"Inches" turns 5

I believe the following piece borrowed from our John Holmes Book Blog, which I posted yesterday, is relevant to this blog, in light of the fact that if it weren't for my involvement in A Life Measured in Inches, Goddesses would not have been born. So, thank you John Holmes, who would have been 69 years young yesterday, not only for providing the inspiration for two biographies, but also for being respectful of your leading ladies. According to Johnny Wadd director, Bob Chinn, John was a gentleman on set -- much to the delight of his co-stars.

Thursday, August 8, 2013

It is amazing to realize that already five years ago this evening,  I, along with my friend and writing partner, Jennifer Sugar, stood at the podium in front of a full house consisting of friends, loved ones, fans, the curious and the press at Book Soup on Sunset Blvd. in Hollywood to launch the release of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches. The event, hosted by none other than legendary adult film historian, Bill Margold, was a highly successful and spectacular evening with excerpts read, a special letter contributed by one of John's most popular co-stars, The Platinum Princess, Seka, and special guest speakers: filmmaker, Cass Paley, director, Bob Chinn, and John's widow, Laurie Holmes. Following a Q&A and during our signing (which included a special appearance by Holmes friend and co-star Rhonda Jo Petty), a custom commemorative cake designed by Cake & Art was served to all guests.

Today, we celebrate the five year anniversary of our book's release and acknowledge what would be John's 69th birthday by launching a brand new hardcover edition of A Life Measured in in Inches. This special edition contains an introduction written by Sugar (who is also the book's creator) and a postscript written by yours truly, followed by select excerpts from my second book: Golden Goddesses: 25 Legendary Women of Classic Erotic Cinema: 1968-1985.

Jennifer Sugar was a 21 year old Michigan State University student when she traveled alone to Los Angeles to attend a Hollywood celebration, 'Fit for a King' at the Erotic Heritage Museum. The event was in recognition of John Holmes' 60th birthday on August 8, 2004. It was during that evening where Jennifer made her initial interview contacts for our biography and when she returned home, she began the interview process while still attending school. Four years later to the day, Inches was released.

The following is a short excerpt from the introduction Sugar wrote for the new hardcover version of our book in which she describes her decision to tell John's story after seeing the 2003 film Wonderland. The introduction is aptly titled Conception:

"I began to wonder about the story of a boy from Ohio, who moved to California in the late 1960s to become the biggest, male porn star, ever, when the adult entertainment industry was brand new, illegal and underground. John went on to become famous for what was in his pants, and infamous for the dark days of his drug addiction, his subsequent involvement with the crimes leading up to the Wonderland murders, and his death at a young age from AIDS, which was still a relatively new disease to North America in the 1980s. I was amazed that there wasn’t already a definitive biography about John Holmes – like him or not, he is a part of American pop culture history, with an amazing story – how could I not want to learn more and write about him?"

Copies of the hardcover anniversary edition of John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches can be obtained through coverout.com at this link: Hardcover John Holmes: A Life Measured in Inches and will be available through Amazon.com soon.

~ RIP John