Ed Powers broadcasts on FM 97.1 in Los Angeles, KLSX on Saturday and Sunday mornings from midnight. He often books great guests. Ed has his share of detractors, such Rez on RAME:
Here's what you'll hear on every episode of Ed's hopeless radio show:
Ed: "I'm Ed Powers. I love women. I'm a film-maker."
Ed's female guests: "Tee-hee."
Ed's male guests: "Duh."
Ed's callers: "Yo, Ed. We're partying dude. You 'da man. Duh."
Ed: "Good nite."
Rez: "I find Powers offensive. Bulls---ting dozens of clueless
debs with that idioitc "nice guy" act is ugly. YUK.
"I don't know what his connections are, but for so many deluded
girls to go through Power's "initiation" is one of the more
grim aspects to porn. It makes one wonder what some of these girls have
been subjected to in their pasts. YIKES.
"Watching some un-educated, naive, deluded girl listening to Power's
BS is pathetic. Watching these girls have sex AFTER his BS is offensive."
>Luke impersonated a porn expert Thursday afternoon. His tiny tawdry
guest house>hosted the glamorous cameras of Entertainment Tonight
as he played the white >collar expert on porn star salaries. It will
probably air Monday.
Voyager7: "Why lukas-of-porn-borg..... seems like you are living
in the big city now! If I can find where Entertainment Tonite plays
on my cable system I'll take a look-see at your hovel. I just hope the
time slot doesn't conflict
with the new Dilbert series, because it appears my boy might get some
nookie next monday, from a dominant german accented email
engineer.......... uuuuhhhh!
"A few words of advice, before the crew cums over, I'd lose the
accumulated cum-stains on the carpet, walls and ceiling. Also, have
taco bell cater in a snack for the camera crew, etc. This will keep
them from wandering around your abode, looking in your sock drawers,
etc...
"Make sure you dust off your velvet Elvis paintings I know you
have
hanging on your walls ..... Finally, do us all a big favor and tell
the camera crew that we don't want to see them focusing on your
writhing, sweaty face, right before your money shot......"
Rubens4749: "I really enjoy Black people in porn, but the quality
of the productions and the performers have been dropping steadily for
years. More and more black videos seem to be shot in dingy apartments
and filthy warehouses.
"What annoys me the most is that of the dozens of black titles
released
every month, they ALL seem to have the same five or six studs and three
of
them are ALWAYS that walking graffiti wall Weed, the sandal and stupid
white sock wearing Byron Long and that ignorant mumbling thug Tony
Everready. If I NEVER see these three lame asses again it will be TOO
LATE because the overexposure damage has been done. I donıt know which
directors think these three corner boys are so goddamn entertaining
to
watch f---ing, but they are seriously mistaken.
"Iım sick of hearing Weed say ³Aw s---² from one end of his f---ing
performances to the other.........
"Besides the stupid sandals and socks, Iım sick of seeing Byron
Longıs
listless displays of his Big Dick Syndrome (³I donıt actually have to
pretend to be interested, just having a big dick is
enough²)."
HM: "1. In today's update, you quote Andy Patrizio as saying your
site and others aren't 'industry psychophants'. Although a funny phrase,
I assume he said you aren't industry 'sycophants'; a sycophant being
an ass-kisser or servile flatterer (think JimmyMac's relationship to
Brandy on RAME as an example of a sycophant in action.)
"2. I see in yesterday's update you will be appearing on KLSX next
week at
8:00. This is the Conway and Steckler show, no? I guess you know Janine's
boyfriend Rikki Rachtman was fired from his show on KLSX for punching
out Doug Steckler in 1997. The fight was a result of on-air sniping
between Rachtman and Steckler, with Steckler cutting on Janine as part
of the feud. In any case, I'll be sure and tune in next week.
"3. Lastly, my thoughts on your possible 'sell out' to AVN. There
is a media
theory called the political economy of communications. Fancy title for
a field
of study concerned with the effect of the ever-increasing centralization
of
media power. One of these effects is the subtle censorship that results
from
these mergers. The theory posits that a parent corporation (say, Disney)
doesn't have to explicitly tell an investigative reporter from ABC (wholly
owned by Disney) not to do an expose on the dark side of the Mouse House.
The reporter knows enough not to do it on his/her own, being intelligent
enough not to bite the hand that feeds, or so the old saw goes. Only
an idiot would think that crossing the boss is a good way to get ahead.
"What does this have to do with you? Look at the AVN reviewer situation.
Fishbein says they have no explicit policy that mandates a reviewer
give
certain big advertisers' movies positive reviews. They probably don't.
Does
this mean an AVN reviewer has carte blanche to say what he/she will
about any film that comes their way? Of course not. How long do you
think a reviewer will last if they lambaste a few Vivid/VCA movies as
lame, unerotic pieces of trash marred by condoms that ruin the fantasy?
Not too long, I'd wager. So, the censorship in AVN is more of an institutional
self-censorship by employees who know what the line is from the top
down, and furthermore know they'd best toe that line if they wish to
remain employed. They have to look no further that their predecessors
who left for 'missed deadlines' or whatever other reason Fishbein and
Ross come up with to explain the dismissed employees. Like those two
would come out and tell you, 'yeah, we fired so-and-so because they
slagged films by our main advertisers.' Unfortunately, if you accept
their offer, you'll find all this out too late to do yourself any good.
Do you really think they will let you come in and piss all over them?
You'll be like Rage Against the Machine, self-proclaimed revolutionaries
funded by the corporate empire they rail against. Once you become a
'kept man' by AVN, you be imbrued by a stench that won't be too easy
to remove. You are dancing with the devil, Luke. Try not to be seduced
by his charms.
"It will be much easier for Fishbein et al. to dismiss you as a disgruntled ex-employee with an axe to grind than it is as an independent (more or less) muckraker. Although I can also see the appeal of having true insider access. However, I wouldn't be surprised if their true angle with you is to 'keep their friends close and their enemies closer.' I still think you're crazy if you think a trade publication will let you show the industry they are promoting in a bad light. Do you think Daily Variety would let you come aboard and run scandalous rumors and accusations about mainstream honchos and actors/actresses?"
Luke F-rd appeared on the Wayne Resnick show last Saturday night 11PM - midnight PST on AM 640 KFI in Los Angeles. Reporter Andy Patrizio and accountant Mike Daniels, a partner in Tom Byron Productions, joined in the lively discussion. Wayne, an atheist son of a Reform rabbi, thinks porn is increasingly in the toilet. He preferred the golden age ('72-84). He hates the use of condoms in porn.
Wayne: Anytime anyone says anything to you, you put it up on the web site... So Marc Wallice ruined porn? And he had a lame penis anyway...This ridiculous, curved stupid... It was a little boy's penis.
I thought when they all all announced that they were all going to use condoms, that it was BS, PR, and was not going to happen. No, they're doing it. And every time I rent a video, and it gets to the action, everybody's wearing a condom. I don't like it. It's not sexy.
Luke: Fans don't like condoms. Porn is all about fantasy... Though the trade magazine Adult Video News (AVN) will tell you that condoms don't detract from sexual heat. Industry leaders like VCA and Vivid will tell you the same thing. It's the companies with the most invested, the ones with the most to lose, the biggest companies, on the more mainstream polite edge of the biz are going condom. They fear government intervention, CA Health Department intervention, lawsuits... And to protect themselves and to present a responsible image [they use condoms]. And they may genuinely care about the health of the talent.
[Torris: "Luke, surely you don't believe that the industry's condom
mandate is driven by concern for performer health? I'm losing faith
in you bud!
They might care in the same way that I don't want to see the Olsen
twins run over by a milk truck, but that's not their prime reason for
instituting condoms."]
Wayne laughs: Are they also banning IV drug users and policing their sexual habits when not on film to make sure they are only having safe sex?
Luke: No. But they can't do that. Condoms are the one thing they can do though we will see more drug testing soon.
Wayne: Wouldn't that kill the industry? How many drug free little whores are they going to find to take on ten men in their gangbang movies. Do that sober please.
Luke: I'd say that 50% of the women in porn do not have a drug problem.
Wayne: They are not clinically addicted.
Luke: Not in a manic way so that you can tell that something is very wrong.
Wayne: Are they totally clean and sober?
Luke: A quarter [of them]... like Victoria Paris.
Wayne: Complaint number two. Too many gangbang movies, these three guys with a girl, ten guys with a girl. I don't remember that being a common theme. Anybody who enjoys the gangbang movies is a latent homosexual and should rent gay porn. You'll see half of the same guys anyway with different names. But don't inject your gayness into my mainstream porn.
Luke: I disagree. Most of the porn intelligentsia, most of the smut scribes, would agree with you. I like gangbangs. I'm not proud that I enjoy this porn...like Never Say Never to Rocco Siffredi. Seeing a beautiful face going through penis after penis until her face is covered...
Wayne: Whatever happened to nice looking woman with decent looking guy having normal sex?
Luke: The industry is splintering into different fetishes... 8000 new vids a year. You have to research to find what you want...Or rent Private.
Wayne: Some people in the industry hate you and others love you.
Luke: I write things that hurt people's feelings. And people react to coverage and criticism differently. I am the first journalist not employed by the porn industry to stay on the porn beat month after month. Previous to me, everyone who wrote consistently on porn was employed by the industry. I don't give a damn about porn, whether it thrives... If the government cracks down and puts people in jail... I don't care about industry profits or unity. I am not a member of the team. I am not in this for the good of the porn industry.
Wayne: Has the Mafia left porn because now anyone can make porno?
Luke: The key is in distribution. Can you get General Video of America to distribute your product? If not, you're not going to make money. Porn is a good ol' boys club and you better fit in with it if you want to make it big.
[Torris: "So Luke, does everyone have to go through GVA or Goldie
for
distribution? What happens to guys like Excalibur or other online
outfits? Are they beholden to the mob? If I wanted to start Torris'
Benevolent Smut Shack from my parents' ranch in Montana would I stand
a chance if I gave better service and lower prices to potential smut
shacks would I have goomba's knocking on my door? Can any porn outfit
thrive out of the central force of Pornadelphia? Could a maverick new
outfit relocate to the hinterlands away from all the bulls--- run a
good professional business that isn't based on f---ing over customers,
consumers and competitors?"]
Wayne complained about toe sucking (hey Tiff Mynx) in normal porn videos. "Shouldn't they put a warning at least? That is masturbatis interruptus for me. If I watch six minutes out of a 90-minute tape, that's a good tape these days."
Andy Patrizio phones: "I write for a technology publication... I did a profile of Luke and some other web sites that are shaking up their business. One thing they all had in common - they're not industry psychopants. When was the last time you saw a hard question on Entertainment Tonight? Same with AVN. Luke came along and exposed all the dirt and that's what made him popular."
Wayne: Porn has become mainstream. It's hip for the porno actress to tour the strip clubs, and greasy guys show up... They're on TV shows and panels.. Aren't they full of themselves?
I like to watch it. Pornography can be a wonderful facilitator of self pleasure. I know it is chic to have a porn star on your show. I wouldn't do that. I have no interest in talking to a porn actress. I wouldn't know what to say if I saw one. I would accept oral sex from a porn actress but I would not have intercourse with her and I certainly would not want her there in the morning. I don't want that dirty little whore in the video mainstreamed into my world. I don't want to see her on TV during prime time. I don't want to see her in a mainstream film.
They have a job to do - a place in society...to be the disturbed, substance abusing, dirty little freaks that get me off. And then it is over. And I don't want to know about them, I don't want to hear about them. I don't want them in my life. Finished. And if they think that they deserve respect... They're just people too, they're mommies and daddies too. No, they're dirty little freaks who have sex on camera for money. These are people who let 40, 50, 60 strange guys poke them. I can only assume they're doing it because of severe mental disturbances or because this is the only thing they have any aptitude for. They're becoming physically freakish. Many of them now are just butt ugly. They're skanky. People who don't care if they live or die. They certainly don't care who their plastic surgeon is. One boob is under the arm and the other one is over here by the belly button. No sense of proportionality.
You have people like Bunny Bleu who played little girls for years. And suddenly, this 5' 90 pound woman 48 inch implants... Disgusting.
Luke: You reflect 50% of the population and I want every girl, before she enters the industry, to listen to what you are saying.
Wayne: I thought every guy wanted to hang out with a porno star and get their picture taken with a porno star... And send away for the soiled panties of the porno star. If you were a drug addict, would you bring your drug dealer home to have dinner with your parents? No.
Luke: Thomas Aquinas 800 years ago said that prostitution is like a sewer - filthy but necessary.
As porn becomes more mainstream, it also has to become more extreme because porn depends for its charge on the breaking of taboos. One reason you get more of what you called "skanks and freaks" is because they are having to do more extreme acts... There are fewer taboos to break today.
Wayne: That's my problem. The viewer's problem. Ten years ago, an anal sex scene was a big deal. Are we corrupt and disgusting and going down the tubes? Or is there something happening internally with those freaks over there [porn] who are alienating a good portion of the population?
Luke: Both have truth. But the major truth is what you said first - we are going down the tubes. We are increasingly becoming a secular society that is jaded. And unless there's a return to modesty, you will have more extreme porn. You will have defecation and urination. There will be no act that pornographers will not portray. [Many] pornographers would show children having sex if they could get away with it, because there are people who would make it, distribute it and buy it... We as a society and as individuals need to put up limits, which will be arbitrary and seemingly ridiculous.
Wayne: To save porno, we need a healthy shot of morality back?...Your site is the best because you don't suck up to the industry. And two, if there's a rumor out there, you'll print it.
Compliments of AVN, I just received a copy of the 1999 AVN Awards. Here are a few quotes from the 1/9 ceremony:
AVN Publisher Paul Fishbein: "The person that we're about to give a Special Achievement Award is about to leave on an airplane because our government decided that once again, here's a guy who provides America with material they choose to watch in privacy, the government decided that they did not like that.
"Last year I gave this award to Al Goldstein. I said then that there were two men whose trailblazing efforts in publishing paved the way for AVN [Al Goldstein and Larry Flynt]. I remember hearing in college that Larry Flynt had been shot. Like most kids in their late teens were reading Hustler, but I really lacked the understanding for why someone would be shot simply for presenting their own ideas. I never understood teh First Amendment until then. As AVN developed, I grew to appreciate what Larry Flynt had done for me, taking the arrests... And along with Al Goldstein, fighting the government for publishers. Then he took a bullet for what he believed in. And after millions of dollars in legal fees and a more than colorful life, Larry Flynt shines as one of the true defenders of the First Amendment. And without him I realize that I'd probably be doing something else...
"He's going on trial in Cincinnatti because he had the balls to open a store. He's doing unbelievable business. The community is saying that it wants that store... We're lucky to have him because his brilliant exposure of the hypocritical politicians in this society has been a masterstroke. Please welcome with all your heart, a publisher of many magazines, a retailer, a movie star, and Bob Livingstone's living nightmare [former speaker of the House]..."
The band plays America the Beautiful as virtually everyone (3000 persons) stands. Luke F-rd stays firmly planted in his chair. What's this about Flynt taking a bullet for expressing his opinions? More likely, he took a bullet because he tried to screw over the Mafia. From page 213 of John Heidenry's 1998 book What Wild Ecstasy: "But some inside the porn industry knew the Mob was angry that Flynt had been distributing his own magazine and decided to send him a serious message."
"...Flynt asked himself why he should pay a percentage to the Mob. After all, he reasoned, it amounted to only a few cents a copy. They probably made so much money elsewhere... But the Mob did miss the few extra cents, multiplied by several millions twelve times a year. Nor did it like an uppity hillbilly showing it no more respect than he displayed toward a centerfold with a bag over her head. Most ominously, Flynt was deeply in debt to Mob moneylenders, and was ignoring their demands for repayment." (p. 209)
Screw publisher Al Goldstein introduced AVN's Hall of Fame entries thus: "I want to apologize that it was through my efforts that Fishbein [AVN publisher] is in this industry. I feel...like someone who created the Manson family..."
Al reads: "...And listen to Fishbein's following line. 'And who have endured to achieve a lofty status among their peers.' Peers who are cocksuckers and pussy eaters. Lofty? Fishbein is smoking hash."
Paul Fishbein: "This is the first retailer that we're giving our Special Achievement Award to. His name is Eddie Wedelstedt [convicted felon who owns Goalie Entertainment]. He's a legend in the video community who is coming out of the closet. He is truly one of the most loyal and generous I've ever met. He supports every free speech organization in this country. Also, he takes care of underprivileged children in Arizona, Colorado and California. I was present this past summer when the Muscular Dystrophy Association honored Eddie for his charitable work. His legal work challenging unconstitutional ordinances that violate all of your rights, taking obscenity busts in places like Dallas and Council Bluffs, Iowa. He fights them to the end, even when facing jail time."
Eddie W.: "For 17 of the 30 years I've been in retail, I've had to turn myself in to probation officers or wardens. I spent 1700 days in prison for free speech. When I get these awards, I want to think back to the legends who made this possible. People like [convicted thief] Reuben Sturman, Michael Thevis [convicted murderer], DiBi [member of Gambino and DeCavalcante crime families], the Luros family [Milton Luros rose to fame through pirating], the Warner family, and all the great attorneys who made the laws available so that we can operate today.
"This award does not belong to Eddie W. This belongs to the thousands of kids...working for $4:50 - $7:00 an hour, going to jail because they sold a magazine or a video. To all the kids on the movie sets who got busted. To all the women who took abuse until recently when they started realizing what's going on. To all the gay people who were humiliated for all those years... I take this [award] in your name. I thank you. You are the greatest people in the world. You make a dollar, you make money... You're fighting for something...free speech."
Eddie kisses Paul before and after receiving his award.
Paul: "The only two men who have ever kissed me. Eddie and my father.
"Sharon Mitchell gets our next award because she's dedicated her life to the talent of this business. To protect all of you who make movies. Whether you know it or not, she's there for you. First with PAW and now with AIM, her dedication to the talent in this industry is unprecedented... She's provided a refuge for talent with problems..."
AJB writes on RAME: "What is the alternative to Luke F-rd's work?
I've never heard of anything about the history of porn that is more
comprehensive (although I haven't had the chance to read his book so
I can't judge just how comprehensive it is). I loved reading Jerry Butler's
"Raw Talent" in a stuffy corner of a university library a
few years back. But there just ain't much else out there.
"Whatever biases he may have, Ford's website is a treasure trove
of
information compared to the slim sell sell sell bios in brief you see
on
most every site. What FREE alternative is there? (Oh, Rog's interviews
are
good... and the adult film database I used to see in the early days
of the
internet... what else is out there?)"
MrX: "Hey Luke I just got banned forever from the chat room on
the "Asia
Carrera buttkicking page" www.asiacarrera.com.
I was using the name "Howard Stern" and I don't
know if this "assistant chat director" named "me2"
doesn't like Stern or what, but I got thrown out for reasons only known
to this me2 character...When I came back on and asked why I was booted
I was immediately tossed again and my IP address was then banned.
"I'd like to warn those who might go to Asia's chat room to watch
out for this me2 tyrant.....Give some people a little power and I guess
they can't help to abuse it. No more chatting with Asia...for the time
being at least.Oh well."
Me2 replies: "MrX knows the reasons why he is not permitted future
access to the chat room. Firstly, impersonators (he was logged in under
"HowardStern") are not welcome to chat. We encourage chatters
to just be themselves, and we also choose to protect the integrity of
any celebrities that actually do visit the room. So, Howard was asked
to change his chat name since he was obviously not the Howard Stern,
but he refused.
Secondly, this guy, using lines from Alltel Information Services out
of
Little Rock, Arkansas, has been completely obnoxious all week under
the
names "lildick" and "Emmasdad." He has consistantly
proven himself to be
someone who does not want to chat, but rather one who desires to merely
stir up trouble.
I might also point out that he was not booted from the chat room, but
rather
he was put on "global ignore" after repeated requests for
cooperation
failed. He was more than welcome to have stayed on and observe how good
chatters comport themselves.
A person really has to make a concerted effort at being banned from
future
AsiaChat sessions. One of the things that makes this room so popular,
besides being a place where Asia Carrera hangs out, is that it is a
pleasant
and placid environment to BS with friends and future friends. I invite
all
reasonable people to drop in, and at the same time I ask that all morons
remain offline.