Cut Throat Business: I Am Having the Last Word [Paperback]

 

 

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Not only does Traci Lord write a book about the industry but it is refreshing to read something that relates this industry to present time.
This book has so much information that if I was one of the characters I would run and hide. There is enough to put some of them behind bars.
I like the author last chapter “I am having the last word” where she gives her comments about what you have read.
“It is all for one and one for none industry. In other words, the needs of the one outweigh the needs of the many; no one covers anyone’s back and there is no honor amongst thieves. This is basically a thieves paradise and nothing more.
Many times, I have wondered if well-known and famous mainstream music artists knew that older porno movies feature their work as background music. It’s quite prevalent and done without permission, licensing fees, credit, etc. So, not only do the porn industry’s players steal each other’s flicks, they also illegally use copyrighted music in their productions. A thief is a thief is a thief!
As of today, bootlegging has become such a problem that there are now rewards/bounties put up by the larger porn film companies in an effort to crack down on bootlegging. I could mention one company that has made and profited nicely from just a handful of bootlegs, but I’ll keep that information under my hat… for now.
There is much more to tell about the other “Hollywood”, but, as of now, I’ll keep it to what you’ve just read. What I’ve exposed so far should be enough to raise anyone’s eyebrows and open one or two young and naïve person’s eyes. You should all see that this is not the right path for making the American dream come true.”
…and she continues further down.
“What you have just read is not a unique story about this industry; this is how things actually are and will continue to be. Keep this in mind the next time you hear someone say how good this industry was for him or her while they were in it, then suddenly turn on the industry when they wrote their best-seller in order to cash in on the last few moments of their fading star. This industry is only good to the few privileged czars who sit at the top of the heap. Yes, this is modern-day feudalism in practice, complete with individual fiefdoms, lords, and peasants. This industry has no conscious whatsoever and I do not expect any time soon that it will grow one either, it is as I said earlier, a cutthroat business.”
I give her a lot of respect and admiration for having the courage to write about this.

I have just finished reading a book called Cut Throat Business; I am having the last word. I see that a lot of reviewers have "immature" comments about this book. My questions is have we read the same book? I have read this book and I can't see what others so to speak complain about. I have a take out of the book; this is so those who want to buy the book can judge for themselves.
Page 48, "Clinton had his fair share of "friends" and "enemies". His enemies weren't afraid of him, on the contrary, they stomped into his office and handled him hands on, literally hands on. To give you an idea; there was a competitor in the industry, a very good friend of Billy and, naturally, another hot-headed Italian, who turned up one day in Clinton's office without notice. Billy was in Clinton's office having his brotherly conversation when the little man barged into the room. The man was very loud and he made certain that no one missed a word of what he was saying. The little man was pretty pissed off, jumped up on the desk, grabbed Clinton by the neck, and pinned him to his high back executive leather chair. Billy simply stood there and watched it all happen, he didn't even attempt to offer Clinton, his so-called "mate", any help.
After a few moments that must have seemed like hours to poor, helpless Clinton, Billy finally decided to do something as he tried to calm down the little man. Still, Billy never lifted a finger to go in between them and break them up; no Clinton was on his own. So much for all that brotherly friendship and all the talk about being "mates". Orca finally stormed in, grabbed the little man off the desk, and threw him out. Billy's words were useless here.
Another situation occurred after Clinton had struck a deal with a seller to purchase some masters. The deal was that Clinton would pay half of the agreed upon price up front and the remaining half upon delivery of the masters. However, when the seller returned to deliver the masters and pick up the balance of the money, Clinton changed his mind and was no longer willing to pay the remaining amount due. The seller was furious, took his masters, and left the building with Clinton on his tail. The entire time Clinton was desperately trying to reason with the seller.
Outside the building, Clinton and the seller started to play tug-of-war with the box of masters. After a few moments of this childish display, the seller eventually won the battle and placed the box in the back of his truck."
Page 57 "People that do drugs in the pornographic film industry are either addicted before they enter it or become addicted soon after beginning their "career". It also has a lot to do with the fast cash flow and easy money that is so prevalent throughout the industry. I believe that the porn stars have been given a celebrity status and more and more young people find it hip instead of "dirty" or "filthy". The high yet outdated moral standards of the American society relating to sex are becoming less and less meaningful among younger Americans. The young people of today are rebellious and freer in spirit and mind, though not as free as the Woodstock era. Yet they are still very sexually active and much more open minded than older generations of Americans. Some would say that Americans have become stuck in their Puritanical roots and have fallen behind their European cousins when it comes to accepting and embracing the inevitable change, or evolution, in moral beliefs that have helped human kind to grow as a species from the very first day we emerged from caves. The hip layouts and glossy, high quality pictures that are produced with the videos gives the young audience a false image of glamour and fame that would all but vanish if they were to step into the shoes of the people in this industry.
L.A. Weekly, a free magazine available throughout the Los Angeles area, has many young readers. The magazine contains a good amount of adult advertisements in its pages and even allows advertisers to place employment ads for various "openings" in the adult entertainment industry. Several "freelance shooters" place ads in the paper regarding auditions for adult videos, they are looking for both males and females. The audition is simply a test of what you are capable of doing in front of the camera. Unlike a movie or TV audition where you read some lines, here you are required to have sex with an experienced actor or actress. Sometimes an audition can be set up to do a complete sex scene. Since the young girls and boys have no experience they are usually taken advantage of. They are paid $100 to $200 for an audition and the filmed scene is then sold to a big company in the industry that pays over $1,000 for the scene. Sometimes the company will pay even more for the scene because the girl is new, fresh, hot, attractive, and nobody else has her under their label. There is a constant demand of new girls in this industry and amateurs are big in the market. Can you find a better amateur than a brand new girl off the street?"
What is so misspelled, retarded, and all other comments that have been used to described the book, if someone is retarded it is "Mr. Clinton" in the book.

There is not one review that I have read that tells what this book is all about. What I find is a lot of childish complaints, it is obvious that none of the 'complainers' have tried to understand what the book is trying to reveal.
The book is about a woman that works in the industry, she does not like it, but she does what she has to do to make money to support her family. Second, she does not complain, she explains and tells what to expect about the co-workers, enviroment, what happends when you work with 'the other Hollywood' etc.. This is the reality of the industry, anyone that works in a legit workplace does not deal with drug addicted managers and company leaders that does drugs right on the desk. The author writes about the mentality of the industry how people act and handle situations, deals with others and how warped their minds are by alcohol and drugs. She writes about dirty deals, piracy, treats, about a colorful key person that ended up murdered etc. This is not complaining this is pure insight to some one that does not know anything about this sort of industry. The readers that has not caught that by reading the book has obviously not been sober at the moment. This book is not a sob story by all means, I guess the author gets her last word and closes the door to a chapter of her life by writing about it. Like many others before her in this disgusting industry she did not stay year in and year out and then write about it to make money off it, she was smart and stood up and left meanwhile she had her head on her shoulders.

Someone who thinks this is a book filled with explicit pictures with some sexy details should not buy this book. This is a book for a mature person to read that don't expect anything but ends up learning something different.

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4.0 out of 5 stars You either hate it or like it...
When I first started to read this book, I thought it was going to be yet another porn star cashing in on their last moments of fame. Read more

Published on July 9 2004 by dee4me

1.0 out of 5 stars The Game is sold not Told!
This book reminds me of a poorly written romance novel it has great intentions but the end result is ones unique experience at love gone wrong. Read more

Published on July 9 2004

5.0 out of 5 stars I don't agree
I don't agree with the latest review that it is a bad book. It is actually very informative and enlightning. Read more

Published on May 19 2004 by jamesh96

4.0 out of 5 stars Different...
This book is different from others, first it is not written by a famous person, second she tells it as she sees it. Read more

Published on May 6 2004 by hal415

1.0 out of 5 stars maybe true but very badly written
Save your money. Don't buy this book. The author was, and maybe still is, a "behind the scenes" worker who did adult film editing and compilations for small companies... Read more

Published on May 5 2004 by disappointed reader in boston

4.0 out of 5 stars Suprised!!!
When I opened the book, there was a dedication to people in the authors life, how many books do you find that and with heart and sincerity? Read more

Published on Feb 16 2004

4.0 out of 5 stars Fantastically Incriminating!
Not only does Traci Lord write a book about the industry but it is refreshing to read something that relates to present time. Read more

Published on Feb 11 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars Mildly Retarded 4 Year Old
The positive reviews on this book are clearly written by the author or her friends. The book is extremely poorly written, being full of basic grammitical errors and incorrect... Read more

Published on Jan 9 2004

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is awful awful awful
This is the absolute worst book I have ever read, bar none. The spelling is atrocious and the grammar is sub-third grade. Read more

Published on Dec 31 2003

1.0 out of 5 stars This book is absolutely terrible!
I bought this book on the recommendation of someone on this page. Assuredly, you can read the tremendous endorsement on one of the above posts. Read more

Published on Nov 26 2003 by Mark

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