In the diamond trade, perfection is only an idea. The worth of a stone is measured by both its rarity and its inclusions. Tiny imperfections give a gem its identity and its unique shine. Likewise, an adult performer can be measured both by the rarity of her look, and by the collection of kinks that contribute to her distinct, porn star radiance. In the skin trade, Skin Diamond is as singular of a pornographic gem as they come.
The alternative model’s look is simultaneously nerdish and chic, waifish and womanly. Her silky, milk chocolate skin ornamented with tattoos and piercings, reflects her curious history. Born in Venture, California, Diamond embodies the idea of America as a melting pot; she comes from German, Danish, Czech, Yugoslavian, and Ethiopian stock. When she was four, Diamond moved with her missionary family to Scotland, where she would spend the next twenty years. As if she didn’t stand out enough as the only “black” girl in her school, Diamond was also a self described awkward goth kid. Her budding sexuality was just as much of an anomaly. After losing her virginity at seventeen, she began recruiting girlfriends to play with her and her boyfriends in bed.
As an adult, Diamond dabbled in the world of mainstream modeling before gravitating toward fetish and erotic work. In 2009, she shot her first girl/girl scene in Paris for BurningAngel.com. Off camera she fooled around with Angel and James Deen. Both recognized her talent and urged Diamond to film more. Later that week Diamond shot her first boy/girl and her first anal scene. She soon moved to LA to pursue a career in adult. When she attended her first AVN awards with Angel, she realized she wanted to be a star. I caught up with Diamond at the 2015 AVN awards, where she was easily one of the most recognizable performers.
Alfie: Is it true you can orgasm just by flexing your kegel muscles?
Skin Diamond: I can if I try hard enough or if I’m horny enough. For some reason it works better if I have to pee. Something about my bladder being full. Biology is weird.
Alfie: What does it say about your performance style that you were in two scenes nominated for “Most Outrageous Sex Scene” at the 2015 AVNs?
Skin Diamond: I am!
Alfie: Yes, for Dark Perversions 3 and Voracious: Season 2 Volume 4.
Skin Diamond: Oh fuck yeah! Well that obviously means that I am just a very outrageous person. Which is probably true because I am a little bit eccentric and weird.
Alfie: Why is a Unicorn Wall Sculpture the first thing on your amazon wish list?
Skin Diamond: Haha. I thought it would be really cool to find a unicorn head for my wall. It would obviously be a horse taxidermied to look like a unicorn, which is what I was searching for. Then I found that wall mount instead, and I thought, well, why not?
Alfie: Do you have a place picked out for it, maybe next to your porn awards?
Skin Diamond: I just moved downtown into this huge loft, so I have all this wall space and I need things to put on it.
Alfie: You recently shot a Dr. Who themed scene in Nerdgasm for Girlfriend Films. In your private life you're a Dr. Who fan. What is it about that show that appeals to you?
Skin Diamond: It’s a mixture of things. I love sci-fi. I’m a big fan of fantasy and outer space and all that. And I also like period stuff. And I like that the Doctor is English, so it’s nostalgic for me, because I grew up in Scotland. It’s just really fun and cool and quirky. Anything can happen. He can go anywhere in time and space. There could be aliens in the past, or the past could be the future. The show can go anywhere.
Alfie: You made your directorial debut in the 2014 work of horror porn, Dollhouse. What did you learn from directing Dollhouse that you hope to improve upon in future films?
Skin Diamond: It was definitely a lot more challenging than I expected. You see what a director goes through when you are a performer but you don’t really realize the extent of it until you experience it yourself. I definitely learned that I need to be super organized. I really need to up my game in that respect. But it was really fun. I Just directed another movie that will be coming out soon. A girl/girl femdom movie. It’s a new challenge that I enjoy.
Alfie: What do you think the connection is between horror and porn? Are people just addicted to the adrenaline spike they get from being scared, which increases their arousal?
Skin Diamond: I’m a huge fan of horror movies. I love being scared. Some of my favorite horror movies are Japanese. Films like Ringu and Ju on. All of those really psychological horror movies. When I had the opportunity to direct my first movie I kind of wanted it to go in that direction. But I guess people who do BDSM probably do like the adrenaline. It makes sense that you would like the adrenaline with being scared, because you are basically being scared during those scenes, but in a fun way. I am an adrenaline junky. I would jump out of a plane or swim with sharks. I would do just about anything.
Alfie: What was the last adrenaline junky thing you did?
Skin Diamond: The last big thing was I went scuba diving for the first time. That was crazy. It is so beautiful down there. I was off the cost of Ibiza so the water was really blue and warm. I am terrified of the ocean. I am so scared of the things that live down there. But, it is so awe inspiring.
Alfie: It’s like Dr. Who. It presents infinite possibilities.
Skin Diamond: Yeah, and it’s scary.
Alfie: Do you think performers who come to porn from fetish work as opposed to stripping tend to be a bit more introspective when it comes to sex?
Skin Diamond: I came to porn from stripping, but I was also going to fetish clubs. Bondage porn is all about the experience. It’s more psychological. Girls who get into the industry to be famous, they want to be pretty. They want to make good porn, but they are not always into the things that go on underneath the surface. With bondage, what is happening in your head during a session is sometimes different than what you remember. For example, when I was serving on the upper floor a lot at Kink.com and training with my then master, JP, I would watch our scenes together to kind of remember what he did. When you are in the zone, you are just trying to get through the shoot. There are so many sensations going on that maybe you don’t know what you actually looked like experiencing it because you are just in your head… I went off on a tangent. I don’t know where I am anymore.
Alfie: I think what you are saying is that while some porn performers are more interested in the visual aspect, or the physical, for fetish minded performers it is often more about the motivation, the psychology of sex.
Skin Diamond: Yeah. I think a lot of fetish people, the professionals who know what they are doing, are very smart. You have to be smart to be a dominatrix because you have to carry the scene. Being a top is a lot of responsibility.
Alfie: Do you think every dom should have to be a sub first?
Skin Diamond: I don’t think every dom has to. I definitely have worked with doms who have never subed before. And they are amazing. In saying that, some of the best doms I’ve worked with have subbed as well.
Alfie: You’ve said your sex life is weirder off camera than it is on camera, which is often the opposite for many porn stars. You also mentioned that some of the stuff you do in your private life is illegal—
Skin Diamond: Well it’s not illegal, but they can’t show like blood play, or some kinds of role play situations in porn. For instance, I like to indulge in a little bit of age play and forced fantasy.
Alfie: When you do age play, are you the younger or the older role?
Skin Diamond: I’ve been both. I’ve been the mommy and the little girl.
Alfie: You and I both had huge crushes on Jessica Rabbit growing up? Any plans for bringing that character to life in porn?
Skin Diamond: No, but I have actually been toying with the idea of doing a fetish performance where I sing like Jessica Rabbit.
Alfie: Along with everything else, you just happen to be good at singing too?
Skin Diamond: I’ve always loved to sing. It was always one of my passions growing up. Especially when I was really young. I was always making up silly little songs, usually about Jesus because I was really religious back then. But, when I started doing it last year, I decided to get out of the public eye a little bit, so I could work on my style. I’ve never tried to sing professionally before, and it’s a much bigger process than people think. You don’t just stand there and sing. You have to develop a style. I’ve been working with several producers. It’s been a long process but I am finally getting ready to release some music.
Alfie: Do you think your religious upbringing impacted your sexuality?
Skin Diamond: I don’t think it really had that much to do with it. Although, if someone tells me I can’t do something, it makes me want to do it anyway. I don’t like being told what to do, which is funny because I submit so much. Most of the time I’m actually really stubborn. I think because porn and BDSM was just such a foreign world to me growing up, it intrigued me that much more.
Alfie: In two separate interviews you described two of your favorite sex scenes, both of which ended with you crying. Why do you think that is?
Skin Diamond: Honestly I don’t know. One of those times I hadn’t done a bondage session for several months. I had been traveling so much, and I got to work with my old master. He knows me so well, so he knew how to get me to that point. It was really random. All of a sudden I just started like, hyperventilating and sobbing, but not in a sense where I needed to stop or anything. I was just so overwhelmed with the amount of sensation coming so hard that my body just needed some kind of extra release that day, which happened to be tears.
See Skin Diamond’s explicit body of work at skindiamondvip.com
Read more by Alfie or email him via shawnalff.com
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