To “rubber” or not to “rubber”… that is

the porn question…

Once again,   the Adult film industry has had another unfortunate performer test  positive for HIV. This is the third time (that the public has been made aware of)  in the last few short years the industry  has  shut down filming while they try to prevent any other performers from becoming infected too and get the performers tested that has worked with the HIV positive individual.

Upfront, HIV is a horrible disease and the porn industry is at best is something many people are very vocal about. They either love it or loathe it. Whether its a moral issue or not is not what this article is about it.  People that are consenting adults can either watch it, make it, produce it or choose not to have anything to do with it but the industry exists so here we are. It’s pretty much that simple but according to statics, a lot of people enjoy watching adult films. It’s a billion dollar a year industry and it keeps getting bigger each year so I would think the ones that don’t watch it are the minority and there is nothing wrong with that. To each their own…

But back to porn. When Aids first broke out in the early 80’s there was a push to make all sex performers in film wear protection. But a not so funny thing happened when they did. Sales dropped off. It seems that people that purchase adult movies really don’t want to see “safe  sex” while viewing it. I guess it ruined the “fantasy” for them. So what happened? The porn industry backed off using protection and went back to unsafe sex practices.  However, the sex industry did implement monthly HIV testing for all performers and they were not allowed to work unless all of the paper work was current. But in reality, that paper work is always “after the fact”. Meaning when the blood test was done the HIV antibodies aren’t showing up in your blood yet. So it also meant that at the time of the test you are showing that you are not HIV positive even though the virus may in fact already be in your body.

According to the news media I have been reading most of the HIV positive performers are male and  didn’t contact HIV from another American performer. Most had recently worked in Brazil or another foreign Country where HIV  testing is either lacked or not done at all and had engaged in higher risk sex such as gay or transsexual porn. It seems the money is better in those Countries for American male performers so they take the risk and then come back to America and continue to work and unfortunately sometimes bring back a non curable disease. . .And then someone else gets infected, and like dominoes, they fall one by one…

And the pressure of making money in the Adult industry drives everything. The previous HIV outbreak with a  film actress that contracted HIV from her male partner stated she felt pressured to engage in high risk unprotected sex. She went to work to do oral sex scenes and the studio said we are only shooting double anal sex scenes this week  and if you want to work you can work and if not, we will get someone else. So , she needed the money and did the scene and even though no one knew her partner was HIV positive because his tests had said he wasn’t…he was. A now she is. The both are and if I remember correctly a total of five  performers (one male and four females) contracted HIV from just one carrier.

So who is at risk? Really everyone in the industry is at risk. But by looking at the statics it’s the female performers in “straight” porn who are at a greater risk since they “receive” bodily fluids. So what should happen? Should it be mandated that all performers use protection? It’s easy to say yes but then that’s only half the issue because in porn, the “money shot” sells the movies. If you don’t know what the money shot is…How can I put this lightly…I can’t… so the male performer would remove his condom and ejaculate on his partners face, mouth, vagina or ass. It’s what sells and the more extreme the better even if it risks the performers… It’s the old adage of  “supply and demand”. If there wasn’t a market for it, it wouldn’t be there. I am not condoning it, just stating it.

So where do we go from here? Porn is not going away. Its been around in one form or another since man first learned how to draw naked women charcoal drawings on cave walls and probably even way before that. So does it need to change? How so? Let’s hear some feedback. I need to take a break and watch some…porn anyway. No condoms please, it’s a Buzz Kill.

Ten Questions with “Crucifuge”

1. Welcome to Kick Acts. Tell us a little about yourself and your band and were you
can be found at on the web.
We are Crucifuge, formed in June 2010 and are based in Evansville, IN. We’ve
recently finished the mixing/mastering of our full-length debut album.

www.crucifuge.com

2. Who are your musical heroes, influences & why?
a.) There are many to be named. Peter Steele, George Fisher, Warrel Dane, Jason
Mendonca, Alex Skolnick, Chuck Schuldiner, Trey Azagthoth, Eddie Van Halen, Cliff
Burton, Kerry King, Jeff Hanneman, Joe Adcock, Geezer Butler, Steve Harris, Jaco
Pastorius, Geddy Lee, Hellhammer, Frost, Namtar, Neil Peart, Chris Adler, Krimh
Kerim, Vyl, Stewart Copeland, Jeremy Spence, Animal (muppets), and John Fuckin’
Bonham.
b.) Because they’re fucking badass!

3. Do you have any advice for someone just getting started in playing music? Any
pitfalls they should avoid?
a.) As long as you are playing in time and in key, you’re doing it right. No one
will believe in you more than yourself. If you have no belief in yourself, no
conviction in what you want to accomplish, and lack a cohesive understanding of what
you want to accomplish with your band-mates, then you are wasting your time.
b.) Stay away from “rock stars”.

4. Do you have a greatest gig story you’d like to share?
Not really. All gigs are good because it’s an opportunity to showcase our music.
Being on stage is the best feeling in the cosmos.

5. On the same token as the above question. How about a “worse gig” ever story.
Not really, as stated in question four. All gigs are good because it’s an
opportunity to showcase our music. Having a lack of roadies to set up and “tech”
our shit, then tear it down, haul it, etc. sucks though.

6.Do you have any other hobbies other than playing music? Collect stamps?
Collect hats from off the side of the road? Draw pictures of boobs?
All of us have a diverse range of outside interests, most of them legal.

7. What do you think about the present music scene or lack of here in the Evansville
area? Care to address that?
You have to spend money to make money. We see a lot of good bands in the Evansville
area. We see a lot of good bands with poor turnouts at shows because the extent of
advertising for the show was primarily on Facebook or Myspace. Radio is a powerful
media. Bands should be using it to promote shows they’ve put together.Spend a
little, make some more…

8. Tell us something about each of your band members that we wouldn’t expect to
hear… Like their hobbies or something like that…
Ryan and Kaven listen to all genres of music. Despite the anger in his lyrics,
Jesse is a kind-hearted person. Nick went to Catholic school. No one knows
anything about Sledge and he evidently has no intentions of sharing.

9. Hypothetical situation. You’re stranded on Gilligan’s island and you getto hook
up with only one of the girls… Is it Ginger, Mary Ann or Mrs. Howelland why?
Only one? Not going to happen…Ryan and Kaven tag-team Ginger (Kaven will
sodomize, he doesn’t mind), Sledge puts the hurt on Mary Ann deep-south style, Nick
gets a little Gmilf action with Mrs. Howell and Jesse has to just sit and watch
because he has a girlfriend.

10. # 10 is called “Shout It Out Loud”. It’s were you get to talk about whatever you
want to talk about. So go ahead and “SHOUT IT OUT LOUD”!
Live your life. No one is going to the grave for you. As well, you can’t live
someone else’s life for them. So sit back, shut the fuck up and let them live it.

VIDEO LINKS:http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bURpPkqJU3Q&feature=related

Almost Human – Unmasked KISS Tribute from 2004 (featuring yours truly)

For those who dig KISS tribute bands, here’s a little something for you to gawk at. Way back when (on July 24, 2004) some friends and I (the handsome bass player) performed in an unmasked KISS tribute at a KISS Expo in Evansville, Indiana. I unleashed a DVD of this show into the wild and promptly forgot about it and my copy disappeared. Well, many many moons later, the DVD has resurfaced so I did what any self-promoting KISS fan would do. I gave the DVD its own YouTube channel and posted 12 of the songs for your entertainment! Enjoy (or don’t)!

Since it was a KISS Expo, there were “special” guests and we shared the stage with Ron Keel & Bob Kulick near the end of the show. “Let’s pull the trigger boys!”

[youtube]_eOD5w9-xu4[/youtube]

Go to http://www.youtube.com/almosthuman2004 to watch the other 11 videos.

CHTHONIC – Broken Jade Music Video

Check out our fellow Taiwanese brothers in Rock. I can’t pronounce their name but this is like speed metal meets thrash, meets progressive rock and sleeps with Dream theater. They pay homage to their forefathers from World war II. The end of the video is touching and moving. Check it out...chuck