Porn Valley – I got a call this weekend from Shawn Hubler, a female reporter for the LA Times. Hubler was under the impression that I was a good friend of Darren James’. I explained that I’ve met James on a couple of occasions, but other than that, could only go on first impressions which are very favorable- that James is a total gentleman who just does his job.

Hubler also asks me why adultfyi didn’t name the Brazilian porn actress who was alluded to in an e-mail which was printed on the site, Friday, https://www.adultfyi.com/read.aspx?ID=3420.

I said it would have been irresponsible to do so [although AVN didn’t seem to have qualms about it.]

I told Hubler I didn’t know where she came by her information regarding James, that I had only met him a couple of times. Hubler, who said she goes on the adultfyi.com website, asked if I heard from James recently. I told her no and no one else as far as I knew [meaning journalists], and that if I had heard from James, an interview would certainly have not been out of the question.

Realizing that I didn’t have access to James, Hubler tried another tact. She asked me for my impressions of James. I said that he was a gentleman, a very nice man, very polite, very soft spoken. That he wasn’t the kind of performer to walk around with blinking lights and quotation marks around him to announce his arrival.

Hubler asked if James, who’s been in the industry about 8 years, ever talked about how he got into the business. [My brief chats with James were on the Porn Booty Camp shoots for Extreme but I had never gone into a biog-style interview with him for lack of time and opportunity.]

I described James as a man who went about his job and did his business, hardly drawing attention or notoriety to himself. The last time I had run into James was at a World Modeling Talent Call. I had to explain to Hubler what that was- an opportunity for producers and directors to meet and recruit talent on an informal basis.

“He had gone to work for this guy TT Boy, right?” said Hubler who then wanted me to tell her about TT Boy. I explained that TT Boy has been in the business a very long time. Hubler wanted to know his reputation. I said TT Boy was a solid, working professional but very aggressive. She asked me what I meant by that. I said TT was no shrinking violet when it came to performing.

“At the same time he doesn’t seek out press,” I also stated. Hubler was trying to make some kind of case for TT not being able to find women to work with him [remember the anti-porn spin the LA Times is trying to give their stories].

I don’t know where she came up with that. I told Hubler that TT Boy has always had a positive reputation in the business though known for “strong” scenes. Again Hubler didn’t get the terminology [or appeared not to] and asked if that meant “rape” or “violent”? I told Hubler not to even consider putting words in my mouth.

“I’m trying to get a better sense of powerful and physical,” Hubler said. I told Hubler that would best be explained from watching a lot of porn and being able to make those distinctions- as to which of the talent have an edge over the others. Hubler did admit that, being an outsider, she had no idea what was common knowledge in the business.

“Is he [TT] a muscular person?” she asked. I told her that TT kept himself in great shape as did James.

“Is he known to be an aggressive business person as well?” Hubler also asked. I answered that I didn’t know TT in that capacity but from what I understood he’s been very successful in the business both as a performer and a producer.

“He shoots in Brazil, obviously,” said Hubler. I reminded Hubler as do a lot of people in the business.

“It’s not unusual?” she asked. I said, no, that companies have been going down there for at least a decade.

“Does everybody shoot there? Or is it only a few?” she asked. I told her that it’s not an across-the-board thing as far as the business is concerned, that some companies have, others haven’t but it’s not an unusual situation for companies to have gone down there.

Hubler wanted to know about the concerns people have about Brazil [hasn’t she read other stories about the story she’s reporting on?].

I told Hubler there are speculative concerns, that from what I’ve seen written on the subject Brazil is supposed to have a high HIV rate but that might be a matter contested by the Brazilian Chamber of Commerce. I told her I couldn’t say one way or another.

“That’s what’s been put out there in the press but I don’t know if that’s true or not,” I told her. I also said that it was my understanding that Brazilian performers are required to work with condoms, but because I have never been down there to report on shoots that I couldn’t speak with authority.

It was then that Hubler brought up the letter that was posted on adultfyi.com. I told her that all things regarding James and what happened in Brazil are also speculative at this point and that unless I had solid information I would not make declarative statements unless I had seen an instance with my own eyes.

I also pointed out that the reader who made some guesses as to James’ HIV origins mentioned a girl’s name which was blanked out. Hubler asked why was that.

“Very simple,” I said. “I don’t know that for sure. And that could be slanderous or libelous. Just because other people are playing Sherlock Holmes doesn’t mean that they’re correct. He [the writer of the letter] may be right. He may be one step ahead of AIM in determining exactly who worked with James but I don’t know this. But that has not been proven.”

Hubler also brought up James’ contract with TT Boy.

“If he was a veteran player and around for so long why had it taken him so long to get a contract?” she wanted to know. “Was it because TT Boy was trying to sew up all the black talent or a certain amount of it?” I suggested that Hubler ask TT Boy those questions.

“My speculation would be Darren James had a pretty good reputation for being a reliable performer,” I suggested.

Hubler asked if Darren James was a clean-living guy. I said he was, from what I gather, that he kept in excellent shape indicative of someone who followed obvious health regimens.

Attempting to draw up some kind of personality profile of James, Hubler was curious what someone, ostensibly quiet, would be doing with TT Boy. Again, I suggested that she would have to ask Darren James that kind of question that I couldn’t speculate.