Porn Valley- This morning I talked with Jonathan Morgan, who, I’m sure, a lot of new people in the business didn’t know was quarantined during an HIV scare in 1993. The Talking Blue website mentions that Morgan performed with an HIV positive actress named Carrie Morgan. Morgan remembers the girl quite well but says her name wasn’t Carrie Morgan. That much he can tell you though he’d be hard pressed to come up with a name.

Morgan was part of a group that included Steve Hatcher, Tony Tedeschi, Nicole London, Tina Tyler and Leena. “We were known as the dirty half dozen,” Morgan states.

Morgan said he’s never heard of a girl named Carrie Morgan.

Morgan: “There was a girl brand new in the business. This was very long ago. We were on a Mitch Spinelli set. We were getting ready to do our scene and we were waiting for her to get her test back- I forget what establishment it was at that time. We didn’t want to do the scene until she got her test back. We were waiting and waiting. We got a phone call from them that something was happening with the lab- something like where it was going to take longer.

We’re like can you tell us if at least we can shoot the scene. They said no problem. We shot the scene. After we were done, I did a scene that same day with Tina Tyler. Then the very next day Tina did a scene with Tony who did a scene with Leena; and then there was a threeway with Steve Hatcher and Nicole London.

Then on the third day we learned that the girl had tested positive. Again, this was in the days of the ELISA tests which at that point we were, like, oh shit. This lab was calling the girl to come back so they could test her again. She went and got a test again but she didn’t go back to that lab only because she didn’t feel confident in that lab’s ability. She went to her family doctor, got a test and it came back negative.

According to what I had heard the ELISA test with women- if you’re stressed- there are ways that it would show up as a false positive. She ended up getting a negative test but the industry at the time, because she didn’t go to the “industry” doctor, they looked at it as her being positive. And so we had to go under quarantine.

The standard at the time is that you could not be 100% sure that we were clean unless six months had passed. We were put on a six month quarantine level and we basically had to fend for ourselves. At the time it was the worst experience that could ever have happened in my life. I had only been in the industry two years. But looking back on it, it was the greatest thing that could have happened to me. It allowed me to get into the writing which got into the producing which lead to the directing. I wouldn’t have taken the steps needed if I wasn’t forced into, hey, you got to make money some how.

Gene: You mean you wouldn’t have gone on to become a professional roadie?

Morgan: LOL That was one of the things that I actually had to do as a roadie.

Gene: You were like towel boy for Alexis DeVille.

Morgan: Yes. It was funny because now I have a whole new respect for roadies. It was people like Mitch Spinelli and his father and Steve Orenstein who gave me jobs while I was down. Also Duck Dumont of Redboard gave me jobs when I was down to keep money going. And Jim Enright. Then I got into the writing because I had to make money. Then the writing lead to Jim letting me PM a couple of other things which lead me into directing some things for Zane which then went to Wicked and here I am now. But it was really tough. I remember sitting there looking at my bills which I had to pay at that time- I had to come up with $4,000 every month to survive. And I’m going you can’t make $4,000 flipping burgers, how am I going to do that? And so I took every odd freaky job that I could. By freaky I mean being a roadie. Working for Redboard I did some S&M stuff. I don’t like harsh words thrown on me much less being beaten by Kim Wylde. You get the shit beaten out of you by Kim Wylde, that’s a humbling experience. But you do what you got to do. But that’s the story in a nutshell.

Gene: But I was going nuts trying to remember who the girl was. And you don’t remember either.

Morgan: She only did one scene and that was it. Then she zapped out of the business.

Gene: Could it have been possible that she was using the name Carrie Morgan?

Morgan: No. I absolutely would have made a statement. I would have told her you’e taking a name that people are either going to think we’re brother and sister or that we’re married. I think you probably want to have a name that sets you more apart. Another thing that would make it tough to find out what that girl’s name is, that scene- I know Mitch buried. It never got shown. There’s no record of this girl having existed. It might as well be Jane Doe.

Gene: I seem to recall this happening in late ’93. Maybe I’m wrong. I know there was a whole industry meeting held at the VCA studios.

Morgan: The only three things I remember getting out of that meeting- that we all cannot agree. Number two was that we shouldn’t be like Patricia Kennedy and stand up in front of a room of your peers screaming giving an example of how quickly AIDs can spread is that she got herpes on the set and currently has herpes. I don’t think that was the smartest move. And, at that time, Brittney O’Connell’s husband saying that we need to get a fix on this because if she doesn’t work he doesn’t eat. Things that you should not say when you’re trying to get sympathy. What a jackass that guy was. That was an interesting meeting.

Gene: I remember John Bowen getting up and making comments. He was getting booed.

Morgan: Yeah. Nothing really significant happened at that meeting. It was definitely when the Marc Wallice-thing. That’s when the industry made a complete change. In my situation. There was a girl who did one scene and the six people under quarantine all tested negative. There was nothing happening and that girl wasn’t around. But when Marc Wallice and all those girls that tested positive as well along with him, that’s when the industry said we need to get our shit straight. But back in the day a lot of words were spoken and there was zero action. But I also have to say that for the people who are now quarantined- you will see who your friends are. With me it was, hey Jonathan, we love you. As soon as I was under quarantine no one would return my phone calls except for Jim Enright, Steve Orenstein, Mitch and his father; and Duck Dumont. That was it. No one else would have pissed on me if I was on fire.