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Gene Ross broke a story over at AdultFYI.com about industry veteran Mike Barbella being arrested on child pornography charges.  This left me completely speechless, as I considered Mike Barbella a friend of mine.

I first met Mike when he was at Jill Kelly, or maybe Metro.  From there he went to Vertigo and then VCX before heading to Elegant Angel.  I did business with Mike at every stop along the way.  He even introduced me to a few studios when I was still getting recognition as a buyer.  Mike was a loudmouthed crazy idiot, and everyone around him loved him because of it.  I knew he had battled his demons, but he always struck me as a genuinely nice guy.

About 2 years ago, I decided to go on a “Baseball Vacation” travelling to a bunch of different cities to see baseball games.  My last stop was going to be New York City to see the Yanks/Mets.  I mentioned my vacation to Barbella and he told me that instead of paying for a hotel room, I should stay at his mom’s just outside of NYC.  So I did.  I stayed at Mike’s childhood home.  Complete with pictures of Mike from teen to adult.  His mom, a HUGE Angela Lansbury fan, was so kind and welcoming to me, a complete stranger…from the porn industry no less.  In the morning, she made me a bagel, which I had no clue how to eat.  She then packed me a lunch for my drive back to Texas.

When I was hired by Hush Hush and Shane’s World, Mike was one of the first to congratulate me.  He called me and gave me some tips and pointers on being a salesman.  He even had the humility to tell me not to make the same mistakes he’s made and continues to make.  He then emailed me his sales list, because he said someone did the same for him when he was just starting out.

I heard a few months later that he had went MIA on Elegant Angel and had lost his job there.  He turned up briefly at Torrid/Mallcom but I don’t think that lasted more than a month or so.  When I talked to Steve Volponi in September at Expomark, I asked about Barbella.  Volponi is Mike’s best friend, so he’s the one I go to when I want info on how Mike was doing.  Volponi told me Mike was living with him and trying to get his life together.  Me and some buyers nearby expressed how much we loved Barbella.  I talked briefly with Mike on AIM about a month ago.  We were both busy and just shared brief greetings.  That was the last I heard from him.

Then today I see this story about Mike being arrested for child pornography of all things.  I feel betrayed by Mike, but I can’t even imagine what Steve Volponi must feel like.

Why Mike?  Damnit man. What the fuck?


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