Archive for the ‘Uncategorized’ Category

The Devil Made her Do It

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

 

Georgina Spelvin and her husband John Welsh

Georgina Spelvin and her husband John Welsh

This is Georgina Spelvin and her husband, actor John Welsh, in the garden of their lovely Beachwood Canyon home. Georgina starred in the seminal (sorry) adult film “The Devil in Miss Jones” (1974), one of a series of films (Deep Throat, Behind the Green Door) that broke into the mainstream in the 70s. It was her second hardcore movie, and on the first, “High Priestess of Sexual Witchcraft,” she apparently wasn’t aware that she was shooting a porno until the cameras were already rolling. She was living in a communal loft in Manhattan’s meat-packing distract appropriately called The Pickle Factory. On “Devil in Miss Jones” she was also in charge of craft services, so when she wasn’t shooting, she was cooking. She also appeared in the Police Academy movies (”I got my SAG insurance from those movies.”) and in the Jenna Jameson remake of “Devil.”

Now retired, she has also published a book, The Devil Made Me Do It, that recounts her career in porn, as well as her earlier work as a dancer in such Broadway hits as The Pajama Game and Cabaret.

Woodmen

Tuesday, August 11th, 2009

Evan Stone as Kirk My favorite exit off the 101 freeway, which skirts the edge of the San Fernando Valley, is Woodman Drive, the exit I’ve taken a few times to meet some of the male talent of porn. The Woodmen.

Evan Stone, who no one in the industry seems to dislike, arrived at Starbucks shirtless and with his famously long hair gone. I asked about the hair, and it seems that, having refused to cut it for anyone before, he couldn’t turn down the role of Captain Kirk in the recent Star Trek parody porno. Kirk’s hair is iconic, and Evan doesn’t like wigs, so director Axel Braun captured Evan’s Samson moment on camera. I have to say, I think Evan looks better with the short hair. They released the parody, in which finally we actually get to see Kirk getting it on with a Vulcan (played by recent hotshot Sasha Grey).

Asked how he maintains his wood throughout a long shoot, Evan says you just can’t overthink it. It’s the men who begin worrying that they won’t get paid or hired if they can’t maintain who start being unable to perform. A downward spiral.

I still haven’t quite gotten over speaking over lattes to someone whom I just watched engaging in multiple acts of intercourse on my computer screen. Or chatting idly between scenes on a shoot with a man who is completely naked and maintaining his erection while making small talk. But I’m getting there.

(S)HOES, (S)HOES, OMG (S)HOES

Sunday, August 9th, 2009
This is a Vans store in Chatsworth CA, the capitol of porn.

This is a Vans store in Chatsworth CA, the capitol of porn.

Sierra Skye Sebastian Silver and Alliterative Anecdotes

Sunday, August 9th, 2009
Sierra Skye Poolside

Sierra Skye Poolside

Sierra Skye has a sunny personality, brains, and big boobs.  In this job her bust (which is natural) is her calling card. Sierra was the first girl in school to get breasts, and initially she hated them and was weary of the attention and teasing. But at 14 she decided to embrace them and discovered boys around the same time. Having already been first in one category she was the first girl to give a blowjob. And a couple years later her sexual talents met technology with the webcam. On a site designed for minors, she’d push the limits.  No sex allowed.  No flashing. No sharing those boobs. Well, Sierra got her account canceled.  So she’d get a new name. And eventually they figured out her ISP and banned her computer. Fast forward to adulthood and Sierra’s made a few scenes in her home state. Scenes she describes as just awful. She didn’t know what to do. No one helped. They covered her in baby oil which looked terrible. And it was shot terribly. Now in California she’s much happier with her work, especially working with Lynn LeMays and LeMayzing Productions.  Nice to have a good photographer.  Sierra’s career is an example of one of the new phenoms of porn. The talent doesn’t live in LA. They commute.  Sierra flies in for a week of work once a month and then back home.  (Though she plans to move here soon.)  The director Roy Karch, an industry veteran, told me that he just shot a girl who was a student at a midwestern university – she flys out friday, shoots for two days, then back in her math class Monday morning.  Sierra hopes to take her money from porn and send herself through school to study forensics.

Sebastian Silver

Sebastian Silver

This is Sebastian Silver. Like everyone of course, not his real name.  When he first created his nom de porn Sebastian had trouble when asked on the spot what his name was. “You have to think for a second of who you’re talking to and which name to use.”  Sierra had a similar problem. Back home a friend was calling her and calling her (with her real name) and couldn’t get her to turn around and finally just screamed “Sierra!” and got a reaction.  Sebastian is male talent obviously and consequently has a different relationship to the industry and the camera.  “Mostly they don’t see me. You’ll get one shot of the face.  And then it’s just about my cock.”  Which rings true with what many of the cameramen have told me – it’s all about framing.  You’re trying to get the girl without the guy even though the girl is being penetrated.  Most cameramen seem to agree that it’s important to try to get the balls out the shot. “Cause who wants to look at the backside of a guys balls or his taint?”  Of course in many cases the balls are close to the shaft so you’ve got to be good. Sebastian shared some of the things male talent needs to do to break in to the business.  The fans are excited about new girls “fresh meat” as everyone seems to say.  They really don’t care about the guys.  So a guy is on his own. One of Sebastian’s first jobs was a group scene with a bunch of guys and an older woman.  In her 60’s maybe.  With an enormous scar on her stomach because, as she explained to them, she had previously tried to kill herself by shooting herself with a shotgun.  I’m not sure how you survive a gunshot wound to the stomach.  Hopefully I will never have to find out. He’s since graduated from gunshot scar gangbangs, and has worked with talent like Sasha Grey.  In this pic I asked him to give me a badass look. He gave it his best, but said “What’s a badass look.  Don’t know if I knew how to do that.” I figured every porn guy would have a badass look handy, but then again, they’re not necessarily shooting the face so often.

there are gays in los angeles too

Saturday, August 8th, 2009

IMG_0294So while the scene in LA is predominantly straight porn, there are some gay studios and directors. Had lovely interviews this week with Chi Chi LaRue (who has the gayest van ever, pictured here) and Jett Blakk (pictured here with his Blakk Katt).  Chi Chi was way way skinnier that what I expected. He’s lost 120 pounds this year. He’s still a great big gay icon, but a skinny gay icon now. Channel One studios was a great white boxy building in West Hollywood with all the blinds drawn.  Funny I haven’t been to a single porn office that didn’t cover the windows.

And Jett Blakk I visited at his home which not only had cats but two pinball machJett Blakkines, which is still my dream for what I want to do when I grow up. Own my own pinball machine. Jett does “story porn” which made me think of “story corps” that program you hear on NPR where people go into a booth and tell a story and it gets archived at the National Archives, etc. etc.  Maybe in the future we can do a similar thing with porn. A little video booth where you make your own porn and air it PBS.  A tip from me to PBS for their fund drive week.  But seriously “story porn” as you might guess is porn with a story and one of the big questions out here is whether or not there is a future for stories in porn with everything going “gonzo” (no stories just sex) for the internet.  Jett’s adapted stories such as Poe’s Masque of the Red Death. I asked him if stories about the PLAGUE were sexy for gay men. He agreed probably not, so in his version it was the “Red Sex” not the “Red Death.”  Here’s another free tip – a porn version of Billy Budd.  Has this been done?  And if not why not?

Not the Valley

Thursday, August 6th, 2009
bryn

Eli Cross

So last week I had the pleasure of interviewing director Eli Cross at his home/studio/warehouse/every teenage guy’s fantasy life pad.  Especially as a New Yorker used to living in the cubicles we call home, I was amazed. While we spoke in the library on the open second level a rental was shooting some porn… apparently very slowly.  I didn’t see much happen except some naked girls walked around and got in make up and lights (a few lights… like 3… we’re fiddled with)  Eli… or Bryn (wikipedia cites his real name so I don’t think I’m outing.  I also like that wiki cites his ethnicity as “none”) had some hilarious stories and many a colorful opinion.  Once we transcribe all this stuff I’ll be sharing some stuff here. Eli Cross movies are imaginative and hard core.  I thought I knew what hard core meant, but then I borrowed a copy of Upload and now I think I get it. My brain melted a little.  I think there is now a lobe or two missing.  Or maybe I know have extra lobes I don’t know.  I’m not a brain surgeon.  If anyone reading this is please get in touch with me.

Some of our crew went back today to watch some more.  And our writer held a light. I think that means she now can refer to herself as someone with experience as a porn PA.

Buttman and Milk Nymphos

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

I met the legendary Buttman himself, John Stagliano today at the Evil Angel headquarters.  At the end of the day they buttman_vol_7_No_2had a cupcakes for all the August birthdays and all the employees were summoned for cupcakes.  So Evil!  I was tempted to say that I am in fact an August birthday but I thought maybe they’d already counted out the cupcakes and then someone would have to split one with me and it’d be awkward.  In any case, like everyone we’ve met so far everyone was incredibly nice.  John has an office with as you might imagine lots of images of butts.  Butts galore.  I also didn’t mention that I grew up outside of D.C. because it so happens that the District of Columbia is prosecuting him for obscenity for distributing his films “Milk Nymphos” and “Storm Squirters 2:  Target Practice.” You can imagine.  If it does go to trial he promised to bring in a squadron of women with water guns (one side with milk, natch) and have a squirt off in the courtroom.  Call me reckless, but doesn’t the government have bigger problems than worrying abou the Milk Nymphos? And this in my hometown where our former mayor smoked crack with whores.  Oh well.  If you’d like to know more about John’s case go to Defend Our Porn

More Pics from Free Speech Party

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

IMG_0270IMG_0276IMG_0274

Free Speech Coalition Party

Tuesday, August 4th, 2009

So on our first day (last week I’m a bit behind) we met with the fabulous, charming and delightful Diane Duke of the Free Speech Coalition which is essentially the trade organization for adult entertainment. They’re not huge – a modest office in the Valley. But they do a lot to advocate for the people in the industry and to help defend companies from obscenity prosecutions.  I think (tell me if I’m wrong) that most Americans are unaware that pornographers can still be prosecuted for making something that other people think is obscene.  Max Hardcore is in prison right now for making a movie. His movies sound seriously disgusting and I’d personally never want to see one, but it’s a movie after all.  Diane had some interesting things to say about how even if there is some physical risk happening on a porn shoot – think about professional football, or hockey…

So then on Wednesday we attended their benefit (only $15 far cheaper than your average non-profit benefit).  It was held at the Whiskey A Go Go and for me the highlight was meeting Nina Hartley for a brief chat.  Interviewing her more later.  She said “filming people having sex is far more ridiculous and far less sinister than people imagine.”  Sasha Grey was also there judging a “Screaming Orgasm” contest where amateur women pretend to have orgasms… strangely none of them made any noise.  The poor MC kept saying things like “It’s called the SCREAMING orgasm contest.  Let’s hear you SCREAM.” And the ladies pretended to have sex with their boyfriends (fully closed) and maybe they were screaming on the inside… I guess the sexual revolution isn’t over yet and people are still a bit shy.  We all got lovely giftbags (had to cross the street to go the Hustler store to get them).  I got a vibrating cock ring “for her pleasure.” Hmm….

Hustler lingerie models working it.

Hustler lingerie models working it.

@pornmusical

Wednesday, July 22nd, 2009

So I’ve learned recently that a lot of porn people are on twitter. I’ve mostly learned exciting things like when people are going to the gym and what they’re having for lunch and mostly it seems that porn stars are eating better than I do. But then again they are on camera naked a lot, and I’m not. Good inspiration to eat some leafy green vegetables. Anyhoo – we’ll be following people through my own twitter @stevecosson and this new one for the project @pornmusical. And we’ll post there too – come follow us into the flesh-o-sphere.

spankarama