Susie Bright

While I enjoy talking about porn with just about anyone (Gail Dines excluded), I love hearing about movies from folks who really know it – especially if they were there… and especially if we are talkin’ classic porn.  There is just something extra exciting about hearing all the details first hand and getting the dirt from someone who hasn’t just heard the stories.  That’s where smutty historian Susie Bright comes in.

photo by Editrixie

Susie Bright is so much more than just an expert in classic porn though.  This amazing lady is an activist, teacher, performer, co-founder of lesbian mag On Our Backs, writer and so much more!  But today we are going to focus on the fabulous historian writing work Bright has done – particularly Susie Bright’s Erotic Screen Vol. 1: The Golden Hardcore and the Shimmering Dyke-Core, a collection of personal essays and commentary on films of the Golden Era on porn.  The book, which only comes in ebook form, features links to all of the referenced movies and industry people, including links from HotMoviesForHer (I gladly busted my rump making sure that Bright had all the links she needed – what a project!).

It was an amazing experience to read the book and learn just how freaking much Susie Bright knows about classic porn.  That’s why I asked her to come on HM4Her and give our pervy masses a quick lesson in classic smut – Top Five Tuesday style!  So, without further ado, we present Susie Bright’s Top Five Classic Porno Picks!  (Six actually – she couldn’t do just five!)

Clips: The original female ejaculation scene, up close and personal! And I was there, which makes me twice as nostalgic. I love this movie; it’s three vignettes, all very personal about one woman’s orgasmic one-track mind. The second clip is Greta Christina’s beautiful homage to anal self-ecstasy, and then in the third, two female lovers make the best erotic use of silk scarves… sensuous, romantic, and hardcore.

Classic & Vintage – 3AM: A drop-dead performance by Georgina Spelvin in one of the finest erotic tragedies ever made. Gary Graver was Orson Welle’s cinematographer of many decades. He delivers exceptional sexual tension and pacing, with a superb lesbian scene, which is the inspiration I took to choreograph the Wachowski Brother’s movie, Bound. We did an R-rated version of this shower scene!

Autobiography Of A Flea: The best (and practically the only) erotic video based on the Victorian-era. Wonderfully sacrilegious and appropriately naughty with many fine performances.  Paul Thomas plays one of the depraved monks, not long after he starred in Jesus Christ Superstar! Directed by Sharon McKnight, before she became a much-beloved cabaret star in her own right.

Cafe Flesh: This script continues to become more timely. Post-apocalypse society has been divided into two groups: one of sex-negatives who can’t approach orgasm without becoming violently ill, and the other of sex-positives who are forced to perform in institutionalized sex clubs where negatives gather to observe them. Of course there are the rebels too!  A cult classic that crossed over to mainstream movie theaters with its science fiction prophesies looking more realistic than ever.

The Devil In Miss Jones: Most famous early porn movies, like Deep Throat, don’t deserve the critical attention they’re accorded. Devil in Miss Jones is a notable exception; it’s riveting. A must for every recovering-Catholic. Troubling, arousing, superlative performances, particularly from Georgina Spelvin, the best who ever graced the X-screen.

Only The Best: Jim Holliday, a respected porn historian who’s the equivalent of an “Hardcore Roger Ebert,” has compiled a selection of his favorite scenes. He has excellent taste.  Each scene is accompanied by information about the selection. It’s an excellent introduction to what is considered the finest in commercial erotic video. If you ever meet someone who grumbles, “I’ve never seen anything in a movie that turned me on…”— show them this and watch them SHUT UP.

That Susie Bright – she’s pretty amazing, huh?

Thanks for the picks, Susie!

xoxo
-JD and Ginger Leigh

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Happy Humpday!  Welcome to the midweek stretch.  Time for a little Link Lovin’ to celebrate the awesomeness that is Wednesday.  Look, Thursday is just around the corner!

- Well, cult film director John Waters sums it up in a nutshell.  I guess my sex education work is done here.  Also, that is fucking hot!

- Bay Area photographer Shilo McCabe who takes pictures of local sex positive folks is doing a special Masturbation Month “I Masturbate…” set.  Holy hotness and validation rolled into one site of delicious jerk off fodder.  Yum.

- Lady Gaga wore penis shoes on American Idol?  Maybe it’s time to start watching that show…

- Three cheers for Brazil for ruling that accountant Anna Catarian Bezerra has the right to masturbate at work.  Apparently the 36-year-old woman deals with a chemical imbalance that triggers anxiety and hypersexuality that can be relieved by masturbating.  She had to take her company to court last year to win the right to take care of herself, which is the real thing to remember, all you pervs that are wishing you could wank at work. ; ) (via Buzzfeed)

- Super smart and engaging blog post about the porn found in Bin Laden’s compound.  I’d expect nothing less of sexuality activist/writer Susie Bright!

- Speaking of writers, porn star Ashley Blue (aka. Oriana Small) is releasing her memoir, Girlvert.  It’s $200 and there are only 50 being sold.  Why is that?  Because each book has Blue’s pubic hairs embedded in the dust jacket.  Pretty ingenious if you ask me! (via Buzzfeed)

- More books!  Jiz Lee gives an awesome review of Show Off Book’s “I’ll Show You Mine,” a picture book exploring the diversity of vulvas.  Plus we get a special treat in this post.  <3 Jiz!

- And lastly, Nat Geo spends a little time talking about roving gangs of lesbian hyenas that have giant clits they fuck each other with – what’s not to like!?

Hope this gets you through til the weekend!

xoxo
-JD

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It’s banned book week and I thought I’d celebrate with a list of my five favorite smut collections! If you’re a big fan of the first amendment, I suggest you check out my list and then check out the ALA website to learn more about the ridiculous books that are challenged in our public libraries year after year.

With A Rough Tongue: This is my favorite collection of erotica of all time. The stories challenge gender and lesbian sexuality in a way that’s totally engaging and super duper sexy. Plus, it’s from Canada – and you know I love me some Canada.

X – The Erotic Treasury: If you’re looking for a gift for your favorite perv, you can’t go wrong with this gorgeous collection edited by the amazing Susie Bight, it even comes with a protective slip case. Besides looking great, it includes stories by some of my favorite authors including Carol Queen and Bright herself.

I is for Indecent: I’ve enjoyed each of the Erotic Alphabet collections that I’ve read, but this one really stands out for me because I found it really challenging. There were things in here that really pushed the boundaries for me and I loved it. Not every story did it for me, but as promised, this one will offend and titillate. Not a bad combination in my opinion.

Homosex: This Simon Sheppard collection is packed full of hot gay erotica and I think that’s great. However, what makes this one of my favorites is the fact that Sheppard has managed to tell a history of gay men in America through these sexy stories.

Burning AngelHow could I make this list without including this amazing photo collection of the Burning Angel girls. There are no annoying words to get in the way of your enjoyment, just 365 pages of tattooed girls. Joanna Angel and the crew are fantastic eye candy and fans should really own this book.

Learn more about Banned Book Week over at the ALA website.
-The Porn Librarian

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Happy Humpday!  The middle of the week has snuck up on us again and I don’t know about y’all, but I am in need of some TLC (and no, I don’t mean the channel dedicated to people with massive families – thought I do love me some Jon and Kate).  The cold and general greyness of the sky is making me totally sluggish and I am conviced the days are going at slo-mo.  But enough crankiness – let’s get down to what matters… sex.  Break the mid-February blues and go celebrate humpday the way it is supposed to be celebrated.  And masturbation definitely counts, so don’t wait around for someone else to help you party. Take matters into your own hands. 

Ok, enough soap boxing about sexin’ (like I really need to), let’s get to that good old link lovin’!

-  Holy lesbian lovin’ Batman, Batwoman is a dyke!  There she is pictured above.  And you thought she was making a fist to punch out bad guys…

- TimesOnline takes on sex and disability… and does a pretty decent job! (via Jezebel)

- Dude, where’s my porno?  Amsterdam seems to have misplaced it’s smut. I’ll bet you 10 euros that it was “accidently” taken by some wasted American frat boy fresh from the “coffeehouse” (which is pretty much 1/3 of the tourist population).   (via WorldSexNews)
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I can’t believe that the nicest book I have is chock full of smut!

I had read about Susie Bright’s X – The Erotic Treasury and it sounded really nice, but now that I have my hands on it, I am in awe. I mean, I have like a million books of erotica and not one of them is even a hardcover book. This beautiful book is housed in a slipcase with a die-cut X. The book itself is covered in red cloth with a gorgeous abstract flower pattern. I almost feel like I shouldn’t touch it, but books are for reading and this is one that you’ll really enjoy.

This book is incredibly attractive, but I’m old enough to know that looks aren’t everything. Not surprisingly, considering the editor, this collection is outstanding. The author’s list is a virtual who’s who of erotica and includes pieces from R. Gay, Carol Queen, Rachel Kramer Bussel, and Bright herself. You’ll find stories that make you laugh, test your boundaries and, most importantly, turn you on.

One story that really sticks out in my mind is Night Train by Martha Garvey. I always remember the stories I’m surprised by – that teach me something new about myself. This is a really short story about hot NYC public transportation sex. After being denied an invite home by his new acquaintance, Joe takes charge on the train and they both get exactly what they want and need. The description of the physical encounter (including handcuffs!) is hot, but the insight into their emotional states is what really makes this story great.

Susie Bright is one of those women I feel can do no wrong. I was inspired by her as a young woman’s studies major a decade ago and continue to be all these years later. Plus, I have to applaud any one who had a hand in creating On Our Backs, the first womens sex magazine.

Besides being an awesome collection of erotica, I see this tome from Chronicle Books as a tribute to Bright and all of the good work she has done. If this isn’t the perfect gift for anyone who loves to get lost in a sexy story, I don’t know what is.

Add this amazing book to your collection!

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