NL- It’s really nice to hear opinions from a female fan! Here’s a blurb from her blog. You can read more here http://johnnycastlefan.tumblr.com/
NL- The slides that JC fan references are basically just an image that shows the name of the scene and female stars name imbedded and no mention of the male talent, like this-
This is gonna be a doozy of a rant, y’all. Consider yourself warned.
What you see above are the title slides from 7 scenes on a brand new site, from a company that hires JC all the time. And when I say “all the time,” I MEAN … ALL. THE. TIME. I like to reference how JC is the star of over 180 scenes and THE MOST PROLIFIC PERFORMER on Naughty America’s network. Well, he’s done so much work for THIS company over the years, I’m guessing the # surpasses his NA record. On this brand new site that just debuted, JC stars in 7 of 16 scenes currently featured. That is basically HALF of the content currently on the site. And if I was Danny Mountain, who seems to star in the other half, I would be PISSED too.
One would think that if a company relies THAT HEAVILY on a performer, said company would give credit where credit is due. I mean, putting JC’s name on a title slide? Where is the difficulty in that? WHY is it SUCH A CHORE for companies to put male performers’ names on DVD covers or title slides in movies/scenes?
If y’all only KNEW how much correspondence I receive that says:
I had to work so long to find out what Johnny Castle’s name was after I saw him!
And I can relate! I discovered my first Massage Creep scene in November/December of 2010 and didn’t find out what his name was til January/February of 2011. And that’s cuz I’m crazy and kept on Googling and SEARCHING THIS DUDE OUT because something about him resonated with me.
Imagine all the CASUAL FANS who don’t put in that work. COMPANIES ARE LOSING MONEY BY NOT CREDITING MALE PERFORMERS. If I wasn’t a mental case and saw a hot guy in a scene and thought, “Hmm, I’d like to see more of him. What’s his name?” but couldn’t find it immediately? I’d shrug and be like OH WELL, and forget about it. But if his name was READILY AVAILABLE on the site and I could CLICK ON IT, like you can for the female performers and I saw a whole bunch more content .. well, I might be reaching for my credit card then! THIS is where Naughty America and Brazzers get PROPS because I can go to their sites and JC (and his peers) each have a page of their own, regardless of whether they have 1 scene, 19 scenes or 42 scenes.
THIS company, however, that HIRES JC ALL THE TIME … they don’t seem to see any reason to a) GIVE CREDIT TO THE MEN THEY HIRE and b) MAKE IT EASY FOR FANS OF THE MALE TALENT TO FIND MORE OF THEM.
Another kicker? This company shifted its style a while ago, moving towards the “glamcore” and “pretty porn” style, where everything is white and brightly lit, meaning you need GOOD LOOKING DUDES cuz who wants to watch an unfit, not-so-handsome DUDE banging a chick IN HD? In these scenes, there’s no dialogue, JC isn’t allowed to talk, there isn’t even that much sex noise PERIOD. It’s a style I’m not really THAT into when it comes to SCENES (but for stills? It’s great). I gotta be in a MOOD to watch this “pretty porn” stuff.
KEEPIN IT 100? This style of porn IS NOT BEING SHOT FOR MEN! I have SEEN MALE FANS COMPLAIN ABOUT IT! In doing what I do, I go to websites, message boards, and social media networks EVERY DAY and I get to see what “the average porn fan” thinks about a VARIETY of different performers and scenes. Male fans? Get BORED with this “pretty porn” REAL quick. From the comments I see, they want hard fucking, they want her being more roughly handled, they want more noise, etc. This begs the question, then, WHO IS THIS PRETTY PORN BEING SHOT FOR?
*light bulb* Let’s go ahead and pretend that it is being shot for US FEMALES, woo hoo! If you are trying to shoot porn that appeals to the FEMALE SENSIBILITY, why in the BLUE HELL are you NOT going to credit the MEN in the scene or make it easier for us female consumers t identify WHO HE IS?? I mean … there is literally ZERO LOGIC there!
And it’s funny cuz I point OUT to you guys when a trailer or preview stills FOCUS on JC, and they have sometimes! So if someone has the mind to do a sweeping shot up JC’s body or feature JC rolling his eyes back while he’s getting head or to take a photo where HIS BODY is on display … how can these same people NOT HAVE A MIND TO PROPERLY MARKET WHAT THEY ARE SHOOTING?? It’s baffling. Truly.
JC and his peers WORK HARD at keeping themselves in shape and healthy to LOOK GOOD to their co-stars AND on camera. JC and his peers WORK HARD when they get in front of the camera to produce the best scene possible. SO WHY CAN’T JC AND HIS PEERS GET A GOD DAMN NAME CHECK FOR THE WORK THAT THEY DO? THE WORK THAT THESE COMPANIES REPEATEDLY HIRE THESE MEN TO DO?
EVERYONE in porn says being a male porn star is A HUGELY DIFFICULT TASK, yet THE MAJORITY OF THE INDUSTRY FAILS TO GIVE ATTENTION OR CREDIT to the FEW MEN who have been able to consistently get it up, keep it hard and LOOK GOD DAMN GREAT DOING IT!
Kurt Lockwood said it best when he said that there are NOT many men who can DO the job, but the ones who can? Stay around for a long time! That says A LOT about the caliber of performer these male talents are that we see ALL THE TIME on VARIOUS SITES, so what gives?
WE FANS OF MALE PERFORMERS EXIST. WE WANT TO SUPPORT OUR FAVORITES. WE HAVE MONEY TO SPEND. WE ARE READY TO SPEND IT. WE JUST NEED TO KNOW WHO IS GOING TO PROVIDE US WITH WHAT WE WANT. And contrary to popular belief, we don’t all want “porn made for women” all the time. WE JUST WANT OUR FAVORITE MALE PERFORMERS.
WITHOUT TALENTED MALE PERFORMERS, all porn would be is G/G action and solo stuff. Since that is NOT what porn IS, MALE PERFORMERS ARE ESSENTIAL. And they aren’t just essential, the ones who take care of themselves and know what they are doing are A JOY TO WATCH and HELP GET A LOT OF US OFF ON THEIR OWN!
So WHAT IS IT about the adult industry that they REFUSE to give proper recognition IN THE FORM OF A NAME CHECK? WHY is it SUCH a drawback to put a title slide on a scene that says “Featuring *insert beautiful lady’s name here* and JOHNNY CASTLE?” WHY is that SO MUCH TO ASK?
And WHY IS IT SO MUCH TO ASK from companies that are obviously RELYING ON JC? He would NOT get booked as much as he does by the companies he does if he wasn’t amazing at his work. THAT IS THE FCKING TRUTH. These companies KNOW he’s going to show up, he’s going to look SICK’NING, and he is going to do a great scene!
His co-stars REQUEST HIM because they LOVE TO FCK HIM and because they ENJOY being around him! If a female talent is comfortable and turned on? THE SCENE IS GOING TO ROCK! From the various feedback I’ve gotten from his co-stars – much of which I have shared on this blog – THEY LOVE WORKING WITH HIM AND THE PRODUCT REFLECTS THAT! Girls don’t HAVE to say he made them “cum more than 10 times” or that “he was the first to make me squirt” or “there’s so much more to him than just porn, he’s a sweetheart, I wanna work with him again.” They don’t HAVE to say those things, but the fact that they do MEANS SOMETHING, and the quality of scenes JC stars in speak for themselves.
SO if you KNOW he’s an excellent employee, why would you not wanna tell the world about him? WHY would you not AT THE VERY LEAST GIVE HIM CREDIT FOR THE AMAZING WORK HE HAS DONE FOR YOU?
Johnny Castle makes your porn great, period. I would NOT be buying memberships to YOUR sites or buying YOUR DVDs if not for Johnny Castle, ok? And you wanna act like I am 1 in a million, BUT I AM NOT! My fellow JC fans are out here. My fellow MALE TALENT FANS are out here! You just don’t wanna believe it and it’s TO YOUR DETRIMENT.
DO NOT try and tell me that “a paycheck” is credit OR respect, because it’s not. JC and his peers show up to do a job, they do the job, they get paid. That is how the system works. But in terms of BUSINESS SENSE? It makes NONE to not credit these men who are working so hard to make your product look good.
And while I know that the adult industry is like the rest of the world and respect is difficult to come by? Companies should RESPECT the employees who SHOW UP, DO THE JOB, and DO IT WELL. So well that you want to keep that employee on your roster.
A name check, folks. Credit, for a job WELL done. THIS is what we want. This is what we’ve WANTED, for a long time.
Tell us what the FCK we have to do to get it going. I’m proud of the baby steps I’ve seen in my 2 years. When I first got on Twitter, NOBODY promoted the guys in scenes. Nobody gave a DAMN. Now? I see companies name check the dudes, post pics of the dudes (rarely, but it happens), GIVE CREDIT when the dudes step up and hit it out of the park.
But tweets aren’t enough. Something HAS TO CHANGE in the overall bigger picture: on the websites, on the DVDs, and in general. The male performers who put in the work deserve the credit and respect, and us fans who are here putting our money down to support THESE MALE PERFORMERS deserve to be recognized as consumers.
I just am at a fcking LOSS at this point as to what else to do to try and faciliate the change. I buy memberships, I leave NOVELS for comments on scenes so they know I am watching for JC and THAT is where my attention is, I rate things, I am sure to tweet about my favorite talent … WHAT ELSE can be done to wake the industry up to this HUGE lack of respect, for both talent that works hard and an audience that is EAGER to support said talent?
I REALLY APPRECIATE JC and his peers. THEY are why I watch porn and my belief in JC as a performer is why I’m here. And you know what? Through the power of social media and networking? I have discovered, I AM NOT ALONE IN BEING A FEMALE PORN FAN and I AM NOT ALONE IN BEING A FAN WHO SUPPORTS MALE TALENT. It has been an amazing gift & blessing to discover other, like minded, fellow fans who enjoy adult entertainment for the same reason I do – MALE TALENT – and who also FEEL MY SAME FRUSTRATION with the lack of credit given to said male talent.
If you think you have any ideas/thoughts to share about this problem in the adult industry, PLEASE feel free to email me and share. I know I am not the only one who feels the way I do, and it is ONLY AS A COMMUNITY that we can make our voices heard and have ANY hope of bringing about a change for the better. I’m not sure how many characters Tumblr gives you, but do you have any ideas about how we can try to get male talent their due?
tl;dr- “I love JC..JC isn’t being credited, yet he’s in every movie ever made from 1975 up until now..I didn’t know his name until I lifted a proverbial rock on the internet and eventually found it..I love JC..It’s my opinion companies lose money by not giving him credit..Advertisement for Brazzers and Naughty America..More about JC..Couples porn doesn’t do anything for me because it’s boring..Being a male porn star is hard work..Women specifically request JC and I love JC..My money is good, why won’t you earn it..I have a gift for appreciating an otherwise trivial part of life, there are millions more like me but you just don’t care..”
This whole thing reads like an advertisement from an obsessive cyber-stalker who’s specifically crazy about JC. This woman is also stereotypical as hell, I think couples porn is a step up from the usual tasteless raunch we’ve been tolerating since the
80’s when VHS/gonzo became the standard, and it’s well understood that loud = fake. I don’t want to see a girl getting choked and slapped or name-called and having her makeup smear while screaming bloody murder. Some people do, are they the majority? I don’t know and I don’t care, but I’m here to tell you that you couldn’t be farther from the truth in thinking that’s what we’re all into.
And I’m sorry to say this, but guys are not important. I know you think they are, but I’m here to tell you: They’re not. The audience as a whole doesn’t give a shit about the guy. 99% of the time, they’re greasy..And I know you’re thrilled because out of the 6000 guys involved in porn, you found one that you’re happy with. That’s an isolated incident, and this in itself is not a valid reason to stomp your feet with random capital-letter words and wonder why the world doesn’t go the way you want it to. That said, congratulations on finding somebody you can relate to, I feel the same way about several mainstream actors and actresses and completely understand.
Back to the guy issue: They’re not much more than a stunt cock who are happy enough to be able to stick it in another piece of strange every scene. The $300 or so that they earn is a blessing, many of them would do it for less or possibly even free because it’s safe to assume they weigh fringe benefits over monetary gain. Hell, they’d probably have to get a real job otherwise and god forbid, who wants to do that? Have you considered the possibility that they stay in the industry for so long because they don’t want to get a job anywhere else?
I’m not saying your rant is pointless, but you’re just not seeing the forest for the trees. Your interests with this guy will blow over, just enjoy it while it lasts.
I have to agree with you rsx. The male talent in a scene is rarely important. All you have to do is see how scenes are shot. The camera focuses on the girl and the only time you usually see the guys face is if they are kissing the girl, eating her out or you might see it during some of the positions, depending on the kind of shot they are using and the position of the girl’s body.
OK, this rambling diatribe should have received much tighter editing. A bad start for the new regime.
NL- just because we are working on the site doesn’t mean I am going to edit someone’s writing. altho I do agree the random CAPS are AnNoYinG, lol
I have to agree with Christina and rsx on this here.
Most of porn is shot for male viewers, so they focus on the female performer.
But there have been a few guys who are more than just the stunt cock and that is because they do a little more than just their scenes.
But even than, they will be just the guy that co-stars.
Go to a convention like AEE or (in my case) Venus.
Most of the people won´t even recognize the male stars or the directors.
Hell, they don´t even know the guys “insiders” would call legends.
For example how many people stop at a convention and recognize John Stagliano?
Porn is a world that is run by men and women get the attention.
Hey, it´s the “real world” 😉
Only one thing else, I know a lot of guys who like “pretty porn”, including me.
Hell, I even watch the dialogues. 😉
I am a straight woman who watches porn. I think people have their heads in the sand if they believe men are the only ones who watch porn and spend their money on it. That is an archaic and sexist notion with no basis in fact for our current times. That may have been the case in the past, but times have changed and there is a large portion of the female population that not only watches porn on a regular basis, but spends their hard earned money on it.
Not only do I, and my fellow female fans, watch but we all have our favorites. We want to know who is in a scene or a movie. There are several men in the industry that I have no desire to watch and I will avoid their work. Just as there are men in the industry whose work I make a special point to seek out. Needless to say, it makes it a lot easier to do if I am actually told who the male talent is.
I am highly insulted by the “Your interests with this guy will blow over, just enjoy it while it lasts.” bull! Just because someone has a favorite performer at the moment does not mean that their interest in porn is solely related to that. I watched long before I found my current favorite and will long after that passes, if it does. That is a completely demeaning attitude. You can’t just pat my head and tell me to go along like a good little girl while the menfolk handle this.
I also don’t see how it would harm anything to stick the man’s name on the cover of a DVD or on a title frame. It doesn’t take any real work and it won’t cost any more money. There is absolutely no good reason it can’t be done.
There seems to be this impression that a man in the adult business shows up, screws a chick, collects his check and goes home. Clearly you are so worried about watching the women you don’t concern yourself with what they actually are required to do. I know some of you want to kid yourselves into thinking you could do it, but I’ve seen behind the scenes videos and it’s a lot more work than you think. And if you paid more attention, you would notice that there actually aren’t that many men who are able to stay in the business for a long period of time. The reason? It’s a difficult job and not all men can cut it.
To believe that you hardly ever see the man shows the type of porn you watch, because I manage to find quite a bit where the man is featured just as much as the woman. And as a woman that is exactly what I am looking for. I could care less about her and her boobs or pussy.
And I have spoken to people, some of whom are male, who have recently attended various cons and they said there was almost as many women as men there and they were all looking for their favorite male performers and asking for them by name.
So, basically, I’m sorry to burst this bubble but porn is no longer “just for men”. There are a lot more of us female fans out here than you think. And we’re tired of just having to accept what males want to see. And we will keep making that known.
As a girl on the marketing side of things I can relate to the frustration of not having male talent properly documented for a few reasons, one being … who is that good looking guy?! The other of course being that I like to document who is in each scene and it’s not always easy because more often than not, companies just don’t bother to mention who the male talent is. They are just a stunt cock after all. 😛
I get why this trend began in the late ’80s and ’90s, but times have changed. Why not at least try and promote the male talent like we do the female? I mean has nobody seen all the media attention James Deen is getting in the media lately? Doesn’t that prove there might be SOME interest in the male talent.
I’m starting with:nobody has the right to contest someone else’s preferences and to be so arrogant by thinking that they know what is in the people’s mind and tell them when to start/stop liking someone or something!!! That said, let us get to the point… I am a straight women and I watch porn like most of my female friends! As for the male performers: when I pay for something I expect my money not to be wasted…and when I want to watch a scene that the guy I like is in it, I want to know that before I give my money and when I see another guy and I like him I want to know his name when I see the scene/movie, not spending two months by google everything hoping for a miracle to find his name. In conclusion: the male performers are as important as the female and the women that watch porn are almost as much as the men, but unfortunately we live in a world that is full of hypocrites!!!
Ladies, have you not heard of Internet Adult Film Database (IAFD)? You can easily access info on every past and current male/female performer with a simple search by name or title. Type in Johnny Castle’s name and you’ll get a very long list of titles in which he has appeared. Pretty simple. Here’s the link:
http://www.iafd.com/
I do agree with you that male talent should be listed in the credits of every title or individual scene. It’s the equitable and professional thing to do, and most major companies do it. If you feel strongly about this issue, then contact the companies with your concerns, or boycott those companies altogether. Women and couples are the largest growing segments of porn consumer, particularly for higher-budget/higher-quality scripted features, and companies are catching on to that fact, but maybe too slowly.
Actually I had not heard of IAFD, so thank you for that information Third Axis.