Greg Caggiano

A Celebration of Women?

Late at night, usually on cable, the marimbas ring out and the overjoyed announcer makes his pitch. An inebriated blonde in a white tank top looks far off away from camera with a drunken smile, lifting the bottom of her shirt to her chin to reveal the floating bubble letters that read: ‘Girls Gone Wild’.

“The fates have decreed that I’ll always be around naked women,” Leland Zaitz tells me over the phone. A man of many talents, Zaitz is a former film student-turned-Playboy film writer, Girls Gone Wild Commercial Producer, and—most recently—Managing Editor of Girls Gone Wild magazine.

Zaitz is also the editor of meetjoefrancis.com, the website dedicated to explaining the history and rationale behind the Girls Gone Wild CEO. It was only recently that Francis was released from prison on bail, only being allowed to travel between Southern California, Reno, and San Francisco. His August trial centered around tax evasion allegations dating back to 2002 and totaling as much as $20 million in phony deductions. Ironically, Girls Gone Wild Magazine’s debut issue hits the stands on April 15: Tax Day.

“It will be fun to read, and fun to look at,” explains Zaitz in our interview. He elaborates that it is separated from magazines such as Playboy and Penthouse because the images will be non-nude and “natural,” finding girls on the beaches and in the bars instead of airbrushing, touching up, and elaborately orchestrating studio shoots.

The main distinguishable difference between the issue’s debut cover and any of their DVD covers is the fact that the cover copy alludes to articles: “The Insane Life of a Girls Gone Wild Camera Man,” “Sex Race GGW on Wheels,” and “Girls! Bikinis! Girls!” A smiling, topless blonde girl with the bulging word “Naughty!” over her chest adorns the cover, smiling. Tips for men to pick up women, a list of the wildest bars in America, and other content is slated to appear, many of it having been written by Zaitz himself, who says, “One of the most rewarding parts of my job is working with writers.” He describes the experience of building the magazine from the ground up as “exhilarating” and “nerve-wracking.”

The new magazine had an interesting prospect in the days following the Eliot Spitzer scandal. Girls Gone Wild offered call girl Ashley Alexandra Dupré one million dollars to appear in a magazine pictorial. However, after employees scoured the Girls Gone Wild archives and found something interesting, the offer was withdrawn.

In 2003, Dupré went to Miami and was thrown out of her hotel room after having an altercation with her friend. She quickly found a Girls Gone Wild bus and made enough money to take a Greyhound bus home after appearing nude and performing in “seven full length tapes that included nudity and same sex contact,” as their press release boasts. Promoting the footage, Joe Francis commented in Us magazine that the video was better since she was 18 at the time, stating, “Eliot Spitzer has put some miles on that girl!”

Dupré claimed that she was there to celebrate her 18th birthday at the time, but her lawyer has since contended that she lied on the release and that she was 17 at the time. Since this discovery, Francis has stated that in all footage of Dupré, she is naked in public places, but not performing sexual acts. Under US and Florida law it is legal to film nude consenting minors. However, Francis’ statements contradict the press releases that promise “girl-on-girl action.” Additionally, Francis recently pleaded “no contest” in a Florida legal battle concerning filming two 17 year-old girls in a shower, also in 2003. Zaitz is unaware of whether or not Dupré will appear in his magazine, but seems to err on the side of opposition, claiming that her inclusion “could steal some of the magazine’s thunder.”

To express the goal of the magazine and the future of Girls Gone Wild, Zaitz refers to promoting the culture surrounding Girls Gone Wild. “At a glance, it’s about fun, freedom, and youthful exuberance. I’d even call it a celebration of women.”

As ironic as it may seem for adult entertainment to be written, it is even more ironic to some that Girls Gone Wild released a clothing line last year, but it is all part of this cultural push. Although it is still in early development, and certainly not a promise from Girls Gone Wild, Zaitz reluctantly shares the possibility of a Girls Gone Wild restaurant and even a movie.

If the magazine seems to cater to your scene, it hits the stands on April 15. Just double-check your taxes before you head out to pick it up.