Tuesday, January 31, 2006
Email Luke Archives
Photos Stars
Essays Search
Luke Is Back.com Advertise
on Lukeisback Suze
Randall Suze
Video Jan 30 Mary
Carey, Sarah Ferguson VCA's
Memoirs of a Modern Day Geisha - Pictures
In a recent Guardian article, the French pornographer John B. Root says:
"I want to be able to watch a sex film, get my physical pleasure out of it, and not have my brain tell me afterwards that it's revolted and ashamed because the thing was so cheap and nasty and demeaning. There's no earthly reason why a porn film shouldn't also be a good film. I want the product to respect me.
"Porn's been legal for 27 years. It's rendered sex banal. There's a generation of young film-makers who've grown up with it and want the right to experiment with sex as cinematographers. There'll always be a market for sheer bad taste, of course. But having prepared the way for a genuine sexual cinema, pornography is dying - and the way it is now, I won't be sorry to see it go."
Skronker comments: "Oh, go shove it up your Derrida."
Gia Jordan posts on ADT: "I'd like sex scenes to be less verbal. I like dirty talk but only if it's genuine. It seems like talent, especially the guys, feel compelled to fill up any empty space with banter. Sometimes just the sounds of sex is all you need."
Walter Burns writes: "I have seen 13 John B. Root videos. While most of them were a cut above average, none of them were unique, cinematographically or pornographically enthralling and more often than not they surely did not "make sense of their subject matter" and they certainly did not "portray real people"."
Vodka Tonic writes:
I find the now pretty absolute acceptance of all-sex as the new norm to be an interesting development. After decades of aping the Hollywood format, it's like pornography is finding its own language outside the scope of its cinematic heritage. It has stopped being a parody and found its own format. That doesn't mean I love it because I've always been more into erotica, but as an art form, I would say pornography is just blooming.
David Aaron Clark writes:
The viewer/user dichotomy, as WB puts it, is what's at the heart of most of the debates I see here about "good" porn versus "bad." A stunted view of those issues is what leads to musing that well-crafted, cinematic smut is "not good porn" because "I can't jerk off to it."
This supposedly argument-trumping litmus test is obviously nothing but subjective, & even more so than less physiologically involved "ways of seeing." The true issue here is the perception level of the viewer. If one has been so stunted by various factors which can include --
1. Limited -- whether in frequency or activity -- sexual history on the part of the viewer. This includes a failure to address sexuality & desire as part of a larger continuum of human experience.
2. Limited exposure to and therefore understanding/appreciation for sophisticated and/or challenging visual storytelling techniques.
-- then one is likely not to appreciate -- or even be hostile to -- porn that demands any sort of conscious suspension of disbelief of the sort we acquiesce to when walking into the movie house, turning on cable tv, picking up a book, etc.
Just because porn ostensibly, or at least on a visual level, "leaves nothing to the imagination" I hope doesn't mean it has to be anti-imagination to be effective, though the proof that post-gonzo porn fosters exactly that sort of mindset has been rife through fandom for years now. That some posters to this thread mistake Root's opining on the death of porn to mean some sort of literal economic apocalypse rather than a plaintive cry (easy to apply to other art forms, including novel-writing) that the more of this shit there is, the more it's alike & the less it all means, only points out that we're dealing with a viewing public that, de-educated by the empty candy of lifetime mass-media exposure, is left with a stunted ability to grasp or recognize much past the literal, i.e. "physical," in an idea or concept.
What I do think "state-of-the-art" current porn does -- & I've said this before -- is basically cater to & encourage little but hormonal knee-jerk reactions and/or the kind of childish, removed sadism marked by a defiant lack of self-examination.
It's a phase we all go through, though I'm using "we" here to refer perhaps more to men, who are hardwired with the breeding circuit in such a way that before higher levels of reasoning or perception kick in, all that matters is to stick it in -- that's where the solipsism of simple objectification and rape come from.
I do think that in its capitalistic zeal to make the quick buck at whatever cost, the industry has (largely unconsciously) embraced the sexual equivalent of surveillance tape of wings being pulled off flies because it's brought them the biggest bang for the buck -- one need only reference the work of Skeeter Kerkove to understand the lure of such material for the capitalists -- it's cheap & easy to produce, & you can get misogynists, lowlifes, etc to crank it out without irritating side-discussions about aesthetics, intent or societal impact.
I know that there are several educated porn fans on this very board that seem to be quite open to adventurous form & content on the pop culture board but despise it in their porn. For example, somebody might adore a tv series like THE SHIELD but if their pornography is full of the same available-light, hand-panned & quick-cut storytelling, they declare it crap & unwankable.
Though I understand intimately the relationship between eyes, brain, wrist & cock for the porn viewer -- once you've found that exact image that lets you transcend reality and BE in the porn moment long enough for a satisfying orgasm -- it does reflect a failure of the personal imagination to come half-way out of the aridity of self-absorption & engage with the tableau before them.
The fascist demand for material that caters to such remove has always been a part of our nature as viewers, & indeed still photography is a better (pornographic) art form to satisfy this need -- though in terms of explicitness, today's average gonzo porn aficionado would not be satisfied by anything less than autopsy-quality lensmanship, I fear. & as well, the stunted imaginations of the current average viewer, overwhelmed by a lifetime of too many meaningless images, may not be able to make the necessary leap of spinning their own mental scenario efficiently enough to produce the desired arousal/satisfaction.
Cinema -- which, like it or not, naysayers -- is the larger art form of which filmed/videoed pornography is by physical reality a lesser branch of, has at its finest been the concrete proof of our dreams, fantasies, & nightmares. Thanks to the relationship between human biology & the technology we create, it's more complex & demands a greater engagement than any pre-20th Century artform that comes to mind.
I'm sure I'm not the only person here who back in the days of the late 20th century jerked off in an adult movie theater. Please note that in the heyday of such activities, the material being used was projected at a fixed rate that allowed for no pause or rewind or fast-forward, & that the average length of a sex scene was somewhere around seven to twelve minutes (to pull an approximate # out of my ass). Yet the masses still wanked, happily.
That was before They stole our imaginations from us. But hey, who needs an imagination when you have a lighted speculum & a twelve-inch dick? (Try not to make any droll replies to this remark too painfully obvious & unfunny, please)
In closing, I'd like to welcome Mrs. Comstock to the board with a broad rictus grin befitting Eddie Haskell at his best -- "Very nice to have you here, Mrs. Comstock, you're looking quite smart today!"
(Unless of course, this is one of those Norman Bates things, & there IS no Mrs. Comstock, only Tony in a gray wig & dress, hiding in the shadows behind the rocking chair, waiting for one of us to discover his awful secret).
Nic Roeg bears little relationship to the storytelling I'm referring to -- besides an old-school adherence to classical lighting & composition, his calling card is the abrupt juxtaposition of time frames -- I'm not even talking anything THAT challenging, just what the "accepted" visual style of storytelling for mainstream movies/tv is at present.
I agree, Leslie came closest out of anybody with FRESH MEAT (A GHOST STORY) and its more amazing if less self-consciously narrative follow-up DROP SEX (WIPE THE FLOOR). I think DOGWALKER is a bit over-rated -- I know when I reviewed it at the time, I adored it to an extent I find impossible now, probably because it did represent such a big leap forward for shot-on-video porn.
Unfortunately, Leslie has been quite vocal (when asked) for at least ten years on why he doesn't make art like that anymore -- not only don't titles like that (which demand an enormous amount of time-consuming work that, oh say, FRESH MEAT: THE SERIES or THE VOYEUR series don't) sell any better than less ambitious stuff, they tend to actually sell LESS. Which, I suppose, if you're truly a fine artist, shouldn't matter, but since in porn the economic line for survival of the auteur is much more harrowing than the grant-heavy and/or Sundance route afforded "legit" filmmakers, in reality it becomes a roof-over-the-head survival issue.
I would say the fault lies more with the industry than the consumer, to be frank. There is no "alternate" -- the bullshit hype of "alt" certainly doesn't count -- pipeline for exposure & discussion of porn that "aspires" -- there's only the AVN Awards, which anyone sane &/or honest considers nothing but a self-promotion tool for the magazine itself &, to a lesser extent, an opportunity for the rank & file cocksuckers & camera-spinners to feel for one evening they truly are part of a "glamor industry."
Putting aside the awards ceremonies in Spain & Germany, which get nil coverage in the American porn community, there is no equivalent of Cannes, Sundance, the Golden Globes, etc. etc. -- & to get real for a moment, even the AVN Awards can't compare to the Oscars, where the voting is done not by the hired, easily-influenced & overworked staff of a trade magazine dependent on advertisers, but by actual filmmakers themselves, from directors on down to make-up artists. The editor of AVN can bluster all he wants about such remarks being the equivalent of sour grapes & whatever other schoolyard retorts occur to him, but this is an unassailable fact that points out the difference between the two competitions that makes them terminally non-analagous ....
Which does bring up the burning question of why doesn't AVN organize a voting procedure among the actual industry itself, as opposed to their historically closed-door method? But of course, that question answers itself ...
We do have true believers like Roger T. Pipe who strive to be fair, inclusive & open-minded in their annual round-ups/awards, but these are, at this point, voices in the internet wilderness compared to the financial support & organization afforded to, oh say, The Independent Spirit Awards.
As well, the state of "official" (read: print) porn criticism has hit an all-time low, thanks in part to the economics of magazine publishing. Except for a sparse handful of well-versed, literate & thoughtful old-school critics, the best porn criticism is without a doubt being published on the net, with its purveyors doing it out of enthusiasm as opposed to a need to make that big $15 for turning in 150 words on a DVD they didn't really watch & really didn't want to look at in the first place.
Of course, finding these new voices in porn criticism in the vast ocean of idiotic, grammatically laughable slop being dished out by every retard with a DVD player that hasn't been jammed up by too much Vaseline on the disc tray is a Herculean task, & yes, we are referring to the Augean stables here ... For every Crucifixio Jones, Picman, etc, etc, there's a thousand unemployed, unlaid nose-pickers who build the tower of Babel where the sheer volume of their uninformed & ill-thought opinions drown out the possibility of any universal debate & contemplation of the art of porn on a mature, intelligent level. & that's the way the production houses prefer it. They don't WANT to have to rise to the challenge of an economically powerful viewership that demands more from their porn than this week's atrocity, next week's ho-hum ... That would cut into their obscene profit margins, which are already being whittled down by the bloated surfeit of idiots who think they're going to be the next Larry Flynt, Stagliano, etc. etc.
Smitty writes: "What sanctimonious garbage."
David Clark responds: "What an excellent refutation! I bow to your four-post genius!"
Quasarman writes: "You guys are talking about porn, right?"
David Clark writes:
I will ascend the rickety soapbox for a moment -- take aim, loyal opposition, as I don't bother to do this much anymore:
The very reason my porn looks & plays out the way it does is because I refuse to give in to financial imperatives & shoot material in the style & with the intent I so often deride here.
Anybody with the camera experience of Tony -- or very certainly Quaserman -- could tell you that it's not very difficult for a competent camera person to imitate the basic tropes of what passes nowadays for gonzo porn well enough to make a name for himself -- or even rise to the top of the field. The hard part is developing enough of a sense of bitter mysogny & calculated contempt for themselves & their audience that they can put on the blinders & churn out 15 volumes of TEENAGE CUM FART O-RING BLOW OUTS OF ASS DESTRUCTION.
However, to the derision of many of my peers -- not to mention a lot of consumers -- I trade the empty allure of spinner-equipped SUVs, plasma tvs & ugly bling with my company initials on it for a hand-to-mouth existence making exactly the porn that I think is worth making, in the hopes that it finds enough of an audience to sustain itself.
Do I have contempt for, or look down on, this audience? Of course not. In fact, I show them the utmost respect by creating a product -- and sometimes art -- which reflects my standards, rather than some cynical, deliberately stupid, cruel or (to me) visually unpleasant lowest common denominator. Which is not to say that a goodly number of your gonzo heroes are necessarily cynical -- in many cases, the relationship between consumer & audience is just as honest as the one I strive to create -- we're just dealing with very different mindsets & worldviews.
Does this mean I only respect porn shot exactly like I shoot mine? Of course not. Does it mean I have to respect whatever garbage the public is eating up at the moment? Of course not. I've been passionate about pornography/erotica as a legitimate form of expression AND a jolly good wank of a pastime for most of my life, & explored it in other mediums besides videography/filmmaking.
My belief in the medium has not dulled. My belief that nobody ever went broke (or was voted out of office) underestimating the intelligence of the American public, however, has intensified. Do I think that somebody sucks just because they might prefer not to jerk off to porno made in the style of THE SHIELD? Of course not. Do I think it's a shame that they're so close-minded & conservative & fixed in what they think constitutes proper entertainment AND/OR wank fodder that they only want to even bother to sample anything but whoever the latest "gonzo" shooter who shoots just like the last guy is? Yeah, I think it's a shame, & I think people like that end up getting the porn -- & the entertainment, & the politicians -- that they deserve. An uneducated, close-minded audience is the easiest to fool & manipulate, as any good hellfire & brimstone preacher will tell you (in private).
Do I have contempt for what to me seems like the taste of sheep & lemmings? Sometimes. I have my own standards & aesthetics, whether crackpot or sublime. I happen to applaud diversity & originality, whether it's up my alley or not -- should I apologize that I don't find Donkey Punches & swirlies to be in any way original or reflect anything other than a frat-boy follow-the-leader gangbang mentality? Sorry, no can do. My tastes are probably broader than the majority's, & although I don't want my standards to be enforced on everyone else, I'm not about to pipe down when it comes to espousing them. & I've never put forth the idea that if you don't like what I like, you have no taste.
Unlike some rich & beloved pornographers, I have no problems with negative reviews or reactions to my work -- as long it's not coming from a place of ignorance & agendas based on issues other than the work itself. No, ironically enough, it seems to me the "hardened end user" (read: gonzo nazi) has more of a problem with porn that diverts from their narrow definition ("Oh, that Wicked stuff sucks!"), in fact because that's exactly what they are: hardened & jaded to the point where nuance, suggestion & anything less than hyper-athletic bread & circuses with multiple orifices & partners can no longer register as erotic.
Does it piss you off that I make note of what many gonzo fanatics make explicit in their own statements of opinion? It's a matter of record. As much as it might anger some to imagine that there's some of us out here who've been there & back & might possibly have a broader perspective on sexuality than your average American male carrying his post-adolescent views over into his 20s, 30s, & 40s, we do exist. & we have no interest in condescending to anybody or insulting ourselves by cynically churning out two or three DVD cases full of forgettable, unpleasant crap per month. & while I firmly believe its both the option & the right of anybody who wants to live on a diet of Big Macs & fries to do so, it doesn't mean I have an obligation to pat you on the head for it.
So, Tony, how am I doing at selling my point of view to the audience? ROLF
P.S. to the Dane who posted -- I'm not in favor of artists who suck at the poisoned teat of the state, either. Jim Thompson died a penniless drunk because even though working in a supposedly disposable medium, he could/would write not a word that wasn't from his heart, even though the vision in that heart was so dark & honest that it kept him from the mainstream legitimacy of James M. Cain, Raymond Chandler, etc. Now that's an artist. Spinners or no spinners.
...I would say it's a shame he needs porn in his head to have a satisfying orgasm with a real, live person. But to cut through to what I think you're asking -- the more literal the stimuli a person requires, I would say, yes, the more stunted their imagination. That goes for anything, not just porn.
...I am hardly the first – or the best & brightest – to note that “hardcore” pornography of the sort most dear to the “hardened end user” is based on, as Prof. Linda Williams defined it a decade ago, “the frenzy of the visible.”
I, however, campaign for a broader definition of pornography that blurs the Maginot Line so often drawn between the ideas of “pornography” and “erotica.”
I don't subscribe to the school that in fact defines explicit pornography as the enemy of the imagination -- the "organ" that controls our desire is called the libido, & it's a psychological concept, not something a guy takes a viagra to get hard enough to stick up somebody else's ass.
I posit that you CAN include the sort of physiological triggers associated with the “frenzy of the visible” with a visual narrative that’s both packed with detail besides that of orifice & genitalia mixing it up that contexualizes the sexual experience in a larger, more human theater than the mechanics of biology.
I understand that this is a hardwon overview unavailable to the vast majority of young men who are at the mercy of both their massive hormonal urges & their precarious emotional relationship to the vagaries & demands of love and/or desire – when I was 25, I didn’t get it, either.
...On my relatively sparse "keeper" porn shelf, there's several vintage Max Hardcore titles right next to the John Leslie & Joey Silvera right next to Rinse Dream right next to a couple of Ed Powers right next to a few transcendent Vivid titles right next to a few recent Amorz/Kokeshi titles right next to BUTTMAN CONFIDENTIAL and BUDAPEST, both of which have more to say ot me than FASHIONISTAS (certainly not putting down that landmark achievement, just exposing the quirkiness of what catches my interest).
Being a professional reviewer for a living for nearly ten years forced me to broaden my horizons where I otherwise may have not, & I can't help but feel the better for it.
As to your reactions to the "art porn" you saw, I can't really offer any opinion without knowing what it was except that the first time I tried spinach, lobster & Guinness I didn't like any of them very much, either but God knows I took to the Tasty Cakes & hamburgers all too readily. I also fell asleep the first time I saw Ozu in college film classes...
Quasarman writes: "You guys are still talking about porn, right?"
Tony Comstock writes: "I'm saddened to see this thread become acrimonious."
Quasarman writes:
...If I'm watching what I consider to be a "good film" with an erotic subtext ala Body Double, Sex Lies and Videotape etc. I don't NEED to see anything explicit because I'm clearly not viewing these types of films for the purpose of dropping a load in a hanky. I'm watching them for the purpose of entertainment and possibly becoming aroused as a bonus. The hanky may enter the equation after all is said or done or perhaps at a later date.
If my goal was to utilize the hanky in the most immediate fashion I wouldn't bother to watch a "good" movie, I'd stick "Butt Banged Cycle Sluts" into the DVD player. Let us not forget that the true purpose of pornography, regardless of whatever higher purpose we aspire to while creating it, is to facilitate masturbation. That's it.
Forgive me if I've grown callous, jaded and apathetic but the bottom line is that no matter how creative my lighting scheme, no matter how artistic my cinematography, no matter how enlightened my motivations, in the end, the thing that I create is going to be used to facilitate a guy sitting in his living room with the lights low jacking into a kleenex. Period. To me, any examination beyond that is the equivalent of searching for the meaning of life in a Star Trek episode.
While movies like "Pirates" may make oodles of dough because of the many avenues of revenue available to Digital Playground through cable, pay-per-view etc, the bottom line is that anyone who watches the movie in the privacy of their home is scanning forward until they find that shot of Janine that enables them to launch into a tissue.
That being said I feel that I can now join both Tony C and DAC in agreement on where the creative deficits lie in the present porn landscape. For the most part we all shoot the same movie week after week here in porn valley. Company owners want to turn a profit as quickly as possible. The market is flooded with product - FLOODED. It's a quantity business, not a quality business. When Joe Schmoe Company owner sees that Redlight is selling X amount of pieces of the latest creampie series, he needs to find someone who can shoot the EXACT SAME THING so that he too can take his rightful slice of the creampie demographic. This certainly doesn't describe every company but it's a pretty accurate description of the general state of things.
... I do hope that the "end user" has a subtle appreciation for the things that I do different in a movie as opposed to the Acme Gonzo company. Shooting 24p, using actual lights instead of a nearby window as my primary source of illumination, and making every attempt to not shoot on a sofa up against a white wall are all things that I hope don't go unnoticed yet more often than not reviews of my movies (particularly from ex-ADTr Houston Don) always refer to issues with "picture quality". One review went so far as to say that they wished the movie looked more like the BTS footage. Why? because most gonzo movies look like BTS footage. Most end "users" expect to see lens flares, auto-focus drifting and auto-aperture occasionally making the subject pitch black while perfectly exposing the delivery truck parked outside on the street. Is this approach to filmaking wrong? Apparently not if you read the gushing reviews for such product on this site. Sometimes it's good to step back and look at your product not as a "filmmaker" but as a masturbator. Does a guy jerking off care if the camera goes out of focus for 2 seconds? I have watched some of Jules Jordan's movies and I'll be honest, I don't see what the big deal is BUT I'm watching his movies as a guy who's been shooting camera in porn for 15 years, NOT as a guy sitting alone in the dark with a box of tissue by his side. I'm cursing the overuse of the dreaded wide-angle adapter, NOT appreciating the heat of the movie. All I'm saying I guess is that craft is not the primary ingrediant in what people perceive as quality pornography.
Addressing your other point, I do not think that my "cinematic craft" is wasted on masturbators. To the contrary, I don't delude myself into believing that there is some loftier purpose to my trade. I hope people are tugging it to Grand Theft Anal because if they aren't, I won't be paying the mortgage this month. Again, I hope they appreciate the little nuances that I attempt to convey but the important thing is that they bought the movie and liked it enough to buy another one.
Why don't I go into another line of work? I'm 35 years old, this is all I've ever done and I make a tremendous amount of money doing it.I say that not to boast but to simply illustrate a very significant reason to keep doing what I'm doing. Do I wish some things about the biz were different? Absolutely, but I suspect I would feel the same way were I to cross over to the "mainstream" side. I've been working on such a project for the last 14 months and I've encountered just as much bullshit over the hill in Hollywood as I have in the Valley.
...The image clarity that you speak of, I suspect, is because Ass Cleavage 2 was shot in 30p with a different camera than the one I use now and AW#5 (and the vast majority of gonzo) was shot in 60i. For me the term "movie" means film thus my attempts at emulating that look as much as possible. It's a matter of personal preference and clearly lots of people prefer 60i in gonzo and wall to wall productions.
David Aaron Clark writes:
I've had the exact same experience of reviewers knocking my "picture quality" in perfectly lit and even light-drenched scenes because I dared soften the image -- & go for more saturated colors -- by shooting in the film-like 30p instead of the 60' favored by reality shows, TV news crews & ... gonzo porn. This is what I'm referring to by the viewer having been trained into having a lack of imagination --- rather than appreciate a style that actually flatters the women we shoot, they would prefer to stare at every venereal zit -- because only then can their gonzo-stunted imaginations put themselves into the action. To me, that's NOT wank-worthy, so it's NOT a question of art vs. porn -- it's a question of what of stunted aesthetics.
Quasarman writes:
Even though he sometimes drives me to the frayed ends of sanity, my economic balance has been maintained by working exclusively for Greg Alves for the past 9 years. Imagine a company owner giving you relative creative freedom AND a check every single week. Almost unheard of in any line of work.
Getting back to the picture quality issue, I've long since resigned myself to the fact that some people "get it" and some don't and the ones that don't don't know why they don't get it. If all you've ever watched are movies from Red Light District and Evil Angel, anything that differs will automatically be inferior to you. If you equate porn with wide-angle lenses and available light, you won't understand what you're looking at when you see something that isn't presented that way and you probably won't like it even if it's good. It's like someone ordering tuna at a restaurant and being presented with a piece of seared ahi and not knowing what the hell it is because it's not in a can marked "Starkist".
Now people are starting to complain that their porn is presented in widescreen letterbox format because they don't understand why there's black bars on the top and bottom of the screen and there's many others complaining if it's not Anamorphic widescreen. Trying to please everyone is an exercise in futility.
P.S. I'm not suggesting that there's anything wrong with Red Light or Evil. Just pointing out that it can sometimes be frustrating when you've shot something that you really think is good but reviewers complain about "picture quality" because it doesn't look like the aforementioned company's product.
David Aaron Clark responds on ADT:
ASIAN PERSUASION was supposed to be ASIAN FEVER 27: ANGEL GAMES but I fell victim of typical LFP politics & the series was handed to a cheaper company man before the first of my three installments had even hit the streets -- but to answer your question, what you're referring to is a new scene, g/g with Loni. The pic in my avatar is from it. The whole movie is new, & was quite good -- at least in the original edit, which I know they had a problem with. Lord only knows what it looks like now .... But there was a fab Surewood/Gia Jordan anal, one of Nyomi Marcela's nastiest scenes ever, & a bunch of other stuff.
Call Kimmy semi-retired -- when it seems like fun, she pops up! :) As for the Hustler thing, I think that they are disrespectful of most of their directors creatively & financially, but I also think I am extraordrinarily demanding of my various employers if not financially then over issues like final cut, packaging, etc. I'm surprised that you're aware of my various deals -- did you finally sign up to ADT, mom? :) -- but yes, indeed, at Madness I have complete control -- though Andre certainly has the overrule option to not put out anything he deems unreleasable, we've never had an issue. He's very open-minded since he himself is a creator.
Of all the companies I've passed through -- & that would be a lot of them -- Video Team has been the best to work for on a work for hire basis. They might not be the biggest company on the block, but the people there are incredible & the owner is the most ethical & honest I've found. There's more ASIA NOIR coming up for them that I guarantee will equal or excel AF27 -- rt, I mean, ASIAN PERSUASION. (sheesh -- it figures the LFPvid curse got me again -- in the 1st volume of the series, they butchered my awesome Surewood/Jade Marcela anal with a hack edit & cheesy needledrop chacka-chacka porn muzak, & now they manage to finally saddle my resume with one of the most overused, lamebrained "asian porn" titles to ever grace a thousand different two-dollar comps bootlegged by the Israelis ...)
I conveyed the props to Nyomi; she will be flattered -- we all know what a shy thing she is, most of the time .... (most). It sounds like the show made it through uncut ... how is Gia's opening scene? (It's not like LFP's sending me comp copies, LOL)
Of course the sheer irony here regarding the Nyomi/Marcus scene is that I'm told that this title is not in the Asian Fever series because that series is supposedly "about white guys with asian girls" and I was casting too many Colored Folk (an average of two per show; my regulars Marcus & Sledge) for SOMEBODY's taste.
A Porn Girl's Last Will & Testament
IolaniEscobarGuerrero: i was just going to start making my video now,
did you want to call dibs on anything?
Luke: what do you mean your video? you are directing?
IolaniEscobarGuerrero: oh, my video will, y'know last will & testament??
Luke: I dont get it, are you having sex or what?
IolaniEscobarGuerrero: what are you talking about!?!?! you got too much
sex & porn on your mind! ROFL, why would i be having sex!?!?! weirdo
Luke: because you're always horny
IolaniEscobarGuerrero: oh yeah good point, LOL. no, i'm at the... right
now so I don't have sex with anyone here
IolaniEscobarGuerrero: ok, i'm all pumped up, call dibs if you want anything
Luke: for your will? I just want your body and soul
IolaniEscobarGuerrero: alright... well i'll be cremated when i die so
uhhh... I'll hang out with you in spirit.
IolaniEscobarGuerrero: must you refer to me as "porn girl" ?
Luke: I want to disguise you
IolaniEscobarGuerrero: couldn't you have given me a cool mafia name like
Escobar?
IolaniEscobarGuerrero: or hawaiian, like iolani escobar guerrero?
IolaniEscobarGuerrero: like a mix
IolaniEscobarGuerrero: i think it's great you're writing more about asians
& DAC. you haven't written much about him since like eons ago
Luke: yes, i like that guy but not in the same way I like you
Luke: You gave me yellow fever
IolaniEscobarGuerrero: lol, yeah i figured as much
IolaniEscobarGuerrero: I'll try & keep it going too
The Aussie Impaler
I talk to Eddie Charisma aka Tony Sexton aka The Aussie Impaler on Tuesday, January 31, 2006.
He says: "I've allowed the scum of the earth to make false allegations about me for so long. Now I think it is time the truth be told.
"When I came into the business in the beginning of 2003, I was working for almost every company, from the smallest to the biggest. I'd be booked, sometimes, up to a month in advance.
"I learned what this town is about when I lent people money. I usually did not get it back. I lent [a porner] $200. He did not pay me back.
"The police told me [that porner] is an FBI fugitive.
"Some dumb bitch [a porn star] told a bunch of people that I gave her chlamydia and gonorrhea. Yet I've never had an STD in my life. I have the tests to prove it. I've given AIM the authority to show all my STD tests.
"I started getting these strange looks from people such as Adam Wilde and Dick Tracy.
"Towards the end of 2003, Adam Wilde was dating some girl. He asked the girl who were the guys on set that day. She mentioned my name. Adam told her that I had genital herpes. I said, 'Take me to AIM. Let's set the record straight.' She took me to AIM. She paid for the test. I was as clean as a whistle (as usual!). I tested negative. Yet, Adam Wilde still put it on the internet that I had genital herpes.
"I'd see Dick Tracy on many sets. Dick told me one day that he was almost broke. That he and his girlfriend (Kelly Taylor) needed work. I got them a BJ scene. I told Dick, 'The guys get $100. The girls get $250.' He said, 'I'm not talking to Kelly at the moment. You give her a call and tell her.' I left her a message on Wednesday and told her to get back to me as soon as possible. The scene was on Monday.
"She called me back Sunday night. I told her I had someone else because she didn't call me back in time.
"We ended up getting Kelly on set and doing a scene.
"When the scene is over, the director comes out and says, 'We have a problem. Kelly says that you told her $300 and she wants $300.' I said, 'No, I told her and Dick Tracy that it was $250.' We asked Dick Tracy. Dick said that I'd said $300. He lied to my face.
"I said, 'Fine, take the $50 out of mine.' I only got $50 for the scene that I organized for them. That's how you get thanked for trying to help somebody out in this town.
"John West went to Wanker Wang, Dick Tracy and Kelly Taylor and they all tried to say that I tried to work while I was on the quarantine list [for the April 2004 HIV outbreak]. They have no evidence for this. Of course I did not try to work while on the quarantine list.
"On my first day of the quarantine list, I had a job looking after a paraplegic ex-Navy seal named Jack (who lives off Fulton/Riverside Blvds). Then I did demolition and renovation work for Star, Kitchen & Bath.
"I left the porn business at that stage. I worked road construction and carpentry (my original trade in Australia).
"Then, at the beginning of 2005, I returned to porn. I didn't like my original name Tony Sexton. So I came up with Eddie Charisma. Some directors told me they liked the name Eddie Charisma.
"I figured there was no reason for me not to come back in when I had done nothing wrong in the first place. Yet, many people in the business believed the bad things they'd read and heard about me without knowing the truth. I got sick of people looking at me in a strange way when I had done nothing wrong.
"We have the scum of the earth who don't have the balls to confront somebody. They hide behind the computer and make false allegations.
"When the Aussie Impaler was on quarantine, he went back into construction, unlike the cocksuckers who go into gay porn and suck cock when they're running low on money. Yet they hide behind the computer and make false allegations about me! Jealousy is a bitch! I guess! They see my scenes. My scenes are the wildest scenes. The girls compliment me on my immaculate hygiene. The directors are happy with my work.
"Maybe my detractors are jealous that girls say I taste the sweetest... Maybe it is all these things that the girls do with me and won't do with them, that's what's got them jealous. Maybe they think that if they keep making false allegations about me, I will pack up and go home to Australia. Guess what? I'm just getting warmed up. Why would I leave when directors say I have one of the largest pop shots in the biz? That I can do three pop shots in half-a-day without a problem? And I'm always hard-as-a-rock without Viagra.
"I was on an Extreme Associates set in March 2004. So was Adam Wild and Dick Tracy. As I'm doing my scene, Adam and Dick released the water in my radiator, causing my engine to blow.
"A month later, I pull up to an office in my second car. Adam Wild walks to his car behind mine and drives up close and writing down my registration plate, in an attempt to sabotage my second car (as I stand watching him).
"God only knows what they say to the ladies I befriend in an attempt to scare them away from me.
"Van Damage, why did you tell us Asstrux not to hire me anymore? Jealous, are we? I'll see you soon.
"Wanker Wang, Chico Wang, how much did you pay Veronica Jett to say what she did about me? She's never met me. You're gonna wish you were never born at all.
"As people know, I'm the friendliest and most down-to-earth guy on this planet. Yet, when pushed to the brink, I can be the sickest M.F. on earth.
"John West, when T.T. Boy shoved your head through the wall at World Modeling, that was nothing compared to what will happen to you if you keep lying about me.
"As I portrayed in the main character in the movie Sex, Drugs & Rock 'n' Roll, it is the honey that drips from these girls that keeps me thriving, though like Bon Scott (original frontman of ACDC), it's sex, Scotch and rock 'n' roll that I live for.
"That's all."
Bornyo writes: "Referring to oneself by nickname in the third person is a good indicator of drive, intelligence, and future success."
Nina Hartley Remembers Anna Malle
I've known Anna and Hank since they were an amateurs our of Florida. She visited me and my ex-husband when we lived in Marina del Rey and we gave the two of them all the advice we could. The play was good, too. She and my ex shared a birth date, which made their connection all the nicer. I liked her right away. She was all Virgo: passionate and opinionated, with a very big heart behind it all.She was beautiful, energetic, horny, smart, fiesty and very down to earth. She loved Hank fiercely and he was always there for her.
She was also invaluable in my Guides to Anal Sex and Swinging, since she was an enthusiastic practitioner of both activities. I think she and Hank really sold it to regular couples, as I've gotten good reviews for that tape ever since. We did a lot at the Lifestyles convention in Vegas for a few years in a row, and then she really took off as the Queen of the Swing Scene as I scaled back my involvement due to the unraveling of my first marriage. We made a great pair; blonde/brunette, buxom/slender. Between the two of us a guy would bound to find something he liked!
...We met up again at one of the Lifestyles conventions in Las Vegas, she and Hank taking notes on how to use the business instead of it using her. How proud they were when they had earned enough in only a couple of years to buy a home in Las Vegas. She always gave the best parties at the East Coast Video Show in Atlantic City, I'll tell you that!
I used Anna in her first feature in VCA's 'The Secret Life of Nina Hartley' in a hot jailcell threesome, she was great. And I thought about her great performances in two of my earlier Guides, "Swinging" and "Anal Sex,' and how good she was in them and how sparkling our chemistry. She was dark, beautiful, mysterious, unpretentious, sinewy and horny and just enough submissive. In short, a perfect partner for me. Between the two of us, we had something for everyone.
She had the best cheekbones, courtesy of her Native American heritage, and a fierce yet playful twinkle in her eye. She loved Hank just as fiercely. At her first ever CES (yes, back when it still WAS the CES), at the Sahara Hotel in Vegas, she was signing autographs in a cramped booth. The semi-slimy company owner asked her if she'd like Hank to leave the booth to give her some space. Without a moment's hesitation she snapped at him, "Hank IS my space." I loved that line and admire what it represents.
My heart goes out to Hank at this sad and terrible time.
Anna, you'll be sorely missed, my dear. Thank you for all you shared with me.
I understand and will respect Hank's wishes. But if there could be some way I could at least send flowers. I just had another crying jag, which is quite unlike me, it just came out of nowhere and there was no stopping it. I had one at work on Thursday, managed to control the sobs but there was no holding back the tears. Nothing has hit me this hard before. I guess Anna meant a lot more to me than even I realized.
On January 20, Nina wrote:
On a postive note, the last time we played, Saturday, I was able to come without any difficulty. Since it had been three weeks since my last orgasm (when you're sick you just don't need them like you usually do), I was really worried that I had somehow forgotten the trick.
We still haven't gone to a movie in months. I want to see "Goodnight and Good Luck," as it pertains to personal family history, as my father was one of the last victims of the blacklist. He lost his job in '57, right toward the end of the madness. I also want to see, "Capote," as I really like Phillip Seymore Hoffman. "Cassanova' looks like fun, too. I'll probably wait until cable to see "Brokeback Mountain," as sad love stories are hard for me to watch. Adrianna, our playmate, went to see it the other day and she said she cried through at least half of it. Oy. "The Libertine" has gotten bad reviews, but I'm a sucker for costume dramas the way some of you are suckers for Science Fiction.
How's Nina Hartley Getting On With Her Orthodox Brother?
Well, my brother is very religious and doesn't think what I do is moral, or right for his sister. He doesn't think it should be illegal, or that anyone should go to jail, he just doesn't want it for me.
We speak of other things over email, and are polite at family gatherings, but we stay away from the personal, as I have as strong opinions of how he lives his life as he does mine. I've often wondered if, when our parents die, if he'll talk to me at all. Even when I retire, I'll still have spent 20+ years here, which will always make him unsettled. As well, my book is about my videos, so my subsequent celebrity/fame/money will still be coming from my time in pornland.
What makes it so crazy is that it's not like we were ever super-close and warm and fuzzy with each other. All four siblings have gone their own, very different ways, as well as my parents, so I really have to wonder why he cares so much. I don't bring it home, or dress inappropriately, or even talk about it. I've come to the conclusion that he's just a pill.
I think that, no matter what I chose to do with my life, he'd find something about it of which he could disapprove.
My brother is just a judgmental person. Even if I was a doctor, as my sister is, I just think that judging is what he likes to do. So he may not have a problem with my job, but he'd find a reason to have a problem with something else I did. Although, as with Alex, I wouldn't be talking with him about my views on religion or politics, and he already doesn't know anything about my kink/swinging side. He knows what i do for a living, but he doesn't know what I do for fun! . . .at least I dont' think so. If he's ever been to the site, he's not said anything to me. Oy, those diary entries!
Over time, I think my brother and I will come to some sort of detante.
He hasn't been much in my life since I was 12 or so, which makes a difference. All three of my older siblings went off and did their own things while I was quite young, so they weren't much of an influence, or even in my life. We're having to deliberatly build bridges to each other as adults, which we're doing with varying degrees of success.
I don't know if he's even interested in building a relationship with me separate from my career choice. I think it's too closely connected for him to want to tease the strands apart. We only see each other once or twice a year as it is, with some emailing, so we don't get a lot of opportunities.
I don't get at all the impression that he wants to, or enjoys, digging in painful areas. I like to do it, as it makes it better, like lancing a boil, but it's not his cup of tea at all. My ex is like that, which is why he's my ex (among other reasons).
He knows I'm successful, but to him, successful in an immoral business is no success at all. For him, porn is a cesspool and a cesspool is no place for his sister, even though we're no longer close as we were when I was a toddler.
Frank writes:
This, of course, is one of the great problems with religion, that--even apart froms its evidentially vacuous claims--it encourages its adherents to be one's "brother's keeper," a judgmental buttinski who can't respect another's considered life choices.
People differ in their talents and tastes; each person must make his or her own decisions about life choices, including career paths. To show arrogance, or contempt, or superciliousness, towards a sister or other relative who chooses a very different path from one's own is, to me, manifesting the very opposite of the concern for "family values" that the publicists for religion tout as their special preserve.
I'm sure that Nina's brother has many, many positive qualities. Perhaps, in time, he can add greater tolerance (and perhaps even some measure of honest respect) for Nina's life choices to these. Perhaps someone on this board can write something that might catch his attention, showing that his attitudes seem to demonstrate--in the religious language to which he presumably relates--too much of Shammai and not enough of Hillel.
Lori Lust: 'I was with a male talent that cheated on his wife'
I was with a male talent that cheated on his wife I am a swinger and was on a boy / girl shoot and the male was told not to shoot with me because his wife who is also a swinger told him I couldn't be with him because I looked too good. Well, not only did he shoot with me secretly for a large company and f--- my brains out then he even begged us to come over to our house after for more fun and said his swinger wife can't know I did this? Well, he came over and it was awesome BUT ? Was wondering If his wife is a swinger is he a terrible person for being with us 2x or am I a bad person for swinging with him knowing his porn star wife was too jellous to let him be with me? Confused since I really like sex with this guy and He is a porn star so does that make it right?
Jim South Jr. On AVN Awards
This was my 11th time going to the awards. Granted it's not new to me anymore but here are some things I haven't cared for in the past or this year. The "Red Carpet" - OMFG! I thought last year was bad. Years ago you had plenty of space (several people wide). Was nothing more than a slow walk while being blinded by flashes. Couldn't even go around the line as they had a checkpoint to make sure you had a ticket this year. People cutting in, parts of the line 2 people wide, people yelling right in your ear. Jesus I know the fans need to take pictures but they don't have to have their noses in your ear to get a shot. Zoom lens?
Food - Always a disappointment. Believed we were served 2 sets of egg rolls and 1 plate of wanton. Worked out to mostly people getting 1 of each. I liked those fancy pizza bagels back in the day.
Band - If I am not mistaken it's the same band that has been playing since 94. Even a good thing can get redundant, change is good. I really liked it when they had the DJ there with mostly black lights and freaks walking around juggling stuff. Was different (plus I prefer that type of music)
Cocktail waitresses - Or should I say cardboard cut-outs of servers that get your hopes up they will actually come to your table and take an order.
DJ Quick! - Has that guy released an album in the last 5 years? Would have been ok if he sung "All the girls just love me, 'cause my jerry curl is greazy."
Drunks - Ok I admit I love the drink but I would like to get by one year without some angry chick yelling at waiters and people around her during the show. Don't girls get horny anymore when they drink?
Press - Wasn't a problem this year so much but in the past so many photographers would come up front, block your view, even take a chair and that really gets annoying. Good job this year.
Jennifer James Shoots Memoirs of a Modern Day Geisha For VCA
Nyomi Zen Nyomi Zen Nyomi Zen Geisha teacher Geisha teacher Nyomi Zen Nyomi Nyomi Zen, Annie Cruz Annie Cruz Kayia Lynn (fourth-generation Japanese), gaffer Nyomi Zen Annie Cruz talks to Kayia Lynn about squirting Kayia Lynn smokes Kayia Lynn Kayia Lynn Kayia Lynn, Nyomi Zen Kayia Lynn, Nyomi Zen Kayia Lynn, Nyomi Zen Kayia Lynn, Nyomi Zen Kayia Lynn, Nyomi Zen Kayia Lynn Kayia Lynn Kayia Lynn Kayia Lynn, Nyomi Zen Kayia Lynn, Nyomi Zen Kayia Lynn, Nyomi Zen Kayia Lynn, Nyomi Zen Kayia Lynn, Nyomi Zen Kayia, Nyomi Kayia Lynn Nyomi, Kayia Kayia Kayia Kayia Kayia smokes Kayia smokes Kayia smokes Nyomi, Kayia Kayia, Nyomi Kayia, Nyomi Annie, Kayia Annie, Kayia Annie, Kayia Annie, Kayia Annie, Kayia
I find Nyomi Zen (I met her Nov 3, 2005 at the Kill Girl Kill party) on the couch reading The Devil's Notebook by Anton LaVey (Mike Ramone's real name?). I say hi. She's wrapped up in her book, but I get her to pose for a couple of pictures. I ask her about the book. We start talking.
Nyomi explains the principles of Satanism to me. Traditional religion and the Bible hold that there's a moral code outside of oneself to which one must aspire. Satanism holds that the individual determines his own moral code.
Zen has a Satanic pentagram tattooed on her hip. Many porners look at her with shock when they see it and ask her what the hell is that?
Nyomi doesn't like that. "Don't even question me. Don't even judge me. Who the hell are you to question my pentagram? You're doing porn. Porn is one of the seven deadly sins (lust)."
If she faces God one day, Nyomi will say to Him: "I lived according to my own principles. How can you judge me? I just did what I thought was right with what you gave me."
We share favorite passages from our books.
We talk for two hours. The one quirk in our conversation is that Nyomi asks me to repeat everything I say. But then again, my Mandarin isn't what it used to be.
She's surprised that a religious man would have no problem spending much of his day talking to a Satanist
This religious man would rather spend his time talking to a Satanist who reads than a believer who does not read.
Nyomi's from Malaysia. She grew up speaking English with a British accent. For 12-years, she went to a strict school run by Catholic nuns.
Then her dad decided she should study computer programming at a college in Iowa (not UCLA, that would be too much temptation to party). Nyomi (the fourth of five kids) added a second major in finance and finished in two-and-a-half years. She did various jobs.
She moved to Los Angeles a year ago. She managed a Fat Burger on Topanga Canyon. In June, she got into porn. For three months, she worked both jobs. Then she quit Fat Burger. When her former coworkers found out she was doing porn, they stopped talking to her. They no longer had any respect for her.
Nyomi and I sit in the sun and look down from Mulholland Drive to the Valley. She chainsmokes Marlboro Medium 100s. She says I'm the first person she's seen on a porn set reading a serious book -- Monday it is A Tragic Honesty: The Life and Work of Richard Yates by Blake Bailey.
This tendency to become deeply attached to unlikely people would remain one of his most poignant and self-destructive qualities. (Pg 87)
"Dick had a terrible thing with loneliness," [his ex-wife Sheila Bryant] later observed. "If he formed an attachment, he'd be half-destroyed if it ended. Really I think that's what did him in. He could never bear the thought of losing close people." (Pg 103)
"I didn't want to be married to anyone, ever, who said things like, 'Oh, you can take care of what?'" (Pg. 112)
Nyomi lives with Chris Charming (a porn performer from Germany). She speaks about ten languages, including five different dialects of Chinese (Cantonese, Mandarin, etc). Her boyfriend has hair longer than her's. He's a rock 'n' roll musician.
She has a fiery temper. She swears a lot. She's intense and driven. She feels injustice keenly, particularly when it's done to her or her's.
Because it's an LFP set, it's lavishly catered. I have a lunch of chocolate rice krispy, a peanut butter granola bar, a bowl of fruit salad, chocolate-covered-soy-nuts, two glasses of mint tea. Unfortunately, all the donuts were gone.
Tiny Kayia's first anal scene was with Manuel Ferrara. "I don't know why I did it now. He couldn't get it all the way in."
"Put that thing on a diet," Kayia often tells him.
"If I did that, I'd be wearing diapers for a year," says Nyomi.
Kayia's second was with Mark Ashley. After that, she insisted on sizing down.
I get grossed out at the discussion. The girls laugh at me.
"Too much information," says Kayia. "I'm sorry. When I talk about my cleanliness routines to people who aren't in the business, my sister for example, she says, 'I don't want to have this conversation. I'm hanging up on you.'
"What did I say that was wrong?"
"Funny that," I say. "That's strange."
Kayia will be in porn for a year in mid-February. She's done about 100 scenes. "I just started doing anal this month."
Nyomi did not bother going to the AVN show in Las Vegas.
Kayia got into porn through Annie Cruz.
Jack Lawrence (Annie's husband) drives up near 1pm. The Annie-Nyomi scene was scheduled for 10am but it hasn't started yet. Jack drives away.
Smoking a Marlboro, Nyomi says: "There's a marathon in March [in Los Angeles]. I'm going to try to make it. I'll run along with a cigarette in my mouth."
Brooke Hunter is on set to instruct in the geisha dancing.
At 1:30pm, I became restless and decide to beat the traffic home. Sunday they shot for 15-hours. There's a ton of dialogue in this two-day feature.
The director, Jennifer James, is a man who became a woman. She has a man's voice but a woman's tits, which, in my humble opinion, is the best of both world's.
The production managers seem to be husband-and-wife. When I inform them that the loo has run out of toilet paper, they tell me to get some more at the Rite-Aid five miles down the road.
Satanists in porn include Jewel DeNyle (Wiccan is the same as Satanist, right?), Bob Johnson, Violet Blue... Anton LaVey is a popular author on porn sets along with the pre-Christian works of Anne Rice. I have no idea why so many porners are attracted to Satanism and the belief that the individual (rather than a transcendent moral code) determines right and wrong. Many monotheist clergy hold that they'd rather talk with a passionate atheist than a lukewarm believer.
Remembering Anna Malle
Myles and I knew Anna for quite some years. My first time at the expo in Vegas she ran around after me trying to kiss me and I had wondered what the hell kind of business I was getting into....but I loved it. She made me smile all that week and anytime after that I saw her, which wasn't very often but she never forgot anyone she met. We would like to express our deepest sympathies. Our hearts go out and our prayers are eternal. She will me missed very much and it was entirely too soon for her. She had too much life to give, and to live.
Contact Info
Anyone have contact info for Pat "Bart" Myne? Also, Brad Verter, a professor of history at Bennington College, is interested in contacting anyone connected with the estate of Tina Russell (Linda Marie Mintzer). If you have information regarding their whereabouts, please write to him at bverter at bennington.edu.
Trinity James Shows The Way Out Of Porn
She blogs Jan 28: "last monday i started a class to be a CNA [Certified Nurse's Assistant] and the class only takes 4 weeks and I have completed one week so 3 more to go YaY, I have also decided to continue my education after that to be a nurse after i get all my prereqs then it only takes 2 years to be a nurse so i am excited about that..other than that just spending alot of time studying it is a pretty boring class and it is all day monday through friday so I am kind of exhausted from sittiing in a chair all day defintley not used to sitting around doing nothing all day but I cant wait to get done and get a job."
Michael posts: "I was at a youth retreat awhile ago...Pastor Craig spoke of your story. I want to tell you that EVERYONE at the conference was inspired by your courage...I believe you are a candle lighting the way for others to follow."
A few days ago, Trinity James posted on XXXPornTalk.
Tara writes: "Does Trinity James know that CNAs don't make much cash? They have to do the real grunt work like lifting patients, cleaning the patient's urine and feces, plus get bossed around by other staff, because everyone outranks them. She ought to go to beauty school, at least with that trade, she could make real money."
Jenna Presley Leaves And Returns To LA Direct
Not sure of the story but I'm sure Jenna is glad Derek took her back.
Vicky Vette's Husband Commits Suicide
Jason Sechrest writes:
ADDENDUM: As of 2:30 this afternoon, I was informed that VICKY VETTE's husband, FRANK, was found dead in the apartment of a friend in Atlanta, Georgia. The death has been ruled a suicide. VICKY will continue with her feature dance schedule as planned and will not be conducting any interviews whatsoever at this time. You can email her directly at vicky@vickyathome.com. Any further inquiries on the matter should be directed to me at jason@jasoncurious.com. I ask that you please respect her privacy at this time and thank you on her behalf for your continued support.
Mike South reports Frank died of a drug overdose. Frank's been doing drugs and drinking heavily the past few weeks (he beat up his wife Vicky in late December) though when I spoke to him Jan 18 he sounded fine.
Vicky met Frank in AA a few years ago. They married. I met them on June 13, 2003.
I'd spoken to them on the phone. We were going to meet at the Starbucks on La Cienega Blvd near the Larry Flynt Building.
When Vicky asked me for career advice on our first phone call, I said that I would tell anyone I cared about to stay out of the porn industry. But I did not hammer on the point.
That Friday afternoon, I spotted Frank and Vicky walking down La Cienega Blvd. I waved. As they came closer, I snapped pictures.
We went into Starbucks and had some food and drink. We talked for an hour.
"What do you really think of Vicky?" a proud Frank asked me when she went to the bathroom.
"I think she's great," I said. "Very beautiful."
All my contacts with Frank over the past 30-months have been friendly. I've run into him about 15 times at industry events. He seemed like the nicest, most solid guy in the world, though there was obviously a darkness written across his ravaged features.
He called me several times on Wednesday, Jan 18. He said he had a big story for me. He wanted my mailing address. I gave it to him.
We spoke for about two minutes. He sounded fine. He gave no indication that he was having trouble with Vicky and with alcohol and drugs.
Sunday, Jan 29, I picked up an envelope (mailed Jan 25) in my mailbox from Frank. It read (and the handwriting is neat and legible, perhaps someone else wrote it, the spelling, punctuation and grammar are nearly perfect, I learned later that he had sent several letters to other porn news media, I by no means validate the truth of anything he writes as I learned subsequently that he had fallen hard off the wagon of sobriety and was out to destroy the life of his wife Vicky, and had beaten her severely a few weeks before, Vicky says Frank had a family membership to the white supremacist National Alliance, and it was not something she condoned, endorsed or participated in, I never recall having a conversation with Vicky or Frank about white supremacy or racism, and they've always known I was Jewish and they never treated me badly because of it, while the National Alliance wants all Jews dead):
Dear Luke,
Please forgive me for my handwriting, it's never been one of my talents.
Please forgive me for what I am writing. It may appear to be revenge but trust me it's not. The story will because more clear as it unfolds. I haven't written everyone, just the ones like yourself who desire it because you were the one who was nice to us & for that I thank you. Have you ever heard of a white supremacist organization group called N.A. National Alliance. I forget now but you're a smart guy and I know you can do a search & find it.
Vicky...has been a member for a couple of years now. This is a group who can cause a lot of damage to anyone associated with them. I can't say what her purpose was except that this organization uses all resources at their disposal and of course people are their greatest resource. She still receives correspondence from them at her post office box in Atlanta.
I sincerely don't think the industry deserves this. I have written several media sources on the matter but I believe you have time to write your column before they do.
I have also informed Homeland Security and our friends at the Department of Justice. I truly regret having to expose this story but I'm sure many people I've written are glad to hear it. Now you know why she doesn't do blacks.
Regretfully yours,
Frank Savoie
In our first (and only interview) May 29, 2003, Vicky Vette told me:
"My husband is all for it [porn]. He thinks it is wonderful."
Vicky hoped that her husband Frank could start acting in movies too. "Otherwise known as Grouchy Dick. One day, I was in a bad mood and he called me Bitchy Tits. That kinda stuck. One of my email addresses became Bitchy Tits. So I retaliated by calling him Grouchy Dick.
"Yes, Grouchydick is coming with me, we are a team, I wouldn't dream of going without him. He makes sure I get to my appointments on time, carries my bags, yells at me when I don't sleep enough, makes sure I eat and take my vitamins, goes to the gym with me, you know, he coaches me on everything, and protects me from the losers. I couldn't do this without him. He helps the photographers too, holding reflectors, coming up with ideas, etc. We have a great life together, and because we've been in the swing lifestyle so long, there are no jealousies or hang-ups to create problems. He gets his fair share of pussy too!
"He would be thrilled to be interviewed by you! Would you put it on your website as well? Or just for personal use? He loves to talk, boy can he talk! And if you give him a cup of tea, he gets verbal diarrhea."
Related stories about porn stars into white supremacy include Jessica Darlin and Bianca Trump.
Amalek writes: "Porn and racism. They belong together."
Phlogiston writes on XPT: "I like Vicky and think she makes good porn. Between her and Jessica Darlin, it seems anal blondes (allegedly) gravitate towards White nationalism, but that's another story."
David writes: "I only know Frank by talking to him to set up an interview with Vicky. Although I don't condone what he did to Vicky, I do condone what he did to himself. He may have been a pussy for beating his wife to a pulp. He was man enough to finish the job on himself. No cry for help. No pity attempt. He accomplished what his conscience wanted him to do."
Quasarman writes on ADT: "I feel that he more than met the standard criteria for being a stereotypical abusive and controlling suitcase pimp."
Jack writes:
Wow, I was shocked to read that about Vicky and Frank. I met her and Frank when she won the Hustler Beaverhunt. What I found a little odd was that for swingers, Frank seemed to hover over her with a jealous eye. But I had no idea he was beating her. Here is a shoot they appeared in together: Frank is in the middle, Vicki is on the right.
Vicky Vette's Divorce
Jason Sechrest writes:
VICKY VETTE has separated from her husband, FRANK, a popular staple of her films and cam shows, citing eighteen years of physical and mental abuse. On Tuesday, January 3rd, VETTE had her husband arrested after three straight days of beatings. The arrest took place just days prior to the biggest adult video convention and awards show of the year in Las Vegas, which VETTE was unable to attend, due to a busted lip, chronic headache, damage to her ear drums and severe bruises on her body, especially the legs and rib cage. A restraining order is currently in place.
VETTE is not canceling any forthcoming appearances and claims that the separation and pending divorce will not in any way affect her participation in the industry. She released this statement to the press this morning: "I have begun divorce proceedings and therapy to overcome this painful obstacle that I let rule my life for way too long. I have tried to break from him several times in the past, but he has always managed to manipulate his way back into my life. This time I am going to be strong and go through with it. He will probably go to jail, so he's obviously very bitter and has been trying to his best to harm me, my reputation and my business. I apologize for any confusion that may occur in the meantime and I also apologize to anyone who has been affected by this. I love this business and I don't intend to skip a beat."
"She's been through hell and those who have been close to her for the past few years have witnessed it firsthand," says VETTE's longtime Public Relations Representative, JASON SECHREST. "I couldn't be happier that she's managed to claw her way out that dark hole and finally bask in the light. I think he was more of a hindrance to her career choices than she ever let on. It's like she's a changed woman. It's actually all very exciting!"
VICKY VETTE was recently voted the #1 Most Popular Woman on JasonCurious.com, for the second year in a row. Next up, she will be feature dancing at Jezebel's in Wichita, Kansas from February 9th - 11th and will be fielding offers for her first interracial scene throughout February, celebrating Black History Month, which she intends to shoot upon her next trip to Los Angeles. Interested companies should send offers to her publicist via email at jason@jasoncurious.com.
Vicky's injuries prevented her from going to the AVN show in Las Vegas in early January, so she made up a story and passed it around about her husband having kidney stones and that her grandma in Norway had died.
Drugs In Porn
This industry is filled with Meth, Coke, and every other type of drug imaginable. Girls do Meth in part to stay thin. Girls are taking massive amounts of diuretcs to keep off the water. And I've seen bulimia, and anorexia. This is what's sad.
I know I fight my weight all the time. Thanks to an underactive thyroid, a case of Acid Reflux Disease, and stress, I'm still not where I want to be. But I'm not going to run out and put my body at risk for parts. That doesn't mean I haven't been tempted, though. And I think I can understand what the other women are going through, too.
The guys have their own set of problems. There's an abundance of steroids being used among the guy talent, as well. When I'm on set with a guy with no bodyfat, with tiny nuts, whose sweat is like jelly, and who cums in tiny squirts, it's no secret to me what he's doing. I was an athlete all through high school, and even into college. These aren't mystery symptoms. It comes from the pressure to look a certain way in order to get work.