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Koh Masaki: ご冥福を祈ります

Japanese pornstar and homosexual icon, Koh Masaki, passed away last month at the age of 29 from complications due to a ruptured appendix.

Koh, one of the most prominent male adult performers in Japan, began his hardcore career in 2009 and appeared in more than 85 movies, his popularity earning him the reputation of being the nation’s number one pornstar. One of Koh’s many notable achievements came from his decision to shirk the convention followed by many of his contemporaries and appear onscreen without censoring or hiding his face. Unlike many of his co-stars, Koh was openly gay and encouraged widespread acceptance of homosexuality in the traditional conservative Japan, vocally supporting the marriage of gay rights activist Higashi Koyuki and her partner Hiroko at Tokyo Disneyland in March of this year.
‘Congratulations. Your wonderful wedding will bring inspiration and hope to many people who still hesitate to take the first step. I was also encouraged that Tokyo Disney Resort was so understanding.’

Koh’s untimely passing was confirmed by a news bulletin on his official website and confirmed by his boyfriend, Tien Tien. Koh will be remembered not only for his onscreen and modeling work, but for his devotion to unashamedly appearing at public industry events and even working as a go-go dancer in Thailand, Taiwan, China, and France. His appearances brought him much attention outside of as well as inside Japan and fans from Phuket to Paris now mourn the loss of their idol.

Koh and Tien appeared in Nitta Keiichi’s Vice documentary ‘We Are Out’ in which they discuss their first meeting, their lives together, and the perception of homosexuality within Japan.

Is Evil Afoot at Evil Angel?

Last week we brought you news of Evil Angel’s latest endeavor, a clothing line designed by an erotic artist named Ricky Carrefero. But it turns out Ricky Carrefero may have been bombarded with allegations of evil once before. Welcome, dear reader, to the contentious world of erotic illustration.

Back in the early 2000s, a Los Angeles artist named Armando Huerta claimed that another man in his same line of work was passing Huerta’s work off as his own. The alleged plagiarist had been painting over portions of Huerta’s images and signing his own name, effectively changing nothing but the source (so, everything). The alleged plagiarist even managed to have a book containing a many such pieces published by SQP Art Books. The name of the alleged plagiarist? Ricky Carralero. Hmmm – that sounds familiar…

Now, there’s every chance that two men with almost identical names were working the same brush ‘n’ ink beat at the same time, but fuck… Was the artist behind Evil Angel’s new apparel endeavor also a thief, a phony, a plagiarist? Lingering doubts about the spelling of Carrefero and Carralero (and whatever other variations might exist) kept me searching. The only notable results appearing via Google for a “Ricky Carrefero” related to the announcement of Evil Angel’s clothing line about which I previously blogged, leaving me to wonder whether if “Ricky Carrefero” isn’t just a (barely) new name adopted by the same guy who allegedly ripped off Huerta. (And, by “allegedly” I mean “according to everyone posting at this blog“.) Or perhaps, as this post on the news page of Wicked Kulture, the website Carralero’s runs for his so-named erotic apparel company (natch!) refers to the man who’ll be applying color to cotton for EA by the same spelling that appears in Wicked Kulture’s byline and the front cover of the SQP Publication mentioned earlier, Art Premiere #1, Ricky Carralero is the only person Ricky Carralero can rely on to spell Ricky Carralero correctly.

Remembering Harry Reems

Harry Reams

Linda Lovelace is likely the only name most people associate with the notorious Deep Throat, the movie that made her oral abilities legend and thrust hardcore porn into the popular culture for more than 40 years (and counting!), but there’s one man without whom Linda’s legend, the movie’s notoriety and infamy, and the porn world as we know it would be immeasurably different. That man, Harry Reems, on March 19th, 2013 in Salt Lake City VA Hospital passed away at age 65 after battling a number of health problems and falling into a coma on March 15th.

Reems was born Herbert Stricher in 1947 in the Bronx, N.Y. and remained unknown to the world at large until 1972’s Deep Throat and 1973’s The Devil in Miss Jones had him, under Gerard Damaino’s direction, helping Lovelace prove her oral mettle by use of his own impressive appendage. Deep Throat also created one of the most notorious obscenity furors in American history, resulting in many districts banning exhibition of the film. in 1975, agents arrested Reems in New York and he was indicted on federal charges of conspiracy to distribute obscenity across state lines in a Memphis, Tennessee court. Convicted in April 1976, Reems was later released after his conviction was overturned on appeal in 1977.

After years of abusing drugs and alcohol, inspired by a Reverend in Park City, Utah, Reems entered recovery at the dawn of the 90s. A newly married man and fresh convert to Christianity, Reems, who continued to use that name given to him by his Deep Throat director for the rest of his life, remained in Park City with his wife, Jeanne Sterret, until his death and never disowned or tried to distance himself completely from his most notorious film. He even spoke with the Salt Lake Tribune about the film, its legacy, and ‘Lovelace’, the Amanda Seyfreid-starring biopic of his controversial co-star that recently swept through his adopted hometown as part of the Sundance Film Festival.

Harry Reems 1947 – 2013.

Larry Flynt Sells HQ

The original master Hustler himself, Mr. Larry Flynt, has sold the legendary Wilshire Blvd. tower that has served as Larry Flynt Publications’ headquarters since its purchase in 1984 for $18.8 million. The new owner, Santa Monica-based Douglas Emmett Inc. paid $82 million, which Flynt says he’ll be putting towards “buying another casino”. The stately building, designed in 1972 by William Pereira, also currently houses the Brazilian consulate and numerous law offices and even features a sculpture of John Wayne on the grounds. So why would Flynt want to sell? Expansion, of course.

Built in 1972 to house Great Western Savings, for whom John Wayne was spokesman, the LFP building (as it has long been known) became Hustler’s headquarters and Flynt’s office, creative counsel, living space, hospice, and war room during his infamous battles with the Jerry Falwell in the United States Supreme Court, an assassination attempt, the death of his wife Althea, recovery from drug addiction, and resurgence in the adult entertainment world. So this can’t have been a decision made lightly. Although the new owner will take possession of the property by the end of summer, Larry Flynt Publications will be staying put as a leasing tenant, at least for the time being.