Porn King: The Autobiography of John C. Holmes

Overall, I enjoyed this book. Hard to say how much of it came out of John Holmes mouth since it was published after he died. And I would have liked more details about the making of his films. But it was still interesting to hear his take on things. There's a photo section. The pics are a bit blurry, and one pic is repeated. But they are some personal pics I'd never seen before on the internet, so that was an added value. Overall, I would recommend this for John Holmes fans to complete your collection.

I became interested in John Holmes after watching the movie Boogie Nights. I've read every book about him, even ones where the author is just mentioning meeting him. Every book I've read describes Holmes being a completely different person, so who is John Holmes?This book was written by John and Laurie Holmes. Laurie was John's wife toward the very end of his life. She speaks very well of herself in this book and it seemed (to me anyway) that she edited the book to her own liking. I kept thinking this book would have probably been much more enjoyable had Sharon, John's first wife of 18 years, co-wrote the book.John focuses very little on his younger life, concentrating more on his move to California and how he started in porn. Even so, he's very vague about how he began and about any of his past. What is interesting in this book is his whole account of what came to be known as the Wonderland Murders. It is talked about in detail in this book, but whether his account is true, I highly doubt. He claims he wasn't even there when it happened--something I find very hard to believe.I liked this book because it's the only John Holmes autobiography in existence, but really that's the only reason. Would I recommend it to others? Only if they have already read Jill Nelson's and Dawn Schiller's books and are looking for a little more. I think if you put the three books together, you might feel like you understand John and his life a little better.

In the fall of 2007, I placed a telephone call to Laurie Holmes, widow of legendary porn superstar, John Holmes. I had been invited to collaborate on the first biography about Laurie's late husband, and my co-author (Jennifer Sugar) and I felt in order to finish piecing together a thorough and accurate perspective of Holmes, we needed to speak to the woman who had been a significant part of the man's life in the final years before his death. Admittedly, I was nervous before placing the call because we both knew, based upon what we'd read and heard, that Laurie was protective of John and had been misrepresented in the past. It was a crap shoot whether or not she would speak with us, but we had nothing to lose. After all, she could always decline to be interviewed. Surprisingly, Laurie answered the phone and was very cordial. I attempted to present our case: it was our intention to write an unbiased and balanced story of John's life, and we would include the good, the bad and the ugly. Laurie listened carefully to what I had to say and promised to get back in touch that evening after checking us out. She explained that for her own self preservation and after much hurt, she needed to ensure that it would be wise to speak with us. As promised, Laurie called back that night and we proceeded to engage in part one of three interviews. Laurie was refreshingly open, forthright and spoke from a place of honesty.Fast forward four years: After serious contemplation and personal life changing events, in 2011, Laurie decided to republish Porn King - an autobiography commenced by Holmes in the years leading up to his death from AIDS twenty-four years ago, compiled by audiotapes he had recorded. This newly revised edition, including an updated, heartfelt, no-holds-barred epilogue written by Laurie, is an incredible story of an Ohio country boy who, through a combination of choices he made and by osmosis was launched to the top of the classic adult film industry. Known in the business today as "The King," John's complicated story begins innocently enough in the 1960s, as a young man posing as a nude model for an art class at UCLA. The book then reflects back to Holmes' difficult childhood and proceeds to take many twists and detours in this very entertaining, and at times dark memoir, as Holmes describes in animated prose, the wild life and crazy times of a man born with an extraordinary endowment. Bearing in mind that John often had a penchant for embellishing the truth, not only for the benefit of others, but also for his own amusement doesn't deter from the integrity of the book, as Holmes' stories have become synonymous with his legend. In addition to updates, this revised release includes some great, newly added photos (some-never-before-seen), and is a seductive, endearing read. Porn King also reveals itself as a cautionary tale while keeping in mind the relevance of the era in which John lived, worked and loved, as is intimated in this excerpt from Holmes' own poem titled The Charm of Youth -- perhaps an insightful commentary: "To be young and curious about everything is the energy and charm of youth. To learn, to seek and find is to fail -- is to seek no more -- is to teach those who seek."

Enjoyed reading the history of this mysterious man, most told by John himself. Laurie Holmes has written part of the book as well. It gives some insight to John's life during the "Golden Age" of adult film. An easy read and includes some photos as well.

Many people think he was bad..but really he was very generous. It's too bad he got involved with the people he did and lost everything. Great read

This book was not a seedy account of the porn industry but more about the man himself, which was refreshing & a little surprising.I would recommend this book to autobiography readers.

This book was so full of fabrications I couldn't use it for information in a scholarly article. I can't understand why people who lead extraordinary lives, whether good or bad, feel the need to lie about there past in book form!!