| Male viewers make up the overwhelming majority of the porno audience. Strange, then, that America's most famous porn star is a guy.
Still, after 21 years in the business, Ron Jeremy is something of a household name (in certain households at least), and his showbiz career is gradually becoming more mainstream, with the mustachioed lothario doing more and more jokey cameos in music videos and "real" movies like Toxic Avenger IV, Orgazmo and Detroit Rock City.
To innocent audiences who don't know Ron's background, he's becoming one of those celebrities who's famous simply for being famous – like Charo. According to the new bio-pic Porn Star: The Legend of Ron Jeremy (2001), that's precisely what he had planned all along.
The film's opening moments are quite irritating, with a succession of noisy nobodies shouting Ron's praises. Clearly, a lot of people have grown up jacking off to Ron's films. Equally clearly, a lot of people will gush excitedly about anything if you shove a camera in their face.
Fortunately, the movie's tone changes almost immediately, and a (slightly) more complex look at the man and his work begins. We learn interesting facts about Ron's background, such as the fact that he used to teach mentally challenged students (!), and had to change his name after his first appearance in Playgirl magazine caused the family household to be flooded with calls from female readers fascinated by Ron's nine-and-a-half inch dick. The peculiar demands of the adult film industry are outlined, such as the ability to stay aroused during a tedious 17th take while greasy film crews stare at you and discuss loudly whether your scrotum is properly lit.
Ron's ability to meet these challenges is repeatedly described with a respect that borders on awe. "You can't fake an erection," as one actress puts it, and the sexual marathons these people go through are feats that few "normal" men could accomplish without Viagra. Ron's "countdown trick" is equally famous. ("four... three... two... one... splort!")
It must be tough for Ron that every news article about him (including this one) must mention his unremarkable appearance. He doesn't look like a porn star. He looks, as one smitten fan so accurately describes him, "like a pizzeria owner." Nevertheless, this seems to be a vital part of his appeal. "Hey," thinks the audience, "if this guy can get lucky with so many beautiful girls, then there's still hope for me!"
Ron is the roly-poly everyman of the porn scene, a much easier guy to identify with than some ripped-ab Adonis. Comedian Margaret Cho used to point out that male actors in straight porn films were ugly on purpose, so the straight audiences wouldn't be distressed about feeling turned on while looking at an attractive man. She didn't mention Ron's name specifically, but she didn't have to.
The ironic loneliness of the porn star is touched on, albeit briefly. It's incredibly difficult for people in the business to maintain loving relationships, and it hints that the abundance of sex in Ron's life can't quite fill the gap caused by the absence of love.
This problem was examined much more thoroughly in another porn-star documentary, The Girl Next Door, a marvelous film about the life of porn actress Stacy Valentine. In that film, we had the heart-wrenching experience of watching Valentine's relationship with her boyfriend disintegrate before our eyes, as both parties tried like hell to save it. Jeremy, on the other hand, can only reminisce about the last woman he loved (more than a decade ago), sadly illustrating what the adult film business can do to your private life if you don't get out of it in time.
Porn Star will be coming – if you'll pardon the expression – to VHS and DVD on March 25. |
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