Interview Magazine’s Collen Nika speaks with Pharrell Williams regarding one of his lesser known but increasingly projects, Bionic Yarn. The material constructed of recycled product made a high-profile debut within Pharrell’s recent collaboration with Moncler. The interview seen below details how he stumbled upon Bionic Yarn and the properties and possibilities of the material. A few questions can be seen after the jump with a full look over at Interview Magazine’s.

COLLEEN NIKA: How did the Moncler x Bionic Yarn collaboration happen? How did you bring your own design ideal to the brand’s noted high-tech sports aesthetic?

PHARRELL: I’d been talking with Moncler for a while about doing a collaboration project with them. When they found out about Bionic Yarn we both felt it was a perfect fit for the capsule collection I had in mind. We used a print by Keita Sugiura, a young Japanese artist who was discovered at an art show put on by Takashi Murakami. We wanted to create something new and interesting, and while going through our original samples with Moncler, decided to kick it up a notch by adding the “bullet proof” vest. Like Moncler, a lot of my creative projects are inspired and driven by technology and style. Incorporating Bionic Yarn into the collection I made with Moncler was natural.

NIKA: Why and when did you begin to engage with Bionic Yarn? What was the initial attraction for you?

PHARRELL: I met Tyson [Toussant], one of the founders of Return Textiles, creator of Bionic Yarn, through a friend—we were talking because I wanted to get involved in a “green” business, and then I saw the product. It was a done deal. The fabric feels fantastic!

NIKA: You have two other clothing lines—Billionaire Boys Club and Ice Cream—that are sold in limited quantities. How did what you set out to achieve with Bionic Yarn differ? Does any cross-branding occur?

PHARRELL: Yes, we are doing something with BBC and Bionic Yarn now, but I don’t design Bionic Yarn–Bionic Yarn is a product developed, patented, and, owned by Return Textiles LLC, of which I’m a brand ambassador and investor/partner. Even though I don’t design Bionic Yarn, I was thrilled when I was designing Moncler that they asked to use it.

Photo Credit: Douglas Friedman for Harper’s Bazaar

Jimmy Choo founder Tamara Mellon opens the doors to her new New York apartment, and discusses her new life in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

Tamara takes readers on a tour of her home on Manhattan’s Upper East Side, a mix of high art and glam minimalism, and poses with her daughter, Minty. In the interview, she opens up about her lifestyle, overcoming challenges, and building the Jimmy Choo empire.

On her new life in New York: “Last year was the best and worst year of my life, a breakthrough year for me,” Mellon explains. “I’ve moved here and managed to clear up a lot of the wreckage. I feel like I’ve arrived in New York with a clean slate, and I have a whole new set of challenges ahead of me. And I find that invigorating.”

On building the Jimmy Choo empire: “I’ve paid my dues in this business,” she says. She started working when she was 18 at the London fashion emporium Browns. “At the time, I thought, ‘Why am I doing this? I hate this!’ But the lesson I learned was so valuable: I learned retail.” She later met Jimmy Choo, a London cobbler, and the rest is a fashion fairy tale. “But still, when someone asks about a career in fashion, I say start at the bottom,” she says. “If you want to start a business, you have to know it from the ground up.”

Photo credit: Nan Goldin

The original provocateur of men’s fashion, Calvin Klein, interviews Marc Jacobs about health, life, and his new men’s fragrance Bang, in the September issue of Harper’s Bazaar.

In the candid interview, Jacobs discusses his controversial ad for Bang, his lifestyle change and body image, his design inspiration, and confesses that his fall collection, with its melancholy, sober mood, reflects his personal life.

On choosing to do a nude ad for his fragrance, Bang “I’m not Tom Ford in terms of the grooming and the knowledge of clothes and the precision and perfection of getting dressed. There’s nothing I can wear in this ad that isn’t going to look ridiculous. At one point, I tried jeans and a shirt, and it didn’t work. So then Juergen said, “Take off the clothes.” So I did, and that became the ad.” “I did feel good about the way I looked, so it was easy and—well, a guy looks better to me with no clothes on than with clothes! How’s that?”

On his body image, after the lifestyle change: “When guys started looking at me and asking me out on dates, I felt way better about myself. So it was hard to keep my clothes on, actually. And whenever I was asked to take my clothes off, I was like, “Sure! I haven’t worked out for three years to keep this all under wraps.”

On creating wearable clothes: “I’m not interested in making stuff for museums; I want the clothes to be worn. I don’t care if the girl sits on a curb in them after a party and they’re destroyed. I have to believe that there’s going to be a life for these things. Otherwise, I wouldn’t send them down the catwalk.”

On his fall collection: “At one point, I got really into this melancholy mood. The New York collection is really a reflection of my personal life. It’s not literally a reflection, but it definitely permeates. [For fall] we wanted to do something that was quite sober and very pretty in color, with just touches of yellow. It was the most beige and gray collection I’ve ever done in my life, really very little pattern. We looked at old photographs, and it wasn’t the images in the photographs that were interesting; it was the sepia tones, the blacks and whites and grays.”

He’s probably one of the biggest movie stars in the world, yet most people in the United States have never heard of him.

I recently had the opportunity and privilege to sit down with long-time Bollywood icon Aamir Khan in Manhattan’s swanky Four Seasons Hotel. The actor-turned producer-turned director is fresh off a film festival run with his latest produced work, Peepli Live. The film is about a poor farmer who is thrust into the media spotlight after he’s overheard saying that he would commit suicide in order to collect the monies granted by the government to the families of indebted, deceased farmers. Though farmer suicides are a very real occurrence in India, the film takes a satirical, light approach to the heavy topic. Peepli Live was the first Indian film to compete at Sundance, earlier this year. Khan’s most recent role as an actor came with last year’s 3 Idiots, which has become the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time.

I discussed with Khan his career, the state of Hindi cinema, Bollywood and the Western world, and his latest production, Peepli Live.

It’s very common for a Hindi actor to work on multiple films simultaneously, but you’re well known to take on one film at a time. Why is that?

I don’t think I can work on more than one film at a time. I don’t think I can do that. It doesn’t work for me. Very early in my career, when I was working within the system of how things work, then I very quickly decided that that’s not how I wanted to work. So pretty much since then, I’ve been doing my own thing and working the way I feel happy working. And I get completely absorbed into what I’m doing, so I’d rather do one film at a time — all my energies and concentration out on that. And that’s how I’m happy working.

You must be pretty selective in which films you choose to work on. What are your criteria for selecting a project?

When I’m reading a script, I’m the audience — when I find it exciting and fun, when it touches me, moves me, makes me laugh or cry, or engages me, draws me in, you know. Anything that I love as an audience is what I want to do. So I go with my gut. I go with my instinctive reaction to the material, and if it’s something that I love, then I want to be part of it.

Others have described you as a method actor. How do you go about mentally and physically preparing for your often very different roles?

I’m not a trained actor, so I’m not sure whether what I’m doing is method acting. My attempt is to be the part. When I’m in front of the camera, I try to be the character.

You’ve starred in several breakout hits — recently among them 2008’s Ghajini and last year’s 3 Idiots, which is currently the highest-grossing Bollywood film of all time. How do you process this type of success, and what does it mean to you?

I’m really happy with the success of that film [3 Idiots] and a lot of films that I’ve been in and have done really well in the past so many years. I feel happy and privileged to be able to work with such talented people. Any work that I’ve done is a result of the collaboration of a lot of people, especially the director. And it’s great to have a success like 3 Idiots.

3 Idiots and a film I did a few years before that called Taare Zameen Par — these are two films which not only were huge box office successes, but had a very deep impact on audiences. Both films were on education and both of these films had such a strong response with audiences — a very strong connection with audiences. It really changed the way people think. It changed the way parents look at their children. It changed their attitudes. It changed the way children feel about themselves. That kind of impact is very rare in cinema — to see an immediate change of how you think. And so when that happens, you feel really good about it.

You’ve been in films for quite awhile — an impressive career.

My first film came out in ’88. I’ve been working for the last 22 years as an actor, and then I began producing in 2000. And in 2006, I directed my first film.

In those 22 years, how have you seen Hindi films evolving? What have they become since then? And is it a positive evolution?

I think it is positive. I think there is a lot of young and fresh talent that’s come into this industry, and I think that a lot has been evolving and changing. I think that we’re making films that are on a variety of topics — different kinds of films, different genres of film. That was not happening when I came in. When I came in, it was pretty much one kind of film being made — what was then understood to be mainstream Bollywood cinema. But things have changed so much that in the last 10 years you really don’t know what is mainstream anymore. [Films] which followed the pattern of mainstream just collapsed, and then films that broke all rules went on to become huge successes. I think a lot is changing. I think audiences have changed. Back home in India, people are much more open to view different kinds of films. And filmmakers who come in who want to make different kinds of films — there’s a lot happening, and that’s good.

Where is Bollywood 10 years from now?

I have no idea. I’m not good with predictions. What I’d like to see, I can tell you. What I’d like to see is a lot more emphasis given to writing. I think that’s one of the big things that we need to look at, as an industry. We should give a lot more emphasis and value towards good writing.

In the Western world, Bollywood is seen as a niche genre, but, of course, Bollywood films comprise several genres — drama, comedy, action, romance. Where do you think Hindi films fit in the global film arena?

I’m not quite sure about that. The best way to describe Bollywood would be, it’s like a Broadway musical. Most of them are musicals — not all of them are, but most of them are musicals. In general, the emotions are broad. I think one of the other aspects of Bollywood which I think is a very important characteristic of our cinema is hope. Most of the films have a lot of hope in them. So there’s a [sweetness to them] — larger than life, not very realistic. And there’s a lot of hope in them — kind of like the films that Hollywood made in the ’50s and ’60s. I don’t think [Bollywood has] become cynical as yet, which I do see in a lot of cinema in different parts of the world. A lot of cynicism has crept in, but Indian cinema still has a lot of hope in it.

The other thing about Indian cinema is that we have such a large and healthy audience of our own that creative talent in India has never looked outside of India for an audience, and they’ve never needed to. Our audience is people from India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Southeast Asia, and then a lot of people across the globe. Hindi films are very popular in the Middle East, Russia, Malaysia, Singapore. We have a whole bunch of people around the world who, traditionally, have been watching Indian films and are an audience for Indian cinema, and that audience is very large and very healthy, and that’s the audience we’ve been making films for. We’ve never felt the need to look anywhere else for an audience.

I’m someone who’s grown up in a city like Bombay, which is a large city, and all of my education is in English, my first language is English, I think in English. So, therefore, [there are] a lot of influences on me. I’m Indian, but a lot of influences on me are from outside of India. So what I come out of it can never be purely Indian. You know what I mean? Because I’m a result of all the influences on me, and there are many people like me who are Indian but have influences from all over the world. For example, I think Peepli Live is one such film which, in my opinion, is purely Indian. It’s purely Indian. But I believe it has the potential to engage and entertain a world audience, and entertain someone who’s never seen an Indian film before. It’s funny, it’s humorous, it moves fast, and it’s saying something of importance. It’s a great window into rural India. And it resonates with what is happening here in the US, in the sense that small farmers are having a tough time. Small business houses are having a really rough time as a result of the recession. A lot of people have lost jobs. So it resonates with people in the US, as I’m sure it does with people across the world.

One of the aspects of the film is survival, and how each one of us does what he or she thinks he needs to do in order to survive. So whether it’s Budhia the farmer, whether it’s a politician, whether it’s somebody in the administration, or whether it’s a media person, or any one of us — ultimately does what we think need to do in order to survive in our circumstance. And so, on a certain level, this film is about survival.

I believe the film — while it is purely Indian — has the potential to engage a world audience. It resonates. And that’s the reaction we got at Sundance when we were there for the festival. It was in competition at Sundance and people really loved it. It got great reviews, and the audience really loved it — and it was predominantly American. It was at the Berlin Film Festival, and there, again, we got a great response. It seems to be working with people from different backgrounds.

In addition to acting, you’ve also ventured into directing and producing. The first film to come out of Aamir Khan Productions was 2001’s Lagaan — only the third Indian film to be nominated for the Best Foreign Language Film Oscar. Most recently, you produced Peepli Live, the first Bollywood film to compete at Sundance, as you mentioned. So you’re obviously resonating to a Western audience, which must feel terrific, but at the same time it doesn’t feel like you’re compromising anything from a Hindi perspective.

I believe that when I come across material that excites me, I want to make it honestly. I don’t make it for any audience. I don’t make it for a Hindi audience. I don’t make it for a Western audience. I just make it for myself. And the material dictates how it should be treated and how it should be made — so you have to be honest with the material. I believe that we’re all human beings, and if we have a story to tell which touches the human being, which has human emotions, then it doesn’t matter which part of the world you’re from. So when I see a film like Life is Beautiful, which is set in Italy, it’s about a period of history which I have no connection with, but I just love it because I think it’s a wonderful human story. It moves me. It touches me. So I don’t think of an audience when I’m making the film. The film dictates how it should be made. Then the audience decides whether it wants to see it or not.

Peepli Live brings to light the tragic circumstance in India in which poor farmers commit suicide so that their families can take advantage of the stipend given to them by the government, just to help them survive. It’s a heavy-handed topic, but the film takes a satirical and humorous approach to this. As the producer, did you have any concerns about how some might react to the film’s take on this sensitive topic — specifically the use of humor and satire to get the message across?

No I didn’t. When I read the script, this is how it was. And so this is how it is in its original form. I didn’t see it in any other way. What I read worked for me beautifully. I think the fact that it is humorous doesn’t take away at all from its edge, of what it is saying. In fact, if anything, it adds to the edge of what it is saying.

What was it about the topic of farmer suicides that attracted you to take on Peepli?

I don’t think the film is about farmer suicides. It’s to be viewed in the backdrop of farmer suicides, but it’s not a film about farmers or their problems or what issues that farmers are facing, and why they are committing suicide. The film is more about the growing divide between urban and rural India, and how we, as a society, are focusing all our energies, our emotions, our wealth, our resources — are all focused and concentrated towards cities. Our villages have not been for very long life sustaining in a healthy way, which results in a lot of migration from villages to cities, which is not good for cities or for villages. And I’m sure it must be fairly traumatic — psychologically, emotionally —  for those people who have to migrate for different and various reasons. They’re wrenched out of their places because of the need to be somewhere else. They’re pulled out of somewhere from where their roots are, their relationships are, their emotions are. They’re taken away from their families and their kids, and I’m sure that’s not very happy. I don’t want to be anywhere else but Mumbai, the city that I lived in, where my emotions are. But if I had to move somewhere else in order to survive, I would, but I would not be happy about it. Now that’s happening on a mass scale back home in India. And this is also a phenomenon that’s happening everywhere else in the world. People are constantly moving towards cities. So this is not unique to India. I think this is happening all over the world.

It’s just one more thing that makes the film attractive to a global audience.

One more thing to think about. We need to stop and think about that, because all we’re thinking about is us in the city. I can speak about India. I don’t know about the US, but in India — we in urban India — most of us are not even aware what rural life is like and what we would go through. We don’t even know that they exist. They are invisible to us. And that’s the bulk of the population. It doesn’t matter to us that there are people who have to walk miles to get water and don’t have electricity and don’t have medical facilities. If my son falls ill, I’m panicked. It doesn’t occur to me that that happens everyday in villages, and there is no doctor.

Peepli Live definitely sheds some light on this. One more question, and it’s kind of broad: What makes a good Hindi film?

A good script. A good director. Good, solid storytelling. Good performances. Real locations. Pretty much the same things that make a good film anywhere in the world. Good editing … I don’t remember who said this … “Films are not made. They’re re-made” [Irving Thalberg]. So it’s on the editing table that you make a film.

Note: Peepli Live opens in New York and LA on August 13.

The lovely ladies of hearty magazine recently did a interview with one of the founders of Keep, Una Kim. Introducing their new feature, “Step Ahead,”, Editor in Chief Hana chatted with Una about why big companies suck, how family and friends play an important role in Keep’s survival, and what collaborations she has coming up (think music!).

Click here to read Earn Your Keep: Una Kim of Keep Shoes

In this years final installment for Q&A’s for our July Sex Features, we sit down with adult star Sara Jay. Starting out in the adult business since the age of 18, the curvaceous star went full time in the business after college and has been loving every ‘inch’ of it since. We’ve saved the best for last so without further ado, we present to you; Sara Jay.

Let’s start by finding out how you got into porn?

I was dancing and wanted to get into the porn industry. I sent out photos to anyone who would take them until I got hired and that job snowballed and led to many many more.

When was your first sexual experience?

I remember masturbating when I was 7 humping the blankets. I finally lost my virginity when I was 18. Until then I sucked a lot of cock.

Besides your on screen work, what other projects are you involved in?

I am a director as well. I also do lots of appearances all over the world.

At one point in the industry, there was racial differences due to the demand of what viewers wanted to see. White female performers didn’t perform with Black male performers because there wasn’t a huge demand. Has there been a change since?

Not at all…

What’s are some of the biggest misconceptions about the adult industry?

That we are all wealthy and have STDs. Not true, either of those statements.

Apart from people you’ve been with on film, who’s the one person you would like to have sex with?

I assume you mean someone not in the industry that I have not had sex with, perhaps Lennox Lewis.

Are you single? If so, is it difficult dating a guy or gal outside of the adult film industry?

I am single. I don’t even try to find someone. It’s a lot to ask.

Deep down, everyone wishes they could do porn, even it just for one moment but in the back of their head they worry about what their parents will think of their child. Do your parents know about your occupation? if so, how did they take it?

Yes, they do. They aren’t thrilled, but they accept it. Especially because I have remained the same person.

How do you prepare mentally and physically for a movie?

I don’t like to know who the male talent is. I like to fantasize about it beforehand. I try to really relax before, because I know when I get there my hormones will be all crazy.

The adult film industry is suffering due to the growing number of online sites that showing movies for free. What efforts are you using and doing to keep your cash flow coming in? and how are you fighting against these sites?

Yes, this is so true. I definitely have my people keep an eye on stolen content and I will/have made legal moves against this type of thing when possible. In the meantime I have been dancing and making appearances all over the world. I do most of the conventions. I also direct and have been putting extra effort into making my site very competitive.

Favorite position?

Cowgirl, hands down.

Is there a barrier for sex when it comes to filming and for personal satisfaction, i.e. are there things you won’t do on film but will do when the cameras off or vice versa?

Yes, I don’t do creampies in my movies, but I do in my personal life.

What were you doing before porn?

I was stripping in Las Vegas.

Colleagues of yours such as Katie Morgan and Sasha Grey have been featured in mainstream movies, do you have any plans to make it on the big(ger) screen?

Not really. I’m in it for the sex. With out sex it doesn’t seem like much fun.

Define success?

Happiness – plain and simple

For our third segment for Q&A’s with adult stars comes Kelly Divine. Originally out of Pennsylvania and been invited to the bright lights of the adult industry in Los Angeles after spending time modeling lingerie, with just 3 years in, she’s established herself not only as a actress but as director. As they say “it’s good to get paid and laid”. Read on as we discuss her thoughts on interracial acts and her favorite position.

Let’s start by finding out how you got into porn?

I got into porn almost 3 years ago in October 2007, I was 23. I was doing some swimsuit and promo modeling back in Philly, where I am from, and had an online portfolio. Porn agencies in LA kept contacting me about flying out and doing porn, I thought they were crazy! There isn’t talk of people being real pornstars back east. It’s like, unheard of! I kept turning it down but eventually the money got to me. I decided to try it, and as you can see it’s worked out quite well!

When was your first sexual experience?

I was the last of my friends to have sex. It was a month before I turned 17. I kinda did it just out of sheer curiosity. Peer pressure I guess.

Besides your on screen work, what other projects are you involved in?

I work on my website, WWW.KELLYDIVINE.COM almost every single day. I also have an online store, WWW.KELLYDIVINESTORE.COM, a very active blog, WWW.KELLYIVINEBLOG.COM, as well as a brand new awesome VOD site, WWW.KELLYONDEMAND.COM. I have the Internet going NUTZ! I also direct my own movies now too!

At one point in the industry, there was racial differences due to the demand of what viewers wanted to see. White female performers didn’t perform with Black male performers because there wasn’t a huge demand. Has there been a change since?

There is a HUGE demand or Interracial porn and has been ever since I got into the business. There just is a lot of racism in porn in general. I have been on both ends of the racism fence in my life growing up in Philly but I have never seen as much racism in life as I do in this business. I used to think it was crazy that girls didn’t do IR (interracial). I thought they were racist. I’m sure some are but most just didn’t because they were under the impression it would hurt their career. I think it is true that certain people look down on white girls who do IR. It’s crazy! It’s a shame that girls can put off doing IR for a few years and then start doing it to elongate their career or “shelf life” but it is what it is. Just business unfortunately. I have even heard of girls getting paid extra for working with black male talent. Now that work is slower due to the economy and the downward spiral of DVD sales, a lot of girls who wouldn’t do IR are changing their minds. It’s just crazy.

What’s are some of the biggest misconceptions about the adult industry?

I would say the biggest misconceptions are that people in porn are horrible people, that all the girls in porn have been raped and/or molested, and that we all have drug problems and are uneducated, fucked up people in general. Yes, there are those who fit that description, but there are also healthy people in this business. There are people who just love sex and money, like almost everyone in the world, who have the balls to do what makes them happy. Some girls get in, make money, and get out and go on to spend their money on college. There are grown women who have had success and who now do porn for the fun of it. It’s not all how the general public make it out to be, of course all the media wants to do is show people is the negative, dark side. Unfortunately, that’s what people want to hear and see. The bad stuff is the interesting stuff, like gossip.

Apart from people you’ve been with on film, who’s the one person you would like to have sex with?

Michelle Obama!

Are you single? If so, is it difficult dating a guy or gal outside of the adult film industry?

I am not single and yes it is difficult! No matter how you want it, the relationship can never be “normal”. It’s possible to find love and have a great relationship, but it will always be a far cry from what you’d call traditional.

Deep down, everyone wishes they could do porn, even it just for one moment but in the back of their head they worry about what their parents will think of their child. Do your parents know about your occupation? if so, how did they take it?

My parents know. I could never carry on a lie for this long, lol. My mom thinks its funny and my dad just wants me to be happy.

Favorite position?

Reverse spoon. Total porn position but it rocks! Besides that one, me on top!

Is there a barrier for sex when it comes to filming and for personal satisfaction, i.e. are there things you won’t do on film but will do when the cameras off or vice versa?

I used to not like eye contact or kissing on camera just because I had a hard time dealing with emotionless fucking. I have always been very monogamous, I only ever had sex with people I was in a relationship with. Now, I’m very comfortable with myself and my feelings. I can have my love making at home and my dirty fucking on camera. I like the eye contact now. I can just let go and I love it!

What were you doing before porn?

Before porn I worked in sales and also did swimsuit/lingerie and promotional modeling on the side.

Colleagues of yours such as Katie Morgan and Sasha Grey have been featured in mainstream movies, do you have any plans to make it on the big(ger) screen?

I would love to be in a mainstream feature film. I have done some acting work already. A few cable movie pilots and appeared on a couple TV shows. I have also been in many mainstream magazines.

Define success?

Success is total happiness. Doing what you love and making a life out of it.

Taking the 2nd spot in our Q&A’s of adult star is the ‘Cleopatra of Porn’ Ms. Aryanna Starr. Hailing from the West Indies and bringing her Jamaican talents to the United States. I spoke with Aryanna for July Sex Features. Read below to find how our session went down.

Let’s start by finding out how you got into porn?

It was just something I wanted to do, I am a very sexual person and the girls I watched on the videos just seem bored and I figured I could bring life back into sex and video.

When was your first sexual experience?

When I was in college at 18 with a Kappa, I just wanted to get rid of it, there was no relationship or no falling in love.

Besides your on screen work, what other projects are you involved in?

Well, I have my hands in directing for my own projects at the moment like Face-Off which is in conjunction with Nyomi Banxxx and then after that, it will be The Sweetest Chocolate.

At one point in the industry, there was racial differences due to the demand of what viewers wanted to see. White female performers didn’t perform with Black male performers because there wasn’t a huge demand. Has there been a change since?

To a point, there will always be a racial issue in porn, because we just so happen to have viewers who wants to see what they are accustomed to or believe deep down. It use to be and still is to a point where new girls get told to not work with black guys by their agent because it will hurt their career. Nowadays some of the top female white girls love working with black men and don’t give the companies too much of an option anymore to shoot it if they want them in their movie. But now its switched, although there are interracial couples out there in the sense of black women dating white men, that side of the equation still isn’t acceptable. You will always see white women with black men because companies believe now its an acceptable market and it pays, but black women with white men isn’t all the way acceptable yet as far as numbers being sold in DVDs. It sucks but its the truth of this industry.

What’s are some of the biggest misconceptions about the adult industry?

There are many but the main one would be that all the porn women are whores. Now, what a girl or guy does in there spare time is what they do as an individual, but there are a small percentage like myself who don’t escort or come from a single parent background or the ghetto. All stipulations of what people assume. I have a degree, my parents are still together I was raised in a 4 bedroom house, medium class neighborhood, and I love God. This is just a road I wanted to take, my choice.

Apart from people you’ve been with on film, who’s the one person you would like to have sex with?

Wow, um I would have to say although it’s impossible,  President Obama, he is sexy for an older man… (lmao) then it could be Hilary Clinton, only because she seems uptight. I think she needs a couple orgasms in her life… (lmao).

Are you single? If so, is it difficult dating a guy or gal outside of the adult film industry?

No, I am not single at the moment. I’ve been in a happy relationship for two and a half years with an adult male performer, who is currently the CEO of Silverback Entertainment Inc. All relationships are difficult, it wouldn’t matter if it was in the industry or not, its just something you have to work at like everything else if you want it to succeed. Honestly, if I wasn’t with him I wouldn’t date anybody outside of the industry. Not a lot of men or women are secure enough to handle my job, so why even place somebody in that situation.

Deep down, everyone wishes they could do porn, even it just for one moment but in the back of their head they worry about what their parents will think of their child. Do your parents know about your occupation? if so, how did they take it?

My parents don’t know and I wouldn’t tell them. I am 30 years old and my parents are in the age range from 62 to 71. Certain things I choose not to tell them, they just know I pay my bills and that I am healthy. I know it would break their heart if they knew because every parent wants their child to be the best that they can be no matter the occupation. My parents freaked when I told them I was exotic dancing and they finally excepted it 2 yrs ago. I couldn’t place that hurt on my parents face again. This isn’t something I will do for the rest of my life but when it comes time for me to tell them I want then to see the positive outcome of the life I’ve built for myself and my family.

How do you prepare mentally and physically for a movie?

I just take deep breaths and become a different person. Everybody always says they wish they could become a different person for a day and I get to do that every time I shoot a movie. By day, I am that classy wifey type, a true lady. On film, I am what every man wants with his wife or girlfriend, that freak in the sheets. Physically, I just make sure I am clean and good for that man or woman and mentally it doesn’t take a lot if that person is attractive, if not then I have to go into another place (lmao).

The adult film industry is suffering due to the growing number of online sites that showing movies for free. What efforts are you using and doing to keep your cash flow coming in? and how are you fighting against these sites?

You can’t fight against these sites honestly, but you can create your own site that these sites don’t have and make money from that. I’ve built a name for myself so for all my fans who do want to know about me and what I am doing and my next movie, they are gonna want to find out instead of keep seeing the same scenes that are already out. So I give them a site to log onto to see just me or a new release to buy that has just me. Porn will never die and everybody loves sex, some more extreme than others but still sex all the same. As long as I stay true to me and my fans love me for that then I won’t fail in this drowning market.

Favorite position? Lying down doggy-style

Is there a barrier for sex when it comes to filming and for personal satisfaction, i.e. are there things you won’t do on film but will do when the cameras off or vice versa?

Of course. Right now I don’t do anal on film but in my private life I might test the waters (lol). On film I do the spitting on the man’s privates and such just to bring the visuals to the camera. I’m not doing all that off camera (lol) you get the norm.

What were you doing before porn?

Finishing my Associates degree in medical assisting and starting my first year in pre-nursing, while working as an exotic dancer and modeling here and there.

Colleagues of yours such as Katie Morgan and Sasha Grey have been featured in mainstream movies, do you have any plans to make it on the big(ger) screen?

Well I’ve already done mainstream when I was little from Be-Be’s kids to A Different World and some other projects. If the opportunity presents itself again then I would love to do more mainstream.

Define success? Being Content with yourself and where you are in life.

This month we’re dedicating a large amount of our features to the one thing we all love and enjoy the most, SEX… well hopefully all of us can enjoy it. No need to deny that you’ve watched porn at some point or another in your life, and you may have your favorite actors and actresses that you enjoy watching. Starting off for a slew of Q&A’s with your favorite and most popular entertainers is Mr. Marcus. I caught up with Mr. Marcus to ask him a few questions from dealing with racial differences in the industry to his favorite positions. Ladies, you can thank me later.

Let’s start by finding out how you got into porn?

I went to the AVN Expo located in Las Vegas during the winter of ’94 and I met Ron Hightower and Heather Lee who on the spot suggested I get into porn.

When was your first sexual experience? I was about 12 years old, with a neighbor, we used to hump, when our parents went to sleep.

Besides your on screen work, what other projects are you involved in?

I have Daddy, Inc. which is a made-to-order clothing line, it’s re-launching June 19th 2010, Fathers Day. Also I’ve written a book titled “The Porn Star Guide to Great Sex” (St.Martins Press, June 2010)

At one point in the industry, there was racial differences due to the demand of what viewers wanted to see. White female performers didn’t perform with Black male performers because there wasn’t a huge demand. Has there been a change since?

There has been a dramatic change, although people have been having sex with people of different races and background since the beginning of time, the porn industry likes to think it’s creating something new by producing multi-racial sex scenes. There has always been a demand for interracial and multi-racial scenes. It’s probably the most common form of sex.

What’s are some of the biggest misconceptions about the adult industry?

That there is rampant sex even when the cameras are not rolling… that’s only partially true. Another misconception is that porn stars are easy to fuck, I know for a fact these girls act like every other girl when it comes to sex, sometimes you’re lucky and sometimes your not.

Apart from people you’ve been with on film, who’s the one person you would like to have sex with?

Sophia Vergara and Janet Jackson at the same time.

Are you single? If so, is it difficult dating a guy or gal outside of the adult film industry?

I’m not single, I’ve been with someone for over 15 years.

Deep down, everyone wishes they could do porn, even it just for one moment but in the back of their head they worry about what their parents will think of their child. Do your parents know about your occupation?

My parents know what I do, but I’ve been on my own since I was about 17 years old, so they have little say in how I make a living.

How did they take the news?

My parents have always supported me in anything I wanted to do.

Favorite position?

Doggystyle if she has a nice ass or having a girl ride me, if she has great titties.

Is there a barrier for sex when it comes to filming and for personal satisfaction, i.e. are there things you won’t do on film but will do when the cameras off or vice versa?

How I am on camera is how I am off camera. I have fun with sex and take satisfaction very seriously.

What were you doing before porn?

I was a truck driver for a sofa factory, I used to deliver furniture to customers in the Los Angeles area.

Colleagues of yours such as Katie Morgan and Sasha Grey have been featured in mainstream movies, do you have any plans to make it on the big(ger) screen?

I have made somewhat of a crossover, a movie I did a year ago called “Finding Bliss” is coming to theaters this summer. I play a porn star (whose a minister) LOL.

Define success? Doing what you love and making people happy. Freedom to do whatever you want to do in this world.

The spicy, gregarious, and sexually confident Jessica Holter a.k.a Ghetto Girl Blue founded the Punany Poets Entertainment Brand in 1995, after the untimely death of rapper Eric “Easy E” Wright, to AIDS.  Following his death, Jessica became dedicated to advocating safe sex and discussing sexual topics that were deemed private, embarrassing, or simply nonexistent.  After exposure on the HBO series “Real Sex” Jessica’s company took off and has since grabbed the country by the balls!

As if her erotic, orgasmic, tantalizing, titillating stand up, sit down, gyrating, and pulsating improvisational poetry isn’t enough. Jessica has teamed up with renowned erotic novelist Zane for her first erotic novel, The Punany Experience: The War Between Tops and Bottoms, Not Your Average Down Low Story.

The Punany Experience: The War Between Tops and Bottoms, Not Your Average Down Low Story “is not your average down-low story.  It is the elaborate tale of a bisexual female couple who seduces and manipulates a married music exec, who just happens to be a man with an incredible sexual appetite.  The War between tops and bottoms erupts when the characters needs aren’t met and their inner desires manifest in the bedroom.

Much like her headlining shows (no pun intended) “The Head Doctor”, “The Secret Life of the Pearl”, and “Tops and Bottoms” Jessica consistently keeps the language of her first novel hot and panties moist.  Her  performances, which include other artists, testimonials,  on occasion half nude dancers and tons of cleavage, attracts audiences of all ages, sex, and race.  Jessica has a way with words and fluidity with sexual language that many are too embarrassed to embrace; she speaks freely of her sexual encounters and promotes safe sex on all of her tours.  Condoms, AIDS tests, and dental dams provided (depending on tour dates and city).

Is it hard to date given your profession?

I am so not a dater.  I met the man I married at 17. I was married when I filmed the HBO segment in 1999, I was 29.  I separated not long after and in six months I was in another long term relationship, this time with a woman.  We were together for 10 years.  I imagine it might be hard for the male ego to accept a woman like me, let alone, a woman who does what I do.  I mean when we do shows, I am the last person people try to holler at.  Usually I get approached by women, couples or really strange men.

You founded the Punany Poets in 1995, how has the theater company grown since then?

In 1995, I just set out to publish a book of erotic poetry and photos that smacked of the urban music scene and warned of the growing threat of AIDS among Black American women whose men were being herded off to jail by the truck load. Today, The Punany Poets Entertainment, LLC is a full multimedia entertainment company that includes theater, literary & music publishing, visual art & photography, video and of course, community service in HIV/AIDS awareness and edutainment. From the very beginning I used the works of a variety of talented Bay Area Artists to collaborate on the first book, Punany: The Hip Hop Psalms.  Oakland breeds some of the most talented and multidimensional artists I have ever known, so The Punany Project, as it was called then, quickly evolved to include music, live performance and after our HBO segment; DVD/Video.

What is one of your best sexual experiences that have influenced your work tremendously?

Wow, I didn’t expect that question.  Hmm Well, I think most of my firsts time experiences have defined my sexual self. There was the first time I was stripped down to my bra and panties at the Rocky Horror Show in Berkeley. (It was part of a sort of impromptu theater thing the audience put on while the movie played. Perhaps that is how I came up with audience interaction as my Punany show hook.) There is the first time I humped a girl. I was no more than 4 years old.  Her mother beat us; I had hand prints everywhere.  You know, I was property of the state, so that got real ugly for my foster home. Then there was the first time I was molested; about a year after my real mother died.  I was 10 years old and fragile.  He knew it. That did some damage.  When I was raped at 15, I had my share of kisses, but I was still a virgin, and hoping to remain one until I was married.  I was planning to become a Baptist minister. Yea, rape will change you.

What prompted your book, the theme, and the plot?

My new book, The Punany Experience: The War Between Tops and Bottoms is a study in sexual identity. I was raised and groomed to not only be a heterosexual woman, but also to be a very submissive woman.  I am Southern Baptist, bi-racial (Irish and Jamaica, of all things)… I was raised in foster care and I am a complete passive-aggressive by nature.  I wanted to write a book for women like me, caught between worlds. Stormy, the main character is the love of my life.  I also wanted to address the taboo issue of homosexuality vs. MSM (Men who have Sex with Men). In my show, The Head Doctor, our pre-show conversations are off the hook.  We often talk about the sensitivity of the male G Spot… the prostate. So my new book invites women to take a look at a medical fact, and consider new ways to keep men off of the down low and at your fingertips, so to speak.

Now that have written you book do you prefer performing or writing?

Performing does not compare for me. I have a natural gift for performing that was enhanced and groomed in church and through Toastmaster’s International.  I use to be a competitive speaker.  But, I have always been a writer. I have never wanted to do anything but write since 3rd grade.  I was a journalist covering music for various publications when Eazy E died. I knew Black women were next.  His death was the catalyst for The Punany Project. I really enjoyed the experience of writing The Punany Experience.  I stole away to Bowie, MD for a few months last summer and found myself immersed into a world made completely of my own mind.  I was actually living the book, every day. (ADHD sidebar) Hey, did you know that writing erotica makes you hot? I have to call Zane (my publisher) and tell her than I was sleeping with my rabbit next to me!

The Punany Experience: The War Between Tops and Bottoms, Not Your Average Down Low Story will be released on July 6th.  Jessica is hosting a fantasy picnic and treasure hunt / Book Signing on Treasure Island (Bay Area) on July 3rd, and will be touring cities near you on the respective dates: Oakland, CA 9 (July 6th), San Francisco, CA (July 7th), Atlanta, GA (July 10th), Baltimore, MD (July 14th), Washington, DC (July 15th) and in New York (July 16th -18th).  For more on Miss Ghetto Girl Blue and the Punany Poets go to www.punanypoets.com.