FRIDAY FUN TIMES! AKON AND T-PAIN HAVE A CONVERSATION:

http://www.newyorker.com/online/blogs/sashafrerejones/2008/04/the-wheel-of-li.html

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N.E.R.D. Video Shoot -- Featuring Lindsay Lohan -- Erupts Into Brawl, Eyewitnesses Say

Lohan, Kanye West reportedly were not on set at time of fracas.

By Chris Harris, with additional reporting by Daniel Montalto and Joseph Patel

According to several eyewitness accounts, a violent brawl erupted Wednesday night on the New York set of N.E.R.D.'s forthcoming music video. The outburst nearly shut down production of the clip, which was filmed inside the Madison nightclub, and at least one person was transported to a local hospital for treatment. Both Lindsay Lohan and Kanye West reportedly visited the set at different times during the shoot, but were not present for the disturbance.

The incident occurred just after 9:30 p.m., sources said, and involved two men, both of whom were serving as extras. The clip — for the track "Everyone Nose," from N.E.R.D.'s upcoming LP, Seeing Sounds — will apparently feature a giant, dancing nose (the song's subject is cocaine use) designed by noted artist Kaws, and unclothed strippers.

While N.E.R.D.'s publicist could not be reached for comment at press time, sources who were on set at the time said that none of the band's members were in the club at the time of the fracas. Lohan — who reportedly makes a cameo in the clip — left the set about three hours before the incident took place, eyewitnesses said.

"Some dude, one of the extra guys, jumped another extra and started calling him a pu--- and punching him in the face," said one of the club's employees, who spoke to MTV News but did not want to be named. "They fell against the bar, and there were all these beer bottles up there which were being used as props, and the bottles fell over and broke. The guy who was jumped, his arm got cut, and he started bleeding all over the place. The other dude ran away. It wasn't such a big deal. The police did show up, and the dude that was attacked went to hospital and sat there for two hours before he was seen."

Filming later resumed when several union workers who'd threatened to walk off the set were asked to stay, the eyewitness said, adding that workers were complaining that the production team behind the video hadn't hired enough security staff and felt the work environment had become unsafe.

No arrests have been made, and police are not actively investigating the matter, an NYPD spokesperson said. The man who was assaulted was treated for his injuries and released.

One eyewitness claimed there was "blood everywhere" inside the club after the fight, and that several production assistants were instructed to clean it up. Sources claim the fight broke out while cameras were rolling.

James Demasi of New Day Management, which operates Madison, confirmed that the incident did occur and brought the shoot to a complete halt.

"I think the whole fight was about getting more camera time," Demasi said. "I was there, and the fight was between two males. One of them was taunting the other, and the extra who was being taunted jumped up and assaulted the individual who was taunting him. Some of the glass props broke, and the extra who was behind the attack fell down with the other guy, and cut his arm on the broken glass he fell on. They were pulled apart, and the guy who was attacked went to the hospital."

Pharrell Williams Says N.E.R.D. Harness A 'Big Monster Of Energy' On Forthcoming LP, Seeing Sounds
'We didn't care about genres,' Williams says of eclectic new album.

By Shaheem Reid, with reporting by Joseph Patel

Grace Jones was a slave to the rhythm, and N.E.R.D. were slaves to the energy when they recorded their new LP, Seeing Sounds.

"We didn't care about genres; we're not doing this for the money," Pharrell Williams said at South by Southwest in Austin, Texas. "We're doing this for people who pledge allegiance to our movement."

Skateboard P said that his fans want to rock out and be taken on an emotional roller coaster, and the only way to do that is to give some full-on speaker-blasting records. Their sound this time around is not necessarily club music, but it's definitely European-influenced, layered and textured. "It's a big album of LSD, sonic drug," said bandmate Chad Hugo.

N.E.R.D.'s other member, Shay, further elaborated on the album title. It was inspired by the neurological phenomenon synesthesia, which combines two senses. They were fascinated after learning about it while watching the Discovery Channel.

"It's a mixture of senses that may cause a person to experience colorful hearing, auditory smell," Shay explained. "For example, you might see something, and it might trigger a song. You might hear something, and it might trigger a taste in your mouth. When we created this album, it was the music we envisioned while creating it. We decided it would be the appropriate title for the album."

"If you really analyze that," Pharrell added, "the most inspiration is probably deep inside a synesthesiac. So for us, 'seeing sounds' is what we relate to the most. We figured we'd make an album out of it.

"Energy and emotion was the criteria [while recording], but we made the music anticipating the [live] show," he continued. "That was the most important thing. ... [The song] 'Spazz' is [a] nostalgic, hip-hop feeling with some drum and bass. It becomes a big, tall monster. It's almost like this big gorilla looking down at you. If he smacks you, he kills you. His fingers are the size of your body. That's kinda what we're doing in N.E.R.D. We're facing this big monster of, of what we know is out there, of what we see, that big monster of energy."

N.E.R.D. will get ample opportunity to test out their songs on the Glow in the Dark Tour with Kanye West. They open for the Louis Vuitton Don beginning April 16. The first single from their June LP is "Everyone Nose," which deals with cocaine.

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CURTIS AND HIM BABY MOMMA:



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GUILTY SIMPSON AND BLACK MILK:



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PEREZ HILTON VS. SONY/BMG? O RLY?

After Perez Hilton posted streams of songs that may or may not have been the work of Britney Spears (it turned out they were), Sony/BMG and its subsidiary Zomba filed a lawsuit against the gossip site.

Hilton claims the suit is unfair because the songs were not downloadable, plenty of other sites were hosting them too, and because it "complied immediately" with each takedown notice received from RIAA lawyers.

Now, PerezHilton.com has announced a short list of artists that are "dead to [them]," including Tori Amos, Celine Dion, Christina Aguilera, Jennifer Lopez, The Gossip, Adele, Lil' Mama, Pink, Usher, Justin Timberlake, and Whitney Houston.

These artists -- and any others signed to Sony/BMG -- can expect to be invisible to Perez Hilton bloggers for the foreseeable future.

~~~

SO, ME AND BUCKSHOT SHORTY GOT A LOT IN COMMON, I SEE:



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DEL IS THE DUDE LIKE DEVIN:



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www.philaflava.com


PEACE TO ALASKA:

Celebrity Extremes
As a ‘G-List’ celebrity I get the opportunity to be around and/or meet many celebrities. Most times it’s kind of exciting like when I got to meet Chuck D or Del. Granted they aren’t the biggest celebrities but they had some influence in my life. Other times, I get to see what the celebrity is like once they are forced into the real world and away from the cameras. Like the time I passed Prodigy and realized he is no bigger than the average third grader, or when I saw America Ferrara from Ugly Betty in Jimmy Kimmel’s green room and realized she is not really ugly, rather incredibly average. Most times, it is a pretty mundane meeting, a “Hey how you doing?” followed by a handshake, and then the two of us going our separate ways. But sometimes you get to have a truly amazing experience meeting a celebrity—unfortunately, most times it’s not amazing good but amazing awkward. Still every now and then you get to have an experience so awesome that if Jesus appeared in front of you with the sweetest set of tits this side of the Mason-Dixon Line they would pale by comparison. With that said, let’s explore the two extremes and get to the meat of my celebrity pot pie.

In 2004 we played a show at Bowery Ballroom in conjunction with the release of a CD dropped by Jux and Urb magazine, basically as an act of protest to the war in Iraq. Since the war is over, obviously our protest worked. The show was during the Republican Convention and I guess it was seen as part of the mass protest that seemed to be going on in NYC as a response to the Bush administration’s presence in our fair city. It was probably only the second most effective protest, the first being the one where a thousand hippies on bikes rode up Sixth Ave. Way to fight the power guys. Speaking of fighting the power, the show was hosted by legendary PE frontman Chuck D. We got to spend some time with Chuck chilling in the green room, and as a long time fan it was an honor and a privilege.

Flash forward to the summer of 2005 and we are on the Van’s Warped Tour and PE was on the Atlanta bill. I ran into Chuck after the show and started talking with him, foolishly assuming that he remembered me from that show. After some reminding and mentioning Mr. Lif, Chuck says ‘Oh Lif is awesome’ and at this point it was completely awkward. So in an attempt to remove myself from the situation I bid Chuck farewell and go to give him a pound. Unfortunately we got our pound waves mixed. I was going in for the ‘bro grip’ and he was going with the fist. The end result was me grabbing the fist, shaking it and quickly fleeing the scene. I would say this is one of my top 5 rap-related memories.

As I’m sure you can tell, the previous story was the awkward one. Now for the best thing that has ever happened to me as a result of being part of “the scene”. Sometime in 2000-and-something, Can Ox was opening for Ghostface and Kool G. Rap at B.B King. Outside of a stellar Kool G. Rap performance, the show was pretty much a typical rap show: Can Ox forgetting their rhymes and Ghost performing with 30 of his closest friends.

What made this night different was that one of his closest friends was Tracy Morgan. This was during the height of Tracy’s SNL celebrity. Ghost had Tracy do some stand up during the set and he was obviously intoxicated, slurring many times during his riff about cock rings. Then Ghost went back into the set and finished the show.

The night was over and I was relatively hammered. I hit the coat check and was ready to head out for the night, when I heard a commotion behind me. It was Tracy Morgan coming through the crowd with a few others. While working his way through the crowd gathered around the coat check, a kid who looked like a typical poster here at philaflava shouts “I love Brian Fellows!” Tracy stops dead in his tracks, turns and looks the kid up and down. The moment was tense for all around. Then Tracy screams at the kid “If you like Brian Fellows you’re a FAGGOT! My wife thought of that shit and it’s gay!” With that, Tracy disappeared into the night, probably to smoke PCP.

So as you see, loyal reader, in addition to being around as shit is happening, I get to have awkward moments with childhood heroes. Not necessarily as awkward as say a cancer kid who is a huge Michael Jackson fan, but awkward none the less. As always, in the words of PhilaFlava’s favorite Canadian, “Rap is outta control :miketysonface:”

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WE HAVE THE POWER

While many readers have noted my efforts and articles on self-improvement, what I haven’t stressed as much is the beauty of becoming content with what you have and who you already are.

I’m definitely a goal-oriented person — I always have my eye on a goal, whether that’s writing a book, running a marathon, improving my blog, waking early, losing weight, or one of a dozen other goals I’ve had (and usually achieved) in the last couple of years. And once I’ve achieved a goal, I begin looking for another: now that I finished my second marathon, I’m already looking for a third.

So isn’t that a contradiction? Doesn’t that seem to indicate that I’m not content with my life? Not at all. I’m extremely content with my life, with what I have, and with who I am. I have accepted that I am the type of person who will always be striving for a goal, the type of person who enjoys a challenge, and who enjoys the journey. It’s not the goal that matters to me — it’s the journey to get there that is so fun. And I’m content with being that type of person.

So contentment isn’t a matter with being content with your situation in life and never trying to improve it. It’s a matter of being content with what you have — but realizing that as humans, we will always try to improve, no matter how happy we are. If we don’t, we have given up on life.

Today I’d like to discuss contentment, and the amazing things it can do in all aspects of our lives. And then we’ll look at a few tips for getting to contentment.

“Happiness is self-contentedness.” - Aristotle

My Life
I’m going to use my life as an example here, only because I’m more intimately familiar with it than any other life. Looking back, I wasn’t always content. There have been times in my life when I wasn’t happy, when things seemed dismal, when I wish I had more. I wasn’t content with the way things were, and now I know that my outlook on life was a major contributor to my unhappiness.

We choose whether we are happy or unhappy. Read that sentence again if it’s not already something you consciously practice in your daily life. If you’re unhappy with your life right now, I will venture to guess that it’s because you’ve chosen to be unhappy. That sounds harsh, but in my experience it’s completely true. Edit based on reader comments: I cannot speak to whether this concept of happiness applies to everyone — especially clinically depressed or those with similar disorders, people who are starving or homeless, people who have undergone massive tragedies or abuse, or others in such circumstances. However, for most readers, I believe the principles will apply.

You might say, “But my life is crap! Of course I’m going to be unhappy!” And I hear you: I’ve had those times when my job wasn’t going well, when my relationships weren’t going well, when my finances were very bad, when I was overweight, when my life was a mess.

But listen to this: I’ve had those conditions at several points in my life. And sometimes, I was unhappy in those kinds of conditions. And others, I was happy and content. So I’ve come to the conclusion — and it’s proven true time and again — that it’s not the conditions that make me unhappy, but my choice of thoughts, of attitude, of behavior.

What behaviors and thoughts and attitudes were different between my times of unhappiness and happiness? When I was unhappy, I focused on all the bad things in my life. Not only that, but I continually thought about how bad they were, and would complain, and would ask, “Why me?” I would let myself sink into inaction and eventually depression. I would be grumpy and cause those around me to be unhappy. That, in turn, only made the situation worse. It certainly didn’t help my job.

Let’s look at the times of happiness, in contrast: I focused instead on the good things in my life. Because while I had problems at my job and with my relationships and with my finances and health and all that … there were still good things. At least I had a job! At least I had someone who loved me! At least I wasn’t sick! At least I wasn’t bankrupt and homeless! I counted, instead, my blessings. I do this when things aren’t looking so good, and it turns me around.

I had a wife and beautiful children. I had the power to change my job. To simplify my life. To get out of debt. I had my health, even if I was overweight. I lived on a beautiful island with gorgeous beaches and wildlife and greenery. I had family around me who loved me. I had the power of my words, and my books that I loved reading. I had life!

And this outlook on life helped me to be happier. It improved my relationship, because I tried to appreciate my wife. It improved everything around me, in short — and we’ll take a closer look at those things next.

I was happy, despite my conditions, because I chose to be happy. I found contentment in what I already had, instead of wishing I had something else, instead of being discontented with what I had. Contentment not only made me happy, but it transformed my life in many ways. Here’s how.

Happiness
This is perhaps the most obvious area affected on this list, because many people see “contentedness” and “happiness” as one and the same. In many ways, they are, but it’s really a matter of focus. When you’re happy, it’s really a state of being, influenced by a number of factors, including contentedness.

Contentedness, on the other hand, is a matter of being satisfied with what you have. It focuses on what you have and don’t have instead of just being a state of being. It influences happiness. However, you can choose to be content, just as you can choose to be happy, and if you choose to be content, you will be happy.

There are many ways to become happy — you can become happy by doing certain things (running, getting into Flow, sex), you can become happy because you are loved or in love, you can become happy because you just won a competition or a million dollars. Being content is just one way to be happy, but it’s a great way.

Simplicity
Simplicity, of course, means many things to many people, but for me contentedness is at the core of simplicity. It’s about being content with less, with a simpler life, rather than always wanting more, always acquiring more, and never being content.

Simplicity means examining why you want more, and solving that issue at its root. At the root of wanting more is not being content with what you have. Once you’ve learned to be content, you don’t need more. You can stop acquiring, and start enjoying.

Now, I won’t claim to never want stuff. I wanted a Macbook Air and I got it. It’s helping me to write this post and this book right now. (However, in my defense, I waited more than a month before buying it to make sure I needed it.) But while I am not immune to wants, I have learned to catch myself now and then, and to examine why I want something. And then I try to tell myself that I already have everything I could possibly want and need. And that contentedness leads to simplicity.

Finances
Really this is the same as simplicity, but I wanted to show it from a financial angle. The reason we get into financial trouble, oftentimes, is that we buy more than we can afford. And the root of that buying is buying things we want instead of only things we need, and the root of that is not being content with what we already have.

Finding contentment with the stuff you have and with a simpler life can lead to buying less, to buying things we need instead of want, and to only spending what we can afford. I know this first-hand, as uncontrolled spending led to debt for me, and contentedness led to me getting out of debt.

Relationships
Many times it seems that we’re never satisfied with our significant others. They don’t behave how we want them to. That’s often at the root of relationship problems, as many-headed as those problems may seem.

Instead, learn to be content with the person you love, just as they are. This isn’t always easy, as we are usually trained (by our well-intentioned but never-satisfied parents, and others around us) to do just the opposite — to try to change people. However, you will only find trouble if you try to change your significant other. You might get them to change their behavior (but most often not), but they will be unhappy, and in turn the relationship will suffer.

I will admit to having a problem with this at times, but when this happens, I try to remind myself to love my partner as she is, for who she is. She is a beautiful person, just as she is now, and there is absolutely no need to change her. This has always led to a better relationship for me.

Kids
As mentioned above, parents are often not satisfied with their children. They need to be cleaner, better behaved, better in school, more organized and studious, more courteous and kind and compassionate, better groomed and better at sports. Well, that leads to the relationship problems mentioned above, later in the kids’ lives, as they have learned to never be satisfied with others and to try to change them.

It also leads to inferiority complexes in our children, in unhappiness, and in bad relationships with them. Instead, we should learn to love our children unconditionally, to accept them for the people they are, and to let them know this through not only our words but our actions.

Accept children for who they are, and they will be happier, and so will you.

Jobs
Should we be content with our jobs? Well, I won’t say that you should stick with a dead-end job and a boss that treats you like dirt. If you’re unhappy with your job, change it. That’s been my approach and it’s worked for me.

However, I have learned that being a content person in other areas of my life, and being content with my life in general, has generally helped me at any job. Discontented people tend to be complainers, or grumpy, or negative. That leads to problems at the job. People who are content tend not to complain and tend to have a more positive attitude, and in my experience that almost always leads to more opportunities, both within the job (promotions, new projects, etc.) and outside the job (job offers, networking, etc.).

Social change
I’ve heard some writers say that people like me, who preach happiness and contentedness and a positive outlook on life, are teaching people to accept social injustice and not strive for change. I disagree completely, and as someone who would like a freer society than the one in which we currently live, I have given this much thought.

My favorite social disrupter, Gandhi, had two seemingly contradictory quotes on the subject of contentedness. The first: “Man’s happiness really lies in contentment.” And the second: “Healthy discontent is the prelude to progress.”

This might seem confusing until you look at how Gandhi brought about change. He was discontent with the system of oppression in his country, so he sought to change it. However, he was content as a person, with who he was and what he had in his personal life. This inner content allowed him to have the inner power to face (and eventually beat) the very powerful authorities in his country at the time. He could face them because nothing they could do to him could take away his happiness. They could take away all his possessions, throw him in prison, take away even food, and he was content.

He taught his fellow countrymen the same lesson, to make the best of what they had in India (making their own simple clothing, making their own food) instead of wanting the commercial goods from foreign countries. Being content with such simplicity would give them the independence from foreign commercial powers, and eventually (as they are part of the same organism) foreign political powers.

So social change can still happen if you are content with yourself, with your life, but not content with the system of oppression around you. This system, in my opinion, is responsible for holding us down, for the deaths of millions of people in Third World countries … but it isn’t until we learn to be content with what we have, and free ourselves of our dependence on commercial goods, that we will be able to change the system for good.

Getting to Contentment
So if contentedness is so great, how do you get there? That’s not always easy, but here are some things that have worked for me:

* Count your blessings. I mentioned this above, and in a previous post, but for me it’s the best way to get to contentment. When you find yourself unhappy with something, or with what you don’t have, take a moment to count all the good things in your life. And I would bet there are many. It puts the focus on what you do have rather than what you don’t.
* Stop, and remind yourself. When you find yourself unhappy with someone, or trying to change them, stop yourself. Take a deep breath, and remind yourself that you should try to be happy with that person for who he/she is. Take a moment to think about the good things about that person, the reasons you love that person. Then accept their faults as part of their entire package.
* Stop, and consider why you want something. When you feel the urge to buy something, think about whether it’s a need or a want. If it’s a want, take a pause. It’s good to wait 30 days — keep a 30-day list … when you want something, put it on the list with the date, and if you still want it in 30 days, you can buy it). Consider why you want something. Are you not content with what you already have? Why not?
* Take time to appreciate your life! I like to reflect on my life, and all the good things in it, on a regular basis. I do this when I run, or when I watch the sunset or sunrise, or when I’m out in nature. Another great method is a morning gratitude session — think of all the things and people you’re thankful for, and thank them silently.
* Show people you appreciate them. It’s good to appreciate people, but it’s even better to show them. Give them a hug, smile, spend time with them, thank them out loud, thank them publicly.
* Breathe, and smile. Once again, advice from one of my favorite monks, but it works in this context. Sometimes when we take the time to breathe, and smile, it can change our outlook on life.
* Learn to enjoy the simple things. Instead of wanting to buy expensive things, and spend money on doing things like eating out or entertainment, learn to enjoy stuff that’s free. Conversations and walks with other people. Spending time outdoors. Watching a DVD or playing board games. Going to the beach. Playing sports. Running. These things don’t cost much, and they are awesome.

“God’s gifts put man’s best dreams to shame.” - Elizabeth Barrett Browning

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http://www.facebook.com/inbox/readmessage.php?t=1002330749229&mbox_pos=0

SASHA GREY. AESOP ROCK. MAGIC. SEX. MUSIC. SEX. LIFE. SEX. SEX. WONDERFUL.

As the adult film industry's multi-billion dollar status continues to explode, the number of new starlets trying to carve a name for themselves within the confines of gettin'-naked-on-tape grows with it. Most of these women will come and go as merely a face and body to entertain, while a small few will begin the process of making a name for themselves in an industry that often seems to cater to filtering its women down to their orifices, and not much else. Enter Sasha Grey, who just may be the breath of fresh air the porn world has unknowingly needed. Her first year in the business had her name on over 60 titles, and nominated for several industry awards and accolades while at the same time garnering attention from mainstream outlets like Los Angeles Magazine, the Tyra Banks Show, etc. But what makes Sasha stand out amongst the pack? Well, for one, her performances are amazing, and possibly unmatched in intensity and grit. Beyond that however, Sasha exudes a human element that has been lacking in the adult film industry for as long as I can remember. A quick search online can turn up any number of interviews in which Sasha is happy to discuss her love for film (from Godard to Herzog), music (whether listening to or creating herself), books as well as her artistic aspirations in and outside of adult film. She seems extremely connected to the youth and cultures of today (and yesterday, and tomorrow), which is what gives her work in porn an edge over the competition: This is not the bleach blonde hair and plastic parts of yesteryear. —Mr Aesop Rock

How was your day today? What did you do?

My day was good. I got up around 9:30, had some Raisin Bran and coffee, took a healthy doo-doO, had a shower. I drove to the set to do a POV scene for a porn company. Once there got my make up done, checked the male performer's test, warmed up my ass with a dildo, did a tease intro (I hate those), and shortly there after proceeded to have a cock up my asshole, for about 25 minutes. Done with that, took another shower went home to eat dinner, answer a few emails, work on some writing projects, and then finding my way to these questions.

Tell me about your recent trip to Spain?

My trip was basically all business … I was there for a large convention and I really wasn't prepared for all the smoking. My time was so monopolized that I really had no free time to see any of beautiful Barcelona. But like MacArthur, I shall return.

Do you like Europe?

Yes, and one day when I'm old and "grey" I hope to retire in Switzerland.

Are award shows and accolades (AVN, etc) meaningful, or is that stuff not very important to you? I only ask cuz i know you were nominated and received a few awards.

Well award shows and that type of shit are a necessary evil… it's all politics man. I put my awards in the guest toilet of my home …it just seemed fitting. I mean I will use that shit as a platform to express myself in a different venue than just buttfuck'n and so forth. There are some important items that need to be addressed like the health care in our industry; we are sexual athletes and I know most folks kind of see porn people as a bit disposable. I'd like to address that shit, so the more accolades the more noise you can make and the louder you can become because a dvd box with subtitles like "winner of blah blah blah awards" makes people buy shit and pay a tad more attention to you versus just a chick sucking big fat dick.

The porn industry is obviously booming more than ever, and is probably more accepting of any fetishes, preferences, and types of people than any other category in entertainment today. At the same time it seems that to some, porn can't shake the dumb-blondes-with-huge-fake-tits-doing-blow-whilst-never-trimming image it has from the 70s and 80s. Are any of the weird stigmas that were once attached to the porn world still a reality?

The thing is right from jump street most normal outside the business type folks think that you are damaged goods if your doing porn. Now even if you like to watch but don't really have an opinion about the men and women in this industry, the basic theory is "no daddy", "sexual abuse," or "crack whore junkie" (to make things worse some of those words are actually in porn titles). So stigma, hell yeah. Guys are almost always gonna be looked at as a weird Fellini style joke: big cock that's great when your fucking, but what else you got what else can you do? And most girls (discrete selective semantics on purpose most are girls not women) are not all that bright and think they're rock stars … rather they are pieces of fruit that become squeezed until there is no more juice left in them. Bleak I know. There are, however, exceptions to those rules. I myself am a dark shining example, but all of those things listed above also apply to the mainstream world, too. I have friends that are part of mainstream entertainment they say the same shit; insecure actresses, overly narcissistic musicians, etc. Same shit and drama less public stigma.

Is the industry plagued with the drugs and sexual abuse that many people associate with it?

Funny you should bring that up. I don't know about sexual abuse(I wasn't), but drugs . . . Hmmm, man oh man, like I was saying, girls think they are part of a Van Halen tour crica 1982. I was on set the other day and this girl passed out in my lap she was supposed to be eating me out but she was out for the count. The sexual abuse thing is interesting to me. Even though I was not abused, I do think that perhaps porn might provide a catharsis a kind of therapy for those who were molested and abused. Maybe I'm wrong but some ladies in this business seem to work through there past issues using aggressive sex as therapy. It seems healthier to me than keeping it bottled up in a cask of denial.

Are you in a position where the climate of the industry even effects you, or can you for the most part show up, do your thing, and be out, without having to deal with the "industry" part?

I'm at a strange place right now. I don't really have to deal with sucking up to this person or being on pins and needles for so and so because I'm very much in demand. Nevertheless I still have to plot my strategy for the future, so I can't ignore being diplomatic about situations until I have nothing short of totally control.

It seems like now more than ever, someone like you, who had a massive impact in your first year, can build your name up enough to really become your own business. Sasha Grey the brand as opposed to the actress. How easy or difficult is it to get to the point where you can call your own shots, and are you there yet? Do men run most of the companies, or are more young women stepping up to be their own bosses?

I'm in the process of doing just that. I've been pushing Sasha Grey as an idea not just a person. There are for sure larger things to come. I don't want to spoil the surprise, I'll just say sooner than you think. I own my name as a corporate entity, which seems like a no duh issue, but you'd be surprised how many girls don't own shit. For sure there are ladies who DO run the show from top to bottom, but unfortunately most are all figureheads deciding nothing more than what color pink they want to paint there production office.

I know you are interested in forming a union within the adult film industry, something that would allow for health benefits, insurance, etc. How close is this to becoming a reality?

Yeah it's one of those absolute goals. The real initial difficulty is unifying the men and women who perform, the names that matter and give a shit: people like Belladonna, Nina Hartley, and myself to allow others to understand what our common struggle is …can you dig it! I mean most people can't comprehend how they get screwed (pun intended) in this business. Beyond putting yourself at risk for lots of nasty STD's there's this whole idea, this almost mythology, about the fiscal side of porn. Yes, "it" does make lots of money for the folks who own and distribute the smut. The talent gets compensated basically as day players, boom, one time, that's it, that's all folks. And if you have to deal with something down there, hope you have insurance. I mean there ain't no 401k. So you know what I'm saying, it's time to unit people. For fuck sake I heard that in even strippers in the Bay Area have a union. C'mon San Fernando Valley, get your shit together. In sad truth it's probably a few years away from really getting close to anything resembling organized because the industry is going through some technological changes and once the dust on that settles than it will be ready.

Adult films in general have gone from very plot-driven stories that not-so-swiftly weave a ton of fucking into an otherwise flimsy tale, to the more popular gonzo style, shoot the fuck scene and wrap it. I realize the "features" are still made, but it seems they are less popular than ever. Do you have a preference? Do you think it's possible to do a story-based porn that wouldn't involve fast-forwarding through the "acting" parts?

I do think that narrative themes in sex movies are coming back, and they can be done in an interesting way. I mean personally, I'm really fucking tired of "gonzo" porn with little dumb thematic teases. I mean c'mon, does anybody really believe for one second that I'm a "bad little school girl" or that this is my "first time" having anal sex, the pizza guy, or just stupid shit like that. The stuff I really want to do is harder edge erotic films, shit that your actual into the plot and then bam you want to whip your dick out and beat your meat stick. That's the type of shit I'm going to direct: style, elegance, and a punch in the face. I fast-forward bullshit to get to the tit's and ass too because I'm not really going to sit through shitty acting to watch soft-core pussy eating. What if Godard did a blue movie? What if he did that shit? What would that look like. I mean how many people doing gonzo porn even know what the fuck that word means? The world misses HST.

I saw the Tyra Banks Show episode in which you were featured. It was obviously edited to make you look like an embarassed "victim" of the industry, which as I understand you are not at all. They also put you on alongside a 14 year-old prostitute. You had to know you were being thrown to the wolves when agreeing to go on the show. Was the exposure worth the berating?

Absolutely. Look I don't think Tyra wanted me on that show at all, but some one high up at Warner Bros. was familiar with the infamous Los Angeles Magazine article and put out that I should be a topic of interest for her show. I understood that from the first moment they contacted me that it would be a montage exercise in submission…whatever… my name got out to a fuck load of people who prior to that had no idea I existed. I knew I wasn't going to turn religious conservative Mid-West housewives around, and you know what, I still get lots of positve fan mail from that now that it's up on YouTube.

Tyra seemed to think that it would be impossible that a girl would simply love to fuck and therefore voluntarily migrate towards adult entertainment. Is this a common view of what you do?

I have no idea what the fuck the common view is. I work real hard to shred any familiar myth from my very essence so I really don't know how the general public perceives me. I do think that most folks who know me from the show would get that Tyra was not really doing an "expose" on the subject rather a shock ratings piece of nelson ratings gold.

You're kinda known for your overall intensity, lots of grabbing, choking, shit-talking, smacking, etc. You've stated that you'd try anything except for things that involved children or animals. Has anything ever gone down on a set while shooting that you had to veto, or that you tried and it just didnt work out?

No not really. The only thing is when people on set don't listen to my ground rules. I mean it's not a free for all, depending on what's expected of me and what's gong on with me, i.e., how is my body's feeling. Do I have a photo shoot soon? Can I have a few bruises? Usually I can't be marked up because of my schedule. Yeah really the only thing that has happened is people not listening to me, and when that happens I have to put my foot in someone's ass. Literally if need be.

Anything you haven't tried yet but secretly want to?

I fully intend to continue my exploration of BDSM. At some point I'd like to dominate and possess my own 24/7 sex slave. You know like a gimp, freak people out who come over for tea … shit like that. But I really try not to have secrets. I'm a sexual athlete, what's the point? Don't fake the funk. However, there is stuff that I do in my private life that I don't do on camera, like internal cum shots, really really rough shit, crying … you know, true love. Perhaps on my website. Not because I don't like it, because of safety issues if you catch my drift. Unfortunately there's lots of stupid people out in porno-land.

Describe Belladonna's ass in 5 words.

Luminous… Genius …Dominating…Killer...Valhalla.

What music you listening to lately?

My own shit called Atelecine. It's noise-folk-experimental-tapeloop-dub-pop. I'm still imperfecting my demo. Some old Mingus, 33 1/3rd style, and the lost tracks of Danzig on compact disc.

Last movie you saw in a theatre? Do you prefer theatre, or on the couch, dvd, salsa, etc.?

Lars and the Real Girl. I prefer a theater, late night screenings with very few people in the actual theater is the best. But you know what, I make the best fucking fresh salsa.

Should a man trim, shave, or go natural?

I say keep it trim if your shit is like the rain forest but if it's not crazy than keep it natural. On a side note, if you have a lesser cock then shaving it will make it appear bigger . . ergo your ego will be boosted and the sex you have might be better.

How'd you land the Smashing Pumpkins gig?

I'm friends with Billy Corgan, and he asked me if I would be interested in being part of the art work. I believe he had this profuse concept for the album art early on… it represent the title as "zeitgeist" very well I think.

Did you see/like the Joy Division movie?

If your referring to the Anton Corbijn (and not the documentary by Grant Gee) movie, then yes, I did see it actually I was fortunate enough to attend the West Coast premiere. Well, visually I loved it however being a fan of both the cinema and the band I'm really not sure how I feel as a whole. The film was lacking a connectiomn, a "certain something" is I believe what the French would say. You must understand how much I really enjoyed the Winterbottom film 24-Hour Party People because you could feel the comradery between everyone in that picture. I am glad that the subject is so out and about now …IKC, r.i.p.

Talk a bit about your desire to direct and work on indie films outside of porn. Have you had the chance to be involved in that stuff yet? What types of films interest you most?

Actually I have had the grand and laborious pleasure of acting in three independent films in which two were leading roles. I'm very proud of the work I did. In the future I hope to produce and create challenging roles for myself. I think I'll stick to directing erotic films and hire other young brilliant talent to direct the mainstream films I act in and/produce. I will be acting in a few up coming mainstream independent films. I can't really divulge to much information but I will say that I'm very excited to collaborate with some very talented people and very happy to show yet another side of myself, i.e., this isn't going to be two minutes of me running around topless. I mean that's fucking queer; if you want to see me naked there's plenty of places to see my pussy in action.

Give me your ultimate life goal. 5 years, 10 years, 20 years, 40 years, senior citizen?

5: Have my name be a self-sustaining brand and 360 profitable venture. Meet Cosey Fanni Tutti.

10: Produce and act in cutting edge indie projects. Union/sex worker health care system.

20: Put something I did in the MoMA in NYC, have retrospective of my music projects, enjoy the child I will hope to have by then.

40: Continue building my empire/witness the vaccine for hiv/aids unfolding successfully in my life time/help put a dent in stupid sexual stigmas.

Senior: Give myself an unflinching messianic complex

Do you wanna be buried, burned, or something else when you die?

Viking funeral at sea with a Greek boat though not a Nordic one, you see I bleed olive oil.

Where can the people find out more info about you and your films?

My website sasagrey.com (although it's still being made brilliant) and of course myspace/sashagrey, and for fun, VBS.tv "Shot by Kern."

This damn sickness got me coughing and spewing. I want to be healed.
I gotta go now, though.
I love you!
and if you are in Toronto, go to see the THE GOOD LIFE movie at Carlton and Yonge at 8 PM today! We're all going!

I love my life!
sincerely yours,
Mindbender Futurama Supreme