The Sin Syndicate

The Sin Syndicate is taking a stroll down to the San Francisco massage parlor to visit future adult film superstar Serena during her brief softcore period. At the time, the striking blonde was still using her "Jen Gillian" pseudonym and just getting her foot in the door the film industry. Released in 1975 through Harry Novak (yes, again) and his Box Office International production company, Massage Parlor Wife is unique in that its director really had no business making sex movies, his background was in documentaries and experimental films. Nevertheless, the resulting work is a fiery, funny, and above all, still unquestionably erotic work that not only shows competence behind the camera (and in the editing room), but shows the immediate and umistakable charisma of the new starlet soon to become Serena. 

Joining us in Episode 43, "Rubbing the Right Way," to discuss all things Massage Parlor Wife, both direct and indirect, is Mark Murray: author, archivist, restoration artist, bobble head creator, friend of Serena, and propieter of Ultra Flesh Archives. There's no better person to join us for this episode than Mark, who just recently released Vol. 1 in a collection of Serena's hardcore loops through his home video imprint, UFA, where the official motto is "Take pride in your porn," and the unofficial, "Long live loops!" We full-heartedly endorse both, just as much as we full-heartedly love and celebrate Serena, one of the most magnetic personalities to ever grace the silver sex film screen, soft or hard.

Episode Specific:
Search "Ultra Flesh Archive"
Subscribe to Barry Spinello's Youtube
Order Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes
Pre-Order The Ultimate Degenerate + A Thousand Pleasures

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: thesinsyndicatepodcast@gmail.com

The credo of Ryan Verrill and Will Dodson's podcast network is "every movie is someone's favorite." To celebrate one-year of being a part of the Someone's Favorite Productions network, The Sin Syndicate are joined by 1/2 of SFP and the larger Antenna Releasing company, the Disc-Connected man himself, bossman Ryan Verrill, to recap the past year and play a game of pick five. What five are we picking? Five films we want to see get a high-definition, English-friendly home video release in the not-so-distant future. 

The rules were to keep it somewhat (s)exploitation adjacent, but we weren't going to hold Ryan's feet to the fire for picking a John Waters film. Elsewhere, in the world famous sexploitation news hour, we discuss our recent guest appearance on a sister pod, tackle a commentary listener's email, and chat 75% off Summer Sales. Join us and learn about proper disc placement, boutique label spreadsheets, and the importance of taking a moral stance when it comes to film distribution. Stay 'til the very end for a special song, so long as it doesn't get struck down by the Missing Persons estate.

Episode Specific:
View the Top 5 Letterboxd List
Check out Someone's Favorite Productions
Watch Gentry's Absurd video essay
Purchase The Lustful Turk/The Joys of Jezebel
Special thanks: Ryan Verrill

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: thesinsyndicatepodcast@gmail.com

It seemed like a good idea at the time. It all started with our discussion with fetish historian and author Jane Garrett about 1967's Venus in Furs (Trodden Underfoot). As a follow-up, we chatted with Nathan Schiff, Long Island filmmaker and longtime friend of Furs director, Joseph Marzano (Back to Marzanoland). I guess we're masochists, we didn't get enough Lou Campa, or I just wanted to close the loop, but here we are, definitely slamming the book shut for good on this mini-saga.

For those who have not been following along, Campa was the shady producer behind Furs, along with several other sickie films orbiting around this scene. We've touched on several of them before: Venus in Furs, of course, but also, Cool It, Baby and Mini-Skirt Love. But we never really discussed two of Campa's most outrageous offerings distributed through Cinex Industries: Sock it to Me, Baby and Come on Baby, Light My Fire. An additional impetus to continue pulling this thread? The passion of Toronto's very own smutmeister, Alex DiSanto, who joins us for a volatile, heated discussion about the thespian talents of Larry Hunter (would you die on that hill?), watersports in sexploitation, and the musical talents of Darlene Cotton.

But before all that, in the news and updates we cover AGFA's latest horrotic release, Pink crossovers, Pride Month failures, and the disgusting trend of using AI to make dead people fuck. In other words: another day, another man, another episode to keep out of the hands of your neighbor, Tina.

Episode Specific:
Purchase Voices of Desire + Fly Now, Pay Later
Purchase Wadd: The Life & Times of John C. Holmes
Watch Sock it to Me & Light My Fire on Cultpix
Follow the paperbackgrindhouse
Special thanks: Alex DiSanto

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: thesinsyndicatepodcast@gmail.com

It's a Love Explosion! In an attempt to maintain our sanity amidst deadlines and life generally, we bring you another episode of our Short Ends series, which we've used in the past to feature additional discussions that have either gone long, didn't fit, or generally felt like they were worthy of standing on their own. We've slightly expanded this design to hopefully include more low-key and informal chats with friends, fans and listeners, without the pressure of one of our regular, deeply researched Sin Syndicate episodes (that you've come to know and love).

All that build up to say, we've got unofficial Gap Theatre correspondent and New Jersey native Jeffery Petrone on the show to talk about a secret screening of "Wilbur and the Baby Factory" that he recently attended. Jeffery is a passionate fan of all genres of film and has recently caught the sexploitation bug. We were excited to talk with him about his impressions of this Harry Novak distributed sort of sex film, sort of Master Race satire. Of course, we've also got plenty of news, updates and chatter from the World of Sexploitation, literally, from America to Argentina to England to Japan. Will I ever be able to rescue Casey from Roman Porno land? 

Episode Specific:
Listen to "Baby Factory"
Visit The Gap Theatre
View Jeffery's Top 10 of 1960s Sexploitation

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: thesinsyndicatepodcast@gmail.com

That’s right, we’re going Back to Marzanoland. If you’ve been a consistent listener, you’ll know that in Episode 38, “Trodden Underfoot,” we discussed the Joseph Marzano film Venus in Furs (1967) with author and fetish historian Jane Garrett. After the release of that episode, low-budget Long Island filmmaker and sexploitation super-fan Nathan Schiff reached out to us to share some stories about his own personal relationship with Marzano before his death. It’s fair to say, Nathan had stories. In fact, so many that this three hour podcast can barely contain them all.

A few selections include: film distributor Harry Novak and his notorious “archive,” producer George Weiss writing Olga copy (and teaching proper whipping and tying technique), and an auspicious final encounter with a despondent Janet Banzet. Of course, we also discuss Marzano’s sexploitation career, and hear more stories about the productions of Cool It, Baby and Venus in Furs. Plus, more about muscle-bound masseur Shep Wild and mob wife Barbara Ellen. But that’s just scratching the surface. Researchers, friends, fans, Milligan-heads, pull out your notebooks, grab a bottle of Fanta, we’re talking Marzano and Co. with Nathan Schiff, and rewatching The Degenerates for the 16th time.

Episode Specific:
Listen to our episode on Venus in Furs, "Trodden Underfoot"
Read "Sexploitation!" at the Magick Theatre
Learn more about Nathan Schiff from Bleeding Skull
Read "An Enraged Eye: Nathan Schiff’s Vermilion Eyes as Anti-Film" at Bright Lights Film Journal
View Marzano's early films at The Film-Makers' Coop
Special thanks: Nathan Schiff, Jane Garrett

Links:
Join the community on Patreon
Instagram with us at The Sin Syndicate
Follow us on Letterboxd: Gentry & Casey
Check out the Something Weird Channel
Listen to other podcasts on Someone's Favorite Productions
Contact: thesinsyndicatepodcast@gmail.com