Interview with Roger Pipe, Editor of Adult Video Reviews
Adult Interview - Roger Pipe at RogReviews.com
Roger Pipe: Popular Editor of Adult Video Reviews, Owner of RogReviews.com
About Roger Pipe
Question 1. Roger, can you give us a quick biography on yourself and how you got into
the adult
business?
Roger Pipe: Not sure how far back you want me to go. I have been watching
adult movies since I turned 18 in 1985. (A little before that when I could
sneak them from our video store.) I was a big fan and in 1989 I went to my
first CES show in Las Vegas to meet the lovely women of adult film. In early
1995 I got turned on to the internet and found a newsgroup, alt.sex.movies
where people were discussing porn, helping one another locate hard-to-find
titles and much to my delight, reviewing adult movies. I read the reviews for
several days and decided that I would try as well. Sometime in the spring of
1995 I wrote my first adult video review. The early reviews all came from my
own collection and the feedback was immediate. I just reviewed from the heart
as a porn fan. What I had noticed for years was that magazine reviews of adult
movies always seemed to be more like glorified advertisements and I wanted
something a little more detailed as well as a great deal more honest. A few
months after I started reviewing, people started to take notice and some
retail sites liked what I had to offer. They began running my reviews on their
sites as a way to help customers. At that point I didn't have my own web site,
so the reviews were housed by www.iafd.com for several years.
By 1998 I realized I needed my own web site and opened
www.rogreviews.com and
for the last 7 years have poured my heart and soul into keeping that site
growing.
Roger Pipe's Top Picks of Adult DVDs For Couples
We are married (basically) and have had nothing but positives come from
watching adult DVDs together. Many other couples have had a similar
experience. Of course some couple don't find the experience positive at all.
Question 2. How has it worked for you?
Roger Pipe: My wife is not a huge porn fan so we don't watch together as often
as I would like. That said, she is completely supportive of what I do and
likes some porn. A lot of what I review for the site really isn't porn for
couples, but when we do watch together it has been a very positive experience.
Question 3. What advice would you give to other couples thinking of watching
adult DVDs together? How should they choose what to buy?
Roger Pipe: Wow if I had a dime for every time..ha. Seriously, that is the
most frequently asked question in the ten years I've been doing this. (And in
the ten years before that when I was running video stores.) What I usually
suggest is that the couples take a look at a short list of movie I recommend.
(Chameleon,
Bad Wives,
Island Fever etc) and then decide what they like best.
For some, the well done features work best. For others, the artsy look of an
Andrew Blake movie can do it. Still others like the fun style and more natural
sex of a
Shane's World Movie.
Every couple is different and if they take the
time to explore what is out there, they can usually find something they enjoy.
Question 4. What three adult DVDs are at the top of your "Couple
Friendly" list? (both styles?)
Roger Pipe: I would say that for features, Bad Wives, Chameleon more recently,
Eye of the Beholder.
(And of course Guilty Pleasures,
but only because I wrote
it. Ha.) For the other style, Island Fever 2,
Secrets and
Forbidden Tales.
Roger Pipe's Insight into The Adult Video Industry
Question 5. From we understand, the industry was somewhat (What's the right
word?) sleezy back 10-20 years ago and that women were treated poorly. It seems
like this has changed quite a bit though and has become a much better working
environment for everyone. Is this accurate?
Roger Pipe: I don't know if it has changed that much in ten years. Prior to
1989, it was against the law to film porn so it was a bit tougher for anyone
to expect decent working conditions. In some ways I think it is better now,
but the new technology and the internet have made it possible for virtually
anyone to shoot. Opening the industry up like that has given us some great
options, but it doesn't always assure people a professional experience. Having
said that I must say that in the ten years I have been working in this
industry there have been very few "bad experience" stories when you
consider how many movies get made.
Needless to say, even one case of HIV is a tragedy. All things considered
though, it seems like the industry has done good job of regulating itself. Not
that there isn't always room for improvement, but the data shows less than ten
cases of HIV transmission over the past several hundred thousand scenes.
Clearly there's more risk in taking someone home from the local bar than
shooting a scene with someone in the industry. Unfortunately, that isn't
considered newsworthy.
We heard that Platinum X and
Red Light District increased testing to every two
weeks...at their own expense. We also heard that Platinum X made sure several
of those infected had (non performing) jobs so they could deal with their
situation with one less worry.
Question 6. Is this true?
Roger Pipe: I have heard that they have done this yes. I know that Jessica
Dee, one of the infected performers, has directed a number of movies for them.
Question 7. Can you give some examples of positive things that came out of the
recent outbreak?
Roger Pipe: I wish there was something positive, but not much good came of it
I'm afraid. If I had to pick something, I would say that it is the way the
industry didn't rush out to attack the women this time. During the last big
outbreak, there was a rush to judge and condemn the women who were infected,
specifically Brooke Ashley and Tricia Devereaux. By the time everyone figured
out that it was Marc Wallice, it was too late. This time they did a much
better job of identifying the source, getting the word out and keeping up a
good quarantine.
It seemed like the industry did a good job coming together to shut itself down
during the last outbreak.
Question 8. Would you agree?
Roger Pipe: I heard about some smaller productions and internet shoots that
were going on right after the initial outbreak and during the quarantine. For
the most part, I think that the bigger companies did a good job of shutting
down, but it is hard to control an industry that has become so diverse.
Question 9. Would it have responded differently 10 years ago? 20 years ago?
Roger Pipe: I think so. When John Holmes came out years ago there was a sense
of denial. It was years before the industry went to mandatory testing. I think
people have wised up quite a bit and they do a better job of looking out for
themselves on that front.
History of Adult Video Industry from Roger Pipe
Question 10. When did ass to mouth become the craze?
Roger Pipe: Sometime in the last few years. It showed up in the 90's as just
part of certain scenes. Like everything else, it has become part of the
freak-show mentality that permeates so much of porn.
Question 11. When did anal sex go from "kinky" to
"normal"?
Roger Pipe: That was in the early 90's. Gonzo took over and guys like Max
Hardcore and the people at Anabolic started shooting movies that were packed
with anal.
Question 12. How did "gonzo" come about?
Roger Pipe: I guess that depends on how you define gonzo. It is loosely used
by some to describe anything other than features. In the truest sense, at
least among geeks like me, has gonzo as a genre of movie where the director or
cameraman is part of the action. John Stagliano really revolutionized porn
with his Buttman
movies and gonzo was born. It came at a time when porn was
literally a vast wasteland of bad features. The film making days were long
gone and the video revolution had taken over. People were still working on
making features, but they were horrible. Breaking free from that gave us true
gonzo as well as what I call couch porn and all of the sub-species of that
which have come along. What made early "true" gonzo work so well was
the personal connection the Buttman or Seymore Butts or
Ben Dover made with
the audience. It was a vicarious thrill and allowed for more variety than the
typical "pizza boy" feature of the late 80's.
Fun Gossip about Porn Stars from Roger Pipe
Question 13. Which porn stars have the reputation for being the craziest in
their private lives? Who? examples?
Roger Pipe: I always heard that Debi Diamond was a wild woman away from the
set. Tori Welles also had quite a reputation as a fun girl to be around.
Question 14. Are there any porn stars or male performers that everyone says
fuck the best? Are there any that everyone wants to work with?
Roger Pipe: Nearly every woman I have ever interviewed says that
Jenna Jameson is their dream fuck. As far as the guys they all love,
Erik Everhard,
Lexington Steele,
Mr. Marcus and
Kurt Lockwood get mentioned a lot.
Question 15. Are there any directors that everyone wants to work for?
Roger Pipe: Everyone wants to work for the best so people are always looking
to be in a Jules Jordan movie. Women also seem to really like working for
Mike John and
Joey Silvera.
Being in an Andrew Blake movie or
Michael Ninn movie also has
a certain prestige so that is always a prime role.
All our thanks go to Roger at Rogreviews.com for an interesting interview, insightful views into the adult
entertainment industry.
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