luke F-rd Show
Who is he interviewing?
It's the Luke F-rd Show
Could it be me or you
He's talking about now?
We better listen and tune in
It's the Luke F-rd Show
Quasarman aka Mike McCormick writes Luke: Enjoyed your show today BTW. Jeremy wasn't terribly witty but Farrel sounds like a good guy.
Listen to Quasarman, 48 minutes in, on the 4/17/01 edition of Luke F-rd Live singing about Jeremy Steele.
Joseph Slade Interview
I interviewed Ohio University's professor of Communications, Dr. Joseph Slade, Wednesday morning.
Luke: "How has pornography enriched American culture?"
Joe: "Pornography serves as a kind of a fresh source of ideas and energy on the margins of a culture and one of the really remarkable things about pornography is how it manages to stay at a distance from the mainstream and continually refresh its outrage, its taboo qualities. A curious dynamic over time leads all mainstream cultures to feed on their margins. Over time, pornography moves towards the center of a culture and serves as an inspiration for new ideas.
"If you were to look at Broadway now, or legitimate cinema or literature, the internet, you'd find that images, words and text that were once considered outrageous are now commonplace. And they are restated, sometimes sanitized, but just as often passed over into the culture at large. Pornography continues to break taboos and remain outrageous, at the margins... That's what interests me.
"You could tick off the examples on your fingers and toes. Henry Miller, Anais Ninn, Walt Whitman for literature that are now accepted and reworked in mainstream literature. The same is true of photography and cinema. Which doesn't mean that everybody thinks this is a good thing. However whatever one thinks of pornography is a matter of taste and tastes change over time."
Luke: "Pornography legitimizes what has traditionally been regarded as sexual deviance."
Joe: "Yes, I think that's true. And it does this in a variety of curious ways. For a long time in our culture, any kind of gay and lesbian discourse...statement, image, or reference to homosexuality was forbidden. It was taboo. And it was regarded as pornographic, whether explicit or not. Those kinds of images and secret forms of discourse served as a bond between communities, some of which were merely imagined. A lot of homosexuals did not know that they had counterparts. And one of the worst aspects of homosexual life was the feeling of isolation. And when you ran across these images and secret movies and typewritten novels that were circulated hand to hand, at least you knew that there were other people out there. So it became a form of communication. And did legitimize it.
"The same thing could be said about birth control. It was in 1986 that Congress finally decriminalized the sending of birth control materials through the mail. For a long time, people who spoke out about the need for reproductive rights, birth control and abortion, and things like that were criminalized as pornographers. They were often judged as obscene by the courts and imprisoned.
"Pornography provides a kind of venue [for serious ideas]... At its best. Let's not kid ourselves. Some pornography is really wretched. But at the same time, and over time, in the aggregate, it does serve to keep causes alive and establish communities among people who would previously been regarded as deviant. The definitions of deviance change more slowly in the mainstream. The American Psychiatric Association changed the definition of homosexuality just a couple of decades ago. But prior to that, it had been absolutely deviant. Now the status of homosexuality per se is much more equivocal. It is on its way to a kind of acceptance or tolerance. Pornography, among other factors, makes this possible.
"You don't know how to defend pornography in that regard because so much of it is disquieting and distasteful and downright icky."
Luke: "Everything you've just been saying is why conservatives and the religious should absolutely hate and oppose pornography."
Joe: "That's right. It keeps ideas that they don't like, alive, and it gives them circulation and legitimates them."
Luke: "Once you see something on film or a written description, it becomes more real and valid."
Joe: "It moves away from imagination and closer to reality. That's one reason why they oppose it.
"That's what a culture is - an arena of discourse. It's where ideas are battled out over time. And it's where the culture generates meaning and attributes significance to certain things. It's a never ending process."
Luke: "Pat Riley says that society will always stigmatize all forms of sexual expression outside of heterosexual marriage because it is in society's interest for men to bond with one woman and help take care of the kids. And the only way men will do that is if there are no other outlets for their sexuality."
Joe: "I think society always has, but it is not necessary that it always will. Religious groups have always tried to control the amount of pleasure their members can enjoy. Any religion can say you can enjoy sex but only for reproduction, or only on Tuesdays. You can come up with any kind of strictures you want. But it is an attempt to control or stabilize the membership of the group, or to define the group."
Luke: "I can't imagine that any civilization will accept pornography as another form of entertainment."
Joe: "Well, I think it will tolerate pornography. A couple of years ago, the Economist predicted that global capitalism, within ten years, would make pornography acceptable. And that within ten years, pornography will take its rightful place in the entertainment world. It would probably be at the bottom of people's acceptance of it, but they will tolerate it. And I think that is already happening as the big corporations like AT&T and Marriott and other communications companies begin to transmit pornography for use in hotel rooms.
"I don't embrace capitalism myself, but various capitalist structures tend to seize on material that once was outrageous, but once the money comes in, it becomes quasi-respectable.
"I enjoy reading your stuff on mob connections and the like...but once you have porn companies going public..."
Luke: "What is your three volume work and why does it cost $110 a volume?"
Joe: "It's designed as a reference work for libraries. I've worked on it off and on for eleven years. It is a series of bibliographic essays in which I list and evaluate every source of information... Just about everything that anyone has ever said that is halfway intelligent on the subject."
Luke: "Have you spent much time within the industry?"
Joe: "Not a lot. When I lived in New York, I knew a few people such as Tina Russell. But I've always kept my distance because it can cloud your objectivity. I never testify in trials. I've been asked many times by police departments. I've been asked to testify before Congress and I've always said no. I want people to know that I am just a researcher and I am not an advocate for either side. I do admire some people in the industry and I dislike some, but I keep those to myself."
Luke: "Would you be willing to have some of these people over to your house for dinner?"
Joe: "Some of them, yeah."
Luke: "I went in as a libertarian and as I researched it longer, the more I hate the industry."
Joe: "I gather by looking at your website that there seems to be a love-hate relationship there. You're obviously interested in it for all sorts of reasons and you find much of it distasteful and so do I. I don't emphasize the distasteful partly because I just haven't had time for it and partly because I've been eager to just collect information. I try to avoid value judgements. I maintain a libertarian position. But I know that there is exploitation, criminal connections, etc."
Luke: "I've just found being around this industry incredibly depressing."
Joe: "I would to. That's one of the reasons I've never wanted to approach that much closer. I've been talking to Veronica Hart and so I may do an article. I might go out and see her on the ground at VCA. That will be my first real foray into the industry."