• by June 22, 2005

Larry Flynt is head of Larry Flynt Publications, which publishes Hustler magazine and has been at the forefront of several First Amendment battles over the regulation of pornography. In 1974, Hustler displayed the first "pink-shots" of open vaginas published in a large national magazine; it featured nude photos of Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis in 1975.

Earlier in his career, Flynt operated strip clubs in Ohio. Flynt's lawsuits regarding the regulation of pornography include Miller v. California (1973), related to an obscenity exception to the First Amendment, and Larry Flynt v. Ohio (1981), a case that went to the Supreme Court. Flynt won a landmark Supreme Court decision in 1988 in Hustler v. [Jerry] Falwell, after the right-wing evangelist sued him over an ad parody featuring Falwell that appeared in the magazine. That decision stated that public figures can't recover damages for "intentional infliction of emotional distress" based on satires. In a rare interview, America's porn pioneer speaks to media contributor Cable Neuhaus about the porn business, technology, and media.

MEDIA: To what extent has pornography been responsible for the development and adaptation of new media technologies - DVDs, digital video recorders, pay-per-view, satellite-based entertainment delivery, and others?

Flynt: I'm not sure what position [these technologies] would hold in the marketplace if there weren't pornography. It's very doubtful that the Internet would have even survived, and of course the VCR - no doubt about it, it enabled pornography in the homes.

MEDIA: What evidence do you have that suggests this is true?

Flynt: First of all, when I started in 1974, [porn] was a $600 million a year business in the U.S. It's about $1.1 billion now, and I don't think anyone disputes those figures.

MEDIA: Can you make the case that these new technologies were driven by people's desire to have pornography in their homes?

Flynt: Yes, to have access. Not just to the Internet. Now you've got wireless, DVDs, and stuff. It's a huge business.

MEDIA: Is virtual-reality sex the next big thing?

Flynt: Well, we're already doing that now. But I think the future is really going to be in wireless and satellite. Although the government desperately wants to control that, I don't see how they're going to be able to police the wireless market.

MEDIA: Are you saying that wireless, which is growing so fast, is the result of people wanting to purchase more pornography?

Flynt: One thing I don't think has really dawned on many of the people who are involved in videos is [that] eventually, anyone will be able to download anything they want to on the Internet. ...If you can download adult films on the Internet, or on a pay-per-view channel, there's no need to go out to a video store and buy it, especially when you're downloading it for $3.99 and you'd have to pay $39.95 in a store.

MEDIA: But Blockbuster doesn't sell or rent hardcore porn?

Flynt: No, they don't. But they may be forced to a decision to either sell it, or to get out of the business because the major cable companies, everyone from Time Warner to Cox, Adelphia, and Comcast [is providing it]. ...What these companies need is content, and the content that sells is adult.

MEDIA: What's your take on the hypocrisy of mainstream media with respect to porn, especially Madison Avenue?

Flynt: Pornography and obscenity are not synonymous. The concept of obscenity by my definition - what might be to one, is not to another. So, you do have a lot of hypocritical people.

MEDIA: Were you pleased to see the Paris Hilton Carl's Jr. ad?

Flynt: Well, she was fully clothed. I've seen much more outrageous poses. People need to get a life, you know. Two kinds of people oppose pornography -those who don't know what they're talking about and those who don't know what they're missing.

MEDIA: Are there any mainstream products that will one day need to buy ad space on a porn site?

Flynt: Of course. It's become more and more evident, the way things are going. Look at Viagra, you know. And now they've got Trojans doing network advertising. Twenty years ago you could have never fathomed that happening.

MEDIA: Will you ever see, say, Coke or American Express advertising on one of your channels?

Flynt: You know what? They always respond to their market share. As long as Coke and American Express are out front, they'll be very conservative in the advertising arena. But if things start to change, they'll change.

MEDIA: Have you ever had a conversation [about advertising] with a marketer like that?

Flynt: No, not really. I know I'm not ready for prime time.

MEDIA: Do you have any idea as to how much time the average American spends with pornography on a weekly basis?

Flynt: Probably 3-4 hours a week.

MEDIA: Mostly males?

Flynt: No, I notice that in my retail chain of adult stores over 50 percent of my business is women.

MEDIA: Are they buying for themselves or boyfriends and husbands?

Flynt: Well, both. I think the women's movement had a by-product. This is it.

MEDIA: In your own home, do you have all of the latest high-tech entertainment gear?

Flynt: Oh, no, man. I got bored with pornography 20 years ago. I'm a news junkie now. I understand why a lot of people view [porn] - it stimulates your sex life, gives [you] a release. I watch [MSNBC']s "Hardball" and [CNN's] "Larry King Live." I watch conventional television news.