i" C$ B2 M9 h5 K+ F. j/ N我接着问，“那么，健康风险呢？你经常被感染吗”？ . ~! N$ g5 G ^5 _ N ]' p- N8 X' k6 h) x, `$ I, g
她说，“也就是染上过一两次衣原体，还有淋病，除此之外，没什么大不了的。我们每个月都体检，得了病，赶紧吃药，然后就又能回去上班了。没问题。” 0 j2 ^/ A2 S7 g* c9 h$ W1 R% ^* v4 o9 ^
我看，宝碧人很“加州”。进一步说，整个色情电影业都有点“很加州”的意思。有执著的热情、反叛的心态，还有一点点自由主义者反抗压力的顽强。 6 U7 v" \$ y! a: p4 y+ C1 Z9 }$ ]( M
1980年代，官司一直打到高等法院，色情电影在加州才得到了合法化的地位，正式与普通意义上的嫖娼卖淫划清了界限。 . U! }% x8 N, |/ r不戴安全套的权利, R( w, k9 B) c( [' o
; g P, @* a) o3 W2 R现在，我遇到的许多人都说，不戴安全套的权利是宪法赋予的言论自由权利的一个关键部分，正如美国的立国之父指出的那样。! ?( ^6 V6 `! e) `% ]
- M1 j8 g2 M: y* k* ?一名制片人告诉我，“如果你把我的演员都装在橡胶里面，作为艺术家，我还能怎样表述自我呢”？9 t' ?; I- h$ p& f* U K, u
) v' p- L( Z' ?0 b, p( b4 q( l我很难想象，法兰克林和杰弗逊起草《第一修正案》的时候，想到过戴不戴安全套的权利。' a% t" i6 }. j9 h- L7 W# T) U
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但是，我也很难想象，《星际迷航》的粉丝们排着长队去看皮克船长和“进取号”的船员们真刀真枪地“肉搏”。所以，我算老几呢？6 f5 J. [ a( I. n6 _( g+ j) _8 |
. y; m2 f4 |2 q, X) b" k$ h但是，当局非常坚决。建筑工人必须戴头盔，矿工必须戴口罩，色情演员也必须有适当的保护。$ V! }$ f4 `9 O; ^) Z2 h2 S4 D+ N7 j
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和加州的立法人对阵，色情电影业最终很有可能打败仗。除了罚款，色情电影业也面临着一些前任演员们提出的代价昂贵的法律诉讼。 / o) i+ B, D- N7 N* P $ i$ z. g( K# w* p7 m( p一些演员私下告诉我，他们盼着立法赶快生效。 0 ~- l+ L% k( f$ Z/ L' B" f! j. m+ Z
制片人说，这对雇员没有任何好处，只会迫使制片公司搬到海外、或者转移到地下去拍片。观众想看的，就一定能看得到。 9 I2 ]7 O% h: e; `5 J' l1 \; `6 ]. d9 f0 B7 h. x5 b
宝碧也有同感。事实上，这也正是她开始脱衣服、准备开拍性爱场面之前说的告别词。 5 W, g, @0 Z, X+ O1 O7 W" c4 m ) w) `) w1 @ ?4 o7 Z( g! O我想，我看的已经够多了。我悄悄地离开拍摄现场，重新回到淅淅沥沥的小雨中……. , ?) G6 q- N" H/ A, G. H ?" G( ]0 a8 L" M
: Y- G( k3 _$ x2 I8 k' F3 _Californian porn industry's 'perfect storm' of troubles 5 b- }: k0 @. X$ @ ) A3 D# [2 ^$ M5 A$ vCalifornia's adult movie business is under pressure - internet piracy and the economic downturn have slashed revenues, while state regulators seem set to win their long battle to make actors wear condoms. # _8 ?/ i3 i) m7 [7 O * \# k9 ?" L2 M; V3 u8 iLight drizzle was falling as I pulled my car up outside a low-rise warehouse studio in northern Los Angeles. & P; X* r- L$ e: z1 Y: t9 v8 f$ v y# E/ l$ l! I8 }/ F6 O. m
I had been told just to pitch up - it would be fun, they had said, to see how we do things.4 O% K5 [* S$ {) W
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What I did see at first did not quite match my expectations but then again, I was not quite sure what to expect. 6 s9 F0 c- [4 w% j8 S) A. Z ! Z, j8 E* y* d$ R1 `( C- x- sThe porn shoot was Star Trek, the Next Generation - a triple-X parody, billed as a humorous tribute to the iconic TV space saga.; s& x J% L6 V M
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Performers in body-hugging Star Trek outfits, some with prosthetic noses to resemble aliens, wandered around looking slightly bored as a weary crew worried over lighting arrangements. - _, M' H: g, }0 t3 \& j, h4 A# \, T. m& K
This morning was devoted to dialogue, I was told, although - as Sam, the film's artistically minded writer-director, explained to me with clear regret - there was not too much of that to be had. + ^3 r- ]# f7 K4 p Q" Z " a, J7 t P% r1 t6 Q* rOnly 30 minutes of this two-hour sex film would involve plot, he sighed.5 v: _. c' s! [4 l8 g
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' ^$ f2 U% g. X- Z. ]& BThe demands of porn may not allow Sam to be the groundbreaking film-maker he clearly aspires to be, but at least there are films to be made.6 }: A6 x, V7 T4 R
+ D( h' V% @" X- n0 DThe problem, increasingly, is revenue. . n8 y7 n4 \! h, N9 D8 @% G4 O0 V2 Y8 L; k( r% Y+ U
Like the music industry, pornographers are struggling to persuade their audience to pay for what they watch., M9 r! k* O) b+ {# R; P; {2 A
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DVD sales have collapsed. Online, a great deal of porn can be accessed for free.3 i- T, v1 O b( S& W& _' o
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And the economic downturn does not help. 4 G4 j, e% U* I% r 6 c$ c& i' _, Q5 `"What with the recession and piracy, we call it the perfect storm," one leading producer observed wistfully. 1 Z9 [, d' Y% C8 u, M& D' L/ C2 J7 E0 I; d% c+ B- p* O- P
The economic climate also means the industry is even less keen to accept California's increasingly stringent workplace regulations. + x/ d; n. @/ G+ \- q+ D$ l9 V1 E6 Z" N7 k' p
For years, the authorities have been demanding that porn performers wear condoms. 3 o- u; [: N$ V- O 6 U5 ^' H% p$ W* E& b- SHealth scares - most notoriously in 2004 when three actors contracted HIV - have highlighted significant levels of infection on set.0 j. G$ x6 ~; ?2 Z$ ]& E8 ^4 U+ o
4 L" S* H' W+ u5 JBut the industry says wearing condoms on-screen is a turn-off. The public do not want it, it will kill the fantasy, they say. 8 L* a6 j$ |& z, p$ X! L0 b/ D: ?7 o" L" F! {: p- P7 K
Gonorrhoea , {$ C/ r# g) g2 w . }$ m$ h2 x3 r/ j' qBack on the Star Trek set, I talked to Bobbi Starr, one of the lead performers.& n$ c, u+ D V
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A college graduate, a former national standard swimmer and professional oboist, she seems to have packed a lot into her 27 years.9 {$ m! U- C$ w: _
, k! H$ }% v! X" r# w# t7 YShe turned to porn, she said, out of a sense of sexual adventure.% j$ p/ ?0 f" Y! S7 a. ` h0 }: V: `
1 N5 B! e2 f( ^5 B$ M"It's just fun," she said, "and when everyone around you is having fun too, what's not to love?" / _( l5 J# t$ M) w1 T/ h , C0 P+ A! b$ u7 u6 l2 G$ HHer packed schedule today involved a couple of lines, then a four-hour sex scene. Then a costume fitting on Tuesday and she was off to have her monthly health test after that. $ _7 \3 X1 f2 j( f2 V( X4 ~, Q3 f/ u4 \* S" n: q/ Z+ _$ Y2 ?
Each day would be 15 hours long. i7 m" {1 ^- R( [4 v% L t/ _- k5 x" {, g% {8 `
"Wow, you must be exhausted?" I suggested. 5 {+ _9 k6 l& F ( S3 V# t! u& s& l"You get used to it," she smiled.# J' Z" `1 g l$ X# t
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"And what about the health risks," I asked. "Have you had many infections?". {- N) _+ ?) L K
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"Well, just chlamydia a couple of times, gonorrhoea - nothing much. Anyway, we test each month so, when you're diagnosed, you just take your medication and you're good to go. No problem."' i" |' C# j0 H
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There was something very Californian about Bobbi, I decided. $ r" W8 v- r1 w/ e0 q2 X/ ~3 K7 o- g% a P! u5 k
Expensive lawsuits 4 a4 v& \6 ?; B8 w( ^2 x% t8 A2 b( W6 W% D- F, {* V; s3 e
In fact there was something very Californian about the entire business.- X" \# [, z0 i: y
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A combination of determined enthusiasm, combined with a rebel attitude, a sort of libertarian defiance towards the forces ranged against it.# Z: T3 L$ o' E4 m/ e$ }% q
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It had taken a Supreme Court battle back in the 1980s to make porn legal in California in the first place, formally distinguishing it from common-or-garden prostitution. 0 }5 n- q* ^ C: z2 D % \# P- Z" [: Q$ wNow, many I met spoke of the right not to wear condoms as a key aspect of their constitutional right to free speech, as set out by the Founding Fathers. 7 L6 L/ K3 a: p/ u+ Z1 G) y9 n- O; O0 L$ y/ ^4 e
"How can I express myself as an artist," one producer said to me, "if you're going to clothe my performers in rubber?"1 q: F* K0 I, @: Z* k
% f7 n$ p1 l% `$ D5 H- R; zI struggled to picture Benjamin Franklin or Thomas Jefferson having this in mind as they penned the First Amendment.4 M% e# U4 U) W6 w& _
3 P9 k2 i# a4 U* P' E. rBut then I also struggled to picture hordes of Star Trek fans queuing up to see Captain Jean-Luc Picard going hard-core with the crew of the Star Trek Enterprise. So what did I know?; m, \8 A. t0 P) a
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The authorities though are adamant. Construction workers wear hard hats, miners wear masks - these actors have to have suitable barrier protection.: _2 H: C1 E- @
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It seems likely that porn will eventually lose its battle against the California regulators, not least because - as well as state penalties - the industry could be about to face some very expensive lawsuits brought by former performers. 4 Q3 z* J" T$ C/ p$ W0 q! k+ q G$ `( E2 B
A number of actors told me privately that regulation could not come soon enough for them. ; ^0 b4 s2 W" [- ^! T 0 ]3 n; r, J" `The producers say this will not help workers but will only force production abroad, or underground - the public always gets what the public wants. ! ?: G% D, X M3 p& h* S/ C: p7 z5 e. L; E- Z" [
That view was echoed by Bobbi Starr - her parting words, in fact, as she began to disrobe for her epic sex scene. 9 ~, z) `% Q8 f! k% c& S# C& r) k5 n+ \: G; P& q, m
I decided I had seen enough and slipped back out into the rain. # Q7 q- n. z* }% f # }1 Q) N9 [! G/ F) G 5 |. k2 N/ y3 V2 T" O% Q, N( T, _. O* p" R) F " |# [9 k. v& B0 E4 x3 ~3 g1 B4 M
Calls for greater safety increased after actors tested positive for HIV in 2004
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