Ask any guy and they will tell you how great being a porn star would be sleeping with thousands of women, but John Holmes also did bisexual and gay porn, had a serious coke habit and ended up broke. Before Porn he was also a bisexual prostitute and during his relationship was a pimp forcing his girlfriend to sell herself.
On his death bed do you think he would of said it was worth it? lol
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It's like wondering what came first, the chicken or the egg? Something (former director) Mark Novick pointed out to us is the fact that because John was a male prostitute before he got into the adult industry, it wasn't a difficult transition for him at all to sign on as a sex performer - that's what he was. John's demons might have very well propelled him into a life of crime, or, as he once confided to Sharon, he sometimes wished that he could be "a 9-5 guy, and drive a truck." I guess that things could have gone either way. My opinion is that John enjoyed many of the benefits pertaining to his choice of work, and perhaps he would have have moved in another direction in the industry had he lived. When he was in his 40s, after having spent over 20 years in the business, it would have been tough for him to adapt to another field of work. (Although, Bob Chinn and Laurie Holmes have both been emphatic that John had often talked about making a lot of money where he could eventually disappear and live a different kind of life.) Someone I spoke with the other day told me that some people (like John) have actually worked through their demons as a result of having been employed within the adult industry, that wouldn't necessarily have happened otherwise. Interesting.
john had his vices no doubt. but today , porn is very diffrent. alot of these women make 500 films in 2 yr span. and make 100's of thousand of dollars and go to college and become lawyers/doctors/ teachers. judges. ect..
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that is kind of bs right there. the money is now like it used to before the tube sites came in. nobody pays for porn anymore.
sharethat is kind of bs right there. the money is now like it used to before the tube sites came in. nobody pays for porn anymore.
Jenna Jameson got her start in the pre-widespread-Internet early 1990's.
In many ways the Internet has sharply reduced the profitability of porn, although it will always beat waitressing tables for many ladies I am sure.
http://land-of-fruits-and-nuts.blogspot.com/2007/06/video-killed-porn-movie-star.html
But John was a 9-5 guy though when he married Sharon, but decided to measure himself in the bathroom one day and than made a decision on his future.
shareI don't know if he ever really qualified as a 9-5 guy in the traditional sense, although he did work at several conventional jobs, in conjunction with his adult work for a while. John began moonlighting in various capacities in adult entertainment shortly after his arrival in California in 1964, and appeared in his first nudist films (with his girlfriend, Sandy Dempsey) for director Kirdy Stevens and his wife Helene Terrie in 1965, the same year that he and Sharon were married. It wasn't until his life began to spin wildly out of control in and around 1980 when he expressed to Sharon that sometimes he wished he had chosen something different. Maybe in a weak moment - who knows? This is according to an interview that Sharon had given to the L.A. Times, after John fled Los Angeles with Dawn Schiller.
www.johnholmesinches.com
Wow, I didn't know Holmes was into that kinda stuff so early on, I guess that explains the path he went down.
Have you ever seen pics of Sharon Holmes, just wondering what she looked like, was she pretty?
Holmes had quite a while to accept that his life was coming to an end, so I think by the time he was confined to the hospital he had made his peace with it all. At least, that's what everything seems to indicate. In hindsight he very well should have been dead by the early 80's one way or another, but the fact that he was somebody who had a measure of fame was probably one factor which kept him alive. Though it didn't last as long as he would have liked, he was given a chance to start over to a large degree in the 80's. How many people who fall so low get that opportunity? Holmes wanted to be known for something, hopefully to be the best at something and to be famous. That's what he got. If he died with a lot of regret over his career choice, that would have been rather contradictory. Before the sex work, Holmes was an unemployed forklift operator and was looking into being a security guard. For this guy to have continued drifting in life, and not to have taken advantage of what he uniquely had and what was offered to him, THAT would have been a tragedy. The saying is "the flame that burns twice as bright burns half as long."
shareBased on what you said about taking advantage of what he uniquely had, I read that when he walked into a porn producers office as soon as he pulled down his pants the deal to do porn was made.
Holmes sounded like an inconsiderate pr!ck from what I have heard though by contracting aids and than doing porn in Europe knowing he had the virus, but not saying anything. Sure people in the porn industry don't have morals, but that's very low.
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John walked into (Johnny Wadd creator and director) Bob Chinn's office late in 1969 and dropped his pants, but that was a few years after he had already started working in the adult industry. Holmes filmed his first hard core loop (along with his girlfriend, Sandy Dempsey) for Kirdy Stevens and Helene Terry in 1967. That was for mail order. His career clearly started to blossom after that first meeting with Chinn when the director cast him in the first film of the nine-part feature series as detective Johnny Wadd.
"Holmes sounded like an inconsiderate pr!ck from what I have heard though by contracting aids and than doing porn in Europe knowing he had the virus, but not saying anything. Sure people in the porn industry don't have morals, but that's very low"
I don't believe that a person's choice to work in the adult industry makes them "immoral". It is most definitely not for everyone, but I have been very impressed by the integrity and code of ethics many of the people I have spoken with possess, who have been employed by the adult industry for several years. There is no question that Holmes' choice to work in two films after having contracted HIV was loathsome. It was a decision that was motivated by poor health and a need for funds that would eventually (hopefully) help to pay some medical costs. It is interesting to note that one of Holmes' leading ladies in the two Italian films, Amber Lynn, has forgiven John for his decision to put her at risk after 20 years. As a former addict herself, Lynn stongly believes and understands that many of John's poor decisions were precipitated by his addiction to drugs.
"Have you ever seen pics of Sharon Holmes, just wondering what she looked like, was she pretty?"
I think that Sharon was an attractive woman with a look that was typical of the women of the early-mid 1960s. Holmes had a fondness for petite brunettes and Sharon fit that bill. There are some photos of Sharon with John at our website link below:
http://www.johnholmesinches.com/photos/the-ma
Hey 1giroux123,
Do you know people in the porno industry? Imagine those girls, you couldn't marry them or even date, but dam it would be hot in the sack with them. lol
Back on the Holmes topic, when I said no morals, I meant no wonder he was inconsiderate cause how can a female porn star for example be nice and decent to others when they don't even treat themselves with respect and decency??? Let's face it, you don't marry these girls unless your in the industry yourself.
Hey 1giroux123,
Do you know people in the porno industry?
An author who interviewed the man?
I wouldn't mind reading "Four on the Floor" about the Wonderland murders. Tried book stores couldn't find it, maybe ebay.
"Back on the Holmes topic, when I said no morals, I meant no wonder he was inconsiderate cause how can a female porn star for example be nice and decent to others when they don't even treat themselves with respect and decency??? Let's face it, you don't marry these girls unless your in the industry yourself."
Whenever you are done on the morality soapbox and speaking on behalf of everybody, be sure to let me know.
Don't get me wrong BoogieKnight, I would screw these pornstars girls...I just wouldn't get serious or give any respect! haha :)
share"I would screw these pornstars girls...I just wouldn't get serious or give any respect! haha :)"
And yet it's they who have no morals? Interesting.
""I would screw these pornstars girls...I just wouldn't get serious or give any respect! haha :)"
And yet it's they who have no morals? Interesting. "
No-one has any morals, we don't even like anything that reminds us of them.
But there's whiter and darker sections on the pride grid, "adult entertainers", occupy a darker section as per their line of work. Randoms on IMDB occupy a whiter section. :P
I try very hard not to judge people based on assumptions, but he did have a point.
Anyone who has no respect for themselves makes for a very difficult person to be friends with. In theory of course, not personally knowing anyone admitting to working in the "adult industry" I can only theorise.
'shrugs' I'ma freak so any confidence shells wouldn't last all that long. :P
I wouldn't mind reading "Four on the Floor" about the Wonderland murders. Tried book stores couldn't find it, maybe ebay.
Why write a book, but never publish? lol That's weird. On the DVD special features you can see the crime scene anyway.
Anyone know about any books based on the Wonderland Gang?
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"Maybe Jennifer and Jill will be so kind (and ambitious !) as to tackle this untold story and issue a book about the Gang and its leader, Ronnie Launius."
I think we'd agree to bow out of that one, Critic. One of the most infamous bank robbers in Canadian history, Paddy Mitchell, recently succumbed to cancer in an American prison at 64 years of age. He was dubbed the leader of "The Stopwatch Gang" because he and his two co-horts, Stephen Reid and Lionel Wright, were notorious for getting in and out of a bank in 90 seconds - with the loot. They would time their jobs with a stop watch. There is an excellent book titled, "The Stopwatch Gang" that tells of their multiple conquests. They raked in more than 15 million dollars during the 1970s and '80s, and no one was physically hurt. If it hasn't been done, I've often thought of how interesting it would be to write a bio on Mitchell. Stephen Reid's story is equally as compelling.
www.johnholmesinches.com
Why write a book, but never publish?
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"he sometimes wished that he could be "a 9-5 guy, and drive a truck." "
He could have, he chose not to.
People who commit suicide choose too, people who change careers choose to, people who don't? Still a choice.
Sounds stupid, but you really can work hard enough and get out. Truck drivers license isn't hard to get. Wouldn't have paid as much (assuming a higher profile has a higher net pay), but would have paid for food and bills.
There, now I've gone and ruined your theorising. :P
John Holmes destruction was due to the cocaine use. I think "Wonderland" did a great justice to the pornography industry by showing those horrific events with the drug subculture unfolded after his heyday in the porn industry.
The gay film was a mistake and if he didn't need the money, I don't think he would have done it.
There is also the possibility that John Holmes had so many demons from the grisly murders that he knew he participated in, that he willed his own destruction by indulging in very risky behavior. Once you're part of a murder and get away with it, you're life is pretty much over. Look at Robert Blake and O.J. Simpson, their lives are destroyed!
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Most male porn stars are at least bisexual. Also, many use drugs to perform the scenes. Then on top of that, they get paid fractions of what women do. It's not a glamorous life at all. Porn is without a doubt the seediest legal profession today. So many dark sides even within soft-core. The amount of suicides and drug deaths are astronomical.
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Are there no drug testing procedures conducted in the industry? How can they be allowed to take illegal substances? And how does dependency on drugs help them to perform?
shareYou are kidding right? Sports isn't seedy at all and illegal drug use is rampant there. There are rules but they are rarely enforced. Listen to interviews of ex porn stars,,,all of them state how drug use is rampant and that both the men and women are usually on something during filming.
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My question was referring to the adult industry in particular, not sports. So you are saying that drug tests are performed, but in rare cases? I can recall seeing Jesse Jane once in 2008 and her body looked like a skeleton. The following year her body was looking normal. Do these performers know ways for their usage to not be detected?
shareNo, what I am saying is that it's not regulated or enforced, hence my comparison to sports which is a way more mainstream profession that has testing but the lack of regulation allows players to do PED's all the time. They (porn stars) know when they are going to be tested ,if they are tested at all. The industry that once was amazingly profitable is now close to losing everything. The Internet has killed it. No director is going to turn down an actor if they failed a drug test for several reasons, one they can't afford to recast movies, two they won't be punished for it anyway. The only thing that keeps STD's testing relevant are the actors themselves. Most will not perform is those test aren't always up to date. Other than that even those tests aren't enforced.
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These big studios themselves own these websites. So for them that is extra revenue. But there is no substitute for expensive porn. The price will be charged one way or the other.
So I guess directors know how to beat the system or it's either they are breaking the law.
Think about boxing. How many guys get paid to take a dive so some mobster can make money on bets.
The sun shone, having no alternative, on the nothing new. Samuel Beckett
How can they be allowed??
lol...most of the time, that's where they START turning on, lol..it's provided..traditionally, the women needed something to just tune out from the humiliating unhygienic acts they were going to be carrying out and being subjected to, and the men needed something to make them feel 10-feet tall-or 10" long, even if they usually weren't...and to spike their blood pressure..
as I understand it, Holmes in particular was always dependent on something to boost his BP just to try and get that thing even half way up..
I saw at least a dozen of his movies in 1980s..I never saw him with an honest full erection or fully performing with it, once..he relied on his rep, and the sheer impact of the size of it, whether it was up or not or 50/50..let's face it, even hanging limp getting out of a swimming pool, the thing was beyond humongous..but it was never full practical functionality that I have seen..
Would not surprise me if that ever=present on the job problem and pressure, led him to addiction..
I saw a documentary one night about porn. I was channel surfing and came across naked people, ah so I watched it and found out a few things. Most male porn stars only earn around 40-50k a year, but guys doing gay porn earn at least 3 times maybe 5 times as much. I guess that explains guys like John that eventually went the other way.
shareMy theory is that John did gay porn in the beginning because he would hustle anything for a buck. And in the middle of his career it was to get the big fees that came with his, uh, performance. But in the end, he did it simply because other work was not available.
As it is when he did "The Private Pleasures of John C. Holmes" I read that they had to bring in a female who served as a stunt double for the other dude, because otherwise John couldn't get his mojo risin'. He had a tough enough time rising to the occasion, so to speak, even with female talent at that point.
Did anybody else hear a story that, John accidentally killed some guy during a performance and a judge sentenced him to no longer do gay porn? Sounds like an urban legend to me.
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"Everything in life is an act. It's the performance that counts."
I think Holmes did it solely for the money. I heard he got either $7K or $20K, but was promised $1 million. I guess Holmes got boned on that deal...
I fail to see why bisexual and gay porn is any darker than other forms of porn.
The things you mentioned seem more to be from the dark side of John Holmes rather than the dark side of porn. Those were his choices.
Exactly! There are a lot of things to dislike about John Holmes. I don't think porn has anything to do with it one way or another. There are a lot scumbags like Holmes outside the porn world and some perfectly decent, (fairly) normal people in porn I'm sure. If he'd been a truck driver, no one would consider his misdeeds the "dark side of truck driving".
"Let be be finale of seem/ The only emperor is the Emperor of Ice Cream"
I fail to see why bisexual and gay porn is any darker than other forms of porn.
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It was what he chose to make of it.
There is an upside potentially, as you say, with his legend in particular, he would never be short of horny broads throwing themselves at him, some of them he could even charge I guess...but male pornstars don't make that much money out of the movies themselves, that the reason many who are hetero start doing gay as well..
meanwhile, Holmes made himself a hopeless stupid drug addict..not many people who do that are gonna make it out the other side on top, no matter what they do..
First of all bisexual meant he would let a guy suck his dick, so put that way he was basically straight and it led to the movies because what else you going to do when you know it and you're the only one that has anywhere close 14 inches of dick doesn't take much to figure out what you're going to get started as a career
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