LOS ANGELES - Comedian and AVN Awards co-host Greg Fitzsimmons discussed his feud with rocker-turned-porn auteur Dave Navarro this morning on "The Adam Carolla Show."
The bad blood stems from last month's AVN Adult Movie Awards, which Fitzsimmons co-hosted and Navarro appeared in as a presenter and nominee (for Teravision's Broken, which won Best High-End All-Sex Release).
At the top of the interview, Carolla introduced the topic with the lead-in that Fitzsimmons had hosted "the porn awards" (newsgirl Teresa Strasser jumped in to more properly identify them as "the AVNs"), and had reportedly faced off in some manner with Navarro during the gig.
Explained Fitzsimmons, "There's 4,000 coked-up porn stars out there, and they're all paying attention to me, and then there's Navarro sitting right there in front with his arms folded, and he's totally ignoring me. And you know how you fix in on that one guy? That's what it was.
"And then he went on his blog and wrote all this stuff about it," Fitzsimmons continued, "and someone suggested to me that I should challenge him to a fight. And I'm saying right now, if he'll do it, I will face him in the ring, me and Navarro."
Navarro wrote on his My Space blog: "I didn't mean to offend the guy, I was just waiting for him to say something funny! I'm surrounded by sex and the guy wanted me to pay attention to HIM? I guess comedians really are the most insecure and darkest people in entertainment. All I know is that if I were on the stage at AVN, I wouldn't be worried so much about the bearded guy down in front, but to each his own I suppose."
Carolla, in a brief discussion of the awards show itself, commented that it has become a top honor amongst young comedians to be invited to host it.
"It used to be getting waved over by Johnny Carson to the couch," Carolla said, to which Fitzsimmons riffed, "Now it's getting waved over by Jenna Jameson to host the porn awards."
Fitzsimmons also mentioned that the 2008 AVN Awards will be premiering on Showtime March 14.
Update: Adult industry sales veteran Howard Levine called AVN to comment on
Fitzsimmon's remarks.
"I take exception to the fact that Greg is saying there were 4,000 'coked up porn stars' out there," said Levine. "I know he's saying this in jest, but to imply that our entire industry is on drugs is not funny or accurate. I was sitting with a table of people who are clean and sober, and I'm two years clean and sober myself. He owes everybody an apology; no wonder Dave Navarro wasn't paying attention to him. Bring back Bobby Slayton! Greg can call me anytime, especially if he wants to order the new Outlaw Men gay line I'm pushing."
To read Dave Navarro's blog, click here. For more on Greg Fitzsimmons, go to www.gregfitzsimmons.com or myspace.com/fitzdog.
