Lexington Steele

Q: Where did the interest in porn come from? Were you a fan, or did someone interest you in it?

Lexington Steele: Well, I had always watched movies since I was about thirteen. And I always asked myself "Would I do porno if given the opportunity?" Around '97, I started doing a lot of modeling in New York and I also started doing some adult modeling...and people were like "Oh, you've got a big dick!" And the opportunity came about when I met Mike Raven at the East Coast Show in '97, and by March of '98 I had been out to L.A. twice and I knew if I put the time in, that I would be able to be a working guy. I had the financial wherewithal to not work, if I didn't want to, for six months. So I said, I'll give myself a window of six months and see if I can catch on...and by June of '98, I was at Cannes Film Festival, so I was able to hit the ground [running] and able to work rather regularly. Anabolic was one of the first companies that hired me consistently and I built a relationship with them. As far as inspiration, I grew up being a fan of Sean Michaels, Tom Byron, Peter North, Mr. Marcus...these are individuals that, if they didn't have their name on the box, I didn't want any part of it. Because I knew that whatever girl was in the movie, if it wasn't one of those guys, then why would I even watch it? And then, of course, the only person that I still say is still "up there" and I still have some distance to close on him would be Rocco [Siffredi]. He's my idol, and in my opinion, he's the number one performer forever.

Q: When you got in the business, I'm assuming you still had friends back East. What was the reaction from them and from your family as to your new career...have they come to accept it, or do some of them not like what you're doing?

Lexington Steele: Well, initially my close friends in no way lacked support for my decision. I had been a Wall Street investment accountant for five years, and you're leaving that? I was a vested broker...I was a player...and how do you decide to go from that to doing porno? So many people were like "What are you doing? What are you thinking?" But people who knew me well, know that I pretty much go with what I set my mind to. So, I got a lot of support. My parents were always supportive...but I will say that I don't think that my mother really had a greater understanding of what I was doing until about 2000. So I was in the business about two years before my mom really knew that I was going beyond what was on Cinemax.

Q: You're probably one of the most recognizable adult stars. What's it like when you get recognized in public, and has that been a positive or negative experience overall?

Lexington Steele: It's been all positive. I understand that it takes a lot for a man to introduce himself to a porno guy. Because he is admitting that he masturbates to your work enough that he recognizes you outside of that particular environment. So whenever a person steps up to me and says hello, I appreciate it so much, and I'll talk with the person...sometimes I'll sit and talk with a total stranger for about an hour, because they may have question after question...but the way I'm looking at it is that I knew it took a lot for him to come up to me and say "Hey! I like your work!" I could have said "Hey! You jerk off that much that you recognize me by face?" But instead of that, I'm like hey, let's sit down and "chop it up". Because a lot of people have a lot of questions and a lot of people look to me as a person that they want to see do these sex acts on video. Much like we look at the NBA and see these players that are jumping twelve feet in the air and dunking from the foul line...it's like wow, we can't do that, but we make the person that can our hero. I fully realize and understand the weight and magnitude of being somebody's hero.

Q: Recently, you separated from Anabolic after about five years with them...was that separation solely due to the fact that you weren't allowed to own your own movies, or was there something else behind your leaving?

Lexington Steele: It really was a business move. Last year, having established myself as one of the premier directors of gonzo, I understood that there has to be a progression...and the progression for me had never strayed away from ownership, and working towards that. But at the point where I was able to make the step to owning my own product and continue to produce the best gonzo that's out there, Anabolic...there policies do not include offering ownership to their directors. At that point, there was no need for discussion...I understood where they stand and they understood what I wanted to do. As a businessman, I understood where there position came from. They understood where I was coming from, and it was cool. I do think that they made a grave mistake because there's not a better performer on American soil and the only other performer I think can really get with me is Rocco. Now that being considered, and the commitment I made for five years with them, for them to not want to discuss something that would keep me with the company was a mistake on their part. On top of that, subsequent to my departure, every other director other than John Strong - who only had one line out at that point anyway - all the other directors left. And that should speak volumes of the greed and arrogance factor that has been and will be the demise of that company.

Q: I was actually going to ask you about that...Erik Everhard left, Mike John left...was that all a reaction to what you were going through with Anabolic, or did they leave over different issues?

Lexington Steele: Well, here's the thing about it...at a certain point, they [Anabolic] made it very, very clear to all the directors that [ownership of your own titles] was not going to be in the cards. I had already, at that point, decided that my future rested with another company. But after I left, I think that the company realized the impact of my loss...there's no less than six lines that will subsequently "die" since I left. After I left, they scrambled to try and keep the remaining directors, but as a business plan, what they attempted to offer was crazy in terms of how greatly they undervalued the people that produced their stuff. You see, the thing with that company...those individuals, the owners of Anabolic and Diabolic, think that the company success and the company's merit is based on the name on their box. But what they fail to realize was that the people they had in the video were making them such a great name, and the fact that all those individuals were corralled within one label is what made them strong. Minus the performers - Lex Steele, Erik Everhard, John Dough, and now the great director Mike John...a great friend of mine...I owe my whole career to Mike John - minus the whole team that was there, what does that company have to stand on? I think they hired Pat Myne...Pat Myne being a guy that I know very well who produces good stuff. That was an individual whose work they trashed verbally prior to now hiring him. So what's the situation with that? It's a case where you have one company that was arguably the strongest next to Evil Angel, and is now relegated to maybe third or fourth down the ladder now. Now they don't have the big names producing and performing in their work. It's a mistake that they'll pay for over a long period of time.

Q: I do want to get into a bit about your directing style and you as a performer...when fans see "Directed by Lexington Steele" on a box cover, what can they expect to get from that title that they may not be getting elsewhere?

Lexington Steele: One thing you can expect from Mercenary Pictures is this - you'll have the prettiest girls that are fantastic performers. The two requirements that I have are that you're very pretty and you can fuck. Within those parameters, I'm able to shoot some girls that may not be a favorite of everybody, but is a strong favorite of the few that like that particular type of woman. I only shoot women that I in particular want to fuck, so if I'm not in the scene, it's just a case where I thought that perhaps in this scene I would like to use these individuals. Every girl that I shoot is a woman that I find attractive, and because I find them so attractive, it dictates the way that I shoot them. And in turn, consumership and viewership...I actually put them in the passenger's seat right next to me, so I get the girls that I like, and if you share that liking with me, then you're going to go on a good ride.

Q: For you, what's the selection process for picking talent? Is it girls you have worked with in the past, word of mouth from other performers, or something different?

Lexington Steele: The first thing that I look for is that I look to find out who are the strongest female performers out there. Is there a particular girl that is developing a reputation for her strong performances? A lot of the girls I come across, I've worked with them and then I'm like, hey, I want to shoot you again for my stuff. I typically like European females. And what I mean by that...it's not a white/black thing...actual females from Europe, as opposed to, say, Orange County or Dallas or Tampa. I look for girls that are known for fucking well. I don't mean necessarily the anal thing, because to be quite honest, I don't like anal at all. I don't do it in my personal life, I never did it before porno and I'll never do it after I leave porno. Most of my productions right now will probably have less anal in them than what I used to do for Anabolic. But I look for girls that are known for "putting it down". And if they're pretty enough, then okay, I would like to shoot them. There are many girls that I would like to shoot that have problems working with black men...and that is a concern. But there are enough women out there that have no problems with working with black men.

Q: Well, you bring up the interracial thing, and it seems to me - as someone who's worked for an adult retailer for a number of years - that fans are really starting to want to see more interracial action and are demanding more of it in their movies. Do you think your own success within the industry has contributed to this desire to see more interracial adult movies?

Lexington Steele: Well, I don't think that I'm breaking any new ground...I don't think I'm reinventing the wheel. I think that the work that Sean Michaels did, the work that Mr. Marcus did earlier in his career and continues to do...what Sean did first, and what Marcus did early on...these guys actually broke barriers and paved the road that I walk so easily down. It's not the notion that Lexington Steele has broken any barriers...I think that Sean Michaels built the highway and every performer that now does interracial owes a debt of gratitude to that man.

Q: Most of the movies that you direct you also perform in. Is it harder to direct when you're actually in a scene, or do you find it's actually easier since you know what the camera needs to make the scene work?

Lexington Steele: When I'm doing a scene, I know exactly what I'm trying to show. So, what happens is, a lot of times I'm showing something and half these directors don't even get it...don't even see where the shot is, because if I'm doing the scene, I'm doing a certain thing so I can show you this in the best way possible...you can see the most of what's happening. Mike John and Jules Jordan are the only two directors, in my opinion, who are seeing sexual movements before they actually happen. They know where the shot is going to be coming...it's a feel that I've had by working with them and in front of them that I can say confidently that those two individuals are the two best shooters on the earth. Now, a lot of the times there's stuff I'm doing where the camera guy has no clue. Anywhere outside of Anabolic up until now, aside from Joey Silvera and John Leslie, [no one] knows where to go to grab the best shot. Now, when I'm doing a scene, I'm thinking to myself is the guy going to grab this shot or not...now, the stuff for my titles, I've been lucky enough to have great individuals shooting. I have another great shooter now shooting my stuff for me. So people can rest assured that they'll get the same types of things captured on video that they are used to coming from me. Now, when I'm shooting a scene, the way I shoot it...I like to shoot it the way a person would view a sex act if they were viewing that sex act live. The notion is this: if you're looking to buy a new car, many people will look at the front end of the car - stare at it, then look at the side of the car - stare at it, then look at the back of the car and stare at it. The other half of the people will walk around the car and peruse it from many different angles. The correlation is that there's two different ways of shooting, where you sit there and you watch a particular position for thirty seconds to a minute...often times too long - the moment has already passed by then. If a person's watching sex, then he's going to want to peruse it...he's going to want to look at it from underneath that leg, from over the top of the guy's hip...what does it look like when she's blowing the guy, when she's diving her head onto his cock...it's the notion that many people shoot a blowjob in a profile, but the better shot would be if one rested their camera on the hip of the male performer...that way you could see the woman's head diving and consuming his penis as she's sucking...that's the way I shoot. I put people in the passenger's seat. I'm the driver and I'm going to take you on a road that's going to be rocky, but you're going to see it all from different angles and it's going to get you off. Because my sole purpose...my ulterior motive is I shoot stuff that I can jerk off to myself. If I know that when I get home I can put this tape in and rub one out, I know the consumership will enjoy it as well. At this point, I've been watching porno for quite some time, so I kind of know what turns people on...so I'm like, okay, let me see if I can use what I've learned and continue to produce along the lines of what a Joey Silvera has created. So, I like putting guys in the passenger's seat and say, hey, let's go for a ride...we're going to look at it from here, we're going to look at it from there, but it's never going to be something boring or watered-down as is much of the way you see a lot of the feature productions shot.

Q: When shooting a scene, can you tell when a performance isn't working - and if so, do you find yourself shooting more of that scene to perhaps "save it" in the editing room?

Lexington Steele: Well, first and foremost...and I can't say this enough...I've been trained by Mike John, since '98, in terms of watching him shoot and seeing how he shoots. And once I began wielding a camera, around '99 or 2000, I was like trained by him. So the way that Mike has taught me is if you see a scene going in a direction that is no longer as hot or as intense, you don't necessarily want to "shoot for the edit" - I understand that Mike Stefano is known for "shooting for the edit". I shoot for the moment. The way that I've learned to shoot is that you can find something hot in any given instance. So if I think that the penetration is kind of lagging, my ears are now opening wider and wider so I'll be able to tune in to what's going on, what's coming out of that girl's mouth. Perhaps, if I'm not getting the penetration I need, maybe she's faking it well enough that I can go to her face and capture her face at that moment - and that will suffice for what I'm not getting elsewhere. If perhaps I'm getting a crazy penetration, but the girl seems to be a dead fish, then perhaps I'll go to the person delivering that thrust, maybe I'll show the intensity on the guy's face to give the color of the moment. So, she might be a dead fish, but something is going on here...there's a way that you can shoot in terms of how quickly you can move the camera...how quickly you swoop. Do you swoop in slowly, do you swoop rapidly? These are ways that can measure and dictate the way the scene is interpreted. This is what I've learned from Mike John. There's ways that you can wield the camera to capture what you need in any scene, so when you get to the edit bay, you know you have enough and you know you have what you need to produce a good scene.

Q: In your own opinion, why do you think the gonzo genre is so popular right now among adult fans?

Lexington Steele: Well, I really think it's a grass roots thing. I think you take it all the way back down to the performer. The popularity of gonzo is based on what people get - they're getting 100% sex. You're not getting bullshit dialogue. If I want dialogue, I'll go with [Robert] DeNiro or [Denzel] Washington. I'm not going to go for Evan Stone and Chloe. Why am I watching them talk? Gonzo's popularity is the consumership saying "We want hardcore sex." And let's take it a step farther...it's a lot easier to produce gonzo. Companies are shifting their focus to what's more cost effective. But what's most important is the mentality of the performers. The girls know...and these are girls that are "video prostitutes", where they're getting paid to produce sex on video...they're prostitutes - much like the male performers...let's call a spade a spade. These females want to get paid today. They are not necessarily interested in being on set for eight hours to do a dry-ass scene for Vivid or VCA or Wicked - where if their movies could produce a hard-on, I'd be surprised. But it's the notion that the performers want to get in, do their scene and get out. So the performers are willing to put more into a gonzo performance, then they would a feature performance, because they're getting more money [for a shorter amount of time]. Would you rather work for three hours and get paid your rate, or nine to twelve and get paid your rate? In gonzo, we're able to get in and get out, get our money and move on. Now, some of the male performers don't do a second scene in a day. Some of the females may not work again until there rent is due. But it's the notion that you can get in and you can get out - and that people put more in [a scene]. If you're on the set all day, by the time it's time for you to do your scene, you don't have the electricity. It's just not there. I think that has a lot to do with it...the performers are putting more in. And the thing about it is that in gonzo, each scene is twenty minutes. It's not your bullshit ten or twelve minute scene where there's six minutes of pussy eating and dick sucking. In gonzo, you're going twenty minutes...twenty-two minutes even...and in my stuff, or if it's a Jules Jordan movie or a Mike John movie, you can expect five to six positions, four vaginal and two anal [positions], because that's what the consumers deserve. So it's beholden on me to say, "When you work for me, you've got to do four vaginal...and if you do anal, you've got to do two anals." So the guys that work for me know...and if they're working for Jules Jordan, or working for Mike John [they know]...they have to deliver more, but they are willing to deliver more if you're able to pay them and they can get out.

Q: If I can switch gears, as I'm sure you're aware, recently the industry's been under attack thanks to a mainstream report that ran on ABC's PrimeTime Live, as well as some other newspaper reporting. What's your take on the recent criticism and what's your reaction to those who would suggest that the girls in this business are somehow coerced or manipulated?

Lexington Steele: First, I will say that Belladonna is a very, very good friend of mine. She's the best female performer on American soil, without a doubt. If I could have Bella in every one of my movies, I would. First of all, there's no way that having followed her for a year that all they got was the negativity that they portrayed on that show. Bella's a very, very happy person and she makes very good money. Now, they can edit it and show the negative parts - and that's what they chose to do. In so many ways, you would have wanted them to interview other people first. And that other woman on there...Ona Zee? I don't know who she deals with, but the people that I know in this business are here by choice, the people are happy, the people are making the money that they want to make and they're making the money the way that they want to make it. If nine out of ten people polled say that they are not happy with their job, I would say that that poll is something that represents the mainstream. But nine out of ten that do adult actually enjoy their lifestyle...they do not exist with the attitudes of negativity that were portrayed in that show. Another point is that that fucking Surgeon General idiot with that bullshit-ass beard - that guy is saying that this business is filled with "throwaway" people? Throwaway people! I'll put my resume up against any person in Pornoland or on Wall Street or in Washington, D.C. I have two undergraduate degrees from Syracuse University, I have four licenses as a financial counselor, I have five years as a Wall Street broker...and this is all before I got in this business. I'm a published writer, a SAG actor...and that motherfucker wants to call people in this business "throwaway"? I'm in this business by choice, and people like me would be successful in any avenue of life. There's many people in this business that could be successful in any other environment. And I would wager this: it's easier to become a person who can wax specific on a certain genre that he has no familiarity with, but it's something else to go out and find out the truth. C. Everett Coop has never been on a porno set. And then they say that the locations that the girls have sex in are back alleys? Let me put it this way...you watch a Mercenary Picture...I'm shooting in locations that are $200 an hour. The same locations that I use, you see in mainstream television shows...and I don't mean "Mr. Cooper", I mean "Falcon Crest"-type shit. The notion that perhaps in days long ago this business was populated by people who lacked options is no longer the case. This is a 38 billion dollar business. The caliber of production is as high in many cases as you would find on any mainstream set, television or movie. So, in regards to that whole show and the few people they talked to...okay, they did their thing. But there was a great number of other people that they could have spoke to that would have absolutely been able to shed a different light or at least add to the reputation of this business. I wish somebody would have spoke to me, and talked to me about that. Because if anyone can say to me that I'm a throwaway as an individual, then we can start at any level, whether it's high school, college, post graduate work...what have you. So, I just took offense to the show on many different levels, but primarily it's just the notion that Bella was grossly misrepresented. I believe the journalism there was erroneous, unqualified and it was unquantified by the number of people they did not speak to. And also, on top of that, when they announced the winner [of the AVN Performer of the Year on the ABC broadcast], they said my name, but the clip had my back turned to the camera...but they had footage from the whole show. I actually think in my opinion that they did not want to portray a black man as being the industry's number one individual. I really believe there's some value to that. Why even mention the name and then choose to show something where my back was turned? You couldn't identify the name with the individual. I think that was on purpose.

Q: That's interesting. Do you think the reason they didn't show you was because the mainstream...or at least ABC...didn't want to show the general public that the most successful male in porn today is an African American?

Lexington Steele: Correct. I am saying that. And I would love...boy, if it can get to them that I said this...I would love it. I have a show on Playboy TV, so they can get at me. I'll say it my show, even.

Q: I do have a couple of wrap-up questions. First, where do you see yourself five or ten years from now? Still in the business or moving on to try other things?

Lexington Steele: Well, here are the things I'm looking to do in the next five to ten years...I really want to get Mercenary Pictures to become not solely an adult video production company - I'm going to be producing latex condoms, calendars, a clothing line, adult novelties. I'm going to be producing actual mainstream movie productions that are laced with adult hardcore in conjunction with many of the biggest hip-hop names out there right now. I have a second company called Room Service Entertainment...and what we're doing is were actually working with some of the top names and we're going to take some of their songs...maybe like three to four of their songs...and weave them into a feature-length [video] and at certain points in their particular lyrics and however we made a story or screenplay out of that, we'll have hardcore sex - which we'll distribute with a XXX version and also with a softcore version that we'll sale straight to video. So this is something that will really begin to come to fruition towards the end of this year and the coming years. On the other side, with the introduction of my TV show ["Lex in the City" on Playboy TV], it gives me a chance to begin my insertion into the mainstream. There's a lot of stuff I would like to be able to debate and discuss in greater venues. I think the one [TV show] I'm doing right now has to be predicated on my performance and my position as Lexington Steele. I think that there's a lot of things that need to be said, but there are very few people that give me the opportunity to say these things and get the actual platform to do so. So my mainstream aspirations are really to go beyond just being a talk show host on Playboy TV. I would actually like to have something much like a "Politically Correct" type of show...that used to be on ABC...something like that is what my future holds, and I would like to go back to doing some of the mainstream stuff I've done in the past, but that's something to be worked on in the next year and the next couple years. Ultimately, I'd like to grow Mercenary into a conglomerate, which is just not solely an adult-oriented company.

Q: And are there any particular movies that you're working on right now or will be released in the near future?

Lexington Steele: I'm going to be releasing in late March...I have two titles that I'm going to be releasing. The first one will be "Lex Steele XXX", and that will be much the same as what the consumership sees from "Lex The Impaler", from "Iron Maidens", from "Heavy Metal" - it will be six scenes, one-on-one...actually five one-on-ones and a DP, which is a special appearance by Erik Everhard. "Lex Steele XXX" is just going to be me [in scenes]. And what I'd like to do with each volume is feature a DP that includes Erik Everhard, or a DP that includes Nacho Vidal...you know what I'm saying. It's a case where they're going to get the same thing, but what I'm going to do is throw one of my "road warriors" in...one of the guys who I say "this is a guy I can go shoulder to shoulder with". My next title will be "Top "...actually I don't know if I'm going to go with "Top " or "Top Guns"...but the movie will be predicated upon the male performers. And what I mean by that is this: the first order of business is casting within and only within the top ten reputed performers on the earth. So my cast may include the following: Erik Everhard...who is, in my opinion, shoulder to shoulder with me and if not, even better, I don't know...Tony Ribas, Nacho Vidal, Mark Davis, Steve Holmes, Manuel Ferrera, Franco Roccaforte, David Perry, Robert Rosenburg...these are the only individuals that you're going to see in "Top ". And each individual will have one scene, and there will be six scenes [total]. In my first volume you'll see Tony Ribas, Erik Everhard, Mark Davis, Manuel Ferrara, Steve Holmes and myself. And then in future volumes you can continue to expect only these particular individuals...because I do travel often, whether it's Prague or Budapest...these are my friends. So I can call Rocco up on the phone right now and say "Hey!" I don't think Rocco would shoot outside his company, but I can call him up and say, do you know any really strong guys over there right now? And that's how I found out about Manuel Ferrera. So it's a case where "Top " was predicated on using the absolute best male performers this earth has to offer. I'm going to match them up with superstar-caliber girls that are going to be the most pretty girls that do hardcore sex...and I'll make that distinction by saying take maybe a Jewel DeNyle or a Ryan Conner or a Zana or a April Flowers - the girls that are actually "fucking"...I mean Bella, Calli Cox...girls that actually are great female performers - I'm matching those caliber of females with these guys...because these guys...each and every one of these guys has a foot-long dick or near and know how to use it. I mean, Tony Ribas...my god...that guy can probably perform up and over in a three foot square box. Erik Everhard can probably put down a hundred strokes in a minute. Steve Holmes and Manuel, those guys are white guys with dicks that are as large as mine. Franco Roccaforte...what can I say...he's the only black guy that Evil Angel uses, but he might be the only other black guy besides myself that can put in a European or Evil Angel-caliber performance. So, I'm really excited about "Top " because it's a case where this is where the best males can be found in one place, and each scene will feature a different guy...so you're going to be seeing the best in the world. It's a combination that really has not been attempted and cannot be attempted or matched, because each of these guys is my friend and my buddy...it's kind of a fraternity of sorts. And the third one [movie] is a series called "Darker the Berry" and will be an ethnic girl series in which I'll use solely black women, Latina women and Asian women...in no particular distribution...just whatever...it might be three black chicks, two Asian chicks and one Latina...whatever. It's another series that will only feature the best guys around. It's going to be a high-end, high-caliber movie, just like I did with "Women of Color". Because the thing about it is this: the movies that feature ethnic women - in particular, black women - most of those productions are low-end, low-budget productions. And what happens is the consumership is led to believe that the black women that are in porno deserve to be relegated to those low-end [titles]...Notorious pictures or Heatwave...and I say these companies by name because that's what they've done to the reputation of black women as performers is terrible. Conversely, Video Team...Christian Mann has done very well in the way he shoot black women. But where Christian Mann misses the mark is in making his stuff hardcore - so with "Darker The Berry", I'll continue with what I did in "Women With Color 3", "4" and "5" - featuring black women with the highest-caliber production and I'll put them with some very strong guys, including myself. Those are my three titles that will come out immediately.

Q: My final question is do you like to hear suggestions from the fans, do you have a way for them to contact you and do you have any message you'd like to pass along to them?

Lexington Steele: I like to hear suggestions from fans. I will say that I don't guarantee that I'll actually use suggestions or that they may come to fruition, although one thing I do look very closely at is the women that the guys want to see...and that is paramount to me. Because I'm making these pornos for the people that are like me and who work hard and want to come home and want to jack off. And I'll tell you where they can find me - they can find me at www.lexingtonsteelelive.com and my second website is www.lexsteelexxx.com. You can e-mail me there...check both websites. I love to hear who [the fans] suggest I put in the movies. That way, I'll know who to look for. Who they want to see in my productions and who they want to see me work with...but more importantly who they want to see in my productions because I might not be your favorite guy to watch fuck, but you might like the way I shoot. Now, the message that I do have for the people out there would be that you can always expect real serious gonzo...I'll always deliver the stuff that people can masturbate to. Because I feel that that's why people buy videos. I'm still the same person that they are watching these movies and I'm trying to please the consumership, because that's the most important thing.