Thursday, July 29th, 1999
Luke F-rd in Rolling Stone
Former Hustler Entertainment Editor Evan Wright, now employed by Seth Warshavsky's www.clublove.com, writes up Luke F-rd in the "Hot List '99" issue of Rolling Stone magazine (#819, for August 19, 1999 with Angelina Jolie on the cover). The article appears at the top of page 87, along with a picture of me in bed with Vivid girl Raylene and her porn star friend Randi Rage. The cutline below the picture reads: "Politics or porn? Ford makes a tough decision."
What does that mean?
The article reads:
"Porn attracts a wacky element," Luke F-rd says. "Case A: Luke F-rd." Since April 1998, Ford, a thirty-three-year-old convert to Orthodox Judaism, has been writing a daily Web column covering the triple-X industry (l-keford.com). Ford exposes drug use, mob connections and murder plots, and details the operatic dramas of porn stars' daily lives. Sometimes the column is about little more than Ford's fascination with his own life. He posts naked pictures of himself cavorting with porn actresses, and when his stepmom sent him a letter calling him "devil possessed," he put it on his site. (Ford's father, a Christian evangelist, brands Luke "mentally unstable" as a result of a head injury he suffered as a teen.)
Though Ford considers pornography "destructive and immoral," he also brags about having directed porn movies. "I actually directed people to commit explicit acts of sexual intercourse," he says. "And what's worse, I had [an actress] blowing me while I was delivering the introduction to the pornographic tape I made."
Ford is not exactly Bob Woodward, or even Matt Drudge, when it comes to journalistic scruples. He has been caught plagiarizing news items from trade publications. He has erroneously labeled certain porn stars as HIV carriers, and he recently charged that Gene Ross, a rival internet porn columnist, had been arrested for exposing himself to schoolchildren, though Ford now claims the piece was a "parody."
When the leaders of the top adult video and Internet companies gathered at a secretive conference in Cancun, Mexico, in the spring, Ford was a prime topic. The owner of a chain of adult stores [Edward Wedelstedt] was reportedly heard saying not only that Ford is a "menace to society" but "no one should worry about him anymore - Luke's going to end up as a spot on the pavement."
Death threats notwithstanding, everybody in the adult business reads the column. The secret to his success? "People in the porn business are extremely self-involved," says Michael Louis Albo, executive editor of Hustler Erotic Video Guide. "Luke angers them, but they love reading about themselves in his column."
Luke: I find it interesting that Goalie Entertainment's Edward Wedelstedt made his murderous threats against me at the Adult Video News conference in Cancun, Mexico, showing once again that AVN and its gentleman publisher Paul Fishbein are but the nice guy fronts for a murderously evil industry. A few weeks later, Fishbein cohosted his VSDA AVN Expo with Metro Home Video aka Mafia Home Video.
At the January, 1999 AVN Awards, Fishbein gave Wedelstedt a Special Achievement Award for his distinguished service to the porn industry that's included burning down the buildings of his competitors, stealing Reuben Sturman's store empire and extensive dealing in stolen property with his buddies in organized crime. In his acceptance speech, Wedelstedt praised such porn luminaries as Michael Thevis, a convicted murderer, and the late Gambino crime family capo Robert DiBernardo as well as porn godfather Reuben Sturman, who dealt in child porn.
To meet thugs like Wedelstedt on their own terms, Luke today bought a new gun and he looks forward to plugging a few pellets into the chests of whoever physically threatens him.
Speaking of murderers, I ran into O.J. Simpson Thursday night at the Bel Air Summit Hotel at 11416 Sunset Blvd. I was there for a lecture by a rabbi on Love, Dating and Marriage. O.J. was loud and obnoxious and arrogantly thrust himself on several female friends of mine who ran away. O.J. was at the Bel Air bar from 6:30 PM until at least 11 PM, when I left. He was surrounded by female admirers. Many women are turned on by evil men.
VCA's Sopornos Makes TV Guide
From www.tvguide.com: "HBO's hit mob drama The Sopranos is about to get the X-rated treatment in a new adult movie spoof called The Sopornos, Dish has learned. VCA Pictures, the adult-film company responsible for such steamy classics as Debbie Does Dallas and The Devil in Miss Jones, just finished shooting its tale of what happens when a mobster shares his most intimate secrets with his female psychiatrist. Stars include Tabitha Stevens, Johnni Black (that's a woman, by the way), Kendra Jade and a man who simply goes by the name Julian. Jade, you might recall, was the young lady who made headlines a while back for allegedly making a secret hotel-room sex tape involving herself, her mother and talk show host Jerry Springer. "The Sopornos is based loosely on the TV show, and I emphasize loosely," says VCA publicist Kylie Ireland, who'll soon star herself in an as-yet-untitled VCA witch movie loosely based on the WB's Charmed. Watch for The Sopornos in video stores - although probably not at Blockbuster."
Director James DiGiorgio writes: "Thought I'd pass on some possible insight to NiceJewishGirl. Apparently, Luke, since you jilted NJG she's on a quest to understand why, and seemingly wants to find some porno-dysfunction to blame it on. As someone who has served nearly five years of my 5-to-Life sentence to the Porno Gulag, perhaps my take on this might be worth considering. Okay, here goes: After shooting hundreds of scenes for scores of skin-flicks, and having sat in editing rooms for thousands and thousands of hours staring at the naked forms of countless f---ing females, I can absolutely guarantee you that when I look at women (in general), the last thing I'm doing in my head is imagining them naked--I might be imagining what they might be like sexually, but that's more esoteric (big word, huh). Maybe I'm on naked-chic-overload, but these days, women *with* their clothes on turn me on way more than without. That's not to say, NJG, that at some point these clothed women could not get my testosterone pumping when and if they shed said clothing. But initially, the way a woman's body moves, hints, and teases under a variety of fabrics and styles really catches my attention. It is precisely the activation of my imagination that keeps my eyes on the prize...but when the prize is revealed too quickly, or without some mating ritual suspense, I am pretty much immune to the effect you, NJG, envision. I don't know if this holds true for NJPRB (Nice [converted] Jewish Porno Reporter Boy), or for anyone else who slaves in the porn mines, but it's how my libido generally operates these days. So if ever we happen to meet, NJG, rest assured I won't be undressing you with my eyes. P.S. Saw your pic. It does look like you have some pretty hefty cans on ya."
Brad from Danger Boy Video writes: "Now I'm confused......We just made a deal with Jim DiGiorgio to be the shooter for Dangerboy Video, but it seems that he's now been hired as your marraige counselor? Dude- Dont cloud Jimmy's head with ideas of relationships that work, couples getting along, people being nice to each other, or any of that other fru fru s---. We want him to stay the same perverted f---er that we all know and love...at least until he shoots some exploitation and perversion for us.As for you and NICEJEWISH GIRL....why do you need her to be nice? We know plenty of Jewish girls for you Luke baby......but they're sluts! We have already told Katya that upon her arrival and after her Dangerboy Initiation that same night, we would like to present her to you, as a gift. No strings attached. If you would like to pursue a futeure with this gem, we can also provide that for a fee.( Guys gotta make a buck). And as for Jim, PLEEEEEEASE....Dont go getting soft on us dude.....we're counting on you for support during our future wreckings."
NiceJewishGirl responds: "James DiGeorgio: It's not that I think
that Luke has "some porno-dysfunction" in particular or exclusively.
Luke himself has stated that porno messes up his mind and taints him.
In fact, he fluctuates between being into it and liking some of the
people in it and being totally abhorrent to it. It was just a question
I thought of, it didn't have anything to do with me or me and Luke.
It was something I thought. I have come across others in my life that
are in the industry in some way, and also other men that have gone to
strip clubs, and still others that are obsessed with it. It seems that
society in general is becoming more accepting of porn and I'm not sure
if that is good. I think it may even lower general standards in society.
For instance, at Woodstock recently there were instances of sexual harassment
and sex crimes there. I think that says something is being influential
negatively to young people. And yes, it probably is porn and the acceptability
of fetishizing and objectifying women that IMHO porn does to men's minds.
Anthony Kiedis of Red Hot Chili Peppers was on stage telling the men
to stop harassing the women, just because they had taken their shirts
off and felt free it was not ok to grab the women, even if women are
naked, men do not have a right to grab them without their permission.
If you saw what I had written to another newsgroup which was printed
here by Luke and not sent directly to him you'll see what I mean regarding
the degradation of our culture. I am concerned about what I perceive
to be the degradation of women in porn and the general treatment of
women outside of porn. In life outside the porn industry porn stars
are becoming more acceptable. I'm not sure that's good for normal non-porno
women, and it does have to do with mens' expectations of women. In Darren
Star's Sex In The City, there was a scene where a woman (one of the
co-stars) and guy were having sex and he couldn't shut off the vcr with
porno on it and was staring at the vcr, making comments to the vcr not
to her, the woman in bed with this guy. I haven't run across anyone
like that in my life, but I know it happens. It has happened to women
I know. In particular porn seems to be rougher and rougher, and more
and more degrading towards women. Stuff that only the hard core gay
crowd were doing 15-20 years ago is now becoming the norm for straight
porn. Stuff that was shocking to unshockable me back then is normal
now, like fisting, bukkake , felching, sticking large and
larger things up one's anus.
Fred responds: I have the following thoughts regarding NJG's e-mail to you.
1. Sexual harassment is not the fault of pornography. Rather, it is the "fault" of hormones. Women who wore very short skirts and see-through blouses twenty five years ago no doubt received unwanted attention from time to time. Indeed, one of the reasons why women wear provocative clothes is to attract attention. However, wearing provocative clothes casts a large net, attracting both desirable and undesirable males. Approaches from undesirable males is branded harassment. (Approaches from desirable males is rarely the subject of complaint.) In any event, harassment would occur whether or not there was pornography.
2. I am reminded of a documentary I saw a few years ago about a woman who went through trans-gender surgery to become a man. During the course of preparation in advance of the surgery, they pumped her full of testosterone. During an interview, she said something like "Gee, before I thought stuff like Playboy and Penthouse was simply silly. But after all these testosterone treatments, now I understand. It makes perfect sense." Well, it does. Sexual harassment is not the result of pornography. It is the result of biology minus self control.
3. I doubt that pornography, even extreme pornography, has that much of an effect on the behavior of the majority of people. All human beings have fantasies, many of which are fairly extreme. Occaisionally, I have tried to get girlfriends to tell me what sort of things they fantasized about. Some refused to tell me. Some described some rather remarkable thoughts. These are women who do not view much, if any pornography. (At least to the best of my knowledge.) Nonetheless, rather extreme fantasies run through their minds from time to time. If there were no pornography, people would still be fantasizing about pretty nasty stuff, although they wouldn't tell anyone about it--even their significant others. Not only do I think that is the case now, I suspect that it has always been the case--it is part of being human. Seeing it on a video screen doesn't have much if any incremental effect on human behavior. I, for one, am totally unaffected by such things. Although I agree with Mr. DiGiorgio's comments about NJF's hefty cans. And intellect. Yes, especially the intellect. And the hefty cans. But mostly the intellect.
P.S. Regarding NJF's comments about whether the Messiah would break the heart of NJF, bad news--I was talking to him this evening. It turns out he would.
Fletcher responds: "NJG, The problem with a good portion of your commentary on porn in these modern times is a certain desire on your part to tie several wholly unrelated topics (porn's effect on men, your take on porn, and the graphic nature of modern porn, for example) together for the purpose of condemning porn in general. While I've read Luke state several times that he doesn't care whether porn just up and disappears, I'm not sold on the idea that porn should not exist, and find it troublesome when people string together arguments claiming that porn lowers men's respect for women as a fait accompli. This is giving porn more power than it deserves. Porn is first and foremost jack-off material for men, that's it, that's all.
"Before I get into the rest of this, let me say that European porn has been as f---ed up and bizarre as modern American porn for a much longer time. I was exposed to European porn's excesses back when I was a mere sprat of 14 years old. What I'm saying here is that it was only a matter of time before American porn caught up and started showing the same thing. Even so, you'll notice that the porn you're talking about is not what mainstream America is looking at. Most Americans, no matter what state their own personal sexual deviancy may be in, is extremely comfortable with the product that Vivid and VCA put out, and most will stay put in this comfortable niche. The fact that Vivid now has a Vivid Raw line is their recognition that the market for "gonzo material" is growing. Frankly, there's nothing wrong with this.
To your charge that porn directly affects the way men treat women, perhaps it will show how much I think of this argument when all I have to say is: Bulls---. I will not deny that a good portion of men are just general jackasses when it comes to how they treat women, but I think it has more to do with the environment these men grew up in than anything else.
Semi-tangentially, your blaming porn for the way men behave is just another example of people attempting to take away responsibility from parentage...I think there were sexist, racist, mysoginist men before Larry Flynt came on the market(no pun intended) and presented these men a magazine suited to their tastes. To say that it was the other way around would be ludicrous. I agree with the sentiment that men are nurtured to behave the way they do, we disagree on the source.
The fact that you have friends with boyfriends who ignore them in preference to the women in porn movies says more about the men than it does for the porn...It's even more telling of the woman who decided to sleep with this guy.
The conflict a person goes through when being a regular client of porn and it's siblings, strip clubs and brothels(i.e.--Luke saying that porn messes with his head and taints him) is normal. Porn presents a fantasy world where sex is readily available, it's a commodity to be traded for favors, and it's just plain fun. You could just show up and within a matter of minutes you'd be deep inside someone, whether you know them or not, because they decided they didn't like the color of the pants you were wearing. How great this world would be if this were the reality. But it isn't. And that's where the dichotomy comes in. This same dichotomy takes place in gaming circles(D&D, Magic: The Gathering, etc.), in cyber-chat rooms, in theater, etc. Every once in a while, you have to take a step back and say: "Oh, look, the real world is over here."
What makes the dichotomy in the porn-world all the more vital and important is that it is often associated with a moral dilemna. Usually, this is a precursor to moral growth. I take this as a sign that this country is moving further and further away from the Puritanical excesses it was founded on and more towards the Cosmopolitan life-view that most European countries now enjoy. There are no such links between porn and men's libidinal crimes, no links between video games or music and the neo-nazi movement, instead they have a bunch of assholes with serious problems that need to be dealt with. By dealing with problems as they are, Europeans avoid the "Taboo Society" that our culture revels in(and I think it is that "Taboo Society" that fosters most of the problems our culture is facing at this moment).
Lastly, going with your assumption that the sexual harassment at Woodstock '99 (talk about milking a cash cow) was in some form or another influenced by porn, what makes you think that the Chili Peppers themselves aren't into porn? Odds are damn good that they've at least seen more than a handful, if not actively viewing them in the present. Shouldn't that influence their actions as well? If so, what prompted them to stand up for the women in crowd?
Don writes: "I am a huge fan of Madison and am sad to hear all the talk of her being drugged out. I know that recently she did a spot for the TV show ExtraTV and has a song on the PornTo Rock album (quite good too) and is supposedly out on the road touring with her band.As far as her looks go, she has adopted a more rock &roll look as oposed to the glam look during her video days.I will say the arm tattoo is a bit much but she looks every bit as good as she did in the "old days" I would like to know if you can confirm Madison's real name. I have it as Nina Madison Aisa."
Savannah writes: "On your site, you mention Paul Fishbein's commitment to the protection of First Amendment rights, and his commendation of Larry Flynt, etc. etc. You argue that he is willing to stand up for people like Flynt, but when people like you poke fun at him [Fishbein], he sues. Here's the difference...have you noticed that since the Falwell lawsuits, LFP now prints lines like "Parody...not to be taken seriously." with their satirical cartoons? You do no such thing when you print things about Paul Fishbein.
"You would be wise to consider doing this in the future because, let's be frank; you can't prove any of your allegations against Paul Fishbein. Moreover, he isn't a bad person. I've known many "bad" people in this industry; Paul Fishbein isn't one of them. Do you really want to spend your time trying to smear him? I'm not going to waste your time by preaching how you should be concerned with journalist ethics and other such nonsense (after all, this is the USA, where journalists are respected less than lawyers, and often for good reason). Rather, I would appeal to your sense of honour. If you have a sense of what is right and what is wrong, you'll come to realize that, no matter what you think of this industry, it simply isn't honourable to print allegations against one of its members that either a) are untrue or b) have no evidence proving them to be true. Please think about these things. They're not to be taken lightly. There are an infinite number of unscrupulous people in this industry, and you have the choice whether or not to be one of them."
Luke: Thanks, good points. I consider Paul Fishbein a gentleman, one of the finest persons I know. He's still, because of his powerful position, fair game for satire.
Lenscap writes: "They [porn shop owners] blindly purchase and market what the distributors send them. Some of them do not even have a clue as to who the top selling 'actress' may be at a particular time, or even a top selling series of vids. I personally know 2 guys that own porn shops. One has 4 outlets, the other has 7. They both have different distributors because each offers to market flicks or series that the other does not carry. Granted, there is some duplication, but I would venture that at least 50% of the flicks they get are different from one another. I think the distributors are in collusion here. I've also observed that the availability of porn content varies substantially from city to city. Shops in NYC and LA (as an example) offer huge selections of European flicks and US based 'amateur lines' that I never heard of or have even seen in the local smut shops in my city. You can also throw in some 'brand-name' production company titles ( JM, Max Steiner, OGV, etc) also. When I mention this to the porn shop owners, they state they can only sell what the distributor sends them. I do not know if there is some 'legal' reason behind this, but I can tell you the market for variation in my city is wide open for new product lines. And they will move. These guys run high 7 figures in sales/rentals each year. And not to take away from their business success, they do not KNOW what is going on in the porn business. The trends. The complaints. The 'hot' or 'popular' lines. The " who's who of cocksucking " so to speak. Nothing. They just display what they are sent and make good money at it. I wonder what their sales would be like if they invested some time in market research and learned a bit about this porn business. One has been in business 17 years, the other 8."
Porn star Nakita Kash believes that Wicked Pictures contract girl Jenna Jameson is a millionaire: "Let me bring a few things to the table. 1. Her contract pays somewhere around $50,000/ year. 2. She makes a Minimum of $10,000 just to walk in the door of a club when featuring 3. She probably features about 30 weeks out of the year. 4. After tips, Jenna is probably taking home close to $20,000 for each feature gig (remember she sells polaroids, 8x10 pics, movies......ect, while at the gig) 5. Take $20,000 times 30 weeks= that's $500,000/ year (just in dancing) 6. Add the movie contract=$550,000 7. Add the other modeling things that she does. ex: I just was in Hollywood, on Melrose shopping and I saw a big poster for Third Rail clothing with Jenna on it. I also saw an advertisement for Wolfpac (the band) with Jenna as the model. If the girl is making a trackable $550,000, I bet the other modeling gigs help to make her a millionaire too. I for one believe it! However, I can tell that she spends a lot of it two!"
Tak writes that the photos of Tom Byron sucking cock are real. "The Byron shots are real and were shot for Theanders "Transexual Climax" magazine in 1985."
Sin City Contract Girl Shay Sweet
Sin City says: Sin City's own Shay Sweet has had a high profile July. First, she was a demo girl on Playboy's Night Calls on July 7, where she wore a leather bondage fetish outfit that stole the spotlight from hosts Juli Ashton, Tiffany G., and Julia Parton. Shay was awesome in the black leather bikini bottom that cleaved her luscious butt cheeks in two, and the halter bra that emphasized her magnificent boobs. She strutted her stuff, tossing her blonde hair and hips from side to side, then took part in a threeway lesbo orgy with two other models that was sizzling by anyone's standards, but blistering in comparison to Playboy's standard fare. No sooner had things cooled down than she appears on the cover and as the centerfold in the September issue of Easyriders, wearing a red and white stripe floss bikini and a come hither glance. Inside, she wears the same bottoms, a pair of heels in a bright shade of white that matches her smile, and nothing on top. She poses with a chopped Harley that would make Sonny Barger drool. Us, we'll take Shay. You can see more of Shay in the upcoming months. A layout she did with erotic photographer supreme Earl Miller will appear in Swank, along with an interview, and she's preparing for her next role in Michael Raven's Millenium. She can currently be seen Very Bad Things, to be released August 11.
Andrew Drake vs. Johnny Cochran
Porner Andrew Drake writes: Johnnie Cochran famed OJ Simpson lawyer and now host of his own nightly show on Court TV will now take a glimpse upskirt .com that is. Andrew Drake has been asked to be a guest on the JOHNNIE COCHRAN TONIGHT Show which airs Live nightly at 7:00 EST. Drake who will be in New York next week for Inside Edition is scheduled to appear with Cochran the week of August 8th. Tune in here for the exact day and time. Drake: "It drives me crazy how the press just eat this topic up, is there any interested in buying and taking the upskirt site off my hands." "I'm not stupid of course all this attention equals decent revenue. I personally do not carefor the mainstream media but I will use them just like they are using me. We are all whores, aren't we?"