Abuse of Power

Max Hardcore is credited and/or blamed for ruining Adult Entertainment, as his experiments in gross-out according to Gresham's law have resulted in the junkiest porn having driven quality out of the marketplace in two decades of exposure. Lizzy Borden and her Extreme Associates label joined Max in his crusade to corrupt.

This very early video from Lizzy's outfit, a creation of "Robert Black" who also annoyingly appears on-screen as intrepidly inept reporter (mic in hand) "Roberto Negro", attempts to gross out the neophyte porn viewer with real-life stories. Result is somewhere in the netherworld that incorporates in amateurish video the output of Ulli Lommel and in the disgusting gossip world the unnecessary later innovation known as TMZ. Also throw in that ridiculous (and ridiculously popular) reality-TV show "Cops" and you have a trifecta of crap.

Going further back, perhaps Troma started the modern (or is it post-post- Modern?) craze among idiots for "so bad it's good" entertainment. Oxymorons aside, morons seem to enjoy ineptitude, probably fulfilling a psychological need to feel superior to something, or anything at all. That originally was the beef of trained musicians against rock'n'roll, and look how many decades that art form has thrived and eventually proved its worth?

But I maintain that Max and Lizzy will not stand the test of time, because they contribute nothing. Here the 5 vignettes "Roberto" introduces, with stock real news footage displayed as if to validate the video's contents, are all patently, even absurdly fake. The actresses' stage names for the re- creations are displayed, and even an ignoramus would know he was watching porn gussied up as "reality". The aim is to titillate with silly "gross-out" content rather than arouse, so the explicit sex here is ugly -the whole thing is ugly.

One need not dwell on the presence here of Ron Jeremy - I knew him decades ago when he was a very helpful information source (as I prepared obituaries for sadly deceased Adult Entertainment stars), before his self- aggrandizement phase began. Unfortunately he is now clearly among the detritus rather than the achievements of Adult cinema history. His sub- Borscht belt shtick routine here is unfunny, dragged out for a couple of reels, and rape/anal-rape is hardly amusing, even in the hands of this charlatan. Of course the Troma boys at home will chuckle twice: a chance to see the great Ron in his tub of lard era, and a chance to see "forbidden" rape in XXX content (current pornographers are afraid of depicting rape for fear of getting locked up in jail).

Final segment of the famous Annabel Chong and the "who she?" Aussie- accented Warner raping good old prisoner Jack Hammer with massive dildos in his posterior as vengeful prison guards is obviously gross, though guys getting it from girls is nothing new in porn- even the illustrious Tom Byron has several early '90s videos putting up with that switcheroo. But the Lizzy's and Robert Blacks of the world reveal their true colors in this video's final image, of Jack Hammer lighting up being executed in the electric chair. Yes dear friends, the porn ideal and meal-ticket of Max, Lizzy and thousands of their bottom-feeding brethren is all about violence, not sex. The cult of Thanatos, not Eros; cf., the unfortunately enduring "Faces of Death" video series.