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In Search of Superior Sluts
interview by Jim "How Can You Employ Him?" Goad
Friday, May 2, 2003
Anthony Petkovich loves pornography. He is also respectful toward the
industry that churns out porn like a giant rusty meat grinder spewing
so much head cheese. He is literate, has an amiable writing style, and
seems like a generally agreeable bloke.
I can't make any sense of it.
Petkovich is a regular contributor to The Spectator, which for two decades
has served as a weekly trade sheet for the Bay Area's sex industry. Despite
the unfortunate homepage (www.spectator.net)
proclamation encouraging people to "celebrate human sexuality in all its
diversity," and forgiving the fact that such acid-washed sentiments tend
to proliferate throughout its pages, The Spectator is that rarest of porn
publications, one where the writers actually give some thought to what
they're saying and even attempt to spaghetti-wrestle with an odd idea
here and there.
Petkovich is also the author of The X Factory: Inside the American Hardcore
Film Industry (Critical Vision Books, 1997), now in its third printing.
He has also completed a follow-up volume which, unsurprisingly, is called
X Factory 2. "Now the record is put straight by the people who are a part
of that industry today," bellows the ad blurb on the back cover of the
first volume. I'm not sure that the book provides any deep insight into
the industry's psychological machinations-nor whether the industry possesses
sufficient depth to house any such insight-but I must admit to being mildly
unsettled to read one porn-starlet Q&A after the next and realize that
they're not all the meth-pipe-sucking dysfunction gluttons I presumed
they were. Some of them even veered on seeming human.
I was able to interrupt Petkovich's primary activity-namely, hunting down
female porn stars and saying worshipful things to them-long enough to
lob a few questions at him.
J: One of The X Factory's advertising blurbs states that "It's
always better when someone inside X writes about the industry," implying
that you work inside the sex industry. Is this accurate? Do you consider
yourself a sex worker?
A: I didn't write that "insider" blurb sh-t. Either the book's
publisher David Kerekes or some Critical Vision publicist came up with
that one. I cover various parts of the porn industry in L.A. so, I don't
know, does that make me an "insider" to the scene? I suppose so. But the
folks who are obviously closest to that particular world are the performers
and directors themselves - and that's why I interview them. Also, I live
in northern California, so, geographically speaking, I'm far more distant
than, say, someone covering the smut world who lives in the heart of the
Valley.
As to whether or not I'm a "sex worker". You know, to me that's one of
those politically correct terms which must have been invented by some
Bay Area-based feminist cunt who was a whore/prostitute/hooker and simply
couldn't accept the fact that she sucked cock for a living. So - bingo!
- she came up with this more clinical, 'professional,' and 'intellectual'
term, "sex worker." Fine. I mean, people are going to call you what they
wanna call you. Affix the label after your name that they think is appropriate.
It's all just a stupid f-cking game of vocabulary, anyhow. Basically,
I'm a journalist whose beat, so to speak, is the American porn industry.
You could also call me a porn pundit, smut scribe, or just a plain ol'
pornographer.
J: Here's a question you once posed to a porn star, which I'm now
throwing back at you: "What about your first sexual experience?"
A: My first sexual experience was dynamite. It was back in 1978
at a whorehouse in Berkeley, and for $30 bucks I got myself 30 minutes
with this wonderful blonde slut named Pam, who had the most luscious body.
I wish the experience had lasted longer. I mean, I was 17 years old and
very horny, very excited. I think the sex itself lasted a grand total
of five minutes. I got much better at boning the ladies after that f-cking
more hookers at the same establishment, and getting more sex for my money.
I miss that place. By the way, all that whorehouse f-cking was done without
condoms. Ahhhh, those were the days. I forget the name of that place...it
was right off Shattuck, just around the corner from University Avenue.
It also had a superb choice of female flesh. Women of all races, Asian,
black, Hispanic, white, you name it. Wonderful place.
J: What was your first exposure to pornography?
A: My father was a barber and he had a subscription to Playboy,
which was sent to our house each month - in a very nondescript brown wrapper.
The day after the Playboy arrived, the old man would take the copy down
to his shop for his customers to read. But since I got home from school
before my dad got home from work, I'd sneak the magazines into the bathroom
and whack off to Hef's lovely ladies. This was during the early to mid
'70s, when I think that magazine had some of its most delicious models.
Anyhow, that was my first exposure to published porn.
As far as the movies go, the first smut film I saw was The Opening Of
Misty Beethoven, and I saw it during the Spring of '79 on a college campus
with a group of students - some girls, some guys - from my dorm. It's
got some great f-ck scenes, pretty good acting, elaborate sets, and a
fine story, taking its main plot from Shaw's "Pygmalion." All this introduction-to-smut-movie
stuff is actually discussed in the intro to X Factory. Take a peek. Actually,
Misty Beethoven is still one of my favorite porn movies. I'm sure some
of my affection has a lot to do with nostalgia, but if you compare Misty
to a lot of the crap coming out today, it still holds up quite well. Dated,
yes, but, of course, that's also part of the film's charm.
J: In The X Factory, you write, "The question, therefore, really
isn't what porn is, but what does porn mean to you." OK, then, that's
the question: What does porn mean to you?
A: I suppose an even better question would be, 'What does GOOD
porn mean to you?' "The nastier, the better" is the best answer I can
give. It doesn't have to be filmed as if David Lean was directing the
thing. Indeed, some of the best porn I've ever seen has been amateur material,
shot in trashed-out warehouses or sleazy hotel rooms. But as long as I
can pretty much see what the hell is going on, and the women appear to
be sincerely INTO the sex. Well, that's usually what I consider good trash.
It's always marvelous to see a beautiful young woman getting sexually
outrageous on film, going totally bonkers before the camera. Taking that
opinion further, a porn starlet who really makes her scene "good" doesn't,
in my estimation, necessarily have to be a drop-dead gorgeous, 1980's
version of Ginger Lynn, either. Many good female-f-cks on film are simply
attributed to attitude - they love getting their cunts and/or crappers
pounded and that love really shows through on film. So, while some of
my favorite girls are gorgeous, others aren't. But, nonetheless, each
one is a totally nasty slut who puts her all into her work. Whores with
integrity. Over the years, my faves have included: Patti Petite, Amber
Lynn, Tanya Foxx, Casi Nova, Friday, Brooke Ashley, Mai Lin, Leanni Lei,
Jade Marcella, Misty Mendez, Amee Donavan, Sabrine Maui, and Anisa. Some
of these ladies are, in fact, in X Factory 2, there's a shameless plug
for ya.
J: You keep mentioning "the Golden Age" of cinematic pornography.
What defines this age, both chronologically and stylistically? What era
succeeded it, and why wasn't it golden anymore? And what age are we in
now?
A:You should probably read the introduction to The X Factory a
bit more closely; that information is in there. But I'll help you out:
I state that the Golden Age begins with Devil In Miss Jones and Deep Throat
in the early '70s and pretty much ends with the advent of video-taped
porn in the mid '80s. Some of these Golden Age movies were, in fact, golden
turkeys - just badly shot loops. On the other hand, many Golden Age features
also had plot and imaginationsome good examples are Ultra Sex, Neon Nights,
Blue Magic, Café Flesh, and, of course, the seminal Devil In Miss Jones.
The "Golden Age" is not a term that I developed. I guess a more appropriate
title would be "Classical Age Of Porn" because, to me, we're smack in
the middle of the Golden Age right now. You've got just about every perverted
act you can imagine in porn these days: gangbangs, anal sex, double penetrations,
ass-eating, ass-to-mouth, pissing, cum-swallowing, cream pies. The movies
today, however, which make any attempt - usually a half-assed one - at
having a plot aren't really that grandalthough I find the more comical
work by the directing/writing team of Jerome Tanner and Nelson X quite
amusing. However, I'd really like to see more fictionalized rape in American
porn. There seemed to be much more of that dramatic sh-t back in hardcore
movies from the '70s, and I do miss it. But, still, producers like Jeff
Steward of J.M. Productions are taking a chance with the whole rape genre.
A perfect example is his Perverted Stories 35, in which there's an all-out
fictionalized rape sequence with Melanie Jagger and three dudes playing
hillbillies. And, no, she does not wind up enjoying the rape at any point
in the sex scene, which, of course, makes it all the more realistic and
palatable from a dramatic perspective. Also - here comes another shameless
plug - I was recently involved in the coordination of a fictionalized
rape-by-chloroform movie - I only did the still photography and helped
find the female star, who was the exotic-looking Alaura Eden. But the
guy who directed it, "Count Nicholas," was definitely influenced by rape
movies from the '70s, as well as a surfeit of Japanese rape movies and,
as a lot of us who follow this genre know, the Japanese are really putting
out the best, most creative, over-the-top material there is in this area.
Anyhow, anyone wants to check out the Count's fictionalized "sleeping
beauty" movie, called Babe In Dreamland, can send $35 dollars (check or
money order made payable to "E.B.P.") to 904 Irving Street, P.M.B. 255,
San Francisco, CA. 94122. Thanks in advance from the Count.
J: Until reading your book, I had never heard the term "DP' used
to describe a double penetration, and to my recollection, I'd never seen
the act performed in my life, either in the flesh or on video. Yet you
seem obsessed with DPs. You even write that your first exposure to a DP,
from The Devil in Miss Jones, changed your life. Why?
A: I think the word "obsessed" is a little strong but sure, why
not? Okay, I'm obsessed with double penetrations. Or you could simply
say that I really like 'em a lot. These days, in fact, I prefer gangbangs
because they show sex-crazed women in the totally whorish light in which
they seem to love being perceived. And if a gangbang has some double penetrations
in it, all the better.
So you've never seen a DP before, eh? Maybe you should check one out.
Who knows? It might change your life, too.
J: Do you think female porn stars fit a general psychological profile?
How about the males?
A:Very good question. One of the most important questions in my
interviews is always, "Why are you doing porn?" Sometimes I get fairly
provocative answers, other times not. It depends on how far the woman
is willing to delve into her own past and her own psyche. It also depends
on her mood at the time. Additionally, if her boyfriend or manager is
present, she might talk less expansively. I usually find, however, that
being a stranger to most of these girls is a plus, because they have no
history with you. It's like you're either a priest or a psychiatrist in
their eyes; a person to whom they can openly confess their feelings about
porn and a whole lot of other sh-t.
In terms of a porn woman's general psychological profile, I mean, they
don't usually come out and tell you, "Yes! I was molested when I was a
kid!" It's obviously a pretty delicate matter. As a result, you have to
read between the lines. Many of the women I've interviewed come from dysfunctional
families. Sometimes the women express an extraordinary amount of loathing
towards their fathers or stepfathers, while other times they express an
extreme amount of affection towards them. Were they molested by these
parental entities? They don't usually come out and say it that simply.
But, for some of these girls at least, porn may perhaps be a way for them
to work something out in their minds, concerning an early act of forced
sex. Starring in hardcore movies is perhaps a way for them to somehow
come to terms with it. Complicated stuff, obviously. Some girls - not
too many - are willing to talk about it, others do it off the record and
some just don't wanna go there.
Other porn starlets are simply, or also, attention freaks. They want people
to notice them 24/7. They don't care if 20 guys are f-cking the living
sh-t out of them for eight hours straight as long as they're the center
of attention, that's all that matters. This trait perhaps comes from the
girls being neglected in one way or another as kidsnot receiving enough
love so they look for that affection in areas of lust. Ultimately it takes
a different kind of woman to do porn. They're not as simplistic as some
folks would have us think. Again, very complicated psychological stuff.
In terms of a typical psychological profile for male porn stars, hey,
most guys just wanna get their dicks wet. Simple as that. And to get paid
to get laid seems like a dream come true for most gents. But it does also
take a special kind of guy to do it in front of the camera. I'm pretty
private about my own sex life. I can't f-ck a woman it in front of an
audience. I'm not an exhibitionist in that sense; and I think a lot of
guys out there can relate to that particular state of mind. That's why
they rent porn: These women and men who call themselves porn stars are
the true professional sexual exhibitionists. But I really don't know what
makes a guy want to f-ck in front of a large crew of people. Is he trying
to show that he's more masculine than he thinks the world is willing to
give credit for being? Is he a porn star because he couldn't get laid
any other way? Is he trying to cover up his own homosexuality? Or is it
merely a way to make a fast buck? - even though the men are paid considerably
less than the women in porn talk about your sexism, eh? But, again, women
are the true stars of these movies. The guys - at least, the hetero guys
out there - usually rent porn to see the chicks, not the dicks.
J: How come no interviews with male actors? You interview a few
actors-turned-directors, nearly two dozen female porn stars, but none
of the male "talent." Why? Do you really think the girls are more articulate?
Or did you just want to meet them?
A: I actually do interview guys in my first book. Look at the Jasmine
St. Claire gangbang at the end of Volume 1. I speak with a bunch of, mostly
amateur, guys. And, over the years, I've interviewed a lot of male stars
for various articles and columns. But, what can I say, I simply prefer
putting more women in a book like The X Factory because they simply interest
me more. Yeah, they turn me on. Absolutely. But, like a lot of guys out
there, I've been reading, buying, and renting enough porn in my life to
know what a good smut product is and it's not a book loaded with naked
dudes talking about all the women they've f-cked for bucks. In the second
book, though, I do talk to more porn guys who've turned to directing and
porn directors who are still f-cking in front of the camera guys like
Max Hardcore and Tom Byron. Hell, why not kill two birds with one stone?
Besides, the directors have a more interesting perspective on porn than
the studs do, anyway.
As to whether I think the girls are more articulate than the men - well,
some are and some aren't. Am I doing it just to meet the girls? I speak
with porn girls because I think they'd be interesting interviewees. I
like their movies, their scenes, their energy, and, yes, most usually
their looks. Sure, many guys want to f-ck these women. That's a given.
My main point in meeting them is to get a good story, either in straightforward
prose form or in the Q&A format. Keep in mind that these women are also
pretty smart in their own various ways. Like prostitutes, they can read
people quite well. And they, usually, read me for what I am: a journalist
who wants to find out more about what makes them tick. Of course, I can't
deny that there are some women I've interviewed that I've really wanted
to f-ck, but AFTER the interview was in the can. First work, then play.
J: How do you define evil?
A: I'd have to go with Greg Dark's definition of evil, which is
insincerity. Like most people, I prefer friends - and that obviously includes
girlfriends - whom I can trust and vice versa. How many guys have broken
up with women because the bitches were lying to them? I've had a lot of
great girlfriends. Sincere and trusting girls. But I've had a few rotten
apples, too. Lying cunts. And I haven't been afraid to kick the bitches
outta the house for that same reason. Some guys just can't bring themselves
to do that. Pussy is so precious to them. They think they'll never get
laid again for the rest of their lives. f-ck it there's more pussy where
that came from. And if more guys just put their foot down and more regularly
didn't take the bullsh-t women throw at them, the "fairer sex" would actually
be much fairer; and they'd certainly have more respect for their beaus.
J: Describe what a "porn trekkie" is. Do you consider yourself
one?
A: Did I write that? Porn trekkies, I like that, actually. Hmmm...I
guess I'm referring to guys who ceaselessly collect autographs of porn
stars and Polaroids of the starlets posing with them. If that makes them
happy, fine. They're usually very nice people, and many of those guys
are, in fact, the backbone of the porn industry. In certain terms, I'm
definitely still a porn hound, myself. I mean, even though I get free
porn tapes and DVDs sent to me for review purposes, I still go out to
the cruddy adult bookstores and rent the stuff; you have to do that in
order to stay on top of the market. And, besides, I simply like watching
porn.
J: I'd like you to comment on this quote from your interview with
Gregory Dark: "See, it's all about commerce. And that's the problem."
A:I interviewed Greg Dark on a number of occasions and at a number
of different locales over a two-year period of time, and I think when
he made that comment, he was a bit frustrated by the narrowness of the
whole porn scene. He wanted to express himself in different ways. He resented
women who simply did adult movies to get paid and didn't really enjoy
their work, thus making it harder for him to get a good scene out of them.
And he also resented porn directors and producers who didn't care how
crappy their product was as long as the things turned a profit. Greg went
on to do music videos for rap groups and for, of all people, Britney Spears.
And, hey, good for him. He never looked back. I've heard that now he's
doing something in the more mainstream sci-fi or horror genre. Can't wait
to see what he comes up with I mean, I loved Street Asylum and Dead Man
Walking. Check 'em out if you haven't done so already.
J: Another quote from Gregory Dark: "Basically, the people involved
in porno are, all in all, very untalented and relatively stupid."
A:I think he pretty much explains what he's talking about in the
interview itself: that porn producers and directors, on the whole, aren't
interested in putting out a provocative product. Again, they just want
to do the basics and make their profit. Greg was more experimental in
his movies, in terms of surrealism and satire yet they were very horny
shows, as well. It was an excellent combination.
J: A quote from your interview with female porn star Lennox: "Let's
face it, we can't deny it, this business mentally rips up females. That's
why there's suicide."
A:Lennox was an interesting interviewee because she was so pissed
off. I liked her. A spunky gal. She also looked great and, I thought,
put in good, whack-worthy scenes. I think she was just blowing a lot of
steam off in the interview I did with her. Hell, I'm doing the same thing
in a few of my answers for your interview here. Suicide? I guess she was
probably a little shaken up by the then-recent suicide of Savannah. But
maybe you should simply ask Lennox yourself what she meant if she's still
alive, that is.
J: The X Factory features several photos you took while on the
sets of various porn shoots. Did you get excited taking any of these pictures?
Did you feel like a voyeur snapping these women from behind a lens? If
so, was that a good or a bad feeling?
A:I didn't get overwhelmingly sexually excited, if that's what
you mean. I was working. It's fun to cover these shoots, yes, but it's
still work. Yes, I definitely felt like a voyeur when I shot those pics.
Anyone who watches porn and/or photographs it is absolutely a voyeur.
J: Your book is heavily peppered with outright fawning over female
porn stars. Here's a representative snippet: "Her sweet, maidenlike voice
could even melt the righteous thunderbolts of Zeus himself." To my mind,
that's laying it on a bit thick. Do you see these girls as goddesses in
some way? Do you feel debased relative to them? How do you think they
might feel about all of this?
A: Fawning? Wow! I don't know. Is that what I was doing? Sometimes,
sure, I do lay the flowery prose on a bit thick. But - what can I say?
- now and again I'm in a more poetic mood. As to whether I feel debased
relative to them not at all. I just sometimes increase the male charm,
flatter the ladies because I feel a bit more inspired with certain women
than with others. C'mon, Jim, you think you're the only romantic out there?
J: Here's another one of your questions: "What do you believe are
some of the drawbacks of this industry?"
A:Sometimes you have to deal with flakes - female and male - but
that's typical of many professions. Knock on wood, I've actually had less
difficulties dealing with porn starlets than with mainstream actors whom
I've interviewed. Sometimes the whole porn genre gets a little dull, too.
I mean, how many times can you see a dick ramming a cunt or a butthole?
Let's see more creativity in the industry more pushing of the envelope
in terms of society's taboos like fictionalized rape and violence during
the sex act. Otherwise, how else can you keep shocking an audience that's
seen everything from ass-licking to gangbangs to piss-gargling?
J: You don't seem to like Max Hardcore.
A:Is that a question? I guess what you mean is, DO I dislike Max
Hardcore? I'm a big horror movie aficionado, and when I wrote in my book
that Max would look great as a creepy villain in a Tobe Hooper movie,
I meant it. Max would be perfect as a rural maniac in Texas Chainsaw Massacre
or, Hooper's very underrated, Eaten Alive. Max is an intense guy - that's
putting it mildly. And I like his films because he delivers some of the
most hard-hitting, depraved scenes on the market. In fact, he figures
prominently in X Factory 2: I've got both an interview with him and an
on-the-set piece in there. I've also included lots of photos of the female
"f-ck toys," as he aptly calls them, from his movies. I don't know Max
enough as a person, but I definitely respect him as a pornographer.
J: What do you mean when you say porn star Alex Sanders "slaps
his dick"?
A:I mean precisely what I said: Alex Sanders "slaps his dick."
Instead of slapping a person with open-handed blows left, right, left,
right. He slaps his own prick - he does so, at least, in some of his earlier
scenes. Go figure.
J: In a few instances, you seem to imply that the industry tolerates
rape scenes so long as females are committing the act [as in a shoot you
describe from Buttslammers 6]. To your knowledge, are eroticized pornographic
male-on-female rape scenes illegal, or does the industry shy away from
them merely because they don't want to spend the money to test their legality?
A: No - fictionalized rape sequences are not, to the best of my
knowledge, illegal in America. But many pornographers shy away from such,
relatively speaking, taboo material because distributors shy away from
those same movies. Consequently, if a distributor wants nothing to do
with these videos, then that would obviously mean less money for the pornographers
who make them. I briefly talk with John Leslie about this subject in XF1.
Yet one could further ask: Why does a distributor reject a movie containing
fictionalized rape? Who knows? It may stem from the distributor's own
conservative background, and/or it may be related to his concern about
"community standards" regarding what is and isn't obscene. There are also
feminists out there who vigorously oppose such dramatized depictions of
rape. What's the big deal? It's just a f-cking fantasy. It's not real,
fer crissakes. Many women, in fact, enjoy fantasizing about being raped,
about being overcome by one man and sometimes by many men. So why shouldn't
these same women be able to live vicariously through a make-believe rape
sequence in a porn movie? Just goes to show how socially repressive some
feminists can be as a result of their own repressed sexuality. Also, certain
feminists simply do not want to see men have a good time. They're usually
bitter - frequently ugly - shrews who despise the notion of men getting
off, at very least, on porn be it nasty and/or extreme. We must allllllll
be miserable in their eyes. f-ck that. I'll oppose that kind of cuntiness
to the bitter end.
J: Regarding Jasmin St. Claire's performance in The World's Biggest
Gang Bang 2, you write, "in certain terms, Jasmin was a rape victim."
Doesn't rape involve coercion?
A:It does, indeed. And I believe I wrote that Jasmin was a "rape
victim," so to speak, because she seemed to really hate what she was doing.
I didn't literally mean that she was a rape victim. No one was putting
a gun to her head and making her participate in this gangbang. Jasmin,
in fact, went on to star in many, many porn movies after that event. Some
of them involving rough-sex situations, as was the case with a few of
her shows for Rob Black's Extreme Associates. Yet I found it fascinating
to watch Jasmin in the World's Biggest Gang Bang 2 because she was souncomfortable.
She obviously wanted the publicity, and she wanted to beat the "world's
gangbang record" but, to me, she hated the means by which she had to go
about getting that publicity and breaking that world's record. And while
she was nice to press guys like myself, Jasmin was verbally - and unfairly
- cruel to many of the amateur dudes participating in the event. I was
actually amazed that the rat-faced twat went on to do other porn movies
after that one.
J: What's new for X Factory 2? How has the industry changed since
the first book?
A: Lots of terrific stuff in X Factory 2. Many superior sluts are
interviewed, including Jade Marcella, Inari Vachs, Fujiko Kano, Taylor
St. Claire, Belladonna, Misty Mendez, Aurora Snow, and many, many more.
I also interview some legendary porn queens like Ginger Lynn and Alexandra
Quinn. Some of the directors I speak with include John "Buttman" Stagliano,
Rob Black, Max Hardcore, Jim Powers, and Jamie Gillis. Also, I was on
the sets of two back-to-back, totally vile gangbangs - one with Brooke
Ashley, one with Stephanie Swift - and those two memorable whore-happenings
are thoroughly covered. Additionally, there's tons of great pictures throughout
XF2. Keep an eye out for it through Critical Vision Books and Headpress.com
- the projected release date is winter 2003.
As far as the state of all things porn in America today, I think the industry
has improved markedly since The X Factory came out in '97. Today's porn
is dirtier, more perverted in fact, I'm absolutely amazed at how many
truly good-looking women keep entering the adult-film industry to participate
in such no-holes-barred, slime-drenched decadence. It's definitely a good
time for smut so, have a good time with it, folks.
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