Sasha Grey
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Sasha Grey

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It’s a sad reality – and a comment on contemporary society – that once one enters any form of the sex industry that they will continually be dehumanised and looked down upon by those who still subscribe to outdated conservative ideologies. Grey entered the pornographic world (where she excelled) at the age of 18 in 2006. She then decided to move on to pursue different endeavours in April 2011.

In 2014, however, it seems that many are still willing to jerk off with their right hand while pointing fingers with their left. A quick scan of the media coverage of any of Grey’s recent projects – be it music, film, art or literature – predominately focuses heavily on her past within the adult industry in a derogatory fashion.

“With my background and my past I find that I encounter people that make situations much more difficult than they need to be,” notes Grey. “When you compare my pursuits in music and literature I find them quite different,” she details of the challenges in gaining respect for her work in her respective fields. “I find audiences, the people, the bureaucracies and the hurdles very different.”

Make no mistake, though – Grey is still an advocate for the industry and reflects fondly on her time spent in the adult world – most recently demonstrated when she jumped to the defence of the outed Duke University pupil turned porn star Belle Knox. And why should she not? If these acts are committed between consenting adults and if other individuals view sexual gratification, exploration and showcase it in different ways to what you’re accustomed to – that’s not for anyone else to judge.

“I learned a long time ago to only be concerned about myself and not anyone else,” she notes carefully.

“To be honest, I think a lot of challenges that I have to overcome in my work are simply because I’m a female – not because of anything else.”

It’s this insight that Grey shares that is arguably the most worrying – a commentary on the still-rampant sexism and misogyny that females face within creative industries in 2014.

“I have a lot of other female friends who are musicians, DJs, artists and actors,” she details. “We all share the stories of our work and the people that we encounter, people behind the scenes, in production, etc. The type of complaints that they have are all very similar to mine. The issues I face aren’t exclusive to me – they’re common to all of my female friends.”

As we move conversation towards Grey’s current creative pursuits, we begin speaking of her upcoming DJ tour of Australia. Arguably, there’s no greater musical stigma than someone of any background bar DJing moving into the purist-rampant zone (looking at you, Paris Hilton) – however as many may not realise, Grey’s musical background is highly impressive and extremely diverse. In recent times she’s collaborated with the likes of Current 93, X-TG (Throbbing Gristle) and Lee “Scratch” Perry, her former band aTelecine performed at Poland’s revered Unsound festival in 2012, and her nom de plume (as her birth name was Marina Ann Hantzis) was inspired by Sascha Konietzko – founder of industrial perennials KMFDM.

“Recently I’ve moved toward playing a lot more progressive house when I DJ,” she details.

It’s at this point Grey and I spend a few minutes reeling off artists we’re currently both enamoured with. Even though her tastes rarely align with my own – it’s undeniable that she has an extensive musical taste which explores deeply into multiple of the realms of electronic music.

“Years ago in the early stages of my DJ career I was playing a lot of stuff that I really liked, stuff like my old band aTelecine, but then I realised that the audience that was interested in seeing me DJ was a lot broader.”

Only days before her sojourn to Australia, a single question begs to be asked. Grey is an accomplished artist who harnesses a vast amount of creative integrity – which is the sole reason that punters should see her perform. If you’re spending hard-earned cash to see her for the novelty that you used to jack off to videos from her past – all while she walks away with a tidy pay cheque and continues to travel around the globe furthering her craft – I mean, well, who’s really the one getting fucked now?

BY TYSON WRAY