Friday, November 11, 2005
The Other Hollywood
Remember when you were in High School and had to sit through boring history classes? It's certainly vivid in my memory. Odd then, isn't it, that today history fascinates me? I guess it was the way my worn-out teachers presented the historical material.
I thought about those classes as I finished reading The Other Hollywood; An Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry this past weekend. Written, or rather compiled, by Legs McNeil and Jennifer Osbourne, the book covers 1950 to the present. Only the straight porn industry is examined, although the authors state in the introduction that they're considering writing a sequel dealing with gay porn. The book contains no narrative, but is composed entirely of quotes by the major players of the history of porn. Don't be confused, those major players are not just sex stars, directors and producers (although you do hear a fair amount from Ron Jeremy, Sharon Mitchell, Tom Bryon, Henri Pachard and Linda Lovelace), but also includes vice cops, prosecutors, and a whole lot of newspaper articles.
Covering the birth of the stag film through the explosion of AIDS and gonzo video, the book is an examination of porn as a social phenomenon. From 8mm loops clandestinely purchased wrapped in brown paper through mail order, to Deep Throat's ground-breaking critical and financial success, to the proliferation of peep booths and adult theatres, to the emergence of video and the outbreak of HIV, the book studies how pornography affected politics, law, and even romantic love in America.
I expected the book to detail casting, production, and distribution, and was hoping for a little gossip, but it doesn't deliver much in these areas. Instead we get the same old take we've heard before, the same old re-tread material that pops up on Nightline and Newsweek every couple of years; Lovelace forced to film Deep Throat (Come on, do any of us really believe that?), John Holmes and the Wonderland Murders, the FBI's MIPORN sting and subsequent trials, Marc Wallace spreading HIV to several co-stars, not to mention a whole slew of overdoses, rapes, suicides and a lot of disgruntled and complaining co-workers. You've heard or read all this before, and at 590 pages The Other Hollywood is kind of a long slog.
This book shouldn't even be used in a High School History of Porn class. It would put students to sleep as quickly as a thick tome about the lesser aborted battles of the War of 1812. Take a pass on this one.
I thought about those classes as I finished reading The Other Hollywood; An Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry this past weekend. Written, or rather compiled, by Legs McNeil and Jennifer Osbourne, the book covers 1950 to the present. Only the straight porn industry is examined, although the authors state in the introduction that they're considering writing a sequel dealing with gay porn. The book contains no narrative, but is composed entirely of quotes by the major players of the history of porn. Don't be confused, those major players are not just sex stars, directors and producers (although you do hear a fair amount from Ron Jeremy, Sharon Mitchell, Tom Bryon, Henri Pachard and Linda Lovelace), but also includes vice cops, prosecutors, and a whole lot of newspaper articles.
Covering the birth of the stag film through the explosion of AIDS and gonzo video, the book is an examination of porn as a social phenomenon. From 8mm loops clandestinely purchased wrapped in brown paper through mail order, to Deep Throat's ground-breaking critical and financial success, to the proliferation of peep booths and adult theatres, to the emergence of video and the outbreak of HIV, the book studies how pornography affected politics, law, and even romantic love in America.
I expected the book to detail casting, production, and distribution, and was hoping for a little gossip, but it doesn't deliver much in these areas. Instead we get the same old take we've heard before, the same old re-tread material that pops up on Nightline and Newsweek every couple of years; Lovelace forced to film Deep Throat (Come on, do any of us really believe that?), John Holmes and the Wonderland Murders, the FBI's MIPORN sting and subsequent trials, Marc Wallace spreading HIV to several co-stars, not to mention a whole slew of overdoses, rapes, suicides and a lot of disgruntled and complaining co-workers. You've heard or read all this before, and at 590 pages The Other Hollywood is kind of a long slog.
This book shouldn't even be used in a High School History of Porn class. It would put students to sleep as quickly as a thick tome about the lesser aborted battles of the War of 1812. Take a pass on this one.
