LANCASTER, Calif.—Barry Wood, the former hairdresser who became one of the adult industry's top cameramen for nearly 30 years, died late Saturday evening after a six-year bout with liver cancer, which in its later stages had spread to his lungs and kidneys. He had been put into a medically induced coma for more than a week before he was finally taken off the ventilator Saturday afternoon, and he died later that night, surrounded by family and friends. He was 67 years old.
Barry was married to former star Sindee Coxx, and the pair were raising two children, one birthed by Wood's late wife, Trinity Loren, and the other by Sindee. His passing, plus the number of hospitalizations and infirmities that Wood suffered over the past years, have depleted the family's cash, and former actress/director Melissa Monet has set up a fundraising page for the family on YouCaring.com here.
"Barry was a hairdresser during the early '70s," reported Barry's long-time friend Clarke Moore. "He worked at quite a celebrity salon in London; Sweeny Todd’s, if I’m right. He ended up with his own salon in Maidstone, Kent, called Harvest Hairdressers, before he decided to give the USA a bash in 1979.
"I knew Barry all my life; loved him like a brother. Barry’s parents, especially his mother, were great fun as we kids were growing up. Barry went to school with my uncle in Bearsted, Elyesden Court; that’s where the initial family friendship started. I believe the Woods had a family business of hairdressers in the early days; that's probably where Barry got it from. My parents ended up buying Barry’s family home from them in around 1967," he added. "After he and I met up in Europe a few years back, he came to the UK and walked around his old family home with his sister Jane after 40 years; brought back a whole flood of good memories for those guys.
"For the last four years or so, Barry and I had been talking several times a week on FaceTime. I got him into Moto GP motorbike racing. We followed it together and always talked after a race. He was always into drums, bands, motorbikes, engines, shotguns... I’ll miss him so very much; didn’t get to say goodbye as I only found out how sick he was after it was too late!"
"I always refer to Barry as the 'Big Bang' of my life in California," recalled award-winning director Mike Quasar. "When we first moved here, it was me and Matt Holder, who shoots for Pure Taboo and Mile High, among many others, and Alex Ladd, and we were living in a van; we were out of money, and through circumstances we met Barry, and he immediately just took us in. It was like he had five new best friends, you know, and we stayed with him and his then wife Trinity.
"We were broke musicians, didn't really have jobs, and so Barry started getting us work, you know, working on sets," Quasar continued. "He got me a job working as a PA [production assistant] for Ron Vogel and everybody, and through our connection with him, that's what we wound up doing. When we met him, he was working as a performer for a little bit, but he wasn't actually working in the industry when I met him, but through his connections and his wife [Trinity Loren], he knew a lot of people, and then at some point, he decided he wanted to be a camera guy, because when I first met him, he was cutting hair, and he got me a job across the street from where he cut hair, working at a tanning salon. Then he decided to buy a camera package because he thought he could make some money renting it out because back then, you couldn't just go to Best Buy and get an awesome camera; you had to rent them because they were so expensive. So I was working as a PA and Barry had the camera, and we just sort of learned how to use it, and the next thing I know, people are calling me up, going, 'Hey, I hear you're a camera guy,' or 'Barry said that you can shoot camera,' and I'm like, 'He did? I mean, yes, of course I can!' That was 1989, so that was the beginning for all of us, that had a career doing this, and it's all because we met Barry; otherwise, I'd probably be back in Canada working at a Walmart."
Just how much of Quasar's wit the veteran director picked up from Barry is open to question, but one thing everyone agrees on: Wood had one of the sharpest senses of humor in the adult world—and he loved playing practical jokes on people, and after they fell for them, Wood would let out with what one friend described as a "loud cackle—you could hear it all over the set; he was really cracking up!"
"Everybody has a story about Barry because he was a prankster, he was a joker, he was always trying to do something to make you uncomfortable," Quasar added. "He was a very, very irresponsibly dangerous person when it came to things that had motors. A lot of things in Barry's life caught on fire over the years. He just never grew up, and that's how he was up until the end, because he was still playing with his band up till a month ago and still riding his motorcycle, and it just caught up with him. But he never compromised; he just lived. That's the way he wanted to live, and he did."
"He really did push everything to the limit," agreed Holder. "He also had a knack for setting things on fire. He was always a tinkerer, so things would burst into flames; anything that ran on gasoline was prone to that."
Holder recalled that by 1990, he was working as a PA, also thanks to Wood's supplying connections within the industry.
"Barry started out managing Springboard Studios, and I was living with him at the time—we'd come down from Canada to be rock stars, and he let us into his home and gave us a shower to use and a toilet to use and a kitchen to use, and him and Trinity were incredibly generous people who just wanted to see you succeed, wanted to see you enjoy life. Me and the other members of my band, we all ended up in the adult business because we knew Barry Wood. He would get me jobs as a PA working for people like the Spinellis and whatnot, and so he went from managing that stage to doing lighting on the sets and eventually shooting camera, and he got me and Mike [Quasar] into the business; he got all of us jobs as young guys working on the set," Holder added. "So Barry and I were like brothers; we were very, very close for years, and it was like having a wild and crazy older brother who was always goading you into doing something that you were not sure you could do yet, but you either crashed and burned or you learned a lesson. But that was the way he was: He just had this incredible optimism. He would always say, 'Five miles an hour faster.' He got me into riding dirt bikes and stuff; he would always say, 'You just need to go five miles an hour faster,' and so you did. 'You'd have made that jump if you were just five miles an hour faster.' That was just the kind of guy he was."
"Barry Wood was more than an amazing artist and cameraman," recalled actress/director Veronica Hart. "He would embellish shots by shooting through things or finding gorgeous reflections. He had a terrific sense of humor and loved winding people up, in a fun way. He had the knack of being able to guide a director into a more practical or cinematic or better shot without making them feel compromised or not listened to. He also was a gifted hair cutter and drummer. He loved his children so much. He was a wonderful friend to have and an invaluable person on set. I hated to shoot anything without him. He will be missed so much by all who knew him."
Hart's comments inspired another recollection from Monet.
"One of my best stories is that we were shooting a movie at the Plummer house, and this was one of my very first movies, and I wanted the shot but we didn't have a crane or a jib or any of that stuff, and I said to Barry, 'Wow, I wish we could get this shot,' and he's like, 'Maybe if we could get a ladder, I could get the shot,'" she told AVN. "And I was like, 'Well, I was kind of hoping to get a shot even higher than that,' and the next thing I know, he's climbing on the rafters and hanging upside down like a monkey, shooting straight down, and he got the shot. I didn't even have enough time to go, 'Barry! Don't!' He was already up there, upside down, getting the shot. I was like, 'Okay; action!' And he was that guy. He was very athletic but he was fearless, is what he was. If you said, 'Hey, Barry, I need someone to get on a motorcycle with the camera and ride next to us and take the shot as an action shot, but no one's going to be there with you to hold you on or anything,' he'd be, like, 'And the problem is...?' That would be his answer. And he didn't care; that kind of stuff didn't matter to him. The more dangerous, the more exciting, the more adventurous—those are words that everyone uses to describe Barry. Anyone had a problem on set, he was the most empathetic, the most giving—if you didn't know how to use a piece of equipment, he would come over and show you lovingly and caringly, and explain shots to some of the newer people. And he did it so gently, he did it from the heart."
Jay Shanahan, who directed adult movies under the name of Jim Enright, also had fond memories of Wood.
"Barry was a great friend, great co-worker, but our bond transcended that of boss-to-worker in past years, and has gone to more of a deep friendship," he said. "Barry was always there and willing to offer a helping hand when needed. He was a great musician, a great hunter, a terrific dirtbike rider; someone that, when you were around him, made your day better. So fond farewell, Barry my friend, and I will see you in the afterlife!"
But even after suffering several debilitating illnesses, Wood still pushed himself to continue doing the things he enjoyed in life.
"He was a very talented drummer, and he was also very good with anyone who wanted to learn about that as well; he was more than happy to talk about that," Monet said. "He played in several bands, and he actually played his last gig about a month ago before he got very sick."
"Last night at 11:07pm I watched one of my very best friends breath his last breath," wrote former bandmate Mike Conte on Wood's Facebook page. "I am grief stricken but at the same time feeling incredibly fortunate that I had the opportunity to know him and to indeed call him my friend. However, I am feeling even more humbled and honored to know that he called me his friend. Over the years I’ve had the privilege to be in many bands with Barry. I can say that Barry is one of the very best drummers I have ever played music with. Barry always played with heart and soul, his drum hits were always deep in the pocket. I loved his playing and I made sure that he knew how much I loved his playing. I been playing with him for so long, and in so many different bands, that I considered him “My Drummer.” And feel, at least to some degree, that he considered me “His Guitarist”. But more than My Drummer, he was my friend. He supported me, cheered me up, gave me confidence, helped me make sense of life, and was ALWAYS there for me whenever I needed a friend. Barry was a fantastic friend, husband, father, musician, cinematographer, adventurer, and lover of life. His presence would light up room. The light that he shone on every person he encountered is a little bit dimmer now but his warm light will continue to illuminate my life forever more. I love you, my dear friend and fellow musician. Rest in peace. Thank you for your friendship. You have enriched my life beyond what words have the ability to express."
Many who knew Wood continue to leave comments and remembrances on his Facebook page, which can be found here.
A memorial to this talented artist is currently in the planning stages, and when a date and place have been announced, AVN will update this article.
Photo of Barry Wood posted to Facebook by RonLaCaria
