Lessons Learned... The Shane's World sham

So. Sometimes you plan for things and everything looks amazing and people tell you that it is going to be amazing. You have a bad feeling about it but something or someone tells you that it will all be ok. Maybe it is the money. Or maybe perhaps the publicity promised. Maybe it is the people you will get to do the whole thing with. Any of those reasons are all poor attempts at rationalization. I say poor attempts because even with all the factors pointing to yes you can come up with on your own they do not stand a chance against the gnashing you feel in your teeth and the clenching of your skin and bones to just stay put because all the while you are telling yourself yes, your heart is telling you no.

That is what happened this weekend. Sometimes people have inovative ideas. Sometimes people just jump the gun based off pure instinct. Sometimes even inspiration plays a part. It is said that to do the same thing over and over, expecting different results is literally the definition of insanity. If you have an inovative idea and it fails miserably, you are insane to do it again and expect a different result. When you pull other people into your insane structure of business, it can get pretty ugly when it fails yet again, quite expectedly by everyone. Everyone, that is, with the same heart wrenching feeling wanting to just say no, but say yes because of a little devil I like to call optibenefitism. The things we do that we know are insane but have optimism about doing them because if they actually, by a miracle from above, worked they would benifit us exceedingly above the risks. Like, for instance, gambling.

I am not going to mention names or specific events. But I will sa this. I hope everyone involved in this porn disaster learned a few things. One: you can't stick a straight formula into a gat equation. What horny straight guys are willing to do for nothing, gay men wouldn't think about doing. Gay men are a bit more cultured and refined than striaght frat boys in most cases. Two: contracts contracts contracts. Make sure you know what the fuck you are siging before you sign it. People like to be tricky and staple shit loads of papers into a standard model release form to cover their ass and make yours feel happy granted everything goes right and you have no reason to suspect. I like to think that people wouldn't screw me over, but you can never be sure. Expect the worst and prepare for hell. When it does come you will be glad you did. Three: be professional at all times. When things do go wrong, don't start drama. Dont make a scene and start crying. Especially if it is your fault and everyone is angry at you to begin with. Whe you start crying it makes you look like a jackass and nobody is ever going to want to work with you again.Four: I would like to believe that companies would be professional enough to know they made a mistake and take their losses with some dignity and their reputation still intact. But, this is the porn industry we are talking about. The money that is made here is made from spreading dignity wide the open, fucking the shit out of it, chewing it up, spitting it back into a blender, making puree and slapping it into a box and sending it to America for $39.95 a pop. These are the people I would expect, optibenefititiously, to be professional enough to admit they were wrong, take their losses... ALL their losses and wash their hands clean with their "dignity" still in one piece and in one place. But, some people just do not get the power of family. Yes, family. Adult performers, despite their catiness towards each other sometimes and their various directions of interest, stick together when push comes to shove. Or jip comes to abandon in this particular case. We help each other fight for what is rightfully ours. We don't keep our mouths shut and if companies like to spread their dignity wide open, then we will fuck the shit out of it, chew it up, blend it into a deuchbag milkshake and spoon feed it to the gay world. All, with OUR dignity still in one piece and in one place, because we already learned not to be taken advantage of and we can read company employees and head honchos like a mother fucking book. That is what you ar hiring when you hire a porn star: someone who has been around the block and already saw you along the way far before you ever thought about buying a camera or light.

I have said it before and I will mention it now in the realm of relevancy and to-do-with. I want to start an adult flimworkers union. I think that is what we need now. Evolve! It is the right time. I am sick of being surprised on set by some bitch thinking they are dealing with a prostitute or newbie. I am sick of seeing my friends miserable because they just got screwed over and have to make a living off of false notions and marshmallows and "wish it could have worked out". Wake up, baby! Stop sucking your thumb pretending that people are good natured in this business. Stop thinking that you have to suck anyone but your scene partner's ass. Why do you think they call you a porn... what is it again? STAR! You are the mother fucking star so start acting like it. Push overs don't stand a chance walking on this tight rope of an industry. You either stand up, focus and move forward, stopping your momentum for nobody, or you become a push over and, well, get pushed over, into shark infested waters, never to be seen or heard from again. Sure, some of these push overs will become wash ups (stars who used to be but aren't anymore and linger like an ugly one night stand in the morning), but only to be carried back out to sea and die and be eaten some more.

Lessons learned? I hope so.