Originally I wasn't going to write a 2nd part to "Porn" but as I mentioned in the final pargraphs of that posting, the circumstances regarding the eventual demise and death of Mike Henson are something that I've never been able to forget. As I implied towards the end of "Porn" I would like to personally take the porn director who played a heavy hand in destroying Mike Henson's life to task; but, I also realize that after all these years my launching a personal vendetta against the nasty sonnuvabitch isn't going to bring Mike Henson back from the dead. However, perhaps talking about what happened to him somewhat will prevent others from making the same mistakes he did as well as journeying down the road he did.
When Jack and I befriended Mike Henson that one evening (I would rather call him by his real name but out of respect for the memory of Mike and his lover, I choose not to) we both knew that things just weren't quite right in his life. As sincere and genuine as he was at that time, you could just sense by his actions that his life was somewhat of a roller coaster ride. That night when Jack and I drove home from that party I told him how worried I was about the guy and we had a very lengthy conversation in which I voiced all my concerns about him.
I kept thinking of something that is very commonplace in the porn industry, yet something very few people talk about - the way that porn directors and producers manipulate a great deal of the actors/actresses who perform in those films. Psychological manipulation, sometimes verbal and/or mental abuse, directing them to drug sources and sometimes even entering into relationships with them, all with the promise of "great stardom.' then only to discard and throw them away to the gutter like pieces of garbage when they no longer meet the rigid standards of near-physical perfection. And what alotta people don't realize, let alone even comprehend, is that it's virtually impossible for a person to make a full-time living in porn unless you're really, really successful. Most actors/actresses have to do other work on the side, and if it's not regular work like the rest of us do, they end up hustling and prostituting themselves, becoming escorts and/or performing on the striptease revues/dance circuits around the country. Don't let the glossy publicity shots or press releases fool you, there is no glamour in it, it's degrading not just to their bodies but also to their souls. Many of them will deny it and put on a fake, tough exterior but sit down and have a cup of coffee with any one of them and most will tell you that they would love to get out of it.
True, not every single person who works in the porn industry goes through every single one of the negative scenarioes that I just mentioned but in one way or another, most do experience at least half if not more of what I have just said. And in those most negative of scenarioes, it's not hard to imagine what happens - the raping and annihalation of a person's inner psyche and replacing what was ripped out from them with hollow promises and drugs. I ask you, who the hell would ever want to live like that? But for some it's their reality and it's not only sad, it's wrong and I think it can be prevented. Two suggestions. First, if you are consciously going to choose to work in that sexual arena, be aware of the consequences. Stay away from the drugs, stay away from the manipulators because don't fool yourself, they will throw you away when you're done because there's always gonna be someone else who has a bigger this-or-that or more sexual stamina to perform than you have. That is always a definite in the porn industry. Second, it's simple - don't do it. This suggestion has nothing to do with right-or-wrong, or what is morally and ethically responsible, just simply don't expose your life to that kind of existence. Now if you really really wanna do it and think it's gonna be so grand, and you know for a fact that you are strong enough to survive it then I guess I can't tell you what to do.
Actually, it's not that I want to tell anyone how to live their lives, I just want people to be aware of the pro's and con's of all of this. After all, no one can really tell you what to do with your life or tell you how to live it; but again, think carefully, very carefully before you would ever consider doing something like that. I'm not judging anyone for the choices they make, I'm just saying that if that's your choice then please be extremely careful and make certain that you take good care of yourself because it doesnt matter what kind of work you do, all life is precious.
Returning to that evening so many years ago, Jack and I actually had an argument over the Mike Henson situation before we even arrived home in Santa Cruz that night. I point blank told him that I was worried about the guy and discussed alot of the angles of that situation in the same way I just have with all of you; and, I told Jack that I thought we should try to do something about it. He told me that he really respected my concern and compassion for others but he put his foot down and said that there was no way in hell that he was going to get involved in other people's lives that way, and also that there was no way in hell that he was going to allow me to get mixed up in it either. Well you know me, big mouth and all, I retorted "Whoah whoah Sparky, what's this bullshit about allowing people to do this-or-that, what the hell is that all about??" He told me to relax, lit up a cigarette and handed it over to me and told me "I'll tell you why." I still remember every word he said.
He totally and emphatically explained to me his stance on the entire matter. I'll tell you, no one could speak about or explain situations more eloquently and passionately than my Jack. Here is exactly what he told me. First, you don't want to get involved with telling or suggesting or even indirectly guiding people on how to make their own decisions or run their lives because almost everything in life is a matter of personal choice; and, if someone chose to live that kind of life, it was their business, not mine. Second, don't let the terms of "directors" or "producers" in the porn industry fool you -- 9 times outta 10 most of the leaders in that industry have close direct ties to the world of organized crime as well as the world of drug kingpins. He told me that such people were capable of every form of human debauchery on the planet and that while I was brought up to use my intelligence and if necessary, my physical brawn, to fight my enemies, such lowlife scum like them used guns, knives and whatever else they could utilize to destroy their enemies. And on this point, he directly told me there was no way in hell that he was going to let anyone even resembling people like that getting within 50 miles of someone like me. God, that man always had my best interests at heart, he was so protective over me but in a loving way, not a selfish way.
I listened carefully to everything he told me and when he was finished, I thanked him and leaned over and kissed him on his cheek and told him how much I loved him. Jack was right then, and unless there have been developments within the porn industry that have caused positive change within it the last couple of decades, I think he's still right. Why challenge your own mortality by exposing yourself to that kind of world when you can simply avoid it altogehter and concentrate on things that are going to be better for you and your future in the long run?
My hope is that everything that I have just written in this posting will definitely, even if in a small way, make a difference for the better in someone else's life, especially someone who may be contemplating entering the world of porn. As I said before, I won't tell you what to do, I wont even judge you if you decide to go into it; but, I will ask this of you - please be careful to take care of yourself and use real common sense and stay away from those sometimes fatal illusions of grandeur. What happened to Mike Henson, and what still happens every day to this day in the porn industry, should never ever have to happen to anyone ever again. Looking back I'd like to think he too wouldn't want anyone else making some of the choices he did. His legend as a porno star may be unforgettable to most but I will always remember him for the sincere, genuine human being he was. Thank you for reading.
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