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In Search of Superior Sluts
An Interview with Anthony Petkovich
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 imaginationŠsome 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 grandŠalthough 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 kidsŠnot 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 soŠuncomfortable. 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.