Balls Deep in Gonzo Porno

On the Prowl is the brainchild of porn star legend Jamie Gillis. A curly haired sleazeball who's worked with all the greats like Radley Metzger, Roger Watkins, Gregory Dark, Gerard Damiano, William Lustig, Bob Chinn, The Amero brothers, Alex De Renzy, Roberta Findlay, John Leslie and even Wes Craven. Outside of his pornos, action and horror afficionados will recognise him from his roles in Night Hawks, 52 Pick Up Street and Night of the Zombies. Given his expansive catalogue, let's just say he's been around the block. It is not his first rodeo.

Fast forward to 1989, the '70s porno chic and theatre releasing model had come and gone. Videotape 80s were nearly over and Gillis was starting to become exceptionally bored with the trajectory of the industry. Things were not moving quick enough for this seasoned vet of the hardcore arena. Anything stamped with the infamous X rating was becoming tiresome to him. All the fake moaning and blatant choreography went to his head. Never again did he want to hear the sound of a woman pretending to be pleased. What happened to the joy of sex? When did it become so robotic and emotionless? Why did males look so absent and elsewhere during the supposedly intimate scenes? The stars were too focused on the pay checks. This annoyed Gillis and the man had enough.

Pornography had to grow. If it was have any chance of remaining relevant in the public eye, it had to develop into something new. This man, this honourable man, undertook this as his personal mission, taking a thousand million cocks in the palm of his hand, ready to keep an entire nation hard and sustain the fuck of life. So what does this off the wall nutcase do? He takes a few notes from the King of New Journalism himself, Hunter S. Thompson and so the genre Gonzo Porno is born.

If it was going to be anyone, it was going to be Mr Gillis. Let's be clear, Gillis is no idiot. Now this is an actual fact, which if you doubt me, you can give it a Google. This man studied at Columbia University. I know, crazy right, an educated porn star but that's not the craziest part. They say he graduated magna CUM Laude. I'm sorry. I couldn't resist throwing that one in there. Gillis's big contribution to porn, after his proportionate penis of course, is the new sub-genre he helped to create. Gonzo Porno takes the idea of putting the journalist/writer in to the heart of the story. In doing so, you add a much more personal touch with the first person narrative. Removes the detached element. As I've mentioned, that was something Gillis thought was ruining porn. Therefore, it was Gonzo filmmaking that would prove a combative technique against the detachment in porn.

Curious as to how all this would work in the context of porn? On the Prowl, which birthed it is a perfect example. In this film, Gillis rides around in a limo with porn actress Renee Morgan (a fearless brunette and regular collaborator with De Renzy and Leslie). They spend the night attempting to pick up anyone off the street they can find who is willing to fool around in the backseat on camera. Their search for the next young stud is part of the story itself. So they drive around the streets, looking to score and stopping off at the heels of anyone who looks in need of a good fuck. They pose the question to anyone who will listen. And I for one, must say it's pretty tempting offer. Who wouldn't want to spray the magic bullet in the back of a black limousine? Personally, if I was asked where to shoot the load, face or chest, I would have to say, "Back and to the left!".

Gillis's offer to the average joe off the street is near total freedom. Anything they want to do. No money involved. No requirements. No direction. No choreography. No names. No regulars. No scripts. Straight up amateurs on the spot like you or me ready to enter a world of pornography they'd only seen on the screen or a daydreamed on a dull afternoon. Tonight you're the star. All your fantasies are coming true and you're dictating it. Your co-star? Who better than a professional to show you the ropes with your first time in the porn game!

The result is one wild night out which constitutes about 65 minutes of film. This whole social experiment had never been done before, something which Gillis points out in the movie. I'd be guessing here but I'd assume he got the idea from his cab driving days when picking up and dropping was a regular fixture in his life. Maybe somewhere along the line, he thought to himself, I sure would love to fuck some of these passengers. Who are these people? For 20 minutes or so you share the same space and exchange stories. Then they leave never to be seen again, such is the bond between passenger and taxi driver. What if that hook up went a little further and in that brief moment of intimacy it wasn't just words shared but genitalia? If you think this sounds rather a lot like Fake Taxi, then maybe it isn't such a leap to make. On the Prowl is even credited with launching the whole concept of 'reality porn'. Gillis's little experiment was a totally fresh and unique thing, which expanded the entire notion of what a porno could be and who could star in it.

In many cases, pornographers would be against such a lack of blocking as it can seem ill-prepared and too stilted. Often, with the viewer unable to get their desired money shots etc. However, in the case of On the Prowl, you have to make an exception. It's arguably a great artistic endeavour. Another thing it took further was the entire nature of POV in pornography. From the perspective of having a director as a character to the feeling that even you could be part of the story too. Adds a new layer of fantasy to the proceedings. Breaks up the repetitiveness and formula of porn and replaces it with something truly unpredictable.

Who knows where it could go and what could happen next? What if a passenger turned nasty and went all violent on Renee Morgan, our incredible leading lady? What if the worst of the worst happened, some street stud went and came inside?! Such is the nature of working with non-professionals who are unfamiliar with the elaborate contraceptive method of 'pulling out'. That aspect keeps this film constantly on edge and kinky with a sense of danger and unpredictability.

Is the female star being exploited here or is this a sort of fantasy for her? You'll wonder who's fantasy does this really belong to, male or female. In that manner, it's similar to the Mitchell Brothers' Behind the Green Door. Perhaps, this could have played with that angle more. If the woman has to do very little and receives plenty of oral and suckling of the tit, then maybe it could be considered feminist. A female driven round at night and given male partners tasked with providing pleasure would be interesting. Unfortunately, like with Behind the Green Door, this appears to be more about being offered a space to fuck a female porn star. The male passenger doesn't need to move, pussy will come to him. Potentially making this a male dominant fantasy.

Undeniably, there is a lot of opportunity for the female star to be exploited in this situation. A strong relationship and trust in the director is essential. Alternatively, maybe many women would be rather fond of this erotic fantasy, knowing that they could please any guy off the street and the numbers would be like trophies. A world of women collecting men's joy juice like the titular Predator from the Schwarzenegger movie collecting skulls. Anyway, I'm undecided on this one. Difficult to shape a narrative when the goal is to be as unpredictable as possible but I think they may have considered these things in the later entries in the series, which incorporate lesbian scenes.

Watching On the Prowl is like being invited on the experience ready to commit some really appalling acts in the back of this limo. You're there with them. You try to fight with the camera, one step ahead of it, wanting to see more than that which is given and that too is part of the sleazy aesthetic. We can't quite see all the action and that little restriction somehow makes it even sexier.

Lighting, sound and all your typical production values are far from a glamorous hit porno. It's certainly not soft porn legend Tinto Brass. No, this is about witnessing something truly dirty and depraved. That is what Mr Gillis presents to you. Whatever it sacrifices in production values, it more than makes up for with its kinky perspective.

The black limos tinted windows keep out society's watchful glare, hiding the frenzy of aberrant action taking place on the back seat. Only thin sheets of glass and metal separating you from another Sapien. Sex in an automobile has always had a perverse thrill, especially considering it's about as close as you can get to spontaneous outdoor sex in public without doing the real thing. Not quite as boring as sex in the home and not quite as outrageous as sex in public outdoors. A perfect middle ground for the curiously adventurous. This limo truly meets all purposes as you cruise along on a cold dark night under its jet black guise committing lustful and lurid acts. Fans of JG Ballard, Gary Numan, Don DeLillo and the mighty JFK gather round because this is the film for you fellas.

Leave the safety of your building, walk to the edge of the pavement and wait for your chariot to arrive. It picks you up, takes you around, let's you perform your most twisted fantasies and then it takes them away life a black coffin in to the night. Unsuspecting townsfolk navigating their terrain only yards away from you have no idea of the unspeakable horrors taking place in this macabre and morbid motorcade. But will they see it in some sleazy grindhouse on 42nd in a few weeks or will they come across it by chance on Xhamster many years down the line? You gamble with your own anonymity, your fantasies carried out at the potential price of secrecy.

A ticking time bomb that may someday go off. A little like being offered a million pounds but being told a small creature is going to spend the rest of your life crawling towards you and could someday kill you. Maybe tomorrow. Maybe in 30 years time. Maybe never. That is the game you play, when you enter Jamie Gillis's black limousine.

Part of the deal is that you sign a sheet saying Gillis owns the material and has the right to exhibit when and where he pleases. You control what occurs in the porno but not where it is shown. Hence the emphasis on near total freedom. Gillis's switch from mere director to actor in his own film searching for new talent, even scared him so badly he decided to call his own lawyer, just to make sure everything was ok legally speaking. In comes First Amendment Attorney John Weston. Our voice of the law has just one thing to say, "Are you crazy? Burn it! Bury it!" Inexperienced actors so fresh of the street, unvetted can mean rare genuine response far removed from pornography's usual mechanical nature. However, there was a reason no-one had done this before.

Attempting this promotes so many questions and here's a big one. What if you pick up some rich kid, a celebrity's spoilt spawn or even a politician's son and they come down hard on law suits? No one had ever combined porn and the public like this so boldly. Puts porn right in to the open like never before. No longer can it be swept under the rug and live on its own anonymity. It's not happening in some cheap motel hired for the day but in the streets. It's not some stunning actress you've never heard of or a random well-endowed dude. It's you. You are the porn.

How did this dirty little smutpeddler respond to the being told to burn his own movie? He said, "Thanks John", hung up and used this as part of the marketing. Stuck it straight on the label as the tagline, "This tape is so hot even our lawyer said burn it!"

You have to give it to the smut peddlers and the exploitationers, noone knows how to market a film like they could. More often than not, these tools are better than the movie itself. Too many films these days reveal too much in the trailer and the promotion is all the same. In fairness to these guys, they were imaginative and always kept it surprising (at least in the advertising anyway). Gillis put the film together pretty quickly, which wasn't too difficult as many of the sexual acts are filmed in single takes with very little cuts to different angles. On those terms, you could have grounds of argument for this being more successful than Hunter S. Thompson's experiment Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas. Thompson's intention with that was to be an unedited record of everything he did as it was occurring. Despite this, he went back and edited it 5 times. There is not an editor credited online from what I can see for

On the Prowl but I doubt they took as long attempting to reconstruct the experience of that one night. Yep, my man respectfully earns the title of Gonzo Gillis, The Godfather of Gonzo Porno. Having said that we simply cannot disrespect the founding father of this precious movement.

Gonzo Gillis was able to sell copies of

On the Prowl for $20 a tape. Mostly unheard of back then. These things normally sold for $10 a pop. Double the asking price and people were going for it! You cannot downplay that which is truly new.

Did the filmmakers get in trouble for their great artistic achievement? Of course they did. Turned out they did pick up some somebodies. Two Us Navy sailors to be precise. One of which the Navy had been wanting to get rid of for some time so were using it as an excuse to drop him. Once Gillis hears this he explains that there were two sailors who got in the car that night and the one they were trying to boot didn't even take part.

It wouldn't be the first time the US government and its forces would incorrectly identify an individual and pin it on the wrong man. There was a second shooter firing off loads in that limo but once again this was ignored. When they have their man, they have their man. Gillis even threatened to take this story to the press. This shut the US Navy right up and the pair of those two horn dogs were able to maintain their beloved marine lifestyles. Making pornos and rattling the US Navy. Jamie Gillis everybody. What a king.

Personally, I'd have loved a '30 Years Later' documentary trying to locate all the lunatics picked up on that one night. Half tempted to go looking for them myself and hit them up demanding more information on who they were and what they were doing on that fateful night Jamie Gillis picked them up and made them star. I wonder if any of them have advanced their porn careers. Got a taste from their first time in front of the camera and wanted more. I tell you, we're in desperate need of a 'Where are they now?'. Truthfully, they're probably all playing house with kids of their own now and trying to pretend this never happened. The last person they want is Jacob Kelly knocking on their door asking them about their one uncredited porn experience.

There is in fact a weird people watching element to this film. Gets you thinking who are these gentlemen and where did they come from?

Inevitably, you get to see genuine embarrassment and a clear lack of confidence from these dudes doing threesomes with their pals and not having a clue where to look or put their hands. A rare human awkwardness. Ah the unwritten rules of the threesome, the most complicated politics there ever was.

Definitely not what you're expecting to see in a porno. Those guys know the drills when it comes to things like sword crossing. Plus they can always yell "cut" so if there was any disagreements over who's occupying what space at what time, it does not really enter the finished film so you'd never see it happen. At one point in On the Prowl, in a raw and realistic moment, a shagger says the condom is coming "off" and then he launches it at the floor. Has a crazy edge to it. Plenty of little things crop up that you aren't really used to in this field, far from the expected porn behaviours. A mighty sense of realism. The camera and its subjects play roles here you have never seen in a porno before thanks to Gillis's Gonzo approach. Went on to inspire countless other porn directors to do the same and make themselves part of the action.

If the entire set up of On the Prowl seems familiar, that's because you've seen it parodied in Paul Thomas Anderson's Boogie Nights (my favourite movie of all time). Alternatively, Anderson's 'On the Lookout' segment takes a much darker turn exploring the unpredictability in the scenario even further and veering in to the violence and danger. In his version, the porn star actress is mistreated and in retaliation, the street kid is beaten to a pulp and left lying in his own blood on the kerb but not before he takes a rollerblade stomp to the face. The message is clear, you do not fuck with Rollergirl or insult a porn director whose career is on the decline.

Gillis's response to the 'On the Lookout' segment of Boogie Night was not one of love or appreciation. He was not amused, he hated it. Left him furious and disturbed to see his work (intended as pleasure for millions) turned in to something so vile. According to Gillis, it was not respectful homage but an inverse of everything he had spent his career trying to do. He saw himself as doing something fun and actually quite noble with his film. Obviously, Gillis was fully aware that his work was sleazy and dirty but in all his years working, he believed he'd never seen anything as revolting as Boogie Nights. Made him need to take a good long shower. Pretty heavy when you rattle a seasoned vet in to the Pontius Pilate treatment like that. Love that from PTA.

Above all else, from beginning to end, On the Prowl will have you thinking one question: would I take part in this? That black limo pulls up right now, are you getting in and living out your fantasies? Suddenly you're thrown in to being a star of the screen. The Johnny Wadd. The Linda Lovelace. Such a life does seem appealing to me. The amount of times you've thought with your genitals and not your brain. What if you could turn those thoughts in to money? A total rebirth of Jacob Kelly. Sure, I could see myself in a whole series of pornos playing some private investigator who hangs dong. An endless stream of cheap stunts and an inescapable air of sleaze.

However, I'd also love something quieter. Similar to the idea of being a writer of multiple discreetly subversive creature features in the '50s, which I mentioned a few weeks ago in Issue #1. I have often envisioned and daydreamed another life for myself as Juan Peterson, the greatest stunt cock in porn history. Single handedly lending lives to those unable to get it up on the big occasion and rescuing my fellow man from total embarrassment. The unsung hero of the porn game. Where others fail, Juan Peterson would never fail. He's got your back. Living in the shadows, always on call and ready to rescue his non-erect fellow males. His secret, he's always hard. You ring him up and in 9 minutes flat he's there like Winston Wolf in his silver Acura 1992 NSX, locked and loaded, ready to go. He rolls up to the pavement with Devo's Jerkin Back and Forth blaring from the car speakers. The key does its little dance in the ignition and the engine switches off. He adjusts his sunglasses and walks over like a man on a mission. All you have to do is point him in the direction of pussy, feed him a few lines of coke and he's good to go. As Juliet is the sun, he will get the money shot. A failure to launch a thing of the past. Houston, we don't have a problem.

On the other hand, is being picked up off the street by a porn posse in a jet black limo and drunkenly agreeing to star in a porno for the world to see your idea of a nightmare? I understand it, I really do. I have no doubts whatsoever that after strolling home from a gaff one night, I could be stopped and drunkenly cajoled in to starring in a porno for Jamie Gillis. Overcome by horniness and unwilling to think about the consequences. In that state, the decision would be made for me. I would be thrusted into an entirely different world. The thin mask of Jacob Kelly and the hackneyed regular life that he built for himself would slip from its already weak bindings and Juan Peterson would take over. There can be only Juan. I will forever live in fear of a jet black limo stopping just mere yards away from my feet on a dark night.

Bonus Points:

-Single headedly creating Gonzo Porno

-The Ballardian vibes of it all

-The voyeuristic people watching element

-Rattling the US Navy

-Inspiring Boogie Nights

Overall Score: 4.5/5