In Pornstar Playlists, we do some hard-hitting journalism and get into some long, deep conversations with pornstars about the arts of music and fuckin'. We've discussed haikus about double anal with Asa Akira, the possibility of ska porn with Joanna Angel, and music tattoos with Bonnie Rotten. Today's pornstar: James Deen.As an avid follower of celebrities on Twitter, I’m always retweeting stars I can relate to on a deeper level via 140 characters or less. Famous porn star and hilarious tweet monger James Deen (NSFW, obvi), is one of those people. His tweets speak to me. From his deeply rooted feelings about eating a family-sized bag of Doritos in one sitting to his favorite Simpsons quotes, he has truly tapped into my soul (among other things). Even the tagline of his blog, “Boobs. Butts. Burritos,” encompasses some obvious necessities in my life. More recently, he has been tweeting lyrics by Rancid, The Dead Milkmen, Propagandhi, Minor Threat, New York Dolls, Sonic Youth, and Pantera. Be still my adolescent punk heart, for I have fallen in crusty, punk love. James Dean might’ve been a rebel, but James Deen is a pretty punk.
James Deen: Yeah. Well, not always. When I was three I didn’t, but I have for quite a while.Tell me about how you got into punk rock.
When I was in 6th or 7th grade, I was really into The Doors and Led Zeppelin; classic rock bands. Then, that somehow led me to someone who said, “Oh, have you heard The Clash?” I was like, “No, please inform me of said Clash.” It was my teacher in 6th grade who [told] me about The Clash and the Ramones and Blondie, everything like that. I thought, “This is so cool!” I started to go down that rabbit hole of punk rock music. In 7th grade, I went back to public school and my buddy Matt was the only other punk rock kid in school. He was Punk Rock Matt. We immediately became friends because I only had liked punk for [around] six months. I had weird, funny hair for a long time. I did a bunch of weird hair shit. I had different colors [in my hair] and made bondage patch pants and had an Operation Ivy sweater that I put a couple of white patches on. Eventually, after six months I thought, “this is a lot of fucking work. I’m not going to do this.” I started to wear pajamas and T-shirts. Sometimes, I wore a blazer from my [old] uniform. It was pajamas, chucks, T-shirt, and a blazer over it. Punk Rock Matt had a big mohawk and all of his clothes were super patched up. When we met, we were the only two kids who looked like that in school. He got me into The Exploited and I never really liked Crass-Propagandhi because he was like, “Oh you like punk rock? I like these bands.” We started to do crazy, gutter-punk shit like drinking a lot and hanging out in the park. He maintained his punk rock aesthetic for many years and I didn’t after that six months. It was a lot of work. The pants were pretty comfortable because they were pretty much sewn onto my body.The aesthetic of it takes forever.
I think the whole nihilistic idea of not giving a fuck gets removed when you’re paying so much attention to how you look. [I understand] personal expression and the desire [to be different]. I just don’t care enough of other people’s opinion to keep doing that, so I stopped.That’s the more punk thing to do anyway. So, who’s your favorite band?
I could never have a favorite anything, let alone a band. I go through waves with music in general. I’ll do like a week where I don’t want to listen to anything but Propagandhi. Then, the next I’ll listen to all sorts of punk rock or I’ll only [listen] to Rancid or rap. I just go through different phases, I listen to all types of music. I always have. I like just about anything. I had a few other interviews about musical stuff and I [posted] lyrics from Pavement [once] and [an interviewer] said, “That’s so cool, you like Pavement! What other indie rock bands do you like?” It’s not like I exclusively listen to anything, I listen to all music. I try to look for the musical aspects of it. Depending on what mood I’m in, [that] will dictate what band or genre I want to listen to.What album or artist are you currently really into?
When you called me—because I just went to a Descendents show— [I was listening] to Cool to Be You.Nice, I got to see them not too long ago.
They were a band that I never [had the chance to see]. Recently, there was a festival called It’s Not Dead Fest and my friend Danny had this thing there called Punks Well Read. I was joking around because I saw it on the internet and he said he was actually going to be there. Since he was there I thought, oh, I’m going to go to see the Descendents and a bunch of other bands like The Adolescents and TSOL. I never got to see TSOL and all these awesome bands [when I was younger]. I got there and got to see the Descendants, which is a band I’ve had stuck in my head. I’ve been on a Descendents kick. I’m always on a TSOL kick. I perpetually listen to TSOL, I fucking love them.
Dance With Me would be the winner. People love the hits.What was your first punk show like?
My first punk show—actual punk show—was at a youth center in a suburb of Pasadena, California. If you go northwest, it’s by this super rich community up there. There was this youth center behind a sandwich shop and the idea was to keep kids safe [after school]. They had these little shows and I saw so many awesome shows there. I saw the Circle Jerks there, The Hippos, H2O, and all these other random bands behind this sandwich shop at this youth center. It was ridiculous, all these kids from Pasadena would come from there and it would be all ages. Like, “did you guys hear? The Circle Jerks are playing in this parking lot at three in the afternoon.” So, that was my first actual show. Matt would go to all these shows and I would tag along because I like doing things. I actually didn’t really care so much about going to shows because I was, at the time, more preoccupied with doing things. Whether it was going to a show, going to the park or going on a hike, I just like to do stuff. A lot of the stuff involved going to shows or going to the pre-show or the really cheap show; stuff like that. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money.I know you grew up Jewish, so did I, and punk rock was a way for me to be different. Did the rebellion of punk rock music have anything to do with you going into porn? Both are pretty unconventional things to get into.
No, it did not. Sorry for an anti-climactic answer.Who were your role models in the music scene when you were growing up?
No one. My dad and my mom and my grandfather were huge role models for me. My grandfather was awesome. Those were my role models. I never idolized any musicians or actors or people I didn’t know. I feel like people forget that entertainment is just that; it’s entertainment. You can enjoy something for it’s entertainment value without having to have any sort of relation or connection with the individual. Like Slayer is awesome and they’re a great band, but they’re also kind of Nazis. My go-to is Woody Allen. Woody Allen is basically a pedophile; not a great dude, but he still makes awesome movies. Just because someone personally is not a great person or not a good role model doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy their labor or that they’re not good at their job. I don’t like when people incorporate people’s personal lives into their professional lives. They don’t need to be on top of each other. Their personal beliefs or personal hobbies doesn’t mean they can’t make great music. I don’t even know most [band members’] names. I listen to the band, I listen to the music. It’s not about idolizing an individual, it’s about being a part of the experience whether it be auditory like going to a show or being a part of a movement like the punk rock movement.Did you ever want to be in a band?
No, not really. I’m completely tone deaf. I played saxophone for a while and piano. Then I played trumpet for a week and drums. I never really played guitar. It’s better to watch things than to do things. I’d rather go to a show than sit there and play music. I’m not creative that way, I’d rather leave it to people who are.Do you go to shows in the LA area?
Very rarely. I went to the It’s Not Dead Fest and I went because there were all these great bands I had never seen or had not seen in forever. Danny was going to be reading there and doing his book promotions and since I like to do stuff, I thought it’d be great. Before that, I saw Murder City Devils at a place down in Hollywood. It just happened where they were playing down there and I had never seen them and I love the Murder City Devils. I’m not really one to go to shows [anymore], it’s more if I’m with people and they’re like, “this show is happening, let’s go.” I have this friend named Steve who is in this band called The High On Lows and they play around town. I’m [in my] thirties. I have a job, I have to be up early. I can’t go out on a Tuesday night and go to shows anymore.What’s the next show you’re going to?
Actually, Steve’s band is doing a fun show for Halloween called the Mismiths where they’re going to be doing Morrissey and Misfits covers. They’re going to have Steve sing as Morrissey singing Misfits covers and his friend will be Danzig doing Smiths covers; just back and forth and they’ll even do duets. That will be pretty cool, it sounds hysterical. I might go check that out on the 28th, but I also have to be up early on the 29th.One of my all-time favorite songs is “Punk Rock Girl” and you’ve tweeted about the song before. Who’s your favorite punk rock girl?
Joan of Arc is my favorite punk rock girl.She’s pretty fucking punk.
Joan of Arc is punk rock as fuck.What else do you have planned for today?
I’m going to get back to some busy work after I get off the phone with you and then I have a meeting with my whole team for my website; that whole thing. Then after that, I have a meeting with a production company. Then, I have various other activities to do throughout the day. I think I’m going to end everything now with Joan of Arc is punk rock, even after this [interview]. That’s the end.I feel like she would really appreciate that if she was alive today.
Now I’m going to go listen to “Punk Rock Girl.”Bridjet Mendyuk is really sad James didn’t ask her to be his punk rock girl and is probably crying about it on Twitter - @bjmendy
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Curious to know more, I reached out to Deen to find out about his punk rock roots to see if we truly are a match made in a moshpit.Noisey: I follow you on Twitter and you tweet a lot of lyrics from some of my favorite punk bands. Have you always liked punk music?For the record I fucking love propagandhi. They also have a song about how you don't need to agree with people to respect their opinions
— James Deen (@JamesDeen) September 24, 2015
James Deen: Yeah. Well, not always. When I was three I didn’t, but I have for quite a while.Tell me about how you got into punk rock.
When I was in 6th or 7th grade, I was really into The Doors and Led Zeppelin; classic rock bands. Then, that somehow led me to someone who said, “Oh, have you heard The Clash?” I was like, “No, please inform me of said Clash.” It was my teacher in 6th grade who [told] me about The Clash and the Ramones and Blondie, everything like that. I thought, “This is so cool!” I started to go down that rabbit hole of punk rock music. In 7th grade, I went back to public school and my buddy Matt was the only other punk rock kid in school. He was Punk Rock Matt. We immediately became friends because I only had liked punk for [around] six months. I had weird, funny hair for a long time. I did a bunch of weird hair shit. I had different colors [in my hair] and made bondage patch pants and had an Operation Ivy sweater that I put a couple of white patches on. Eventually, after six months I thought, “this is a lot of fucking work. I’m not going to do this.” I started to wear pajamas and T-shirts. Sometimes, I wore a blazer from my [old] uniform. It was pajamas, chucks, T-shirt, and a blazer over it. Punk Rock Matt had a big mohawk and all of his clothes were super patched up. When we met, we were the only two kids who looked like that in school. He got me into The Exploited and I never really liked Crass-Propagandhi because he was like, “Oh you like punk rock? I like these bands.” We started to do crazy, gutter-punk shit like drinking a lot and hanging out in the park. He maintained his punk rock aesthetic for many years and I didn’t after that six months. It was a lot of work. The pants were pretty comfortable because they were pretty much sewn onto my body.
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I think the whole nihilistic idea of not giving a fuck gets removed when you’re paying so much attention to how you look. [I understand] personal expression and the desire [to be different]. I just don’t care enough of other people’s opinion to keep doing that, so I stopped.That’s the more punk thing to do anyway. So, who’s your favorite band?
I could never have a favorite anything, let alone a band. I go through waves with music in general. I’ll do like a week where I don’t want to listen to anything but Propagandhi. Then, the next I’ll listen to all sorts of punk rock or I’ll only [listen] to Rancid or rap. I just go through different phases, I listen to all types of music. I always have. I like just about anything. I had a few other interviews about musical stuff and I [posted] lyrics from Pavement [once] and [an interviewer] said, “That’s so cool, you like Pavement! What other indie rock bands do you like?” It’s not like I exclusively listen to anything, I listen to all music. I try to look for the musical aspects of it. Depending on what mood I’m in, [that] will dictate what band or genre I want to listen to.What album or artist are you currently really into?
When you called me—because I just went to a Descendents show— [I was listening] to Cool to Be You.Nice, I got to see them not too long ago.
They were a band that I never [had the chance to see]. Recently, there was a festival called It’s Not Dead Fest and my friend Danny had this thing there called Punks Well Read. I was joking around because I saw it on the internet and he said he was actually going to be there. Since he was there I thought, oh, I’m going to go to see the Descendents and a bunch of other bands like The Adolescents and TSOL. I never got to see TSOL and all these awesome bands [when I was younger]. I got there and got to see the Descendants, which is a band I’ve had stuck in my head. I’ve been on a Descendents kick. I’m always on a TSOL kick. I perpetually listen to TSOL, I fucking love them.
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What’s your favorite record?It's not dead fest!!!!!! I'm Danny Wylde's roadie
A photo posted by James Deen (@therealjamesdeen) on Oct 10, 2015 at 1:59pm PDT
Dance With Me would be the winner. People love the hits.What was your first punk show like?
My first punk show—actual punk show—was at a youth center in a suburb of Pasadena, California. If you go northwest, it’s by this super rich community up there. There was this youth center behind a sandwich shop and the idea was to keep kids safe [after school]. They had these little shows and I saw so many awesome shows there. I saw the Circle Jerks there, The Hippos, H2O, and all these other random bands behind this sandwich shop at this youth center. It was ridiculous, all these kids from Pasadena would come from there and it would be all ages. Like, “did you guys hear? The Circle Jerks are playing in this parking lot at three in the afternoon.” So, that was my first actual show. Matt would go to all these shows and I would tag along because I like doing things. I actually didn’t really care so much about going to shows because I was, at the time, more preoccupied with doing things. Whether it was going to a show, going to the park or going on a hike, I just like to do stuff. A lot of the stuff involved going to shows or going to the pre-show or the really cheap show; stuff like that. I didn’t want to spend a lot of money.I know you grew up Jewish, so did I, and punk rock was a way for me to be different. Did the rebellion of punk rock music have anything to do with you going into porn? Both are pretty unconventional things to get into.
No, it did not. Sorry for an anti-climactic answer.
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No one. My dad and my mom and my grandfather were huge role models for me. My grandfather was awesome. Those were my role models. I never idolized any musicians or actors or people I didn’t know. I feel like people forget that entertainment is just that; it’s entertainment. You can enjoy something for it’s entertainment value without having to have any sort of relation or connection with the individual. Like Slayer is awesome and they’re a great band, but they’re also kind of Nazis. My go-to is Woody Allen. Woody Allen is basically a pedophile; not a great dude, but he still makes awesome movies. Just because someone personally is not a great person or not a good role model doesn’t mean you can’t enjoy their labor or that they’re not good at their job. I don’t like when people incorporate people’s personal lives into their professional lives. They don’t need to be on top of each other. Their personal beliefs or personal hobbies doesn’t mean they can’t make great music. I don’t even know most [band members’] names. I listen to the band, I listen to the music. It’s not about idolizing an individual, it’s about being a part of the experience whether it be auditory like going to a show or being a part of a movement like the punk rock movement.Did you ever want to be in a band?
No, not really. I’m completely tone deaf. I played saxophone for a while and piano. Then I played trumpet for a week and drums. I never really played guitar. It’s better to watch things than to do things. I’d rather go to a show than sit there and play music. I’m not creative that way, I’d rather leave it to people who are.
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Very rarely. I went to the It’s Not Dead Fest and I went because there were all these great bands I had never seen or had not seen in forever. Danny was going to be reading there and doing his book promotions and since I like to do stuff, I thought it’d be great. Before that, I saw Murder City Devils at a place down in Hollywood. It just happened where they were playing down there and I had never seen them and I love the Murder City Devils. I’m not really one to go to shows [anymore], it’s more if I’m with people and they’re like, “this show is happening, let’s go.” I have this friend named Steve who is in this band called The High On Lows and they play around town. I’m [in my] thirties. I have a job, I have to be up early. I can’t go out on a Tuesday night and go to shows anymore.What’s the next show you’re going to?
Actually, Steve’s band is doing a fun show for Halloween called the Mismiths where they’re going to be doing Morrissey and Misfits covers. They’re going to have Steve sing as Morrissey singing Misfits covers and his friend will be Danzig doing Smiths covers; just back and forth and they’ll even do duets. That will be pretty cool, it sounds hysterical. I might go check that out on the 28th, but I also have to be up early on the 29th.One of my all-time favorite songs is “Punk Rock Girl” and you’ve tweeted about the song before. Who’s your favorite punk rock girl?
Joan of Arc is my favorite punk rock girl.She’s pretty fucking punk.
Joan of Arc is punk rock as fuck.What else do you have planned for today?
I’m going to get back to some busy work after I get off the phone with you and then I have a meeting with my whole team for my website; that whole thing. Then after that, I have a meeting with a production company. Then, I have various other activities to do throughout the day. I think I’m going to end everything now with Joan of Arc is punk rock, even after this [interview]. That’s the end.I feel like she would really appreciate that if she was alive today.
Now I’m going to go listen to “Punk Rock Girl.”Bridjet Mendyuk is really sad James didn’t ask her to be his punk rock girl and is probably crying about it on Twitter - @bjmendy