Belladonna will be interacting with the "they", her fans, from tomorrow until Sunday, appearing all three days of Erotica L.A. at the Evil Angel booth (clap four times) deep in the heart of the L.A. Convention Center. "If they like me in my long-haired, thicker period or today's version, I'm still flattered."
Her eagerness to please is different from that of the standard contract star. Belladonna is arguably the most popular gonzo girl in the world, known for doing just about anything (we'll get to what she won't do later) but also willing to give voice to her ambivalence about it.
She said in a recent interview with the Salt Lake Weekly that she has tried to ease herself out of performing but she always convinces herself - or gets convinced - to stay.
"In the beginning I was very open," she said. "I thought more of what the other person than what I did. That feeling is still there, but it has changed."
The once and sometime Michelle Sinclair has a long history of customer service, having worked at Sears, Victoria's Secret, Subway, and 7-11. "I love meeting fans," she said, "and I read their comments and e-mails.
One such e-mail asked if she would try "rosebudding", or a forced rectal prolapse (the involuntary version, when the rectum is pulled out upon the withdrawla of another object, like a penis, is called a "red sock". I learned this at the U.N. Council on Boning last month).
"That's not really my style," Belladonna said.
What is her style is intense contact with girls. "I like girls who can go along with me," she said. She is shooting this month with the likes of Sandra Romain and Lorelei Lee who, like the song says, "can take a lot of pain."
I asked if the fan experience ever got to her. Porn stars are likelier than their Hollywood counterparts to be seen out and about, and the availability of clinical pictures as well as often-unintentionally revealing BTS footage sometimes gives fans a proprietary feeling.
"People are surprisingly respectful," she said. "Maybe because I'm so open people don't bother me, especially when I'm out with my (two-year-old) daughter."
Instead, people will often keep their distance when Bella is not on the job.
"They'll e-mail me and say, 'I was standing in line with you at Whole Foods last night but I didn't wanmt to bother you'."
Previously: Belladonna in a haystack
See also: Belladonna, Erotica LA, Sex Machine (slweekly.com)
