Porno Cultures Podcast Brandon Arroyo

A lot of time is spent on this podcast defending the multitude of roles that pornography plays in people’s lives. We say, it’s not a moral scourge, it’s not an enemy of feminism, it’s not corrupting young minds any more than any other media form. The academic study of pornography was established in a defensive mode, against second-wave anti-porn feminists, against the lies perpetuated by the church, against the forces fighting sex-worker rights. And because of this defensive posture, it’s jarring whenever we see the mainstream media portray pornography in a sensible, non-hysterical, perspective. This is what makes the Netflix documentary Circus of Books such a revelation! Circus of Books tells the story of a gay pornography video and book store in West Hollywood that endured as a staple in this gayborhood through the AIDS crisis and the mainstreaming of gay culture that has willfully abandoned its porn past in favor of getting married and joining the military. In this documentary, pornography, and the community build around this store, is presented as a positive, unifying force where the gay community can indulge their sexual desires without shame But while the store served as a beacon of hope during dark times, the owners weren’t as invested in the erotic potentiality of pornography as their customers. And that’s because the owners of this store are a heterosexual, highly religious, married couple! And while they have no problem with the gay community, their worldview is shaken when their own son struggles to come out as gay to his religious mother. This creates a unique dynamic and tension that brings this documentary to the next level. In this episode, I’m joined by one of the film’s producers, Adam Baran. Adam is an interesting character because most of his work deals with pornography and gay sexuality in a very straightforward and blunt fashion. Within an environment where being a buttoned-up sexless chairman of a Fortune 500 company is considered to be a quote-unquote “victory” for the gay rights movement, Baran insistently positions gay sexuality and pornography as an essential part of what it means to be gay in the contemporary age. Baran has produced music videos, short films, web series, and documentaries emphatically positioning pornography and sexuality at the center of the gay experience. In this episode, we talk about how pornography helped him feel comfortable in his own skin and how writing about his own sex-life online led to bigger opportunities.
Adam’s Twitter
Adam’s articles for the Guardian
Adam’s articles for BUTT Magazine
Adam’s posts with TheSword
Queer | Art | Film talks at the IFC Center
Dirty Boots music video 
Jackpot (2012)
Mattachine: Radical Roots of the Gay Movement”
a history of the zine Straight to Hell 
The Great Cock Hunt
Hunting Season (first season)
Himeros TV
The Lives of Hamilton Fish
Circus of Books
Adam’s 2015 TheSword interview with Karen Mason
“Rachel Mason On Making a Movie About Her Parents’ Porn Shop”
The Secret Museum: Pornography in Modern Culture
ONE Archives
Wrangler: Anatomy of an Icon
 
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I think it’s fair to say that most academics are guilty of using particular words on their essays and books that are generally understood by all, yet we rarely take the time to flesh out the definition of that word beyond a sentence or two because we’re too eager to make a bigger and flashier point. And when it comes to pornography studies, words and abbreviations like the “money shot,” “BDSM,” “gay-for-pay,” and “bareback” have been a part of the popular vernacular around the genre for so long, that we just utilize these terms based on their face value, and often fail to update or properly contextualize the terms. Pornographic language is so embedded in our discourse, that we don’t often do the work of defining it. Today’s guest—John Mercer—dedicates a large portion of his book doing exactly that, creating a glossary of terms utilized within popular and academic descriptions of gay pornography that give rich historical and culturally specific definitions of terms like “the boy-next-door,” “twink,” “daddy,” “the beautiful boy,” “the ‘fooled’ straight man,” “the international,” “the amateur,” and “the star.” Mercer is a professor at Birmingham City University and today we’re going to talk about his book, Gay Pornography: Representations of Sexuality and Masculinity, published by I.B. Taurus in 2017. What makes this book remarkable is how it works to establish a linguistic foundation for gay pornography studies moving forward. It’s perhaps the best introductory book for anyone looking to contribute to the porn studies cannon. In addition to defining terms, he also explores his concept of “saturated masculinity,” which for him, accounts for the multitude of ways gay pornographic aesthetics signify beyond the gay community, and in fact spread into heterosexual constructions of masculinity as well. Mercer is also one of the primary editors of the journal Porn Studies, and edited a special version of the journal titled “Gay Porn Now,” where he was kind enough to include my essay on Chris Crocker in the issue. In that issue, he wrote about a popular user created genre of poperbate videos, where the creator edits a porn video with music and prompts instructing the viewer to huff poppers at the appropriate moment. It is one of a series of user-generated porn videos that Mercer’s future research will cover extensively. In this episode we talk about how he actually had to travel to over counties to complete his dissertation because hard core gay pornography was still banned in England at the time. We talk about the hypocrisy of the Conservative Party in England when it comes to the issue to freedom, poppers, and gay sex. And he explains why the smell of old beer reminds him of gay porn to this day!
More about John Mercer
John’s website
John’s BFI Star Studies book on Rock Hudson
John’s book Melodrama: Genre, Style, Sensibility
Gay Pornography: Representations of Sexuality and Masculinity  
John’s Masculinity, Sex, and Popular Culture project mascnet.org
Porn Studies special issue, “Gay Porn Now!”
"The Inexplicably Ubiqutous Phenomenon of 'Woods Porn'" 
New York Times’ article “What Teenagers are Learning From Online Porn.”
The Advocate’s article featuring John’s research
The Advocate article referred to in the interview: “7 Thinks to Remember When You Watch Porn.”  
In the interview I mentioned the song “Spring is Busting Out All Over.” What I meant to say was, “June is Busting Out All Over.” My apologies to the ghosts of Rodgers & Hammerstein!
 
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This episode is a testament to the generosity and the collaborative nature of the pornography studies community. When I was browsing Twitter one day, I saw that a previous guest on the show, Madita Oeming, was going to be at the Berlin Porn Film Festival hosting a live interview with pornography start extraordinaire Jiz Lee! I messaged her immediately and asked if she would be kind enough to record the interview for the podcast, and she agreed to do so. I’ve personally never been to the Festival, so I was very happy to be able to hear what’s going on across the pond and I’m even happier to be able to bring this special exchange to all of you. This podcast wouldn’t exist without Madita and and Jiz’s kindness. The focus of this talk is about how Jiz straddles the divide between pornography and academia. They’re uniquely qualified to address this topic considering that they’re not only one of the biggest queer porn stars in the world, but they’ve also been published in a multitude of academic books and journals. Jiz is the editor of Coming Out Like a Porn Star (ThreeL Media, 2015), a contributor to the Feminist Porn Book (Feminist Press at CUNY, 2013), the co-editor along with Rebecca Sullivan (another former guest on the show) of Porn Studies’ special issue titled “Porn and Labour.” This is a thoughtful and funny interview where Jiz talks about the special privileges afforded to porn performers who engage with academia, the similarities between pirating both pornography and academic articles, and what it’s like to have one of your campus visits covered by Fox News!   
 JizLee.com
Jiz Lee’s Twitter
Coming Out Like a Porn Star
Feminist Porn Book
An excerpt from "Uncategorized: Genderqueer Identity and Performance in Independent and Mainstream Porn" Lee’s contribution to the Feminist Porn Book 
Other writing
“Porn and Labour” issue of the Porn Studies journal co-edited by Jiz Lee and Rebecca Sullivan
Pink Label TV
Transparent
Madita’s work about the fallacy of “porn addiction” mocked in the National Review
Girls Do Porn Case
 
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In this special addition of the Porno Cultures Podcast, we’re proud to feature an episode of the Films(trips) podcast about the porn-adjacent film Cruising. The Films(trips) podcast features extended discussions about sorely underrated or under-watched films and finally gives them their proper due by hosts Dave Babbitt and Andrew Kannegeisser. The boys were kind enough to invite me on the show to discuss William Friedkin’s highly controversial and misunderstood film Cruising. Cruising is about a gay serial killer who is hunting for victims within New York City’s gay leather clubs in a pre-AIDS Meatpacking District. The film was protested by gay groups while it was being filmed, and has continued to be a point of contention within the contemporary gay community. Some argue that the film portrays a stereotypical and damaging image of the psychologically traumatized gay man—a demeaning cinematic trope throughout history. And the other half of the community values the film for its essential ethnographic portrayal of the actual clubs, people, and cruising methods that have been systematically destroyed due to the AIDS crisis and New York’s gentrification imperative. Friedkin’s insistence on shooting inside leather sex clubs like the Mineshaft and the Ramrod qualify as important documentation of a lost sexual history that is nearly impossible to find in contemporary New York. Additionally, pornographic tropes infuse the movie throughout. You’ll have to listen to the podcast to find out where I stand on all these crucial questions surrounding the film today. I’m so honored that Andrew invited me to be a part of his very funny and in-depth show. It’s a bit of a change of pace from our usual show, but this is an excellent example of how pornography studies can be utilized in readings of non-pornographic films. And Cruising shows just how prevalent pornographic tropes find their way into “mainstream” films. Please be sure to check out Films(trips)’ extensive catalog of shows. They really do a great job of giving forgotten films the attention they deserve!

Pornography is often talked about as this abstract alien “thing” that has no connection to the real-world experience of any “decent” or “good” person. The thinking goes that since pornography is this anti-feminist and morally damaging abstraction, it must originate from a dark place consumed with hate and misogyny. But what if I told you that, in fact, there’s a whole spectrum of pornography dedicated to paying homage to the most cherished children’s stories and beloved horror classics like Alice’s Adventures in Wonderland (1965), The Strange Case of Dr. Jekyll and Mr, Hyde (1886), and Dracula (1897)? And how would your opinions of pornographers change if you knew that they loved these books as much as you do? Well, that’s part of the story being told by professor Laura Helen Marks in her book: Alice in Pornoland: Hardcore Encounters with the Victorian Gothic. Unsurprisingly, Laura’s academic background is in English, and this book is a product of her attempt to unite Victorian era gender and sexual politics with contemporary pornographic narratives. While many people don’t consider pornographic narratives too deeply, Laura argues that many pornographic tropes that we are familiar with today, including notions around a loss of innocence, the bisexual erotic undercurrents of Dracula biting both men and women, and the dual personality traits of pornography viewers themselves, originate from Victorian literature. While we often think of pornography as a medium indulging shamelessly in all types of sexual practices, pornography still needs to establish some type of taboo within their narratives for one of their characters to subversively upend sexual norms. Incorporating conventions from Victorian literature within these pornographic narratives provides both the cultural norms—and characters willing to subvert those norms—all within one book! Additionally, the obvious tension within Victorian novels where sexuality is alluded to with metaphor, is finally liberated within pornographic narratives where the underlining sexuality of these books are realized within pornography. Laura’s creative approach to pornography studies has quickly made her one of the most essential voices in contemporary pornography studies. Alice in Pornoland is one of the most unique pornography studies books you’ll ever read because of the ways it makes you rethink both classical literature and pornography itself.
This is a special episode of the Porno Cultures Podcast because it’s our first live episode recorded at Babeland (ironically, another Victorian era reference!) in Seattle Washington. Both Laura and I were in Seattle for the annual Society for Film and Media Studies conference, and I thought that this would be a great opportunity to have a live episode where a bunch of pornography scholars could come together to not only celebrate Laura’s amazing book, but also honor the history of one of the country’s most important sex shops, Babeland!
 Laura Helen Marks’ website
 Laura’s twitter
 “#Following: Laura Helen Marks”
 Laura’s Porn Studies article from Feminist Media Histories
 Laura’s Rialto Report feature on Jeff Stryker
 “Merry XXX-mas: A Brief History of Yuletide Smut”
 “The Duce: Porn, Nostalgia and Late Capitalism”
 Alice in Wonderland: An X-Rated Musical Comedy & Fantasy (1976)
 “Alice in Wonderland (1976): What Really Happened?”
 buy or rent Dracula Erotica (1980)
 Rare photos from Dracula Exotica found by the Rialto Report.
 Shaun Costello’s open letter To Lauran Helen Marks about Dracula Exotica.
 Interview with Vanessa Del Rio
 Dr. Jerkoff and Mr. Hard (1997)
 “Still Alice Director: Escaping a Religious Cult, Making Porn and Celebrating Jul(continued)

In this episode we explore the wild world of pornographic magazines. Believe it or not, before the popularization of the internet, a great many people had their first and most lasting encounters with pornography via magazines. Magazines were an essential part of pornographic creation and circulation for many decades, and now that they’ve fallen victim to the digital revolution, they’ve only recently been considered as an archival object suited for academic study. In this episode we tackle just a small sliver of pornographic magazine history by talking about a set of magazines addressing queer sexuality. This episode is divided into two sections. The first begins with my conversation with professor Elizabeth Groeneveld. Elizabeth talks to me about her work researching the lesbian pornographic and political commentary magazine On Our Backs. On Our Backs published from 1985 to 1990 and was founded and edited by Susie Bright (we previously talked about Susie in our episode with Lynn Comella). On Our Backs was a sex-positive answer to the feminist anti-pornography magazine Off Our Backs. As one of the only magazines providing lesbian-made pornographic representation for their fellow lesbian readers, the editors surprisingly received a lot of questions from readers about how they were supposed to consume such imagery. After our conversation, Elizabeth goes on to explain in her talk at the Society for Cinema and Media Studies how letters to the editor of On Our Backs reveal confused reactions to the pornographic content of the magazine—regarding both sexual discovery and confusion about whether one can be a “good feminist lesbian” if one is turned on by such imagery. Elizabeth’s research is really fascinating reveals the conflicted nature of pornographic politics.
Our second interview and talk is with Daniel Laurin. Daniel is a PhD student in Cinema Studies at the University of Toronto. His research looks into a group of gay male pornographic magazines from the 1970s and 80s to analyze the marketing of the gay-for-pay performer. The most common assumption about the gay-for-pay porn performer is that they emerged in the wake of the AIDS crisis in the mid-1980s to provide an example of a strong, healthy, and dominant male figure standing in opposition to the sick, weak, and AIDS infected gay image that was dominating media depictions at the time. However, Daniel’s research into these magazines tells a very different story. His archival research proves that in fact, the marketing of—and fascination with—the gay-for-pay performer started in the pages of these pornographic magazines long before the AIDS crisis. Here’s hoping that this is the first of many episodes exploring the dynamic history of pornographic magazines!   
More about Elizabeth Groeneveld 
Making Feminist Media: Third-Wave Magazines on the Cusp of the Digital Age
Book review for Making Feminist Media
 Historical background: On Our Backs and Bad Attitude
 “Sex Wars Revisited”
 Daniel’s Twitter
Daniel’s documentary about gay-for-pay performers
 
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