An Insider’s View of Porn During the Last Golden Age

Is gay adult entertainment a viable part of gay culture? It has been a part of The Advocate's history since it's founding in 1967. So simply enough, yes.

Phil St. John acted in gay adult movies while attending film school in San Francisco. Later, in Manhattan's East Village, he read scripts for United Artists by day while making porn loops for the Mob's Times Square peep shows at night. A fellow of The American Film Institute, St. John's first blockbuster Getting It, was distributed by Falcon Films in 1985.

Phil St. John is the nom de porn for Phil Tarley, currently curating exhibitions in Los Angeles and writing about contemporary art. In 2009, he was inducted into the Gay Porn Hall of Fame for 25 years of making porn all over the world. Besides all the usual elements expected in gay adult entertainment (beauty, size, amazing performances), Phil brought exotic locations, contemporary and innovative themes, and most of all drama.

Tarley, working as St. John, was legendary. Outrageously stylish, forceful, and completely unafraid, he plunged into directing, producing, cinematography, writing, and art direction in his own take-no-prisoners style.

So it is no small wonder that his book, Diary of a Puerto Rican Porno, is very much a Phil St. John production. Breathlessly paced, colorful, and just a little scary, the book tells us the almost hallucinatory insanity of making porn. And it's real. We were there.

Tom of Finland Foundation's TOM House at 1421 Laveta Terrace, Los Angeles, will host a book signing and film screening event, September 23, 5 p.m., where Phil St. John will autograph copies of Diary of a Puerto Rican Porno (Amazon link) and screen a 70 minute feature edit of the best of his films. Also on display will be framed photographic prints from some of St. John's movies. A donation of $5 is suggested.