FW: So where in the world is Nina Hartley ...?

Sat May 19 01:00:52 CDT 2007

I also forgot to forward. my response to Dan's good questions.

From: Bryan Snyder [mailto:wilsonistrey at gmail.com] 
Sent: Saturday, May 19, 2007 2:00 AM
To: 'Daniel Harper'
Subject: RE: So where in the world is Nina Hartley ...?

Hmmm. lol we just disagree on a lot.  

Ok. First off. I'm not revolted by porn, but I also don't fool myself into
anything other than what it is: a medium to prompt masturbation, mainly for
men and if you continue to break it down, those with high porn habits don't
normally date, have intimacy issues etc.  Studies are starting to show
(since the real porn explosion on the internet) that men's sex drives are
decreasing because of the fantasy porn implants into male minds (and female
minds too, with different effects).  Above all, it's just not art in my
book.  Eroticism is artistic and is hard to do well, porn is not hard to
accomplish.

I was more arguing against, and I can't figure out a better way to say it,
Taormino being praised in that article as some sort of porn genius. they
referred to her as an auteur, and I have a serious problem with that because
personally I think anyone (and I mean anyone) can shoot, write, direct,
light, edit and soundtrack a porn film.  The porn criticism just seems like
the industry's own creation to provide a veneer of legitimacy to its "Art"
and what I think about that I probably clear; I don't think there's anything
artistic to it.  Nude photography is not porn, though. totally different.  I
could go on and on about the suicide of feminism that lies in the center of
modern porn too, obviously all opinion, but I think the idea that women are
empowered by showcasing their sexuality and therefore porn is acceptable as
a career is a total joke.  It's the Frankenstein's monster of the women's
movement.  All those porn actress empowering themselves are still serving
male domination.

There's erotica and porn. one is hard to do and its most certainly NOT the
latter.  I would be more just as harsh with her if she were a sitcom actress
IF SHE WERE BAD, but my point would be that then at least she's got a chance
to not be.  

So with that saying, I see or rather consider TRP to be a fairly moral,
intelligent and most importantly probably very secure person and people who
are somewhat moral (nobody's perfect), intelligent and, again most
importantly, secure are the kind of people who are not "into" porn.  Again.
this is all opinion, no studies have been consulted or anything, except for
the sex drive and porn one, which I've seen on CNN, Slate, NY Times . a
bunch of places.

I don't think someone so committed to seclusion would appreciate the
connection to his niece's work, I just don't - no proof or anything.  I also
don't think TRP is ok with scenes like the Anibus from GR. or the Yash, Reef
and Cyp stuff in AtD. I think he's mocking the human sexual weirdness. not
banging a podium against it but I don't read those scenes as him being "Ok"
with such debauchery.  

As far as the CNN thing. I just would have considered that a no-brainer, but
I have a very high level of respect for TRP and what he's given us, so I
would not be so adamant about someone whom I don't feel so strongly about.
so lucky to have stumbled over his work. cross paths, etc.

But I am certainly not revolted by porn, I'm a human. watching sex is
certainly a turn on, but I do have a habit of feeling bad for the ladies.

Here's a real question to ponder - how long does one continue watching porn
after orgasm?  Answer: not very. 

Good questions though Dan.

B  

From: Daniel Harper [mailto:daniel.e.harper at gmail.com] 
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2007 9:11 PM
To: wilsonistrey at gmail.com
Subject: Re: So where in the world is Nina Hartley ...?

On 5/18/07, Bryan Snyder <wilsonistrey at gmail.com> wrote:

Last time Ruggles and I had lunch he talked to me about this and said he was
very disappointed with her performance in Anal Ass Play Volume 45, because
it didn't provide the catharsis that her role in Sh*t on me Vol. 5 (Sh*tting
from High-rises) did.  He seemed to lament her departure from Glory Hole
films, which he thought were a perfect metaphor for the current market
strategies taking place by global conglomerates in Estonia and he said he
thought that her portrayal of "Girl 5" in "Helicopter F*cking" was the last
time she really put forth true emotion in her work.

I mean - maybe he just doesn't respect her. respecting her seems like
something one has to force themselves to do.

Are you arguing against Taormino in particular or porn actors in general?
Other than the "Real Sex" bit I haven't seen any of her work, but being a
pornographic model is a perfectly fine lifestyle choice and career, and it's
more difficult to make a good porno flick than you'd think. (_Bad_ porn is
easy, and is all over the net.) If she was a mainstream actress who made a
career out of ten-line roles in sitcoms and cheesy dramas, would you be as
condescending towards her work? 

Maybe he wants her to get a real job. and to stop trying to use the fame he
tries so hard to avoid to push her own classless "art". If I had gone
through the serious trouble of staying as reclusive as he has (there's
clearly a lot of reasons for it) and saw my whore niece mentioning my name
in the NY Post, I really don't know what I'd do, but it would be quite a
harsh response.  Much harsher than his, viz. simply ignoring her, which is
hysterical and deserved.

My point is this: P seems comfortable with the profane and I doubt he has
the same revulsion towards pornography that you seem to. And given his bits
on the Simpsons and that bizarre Jon Stewart piece, sending a note to her
publicist (ie "Thomas Pynchon endorses porn flick!") seems exactly the kind
of screwball behavior we can expect from him vis a vis the media. 

I look at her like those people at CNN who actually had to discuss not
showing video of the man, per his request (like that had to be discussed)
and then they say "if you look closely Pynchon is among the people you will
see."  That is flat out wrong and so is this. "person."

I really don't get the lack of respect here. P desires his privacy, sure,
but by fetishizing himself so he only guarantees that people will be more
and more curious about him. Plenty of authors are known to be reclusive and
decline to be interviewed without going to the extremes P does. That's his
choice, of course, but it does seem a bit counterintuitive to me. 

From: owner-pynchon-l at waste.org [mailto: <mailto:owner-pynchon-l at waste.org>
owner-pynchon-l at waste.org] On Behalf Of Daniel Harper
Sent: Friday, May 18, 2007 10:27 AM
To: robinlandseadel at comcast.net; pynchon-l at waste.org
Subject: Re: So where in the world is Nina Hartley ...?

As long as we're talkin' porn (at last a subject on which I have some
expertise!), there's this:

http://www.nypost.com/seven/09282006/gossip/pagesix/pagesix.htm 

Few know that Pynchon is the brother of Taormino's mom. For years, Taormino
has tried to get him involved in - or even just acknowledge - her carnally
charged career. But the interview-averse author, who lives in seclusion on
Long Island and refuses to be photographed, has refused. 

[...]

Not surprisingly, Pynchon's literary agent didn't return our call. And
Taormino, who wistfully remembers when her uncle attended her college
graduation, admitted: "I'm not holding my breath." 

It seems out of character for a guy so secular he named a character Profane
to be this disinterested in his niece's career. Taormino has appeared on
"Real Sex" as a sex educator, and comes across as intelligent, witty, sexy,
and very much in the same vein as our man P. Is P's reticence on this issue
a dislike of the material she produces (ie "sullying the family name")? I
think not, but it seems even a recluse like Pynchon would be willing to send
a public "attagirl" to Taormino if she's feeling this neglected by her
uncle. 

Thoughts?

On 5/18/07, robinlandseadel at comcast.net <
<mailto:robinlandseadel at comcast.net>  robinlandseadel at comcast.net> wrote:

          Well, she still has her hand in the game [so to speak], 
          out there in Sodom & Gomorrah by the bay. . . .
          Last I [ahem] looked, she still lives in or near Berkeley.
          Gawd, I miss Berkeley. . . .
           -------------- Original message ---------------------- 
          From: "Tim Strzechowski" <dedalus204 at comcast.net>
          > ... as long as we're talkin' film and all.  Just curious.

!spoO. Here's the intended attachments from the previous reply: 

http://www.247gay.com/article.cfm?section=66
<http://www.247gay.com/article.cfm?section=66&id=14483> &id=14483

http://tinyurl.com/26cunj

http://tinyurl.com/245whx

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