Porn Valley- John Bowen was showing me some pics of his current crop of contract girls. One in particular is adorable. Her name is Felicity. Felicity, who’s a little bit whacked, according to Bowen, is Brazilian. In fact all of Bowen’s girls are. Not necessarily whacked, but Brazilian.
As John T. Bone, perhaps the most controversial director the adult business has ever known, Bowen’s in town until July 21st. And then it’s back to Brazil where he spends most of his time these days shooting movies for his company. Bowen’s also back to wearing a ponytail and I suggest that’s the perfect Sean Connery-Medicine Man image to project, coming out of the wilds and all that. I was curious what made wild girl Felicity such a whack job. Bowen relates instances about how she’ll smack herself on the side of the head and act like a bag lady. “But the camera loves her,” Bowen tells me. “She was terrified at first about doing scenes. But she comes alive before the camera. After her first scene I signed her to an immediate contract. Now she wants to be a porn star.”
Bag ladies aside, Bowen can also tell you some colorful stories about all the money he’s lost in bad porno business partnerships. “No one’s stealing from me anymore,” he says. “Then again I don’t have a partner.” Bowen currently shoots a line for New Sensations, and he’s extremely complimentary about the company, stating that their money’s good and always on time. Bowen’s also got a Brazilian gonzo line he’d like to market and is looking for a distribution deal similar to the one he has with New Sensations.
I tell him about some of the newbie porn companies who were at Erotica L.A. attempting to sell their one movie. Bowen, who’s got a bankable name, had seven in the can let alone one before he even thought about approaching New Sensations. The consummate provocateur who was never at a loss for a p.r. stunt, Bowen concedes that he’s been out of the porn loop the past two years by being in South America and figures it’s time to start tooting his horn again. Out of sight, out of mind, that whole thing.
What a lot of the current porn generation may not realize is that Bowen was shooting double anals when Skeeter Kerkove was still chlorinating swimming pools. Bowen’s also the brains behind promotions like the World’s Biggest Gangbang- an event that brought Annabel Chong and Jasmin St. Claire to prominence.
Now that he’s been down there, Bowen’s also seen the HIV crisis first hand from the Brazilian standpoint. He tells me there’s a company in Brazil that forges HIV tests and supplies them to the talent down there. But companies such as his are trying to clean up the mess that’s been created down there with a major crackdown coming on performers who work with trannies and bisexuals. Not helping matters is a real disdain for the gringos who are generally perceived as stupid and rich. Yet, at the same time, the Brazilians seem to have a very strong work ethic. Even so, Bowen said it took him most of his two years down there to break through some very strong walls that have been erected towards Americans.
According to Bowen, because of the language barrier everything in Brazil’s a project from trying to get breakfast to hailing a taxi. Not many down there speak English. “They don’t have to,” Bowen says. “Their country’s larger than ours.” And contrary to the notion that money, talks, Bowen claims it’s just the opposite- if you’re American, that is. “It doesn’t matter how much money you got,” he says. “If you’re not Brazilian, they don’t care. If you ask for something, you’re practically ignored.”
Nevertheless, Bowen feels he’s made some political headway and plowed in roads. He’s looking at signing at least another nine girls to contracts- along with health insurance. And Bowen likes the way Brazilian women fuck on camera. “They’re not tired, jaded or burned out,” he states. “Their sex scenes are very romantic. They fuck like girlfriends.”
And some of the women who have been shooting for Bowen have been put through school thanks to the porn money they’ve been earning. Bowen tells me one girl was able to finish her last two years of law school by doing three pictures. Others aren’t so lucky, however.
Most girls shooting movies in Brazil are prostitutes trying to support their families. Generally they work in whore houses where the going rate is $24 and the house take is 50%. There’s also a lot of crime, theft and muggings. “It’s a dangerous country,” Bowen tells me. “Every single person I know there has been robbed at one time or another. People get killed for $2.”