Sex Advice From Nerve and Kirby Ferguson

In April 2006, Nerve – the New York-based online alt-sex magazine – finally launched the much-anticipated Nerve Video. Under its flimic wing, the site offers what you’d expect from a publication created for lascivious intellectuals with libidos as big as their IQs. There’s the Dan Meth-animated series of a cerebral socialite looking to find herself some sex in the city, a curated selection of some of the greatest sex scenes in cinema, a talk show with smart comedians that takes place in a bathtub, and a bit-too-contrived and self-conscious dramatic series revolving around the underwhelming love lives of hipsters in Chicago (Tilzy.TV page), among others.

It’s probably got a lot do with the subject matter, but generally speaking, everything’s watchable and most of it’s good. But the videos that work the best are the ones that don’t try too hard to be too stimulating, too explicit, or too sexy. Like any good amorous encounter, the ones that work the best are simply open, honest, and fun.

That’s what makes “Sex Advice From…” so easy to enjoy. Hosted by Canadian model/actor Charlene Chartrand, the show takes Nerve’s popular print column off the pages and in front of the camera through person-on-the-street interviews in and around New York City. I recently caught up with director Kirby Ferguson who filled me in on the show.

From Leno’s “Jay Walking” to HBO’s “Taxi Cab Confessions,” we’ve developed a fascination with watching average Jane and Joe answer questions and reveal a little bit about their personal lives on camera, especially when the content is taboo. 

In that vein, Chartrand and Ferguson interview individuals from a variety of professions, getting them to open up on how and why sex is different for their particular subculture or line of work.  My favorite by far is the Redheads episode. Just the fact that it exists as a classification among “surfers,” “pornographers,” “comedians,” and “hairdressers” puts a smile on my face.

Sex isn’t the only thing on Ferguson’s mind. He’s currently working on relaunching Goodie Bag TV as a daily variety show and a way to keep his creativity flowing. If his web video past is any indicator, it should be a success. Over the summer, the self-taught Toronto filmmaker who now resides in NYC took home a $25,000 development deal from the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s online video contest, Exposure.  His interpretation of an over zealous, ADD-ridden yoga enthusiast in “Yo! Gah!” won him first place. 

Oh, and he’s also planning a full-length porn flick.  “The porno is something I was writing this summer. A lot of my previous films are dirty and I even shot a pornographic short, but wasn’t happy with the results,” Ferguson told me over e-mail.  “Anyway, I haven’t completed the script yet, but I will and someday soon I hope to make a full-length porn film.” 

No word yet on what the plot is going to be (or if there is one), but something involving a director of an online sex advice show in New York City would probably be a decent start.