I Shoot Porn: Let’s see if I got this straight — you were the first person to shoot porn on video tape?

Roy Karch: Yes, I am. That was 1974. We were using Sony Portopacks, and they were the new invention. They came in a case, and you carried it on your shoulder. 1/2 inch, reel-to-reel, black and white video tape. So, for the first time, the consumer could actually video tape content. Cable TV had come about in 1973, and in NYC we had a channel. A designated channel that wasn’t censored — public access. It was mandated by Federal Law — they could not censor anything you gave them. So my partner and I decided to test the airwaves. If they didn’t censor us, then the airwaves belonged to the people. We did a weekly show on that channel called “The Underground Tonight Show”. We were on for three years, every Friday night, live, taking phone calls. 150 hours worth of programming was taped.

ISP: Who were some of your guests?

RK: We focused on three areas: politics, music, and sex. We had Jerry Rubin and Abbey Hoffman. We were all hippies. It was the end of the hippy era. As far as music, we had Patti Smith, Debbie Harry before she was Blondie, Screamin’ Jay Hawkins, Television, Phil Ochs. As for sex, we had Marilyn Chambers, Betty Dodson, Tina Russell, Mark Stevens (Mr. 10 1/2), and Al Goldstein.

ISP: What do you remember about Tom Verlaine?

RK. Not much. We were taping the shows back then at Richie Haven’s place, Cafe Wha? Television was playing CBGB’s a lot then. They just came in, did their song, and left. I really didn’t hang with them.

ISP: This all sounds to me like you were doing Al Goldstein before Al Goldstein was doing Al Goldstein.

RK: (laughs) Al said, “one day I’m gonna have a show like this…but it will be in color.” Anyways, Marilyn Chambers did a segment for us called “Dial-A-Poz” (as in pose). The models would take call-in requests and pose however the caller wanted. For example, a guy named Tom might have called in from the Upper West side and asked, “Hey Marilyn, would you stick your fingers up your ass?” And then she’d say, “sure!” and do it. Right on TV. This was sex coming straight into your living room.

ISP: And it predates Web Cams by some 30 years — give or take.

RK: Exactly. This was 1975. But in ’74 we hit the ceiling. That year we had a Supreme Court decision in our favor. Here’s what happened: We had Betty Dodson on the show, and she brought 5 women with her, and they brought dildos and vibrators, and they were all masturbating on TV. That’s when the cable company pulled the plug on us. We literally went black. And we didn’t know til the next morning, when it was a NY Times headline. Remember — this is public access, and they weren’t allowed to censor us…so we went to the FCC. The FCC went to the Supreme Court on our behalf. The Court upheld their original ruling that public access is, indeed, uncensored. Then we went back on…and that is the very beginning of X-Rated content on cable. My ruling was paved the way for adult content on cable television.

ISP: And before all that, you were male talent?

RK: Yea, while I was a gym teacher. My girlfriend was a dental assistant, and she came home with an ad from the NY Post: “Couples needed for risque photographs.” We answered the ad and were told to come on down to a little basement on 14th Street in Manhattan. There was a man with a camera who told us he’d be shooting 8mm film on his little Brownie without sound. He then told us it wouldn’t be still photos but film…and would we still be interested? Pay was $700 for the couple. This is 1970. This is when rent was $75 a month. He also made a point of telling us it was illegal.

ISP: Which is what most people don’t realize. Shooting porn then was a felony…and, in fact, it still is — except for California and New Hampshire.

RK: It was illegal anywhere up til ’88. Which meant, shooting porn in LA, in the 80’s, we would meet at Ralph’s supermarket. All the talent, all the crew. Like 6.30 AM all the cars would pull in. From there we’d get into two vans and drive off. The only person who knew where we were going was me. Cause I booked the location and talent and crew. This had to be secret because it was illegal. We would then drive to a different parking lot and get into one bigger van. And then we would drive outside of LA County — my favorite spot was Palm Springs. Herschel Savage made these trips with me. Peter North, Chuck Martino, Erica Boyer, Patty Petite, Sharon Mitchell…they all made that trip. In the final van we’d drive to a house I had rented for the weekend and shoot the entire weekend. No phones. No cell phones. No one could call out or in. No one was contactable. As the tapes were shot, we hid them…in case the cops busted in. At the end of the weekend I’d drop everyone off at their car at Ralph’s.

ISP: Did you ever bang Christy Canyon?

RK: No comment.

ISP: Ever bang Ginger Lynn?

RK: No comment. But let me say something…they talk about this on Playboy Radio. Night Calls…I think that’s what the show is called. Much like my old show.

ISP: Tell me something about John Holmes no one knows.

RK: In 1979 I was production managers for Dracula Sucks. This was Seka’s first feature. Shot in 35mm, Panavision. John Holmes, John Leslie, Paul Thomas, Anette Haven, Kate Parker…Lisa DeLieuw. Everyone in the business was in this movie. So, one night, early in the morning, I was roaming around making the rounds. In the kitchen, John Holmes was cooking stew. He said, “we’re gonna have a great lunch tomorrow!” So, as he’s cooking stew, they were rolling an anal scene, people were sleeping — we’d shoot 24/7 working around the clock — and John Holmes was cooking stew. He was a great guy.

ISP: How was his stew?

RK: We all loved it. John Holmes made great stew.

ISP: Where is this business going?

RK: The business will always follow the money, and the money is on the internet. At least it is right now. There are so many platforms now that need content, that if you’re creative and ambitious, it’s a whole new world for pornographers. See…some of us are pornographers. Some are filmmakers. Some are entrepreneurs…but pornographers just wanna make good porn.