Interview With  LARRY FLYNT
 
You come from humble beginnings. How did the boy (from Kentucky) become Larry Flynt the man?
I always wanted to be successful. Everything I did in life was aimed at achieving that goal. I read a lot of books by and about successful people. I wanted to know how they did it so I could do it too.

When did you first discover your entrepreneurial side?
It was just something I always had. I grew up knowing how to make money from moonshine. When I was in the service, I spent some weekends selling Bibles door to door. Then, after I left the military, I bought my first bar, and I was off and running.

When you launched Hustler, did you envision the brand to become such a worldwide success?
Yes! That was my vision. There were plenty of people around me who said I was crazy trying to put out a men’s magazine, especially because I was doing it from Columbus, Ohio, instead of New York, Chicago or Los Angeles. But I didn’t listen to them. I just focused on making sure the magazine succeeded.

How has the adult-entertainment industry changed since your first Hustler publication in 1974?
I was, of course, the first publisher to show pink. Everybody told me I couldn’t do that, that I’d get thrown in jail, but I knew I had to give the public something they weren’t getting from Penthouse and Playboy. I felt those guys, Hefner and Guccione, were really afraid of sex, afraid to really confront sex head-on. And I wasn’t. This is what a woman looks like, I said. There’s nothing wrong with that. God made her that way. Let’s enjoy His work.
Today, because of what I did back then, a lot of other barriers have also fallen—and not just in the porn industry but in mainstream culture as well. And, of course, it didn’t really begin with me. There were a lot of First Amendment battles before I came along. But I certainly am one of the people who helped push that boulder of repression up the hill and down the other side.

What is your vision for the adult industry? What’s next for Hustler?
Right now everything is in a state of flux. Everything is moving to the Web. That includes us. But it’s not just about moving to the Web. It’s also about recognizing that porn has become more and more mainstream, and it’s about being able to anticipate the next scientific breakthrough.
Right now scientists tell us that in another 20 to 40 years we’ll have lifelike sex robots. And we know that 3-D TV is just around the corner. Wait and see how that will influence the adult industry. Science is molding the future of porn even as we speak. And the more science is involved, the more mainstream porn will become. That’s where porn is going: In the future there will be no difference between mainstream entertainment and porn. It will all blend together.

What can you tell our readers about Blue Hustler?
It’s our first step in bringing Europe the very best in adult entertainment.

What is pornography?
Actually, I think porn is an arbitrary line drawn by uptight people who are so afraid of sex that they have to say look no further. It’s okay to see this, say a woman’s ankle, but not that, say a woman’s breast. It’s all very arbitrary and ridiculous. A hundred years ago a woman couldn’t show her legs at the beach. Forty years ago Tropic of Cancer was banned because the words on the printed page might inflame a person to...to do what? It was silly.
Today there are places where you can’t show sexual intercourse on film or in magazines. That too is silly, but all of that is fading. All of that is being consigned to history. In the future we will have a much healthier attitude toward sex. Once that happens, the entire concept of porn will evaporate.

What’s the difference between eroticism, taboo and pornography?
It’s all degrees, isn’t it? Eroticism is safe, at least by today’s standards, although we shouldn’t forget that it was shocking back in the Victorian era. Pornography is much more honest, much more in your face. But still, porn is just eroticism, maybe two or three extra miles down the road. Those things that are considered taboo, on the other hand—say bondage, for example—are more extreme examples of sexual expression. But again, it’s all different points on the same sexual highway. Criticizing one is as foolish as criticizing New York City when you’re living in Los Angeles. Both cities offer different pleasures. You choose the spot you want to be at.

The movie The People vs. Larry Flynt by Milos Forman tells your story. Can you share with us your experience during the making of the movie.
It was great, but it was odd also. It was great to be recognized for what I had accomplished, especially by someone like Milos Forman. And it was odd to relive my life, as it were, watching Woody Harrelson and Courtney Love act out the things I had experienced.
How did you find Woody Harrelson’s portrayal?
Awesome. He became me. Watching the movie, I could almost forget that it was Woody onscreen. It was like watching myself.

Any motion picture plans in the near future?
You never know. Maybe the porn version of my life.

You’re a highly outspoken political activist and free speech advocate. Do you enjoy politics or being political?
I was always interested in who could do what. Who could speed and not get a ticket—the cops, the mayor. Who could sell liquor and who couldn’t. Seagram’s could, but I couldn’t. Once you start thinking about things like that, you are involved in thinking about politics. Looking at it from that angle, I guess you could say my interest in politics is just another part of my ongoing war against bullshit and hypocrisy.

How intertwined is your role as publisher, political activist and social outcast? What came first? Did one necessitate the others?
I guess you become a social outcast first. You know, we were dirt poor when I was a kid. The poor get no respect. If you want to be treated with the same respect as the mayor or the banker in town, you have to figure out how the system works. That’s politics.

Do you believe in freedom of speech as an absolute?
Yes. Given what we know about free speech and what we know about censorship, we can be certain that free speech, whatever the hazards, is always going to be less harmful to the people than censorship. Of course, for those who abuse free speech—shouting “Fire” in a crowded theater, for example—there is always redress through the legal system.

Do you still believe in the American Dream? Is the sky still the limit for Americans in 2009?
According to recent studies, I believe the citizens of some European countries have a better chance of achieving the American Dream—meaning they have a better chance to transition from the lower classes to the middle or upper classes—than do most Americans. However, the American system has been threatened in the past— I’m thinking of the 1930s—and recovered. I just hope we still have the same commitment to our democracy and the same resilience as a people that we had back then.

What was the reaction of the American people to the “Porn Bailout,” which you and Joe Francis (CEO of Girls Gone Wild) jointly requested from Congress, asking for $5 billion in federal assistance for the adult entertainment industry?
People were amused, of course, but I think we made our point. The bailout, as it was handled, was just a big ripoff of the American people—a huge transference of wealth from the poor to the rich.

Where did you get the idea to produce an X-rated movie using an adult-film actress resembling Republican Vice Presidential candidate Sarah Palin and why?
It’s what we do: poke fun at politicians. Sarah Palin was a no-brainer.

What are your thoughts on Obama’s politics? Did America really elect a man of change for a change?
It’s not at all clear at this point. Obama’s problem today is that he’s still relying on the same campaign-style speeches he used when running for President. He’s too vague and too laid-back. If Obama wants to get his agenda through Congress, he must come out swinging. We need to see some well-focused anger and substance.

Was the Nobel Peace Prize well deserved in your opinion?
I don’t know. Obama has yet to prove himself. It puts another arrow in his quiver, however. I’m glad for that.

Lastly, will Larry Flynt always speak the unspeakable?
Of course. Honestly, I wouldn’t know how to do anything else.
 
 
 


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