Los Angeles

Porn is all about ersatz. If you're on an open-minded date, Hustler Hollywood is prime for a naughty little frolic. You and your buddy can buy some dirty candy hearts, snap a discreet cellphone pic of the lady in a glittery nightie, snicker at the ingredients for the coffee drinks, and brag about it later. But for the long-haulers, it's got hours and days and years of no-bullshit jerkoff fodder. Drop a thousand bucks here, gentlemen, and you'll never approach a woman again. That gets you hi-def porn, a decade's supply of pocket pussies, and any porn mags your scote desires. Take yourself off the market--it's about time, and there's no better place than this Borders of sex. But, let's be fair. Hustler, as a brand, is unique in the porn world. While it offers self-conscious pervs an easy social retreat, it also confronts the powers in power. Hustler's politics skew left of Noam Chomsky's, and without its incendiary social commentary, ANSWER Me! might have be an unasked question. Dig through the paperbacks, and you'll find some gold.

Photo:  Emerson Dameron