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English journalist Mark Falcon writes in the October 1999 issue of X Magazine, a UK publication: Son of legendary porn-pioneer Lasse Braun (Sensations, French Blue), who, through his work in the early 60's helped the legalization of pornography in Europe, Axel Braun, after a college degree in History and Philosophy and a two-year stint at the prestigious Italian Academy of Cinema, has traveled and worked constantly with his father since the late 80's as a writer, producer, cameraman and editor, before stepping behind the camera as a director with The Erotic Adventures of the G-Man (BlueMovie), a series of videos that would earn him both critical and commercial success in his country, along with a (well deserved) notoriety for being able to make women ejaculate with his hands. His first break in the American market arrives in 1997 with The Book of Lust(VCA), followed in 1998 by Sexcape(VCA), both of which he wrote, produced, directed, shot and edited. In 1999 he releases in the US Fleshlight (In-X-Cess), a hilarious hard-core feature that tops the charts in Germany, as well as Libido (Oxygen Pictures) and most notably The G-Spot Chronicles (Oxygen Pictures) which was the top-selling adult video of the year in Italy. The director's European approach is evident in the way he handles his characters: sex is never funny, it's perhaps the situation that makes the audience smile, and foreplay is as important as is the focus on the girls' own pleasure, rather than the men's. "My products do better in Europe" he says candidly "where the laws that regulate the Adult Industry allow me to be a little bit more...extreme in the depiction of sexual acts". Interested in the psychological aspects of sex and obsessed with the reality of the characters, Axel always delivers visually captivating stories that provide a solid buildup for the sexual situations, instead of being mere excuses for it. Constantly traveling between the US and Europe, where he owns a chain of video stores, Axel has definitely grown from being just his father's son into leaving his mark as one of the best contemporary Adult Directors. His current projects, along with a high-budget soft-core series for German Television (set to air in the spring of 2000), include the upcoming X-rated features G-Sp ot Confidential and Orgazmika. Want to know more about the G-Spot and the secret pleasures of female ejaculation? E-mail Axel Braun at AxlBraun@aol.com 2/23/99 At 7PM, Luke arrived at Claudio's home for dinner with the Italian expatriate, his wife Gina Rome and porner Axel Braun, the son of the legendary European director who now lives in Southern California, Lasse Braun. On Sunday, 2/7/99, Axel Braun wrote via email to Luke: "Over the past 13 years I've been working with my father, Lasse Braun, on a number of projects in the adult business, before parting from him and starting on my own in 1997. Since then I've written, produced, directed, shot and edit features that got released through VCA (Sexcape, The Book of Lust) and In-X-Cess (Fleshlight). My latest productions, soon to be released through my own newborn production-distribution company (Oxygen Pictures), is called The G-Spot Chronicles. With this Vignette-style series, I prove something I've been researching for years: every woman ejaculates. While admitting without a doubt the enormous amount of things my father taught me about life and the X-rated business, this is something that I myself taught him..." Axel, a 32-year old Italian, speaks rapidly, pausing every few minutes to pop outside to smoke a cigarette. His girlfriend performs girl-girl sex in porn, "Chelsea Blue." "For the longest time, I idolized him. "Ever since 1989's Fantasy Nights, I've had credit in his movies as co-producer or co-writer." Claudio, Axel and I sit down with the cook, Claudio's wife Gina Rome for dinner. The first course is Risotto with Porchini mushrooms seasoned with the rare and expensive Italian spice Saffron (which costs more per ounce than cocaine, I'm told) , followed by a roll made of eggs, cheese and mushrooms. Axel announces he's on a crusade against partially hydrogenated oils which, he says, accounts for the large number of obese Americans. Claudio, who's getting drunk, says Rob Black is the greatest, because he always pays on time. Gina looks up from her food. "Tomorrow I've got to walk on some guys for a bondage shoot and they are not going to be happy that I ate so much." Axel: "Russ Hampshire is the most powerful person in the industry. He took a small sleazy business and turned it into a monument." Claudio: "I don't care about power. I am the most powerful man in the world for myself. I was a mining engineer who dreamed about doing porno, and now I'm doing porno. I've fulfilled my dream." Luke: "Russ Hampshire does not f--- on film." Claudio: "I f--- on film. I f--- in my private life. I f--- as many girls as I want because my wife does not care about that. And I fly, so I see everything from the top." Axel: "I had a dream of being a filmmaker. I was in film school but I ended up doing porn, thanks to Lasse Braun. "In 1989, I took our movie Fantasy Nights (produced by Lasse Braun, directed by Ron Sullivan and shot by Alex deRenzy) starring Samantha Strong to VCA. I didn't know anybody. I said, 'I have a movie to sell. I'm the son of Lasse Braun. They introduce me to Russ Hampshire. 'Hi kid, how are you doing? What do you have to sell?' "All I had was an unlabeled tape. I told him who made it. Lasse Braun told me 'try to get $10,000 but if he gives you $7,000, take it.' Russ offered me $17,000. In less than five minutes, I was in and out." Claudio, thoroughly sloshed: "For me, Robert Black is much better than Russ Hampshire." Axel: "Rob Black is a nice guy, but he's a kid. Russ Hampshire manages a f---ing empire." Claudio: "En vino veritas. The truth is in the wine." Axel and Claudio agree that director Ron Sullivan is a good guy. "When I first came to America (1989)," says Axel, "I lived with Ron Sullivan in his apartment." Claudio: "Russ didn't want to buy the last movie that Axel and I shot." Axel: "You had a flag on you." Claudio: "Somebody said that I had a flag on me, that I can't work for VCA." VCA owner Russ Hampshire denies that his company flags people. Axel: "A couple of years ago, they didn't want to use TT Boy." Claudio: "It was because I was an Italian guy with a big dick. (Drunken laughter.) I did many movies for them [VCA]. I don't care about powerful people. I am the power." Claudio is mad at the leading German production company (Multimedia Werlache) who took him and others for over $1000. Axel says JJ Michaels, the short blond male performer, is on his bad list. "We were shooting the G-Spot Chronicles. And we had a misunderstanding. He came with his gorgeous 18-year old Australian girlfriend Vivienne. He worked for me on The Book of Lust. He couldn't get a hard-on but he was nice so I hired him again. "He made a big fuss about the money. He said he charged $600 for himself. I said, 'get out of here. Everybody knows that you shoot your dick [to get an erection]. "I wanted to have all anal scenes but it turned out that she didn't do anal. Maybe it was my misunderstanding. I told everybody that the main part of the movie was the G-Spot ejaculation." Luke: "You wanted to finger his girlfriend's pussy? You're a pervert like your dad." Axel: "I fingered every girl's pussy. I'm dressed all in black with a red G on my forehead. With black fingernail polish..." Luke: "So you're fingering Mrs. Michaels while her unsuspecting husband JJ Michaels..." Axel: "We did this before they were to have sex because I didn't want to put my fingers where a cock had been parked for an hour. She was small and tight and after a few minutes, she was hurting. And we had to stop... Then they start their scene, and he says, 'I'm late. I have to be out of here in an hour.' And I said, 'Listen JJ, actors how up late. Whatthef---. You're getting $900 between the two of you so just relax.' "I then went to pay him $850, my mistake... I give him the $900, bye. A few days later, my girlfriend [Chelsea Blue] goes to Jim South to pick the talent... And Jim South says, 'I don't know what happened with Axel. JJ Michaels never complains and he told me that Axel tried to fist-f--- his wife." 10:30 PM: Claudio announces. "I need some more alcohol. Tomorrow I have to f--- the older woman. [Claudio's scheduled to partake in a gangbang of 50-something Kitty Fox.]" Gina tries to pull him away from the bottle. "Please honey, don't drink anymore tonight." Claudio marches on to the bottle, announcing "en vino, veritas [in wine, truth]." Gina: "Don't write that. It's not true. I just complain a little." Axel claims he's been free of drugs since 1985. Claudio leans over to my tape recorder: "I claim that I have never
been free of alcohol in my whole life. And I never will."
2/2/00 The Actor and the Method Axel Braun's sends this email: Dear Luke, there are moments in the life of a porn-director when frustration takes over in an overwhelmingly masochistic way. That happened to me a few weeks ago when I was invited at the L.A. premiere of the movie "Magnolia". After the movie, simply a masterpiece of character-driven virtuoso film-making, I went home, looked at my body of porn-work of the past few years and seriously consider suicide. To make things worst, Paul Thomas Anderson, the director of such masterpiece is only 29 years old. I am 33. Where did I go wrong? I was still a little indecisive between a rope around the neck and a warm-bath-with-slashed-wrists as my final act upon leaving this cruel world, when suddenly I saw the light. "Maybe it's not me", I thought "It has to be the actors...I mean, P.T. Anderson had Tom Cruise, Julianne Moore, Jason Robards...those people have so much talent that they can turn any lousy script in a work of art!". And that's when I decided to seek help from a real actor's actor, a consummate professional, a fabulous thespian who could elevate my sleazy porn-flick "G-Spot Confidential" to the status of a magnificent expression of true erotic film-making. That amazing talent, that god of the silverscreen, that stoic risktaker is you, Luke. Who else would have agreed to submit himself to the angry whip of a perverted hypnotherapist (Tina Tyler, another pearl in the deep, dark ocean of porn talents), thus missing the most anticipated sporting event of the year? Only you, Luke. An incredibly giving and ballsy move, I have to say. Thank you, in the name of Konstantin Stanislavski, for the ray of light your terrific performance brought back in the often depressing life of a mere porn-director like me. Watching the footage, today, only made one thing clearer: if AVN has a category for "best non-sexual performance while listening to the superbowl on a walkman", you Luke are a sure bet for next year's awards. Now we're all waiting for your first triple-anal-fist-f---ing! Yours truly, Axel Braun.
I drove to Woodland Hills Sunday evening, missing the second half of the Super Bowl, to do a cameo appearance in a new Axel Braun video. I arrive at the location to find the door locked. I stand outside in the dark and drizzle until Chelsea Blue, Axel's girlfriend drives up. We go inside and find Axel and Tina Tyler waiting. Everyone but Luke lights up a cigarette. Tina and Chelsea inform me about mistakes in their picture IDs on my site. An actor with incredible range, I play a submissive bottom who loves to be abused. In the scene, Tina Tyler whips me with a black leather whip. Chelsea Blue, a dominatrix, and Carolyn Monroe, a submissive, work at the Eros Station dungeon on Oxnard and Sepulveda Blvds in the Valley. 818-994-6100. Chelsea travels to Milan, Italy, in late February for the MISEX Show, a European version of CES. She'll strip. Chelsea entered porn in 1996. She lasted a month, doing about five guys. Then she returned in 1999 and mainly does girl-girl, aside from the odd scene with Axel. They did anal yesterday for his movie, and Chelsea marveled at the voluminousness of his semen, which covered her face and body. His copious sperm is why she loves him so much. Tina: "I haven't been working as much as I would've liked. I've stopped doing gonzo [scriptless porn] for everybody but myself. The work offers drastically decreased. I will shoot the next two installments of my own line in February. I've shot three so far, two blowjob shows and a lesbian one. It's distributed by Odyssey Group Video. "It's been like pulling teeth trying to get them made because I've been paying for it myself. I can't really afford to put out one a month. I don't think I could possibly work that much. "My next shows, one will be a BJ tape and one will be solo masturbation. Nina Hartley has agreed to appear. She's one of my best friends, she's a great performer with a large fan base, and yes, she is a legend. Casting is important. Yes, you want to get people with chemistry. I book all the girls first and ask who they'd like to work with... But it is also important to get a wide variation of women who have large fan bases. So the tapes will sell better. Angelica Sinn, just out of her contract with KBeech, will work for me. "My tapes are selling for Odyssey. I'm still getting checks in the mail for the first two. That's a beautiful thing. Usually, after the first month, you're lucky to get reorders but last month the first one sold another 21 copies. And it's been over a year since that came out. And I've just signed a distribution deal for my foreign with Ona Zee Pictures. And she's already sold to Canada for me. So more money coming in on existing product, I like that a lot. And OGV is putting the line on DVD in the next few months, yet more money off existing product." I see Patrick, a French photographer who's been shooting stills for Extreme the past week on a movie "Last Breath" directed by Jessica Darlin's husband Louis Cypher. Pat has been working with director Lasse Braun on the coming website sexempire.org. Axel asks me who are the three nicest guys in the biz aside from Rob Spallone and James DiGiorgio. Luke: "David Sturman, Russ Hampshire, Paul Fishbein." Tina Tyler: "Nina Hartley, Chloe, TJ Hart, her three best friends." Axel: "Joey Silvera, Guy DeSilva, Jeff Coldwater." Chelsea: "Taylor St. Claire, Carolyn Monroe, Jim Enright, Andrew Blake." I meet Carolyn Monroe and her Italian husband. She's doing her general education requirements at a local college on the way to becoming a nurse. Carolyn entered porn in 1991, and moved to Italy in 1992 where she learned Italian. She returned to Los Angeles in early 1999. She rarely does porn movies anymore. Carolyn also does a few B movie projects, and fetish films like titty wrestling. JCJoe writes: Luke: Have not visited your site in several months and was ELATED to find a number of pictures from your Luke whipping day of one of my all-time favorite ladies in porn (Tina Tyler aka Jane Smith) smoking. I requested candid pxs of porn ladies smoking MANY MOONS ago and when you did not deliver, I stopped visiting your site. As you may recall, I mentioned that such pictures are a real "turn on" for many of us in the "smokerhood" since they confirm that one of our vicarious dreams is a smoker in real life. I SURELY hope you continue to post more pictures of this nature?? At any rate, thanks for the recent effort. BTW, I do not know you, but I have RESPECT for you because you have proven to be a man who will openly and publicly (via your site) laugh at his own shortcomings and mistakes. Goddess writes: Loved those pics of you getting your ass whipped, Luke. I told you a long time ago that's what you need. Next time take your undergutchies off:) Nothin'll put the fear of Jesus in you faster than to feel leather slapping against your balls. JRob: When will you do the "Luke F-rd - 250 Girl Gang Whipping?" Of course, Gene Ross would have to follow with a 300 girl gang whipping, and so on. Arch Stanton writes: "Luke, I am ashamed and appalled at the sight of you getting your ass whipped by Tina Tyler. Why? Certainly not the act itself. Being touched in any way by Tina Tyler is commendable. And enviable. But DURING THE SUPER BOWL? THE BEST ONE EVER? Cripes Luke I know you're originally Australian and for sport you dog kangaroos and wrestle with alligators down under. But this is America and in America on Super Bowl Sunday REAL MEN WATCH THE SUPERBOWL AND TELL THE WOMEN TO HIDE IN A CORNER OR SOMETHING UNTIL IT'S OVER. Oh the shame. Put on your yamulka and hang your head in shame."
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