What We Are Reading: The Other Hollywood

What We Are Reading - Bobby Nashville
The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry
By Legs McNeil and Jennifer Osborne

The world of adult film is a strange one indeed, and to understand what the heck is really going on, you have to understand it's history. From nudist camp films to Russ Meyer teasers, adult film has its roots in American popular entertainment. As the demand for this type of film grew over time, so did the industry.

The Other Side of Hollywood tracks the porn biz from it's early days up to now. The common thread - filmmakers that just want to make money (and meet girls), actors that just want to make money (and party like rock stars) and organized crime that just wants to make money (and steer clear of the feds). It's one of the biggest industries in the world and every body in the biz wants to get their cut. This book does a fantastic job of documenting the stars (from Betty Page to Linda Lovelace, from Seka to Traci Lords and from Ginger Lynn to Jenna Jameson) and their motivations.

It's easy for folks to criticize and dismiss the adult film business as immoral and vacant. But obviously, adult films are here to stay. The public always gets what it wants and there will always be someone there to sell them that product. The history of how the industry got to where it is today is fascinating and well worth reading. All of the elements for a great read are here: lust, money, drugs and crime. The Other Hollywood: The Uncensored Oral History of the Porn Film Industry is told through the actual transcripts from interviews of the players (actors, fed investigators, producers, etc). They are deftly edited in sequence, and the result is very effective. Highly recommended.