Page 16 - AVN May 2015

PEOPLE IN THE NEWS | |By Peter Warren
WHO’S WHO
The Legend Continues
Ron Jeremy talks about ‘Life After the Buffet’
A new documentary about porn
way and that I had this problem—I
icon Ron Jeremy is set to debut
would have assumed my blood
on DVD and VOD May 5 from
pressure was high, but I would have
Breaking Glass Pictures. Helmed
taken the damn pills and let my
by two-time Emmy Award-winning
boner have trouble here and there.”
producer/director Hedda Muskat,
Another message Jeremy hopes
Ron Jeremy: Life After the Buffet
people will carry away from the
comes as a quasi follow-up to 2001
movie is the benefit his experience
biopic Porn Star: The Legend of Ron
illustrates to avoiding drugs and
Jeremy, the focus this time around
unnecessary surgery.
being Jeremy’s personal journey
“I came out of everything
of lifestyle alteration following the
surprisingly better than the doctors
heart surgery he underwent in 2013.
thought I would,” he said. “They
“This lady [Muskat] came along
said I have very strong kidneys,
who had really good credentials,
good liver, good lungs and a really
she worked with Judge Judy and a
good heart, and I attribute this to
lot of other really well-known TV
never touching drugs. Because when
shows,” Jeremy told AVN, “and
you take lots and lots of drugs,
she said she really wanted to do
these things are not that important.
this documentary on me after my
Like I used to know girls that took
operation ... on how I’ve handled
penicillin and tetracycline for their
life after the operation knowing I had to do certain
skin to clear up, to get rid of acne, and sure it worked,
things differently, or frankly, I’ll just die, there’s no two
but then what happens when you really need those
ways about it.”
drugs to fight something serious? And you look at
Jeremy’s surgery, which lasted 10 hours, was an
the girls today who get their boobies done, and I’m so
emergency procedure prompted by an aortic dissection,
much against that, and now they’re getting their rear
or a tearing apart of the layers of the aorta’s wall. This
ends done; you don’t ever want to get a surgery ever—
can lead to death if not immediately addressed.
now with staph infections and MRSA and other things
“Talk about luck—I was two miles from Cedars-Sinai
that are out there, you could get a great operation, your
when I discovered the symptoms,” Jeremy said. “So I
tits look great, then you die because the toxins go into
drove myself to the emergency room. What’s funny is
your body—so you don’t ever get surgery unless it’s
that CNN called me a badass for driving myself to the
absolutely necessary. The fact that people will do that,
hospital. Now the thing is, it is hereditary, however if
go for an operation for things like boobies and tushies
you get your blood pressure checked all the time, make
is so crazy.”
sure it stays down, you can probably avoid this from
Jeremy also gave credit to his wholesome upbringing
happening.
for laying the groundwork that ultimately helped him
“It was misdiagnosed years ago as a massive heart
overcome this medical crisis.
attack,” he continued. “That’s not what it is. It had
“I really do owe great parenting,” he said. “In my
nothing to do with the heart, my heart is in great
autobiography [Ron Jeremy: The Hardest (Working) Man
shape. It’s the aorta, that’s the problem. So if I had just
in Showbiz from Harper Entertainment], I say in the
monitored it more, I might not have had the problem.
very beginning of the book that I dedicate it to my role
And I’m pissed off at myself, because it’s the simplest
models, my mom and dad, who raised three kids who
thing in the world.”
never smoked a cigarette, other than smoking a little
Jeremy said his recovery from the near-death
pot in college, who never did any kind of drugs of any
experience was fairly uncommon. “George C. Scott,
sort, barely drink, and all went through four years of
Albert Einstein, Lucille Ball and John Ritter are just
college for master’s degrees—me for special ed, my
some of the names of those who did not make it. It’s 95
sister for theater and my brother went to Harvard. So
percent mortality for those people who don’t get to the
we were born and raised to not do drugs, and we never
doctor fast enough. You can literally die in minutes.”
did. I really thank them for that. If I had a cocaine
He explained that Life After the Buffet portrays how
problem like a lot of my friends had, or other drugs,
he’s had to “change some of my eating habits, some
this would have taken me off the planet easily.”
of the staying out late. I’m living my life as I always
Ron Jeremy: Life After the Buffet includes appearances
have, but there are some adjustments. I have to take
from adult star Teri Weigel, “Porn Pastor” Craig Gross,
the losing weight seriously. I never took blood pressure
Dr. Hillel Laks of UCLA Medical Center, Jeremy’s
medicine, because I was always afraid that it would
agent Mike Esterman, and more. The movie will be
affect the schmekel. So I want to be the poster child
available starting May 5 on iTunes, Amazon Instant,
of taking your goddamn, fucking blood pressure. It’s
Vudu, Google Play, Xbox and Vubiquity. (Above, Jeremy
gonna save your goddamn life. If I knew this was on its
at XRCO Awards; photo by Chris King)
16 | AVN.com | 5.15