Adult Industry Remembers Larry Flynt

CHATSWORTH, Calif.—A wide array of producers, directors, attorneys and other influential figures are remembering the indelible impact that Hustler founder Larry Flynt made on the adult industry before he died Wednesday morning at Cedars-Sinai Medical Center in Los Angeles at 78. Below are some of their remarks: Paul Fishbein - founder, AVN "AVN owes a debt of gratitude to Larry as does everybody in the industry, but particularly AVN because if he hadn't fought the fights he did and taken a bullet for what he believed in, I wonder how far we would have gotten in the adult media. Now that adult media is free and open, Larry and Al Goldstein deserve credit for paving the way for all of us." Paul Cambria - attorney "Larry was a real titan of the First Amendment; he was one of the real true believers. I mean, he did it because he thought it was right, as opposed to some people who use the First Amendment just as an excuse to make money. He wasn't one of those guys. As you know, his landmark Supreme Court case basically said you can't sue people if they say something that hurts your feelings. "In addition, one of the things that stands out for me always is he called me one day to say, 'You know, the Bush administration is not letting the press on the battlefield. We've had press on the battlefield ever since the Revolutionary War. All we're doing is being spoonfed what they want us to hear. I want you to sue Rumsfeld, the Defense secretary.' So I did. In fact, as a result of that, they let the legitimate press be on the battlefield, including one of the reporters that Larry hired, and the American public got the truth about the war, and it wasn't too long thereafter that the troops pulled out of there. So it's things like that that Larry did, that people don't know about. "He really was a true believer, and his success story is amazing. He grew up in poverty, he went to ninth grade and died nearly a billionaire, with a very large string of retail stores that are extremely productive; several casinos, broadcasting, satellite, cable—I mean the guy really became a giant in the business." Steve Orenstein - founder, Wicked Pictures "Larry was a pioneer in our industry and you would be hard-pressed to find a stronger advocate for freedom of speech. He paved the way for the rest of us to have a place and he will be missed." Axel Braun - director/head of production, Wicked Pictures "I first met Larry with my father [Lasse Braun] in the early '90s, and I was immediately struck by his intelligence, his wit and his sense of purpose. He saw porn not just as a masturbatory aid, but literally as a weapon to shock the system. A few months later, before Hustler had even entered the video business, he gave me quite possibly the easiest gig ever: flying around the country for three monts to film solo scenes of girls who had mailed in their Polaroids. His plan was to put the scenes on a series of VHS tapes to be sold alongside the magazine. 'Make it look shitty,' Larry said. 'Like they put the camera on an end table and shot it themselves, or as if a boyfriend shot it, but just not good. It has to feel real.' It was 1996 and I guess I did a pretty good job at making it look shitty, because Larry recommended me to Russ Hampshire at VCA who offered me a two-picture deal. Ten years later I would return to Hustler, and I'd go on to shoot for them for seven years, during which I started making the parodies that would become my trademark. "He was a remarkable man, an absolute icon, and a huge source of inspiration, and I will never forget the huge role he played in shaping my career. RIP, Mr. Flynt." Scott Taylor - owner & president, New Sensations/Digital Sin "I never had the honor of meeting Larry in person but I am humbled by his dedication to free speech. He is not defined by the tragic incident that paralyzed him physically but more so as the man who would not be deterred from his beliefs. I happen to share a lot of his beliefs and it takes remarkable courage to fight for what we believe to be right. This entire industry is a beneficiary of this man’s tenacity and vision. I could not be more grateful to a single person in this industry than I am to Larry Flynt. I regret not telling him this while he was alive but I’ll tell anyone who will listen now. Rest well Mr. Flynt, you deserve it."Jules Jordan - director/founder, Jules Jordan Video “We’ve lost a freedom fighter for the industry. I’m eternally grateful for the free speech battles he has fought.”