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On The Set Of Butterfly With Shay Sights, Renee LaRue
2003-10-29 07:49:10

Renee and Shay seem to be living their dream. They've constructed a fancy frilly girly set with whisps of fabric and flowers and art. It's like a gay man's makeover of a porn set.

I walk in as Renee dances around a Garden of Eden scene. There's dark earthlike carpet on the ground and fake silver trees from which apples hang. Real apples dot the carpet.

Shay plays the music, yells "Action," and Renee dances while Barry Woods and Chris train their cameras on her.

Directing seems to be a team effort. Barrett Blade and AD Miles Long chip in. Barry Woods contributes his expertise.

I see two women on set (Renee and Shay), three black guys (all with shaved heads) and about 15 white guys. The average age seems to be about 35.

1:15PM. Barrett Blade calls me in. Still photographers are gathered Renee LaRue who holds a Ball Python. I jump back. Snakes freak me out. We had a ton when I was growing up in Austrlia. Many of them were deadly.

Shay: "I don't know all the rules about sex and animals."

Sights doesn't want Renee and Lee touching while Renee holds the snake.

A camera guy wants to morph shots of the snake with shots of Lee's snake.

They shoot Renee dancing and playing with the snake.

The python reacts to the flash on my camera by striking out.

Shay to Lee and Renee: "I want lots of kissy kissy stuff."

When Renee goes down on Lee, it solicits jokes from the crew. "I thought we took the snake away ten minutes ago? It's a Spitting Python."

1:30PM. Shay Sights goes into make-up, leaving the direction of the Renee - Lee sex scene to Barry Woods and company.

Duke Hunter from www.thehardcoresource.com chats with Shay in the make-up room.

Duke, a bounty hunter: "When are you going to go with us on a raid?"

Duke pulls out his bounty hunt ID.

Shay: "A panty raid?"

I've seen Barrett Blade many times but never talked to him much until today. I ask him if OC (new TV show about Orange County) accurately represents his upbringing there. He says no. There were more people with tattoos in his world.

Barrett spent a couple of years in music before entering porn and hooking up with Devon, now a Digital Playground contract star. They broke up about a year ago.

Barrett would like to leave porn but it is hard to get a job when you have a six year blank spot on your resume.

Nic Andrews drives up with the low-key features AD Michael Dance. Nic's about to shoot a twelve-day feature for Digital Playground.

Nic: "According to Mike South, my budgets are big because of the catering bill."

Barrett: "Nic don't even eat when he's shooting."

Asia Carrera will do a scene with Barrett Blade on the first day of shooting.

It's a cop buddy movie. Barrett is the trouble-making cop. Eric Masterson is the straight one.

DUC to Barrett: "How do you get into the character of the loose-cannon cop?"

Barrett: "That's me."

I wonder if this movie is called Partners because Nic Andrews is a strong proponent on same-sex marriage. It's like American Beauty, only X-rated. This time, the marine and the Kevin Spacey character will fulfill their longings for each other.

Asia Carrera plays the police captain.

Partners will make the case through pictures and dialogue for homosexual marriage. Or I could be just making that up.

Nic will close down the sixth street bridge for the shoot. There's an exploding boat. Sound, color. A talkie. A script. The ultimate couples movie for all orientations.

Nic Andrews' home near Porter Ranch and Simi Valley is threatened by the fires. He's taken his most valuable stuff out but left his editing equipment in his home. Luckily, he owns virtually no furniture, but a lot of DVDs.

Nic: "There's nothing but brush between the fires and my house."

Nic broke up with his fiance three months ago.

Luke: "I'm going to grab my hose and go to your house."

Nic: "The hose is already strung up to the roof."

Luke: "Are you going to stand on your roof with your hose fighting the flames as they advance?"

Nic: "If I have to, yes. I just paid my insurance bill today. I asked if I could increase my coverage and they said no."

Luke: "Has this been a prioritizing experience, helping you realize what is most important in life?"

Nic: "Yes."

Luke: "You've realized?"

Nic: "I look around my house and see things that are valuable to me professionally and things that are valuable to me personally."

Luke: "And the photos of your ex-fiance fall into which category?"

Nic: "I don't have any photos."

Nic does have 20 arcade games. "My garage is a game room."

Luke: "Arrested development?"

Nic: "No."

Luke: "If you could bang anyone in the porn industry, who?"

Nic: "I don't have a personal favorite."

Luke: "Barrett?"

Barrett: "I'd like to bang someone outside the industry. I haven't been laid outside the industry for years."

Luke: "Do you prefer 'em above or below legal age?"

Barrett: "I prefer them 24 and up. I'm not a big fan of the 18-year old barely-legal."

He's a better man than me.

Nic: "I don't shoot girls. I shoot women. They're all above 25."

Barrett: "They're less drama. You can do a good scene, get in and out and they won't be all f---ed up and strung out."

Luke: "Do you often feel an emotional connection with a woman after doing a scene?"

Barrett: "I never feel an emotional connection."

Nic: "Even after you've covered them with millions of your sperm?"

DUC to Barrett: "Do you ever worry that God will make you pay for each sperm that you waste?"

Barrett to Luke: "Do you believe that you have to go to God to prove your faith? Do you believe in organized religion?"

Luke: "Yes."

Barrett: "Do you believe that you do not have a one-on-one personal relationship with God?"

Luke: "I believe we can have a personal relationship with God but that's not the main purpose of organized religion. To get a task done, you have to organize. The purpose of religion is to make this world a better place. To do that, you must organize."

Barrett: "Then why does it have to be organized? Why do you have to go to church? Only if you're a follower. You can organize within yourself."

Blade was raised a Roman Catholic, along with half of the porn industry.

Nic: "How much of the conversations that you record wind up on your website?"

Luke: "Only what's interesting."

Nic: "Are you getting anything interesting out of this conversation?"

Luke: "Yes.

"Nic, how did you feel about that unflattering picture of you on Mike South?"

Nic: "I don't see any of that stuff until someone calls me about it. I figure that as long as I am in the press, it's all good, whether it is good or bad. It makes me money."

Barrett Blade says the scar across Shane Collins abdomen is not a C-section as I speculated but the result of a BMX accident.

3:35PM. Director Michael Zen stops by the set. He doesn't look well. He chats with Barry Wood.

3:40PM. A group of us get up and look at the sun. Through the haze and smoke, it looks like a red ball, like the planet Mars.

I chat with Bruce Portmann, of www.1greatadultstore.com. He's providing massages on the set.

He recently spent three years in Australia running an adult company that went broke after he left. He's been in porn for 20 years.

Portmann met Shay Sights on a porn set a few months ago and they found they shared a similar interest in healing and spirituality. They took three "reke" (energy) classes together.

I eat a chocolate Krispy creme donut I've eyed since coming on set, as well as one peanut-chocolate cluster, a large macadamia nut cookie and a bunch of grapes. I go easy as I have a big date over dinner at 9PM.

I meet a couple of Australians on set - porn star Anton and Aussie TV guy Angelo Frisina of www.thenoise.com.au.

Anton, with his chiseled muscles and shaved head, looks like something out of Road Warrior (Mad Max in Australia).

In the United States for six years, Anton has worked in porn for two years. When he gets tired of the pace, he'll return to Australia.

Kurt Lockwood plays me a phone message from a male member of Patti Rhodes crew named AJ. He calls from a cell phone with Patti's voice on the voicemail.

Message: "Hi, this is Patti," in Patti Rhodes' voice.

AJ: "Hey, stupid, check this f-cking sh-t out. You just ran your mouth off to the wrong motherf-cking crew. You got a problem with it? We've got a problem with it. Stay where you are."

This was in response to a stern inquiry Kurt delivered to Patti over her cell phone.

Kurt: "This is going to cause a sh-t storm across the web."

Luke: "Who's AJ?"

Kurt: "One of Patti Rhodes crew. Mustache. Balding. You know about all that stuff."

Luke: "No I don't. What happened?"

Kurt: "Don't play dumb. It's all over your website.

"Patti Rhodes made sure that I wouldn't work for VCA again.

"Patti is talking sh-t about me all over. She's blowing everything out of proportion. Patti claims I slapped a girl on a set. If I did, I'd be in jail. Who's the girl? It's supposed to be Aria. Aria and I are good friends."

DUC calls Aria. She says: "Kurt never slapped me. Patti Rhodes told me that she never said that Kurt slapped anyone."

Kurt: "I lost a job for Sin City over this. I called Bud Lee. He said he got it from Patty. I went off on Bud. You're just believing these baseless allegations.

"I called her [Patti] up and asked if she said I slapped a girl on a set. Patti said, 'Oh no, I did not say that.' Then why are they saying you did say that? I don't know. Are you calling them a liar? If they say I said, I didn't say it.

"I told Patti, if you said I slapped a girl, you just bought yourself a lawsuit.

"I called Bud. 'Patti is calling you a liar.' Bud says, I haven't talked to Patti in more than a year. Also, she said it [allegation] to Scott Justice. And in addition, Scott doesn't want to hire you because you want too much money."

Barry Woods interrupts: "From her cell phone. These guys are not the smartest."

Kurt: "These guys think it's 1975 Wonderland. It's 2003. Your asses are going to jail. They've probably already been to jail. Three strikes and you're out.

"Some elements of this business are still run like the Wild Wild West. I hate it.

"It's a $250 billion a year industry. In some ways, it would be good if the government did step in and regulate because some of this bullsh-t...."

Miles Long, the AD, kicks Kurt for his government regulation remarks.

Kurt: "I don't need that sh--. I just show up and do my job and I'm getting death threats."

A crew member: "I'd go file a temporary restraining order."

Kurt: "There's that other crew guy she uses all the time with "White Power" tattooed down his arms.

"I called Bruce over at VCA. Bruce, if you don't want to hire me anymore, live and let live. I work every day. I don't care. But get a hold of your animals. Are these the best people you can get to run your operation?"

XXX says: "This one guy [male talent] brings a gun to the set every time. Has [painkillers] in one hand, a gun in the other. He's been to jail four times."

Barry Woods to Kurt: "How do you really feel about Patti Rhodes?"

Kurt: "I think she's a wonderful sweet wonderful angel of a human being.

"If I had just flaked that day, which I never do, I'd still be working for VCA."

Barry: "Why are you starting with this?"

Kurt: "He already knows. It's all over the Internet."

Kurt and I reminisce over the good ol' days, when Kurt took one of Lucky Smith's girls into a bathroom in the middle of a scene to get hard. Lucky dressed him down. "Don't you ever take one of my girls off the set."

Crew member comments: "Lucky almost got his ass kicked by a man with a boner."

There's ribald laughter all round as this picture flows before our eyes.

How dangerous are Patti's guys?

Kurt: "They're unstable. They're leaving death threats on my voicemail from a traceable phone number. They don't even have it together enough to go to a pay phone to make a death threat."

Barry: "You won't find any black kids on their crew. I wouldn't mess with them."

XXX: "The Track One crew."

There's a discussion on my journalistic technique.

Kurt: "This is the enemy. He's got the mask of a friend but he's the enemy."

Luke: "You've got my number."

Kurt: "We're just providing the fodder so you get more hits, drives up the advertising dollars..."

XXX to Kurt: "If it weren't for you, he'd [DUC] probably kill himself. He was so bored. He had nothing. Nothing."

Kurt: "I stir it up.

"All the other VCA directors I got along fine with. Chloe, Red, Rob Spallone, Jim Holliday. Jim was going to do a different movie with me in it but he toned all the dialogue down so he could focus on the girls. But they got a big buy up their ass. But they banned T.T. Boy too and he's a multi-millionaire now too."

Luke: "Do you know why they got T.T. Boy blackballed from the industry?"

Kurt: "No."

Luke: "Because he had a complex sexual interaction in 1998 with a key female VCA exec in a bathroom on a set that some have called rape.

"After that, Russell Hampshire asked T.T. Boy to take an anger management class. T.T. refused. Russell had him blackballed. Russell was the industry's godfather."

Barry (once married to the late Trinity Loren) and Cindy Coxxx are going to try to have a baby.

Barry tells a bunch of anti-black jokes to a black PA who laughs at them.

"What do you call a white guy with five black guys? Coach."

Black man gets up. "That's it. I'm getting my bags."

He walks off laughing.

I chase after him. "Do you feel like the man is holding you down?"

Black man: "No, that's my wife. She's got that covered."

He slices into the cake.

There's no fried chicken or watermelon on the set.

Kurt Lockwood says that if he dies, he wants to be played by Johnny Depp in the movie. And Natasha Henstridge should play his girlfriend Ava Vincent.

Gene Ross writes on Adultfyi.com: "Kurt Lockwood has been locked in some escalating drama with Patti Rhodes and promises to give more details. The whole thing began on a Toni English shoot when English supposedly encouraged Lockwood to kiss Tyler Faith's face on the spot where Lockwood planted a facial. English later said she was kidding. Lockwood said English has anti-male talent agendas."

Kurt says www.kurtlockwood.com is going to become a pay site. "Some of the other models say that people won't pay to see them if they can see them for free on my site. And if you require a credit card, you can be sure kids won't get into the hardcore."

I meet Anthony Hardwood from Hungary. He's a big blonde guy. He looks like a California surfer.

It's 4:30PM. Anthony digs into the salmon.

I sit opposite Kurt. I notice him pull out a bag of green and start stuffing it into a little wooden box.

Luke: "What is that?"

Kurt: "The caterer has great oregano and I want to save some for my dishes later. I'm like Emerald Puck."

Luke: "What are those other implements next to you?"

Kurt: "Your garden variety cigarette and lighter."

Luke: "Why do you like to keep your oregano in a wooden container?"

Kurt: "It keeps it fresh."

Luke: "How much does a bag of oregano like that cost?"

Kurt: "It's the standard cost."

Luke: "Who's your supplier?"

Kurt: "I believe that oregano can be found at any number of fine grocery store chains in the Southland?"

Luke: "Do you like oregano before or after your scenes?"

Kurt: "If I could, I'd have some oregano during my scenes."

He's meticulous at picking up every flake of green oregano and placing it in his wooden box.

Luke: "It looks like grass. An ignorant person could think that."

Kurt: "It is foliage. It is part of the grass family."

I'm mystified when Mr. Lockwood dumps some oregano into what looks like a cigarette. There's no accounting for taste.

I notice a hole about the size of a cigarette in Mr. Lockwood's wooden utensil.

Crew member: "There's pot smoking going on in Southern California? What?"

Kurt: "Contrary to rumor, pot smoking does not lead to wife beating. It leads to falling asleep in front of the television with a bag of chips."

Lockwood grinds his cigarette into Mr. Lockwood's little box like he does his penis in a vagina.

Kurt: "I'm sorry. I have the love of my life, Penthouse Pet Ava Vincent calling."

I answer the phone. Ava is shocked.

Kurt says he's using a special hybrid of oregano flakes and parsley flakes for his stomach ailment.

Anthony Hardwood speaks five different languages.

Luke: "Does that include porn?"

Anthony: "F--- my ass."

Kurt: "What part are you playing?"

Kurt says I have the echo-terrorist look - all black. I have a black t-shirt, black shorts, black socks and black Klondike Klodhoppers.

Duke Hunter teases me for wearing black socks.

Luke: "You should see what people said to me when I wore white socks with this outfit."

Kurt bangs his cigarette against his lighter. There's a metallic ring. I ask to see the cigarette. It's not a real cigarette. It just looks like one. It's metallic. It could be used to smoking pot while you're driving without looking suspicious to the police.

A bail bondsman complains Tony Eveready burned him on $50,000 bail he posted when Tony was sent to jail for a charge of beating Michelle Raven.

I meet Kianna (not Kianna Bradley). She's round and curvy with big breasts. She asks, "Are you the good [DUC] or the bad [DUC]?"

I'm not sure myself.

In porn almost three years, she's done over 100 movies.

I chat with Christo Giovanni, who just directed his first movie (VCA). It was couples-oriented wall-to-wall (what old timers called loops).

Luke: "How did you make it women-friendly?"

Christo: "More romance and foreplay. More build-up. Instead of shooting from the guy's point of view, you shoot from the girl's point of view. We didn't use dialogue except ad-libbed. It's wall-to-wall."

I meet Angelo. He dresses in white, wears a facial mask, and plays Shay Sights husband. It's his first porn movie.