7/6/05
Chlamydia Epidemic Sweeps Industry
Defiance Films had a hard time finding talent for their shoot today because about half of the porn women in LA that the producer wants to employ and a lot of the men are out because of such STDs as Chlamydia and Gonorrhea. It usually takes four-to-six days to return the performers to playing shape.
On The Set Of Defiance Films' Penetration Nation
L-R: Kelly Erikson, Lauren Phoenix, Nichole, Nikki Nieveve Kelly, Lauren, Nichole, Nikki Kelly, Lauren, Nichole, Nikki Kelly Erikson Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Anthony Simone Kelly Kelly Kelly Kelly Dillan Lauren Dillan Lauren Dillan Lauren Dillan Dillan Dillan Tony T Dillan Dillan Dillan Dillan Dillan Kelly Kelly Kelly Dillan
I arrive at 9:50am. I hear voices but can't see anyone.
Finally, I find the grip. He says the bosses are outside.
There are three guys, one in his thirties and two in their twenties. I go up to them. The head guy raises his hand and says, "Give me a minute."
Rebuffed, I wander to the side of the house and see Lauren Phoenix locked in an intense conversation with the make-up artist.
I hear voices upstairs and go up there and wander the hallways. There's a real family living and working up there. I don't belong.
A little after 10am, a familiar face arrives -- Kelly Erikson.
It turns out that Lauren's test is a day old and she has to leave. She'll return Thursday.
Kelly calls Derek at LADirectModels for talent. Is Sophie Dee available? Does she do DP. No, I don't want [another name].
Four of the five girls Defiance wanted have chlamydia or the clap.
Nikki Nieveve is managed by Lauren Phoenix. Nikki tells me she's done 13 scenes, most of them anal.
Defiance must have a big investor behind it because the catering is superb. I had six chocolate chip cookies today, three granola bars, two almond-chocolates and five bottles of water. And I left before lunch.
XXX writes: "I'll tell Keith O'Connor to prepare an organic veggie entree next time for you."
That's the spirit. I like Mexican food with lots of cheese, guacamole, beans (without lard), sour cream, salad and no meat.
I was on-set for four hours but I didn't get to see Kelly Erikson do any directing. Maybe tomorrow.
I'm sure Steven Spielberg's first time wasn't all wine and roses either.
A tiny brown dog wanders around the house. She might be pressed into service if we can't find some human talent.
I ask Kelly to pose by a black lighting pole. She grips it and smiles.
When she walks away, her hands and arms are covered in a black smudge.
I ask Kelly what her directing vision is. "To get started and film the movie," she replies.
The producers call AIM and put the rush on to get a test result back (on Katsumi?).
An assistant says: "Anthony Hardwood will be available in the evening."
Cameraman: "Don't say evening. Once I pick up the camera, you're going to see sparks fly."
I meet male talent Tony T. He started in porn at age 18 in New York (year 2000).
Male talent Sergio (from Peru) refuses me permission to take his picture. He's not feeling attractive.
While I'm on set, there's a guy waiting four hours for Defiance partner Keith O'Connor to show up. Keith doesn't arrive.
Defiance starts shooting their scenes at 2pm and finishes three of them by 7pm.
Day Two On Set Of Defiance Films' Penetration Nation
Lauren Phoenix Gene Ross, Lauren Phoenix Lauren Phoenix Lauren Phoenix Lauren Phoenix Lauren Phoenix Lauren Lauren Lauren Lauren Lauren Lauren Lauren Lauren Lauren Lauren Lauren Gene Ross, Lauren Phoenix Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Kelly Erikson Kelly Erikson Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor in her new SUV Taylor Taylor Taylor Jenna Haze Jenna Haze Jenna Haze Jenna Haze Jenna Haze Jenna Haze Jenna Haze Jenna Haze Kelly Erikson Lauren Jenna Haze Bobbie Blair, Jenna Haze Bobbi, Jenna Haze Gene Ross reports
Everybody (that means you, Kelly Erikson) makes fun of my photography but I think those early photos (such as this and this) of Lauren Phoenix are gorgeous. I worked for years (after highschool) in landscaping. I love beautiful women next to beautiful flowers.
That doesn't make me gay.
Kelly is nice. She says I have a lousy camera. The truth is I have a Nikon D100, a good camera. I just have a bad cameraman.
Kelly says that is one of the ways I drive traffic to my website. I distort people's pictures. Then people can't stop looking. "That's Kelly Erikson? She's got Downs Syndrome."
Mike South writes: "Invest in a circular polarizing filter before you shot outdoors again...oh and figure out how to use it."
I've had my ISO setting on 400 since Erotica LA when Morbid Thoughts adjusted it. Maybe I should turn it down when I shoot outside. Next time.
Jenna Haze bounces in. She says she loves the house. That it's much better than JKP sets.
Jenna Haze says that since she quit Jill Kelly Productions, she's developed a stack an inch thick of requests to shoot. She only wants to work once or twice a week. "Do less for more money," she says.
She might do scenes with her cameraman boyfriend Matt.
Jenna bounces around. She says she's in a really good mood. She prescribes pot to those who are not as chipper.
I sit in the shade by the pool with Kelly, Gene Ross and a couple of pot smokers. Kelly doesn't like the smell of marijuana. (Neither do I.) She quit using five years ago.
Lauren Phoenix picks up the phone. "Hi mom."
Lauren doesn't go into detail about her work. Her mom hates it that Lauren does porn. Mom is coming down to visit Lauren Friday.
Lauren says that in the past five months she's helped about five girls go clean from drugs. The Mother Theresa of porn.
I can't believe this girl does porn. She's 26 and as fresh as a daisy.
"I wouldn't say that all drugs are bad," says Lauren.
"What's your position on drugs?" I ask.
"If God made it, it's ok," she says as she carefully prepares her bong with a cotton swab.
Did God make crystal meth?
"No."
Heroin?
"No."
But God made the good herb.
Lauren says she's been in a relationship for five years. She doesn't even charge the guy for sex. It must be true love.
"I was a music student," says Lauren. "I had to audition to go to my highschool [in Toronto]. I was a voice major at university for two years and f---ed it up and got kicked out. I partied too much. I flunked every class but one, which I got an A in.
"I lost my virginity at 15. It was only once and it was horrible. I didn't know if I had quite lost my flower. I'd never sucked dick or finger-f---ed or did anything.
"I was like, go get some condoms at the store. We're going to f--- right now. That was it.
"I was like, holy crap. I did that so bad, the motherf----- [who was her boyfriend then] didn't want to f--- me ever again after that. And I tried, to my dismay, I was turned down. I scared him off. He went out with my best friend. I was pretty crushed.
"He wouldn't even let me blow him. I was like, dude, I need practice. I knew what was up but he wasn't willing to comply.
"I waited a year before having sex again."
Duke: "When you were a kid, what did you want to do with your life?"
Lauren: "I wanted to be a marine biologist, opera singer, teacher, Peace Corp, travel."
Jenna Haze, who's posing for stills, says: "Wouldn't it be great if my head turned all the way around?"
Lauren: "Yep. I would praise God."
Duke: "What are your ambitions?"
Lauren: "To direct porn. To help people."
Lauren often recommends various natural remedies to whoever crosses her path.
Duke: "Does your boyfriend like that you are a porn star?"
Lauren: "Of course not. He doesn't like it. That's why I'm trying to do other things."
Phoenix won Female Performer of the Year at the AVN Awards in January 2005. "It's not something I would cry about or tell my parents about or thank them or God. I ask God's forgiveness every day."
Duke: "Has God ever spoken to you?"
Lauren: "No. I just look at the world and all the beauty and that's proof enough for me. I believe in nature gods and Buddha and stuff like that. I'm not a Christian freak."
Taylor Rain Interview
Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor Rain Taylor in her new SUV Taylor Taylor Taylor
Thursday. 11:30am. Sitting outside in the shade with Gene Ross and Taylor Rain.
Taylor's shakey on her feet. She threw up this morning. She bought two cars (souped-up Ford F150 and a Mercedes) this week because she'd started her period.
Taylor (she turns 24 August 16) says her new SUV had $40,000 worth of stuff done to it. It was previously owned by a Crip in Long Beach. Now he's serving 25 years to life.
"It's a show car. It's a car on hydraulics."
Gene: "It's a truck on steroids."
Later she shows me how one can move it up and down a few inches off the ground.
Duke: "Do you need that kind of high-performance vehicle to get around to different sets?"
Taylor: "No. I actually don't. But it's a fun car. I have a car for my dog because my car [Mercedes] has a suede interior.
"I just bought a house last Thursday. I have three-quarters of an acre in West Hills. I needed a bigger backyard for my dog (a pitbull named Brandy). He's the best. He had a $3,500 surgery on Nantucket Island. I was with Scott Fayner. My dog almost died twice on the island. He was only nine weeks old.
"There was a bet when I got my dog at seven weeks old how long my dog would die. Yeah, three weeks to four weeks. Sure enough, it was two weeks until my dog started dying.
"This was a year ago."
Taylor Rain was married to Scott Fayner for almost four months (in early 2004). Then the marriage was annulled.
Duke: "Were you guys under the influence of anything when you got married?"
Taylor: "Oh yeah. Lots of them. I can't do that. When we weren't good together.
"I lived upstairs from Scott for about a year."
Duke: "Trent Tesoro lived next door to Scott."
Taylor: "I used to have his place."
Duke: "Did you hear about the time Trent got high and locked himself in the refrigerator?"
Taylor: "I was there. I was the one who opened the door. 'What are you doing?' He was all f---ed up on drugs. He was all dumb. He was only there for a couple of minutes. He was just trying to show off. Then he tried to hang himself in the closet. He's nuts.
"Katie Captive almost overdosed twice [at Trent's place]. I had a friend who overdosed on pills at place and I wasn't even there. Great. They called 9-1-1. The [paramedics] said, there are a lot of drug addicts in this house.
"I moved away and got a house in the Valley. I got away from Hollywood and Studio City. It's just me and my dog now. Everything's been great since I've been away [from where Scott lives].
"I got kicked out [of the apartment building where she lived next to Scott Fayner]. There was feces and high male traffic throughout my house. All eleven other tenants were like, we want her out of here. They thought prostitution was going down, which never happened."
Duke: "Where did the feces come from?"
Taylor: "I would unlock the door and Brandy would be scratching at the door at 8am. He's only seven weeks old. He would go downstairs and take a crap on the sidewalk rather than jumping over to where the grass was at. He couldn't jump because he was so small. It was understandable. I needed a yard. So I moved out.
"Scott's not a good person to live next to. He parties like a rock star. We're still good friends. We go to the dog park together. We barbeque together. I only hang out with him during the day time because at night he's doing drugs.
"Should I be saying all this?"
Duke: "He says the same thing."
Taylor: "Ok. Cool. I'm being too honest right now. It's because I'm on my rag. All girls are more open when they're on their rag."
Duke: "You've been spending a lot of money."
Taylor: "I didn't put any money down on these cars. I owe them in 45 days $4,000 and in another 45 days, another $4,000. Then I [put down] $10,000 for the house."
Taylor talks about her dirtbikes. "I have lots of toys. You've got to keep busy and do stuff. The only thing that makes me happy is toys. I'm still a kid at heart."
Duke: "How did you meet Scott Fayner?"
Taylor: "Two years ago at Erotica LA. I was hanging out with these guys who call themselves the hippies. We're smoking so much herb. Whatever. That's when I was going out with Trent Tesoro. I told him to come over. He said he was with his friend Scott Fayner. I said, who is he? Trent said, that's the guy from l-keford.
"I'm like, I don't like that guy. Good. Bring him over.
"As soon as I saw him, I socked him in the arm. He weighs 130. I knocked him across the room. I said, I don't like you. You're the guy from l-keford[.com]."
Duke: "Why didn't you like him?"
Taylor: "He wrote something stupid about me. I can't recall. Like he didn't know who I was.
"Trent was in love with me for four months. I was married [a civilian, before Scott Fayner]. After I was married, I bought a brand new car off the lot with zero miles. That was another bad thing. I bought a 2003 Ford Thunderbird. All black. I partied with Trent. And then with Scott Fayner. Then I was like, I can't hang with these rock stars anymore.
"I've had a couple of civilians since then."
Duke: "Did you have a good time with Trent?"
Taylor: "We had some crazy times. I don't regret going out with him. We didn't spend one time away from each other. It was weird. The relationship was not going to work out. Nobody can be with anyone 24/7."
Taylor says she prefers to date outside of the industry. "They're much more sane. My boyfriend now works for the mainstream side. He does commercials and music videos. He's like a PA. He does bitch work."
Duke: "I bet he doesn't make as much money as you do."
Taylor: "Yeah. He's been doing it for like two years. It's about how many hours you've put in. It's 600 hours before you even get a raise. He makes a couple of hundred bucks a day.
"We grow plenty.... I'm allowed to. That's the main point of the house. We've got a perfect third bedroom."
Duke: "What benefits does weed convey?"
Taylor: "You're more mellow. I enjoy food a lot better on pot. Everything's great on pot. I couldn't go a day without pot. I have though. I did in Florida. It sucked."
Duke: "When do you do your first?"
Taylor: "Wake and bake. I've got a pipe on the side of the bed."
She giggles and repeats: "Wake and bake. An eighth a day. Three point five grams.
"Do you want to smell it?"
Duke: "Yeah. It's not going to make me high?"
Taylor: "No. You'll smell and you'll be like whoa."
I smell it. "Whoa."
Taylor: "Yeah. This is what I.... It smells like dogs---, right?
"I smoke a lot but I buy in large quantities. It's not expensive."
A girl says: "I grow. On dry months, like right now, we won't have anything for two-and-a-half months."
Duke: "What's the difference between having sex when you're high and not high?"
Taylor: "I've never had sex not high. Maybe once or twice I've been sober. I have to be sober to do dialogue.
"I smoke half-a-pack of cigarettes a day. If I'm on set, a-pack-a-day."
Duke: "When did you get into the industry?"
Taylor: "Right after 9/11."
Duke: "Is that related?"
Taylor: "Yeah. I was going to be a flight attendant for Delta Airlines. I went to school for it. I got an AA. I went into school on 9/11. I thought, should I go to school? Yeah, I've got to say what-up to my teacher, because she used to be a flight attendant.
"She was not in good shape. Class was ended. I finished my school. Within two or three weeks [with no flight attendant jobs opening up], I decided to get into porn. I wanted a decent job. That would've only made me 40 Gs and I thought that would've been fine.
"But I did this and now I'm stuck, but I like it.
"[Before porn], I stopped smoking weed for eight months. I actually got pregnant. I got an abortion while going to school [within a few months before entering porn]. My husband and I were so fertile from not smoking weed."
Duke: "When you were a kid, what did you want to be when you grew up?"
Taylor: "I wanted to go to an important college. My dad's side of the family is all lawyers and doctors. Dad owns his own machine shop. My aunt Maria owns a couple of shops. It was more like, get smart like they were. That's all I knew. I did go to college but not to an important college. But I always went to school no matter what. I really didn't know what I wanted to be, I guess. Something in business and owning something of my own."
Taylor shows off one of her bongs. It says "Taylor Motherf------ Rains."
Jenna Haze: "That's awesome."
Taylor shows off the underside of her lower lip. It has "TMFR" tattooed on it.
Taylor takes my recorder: "I want to smoke a fat bowl into this, take a whiff and then cough."
The still photographer: "Gene Ross. You have a website too?"
I laugh.
Photographer: "I've heard the name a million times."
Taylor lights up her bong and breathes onto my recorder and giggles. "Your recorder just got high."
Photog: "Where have I heard Gene Ross before? Where was that at?"
Here's an etiquette tip. Unless you are trying to insult, don't say to someone, "I don't know who you are." It makes for an awkward moment and doesn't encourage the person to talk to you (and if you don't want to talk to the person, why are you asking him questions?).
I remember when a researcher from Nightline called me and asked: "Who exactly are you?"
I always try to spend a minute or two with Google before I interview someone or ask for their assistance.
Phil Donahue said in his autobiography that the most frequent awkward situation that he ran into was when people told him, "I don't know who you are."
It's no sin to not have heard of a public figure or to not be able to place him. It happens to me all the time. But there are better and worse ways of expressing one's confusion.
So what is Gene Ross supposed to say in these situations? Well, in this case he said: "I've been in the business for about 20 years."
Taylor: "I hate it when the stupid Orientals paint flowers on your toes. I told her five times, no flowers. Finally, I said, ok, you convinced me. Put stupid flowers on my toes."
"I ate $150 worth of sushi last night. I yakked it up this morning. My dog ate it up."
A producer complains: "Porn chicks only have to bring two things with them to set: A test and a good attitude. If you do that, you get paid a lot of money."
I talk to Kelly Erikson, who's directing her first movie.
Duke: "What have you learned about directing?"
Kelly: "That they're long days. That they never go smoothly. The first day [July 6] was the most horrific mess I could've walked into. No matter how much you plan..."
Kelly says guys have a harder time taking directions from a woman.
Duke: "How did you react to that?"
Kelly: "I didn't. I continued to tell them what to do. If they didn't listen, I talked louder. I don't scream very often."
Duke: "That's not what Tony [Simone, her boyfriend] says."
Kelly: "That's private life. That doesn't count."
Lauren Phoenix goes off on a rant about herself for not showing up yesterday with a valid HIV test (it was a day late). She pretends that she's AIM answering the phone about Lauren: "Don't use her! She's a dirty whore!"
I ask Kelly if Jenna Haze looks like a 13 or 14-year old girl. Kelly says more like 15.
Lauren describes a hot-looking Marine who repeatedly hit on her at the gym. While she appreciated his efforts towards keeping the world safe, she "doesn't give it away for free."
Phoenix says she's never been with more than six guys at once. That's it.
Lauren prescribes herbal remedies for all sorts of ailments. She spreads on fish oil when she works out because it supposedly helps get rid of fat. She has a protein drink in her purse. "Thirty five grams," she says. "Only two grams of sugar."
Duke: "Are you a frustrated doctor?"
Lauren: "No. I just like helping people. People in California think this is the most absurd thing ever because people here just look out for themselves. But in Canada, we look out for each other."
Duke: "Did you get into the porn industry so you could help people?"
Lauren laughs: "No. Maybe a little. I just wanted to do a fun job where I could meet people and travel and... Please don't take photographs of me with this. Evidence."
It seems like every other girl I meet in porn claims to have a medical marijuana license.
Lauren Phoenix On Dov Charney and American Apparel
Gene Ross, Lauren and I speak Thursday on set with Defiance Films.
Lauren, 26, says she never dated Dov. "He was a fan of mine. He loved my personality. He'd see it in BTS (Behind The Scenes footage) or just my character Lauren Phoenix. I'm pretty much myself 100% of the time. I'm not putting on any act. He just liked my no-holds-barred f----like-wild go-in-there-and-have-a-good-time and do crazy and enthusiastic scenes. He just really appreciated that.
"BTS is only where fans can see my true personality unless it's at conventions but my time there is always limited."
Lauren entered porn just over two years ago. "I was a dancer for about three-and-a-half years (in Canada (she grew up in Toronto) as well as Las Vegas and England). I've done most of my scenes (about 200) here in California.
"In England, they're not big tippers, but the money there is good. I danced in Stringfellows in London. Everybody everywhere likes strippers. Age plays more of a difference in the reaction to strippers than the place. Older men are gentlemen. They're more interested in having company and discussing things. They really want to get to know you. I love that. I learn a lot about people. That's one thing that made me want to get into porn so that I could learn about different people and meet different people. I've always been a big traveler. When I was a stripper, they all came to me, so I could learn about a lot of different places without going there.
"In Canada, I had to break a lot of balls. They're crazy over there."
I meet her on the Defiance Films set Thursday. Her test is a day old, so she can't work. I talk to her just before she leaves.
Paola was born and raised in Rio de Janeiro, Brazil. She's been here in America and in porn for ten months. A friend introduced her to her first agent, Derek at LADirectModels.com. "After my first scene, I got addicted to it and now I can't stop. I'm a very affectionate person."
Duke: "What are your ambitions?"
Paola: "I never thought about it. I live for the moment and think about having a great time.
"Probably go back to Brazil and invest in real estate but never be away from porn. I want to be 40 years old and still able to do scenes.
"The [Rio] carnival. It brings tears to my eyes. It's like a piece of me."
Paola says she has a college degree in linguistics. "I teach Portugese and Brazilian literature there.
"As a child, I wanted to become a judge because my mom, later in life, became a lawyer."
How have the new 2257 regulations affected you?
She gets a stricken look on her face. "Ohmigod, for me that was, I don't even have words to describe, but it was really bad. It was really devastating. For a long time, I was shooting and doing what I wanted to do."
Dillan Lauren Dillan Lauren Dillan Dillan Dillan Tony T Dillan Dillan Dillan Dillan Dillan Dillan
Wednesday afternoon, July 6. Dillan says she's appeared in 100 films in her two years in porn (she got in through Brittany Star's husband).
Duke: "What do you love and hate about working in porn?"
Dillan: "Good money. Good job freedom. You can do what you want with the rest of your life. It's pretty easy."
Dillan, who stands 5'8" and measures 36C-27-38, was a stripper in Las Vegas for a couple of years. She spent 1999-2001 sailing around the world.
She left home at 15 (didn't see her parents for another five years, then they all became friends) and graduated highschool (after getting in a lot of fights) at 16.
Duke: "When you were a little girl, what did you want to be when you grew up?"
Dillan: "A teacher or an actress. Not to do porn."
Duke: "What were you expected to become?"
Dillan: "To have kids and get married."
Dillan listens through a cell phone as she is told that one of her scene partners, Sergio, tested negative.
Dillan: "Why can't he just bring his test to the set?"
Dillan says her parents are fine with her working in porn. "My mom went out and bought my Hustler."
Duke: "What if you worked with a black guy? Would that bother them?"
Dillan: "No comment. That's a stupid question.
"I'm Spanish and Italian. I don't specifically tell my parents about any guy I f--- on film."
Dillan says she's bisexual but she wants to marry a guy.
"I was going to college for dental hygiene for a while so I'll probably finish up that."
She says she goes to a hookah lounge on Ventura Blvd in Encino to smoke fruit-flavored tobacco.
The second scene of the day stars Saana of LADirectModels.com.
