Monday, December 26, 2005
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Porn: the rebirth of philosophy?
Whilst I may be new to XPT, I'm a long time lurker. Whilst first I was drawn in by the adolescent thrill of tits and whores, what kept me coming back was the pseudo-philosophical spastic ramblings of people like Da Burg, the Arab, jamesn, etc. There's a lot of intelligence on this board, shown in the acerbic wit of the monkey and the aforementioned harvard graduates, and amongst such posters as gia jordan, whose eclectic interests, combined with her interest in black metal make her my perfect girl (apart from the whole sex for money thing...). Where's this post going? Nowhere.
Except it got me thinking why people of seemingly large mental capacities would hang out on a board dealing with porn, a subject matter not generally associated with minds that much more advanced than Courtney Love. But then again, I think of myself as a man of reasonable intelligence and I'm here. So cognitive dissonance kicked in, and I was able to rationalise it away: porn poses so many questions. As simp/CAOH would say: why? And so we sit here, and post.
Roxy Jezel discusses Descartes, Aristotle, stuff!
Barrettman writes on ADT: "I want to f--- her right now and say... " so Roxy, the Ontological Proof of God's Existence, soundly argued or is it syllogistic, ie. circular reasoning? Discuss. Oh Btw, can you get on top for a bit?"
Picman writes: "Anybody listening to Roxy's biting humor the last couple of years would not be surprised that she's got some depth to her. There are quite a few smart women running around the valley. Having brains doesn't disqualify a person from the sex trade."
I've Gone 18 Days Without Sex
And it makes me stronger. I hardly even notice the absence. I've reached such a point of spiritual development that I am above such worldly concerns, and will only soil myself with such tawdry activities in the future if they lead to procreation within the bounds of holy matrimony.
Annie Sprinkle Breast Cancer Update
She writes:
1. On April Fools Day, I was diagnosed with breast cancer in my right boobie. Luckily I have always routinely checked my breasts and I felt the pea-sized lump, which was invisible on mammograms even after doctors knew it was there. (Hand-check your breasts! You can't depend on mammograms.) While it was a bit of a shock and I confronted my mortality for the first time, breast cancer made some sense in the grand scheme of things. For three decades my work has often focused on, and has utilized, my large breasts. If I had to get a disease, I was glad that it was breast related and would fit into my body of work.
Yes, I still have both breasts. Two biopsies and two lumpectomies later, pathology showed no lymph node involvement, stage one breast cancer, with an estrogen receptive, fast growing, .09 cm tumor. Fortunately I had excellent health insurance, thanks to my wonderful domestic partner Beth, and to UCSC (Beth is an art professor there.). So we lined up the most wonderful, kind, holistic, FUN, medical practitioners and healers, and they ALL recommended I do chemo followed by radiation. Beth came with me to every one of the eight chemo infusions from July thorough October. She has been a super fantastic bosom-cancer-buddy.
While I had some rather icky days where I became chemically altered and fatigued, we got through chemo with flying colors. Family and friends sent much love my way. Beth even shaved her head in solidarity. Plus there was (and still is) yoga, gym workouts with a trainer, Chinese medicine, acupuncture, herbs, swimming, steam baths, miso soup, support groups, and shamanic journeys/healings. If I have been out of touch with you and haven't told you about the breast cancer before this, it's only because all of this stuff has kept me very busy. (I'm behind on over 1,000 emails!) Plus I have continued to work throughout breast cancer treatments.
While I consider myself completely cured at this point, for extra insurance, I am undergoing 33 radiation treatments. I'll finish Jan.4. My prognosis is excellent. According to statistics, I have only a 3% chance of the breast cancer recurring before ten years. Those are good odds that I'll be around for years to come. Life is just too damned interesting and wonderful not to stick around. Plus I have a commitment.
Maya Hills Interview
I call the 18-year old Saturday night, December 24.
She's at her mom's house in Florida. "I'm sitting here playing with my rabbi. I have four rabbits but they live with my mother. I'm an animal lover.
"I'm not moving to LA. I'm moving to the Palm Beach area so I can be closer to Tyler Young, my agent.
"I'm honored that you wanted to do an interview with me. So what would you like to know?"
Luke: "When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?"
Maya: "I had so many different things, a doctor, chef, teacher... At 17, I started going to college and studied business administration and wanted to become a mortgage broker. That lasted for six months. Then I got into the Adult industry. I started doing promotional work for some small companies in the Miami area. They offered me great money. So I did my first boy-girl shoot (Oct 21 for Icey Porn) and got paid $1,000 for a 45-minute scene.
"I met Tyler through answering an ad on CraigsList.com. I wrote her an email and sent her some pictures. Immediately she called me back and said, 'I'd like to meet with you.' We met on Oct 28. She became my manager. She started sending out my pictures. We were in LA on Nov 21 (shot first scene for Acid Rain)."
Maya's done over 20 scenes and appears on more than six boxcovers. "Everybody I've worked with has been so kind to me. I haven't had a bad experience. But I shouldn't say that or I'll jinx myself.
"Tyler picks out great companies for me to work with and finds out everything for me before I step on set. Photographers say I'm easy to work with."
Luke: "That's what Holly said."
Maya: "I follow directions.
"I turned 18 on August 21. I was born in West Siberia, Russia. I'm half Russian, half Eskimo. I came to the United States when I was seven (1995). I moved here with my family. Then my parents divorced and my dad moved back.
"At age 15, I moved back to Russia for a year. My mom stayed here with my brother.
"I saved my money and moved to Barcelona for four months. Then I got my visa to live in Sydney, Australia (for eight months). I went to a private Christian school - Pitt-Waterhouse. I worked in Manly.
"In September 2004, I moved back to live with my mom in Florida.
"I was away from my family a lot. That's why I matured quicker than the rest of my peers.
"I never thought I'd go into the Adult industry. I'd given thoughts to stripping because of the money.
"I wanted to get into modeling but everyone told me I was too short. I'm 5'7".
"Tyler showed me such a positive vibe on [porn]. I don't know what I'd do without them.
"I'm designing two clothing companies -- one for my website and one personal. I've got so many things going on. It's hard to keep a relationship when you're so busy. It has nothing to do with what I'm doing. When I wasn't in porn, I was in a relationship, but we broke it off because jealousy got the best of him."
Luke: "Do you think you could be monogamous?"
Maya: "Definitely."
Luke: "What type of men do you find attractive?"
Maya: "They have to be funny and sweet. Money, I can make my own. Age, I've met guys who are 20 years older and they act like they are twelve. He has to be nice and laid-back and love kids and animals and not be stuck up or cocky.
"In my family, we never looked at skin color or culture or religious background. If I marry a black Jewish guy tomorrow, my mom won't care.
"My mom knows about my work [in porn]. We don't really talk about it in the open. We just kinda joke about it. My father doesn't really know because I don't talk to him. My mother is the only family I have in the United States. My brother lives in Russia. He kinda has an idea but we don't talk so there's never a question."
Luke: "Have you lost any friends over your work in porn?"
Maya: "Not too many friends know about this. I lost touch with so many of them because of my work schedule. They're in a different space and so am I."
Luke: "Do you get along better with guys or girls?"
Maya: "Guys.
"Do you want gossip? I don't really have anything. I'm new to the business. I've seen nothing bad in this business. Tyler does have some girls who've been abused in the business, but they're with her now, and she's getting them great bookings."
Luke: "How have you changed [from your time in porn]?"
Maya: "I've matured. The more money I make, the less I spend. I'm trying to get into the stock market. I've noticed so many girls and guys are making thousands of dollars and they have nothing to show for it."
Vilnii writes:
If Maya wishes to come out of porn without permanent damage, my advice is she should avoid the following people at all costs, even if Tyler Young is pushing her: TT Boy, Khan Tusion, Mark Anthony, Vince Voyeur, Max Hardcore. Reading the catastrophe of a certain young woman called Laura Roxx will also be of help. She should be advised of where the Devils reside in the business. Before working for anyone she should click on the "Stars" link on Lukeisback and get some background info...
Reflections On Vinnie (Vincent Faraci), Former Manager Of Crazy Horse Too Strip Club In Las Vegas
I talk to somebody who hung out with him.
XXX: "He's regarded as the last public link to the Mob in Vegas. He ran the Crazy Horse. Every Sunday he would come into the nightclub Light at the Bellagio. He would always come in with 15 dancers from Crazy Horse. He always had two bodyguards. He never spoke. He'd point and people would order things for him. You'd shake his hand and you wouldn't say anything because you'd know he wouldn't talk back. He'd go on the dance floor and his two bodyguards would clear people away. I thought he brought his girls into the Vegas club scene to get them work [as hookers] with the highrollers. They'd never all leave with him. They'd always end up with different guys. He was always out at the different clubs in Vegas with different girls.
"Everybody who worked at the Crazy Horse Too seemed like they were in the Mob.
"Jack Sheehan's book Skin City: Uncovering the Las Vegas Sex Industry is superb. It talks about Vinnie Faraci."
The Jurk reviews Skin City on Amazon.com:
I bought this book during my last visit to Las Vegas but, unfortunately, I didn't find out very much about Vegas from reading it. I knew Vegas hosted the porn awards, I knew Vegas had a lot of escorts and hookers...so not too many surprises.
I was also left a little skeptical since the author was satisfied with each porn star and prostitute's take on their lives and professions. The book read like he was trying to maintain the slick, sexy sheen of the Vegas tourism ads without delving into some of the more tragic aspects of all that sex and drugs.
One of my best friends in the world is on the Vegas Police Department, and he could tell you a completely different side of the "fun capital of the world." (Maybe a dark, stunning expose could be written about the seedy side of Disneyland. I don't know. But I read SKIN CITY and felt like a lot of folks in that book were not telling their whole story. Or just the whole story of that lifestyle).
Ultimately, SKIN CITY reads like a book where only the winners are interviewed...and the losers are hustled out of town.
Brett Rockman Interview
In porn for seven years, he still works as talent in addition to owning his own production/distribution company Rockman Entertainment.
According to Harry Weiss's press release from last week, Rockman is a medical doctor and a member of AIM's medical advisory board.
"Porn can be a lot safer," he says.
"How?"
"Well, I don't know specifically. Do you have any ideas? If there are things that can make it safer, then we're going to do that."
Brett tells me he went to Ross University for medical school. Before that, he says he was a Marine for four years.
After doing his residency in Ohio, Brett realized his heart wasn't in medicine, and so he got into porn. Since then, he's mainly dated porn girls. "Porn has shown me the difference between sex and love. Someone who's never done scenes may confuse the too."
Mary Carey Update
Friday afternoon, Dec 23.
Mary: "I'm doing Brooke Haven today. I haven't done a girl-girl scene since May 2004 and boy-girl since December of 2004. This is my first movie in a year.
"I spent last Christmas with Hannah [Harper]. I like blondes with big boobs. I was in love with Hannah."
Mary's hosting a birthday party for Red Velvet (who turned 24 on Dec 22) Friday afternoon.
Mary: "Back in October, I was really Christian. I had a nervous breakdown and totally went Christian. Then Red Velvet, my little miracle worker, showed me some of the stuff wasn't right. I was convinced that the world was ending and the Chinese were bombing us. If you read the end of the Bible, Revelation, it talks about the seven trumpets. You can relate some of the seven trumpets to the modern day.
"Being a devout Christian wasn't as fun because none of my friends were devout Christians. When I hung out with the devout Christians, I felt like I didn't fit in. I felt like I had a potty mouth.
"I was with the Oneness Church and Episcopalian.
"I do have my own spirituality. I'm a good person. Just because I do porn doesn't make me a bad person. I help the homeless. I give money. I donate my clothes to the maid's service. Just because you have sex a lot doesn't mean you're a bad person.
"I argued with them that God invented sex (before marriage) and alcohol and they argued that Satan did. Then why did God let Satan put so much bad on the earth?
"I'm 25. I'm sure that when I'm old, like 30, I'm going to want to change my mind. Right now I just want to have fun. According to the Bible, the world's not going to end for seven years anyway."
Axel Braun Marries Christmas Day
He's the son of Lasse Braun. He's marrying Belladonna's sister Alicia Sinclair, who works as David Joseph's assistant at Red Light District.
The small, family only, wedding is taking place in Riverside on Christmas Day. Axel's mother will be coming in from Milan for the wedding. Belladonna is not attending.
Alicia and Axel have been engaged for three years.
Flesh Trade: Tales from the UK Sexual Underground
My email conversation with author Bruce Barnard:
I write: "You romanticize British porn. They're doing it for the money just like Americans, they just don't talk about it as baldly as Yanks do."
Bruce replies:
I think you’re right; Americans do have less of a hang up when it comes to discussing money. It’s an English tradition that’s survived as a result of our curious class system.
You’re not the only person to see Flesh Trade as pro-porn, the majority of feedback has perceived the book as uncritical to the industry, although personally I struggle to see it. I’ve no intention of becoming a poster boy for people’s right to watch smut, in fact I dropped two chapters that dealt with the dark side of the business because they didn’t fit with the vaguely comedic tone, which defines the book. I may come across as trying to be the porno Norm Chomski, but let’s remember I was only trying to write an entertaining, funny book that hopefully didn’t induce nausea in the audience.
As for your question about the gay aspect and if watching men f--- turned me bi-curious, the answer is no. Like I said in the book I’ve covered all manner of weirdness in the past but always with a sense of creative detachment. It’s no different to watching attractive female performers really, after all as a journalist I’m not nipping off every ten minutes on porn sets to crack one off in the toilets. Is that something you do Luke?
How did you find the UK then? I had this trans-Atlantic dick-waving contest with notorious girlfriend beater and occasional US author Jim Goad recently and it struck me as strange how two cultures with a common language could be so different in outlook.
That was my point yesterday. Perhaps it’s just me but when I watch a brutal US gonzo I can’t help getting lingering visual images of the pictures that came out in the wake of the Iraqi prisoner abuse scandal. Both things highlight something deeply uncomfortable about the current mindset of the people in the world’s only superpower. Not that us Brits can take the moral high ground of course, given that we’ve had our porcine digits in the Middle East vagina for centuries now.
Ironically I’m a big fan of the States, I don’t subscribe to the rampant anti-US feeling that’s swept through Europe like a virus in the last few years. I’m intelligent enough to see the hypocrisy in watching Arab folk burn the stars and stripes in protest at prisoner abuses, but see them remain mute on the subject of the torture and abuse dished out by their own undemocratic governments.
It’s also fair to say that when you are dealing with people’s lives, it pays to retain an element of humanity- given that books tend to last awhile. Taking the opportunity to vilify people is likely to have a negative impact on their lives. I am at heart a gag man and I don’t ever want to think I was directly responsible for f---ing someone over just to score a cheap laugh. Given your own history this would appear to be yet another example of the difference between you and us.
Are Jews A Clue To A Mystery?
In her book Two Covenants: Representations of Southern Jewishness, Eliza R. L McGraw writes about [Roman Catholic] Walker Percy's 1966 novel The Last Gentleman:
[Will writes in a letter:] "For some time I had believed that the Jews were a sign, a clue to the mystery, a telltale bent twig, a blazed sapling in an otherwise riotous senseless jungle. But now it appears the Jews have not left North Carolina after all, and in fact are making porno flicks and building condos and villas in Highlands, enjoying the leaves, and in general behaving like everyone else. There goes the last sign." (Percy, 174)
[Will's] interest in Jewish people and their locations becomes a symptom of insanity that he relinquishes under treatment, suggesting that seeing Jewish people as mere porn stars or merchants is "healthy," while Will's former vision of Jewish people as signs represents an aberration.
Mary Carey Update - New Legend Contract Girl?
She calls me at 2:55pm Friday between sex scenes.
Mary: "You, me and Kendra [Jade] are good friends. You gave her my number and I got to hang out with her.
"You and I were supposed to go to lunch."
Luke: "You kept flaking."
Mary: "I cut down my drinking in half. I don't flake as much."
Luke: "Why don't you just cut it out all together?"
Mary: "I've been working on that. I used to drink every day of the week. I've been sober for two days.
"I still love Tawny Roberts. She's doing well. She's not a drug addict. She just has a really good metabolism."
Make-up artist Red Velvet agrees.
Mary: "I became good friends with Red Velvet through Tawny. For a while, Velvet had a psychopathic assistant who [screwed] up my hair.
"Tawny has been sober now for two weeks. She hasn't drugs for a year or two or three or forever.
"Next Tuesday the announcement will be made."
Luke: "You have a new contract."
Mary: "Yes. I can't talk about it."
Luke: "Why did you get your breasts done?"
Mary: "Because I lost a lot of weight and my boobs shrunk. Even now they aren't as big as they were but they look bigger because I've lost so much weight (about 30 pounds). I gained a lot of weight from drinking, eating Taco Bell, not working out, and partying."
Luke: "When did you get the implants?"
Mary: "It was probably around October... I'd have to look at my calendar. I was still drinking a lot when I did it. I got my teeth done.
"When I met my miracle worker Red Velvet, she switched my hair extensions over. I used to have bad extensions. She recommended to me a good teeth person. Then she recommended a little bit in the upper lip doctor. I credit the new Mary Carey to Red Velvet.
"My website is redesigned. She gave me cool things for my new look.
"I'm over at her house a lot seeing Captain Bob (a former pastor, and Red Velvet's father) for spiritual advice. Velvet referred me to a nutritionist. She told me about colonics."
Lisa Ann Leaves LA Direct Models
Porn star XXX (who's repped by LA Direct) has a serious drug problem.
Though Derek denies this, I've been told that he demanded that Lisa move XXX into her new house and keep an eye on her. Lisa said no. "My house is my sanctuary. I don't want a crackhead in my house. I don't want work affiliated with my home."
Derek is supposed to have insisted and Lisa Ann quit.
XXX has proved highly unpopular with the people she's lived with over the past few months, including various LA Direct girls.
Over the past two years, Derek has built LADirectModels.com into the most powerful and organized talent agency in the business. Derek delivers his girls to sets on time. He's loved and respected by many photographers and producers. His detractors call him a tyrant.
Several porners have asked me, "Why don't you write anything bad about Derek? Are you afraid of him?"
Derek had an incident with Dylan Lauren a few weeks ago. I don't know if Derek hit her car and Dillan demanded his insurance information... Whatever happened, Derek told her to clear her stuff out of his house within five minutes and leave. She did.
It's Derek's way or the highway at LADirect.
Guess who Sarah Blake used to be in the Lightspeed franchise?
Her pseudonym was 'Little Troublemaker.'
Teagan Is Back
Teagan looks great after her pregnancy. She'll be signing for Digital Playground at the Adult Entertainment Expo in Las Vegas along with Janine, Sophia Santi, Jana Cova, and Jesse Jane, who will be hosting the AVN Awards.
Porn actress sought by Richmond police on child rape charges
A woman is being sought on child rape charges for allegedly persuading a high school student to run away from home and have sex with her, authorities said.
Silva, who authorities said appears in several X-rated videos available for sale on the Internet, is being sought on suspicion of rape using a controlled substance, statutory rape and detaining or concealing a child, Peixoto said. A felony warrant has been issued for her arrest.
What is Genevieve's stage name?
Kris Roc writes on XPT: "Hey, I met this girl at L.A. Erotica 2005. Very nice; she told me that she lived in the Bay Area and that she comes down to L.A. for work every now and then. Her stage name is Gen Silva. We were suppose to do a scene together but I don't think that's going to happen now....Damn!"
I Resolve That 2006 Will Be My Year Of The Mexican
Chaim Amalek writes:
Start acting like a Mac and start smooth talking these women. Your ethics are standing in the way of your happiness.
Resolve today that "I, Luke, can live at least as well as a Mexican." When you meet people on the street or in shul, begin by saying "Hello, I'm Luke, and in the coming year, I'm going to live at least as well as the average Mexican." Baby steps. Then perhaps in a few years, you could extend this proclamation to be based on more successful economic groups. You know -- 2006 could be Year of the Mexican; 2007 the Year of the Philipino; . . . 2025 the Year of the Arab.
Chaim Amalek Presents: The Adventures of Lube Boy" starring Luke Is Back as "Lube Boy"
How does it feel to date a woman who begins her day by lubing other women? Does she wear a glove when she does that?
You should become Holly's chauffeur and personal assistant. You drive her to shoots, you have the quart of lube handy for when she needs it, that sort of thing. "Luke, more lube!" "What do you mean you're out? What do you think I'm paying you for?"
I want to read that you have ridden to her shoot on a horse, burst in, and pulled her away from the porn and the partying.
Katja Kassin On Philosophy
I do agree that it's not appropriate to have a whole political discussion with a dick up your ass. You find out if someone is rather smart or not talking about daily life stuff. Just because somebody comes up with a Nietzsche quote doesn't mean they are smart. I went to University with tons of people like that who just memorized a few quotes from highly educated philosophers to prove their smartness where they couldn't even read the paper.
Porn star Roxy Jezel discusses her degree in philosophy.
XrickyromaX writes on ADT:
...[I]t's a video of Roxy (naked except for red stockings) smoking a cigarette and talking to a man and a woman who are behind the camera.
First they ask her about her porn career and she talks about her butt and getting some award for giving head. "Ugh ugh ugh ugh ugh. Apparently, I sound like frog."
She mentions attending "uni," they ask her what she studied, and they start having this heady philosophical discussion. She name checks Descartes, Aristotle, Plato. Talks about epistemology, the existence of God, the theory of forms, the myth of the cave, the mind/body connection.
Then they ask her about her background, her family, why she got into porn, her financial plans.
They ask her the last book she read, which was the Satanic Bible. She says she's not a Satanist, but she appreciates the idea of indulging your desires. And she thinks the Christian "turn the other cheek" ideal is ridiculous.
Also, she says she had three orgasms in her scene for the website they're advertising.
The guy behind the camera says what I'm thinking: "Wow... what an interesting person you are."
Kesey writes:
I'm the "guy behind the camera" in the Roxy Jezel interview. Was checking my stats and noticed links from this forum. Thought I'd drop by.
It's really cool all the interest shown here. I respect all the opinions (hats off to Lost Horizon by the way), the likes and dislikes.
I interview the girls because my members seem to like it. If I don't know anything about the model, I ask typical stuff like turnons and turnoffs, first time they had sex, and the Barbara Walters questions like, "does your family know what you do?"
If they mention something interesting during the shoot, I follow up during the interview. I always do the interview after the sex for various reasons. One, we're all a bit more relaxed, and two I can clear up some things, like, Nadia Hilton had never done a "restraint" scene before, and I wanted to make it clear in the interview that it was voluntary, that she was unharmed after the shoot, that she advocates safe sex, etc.
With Roxy, she mentioned during the shoot that she had a degree in philosophy, and I thought that rated a pretty high reading on the weirdometer, not that Roxy is weird, just that is was peculiar to meet a porn star who was into philosophy, so just on impulse I went that way in the interview.
And, yeah, have to agree it would not be a turnon to discuss the meaning of reality when the ol' boner thing is going on, but, you know, boners don't last forever and it's always nice to have someone you can relate to with both heads.
So, yeah, the interview was after the analingus, the restraints, the forced orgasms, the big A toys. The woman in the background talking is Isis Love. She's the Dom who worked Roxy over during the shoot.
Shellshock writes:
As you observe a scene involving Roxy in the furture and masterbate in the process, will the thoughts of Plato, Aristotle, and other philisophical perspectives enter into the depths of your immagination simultaniously? It just seems quite wierd attempting to bust a nut while picturing the immage of Plato and the Republic circulating in my mind as Roxy is in a reverse cowgirl position. My mind would be so messed up, I would mistate her comments within a given scene for a dialogue between two mid-evil scholars. For the time being, I will try to block this download out of my mind and return to the Roxy that we all have come accustomed to.
Porn Set Horror Stories
The most common problem on my sets is models showing up on their periods. Two weeks ago I went through 3 packs of wet wipes because there was so much blood all over the place. I ended up having to just wipe off the guy's dick in order to keep the scene flowing. Took us 3 hours just to get 2 minutes of usable footage.
Dr. Brett Rockman
I did not know he was a real medical doctor.
Harry Weiss writes:
Canoga Park, CA-(December 23, 2005)-A.I.M. Healthcare Foundation has announced the naming of adult industry performer, director, and producer, Brett Rockman to its’ Advisory Board of Directors. Rockman earned his medical degree, and worked in hospitals for several years, before changing his course and becoming a success in the adult entertainment industry. Once he proved himself as a performer, Rockman added the goals of directing and producing by creating Rockman Entertainment. When the opportunity to give back and help his fellow adult professionals and friends presented itself, Rockman answered the call. “This is a great opportunity to make a positive contribution to the adult industry,” exclaimed Rockman.
Dr. Sharon Mitchell states: “Brett Rockman has the wonderful combination of having medical experience and is a big part of the talent/producer/director part of the industry. We need feedback from people who are in the industry who are out there and can articulate talent concerns. We feel that Brett is that person, so, we ask anyone who has issues with AIM, please talk to Brett, who is well versed in our policies and procedures, and he will help make things clear, or bring us your concern and it will be addressed accordingly."
Eighteen-Year-Old Florida Porn Star Maya Hills
I hear she has a great attitude. Eager to work. Saves her money. She's half-Russian and half-Siberian-Eskimo.
Sheldon writes on ADT: "So what does that make her sexual orientation - Bering Strait?"
She's designing her own clothing line. She has a great sense of style.
Originally from Florida, she's done less than ten scenes. She has a great look and a great attitude. I think she has star potential.
As I'm posting this, my cameraman is shooting video of her and Chris Mountain going at it like a pair of hot wart hogs.
XrickyromaX writes: "She's got a kinda quirky-looking face and body. Now, I'm actually a fan of quirky. But there's something about her that's a little too... extraterrestrial for me."
Gia Jordan writes: "Exquisite. She reminds me of a mainstream high fashion model [from] a few years ago named Irina. Everyone thought she was part Asian, but she was Russian/Eskimo from Siberia."
Sunny Lane - Best New Starlet?
Holly writes me Thursday at 6:12pm from suze.net: "Sunny Lane, Lacie Heart and Derrick Pierce are doing their scene right now-- wow! That Sunny is one hell of a performer, and of course Lacie is always great. Derrick [Pierce, Lexxi Tyler's boyfriend] has his hands full with those two! You should hear this, LOL..."
At 8:45pm, Holly calls me while taking her bath. "I was on set for 12 hours. We shot a single-girl shoot of Sunny. Then girl-girl stills of Lacie and Sunny. Then a video of the threesome. It was Lacie's first girl-girl-boy. We had such a good time. Sunny said, 'You guys have such a good time on your shoots.' Hell yes. We joke around the whole time. We're bantering. Everyone on the crew has a good relationship. We're constantly making fun of each other."
Holly and I predict that Sunny Lane will win Best New Starlet at the AVN Awards.
"There's something special about Sunny," I say. "She always has a positive attitude, which sucks if you're a writer seeking compelling material."
I talk to a pornographer. "Your writing has changed over the past two months," he says. "She's gotten under your skin. You're less bitter about porn."
The One Person At AVN You Have To Be Nice To
What Does Hanukkah Mean To You?
I invite Jewish porners to submit original essays of general interest. The winner gets dinner with Luke. Second prize is two dinners with Luke.
Kendra Jade Has Bought A Home
She's almost 30. It was time.
I went to my meditation spot this afternoon. An 80-year old man said to me, "Every time I see you, your nose is buried in a book. What are you seeking in all this knowledge?"
"A woman," I replied.
"You're not married?"
"No."
"How old are you?"
"Thirty nine."
"Oy ve. There's a woman waiting for you, somewhere."
Adult Friend Finder On RipoffReport
An AFF attorney posts in rebuttal:
During the latter half of November 2004, certain disgruntled individuals have repeatedly posted anti-Friendfinder “reviews” on ripoffreport.com. In this series of postings, these individuals have made a series of statements and listed a number of purported “facts” about Friendfinder and Andrew Conru alleging criminal behavior and unlawful business practices. With the exception of certain information that is publicly available, e.g. a civil lawsuit entitled Ferguson v. Friendfinder was filed (and ultimately dismissed without any finding of liability), these alleged facts are false and defamatory. These postings are beyond contempt and hurtful to Friendfinder, Andrew Conru and its employees. These comments also tend to marginalize valid “reviews” that other persons have posted on ripoffreport.com regarding our company.
I asked AFF attorney Ira P. Rothken about the page. He replied:
Every now and then we see this sort of hateful rant - not attributable to any real source - that is full of false and defamatory statements.We have been in touch with the site's owner and their counsel over the past year to take down the defamatory materials like it. The site owner did investigate and remove some other defamatory postings that looked nearly identical in the past and decided they wanted to charge a fee to remove such defamatory postings - in other words, in my view, monetize the misfortune of others.
It is hard to stop such web-spam postings given the state of the CDA law which may immunize certain net services providers from liability related to defamatory content posted by third parties unless the net services provider is actively involved in the creation or promotion of such content or is involved in editorial control.
Naked Ambition: Author/Essayist/Auteur Joanna Angel
It's been two months since we've spoken. I've felt like the magic has gone out of our relationship.
I call Joanna (nominated for AVN's Best New Starlet award) Thursday afternoon to try to rekindle our fire, to mend the broken vessels of pornography, and hasten the Redemption (when men will no longer need to wank themselves and the lion will lie down with the lamb).
To improve my odds of forming a special connection, I decide midway through our conversation to award her the "Most Appearances On Lukeisback" trophy.
Luke: "Long time, no chat."
Joanna: "I know. Did you miss me?"
Luke: "I did. I wondered what happened to my little girl."
Joanna: "We shot Joanna's Angels 2 [in Brooklyn, starring Joanna, Charlotte Stokely, James Deen and Mr Marcus]."
Luke: "Did you fulfill your artistic vision?"
Joanna: "I did. My artistic visions are turning out to be expensive. I didn't make anything. I just had enough [money] to make the movie."
Luke: "How's your movie selling?"
Joanna: "I don't know. I've heard all the charts lie.
"My script for Angels 2 was 30 pages long. Many of the actors complained there was too much dialogue.
"I got to make-out with the prettiest girl in the world -- Charlotte Stokely. She stayed with me."
Luke: "Did you use Dana [DeArmond] in your movie?"
Joanna: "I did."
Luke: "What does she do?"
Joanna: "She puts it in her butt. She doesn't really do boy-girl but she did it for me. Am I dangerous?"
Luke: "Yeah."
Joanna: "She played the president's daughter. Mr Marcus was the president.
"There were seven girls in the movie and three guys. James Deen played my boyfriend and a secret service agent. Then he dumped me in the movie for Charlotte. I cried. I used Visine. Then Charlotte and I decided we were going to share him.
"I had [double penetration] from James Deen and Mr Marcus."
Luke: "Did it make you feel like a dirty little whore?"
Joanna: "Yes. I like that. Don't you?"
Luke: "I treat women like that [in certain bedroom situations] when they implore me to."
Joanna: "Maybe you just need some attention."
Luke: "I was with a woman who implored me, 'F--- me like a whore.' It made me very excited. I've never heard that from a woman. None of my civilian friends have either."
Joanna: "Don't you ever watch pornography?"
Luke: "No. And pornography is not real life."
Joanna: "You loved every minute of ------- her like a whore."
Luke: "I did [but deep down inside, I can't help but feel that it was wrong as it did not take place within the context of holy matrimony]. I don't want to objectify or degrade women. She wanted me to pull her hair and bite her and choke her and slap her. I can't do that."
Joanna: "It's just a role-playing game. Everybody's happy in the end."
Luke: "I'm confused."
Joanna: "You want to call everyone a dirty little whore?"
Luke: "No. I just want to treat this one special woman like a whore [when she wants me to]."
Joanna: "That's beautiful. I think I've been waiting my whole life for that one guy to say to me, 'I just want to call you a dirty little whore. Nobody else.'"
Luke: "Now I'm addicted. It's so much fun. She's ruined me for other women. I'm going through sex withdrawals. [The flesh, the smell, the pheremones, her, it, everything.]"
Joanna: "You're going a little psycho. Maybe you should get a hooker."
Luke: "I would never allow myself to do that. That's a boundary I've set."
Joanna: "There are other girls out there who will let you call them dirty whores.
"You don't want to purchase a woman, but you want to own one. That's wrong. Until you stop caring, you're not going to find anyone else. That's why people watch porn."
Luke: "I'm feeling emotionally turbulent. I need to take my lithium. Where is it? There. OK. Ahh, that's better."
Joanna: "What's going on with you? Everyone I know has been feeling crazy lately, except for me, and I always feel crazy. I've been happy for a month. Is that ok? Is that going to ruin my image? I like being by myself. I have a lot of good things going for me. I got my hair done. I've got a new kind of French manicure I invented.
"I turn 25 on December 25. My car insurance is about to go down. Are you on MySpace?"
Luke: "Yes."
Joanna: "Are you my friend?"
Luke: "No. I don't have any porn friends. The 16-year old daughter of a friend found my MySpace profile and after that I erased any friend with a porn connection.
"There you are on MySpace."
Joanna: "That's my ass."
Luke: "How can I show you mine?"
Joanna: "Just ask me to be your friend."
Luke: "You've got a provocative picture on your's. I can't."
Joanna: "You've got some weird issues.
"I'm going to buy some alcohol and have a party tonight with two friends."
Luke: "Have you ever asked a guy to f--- you like a whore?"
Joanna: "All the time. If I don't say that, then it is implied. That's how I like it. That's how most girls like it."
Luke: "I've never encountered it."
Joanna: "They probably didn't know it yet."
Luke: "Now that you're 25, do you feel maternal towards the younger girls?"
Joanna: "I'm not really like that. I remember talking to this girl. She said her agent would be angry if she turned down some scene. That makes me upset. Some girls overwork themselves because they're scared of someone. I have the opposite problem. I just don't care about anyone or anything. I'll make really bad decisions, but at least they're my decisions."
Luke: "Do you have any drama?"
Joanna: "I always have drama, but I don't feel like talking about it now. I'm in a good mood. Maybe being in a good mood makes for a boring interview."
Luke: "Have you done [private sex] for pay recently?"
Joanna: "No. I used to have people offer to pay when I was a stripper. Maybe I should put myself back on the market."
Luke: "What have been the results of appearing in Carly Milne's book Naked Ambition?"
Joanna: "Nothing. I've got $75 now. I don't know if anyone's buying it. I get more attention from the picture of my ass on MySpace then from my essay in that book."
Luke: "Male priorities are misplaced."
Joanna: "But I'm really proud of it. It gives me something to talk about with my family at Thanksgiving. But I feel like a liar. I thought Jenna Jameson was going to be in the book. I kept telling people I was going to be in a book with Jenna Jameson. The book came out and she wasn't in it. Maybe if she was in it, more people would've read it, and more people would've seen my essay than my picture of my ass on MySpace.
"You know I'm not going to win for Best New Starlet. If there was an award for most appearances on lukeisback.com, I'd win that. I'd have that one in the bag. Unfortunately, there's not."
Naked Ambition: Women Pornographers and How They Are Changing the Sex Industry
Sociologist Jillian A. Tate writes on Amazon.com:
Prior to Milne's book, the vast majority of commentary on women in the porn industry was dehumanizing in one way or another. In the eyes of feminism, women in porn are demoralizing to themselves and their sisters. In the post-feminism of Pamela Paul, the women in porn are playing to the weaknesses of men. Milne's contributors, however, prove to us that women aren't just tools in the hands of a controlling industry, but are controlling it in their own ways. She is the first author to show the examples of the empowerment that women are taking, by having them tell their own stories of experiences and careers. Milne doesn't rely on men & their lust as a negative to play against, but presents women with strength on their own merits, who love what they do, and who shift the image of pornography as a completely male dominated industry.
In bringing us this anthology, Milne isn't just showing us what women can accomplish in porn, but what women can accomplish, period. It isn't because of being women, or despite being women, that her writers have accomplished what they have. It's because they are driven people who have shaped an industry, regardless of the controversy and the emotional attachment associated with pornography. This book isn't just for the voyeurs of the porn industry, or those curious about what happens behind the camera/webcam. It's for anyone who wants to read stories of successful people who have found their own paths. It's for anyone who wants to hear people, regardless of gender, tell of their experiences working in & becoming successful in what is a strangely verboten industry for the importance it plays in our culture.
I was absolutely fascinated with this book, and found it a real liberation from the puritanical image of women as suffering from the existence of pornography. Listening to Milne and her authors is, I believe, a cruicial step in releasing women from the pedestal that they're too often trapped on when it comes to things like pornography.
Selling Suze Or Selling My Ass?
Jane writes: "What is with the Suze.net banner, Luke? You could make more money selling your ass in San Francisco's Castro district!"
I'll do a compare and contrast and let you know. I've made $60 off Suze in the past week.
Sweet Cheeks Animator Shot
Dan Miller writes Dec 19 for AVN.com:
CHATSWORTH, Calif. - T. Rollie, the animator and director for Antigua Pictures' Sweet Cheeks, was shot by an intruder early Saturday morning while working at the company's Chatsworth offices [Nordhoff and DeSoto Blvds], Jon Blatt, president of domestic distribution, told AVN.com.
Blatt said a bullet passed through one of Rollie's legs. He was hospitalized briefly but is OK. Los Angeles police are looking for the suspect, Blatt said.
When the shooting took place, there were three porners in the office (including the agent Derek King, and Mike). They took off running as soon as they saw the gunman (who used a .44). They didn't yell any warning, so I don't know if they were in on it.
I heard that T. Rollie (from Chicago) was shot on behalf of a famous black porn star by folks in the music industry.
Does anyone have a phone number for T. Rollie?
T. Rollie is still spooked by the incident. He has two kids.
Rollie was shot an inch above his kneecap.
Rollie has a small studio. The black gunman came in wearing a ski mask and gloves. The three black porners (Rollie's friends) in the lobby ran past the gunman out the door.
It's a small studio, so to leave or enter, you have to turn sideways if someone is coming in. The three porners made no effort to smack the gun out of the thug's hands. They didn't scream or yell, "Gun!"
The gunman said something to Rollie (who was sitting at his glass desk behind his computer) about the black porn star and added, "Do you know what this is? This is blood." Then he shot Rollie and turned and ran out the door.
The three porners heard the gunshots. Afterwards they said that they thought Rollie was dead. They didn't come back to check on him.
The bullet and its fragments remained in Rollie's leg. He had massive surgery Thursday to remove them.
Rollie was kept in the hospital for a couple days under protective custody.
Tabloid Baby's Person of The Year for 2005: Anderson Cooper, Brokeback Anchor
There have been, and are, gay network reporters. Even NBC’s wise John Chancellor reportedly had a men’s room arrest in his past (though he popped out of his closet only sporadically in later years, demanding his name be pronounced Chancel-LOR, not CHANCE-eler).
Anderson Cooper is different. Anderson Cooper reads “gay” on the air. Not “flaming,” like most all of the cloned male correspondents on the ET-Access-Extra infotainment shows, not “screaming,” as was when he hosted The Mole (back when newsreader kingship seemed as realistic a dream as his mom marrying her consort Bobby Short), but so undeniably that everyone refers to him as “metrosexual.”
...All She[phard Smith of Fox News] got for his trouble was an outing by the editor of the Washington Blade.
Rob Spallone Update
I call him Thursday morning. "Do you hate anybody?" I ask.
"No," Rob says. "Sharon Mitchell did a nice thing. She called me the other day. She went and got married and was away. She found out about Ron Sullivan. We talked for a half hour. At Bill Margold's Legends of Erotica awards show, I'm having Ron present Freddy Lincoln his award. Sharon's going to make sure that she's there and if Ron needs anything, she's going to help him out.
"Ron found out yesterday that he's got to go in for chemo five days a week."
"How's your ex-wife?"
"Wonderful."
"How often do you get to see your kids?"
"I'm going to get them now and I'll have them till Sunday morning."
That's what Chaim Amalek tells me. He says that I'm needlessly blowing a good thing, repeating a pattern that I've had running for many years now. "What you ought to do is spend less time obsessing over when 'Hillary' last called you and more time thinking like the sort of man who KNOWS he's going to get the blonde. You need to start thinking like a Latin lover, or a Negro. There must be someone of color in LA who is willing to take you aside and teach you how to be a man, instead of a whimpering idiot who mewls like some lovesick girl after her lover has rejected her for someone slimmer. I suggest that you begin HERE with this column of helpful advice by someone writing for the Village Voice."
JMT writes: "I'll bet Wesley Pipes would jump at the opportunity to be your life-coach."
What's wrong with Suze.net?
In response to complaints, the webmistress from suze.net wrote on GFY Dec 16:
Susan Gold here, I'm the affiliate webmistress for Suze.net & SuzeVideo.com. Also for our earlier affiliate program at pics4clicks.com. We've been providing affiliate links and content for 6 or 7 years now. Those of you who have worked with me know us to be pro-affiliate, honest, courteous and straight-forward. We do, from time to time, make minor mistakes, like placing a bad link on one of our JOIN buttons. An unfortunate error, more than likely created by me when I made that hosted gallery for Giana Taylor that caused this post originally. The link has been corrected. I would have responded sooner but I was on the road heading south to spend the holidays with my family.
So here's the deal. We and DHD were informed simultaneoulsy about this error. DHD did a site-wide search at both Suze.net & SuzeVideo.com for any other link errors and NONE were found. It was an isolated incident, and it has been corrected. Considering that we have about 3000 pages online and a few hundred links to our JOIN pages, I don't think that one link pushes us into the column of intentionally trying to cheat our webmasters. We do, however, apologize for the error. I will be happy to make up for it by making a choice photo series or model available to anyone who feels that they have been negatively impacted by my error. I can be reached at affiliate-webmistress@suzenetcash.com. Please give me time to respond tho as I will be traveling during the holiday season.
Inthestars writes:
DHD is pathetic. You haven't even fixed the problem.
The only thing wrong with Suze.net is the company running their affiliate program. They have alot of the same models as Playboy, but unfortunately DHD is running their program and webmasters are sending traffic, making sales, and not being paid. Last week I pointed out a flawed link to DHD and still, they've not fixed it.
It takes you to a gallery page where the join links do not carry over the affiliates code, meaning the webmaster is not paid for the traffic and signups he sends.
Here's another program run by DHD that is a mess and is cheating webmasters.
It initially takes you to a page where the cookie is carried over for all links, but if you click on 'MORE VIDEOS', you get taken to a page, this one, where the cookies are not carried over for any links that allow the surfer to join the site!
Are the Randalls even aware of how badly their affiliate program is run? Or is just more money for them that they don't have to worry about paying out to webmasters?
I've sent suze.net 2061 unique hits and had two signups ($30 each) in the past ten days.
Murdered Naval Reservist Paul Berkley Fell Under Spell Of Adult Entertainment
PlanetHuff points out to me that Berkley wrote on his website:
I am Paul, a sweetheart of a guy (my mom says) who in the past fell under the spell of the adult entertainment industry. It all begin simply enough . After being married for almost 13 years ( a deeply religious guy, ordained in my church, conducted babtisms, blessed babies, taught sunday school, etc..) I got a divorce. I sold my budding business rather than have it become an asset in our settlement, and the gentleman (well he was HARDLY a gentleman) who bought it celebrated by taking me to a local bikini bar called "Snooky's". I had been overseas, and by comparison this place was benign. Cold beer, some girls in bikinis, how much trouble can you get in anyway?. Ah, the simple thoughts of a computer nerd.
The first night there I was picked up by a stripper, (Linda/AKA Lydia) (i didn't fight too hard).. She educated me and turned me loose in the industry, where I met and tried to rescue most of the listed girlfriends (the others are a blur...sorry if I forgot anyone...(including whoever belongs to the seafoam green g-string I found in my reptile tank) I worked in a number of professions, including "erotic massage" (little training involved, the first day they said "don't touch the bermuda triangle, and look out for cops!"), live porn (paid by the hour to have sex while people watch.. harder than it sounds...try to be convincing while guys munch chips and yell encouragment ), bikini bar shift manager, Dancer/Escort Mgr. and a couple of adult videos and clips... NO, NO HYPERLINKS TO THE SITES THAT SELL THE VIDEO...YA GOTTA FIND IT YOURSELF.
I have "been to the edge and back" and have little desire to pursue anymore wild and precarious situations, but I feel the experiences should not go undocumented, and should any of these women desire to provide rebuttal, I will provide space for them.It is also the same fairness that forces me to admit that I dearly cared for a few of these women, and while the events here may not exemplify healthy relationships, we had some great times too.
A friend writes:
I am 90% positive that Paul Berkley guy was this compulsive-lying freak who used to hang out in all the strip clubs in Ventura County, pestering the girls and acting like he worked there when he really didn't. I used to dance in Snooky's, which is the bar he was talking about, and also in another bar called PJ's that he also frequented, and we all knew him well. At one point he was claiming he could get me a job in a hospital ER. I told him that I wasn't qualified, but he said he would help me fake credentials. I felt that an ER was not the place to fake credentials. I mean, what if it's a life or death situation and you are only pretending like you know what you are doing?
Obviously, I had no business working there, so I never pursued it. I didn't feel like he could actually get me the job, anyway. He knew I wanted to get out of dancing, so he was just dangling it in front of me to try to get me to spend time with him. He was like that. He always had some kind of drama going on with the girls where he was engaged to one or another one "broke his dick" and things like that. It was really sad.
Recently I was hanging out reminiscing about the old days with a friend of mine who used to work in the bars with me (he still works there), and I asked him what ever happened to that "weird Paul guy" but he didn't know. I just tried calling him to see if he had heard anything about this, but he didn't pick up.
PlanetHuff reports here and here.
Paul Berkley wrote about a girlfriend (at the time) named Monique:
This is Monique, current girlfriend of about 3 months. Never a bitch. Too much to say to get in this little box, but never hits, never cheats, and never eats crackers in bed .Likes me in spite of my scandalous history, (or because of it) and makes the best bean soup in the world.
PlanetHuff.com writes me:
You may be able to find out if he ever really did do anything in the industry that might even still be out there. I haven't a clue as to where I'd start, but if he was telling the truth, apparently there were once extant videos of the now-murdered Navy Reservist and IT guy Paul Berkley getting his bow-chick-a-bow-bow on.
So this dude did porn, so what? That doesn't mean he wasn't a good dad, or he didn't take his job in the Navy very seriously. I am not trying to sully his character, which is what some people might think... yet somehow, his fate in NC must be connected back to the history he relates at the pages I've linked for you, if he is telling the truth. It certainly throws the whole story for a bit of a loop, and makes it relevant to the west coast.
Canada Legalizes On-Premises Swinging
Art writes me from Toronto:
Two things:
1. "Community standards" are now gone and a "harm test" is now used to determine if a certain sex act should be illegal. That opens quite the "kettle of fish"! Will Canada be Porn Valley North?
2. When do you think that George Bush will invade Canada, this modern day Sodom and Gomorrah to his north?
Hustler Hollywood Not Paying Its Bills
Thousands of pounds worth of sex toys and lingerie are being sold off at auction after one of the UK's largest sex shops failed to pay off a debt.
The shelves were cleared at the Hustler Hollywood sex shops in Birmingham and London after Sherforce High Court Enforcement Officers were authorized to seize the goods.
Alan Smith, Manager of Sherforce, said: "Our enforcement officers entered the buildings with a warrant and took away a variety of objects and clothing, which are now being auctioned off."
The 6,000 foot Hustler Hollywood Birmingham store was opened in a blaze of publicity in October 2004, and was billed as the largest sex product outlet in the UK. A further branch subsequently opened in London, as part of plans to open 10 sex shops across the UK by 2012, including ones in Nottingham and Cardiff.
Flesh Trade: Tales from the UK Sexual Underground
My email interview with author Bruce Barnard:
* Why did you choose to write this book?
Mostly because everything else out there tended to focus on the US scene, and if I’m being honest, elements of the US sex industry leave me with a vague sense of discomfort.
American pornography is prone to many of the same criticisms liberal-minded British folk tend to adopt when discussing US foreign policy. Namely, it’s defined by brutality, seems motivated purely by the pursuit of profit, contains strong elements of racism and takes no account of the opinion of the rest of the world.
The work of people like Max Hardcore for example, does for misogyny what ‘Der Strumer’ did for anti-Semitism. It’s always struck me as a profoundly depressing manifesto of abuse and humiliation that seems unconnected to any positive sexual impulse. We’ve always done things differently here - I wanted to capture that in print.
The cliché “when America catches a cold, the world sneezes’ quite apt. The main reason why some British producers have started to include spitting, choking and gapers; purely to keep up with our brasher US cousins. I take the view that it is a creeping cultural imperialism we could do without, but I seem to be a lone voice and the push towards freak show misogyny shows on sign of slowing down.
I’d also be lying if I said that the lure of getting to see naked chicks didn’t play a big part in the initial idea.
* What surprised you the most?
The people. Perhaps I struck lucky, but with just one exception, everyone I met tended to be trusting, good-natured, fun and willing to answer my questions without throwing any ego shit fits. Given all UK media coverage of the smut trade has historically been negative this came as a genuine surprise.
The gay scene was something of an eye opener, but I was determined to cover it because I find it hysterical when I think about the pathological levels of homophobia evident in the straight sex industry. If a rumour spreads that a dick for hire has dipped his toe into the lavender world, it always kick-starts a witch hunt. I find that very funny, given that everyone is swimming in the same deviant pool.
* What did you want to be when you grew up?
A writer. This changed when I realised how difficult it is making a living, especially if your talent veers towards covering the margins of society, rather then boy wizards or Middle Earth trolls. Writing a book is no different to unblocking drains for a living, people seem to think there’s some kind of alchemy at work, when the reality is a dull, turgid process of constant graft, which will most likely die from critical apathy as soon as the book hits the shelves.
* How did working on this book affect your relationships? How has the publication of this book affected your life? Has the feedback you received on it surprised you? How so?
Feedback has been very positive; people are genuinely loving the book which is f---ing great. It did feature in a recent divorce petition, but in the name of diplomacy I won’t go into any other details. People should buy it and make their own judgment I guess.
* Porn played a role in your divorce?
Luke, You love ya' gossip don't ya. Yes it did a bit. Stop speaking in one liners. That's a c--ts trick. Oh, that's what you do isn't it.
Writing about porn is likely to lead to the path of vilification, that's a given. In no way did I have an agenda in writing Flesh Trade. I genuinely did like the people. I've devoted years of my life to seeking wisdom from the margins, the fringes; you know the places where people don't give a f---. To me that's where the wisdom lies.
You're spent too long in it Luke. A lot longer then me. Porn has a way of oozing into normal life. Performers, producers, sluts, writers, sex shop employees; it get's you in the end.
You search for wisdom in places that are barren. Every Planet you reach is dead. You're better then that I think. Forget the fame. The glamour. Write something good- that doesn't feature the word 'anal'.
Luke, We all have an agenda. Mine changed through the process of writing a book. I devoted a lot of my time on a website I edited to destroying porn. Then people started mailing me. Most of them liked porn, some of them made it. I liked them. They where honest (a rare f---ing value nowadays). That is it. Honestly.
We do things differently here....I really can't stress this enough. The list of examples is obvious......no death sentence, no guns; British porn seems to be populated by people more into the f---ing then then the cash. Watch some. It'll be full of 45 year old bar maids with bad teeth, bang into getting rear ended over a fruit machine. There's something f---ing brilliant about that. Especially when you compere it to the world of f--- eugenics which US porn represents.
And The Rudest Pornographer Award Goes To John Stagliano
He likes to ask his peers, "So what sort of movies do you make? What would you call them?"
Webquest Employees - Time To Look For A New Job
[Dec 27: Webquest Demands A Retraction]
"Absolutely," says Deep Throat. "Webquest has been spinning its wheels for years. By about 2003, Webquest had taken LFP as far as they could take them. Laurel (who oversees LFP internet marketing) is a nice person, but Webquest does not have the resources/talent to grow the LFP monster.
"Platinumbucks, Lightspeed (epitomy of the Barely Legal brand), Braincash, know how to take things to the next level. Playboy learned a hard lesson. They spent $30 million, had 144 employees, and they only lost money. Hanco (2000) had money, made promises, couldn't deliver.
"It comes down to one simple thing -- will people buy it when they see it? Webquest's tours for Hustler products are crap. They look like the original Cybererotica tours from years ago. They don't express anything about the particular niche they are in. They don't show enough. They rely heavily on text but nobody is going to read it. Hustler has a great inventory of images and video. That's what your tour should represent -- a magazine or video-style tour. You should have trailers that people can watch and some hot images. Their tours don't have any of that.
"Then you look at Nasty Dollars or MakeFu--ingMoney. Chris (MFM) came out of left-field from Brad Shaw's shadow. What makes his tours convert so well? PornDollars converts. Their tours scream at people. Why doesn't LFP contract with them?
"Laurel asks webmasters for traffic. They send some. It doesn't convert. They're not going to send anymore unless there is a complete overhaul."
I call around and get some further perspectives.
Luke: "What's wrong with suze.net? It does not convert for me or anyone I know."
Chaim: "Maybe because it revolves around a photographer as opposed to a niche."
Luke: "Yeah, why should a wanker worry about who shoots his smut. He wants particular scenarios to get off on."
Chaim: "They're selling it as Suze the photographer, but what does that mean to someone who just found it? In industry circles, we know who Suze is. Outside of that, few people know. Surfers looking for release aren't thinking, 'I must have the work of a 60-year old white-haired lady,' unless they are into that old-lady niche.
"Newcomers to porn know Suze not through Suze but through her daughter Holly. They've seen her name in print. They've met her at shows. They see the buzz you've done, and other's have done.
"There's nobody out there pushing suze.net. I've never seen any of their reps at a show. I've never seen any of their reps talk to webmasters and ask for their feedback and their traffic.
"On your first page, you have about 20 seconds to sell the surfer, to let him identify with your brand, before they go to the next page. Then you've got another 20 seconds... Suze.net should be broken down into niches. Here's her Penthouse collection for legs, for feet, for boobs. Niche sells. That's how all programs are divided up.
"When the surfer goes to the niche site's join page, they'll see they also get free/heavily discounted memberships to other niches in the Suze Randall family.
"When photographers try to market their products online, they often don't create tours that reflect who they are.
"Gallery-style tours convert. Big pictures. Less text. More of what you're going to get if you buy.
"Danni Ashe is both a brand and a niche -- big-tit petite.
"People will see Holly Randall at a cocktail party (she's become super-public in the past few months), like Holly, and say, 'Let's throw some traffic at Suze.net.' And after sending 3,000 uniques, they will give up.
"This might have something to do with the billing. The webmaster codes aren't passing through properly, so webmasters don't get paid on their signups. Somebody needs to code the pages properly."
Luke: "Is this intentional theft from webmasters?"
Chaim: "No way. They're not that creative. If you've got a huge infrastructure, you can shave 20% of the signups and nobody will notice. In a mom-and-pop operation like suze.net, they don't have the volume to justify a play like that. That type of coding mistake is an obvious mistake when you're coding pages.
"Suze.net needs to overhaul what it's doing. Change its affiliate program. Redesign your sites. Create more sites out of the product you have. Tie them all together so there's the appearance of more value for the dollar. Then re-announce it to the industry and ask for webmaster's traffic. But these press releases will only work if you have a product that converts.
"There are only 10-15 major players (Ron Levi, David Van Der Pool, Silvercash) on the Adult web, and about ten middle-of-the-road guys (Dig420, Danni). Everybody else is a hobbyist or a mom-and-pop operation. These are the overwhelming majority of webmasters who sign up for affiliate programs. Your audience is college kids who are hobbyists. Unless you physically get in front of them, they're not going to know your program."
Luke: "Suze.net uses DHD Media. Danni's Harddrive. I don't know webmasters who are happy with their conversions through DHD affiliate programs."
Chaim: "Because Danni.com's credit rating was so good on their merchant accounts (few chargebacks), they started going to people they did business with such as Wyldrose, Suze.net, etc. They offered them a special processing deal.
"Webmasters I know have never been able to convert traffic to Danni.com. Danni Ashe is a type-in queen. A media darling."
Luke: "The only good thing I've heard about DHD's affiliate program is from Farrell Timlake at Homegrown.
"You can't shank so many joins and not have unhappy webmasters."
I'm told that the best program to monitor sign-up fraud is Brad (SIC Cash) Shaw's program ExecutiveStats.com (not expensive, superior to NATS).
Jane writes:
Did you know that Jordan Capri, one of the most popular Lightspeed.com girls, left the company a year ago? Here's a thread on it at peachyforum. She decided to quit porn.
A source replies: "Jordan did find religion and leave Lightspeed. She recently returned."
Going After The Big Boys
Craig Valentine calls: "Do you feel like taking EBay.com on? They're refusing to investigate fraud on many porn stars. If you go to EBay and type in "Summer Haze," there's a picture of her taken at the XOnDemand booth at Internext. There's a signature that says, "Licks and kisses, Summer Haze." It says it has been authenticated. It is her signature but the picture was taken by a fan and they superimposed the signature from another one of her autographed pieces. They're doing it to Jenna Haze, Holly Halston, Teri Weigel, Nakita Kash.
"The company is called T & A Photos out of Hollywood, Florida."
MyPornoReview.com comments:
What the hell is Craig crying about that someone is selling photos of his wife, Summer Haze, on ebay with her signature. It's not like he's losing any money. No one is buying photos of Summer Haze. Maybe if it was given away for free on the internet. I don't even think people would take it for free if she gave it out in person. I saw her at the last Adultcon and she was sitting on her fat ass because no one walked up to her booth. Cry me a river!! I understand the other stars such as Jenna Haze, Holly Halston, and etc..
Don Benn of www.PornoNewsNetwork.com writes - Hey, if anyone should be pissed it's ME! I hired Summer Haze (and by the way, I was her 6th grade teacher) to appear at the XonDemand - www.XonDemand.com booth - and at the very least - the damned photographer could have taken a shot that contained the company logo! All photos of all talent appearing at our booth were limited to an area which included the logo (in purpose)! Next time I'll have them wear XonDemand T-shirts!