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In more ways than one, Joanna Angel isn’t your average porn star. Instead of simply aspiring to get a lot of tattoos, dye her hair pink and make money having sex on camera, Joanna decided to go into business for herself and became not just a starlet, but a director and CEO as well.

While getting her degree in Engligh Literature at Rutgers University, she decided to start her own website, BurningAngel.com, and has remained at the helm of the company for over 7 years of hot alt-porn goodness. Suicide Girls may have done it first, but Burning Angel did it better.

Alison: What do you think of the term “alt-porn”? Does it describe what you do, or do you think it’s a term reserved for that guy who makes “really awful, pretentious pornos”?

Joanna: LOL hahahaha this made me smile =)

I think the term alt-porn was a very positive term- then that guy turned it into something very ugly- but now I think it is become a good term again. I think what alt porn really means- is porn that reflects the alternative culture- with a community. A lot of people join BurningAngel and become friends with one another- and the girls, become friends with each other- its more than just a quick way to make money for the girls and it’s more than just something to jerk off to and then hide for the members. Does that make sense?


A: For sure. Do you think that your audience specifically likes your and the other Burning Angel girls’ look because they themselves are tatted/pierced or are you and your ilk exotic to them?

J: I think it is a mixture of both. I think there are a lot of members who are just like me- and there are a lot of members who always dreamed of seeing a girl with tattoos naked and just weren’t sure where to go. We welcome all of them!

A: When you’ve met your fans at shows, do they tend to be in your age group?

J: Yeah! My fans usually tend to be in my age group- and they also tend to be really nice. Most of them seem like people I would hang out with. It’s really refreshing. I may not have the most amount of fans at every convention- but I definitely have the coolest fans. I think they are awesome.

A: On a different note, do you think that the problems with piracy and the proliferation of free porn affect you and your niche as much as the more mainstream studios? are your fans more or less likely to go out of their way to support you/your work?

J: I think the bad economy affects my company negatively more so than the tube sites. I don’t think the majority of the BA members are looking for a quick fix- and they really do enjoy supporting us. If they have the money- they will gladly pay for a membership- even though they could probably find some of their favorite videos on the website on those tube sites.  As I said before- there is more to a BA membership than just being able to watch a few videos. We have always appealed to a younger, and less affluent demographic of people than most other porn companies – so the downfall of the economy has hurt us more than anything else. It’s not that our members are leaving the site to look at free porn- they are leaving the site because they don’t have jobs. It doesn’t worry me that much because the economy will bounce back at a certain point- but the tube sites will be there forever.

A: Okay, what was your first tattoo of? When/why did you get it?

J: My first tattoo is on my left shoulder it is a mask- it says “so it goes” underneath it. I got it because my favorite book at the time was Slaughterhouse 5 by Kurt Vonnegut – and it says “so it goes” over and over again in that book.

A: The stereotype about mainstream porn stars is that they’re blonde bimbos with fake tits. Do you think you’re also stereotyped as a girl with lots of tattoos?

J: I mean- I am a girl with a lot of tattoos so I don’t mind being stereotyped like that! But yeah- I am that stereotype. People also always assume that because I have tattoos that I am really though, and I am like, a Dom- and I take pleasure out of talking shit and hurting people. That is not the case!

A: You just started a new publication called Burning Angel Magazine. What inspired you to get into print?

J: It’s something I wanted to do for a long time…. I just wasn’t sure how to go about doing it. A friend of mine named Dan at Magma Publishing approached me with the idea and had the means to make it happen so- we made it happen! I think that these days you really have to do everything if you want to stay afloat. You just have to take advantage of any means possible to get your name out there.

A: Do you know where fans can find the magazine on sale?

J: It is in the store on BurningAngel.com and it is also on magazine stands everywhere.

A: So, I read in your blog that you and James Deen had a hot threesome (and then foursome) with an unnamed girl and Steve Holmes in Vegas this year. Is that a common occurrence for you guys?

J: Alright- I will admit- the unnamed girl was Stoya…. who I can name now. I had her permission! So go tell all your friends. I wouldn’t say that happens every day in the James Deen and Joanna Angel household but it happens every once in a while. It’s nice.

A: Sweet. It seems like you mainly hang out with other “alt” porn girls (for lack of a better term), but you are friends with Jenna Haze and Jesse Jane. Are they the exception to the rule or have you made many friends in the mainstream porn ranks?

J: I really have no problems with girls in mainstream porn- I have made a lot of good friends in the industry and really we are essentially all on the same page. We all fuck on camera- whether we fuck on camera and have blond hair and fake boobs or we fuck on camera and are covered in tattoos- we are all out there in a certain way that other people aren’t so we all kinda have a bond. I always seem to get along with people who are passionate about what they do. I never seem to enjoy to company of girls who are just all about the quick money – regardless if they are in alt porn or not. Jenna Haze is a filthy whore on and off camera and I totally love her for it- she is just a fun genuine person and I like that quality in everyone. And like- how could you not love Jessie Jane? I mean, no- she’s not a BurningAngel girl- but she is just like, one big crazy sex cheerleader and it’s totally adorable. Besides- its really nice to have friends that are different than you.

A: You seem to like what you like and not worry *too* much about how punk it is (for example, your Escalade). Do your fans ever criticize the way you dress or the things you buy?

J: Some people have given me shit for buying an Escalade but I don’t really care. I love that car- and I really did need a big car to cart around equipment for shoots and stuff- and like- what was I supposed to get? A mini- van? Besides- you look at any “hipsters” profile on myspace and it says that they listen to like the Wu-Tang and Lil’ Wayne- I guess I just took the irony to the next level hahahaha.  I have been going to punk shows since I was like 14 years old- I’m 28, I have pink hair, and a bunch of tattoos… I’m my own boss- I mean, if someone wants to question my punkness then I just don’t care. I am way past the point of needing to prove myself in that department.

A: Unlike most porn stars (and porn CEOs) , you talk about your real life and the people you fuck in your blog. Has that been a largely positive experience for you?

J: Yes definitely- I think it’s part of the reason why I have such awesome fans who are kinda like my friends- it’s because they really are living my life with me!

A: Thanks so much for taking the time to answer my questions. I’ll  definitely be looking forward to LA Pink in September.

J: Thank you =) So will I!

You can get more Joanna Angel at JoannaAngel.com and BurningAngel.com.

Related posts:

1. Belladonna Interview
2. Interview with Jenna Haze

Tags: alt porn, burning angel, james deen, joanna angel, stoya, tattoos

This entry was posted on Tuesday, July 14th, 2009 at 11:45 am and is filed under interviews, porn stars. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.