CarnalNation

Porn has a not-entirely-undeserved reputation as being a disposable genre. Most people, from media critics to fans of the stuff, would rank the cultural value of porn as being slightly above that of the styrofoam peanuts that fill the boxes the DVDs are shipped in. And you can scarcely blame them; the production and marketing for porn has traditionally been so generic and visionless that it seems like those in the industry could easily go over to manufacturing the styrofoam peanuts without breaking their stride. You will rarely hear the claim that Lesbian Spank Inferno #27 just lacked the panache and spirit of #'s 1-26, or that the entire series kind of jumped the shark someplace around #18; more likely, in the minds of the viewers, the entire Lesbian Spank Inferno epic will congeal into one great undifferentiated mass of hot girl-on-girl spanking.

Good Releasing, the video production and distribution wing of Good Vibrations, is an attempt to challenge the generic reputation of porn by bringing the visions of independent artists to the public in adult entertainment and education videos. So far, it looks like their efforts have been a success, even among the porn establishment: this year, not only was Good Releasing itself nominated as "Best Video Production Company" in the 2010 AVN Awards, but two titles by director Courtney Trouble—Roulette and Speakeasy—have been nominated for "Best Music Soundtrack." The fact that two of Good Releasing's movies even have music worth noting says something about the philosophy driving their directors and producers.

Some of the smartest, hottest porn in Good Releasing's catalog—or anywhere else—is directed by Madison Young. In the past ten years, Young has become such a linchpin of San Francisco's sexual culture that either with or without her clothes, she's someone you can't take your eye off of even for a minute, because if you do you're certain to miss something enticing and amazing. Since 2001, Young has run Femina Potens, a non-profit art gallery that specializes in works by female and queer artists. Femina Potens's importance in the community today goes beyond the art displayed on its walls; it's also a center for activism, education, and cultural events. The philosophy behind both Femina Potens and Madison's porn work is probably best summed up by the title of one of her films: The Thin Line Between Art and Sex.

Like several of her other pieces, The Thin Line Between Art and Sex is "docu/porn," which includes interviews with the actors about their thoughts regarding their sexualities and genders. Young says that her work in the docu/porn genre has been "incredibly rewarding. Docu/porn, she says, is "giving a voice to men and women around their identity as queer, bisexual, and pansexual. It's incredibly validating to the performers and is incredibly powerful to the viewer to hear their stories."

Tina Horn, who first appeared onscreen in Young's Layover, and more recently appeared in her docu/porn Fluid: Women Redefining Sexuality, says that the first thing that impressed her when meeting with Young was her straightforward, businesslike approach to sex: "She asked me something I was not expecting: 'What is your biggest unfulfilled sexual fantasy?' I'm thinking 'Holy shit, usually I'm the one making that come true for other people!' After a pause, I told her I'd always wanted to get DP'd (double penetrated). Without blinking, she cheerily replied, 'OK! I'll have to make some phone calls, but we'll do that then!'"