News from the trenches: Hello LA! I've been here a few days settling in and I'm beginning to get a sense of the city. It's truly like no other place I have lived. My own perceptions may be a bit unusual for a city that "lives at 40 miles per hour", since I don't drive. While I do have a license, I just choose not to use it, and I believe that the only way to get to know a place is to take the time to hoof my way through it. I think it's going to take a long time to become intimate with LA, and I'm looking forward to it eagerly.
The big find for today is Small World Books in Venice on Ocean Front Walk. If you've looked at my bio, you know I'm a book-hound, and SWB (ack - sounds like an acronym from a singles ad) is the perfect example of a temple for paper-worshipers. It's a place filled with the subtle aroma of aged pages, low ambient light, and a fabulous array of titles. Heaven.
If you're one of the tiny number of people who are following these posts, SkinJob recently asked me to suggest some decent video porn for her and her hubby to invest in. As I've had a healthy interest in erotica of all kinds for many years, I've got some opinions on the subject, and a public question yields a public response. Unlike a lot of people, I don't think the term "porn" is denigrating. It's a word that people should feel free to use, and I advocate saying "porn" at every appropriate opportunity.
The most difficult thing about recommending porn is that it's ultimately a personal thing. While I could list specific titles, that really only serves to indicate a technical assessment of the production quality -- is it shot well, lit well, edited well, and are the performances convincing. There is a small amount of high-quality material out there, most notably the Andrew Blake productions, along with a few "classics" that were produced at the tail end of the 80's, prior to the switch to all-video production.
Suggesting personal favorites doesn't help either - it's like telling you what flavor of ice cream to like. What works for me not only isn't necessarily going to work for anyone else, my own preferences are subject to change without notice. Something that gets the juices going on Monday may do nothing on Tuesday.
My first rule of thumb (or hand, as the case may be) for the porn purchaser is that you probably shouldn't buy a tape or DVD unless you've seen at least some of the contents and know that you'll be interested in watching enough to justify the excessive cost.
For the fortunate few, there may be access to a good adult video shop that rents at reasonable rates. However, well-stocked porn outlets are few and far between, and you'll be hard pressed to find a place that can give you good counter help at strictly retail outlets. The info on the box might be useful if you've got a favorite performer, or if a particular type of sex is what you're looking for, but there are certainly no guarantees.
It's harder still for the folks out there that have particular fetishes and fantasies to fulfill. The quality of niche material is usually significantly lower than "mainstream" porn. S&M videos are notoriously bad - the Ninn products being the best of a lousy breed - since it's a large group that is still mostly closeted and which has very low expectations as a result.
So, what's a gal to do? There is some salvation thanks to the Internet and broadband connections. While the web has an infinite capacity to support sites that cater to specific interests (such as this one) there is also the much-ignored venue of Usenet - the Internet news system. Aside from the fact that it's mostly free, there are many Usenet groups that cater to specific fetishes. With readily available video capture, a lot of anonymous users have started capturing their favorite clips from videos and posting them. My recommendation - download, download, download. If you spot something that tickles your fancy, you can usually purchase direct from the company that produced it.
Otherwise, take your chances. My personal experience is that porn is like wine - no matter what it is, there may well be the occasional time that a particular video or scene suits your particular mood, even if its not your regular "thing".
The big find for today is Small World Books in Venice on Ocean Front Walk. If you've looked at my bio, you know I'm a book-hound, and SWB (ack - sounds like an acronym from a singles ad) is the perfect example of a temple for paper-worshipers. It's a place filled with the subtle aroma of aged pages, low ambient light, and a fabulous array of titles. Heaven.
If you're one of the tiny number of people who are following these posts, SkinJob recently asked me to suggest some decent video porn for her and her hubby to invest in. As I've had a healthy interest in erotica of all kinds for many years, I've got some opinions on the subject, and a public question yields a public response. Unlike a lot of people, I don't think the term "porn" is denigrating. It's a word that people should feel free to use, and I advocate saying "porn" at every appropriate opportunity.
The most difficult thing about recommending porn is that it's ultimately a personal thing. While I could list specific titles, that really only serves to indicate a technical assessment of the production quality -- is it shot well, lit well, edited well, and are the performances convincing. There is a small amount of high-quality material out there, most notably the Andrew Blake productions, along with a few "classics" that were produced at the tail end of the 80's, prior to the switch to all-video production.
Suggesting personal favorites doesn't help either - it's like telling you what flavor of ice cream to like. What works for me not only isn't necessarily going to work for anyone else, my own preferences are subject to change without notice. Something that gets the juices going on Monday may do nothing on Tuesday.
My first rule of thumb (or hand, as the case may be) for the porn purchaser is that you probably shouldn't buy a tape or DVD unless you've seen at least some of the contents and know that you'll be interested in watching enough to justify the excessive cost.
For the fortunate few, there may be access to a good adult video shop that rents at reasonable rates. However, well-stocked porn outlets are few and far between, and you'll be hard pressed to find a place that can give you good counter help at strictly retail outlets. The info on the box might be useful if you've got a favorite performer, or if a particular type of sex is what you're looking for, but there are certainly no guarantees.
It's harder still for the folks out there that have particular fetishes and fantasies to fulfill. The quality of niche material is usually significantly lower than "mainstream" porn. S&M videos are notoriously bad - the Ninn products being the best of a lousy breed - since it's a large group that is still mostly closeted and which has very low expectations as a result.
So, what's a gal to do? There is some salvation thanks to the Internet and broadband connections. While the web has an infinite capacity to support sites that cater to specific interests (such as this one) there is also the much-ignored venue of Usenet - the Internet news system. Aside from the fact that it's mostly free, there are many Usenet groups that cater to specific fetishes. With readily available video capture, a lot of anonymous users have started capturing their favorite clips from videos and posting them. My recommendation - download, download, download. If you spot something that tickles your fancy, you can usually purchase direct from the company that produced it.
Otherwise, take your chances. My personal experience is that porn is like wine - no matter what it is, there may well be the occasional time that a particular video or scene suits your particular mood, even if its not your regular "thing".
anyway.. antino passolini porn movies are quite.. well, funny and good. The Devil in Miss Jones 6 dvd is worth buying for the actoress comentary track alone! He also did Cafe Flesh 2 and well.. the Ozporns...
BTW, who was your buddy who was doing the same shot? Hook a girl up! I am curious to see what he did....
[Edited on Jan 13, 2003]