from www.sfgate.com – The first thing people notice when looking at excerpts from “Off The Set: Porn Stars and Their Partners,” a forthcoming book (publishing in April) of erotic photos and essays, is porn stars doing something seldom seen when porn stars have sex. They’re smiling.
Not all the photos in “Off The Set” depict sex, in fact many do not. Paulie and Pauline (paulieandpauline.com) are the dynamic photographic duo behind the book who’ve spent a lot of time around the mainstream and not-so-mainstream porn businesses throughout the last decade, shooting luminaries and aspiring luminaries alike. Their work has been published both in print and online (such as Nerve.com), appeared in several group exhibitions, and are in the permanent collections of the Museum of Sex in New York City and the Kinsey Institute for Human Sexuality.
In “Off the Set,” the photographers spend time with some of the most famous names in the porn business and performers of all genders and sexual orientations — when they’re not on set, that is. The stars are shown with their lovers and true loves, in their homes, in bed, fully dressed out on romantic dates, at the corner cafe, wherever Paulie and Pauline saw a moment between real-life lovers that came from the heart. And in the resulting photos, these moments are tangible.
Controversial, revered and well-known erotic photographer Barbara Nitke (link NSFW; “Kiss of Fire”, Kehrer Verlag, 2003) describes “Off the Set” as “a playful, insider’s view of [these] stars in a way they are never seen. Paulie & Pauline have given us a glimpse into the everyday, shockingly normal sex lives of these hardcore stars who look like they could be your next door neighbors.”
Since Paulie and Pauline spend their time all over the United States, it’s possible they’re the next-door neighbors of someone near you; locations include New York, Los Angeles, San Francisco and more. The book’s stars include blonde bombshell contract star Jesse Jane, Tera Patrick with Evan Seinfeld, and longtime porn couple Adam Glasser (aka Seymore Butts) and Mari Possa, stars of the Showtime hit series “Family Business.” Also among the 10 couples displaying their personal erotic and romantic lives are legendary adult star Kylie Ireland, Nikki Hunter, famous transman Buck Angel, starlet and former San Franciscan Lorelei Lee, and our local porn sweethearts Madison Young (of Femina Potens) and her partner Kink.com’s star director James Mogul.
Seeing porn stars’ romantic relationships isn’t quite how anyone is used to seeing these people, and that view doesn’t come without its own stigmas. Paulie and Pauline set down their cameras for a minute to answer my burning questions about this very unusual, yet joyful project.
Violet Blue: What was the inspiration for “Off the Set?”
Paulie and Pauline: The idea for this project originated during a photo shoot in New York City with porn legend Adam Glasser (a.k.a. Seymore Butts, the “Tushy Man”) and his co-star Mari Possa, whose budding off-screen relationship had been chronicled in the Showtime television series “Family Business.” Adam and Mari asked to take a break a couple of hours into the shoot. Jet-lagged and exhausted from their busy promotional tour, they spooned together on the bed in their hotel suite. Instead of dozing off as we expected, they talked softly and caressed each other like two new lovers who were enjoying a moment alone during a rare break in their busy lives. With their nod of approval, we continued shooting. There was nothing staged or performative about the way Adam and Mari reached for each other. No production assistants or makeup artists darted about. We did our best to remain invisible while attempting to capture their intimacy. The chemistry and ease between them was apparent. They smiled. They laughed. They were surprisingly quiet.
VB: Why do porn stars appear in your book to look so differently than we’re used to seeing them?
P & P: Primarily, “Off The Set” unravels the assumption that all porn stars must be jaded, emotionally detached individuals who live in a hedonistic blur, void of any real intimate relationships. When we began photographing couples in the porn industry, we found that to a large extent the opposite was true. Far from being incapable of intimacy, the people we met thrived on the strength of their personal relationships. In spite of what the mainstream media chides as the “dehumanizing” or “degrading” sex in which they engage for a living, we were not confronted with empty, passionless individuals. Far from being the mindless automatons cynically portrayed through the loaded questions and shady editing of investigative news programs, the men and women we met were genuine, thoughtful and acutely self-aware.
VB: Did you have any pivotal experiences while working on this project?
P & P: Our first shoot — with Seymore and Mari — truly stands out for us. In addition to being the shoot that inspired this project, it was the first time we’d ever photographed a couple having sex. It was a completely unplanned surprise and, as a photographer, I fell back on my reflexive instinct to capture what was happening in front of me. It wasn’t until later, when we were looking at the photos together, when we realized how lovely and honest the photos were.
VB: During the next ten weeks, you’ve hinted at offering tastes of the book and the experiences you’ve had while “off the set” with these popular performers. What are the exclusive teasers you have planned, and where can we find these?
P & P: We’d like to spotlight some of the people who wrote essays for the book. Lorelei Lee wrote a heartbreaking account of how her relationship with the man she’s photographed with came to its agonizing end. It’s a story about growth and difficult personal choices that anyone can relate to, and she tells it in a voice that resonates with despair and empowerment. Buck Angel shares an account of how his work in porn helped him resolve some of the emotional conflicts he coped with during the process of his transformation into the “Man With a Pussy.” This book is about the stories of the people in it and we’d like to share some excerpts from what they’ve written, as well as some unreleased photos. We’ll distribute this content exclusively through our newsletter to select individuals like you!
VB: Will you have an event in SF?
P & P: We hope so! We’d love to have book signings in LA and SF where people can meet us and some of the people in the book. We’ll keep you posted!