profile

Joe Gallant's Dirty Movies

They used to call them "dirty" movies in the 1970s, when viewing an adult film was synonymous with the musty darkness of the Pussycat Theatre, raincoats and grainy images of triple-X footage shot on Super 8.

Producer/director/performer Joe Gallant is happily continuing the "dirty" tradition of adult films — in the most literal sense of the word. The taglines on his box covers flash like psychedelic neon on an adult arcade storefront: "Nasty ATM... Explosive Enemas... Relentless Filth... Made With Love in NYC."

"It's something I enjoy watching and experiencing and doing," says Gallant, with delighted enthusiasm. He quickly adds, "Look, I don't want to promote any kind of disease or ill health here, but if a girl blows a milk enema across the room, I happen to think it's hot."

Variously referred to in the press as a "smut monger," "porn impresario" and "one weird guy," it's easy to pigeonhole Gallant as The Village Voice did in its 2004 Best of New York issue, listing him as the "best remnant of old Times Square sleaze."

Not Filth-Driven
But it's not just about filth. For Gallant, there is a message in the medium. The extreme content and concept-driven films of his Manhattan-based Black Mirror Productions may have limited audience appeal: They are as far from the conventions of mainstream porn as alternative can get. But Gallant dislikes being narrowed by convention.

"It's not shock value," he claims. "If there's any message in Black Mirror, it's that people get messy in real sex, and that's exactly why I don't sanitize my scenes."

To get a broader take on his offbeat erotic vision, it helps to understand the concept of pornography as fine art.

"You know, it's the only art form that causes you to ejaculate and your heart to race and your body chemistry to change," he says. "No other art form can do that; can create that kind of power. I think that people don't quite realize what they have, and I think they could show a little more variety with it. It's a tremendous art form."

With titles like "Times Square Trash," "Manhattan Girls" and "Sleazy NYC Sex," the influence of New York City's gritty urban landscape is central for Gallant. Nostalgia for the 1970s pre-Giuliani, pre-sanitized New York where he grew up still sparks his creativity as an artist.

"From 1975 to 1977, everything happened," Gallant says. "I became immersed in music and sound and exploration."

Gallant, 48, is an established musician and sound technician. A 14-year stint as a sound designer for the daytime soap opera "The Guiding Light" earned him an Emmy Award in 1996.

Working as bassist/bandleader/ composer with his 22-piece orchestra, Illuminati, he has produced several albums, including "Skin" (1990) "Code of the West" (1994), "Blues for Allah" (1996), "Live Vols. 1 & 2" (1997-'98), "Terrapin" (1999) and "Shadowhead" (2001). With influences as diverse as Debussy and Talking Heads, Gallant coined the phrase "chambertronica" to describe some of his music. "Blues" and "Terrapin" are best known for big band arrangements of Grateful Dead classics.

"It's unlikely that I would have become as committed an artist as I am if I had not been initiated into the multi-leveled codes of their music," says Gallant, commenting on the Dead's influence in an interview for Jambands.com. "It's equally unlikely that I would have developed into a restless, searching mind and awestruck spirit if I had not been exposed to their powerful social alchemy."

Gallant began his journey into the world of adult entertainment by checking out live sex shows in the Times Square joints in the 1970s. In a New York club, he met and began a relationship with 1980s adult actress Trinity Loren, which prompted him to switch focus from music to hardcore. He describes Loren's style as "very hot sex combined with a sort of giggly, earthy quality. Just gorgeous." Their affair continued until 1998, when Loren died in her sleep from an accidental prescription drug overdose.

Gallant's various careers were sidelined by a six-year heroin addiction, until he became clean and sober.

"Sobriety took root like a concrete foundation in April 1985, and has been the reason I'm able to accomplish things," he says. "It's the reason there wasn't a memorial service for me."

VCA/Hustler Link
"I felt like I was given the keys to the kingdom [when I joined forces with VCA/ Hustler] — to actually get a budget and start writing scripts and creating films. I did some really good ones for them."

After producing three films out of a nine-film contract ("Contract Girl" [originally a Black Mirror production, purchased and distributed by VCA], "Ultra Vixens NYC" and "Killing Courtney Luv" — Gallant then opted out, citing corporate politics and creative differences as the cause for his departure. He wasted little time in releasing two Black Mirror features at the time of his resignation.

"Fan Base," Black Mirror's first all-gay production, was shot with a cast of New York City amateurs. "It's really a good movie," he says. "I like it a lot... It was an experiment to add to the Black Mirror catalog."

"Ghost Town," a reality-based feature, includes a cast of Los Angeles pro talent and fresh amateur faces from New York. The premise: What would happen if a bunch of porn stars lived together for a summer?

The talent featured in "Ghost Town"? "Olivia Saint, Sharon Wild, Aria Noir, Montana Gunn, Dino Bravo and a new girl from New York named Daphne Parker," Gallant says. "The movie has got a lightheartedness to it. There are no body functions. It's just a really sweet movie, and it's so clean that IVD distributed it, and that's a first."

By the end of the year, he'll be finished with Black Mirror's latest project, "Atomic Skullfuck Orgy," described as a post-modern allegory based on the Patty Hearst kidnapping.

Gallant has other projects in mind as well. "I want to do four half-hour Super 8 silent porn films, each with a separate chamber score. I'd like to take that to Berlin where there's an arts festival in the spring."

Another album with Illuminati also is a possibility. And if New York has been his evil Eden, he's craving the bite of a different apple these days. "I feel like the perfect life for me would be to shoot in San Francisco and New York," Gallant says. "So, I'm just trying to figure out how to make things work on both coasts."

Gallant bristles at the current political climate and the concerns over looming 2257 regulations and a federal obscenity task force. "It isn't about eliminating underage porn, it's about prosecutions... it borders on fascism," he gripes.

In terms of artistic expression, Gallant likes fighting filthy-dirty. "I really believe that true pornography, particularly amateur pornography, is the last rebel outpost in society," he says. "I intend to create a body of visual work that's brimming over with electricity, heat and joyous release."

Copyright © 2024 Adnet Media. All Rights Reserved. XBIZ is a trademark of Adnet Media.
Reproduction in whole or in part in any form or medium without express written permission is prohibited.

More Articles

opinion

Free Agent Auteur: Casey Calvert Expands Her Directing Horizon

Now, having brought that highly-awarded polyamory trilogy to a close, Calvert is concluding the exclusive Lust Cinema directing chapter of her career and charting a new course out into open creative waters as a free agent.

Alejandro Freixes ·
profile

Collaboration Done Differently: Adult Time Discusses Ambassador Program

Since the launch of Adult Time in 2019, award-winning director and chief creative officer Bree Mills has actively explored collaborative opportunities with members of the performer community, seeking out talent whose values align with the company’s and who appreciate the type of content Mills creates for the multibrand platform.

Alejandro Freixes ·
profile

WIA Profile: Siouxsie Q.

Siouxsie Q has long been a committed artist and organizer. This dual path has garnered her significant recognition for both her creative works and her advocacy. Yet one thing that stands clear in Q’s story is that her motivation transcends mere acclaim.

Women In Adult ·
trends

The Art of Performance: Top Stars Share Current Strategies for Success

While many studio performers are also creators, harnessing the booming indie content and streaming market, only a select few creators also do studio shoots.

Alejandro Freixes ·
profile

Sinful XXX Brings Dreamy Erotica to Life With Business Finesse

As the creative brains behind Sinful XXX, director and producer Roma Amor is primarily responsible for bringing the brand’s signature style of erotica to life. It is a role for which he is well prepared, having worked as a freelance art photographer and video maker since 1996.

Alejandro Freixes ·
opinion

Anna Claire Clouds Reflects on Triumphs, Career Ambitions

Born and raised in a small town near Nashville, Tennessee, Southern belle Anna Claire Clouds grew up surrounded by nature. She spent most of her time enjoying the rippling waters of the lake, exploring the greenery of the woods and living that country life.

Alejandro Freixes ·
profile

Lauren Phillips Flips the 'Switch' for New Adult Time Series

Veteran performer and cam model Lauren Phillips is no stranger to moviemaking. Well before she began sharpening her directorial instincts, as a prolific performer she worked alongside Gamma Entertainment's award-winning teams to bring their various studio brands to life.

Alejandro Freixes ·
profile

Mazee the GOAT Shoots for the Stars With 'Amazing Films'

In 2016, three years before he entered the adult industry, Mazee the G.O.A.T. was a male stripper on the East Coast. Living in New York made it easy for him to pick up work at private parties and events around the tri-state area.

Alejandro Freixes ·
profile

Queenie Sateen Reflects on Rising Stardom, Making Music

When Queenie Sateen reached adulthood, she moved to New York City to attend the Parsons School of Design, while making music and stripping in her free time.

Alejandro Freixes ·
profile

Skye Blue Talks Fashion, Performing & Being an Authentic Creator

After moving to New York City to attend fashion school, Skye Blue was snatched up by a modeling agency — but when the agency discovered she was camming at night to help pay the bills, she was promptly dropped for violating her contract’s “morality clause.”

Alejandro Freixes ·
Show More