Danni Ashe
NEW YORK - Adult video stars Danni Ashe, Dyanna Lauren, Juli Ashton and Matt Zane highlight a new VH1 series examining the growing and often unapologetic connection between the porn world and rock and roll.
Rankin File: Rock & Porn is expected to show the how and the why of rock and porn intersecting, according to VH1, with rockers hanging with porn stars and porn stars showing up in music videos and taking on their own music careers.
Lauren, in fact, is one example of the latter. "I've been in music my entire life," she tells Rankin File correspondent Rebecca Rankin. "I have a B.A. in music. But I hate record companies, so I took a break from it. And I decided that if I was going to get screwed, I was going to get paid for it."
"We're living in fat times," says New York Times music critic Ann Powers to Rebecca Rankin, who hosts Rankin File. "People want to party. We want our cash, we want our babes, we want to go to the strip club and have a good time. And sex is fun. And money is just as important to these rock stars as sex is."
Indeed, Rankin plans to discuss issues like money, censorship, marketing and exploitation in what she calls "this marriage of mainstream entertainments." Rockers featured in the installment include Kid Rock, Vince Neil (drummer for Mötley Crüe) and Art Alexakis of Everclear, as well as adult video executives and music critics.
"The rock industry and the adult industry work together because the people - the actors and the rock stars - are rebellious people," Vivid Entertainment Group president Steven Hirsch tells Rankin. "Therefore, they're driven to each other."
"Sex sells albums," critic Kevin Powell tells Rankin. "For rock, porn is giving it a little bit of the edge it had lost over the past couple of years."
Everclear performed at an adult video company party and thought nothing of it. "It's just a show," says Alexakis. "There are people who have sex for money. Who cares?"
Ashe, who's the mistressmind behind Danni's Hard Drive, a popular adult Internet site, has cross-promoted with top rock-and-roll performers. She tells Rankin rock does, indeed, want to reclaim its bad-boy reputation. She says rockers mixing with the porn people is acceptable without being career-threatening. In recent months, major music media like Rolling Stone have covered the rock and porn connection, with Rolling Stone running a cover story on the issue last autumn.
Rankin File: Rock & Porn was set to air March 27 at 10 p.m. EST and PST.
