Our Own Community Press section B

December, 1996 Susie Sexpert: soccer mom by Kirk Read dard noir cinema, although women haven't Staff writer been these sort of protagonists in that genre before. I think there are more important Susie Bright, aka Susie Sexpert, is the firsts: 1) First openly butch heroine, a total infamous jane of all trades who started out fox who is desirable. 2) No coming out working at San Francisco's Good bullshit, the lesbian characters take their Vibrations, where she educated women sexuality for granted. 3) Womens' hands as about their bodies and desires. She went on sexual organs. This is my single biggest to found and edit On Our Backs, a maga­ contribution to the film. 4) A femme who's zine for the adventurous lesbian. She is the not a "fatale." She doesn't fink out, betray, author of Susie Sexpert's Lesbian Sex or flake, like the pretty women usually do in World, Susie Bright's Sexual Reality, and these movies. She's a competent, loyal bad most recently, Sexwise. She lives in San girl. 5) Girls who get away with murder and Francisco i:1ith her daughter Aretha and is live happily ever after. listed as reason #23 among Minneapolis Weekly s 62 Reasons to Love America. How does mainstream lesbian erotica dif­ fer from male erotica? Or do men even

Our Own: You were recently the lesbian .. ;.·. have a mainstream equivalent? sex consultant for the movie Bound. How was the experience? Well, homoeroticism and lovers have a much wider spread in mainstream cinema. Susie Bright: Bound was the most satisfy­ You can count the lesbian movies of note on ing filmmaking experience I've ever had, two hands, maybe. But rarely is gay mens' mainly because I got everything I wanted sexuality played for serious arousal...it's and suggested, and I didn't have to stick more often used for laughs, or tragedy, or around for the hard boring parts. Larry and tenderness. The male producers haven't Andy, the directors, wanted my inspiration done a "kiss" between men like the kiss in and ideas, and we were very much on the Bound. same wavelength. Gina, who met me for a little "research" and pep talk, was totally You've edited numerous anthologies. turned onto the role. She knew she was When you 're sitting in front of stacks of going to be James Dean, dyke-style. submissions, what are the things in an erotic story that hook you? How was working with Jennifer Tilly and Gina Gershon? Were they reluctant? It's very intuitive. I'm easily bored, and if the first sentence, the first paragraph start Reluctant? You've got to be kidding. dragging me down, I stop. I die when a First of all, they're hard working and dead story opens well and then falls apart at the serious actresses who, like every woman in end. Many of the things I look for are what Hollywood, are desperate for roles with you would search for in any well-written some meat on them instead of a story - plus someone who doesn't pull in bimbo/wallpaper cliche. Second, they aren't .... the clutch when it comes to sex - someone dykes, but they're hardly prudes. Gina I got ~ who can write the sex with all the style and to know a little, and she's been around the ~ realness of the rest of their story. block, as they say. They both have a sophis- ~ ticated view of human sexuality. This is far ";_ Cybersex has really taken off and it seems better raw material to start with than some .D &....;,-.- .;;;;.;..--• ...... ~~~~~~~~~~~~~ like everyone's online. Do you think it's naive little baby dyke who is afraid of SuSie Bright keeping people from exploring real sex? butches and snotty to femmes. I was so How did working on the film compare to scene for you? relieved when I met Gina, because she other erotic films you've been involved Christ, no. Every time you meet some­ appreciated the genre and the sexiness of with? Well, Alicia and I have a lot in common. one online who you really get the hots for, female masculinity. I gave her a copy of To me, that's the euphemistic "fisting you always want to meet them face to face Stone· Butch Blues, which she ate up. I Well, I have worked on the lowest bud­ scene," n'est-ce pas? The fucking scene is to really "do it." I often wonder how much showed her the cover photo of my lesbian get lesbian porn videos of all time, and that much hotter in the director's cut, which the airlines have benefitted from this phe­ photography book, Nothing But the Girl --­ was absolutely nerve-wracking because we hopefully will make it onto video. Or if you nomenon. and I said, pointing at the model, "this is were so inexperienced, but it was also fun see it in Eu.rope. Corky, your character". She totally agreed. because it was original and outrageous and Where do you think cybersex fits into the Larry and Andy are who I worked with the we were all friends. I've been an extra in My female friends tell me that the hottest context of AIDS? most. I sent them porn tapes and excerpts I mainstream porn films and that was fairly thing about the erotic scenes was the an_tic­ liked, gave them some choreography for the educational on the filmmaking end, but ipation and suspense involved, like won­ AIDS accentuates peoples' ordinary and kind of fucking·! wanted to see, I made the mostly tedious, not because of the sex, but dering where Jennifer Tilly's tattoo is ... are irrational fears about sex in general. People point that these girls are the kind of dykes because movie making is so slow. these elements in Bound a breakthrough who are scared to fuck have the banner of who will be fucking each other. We don't for woman to woman erotic films? AIDS to rationalize their caution, but with­ want a cunnilingus scene here, that's not My friend Alicia wet her seat during the out AIDS they'd still be more reticent than right for the characters and this genre. plumbing scene. What was the hottest Well, the suspense and titillation is stan- see Sexpert, page Ill