I was going to write a big long ass post as some point in the next of my official Stevie Why Colloquium Series exclusive to XPT and announce that "Alt is Dead." Looks like someone beat me to the punch. (I was going to write some pretty shitty reviews of Vivid Alt's line of movies and how they disappointed on so many levels too)

"Alt porn" really had *so* much promise when it burst on the scene over two years ago. Eon McKai's Art School Sluts was *really* ahead of its time when it came to experimentation, using new actors (James Deen's first movie and look where he is now), and giving well known actors and actresses a new feel of being interesting and standing apart from the rest of the porn world's (boring IMO) releases. Art School Sluts really remains one of my favorite porn movies ever. If anything I thought it would be the "Alt" world that would combine art and porno into a new seamless breed like never before, usher in the next stage of the internet with web2.0 in utilizing social networks like Myspace and venues to promote the product, and make actresses outside of the normal "porn girls" like Dana DeArmond and Joana Angel stars (the only thing that's remained successful is DeArmond, Angel and a few other starlets remaining popular and even that's debatable to some). About the only successful "Alt" brand I can even think of anymore is Burning Angel and I haven't even bothered looking at that site in months.

The movement failed and its death knell could be traced to late 2006 when it sold out; the creature just has yet to fully fall.

Eon McKai was rather interesting when he didn't show his face, remained behind the scenes, and was creative in filming, casting, sets and scripts when he first began. I've always felt the most creative projects come with limited budgets, done on the cheap, and improvisation is the key to innovation. If "Alt" truly was an extension of "punk" with its "DIY" mentality, it suddenly lost that explosive drive when Vivid came on the scene and recruited a number of directors and stars for their incredibly terrible Vivid Alt imprint.

I noticed as Eon's budgets at VCA got bigger (culminating in the incredibly mediocre "Neu Wave Hookers") his creativity diminished; rather than treating the genre as something new it began to be treated more and more like medicore porn: Eon is NOT a good porn director. He's a really shitty porn director (and only a mildly effective normal film director); many of the sex scenes in these supposed $100K+ movies were disjointed and lacked any energy. The filler scenes and setting shots should have set the tone much better but kept failing miserably. Everyone seemed to forget that the viewer is there to jack off in the end; the other footage should further along the story but not detract.

Vivid and Steve Hirsch (the closest thing to the Anti-Christ on this planet, and I'm a fucking atheist for fuck's sake) pretty much destroyed the genre when the imprint Vivid Alt brand began.

Take this for example: My friends and I somehow managed to catch the last episode of "Debbie Does Dallas...Again" on Showtime. I had given them copies of Eon's earlier movies and had turned them into fans. The second that fat pud came on the screen it was as if the Emperor in the Wizard of Oz was revealed to be just a wanker behind a curtain...and to top if off he had no clothes on. The first response was "Wow, he's so much fatter than I thought he'd be." The second was "Wow, I didn't know Jack Osbourne directed porn." I've seen that second line repeated here so they weren't the only ones to think it.

Suddenly I was embarrassed I ever put any stock in the guy to change the porn world; did he hide showing his face in public for years and living behind an animated picture because he was just a fat goober nearing 30 the entire time? The whole point of the punk/nerd lifestyle that supposedly powered the "alt movement" is to be balls out and open in expression. Not showing your face for years and it comes out you're just some double chinned shit bird wasn't the way to impress. Eon lost a lot of stock with three fans that night; I no longer lend out my "Alt" movies to friends as it just seemed too hollow. Purposely misspelling words doesn't make you look highly cool; it only makes you look highly retarded.

Eon's movie "Girls Lie" was just all over the place. The sex sucked, there was maybe one scene that had any energy, the settings shots outside the sex did nothing to further the story or sex, the guys and girls in it mainly blew, and just failed to impress. I watched it while kicking back in Colorado while snowboarding with a bunch of friends; none of them were impressed either.

(About the only thing going in the "Alt" movement outside a few starlets is the design by graphic artist Alaska; I think he's VERY talented, especially for a young guy, and will hopefully ride out the sinking Alt ship captained by Vivid.)

Even more recently I bought another Vivid Alt title more out of curiosity sake with the hopes the genre might be saved; Vena Virago's "Eastiside Story" which was touted as "An art movie pushed beyond the accepted boundaries of Triple-x." I've always enjoyed kicking it up in Los Angeles in Echo Park and Silverlake and all over where the supposed "alt" movement was cultivated. Well, the art by Virago REALLY FUCKING SUCKED. I've seen much, much better art by college students at UCSD or other galleries and installations. Vena's art really was super, super shitty; the "series of art installations" didn't do a fucking thing to move the story along or make the sex spicier. It looked like she just dumped out a box of her shittiest art portfolios and just threw them in every scene. The lighting was mediocre and make the actresses look much shittier; Dana DeArmond's face looked like a picture of the moon from Apollo 11, full of craters and pock marks. This wasn't sexy. I expected much more out of a $30 movie and THREE FUCKING discs.

If the Alt movement is to survive, especially with a goober like Eon holding the reigns, it needs to figure out its audience, cater to them and make them feel satisfied spending $30 on a DVD. Kids my age very rarely buy porno; I'm a real exception. When they download it for free and that's your main market you need to be innovative with ways to get them to buy it. Vivid Alt hasn't figured that out.

And its just recently announced that Eon's next movie is a remake of Debbie Does Dallas filmed almost a year ago? Jeez, I'd be embarrassed I sold out to Vivid if they were releasing my movie that far after its filming.

Hopefully other companies, producers and stars will succeed where Eon's failed miserably in selling his soul to Steve Hirsch and the Vivid "Empire". Alt might still be able to be saved, but just like Punk Rock before it, might have to die an excruciating death before it can rise again.

(I will have to check out the Naughty America stuff as I heard about it a few months ago but never followed up)