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Okay so I’m DCypher. Where shall I start? How did I get into porn? Usually I just tell people I tripped and fell in, but if you’ve ever made a run at getting into the jizz biz you know it’s actually much more complicated than that…at least for guys.
When I was 19 I got involved driving a porn star, Daphne Franks, around and she told everyone I was her brother so they wouldn’t think I was her boyfriend. Her boyfriend worked for my landlord, who owned a carpet cleaning business, and I needed money to pay the bills. The attraction of porn was pretty overwhelming for me. Before you knew it I was hanging with Ron Jeremy and shooting camera for Leisure Time at the old Independence building.
This was back in like 1992. No one remembers me from that period except maybe Ron Jeremy. He’s got a good memory.
I met Jerry Butler and Raven and dated Taylor Wayne for a week but didn’t get to fuck her. I met weird celebrities like Vanna White and cast members from 90210 and saw way more than I needed to along the way. Porn was different back then or maybe I was just too young and too honest to handle it all.
When Dick Van Dyke’s niece, Kelly Van Dyke, who was dating Jerry Butler who was married to Lisa Loring allegedly hung herself and Daphne was kidnapped by Lisa’s heroin dealer and pistol whipped to keep her from talking to the cops I quit the business and went back to college. Yeah. That really happened. Good times. Although it was fun watching Rex Cabo shoot Long Dong Silver. I was on set for that masterpiece.
I count my career in porn from my second start years later around 1997, which pretty much makes me a 10-year veteran of the adult entertainment industry.
After graduating college I went to work in Hollywood doing production on music videos, feature films, PSA’s, and softcore cable titles. I quickly grew frustrated and crossed the hill. I had worked for several years with a friend doing live bondage shows in Hollywood including fire breathing acts. Our group BODY RITUAL worked at several clubs including Perversion and Velvet and did on stage acts for everyone from Korn to Fishbone to Danzig. We even had our own suspension booth at KROQ’s Weenie Roast one year and Lalapalooza.
My friend got approached by Matt Zane from Zane Entertainment to create a line of bondage titles for his porn company and brought me along for the ride. Within a month I was writing feature titles and working on sets with them making gonzo’s and shooting camera. Then they hired me to be the de facto Head of Production and soon I was doing most of the hiring and producing while Matt launched a record label for his inchoate band SOCIETY ONE. They gave me $2000 a month, an office bigger than my apartment, and a company cell phone. I thought I was big time. Lol. I really wanted to write a novel about this business (which I did but never sold) and thought I would ride it out then teach High School in the fall. I had already passed my CBEST and had interviewed in Compton to earn my credentials through their emergency program. Kevlar was not provided. Within two months of working for Matt I realized there was no way I was going back. Now it seems funny. Can you imagine what the PTA would say if they found out I’ve starred in Barely Legal on Vacation?
We had a good run the year I was at Zane. Matt is pretty crazy, which I think he knows, but we sure did have fun. He treated me well enough even if there wasn’t a whole lot of money. We hung with rock stars, hooked up with porn stars, and I did plenty of drugs. Despite thinking we were the coolest ever and throwing amazing parties I yearned for something greater and knew I could do better for myself so I quit and went freelance.
Since then I’ve done just about everything in this crazy business. It’s been quite a ride. I can tell you that! Here are some of the highlights:
I’ve written over 200 screenplays for porn that have been shot and run on Playboy, Spice, and TEN. I won BEST SCREENPLAY from AVN with Michael Raven for a Wicked Pictures movie called BREATHLESS. I have written so many scripts for porn I can’t keep track of them all. I also wrote vignettes for Dane and Kick Ass and God knows who else. If only they knew how many references I’ve left in their dialogue to Thomas Pynchon novels especially The Crying of Lot 49. One time I cribbed exchanges between characters from the Lion King and no one on set noticed. I thought it was hysterical. Just for the record, so you know, I don’t do knock off’s of Hollywood movies. I’ve spent most of my career creating original movies or using other movies as a spring board to new ideas rather than intentional derivations. I know how much civilians love to cruise the porn rack at the video store and chuckle at titles like HARRY TWATTER AND THE SORCERER’S BONE and FOREST HUMP and my personal favorite THE SPERMANATOR. Sorry. Not my thing.
I married a porn star (guess which one) and used to perform on film. We both worked with other people but gave up and only worked with each other before I quit. I ate a lot of Viagra. I did all right. I always wanted to know what it was like to try being a porn star. I can tell you this – I didn’t like it. I didn’t quit because I wasn’t cut out for it. I quit because I kept getting hired for more and more work and feared that I was going to end up losing myself. Not a day goes by that I’m not grateful I did. We were married about three years then amicably divorced. I am Jack’s total lack of surprise. J
I worked as an assistant to a talent agent once. It was really bizarre and I can’t say it ended well. I’d rather not get into it to be honest. I shouldn’t have brought it up. Pretend I never mentioned it.
I also used to run a gossip website called HARDCORE GOSSIP for Metro after turning down offers from Wanker Wang to run another site. I wrote for that site later too but got burned badly by the new owner who should pray I stay Buddhist. Moving on then…
I’ve produced movies, both feature and gonzo, for Andre Madness, Nick Cramer, Michael Raven, Clive McClaine, Jim Holliday and more…for companies like Hustler, VCA, Kick Ass, Sin City, Metro, VCA, Coastline, Fatdog, Dane, Wicked, Club Jenna, Forbidden, Cinderella, Zane, Elegant Angel, and handfuls more. It’s hard to remember them all to be honest. I liked being a producer but it really eats up your life. I used to have to shut my phone off to go to sleep and turn it on to wake up. I don’t miss getting crazy calls from coked out talent begging for work at four in the morning. No joke.
I’ve written On the Set articles for CLUB magazine, HIGH SOCIETY, OUI, GENESIS, VELVET, GENT, and who knows how many others. It’s not always easy to figure out who the article was for as editors would swap copy between books according to deadline. Some of my favorite fake names are Marcus Halberstrom, Manny DiPresso, Mike Hawk, and Drexel Snitch.
I’ve done PR and marketing for Metro and Sin City. I’ve consulted for a handful of directors and internet upstarts. I like doing PR. We’ll get into that more in just a minute.
I’ve directed adult feature titles for Sin City, Metro, Madness Pictures, Cal Vista, and Club Jenna. I was under contract to Metro for a year and then to Club Jenna Playboy. In the last three years I’ve been nominated every year for Best Director, Best Feature, and Best Screenplay along with several other awards from AVN but haven’t won. This year XBIZ awarded me FEATURE DIRECTOR OF THE YEAR. Yay! Now all I need is a new gig. Lol.
I’ve written articles for AVN and XBIZ and BNI and other adult media outlets.
I’m sure I’m forgetting something. Once you get a list going it’s hard to stop. I promise I will add to this list if I can remember anything.
Currently I write for Fleshbot.com. I couldn’t be prouder. I'm a staff writer on the masthead and our ALEXA ranking is 4,500. Suck on that! I also write for other online sites including Ruthless Reviews, Fluffersmut, DCX, etcetera. XBIZ gave me a blog but we still haven’t launched. That’s going to be a lot of fun. Just wait until I get going on that one.
I also write features for myself and other directors like David Lord, Francois Clousot, and Michael Raven. Maybe I will write for you one day. Who knows?
I also direct whenever I get the chance. I’m not above shooting camera for gonzo projects, being your AD, or shooting your BTS. Tell me what you need and how much it pays. As the grandmother says in BEERFEST, “we’re all whores in some way!†Lol.
I still write for XBIZ and Genesis and OUI and anyone else who will give me an article. Let me know if you need some copy.
Last but not least I just consolidated my PR and Marketing efforts into a new company called RISING STAR PR. This is where most of my energy goes these days. I LOVE DOING PR!!!
Right now I’m helping Sin City and Hellhouse Media with their PR and Marketing as a part time consultant. I’m also consulting with Adam & Eve contract star KAYDEN KROSS and Sin City contract star TORY LANE. My girls are incredible and it’s fun helping take these stars and help them get the exposure they deserve. If you get a chance be sure to check out the Myspace.
http://myspace.com/risingstarpr
Last but not least my AIM is dcypher999 but I'm rarely on the kick. Catch me if you can.
Here are some box covers from movies I've directed...
Whatever moves me in my soul...
..
Current Tops include
Anchorman.
Just WEEDS lately...
I've been addicted to children's books lately so I'll start there.
All of the Harry Potter series...can't wait for July 21st 2007!
The "His Dark Materials" series from Phillip Pullman and also A Series of Unfortunate Events by Lemony Snicket.
In terms of Metaphysics my alltime favorite book is Illusions by Richard Bach. I also loved The Bridege Across Forever and One. Beyond that I'm into Ask and It Is Given by Abraham(as channelled through Ester and Jerry Hicks and The Education of Oversoul 7 by Jane Roberts. Susan Jeffers wrote a nice book called Embracing Uncertainty that I thought was a good primer to Buddhist thought and I really dig The Way of the Peaceful Warrior and Journey of the Peaceful Warrior by Dan Millman. I've read a number of different Buddhist books from the Psychic Eye and the Bodhi Tree but my favorite right now is called Awakening the Buddha Within by Lama Surya Das. You should definitely read it...immediately!!!
In terms of political discourse I'm into Noam Chomsky and am still working my way through Failed States in paperback. I also dig Howard Zinn's A People's History of the United States.
In terms of literary fiction(my first love) I like Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas by HST but I also loved his first novel Hell's Angels.Girlfriend In A Coma by Coupland. Survivor then Fight Club then Lulliby by Chuck Palahniuk. Fury then The Ground Beneath Her Feet then Midnight's Children then Satanic Verses by Salman Rushdie. Still Life With Woodpecker and Jitterbug Perfume by Tom Robbins.
House of Leaves by Mark Z. Danielewski(is so f-bomb creepy!)...
Rules of Attraction by BEE but not American Psycho anymore (grow up...serial killers are so 1980!). Vineland by Pynchon plus Crying of Lot 49 because it's a total classic and Pynchon is a genius. White Noise, MAO II, and Ratner's Star by Don DeLillo. East of Eden by Steinbeck but also Grapes of Wrath and Winter of My Discontent. The Sun Also Rises by Papa Hemmingway. Extremely Loud and Incredibly Close by Safron Foer. The Knockout Artist by Harry Crews. Neverwhere by Neil Gaiman. Pattern Recognition by William Gibson.
The list just goes on and on...and will be added to so start reading now!
Just this guy...