Autopornography: A Memoir of Life in the Lust Lane (Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies) [Paperback]

John Dececco Phd (Author), Samuel A Streit (Author)

Book Description

Series: Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies | Publication Date: April 18, 1997

In this provocative book, retired porn star Scott O’Hara (known as “Spunk” by many of his fans from an early punk photospread) gives a backstage look at the world of pornography, revealing why he loved it, what he got out of it, and why he left it. In an autobiographical style, he considers and poses answers to some fascinating questions: What is sex? What makes a porn star? And why does pornography really upset people?

You’ll really get to know this noted gay porn star as you get a firsthand look at his life experiences and sexual journeys from his boyhood days of locker room fantasies and sexual experimentation to his years as a porn star and then to his experiences as an individual facing the realities of being HIV-positive. As O’Hara puts it in his Introduction: “This book was written as a last-ditch effort: a way to open up all my closets, let you in on all the dark corners of my life, and give you a better picture of what goes into the making of a porn star. Because if there’s one profession that arouses people’s curiosity, it’s that one.”

As you read through the pages of Autopornography, you’ll see how O’Hara’s personality reflects his sexuality, that is, how they have melded into one. His vivid descriptions of personal relationships (with family, friends, lovers, and casual acquaintances) and his many sexual encounters as he traveled the world reveal his love of sex and his desire to live without inhibitions, secrets, or sexual constraints. Reading Autopornography may cause you to reexamine your own sexual boundaries, realize new sexual potential, and discover sexual desires not previously aroused.

Listed #14 on Books Bought Mainly by Men 1997 Top 100 Bestsellers as rated by A Different Light Bookstore!

Editorial Reviews

Amazon.com Review

Scott O'Hara has already garnered his share of fame. As a star in more than 25 porn movies, seasoned stage performer (a.k.a. exotic dancer), AIDS activist, and publisher of the classy sex quarterly Steam, O'Hara has been ... well ... highly visible. O'Hara bares all and then some in his new memoir Autopornography. This witty collection of essays and poems is no scurrilous kiss-and-tell, but a well argued--and graphic--declaration of sexual independence proclaiming the importance of sexuality in our lives and imaginations. O'Hara is a seductive writer who, through intelligence and wit, shocks and persuades us to view the world through his sexy, lavender colored glasses. --This text refers to an out of print or unavailable edition of this title.

Product Details

• Paperback: 228 pages
• Publisher: Routledge (April 18, 1997)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 1560238984
• ISBN-13: 978-1560238980
• Product Dimensions: 8.4 x 6 x 0.6 inches
• Shipping Weight: 12 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (8 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #1,366,698 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

13 of 14 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars An excellent account of an authentic human being., November 11, 1998

By 

Joseph Gomez ([e-mail]) (Bakersfield, California) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Autopornography: A Memoir of Life in the Lust Lane (Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies) (Paperback)

Scott's book is remarkably well-written and a pleasure to read.

It's very refreshing to read about someone who survived the eighties without being infected by all the New Age psychobabble and relationship doctoring going on. Scott did not like his family, especially his mother, and he was not worried about trying to fix it. That's just how it was. He had his own philosophy and enjoyed living up to his own standards.

I'm saddened to find that he passed away in February 1998 but I am truly inspired by the life he led. He spent most of his time doing only what he loved most. There are not many people who can honestly say that.

This is really a fun book to read and the cover ain't bad to look at either!

8 of 8 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Well written, insightful, but disturbing., May 4, 1998

By 

[e-mail] (Indiana) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Autopornography: A Memoir of Life in the Lust Lane (Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies) (Paperback)

The late Scott OHara has a talent for his craft - not that of porn god - but that of serious writer. His book was insightful, succinct, and well written. OHara pulls no punches in describing the poignant and revealing parts of his past. I did find his opinions on voluntary seroconversion to be quite disturbing, however. He takes the position that people who choose to seroconvert willingly are freeing themselves from the everyday burdens of mundane life and "taking the plunge" into a more exciting, devil may care existance. This opinion is one that I find quite hard to swallow.

7 of 7 people found the following review helpful:

5.0 out of 5 stars Extremely written written and fascinating, January 9, 1998

By 

T. Smith (Las Cruces, NM United States) - See all my reviews
(REAL NAME)   

This review is from: Autopornography: A Memoir of Life in the Lust Lane (Haworth Gay & Lesbian Studies) (Paperback)

I was surprised and delighted!

I did not put much faith that this book would be more than a tell-all of the gay porn industry. I was surprised--quite pleasantly--to find an eloquently written and insightful autobiography of one of adult films' bad boys.

O'Hara does not shy away from recounting his family upbringing, nor does he apologize for any radical views he has of his life growing up. He tells it like it was, from his perspective, growing up in a super-religious yet non-traditional family who instilled in him a sense of integrity he still maintains today.

To be honest, I expected a lot of smutty stories and inside scoop on gay porn stars. There's that, too, to a degree. But it is written clearly, intelligently and with a writers--not a porn star's--artistry.

The book makes Chi Chi Larue's and Joey Stefano's recent biographies look like they were written by reporters from The Enquirer! A must-read for all gay porn lovers.