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Michael Payne Interview

He emails me (pic, pic):

Hey Luke, I'm Russian/Armenian. been working in the porn industry for three years now. I started in Europe, then moved here and started my own production company: Seven Silver Keys Productions. I distribute through Anarchy Films. Ever since I was in Europe, I was always interested in your work, your style, and your brutal honesty in reporting what is actually going on in " The Valley"; and now that I work here, I see how true and real your reports are.

The title of my current series, is Stripped, Spread, Stretched, which will be distribute through Anarchy Films/Fifth Element. Vol. 1 will be released on may 29, and Vol. 2 on June 19.

The companies I was working with back in Amsterdam, were including, but not limited to: Magma Erotic, KLBR Productions, Extreme Sex Channels, etc.

The title of my graphic novel is The Nether World. it's a fictional story, a cross between the book of Revelation and George Orwell's 1984; and includes two books: Book One: The Aeon of Hours. Book Two: The Ordeal of Blood.

I call Michael Thursday, May 18, 2006. He's been in the United States since 2004. He started his production company in September 2005. He's produced three titles.

A Renaissance man, he produces, directs and performs in his films.

He combines S-M with hardcore.

Michael was invited to Chelsea Zinn's 20-man gangbang but he did not feel comfortable there and thus did not perform in it.

In America, he's only performed in his own movies.

Michael: "Porn is like punk rock. Anyone can get in. You can work on your own terms. You can make better money and have more spare time. And you might as well have fun.

"There are lots of bad aspects of this business. One thing that bothers me is how easily people in the industry get dependent on drugs, particularly women. A big portion of them come from low-class families and they haven't had enough access to the freedom and money they make in porn. When they get in the industry, they start making good money and meet people and have access to all kinds of alcohol and drugs. Since they're not good at managing their own money, they end up in dramatic ways. There are people who were in my own movies and they're going through some difficult times.

"Besides that, there are a lot of people in the business who try to take advantage of the girls. That is something I'd never do.

"I don't care people how some people, especially in the United States, people like Larry Flynt or Jenna Jameson or Ron Jeremy, who try to justify the porn industry. I won't. If you choose something as an occupation, you should be honest about it and accept what you are doing. In my opinion, porn is the modern face of prostitution. I want to make money in this business and stay in it, but that does not necessarily mean that I like it or justify it."

Luke: "Where did you grow up?"

Michael: "I'm from Armenia, which was a part of the USSR. I grew up under harsh [communist] conditions. Now I am 33. When I was at university [studying English Literature], I was part of a revolutionary movement against the government. Around 1990, I got arrested and I spent nine months in KGB prison. I was tortured badly. I was released in 1991 after the fall of communism. I stayed in Armenia until 1994. Then things got bad. The economy collapsed. There weren't enough jobs. Lots of people left, including myself.

"I went over to Europe. Romania. Then I went to Western Europe. I ended up in the Netherlands, Amsterdam, where I started my work in the porn industry."

Fifth Element is a replication and distribution arm of Anarchy Films, which was formed by Ari Ovadia and his family after they broke away from Reuben Sturman's Sin City company in 2002.

Where Does Michael Payne Get His Production Company Name 'Seven Silver Keys Productions' From?

Michael replies:

I have a deep interest in the ancient history, mythology, and symbolism. the Norsemen (the peoples of medieval Scandinavia) believed that every man is in a constant war against himself, and the world around him; in order for him to win, he must evolve, and dare to open his heart to his dreams, and to do that, he needs to obtain seven silver keys. he must travel to Niflheim, which is hell in Norse mythology, and go through the layers of Niflheim, and obtain the silver keys from there. it's a fascinating belief. you know, while studing the ancient mythology, one thing which always interests me, is the similarity of some certain elements throughout the various belief systems and cultures in the ancient world. case in point, is the number seven, and how this number has became both holy and profane throughout the history: in the old testament, god creates the universe in seven days( Genesis 2, 1), Moses orders his people to work on thier farms for six years, and on the seventh year, take a break, and worship god (Exodus 23, 10-11). in the book of Revelation, there are seven angels, who invade the sin infected earth with Seven Plagues (Revelations 15, 1), and last but not least, the whore of Babylon, is a woman sitting on a scarlet beast that is covered with blasphemous names and had seven heads and ten horns. (Revelations 17, 3-4). look throughout different ancient mythologies in different parts of the world, and you will see how the same elements keep on repeating.

9/11/06

Here's an excerpt:

I'm a whore and a smut peddler too. but I don't feel guilty about it, I don't measure myself or anybody by the standards set by society and my ancestors. I live by my own rules; and when I say porn is the modern face of prostitution, I tend to tell it like it is, I don't tend to attack porn or disrespect people who are involved in porn. if you choose something as your profession, be honest about it. you don't need to explain or justify yourself to society.

As matrimonial commitments lose their effectiveness, traditional family and moral values collapse, and more people slip into depression and solitude , demand for porn increases. porn is the opium of the masses, the scapeway from the train wreck we call modern life; porn is the affordable, risk free, instant gratification. because of these, and many more attributes, demand, and hence production of porn is drastically increasing. however, the method of delivering the product is evolving fast. in a few years, DVD market will become obsolete, replaced by online streaming and other direct, more affordable, and more convenient methods of delivery.