HBO Real Sex

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Sometime in January I received a phone call from a woman who identified herself as Deb Wasser. She informed me that she was the producer of HBO s hit series "REAL SEX". She asked me if I had heard of it and I told her yea and I thought it was a really cool show. I asked her why she was calling me and she told that during her last few years of producing the show my name kept popping up from time to time and place to place. She said she had done some research and background on me and thought that I would be a great feature for a segment of REAL SEX. Below are some the emails she has sent me. I lost some of the original emails. Deb and I talk everyday now and have become good friends in spite of never having met before. She is one of the neatest, energetic, and fun people I have ever met. Below is a smattering of our correspondence followed by some pictures of the shoot.

Don, I just had to respond to this as I am, quite frankly, struck by you. You are a very impressive man. Rare.

When I first encountered you I was immediately charged by your energy, your openness, and the way you evidently relished life. Though we'd only spoken by phone, I found your spirit positively contagious. Now I see also how you use your significant stature to aid and to inspire friends. (Glad to be your new friend!) I just know we're going to have a ball working together. Warm wishes, Deb Wasser HBO

Here's what you might want to send out, or edit as you please. Hello there. I'm a producer/director for HBO's Real Sex. I go all over the world telling stories about sex -- from Tokyo to Amsterdam, Russia to the Congo -- and this time I cummin' to you.The stories are always real people, real stories. The camera's hand held; the words are unscripted. I just find the fun and follow the action -- think sexy cinema verite. Real Sex is one of HBO's most watched shows and is huge internationally, dubbed into something like 30 languages. (One of the odd joys of my job is checking out the stories after they've been dubbed -- "yah, yah, yah! das gooooot!") The stories may be truly bizarre, but are always highly erotic. Unlike anything else on tv (HBO doesn't have to worry about offending advertising sponsers) we show full nudity and often absolutely real live sex (trust me, I was there, yes it was real!)My mandate as a director is just that it's got to feel 'arty.' Therefore, it's produced terribly high-end -- all shot on 16mm film (rather than video), lavish lighting, the newest hot music. The look is essentially feature film. Okay, so that brings me to you, Texas. For Splash Day '99 (that's Labor Day) Don and Real Sex are throwing a little ole party for ourselves (and the quite impressive list of friends I've found Don has -- I guess everyone within e-mail-ear of this note).We write you now with one question: we're looking for the most erotic, raunchy, wet and wild nude water sports for us all to play on Splash Day. You've got something in bad taste (muff diving) or messy (water balloon condoms)-- no problem, send 'em on! Think about those lovely camp games of yesteryear and then add the twist you really wanted to do with little Debbie-do. Like a water wheelbarrow race but the rule is you've got to hold the girl above the knees. (For those with a lack of anatomical perspective, that means the wheelbarrow-girls' butt is just about in the driver's face).Send your ideas to me or to my co-producer, your local lusty Ellen Spiro. Because she's in Austin, Ellen just might ring you back; I'm frequently off shooting, so I ask your forgiveness in advance for any delays in response.

I understand from Ellen that it may be too hot on Labor Day to shoot. If you agree, perhaps we should reconsider Memorial Day. So here's a new copy of my e-mail draft for your friends, this time specifying Memorial Day rather than Labor. Hope all's well with you. Deb

Hello there. I'm a producer/director for HBO's Real Sex. We go all over the world telling stories about sex -- from Tokyo to Amsterdam, Russia to the Congo -- and this time I cummin' to you. The stories are always real people, real stories. The camera's hand held; the words are unscripted. I just find the fun and follow the action -- think sexy cinema verite. Real Sex is one of HBO's most watched shows and is huge internationally, dubbed into something like 30 languages. (One of the odd joys of my job is checking out the stories after they've been dubbed -- "yah, yah, yah! das gooooot!") The stories may be truly bizarre, but are always highly erotic. Unlike anything else on tv (HBO doesn't have to worry about offending advertising sponsers) we show full nudity and often absolutely real live sex (trust me, I was there, yes it was real!) My mandate as a director is just that it's got to feel 'arty.' Therefore, it's produced terribly high-end -- all shot on 16mm film (rather than video), lavish lighting, the newest hot music. The look is essentially feature film. Okay, so that brings me to you, Texas. For Splash Day '99 (that's Memorial Day) Don and Real Sex are throwing a little ole party for ourselves (and the quite impressive list of friends I've found Don has -- I guess everyone within e-mail-ear of this note). We write you now with one question: we're looking for the most erotic,raunchy, wet and wild nude water sports for us all to play on Splash Day. You've got something in bad taste (muff diving) or messy (water balloon condoms)-- no problem, send 'em on! Think about those lovely camp games of yesteryear and then add the twist you really wanted to do with little Debbie-do. Like a water wheelbarrow race but the rule is you've got to hold the girl above the knees. (For those with a lack of anatomical perspective, that means the wheelbarrow-girls' butt is just about in the driver's face). Send your ideas to me or to my co-producer, your local lusty Ellen Spiro. Because she's in Austin, Ellen just might ring you back; I'm frequently off shooting, so I ask your forgiveness in advance for any delays in response. Ellen Spiro's at <spiro.64@earthlink.net> and me, Deb Wasser, I'm at <debwasser@yahoo.com>

So put on your thinking caps, or go get a beer. I look forward to hearing your ideas.

Thanks for speaking with the girls tonight. Wish I could be there in person to introduce myself. Please be sure to impress upon them that I welcome any girls (or guys) who want to talk with me directly. Please tell them to feel free to call me collect, day or eve, a So here's what you might want to say or send out by e-mail to the ladies:

Hello there. I'm Deb Wasser, a producer/director for HBO's Real Sex. I go all over the world telling stories about sex -- from Tokyo to Amsterdam, Russia to the Congo -- and this time, Texas, I cummin' to you.The stories are always real people, real stories. The camera's hand held; the words are unscripted. I just find the fun and follow the action -- think sexy cinema verite. Real Sex is one of HBO's most watched shows and is huge internationally, dubbed into something like 30 languages. (One of the odd joys of my job is checking out the stories after they've been dubbed -- "yah, yah, yah! das gooooot!") The stories may be truly bizarre, but they're always highly erotic. Unlike anything else on tv (HBO doesn't have to worry about offending advertising sponsers) we show nudity and often absolutely real, live sex (trust me, I was there, yes it was real!) My mandate as a director is just that it's got to feel 'arty.' Therefore, it's produced terribly high-end -- all shot on 16mm film (rather than video), lavish lighting, the newest hot music, etc. The look is essentially very 'feature film.' Okay, so that brings me to you, Yellow Rose. For Splash Day '99 (that's Labor Day) Don and HBO's Real Sex are throwing a little ole party for ourselves (and the quite impressive list of friends I've found Don has -- I guess everyone within e-mail-ear of this note). So welcome all to the Yellow Rose Splash Bash! There'll be plenty of what you ladies all do best, dancing, but on yachts at Hippy Hollow. And then there'll be lots of dipping and dunking and splashing in the water. It should all end up a very sexy, silly, funny and fun day. We're coming up now with the most wet and wild nude water sports we can (your suggestions are encouraged). And for this I'm hiring an underwater cameraman so we get all from the best angle! There'll be plenty of games in suitably bad taste (muff diving) and messy (water balloon condoms) and slurpy (popsical sucking contests). And we'll make good fools of the guys (boys' buns contests and belly-flopping demos and the like). We'll be sure to have lots of humongous water guns, colorful noodles and those big, inflatable animal rafts to ride. We'll keep the party lubricated (the least I can do is buy drinks Don!). And everyone should have way, way, way too much suntan oil on all over to keep the party games GREASED! And at the end of a day of dancing and playing we'll crown a Mr and Miss Splash with a big splashy salute. Sound like fun for you and yours? So bring your boyfriends (especially if they're hams), and your spirit, and be on a pretty big-deal TV special! If you need to protect your anonymity you can still come play (I'll give you a legal contract that says I can't show your face) and on the other hand, if you'd like to play a significant role in this film, (including an on-camera interview, additional shooting before and after the party, etc) please call me to talk. My direct number is

Understand you run the cool column in town and so I thought you might be interested in the wet and witty, sexy and very cinematic party Don King and HBO are throwing -- and filming -- in town this Labor Day weekend.

Our "YELLOW ROSE TEXAS SPLASH BASH" is both a party and a movie. From HBO's H.Q. in New York, I fell 'head-over-heels' over Don King and planned this project for a year with him. Of course, Don King is a director's dream come true. They just don't make guys like that in New York! When I first pitched this to my bosses I had to try to explain that there really was a guy out there with heart and humor and guts -- and with a ubiquitous bevy of bodacious ladies hanging onto each arm. So anyway, Don and the ladies and a whole bunch of Yellow Rose friends who aren't shy (let me tell you, it wasn't hard to twist their arms!) have agreed to be filmed for a HBO Real Sex special. The filming will take place aboard great big yachts out on Devil's Canyon on Labor Day afternoon/eve. Following in that quaint Austin tradition of Splash Day (a gay gala of delightful debauchery at Hippie Hollow), we'll be going out in the yachts to dance and splash and party and be sexy and be filmed doing what comes naturally. Real Sex is never scripted. The way I like to work is to get the right people in the right place at the right time, stir or shake, and follow the fun. And that's why Real Sex is what it is -- very sexy, always real. As a Real Sex producer I really do have an interesting job. I go all over the world telling stories about sex; recently Real Sex has done stories in Japan, Holland, France, Russia, Brazil. (Of course with that line up the nation of Texas had to be next.) Real Sex is one of HBO's most watched shows and is huge internationally, dubbed into zillions of foreign languages. (One of the odd joys of my job is checking out the stories after they've been dubbed -- "yah, yah, yah! das gooooot!") The stories may be kinky, exotic, romantic, but always highly erotic. The look is essentially very 'feature film' because unlike what's on the braodcast networks it's produced particularly high-end -- all shot on 16mm film (rather than TV-standard video) with lavish lighting, the hottest new music, etc. For example, for our Splash Day film I've been lucky enough to secure the talented cinematographer Vance Holmes to film sweeping aerials of the lake scene and some spicy underwater scenes of our ladies frolicking. And director Ellen Spiro (whose delightfully quirky creativity is known to many locals at the University of Texas at Austin) has been buying the town out of tiki lights to illuminate our yachts and is now searching high and low for those inflatable animal floats (seem to be all sold out at the end of the season -- anyone out there have any leads?) Well there you have it. I'm really looking forward to the escapades. Happy Labor Day to all. And thanks for welcoming me Austin.

Our going away dinner at Mezzaluna with Deb Wasser