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https://www.theguardian.com/tv-and-radio/2026/jun/29/robin-byrd-documentary-porn-star-late-night-tv-icon>
"Robin Byrd has no doubt about where the archive of her life should end up. “I
think it should be in the Smithsonian,” she said. “I like to think big.”
But is such thinking “big” or just plain daft? After all, we’re talking about
Robin Byrd, the self-described “orgy queen” who’s best known for promoting the
work of strippers and porn stars on the no-budget, public access TV show she
ran in the 80s and 90s that looked like it was shot by someone on mushrooms who
was suffering from an advanced case of glaucoma.
To dedicated “Byrd watchers”, however, there’s far more to this star than any
flip description of her show might suggest. “She’s connected to so many
important issues,” said Jyllian Gunther, who has co-directed a new HBO
documentary about Byrd, named for her show’s sprightly theme song,
Bang My
Box. “Robin represents sex positivity and body positivity. She’s a gay icon,
she fought for her first amendments rights, and she was a precursor to YouTube
and all the platforms we have today.”
“There are layers and layers to her story,” added the film’s other director,
Stephanie Schwam.
One of the most impactful of those layers involved a freedom of speech case she
launched in the 90s that became so contentious and consequential, it went all
the way to the United States supreme court, which ruled in her favor. She also
became an eager and effective advocate for safe sex right at the start of the
Aids epidemic, back when relatively few people addressed either the disease, or
sex itself, with anything but terror and dread. By contrast, Byrd kept things
upbeat and encouraging, relentlessly promoting the use of condoms and dental
dams while demonstrating their proper use on scores of episodes. In the process
she became what the directors of the documentary call “an accidental activist”.
“Remember to wear your rubbers!” Byrd would always say on her show, exuding an
endearing mix of maternal caring and impish pluck. The line epitomized her
entire approach to sex as an essentially playful endeavor, communicated in a
tone of almost child-like exploration and wonder. “That’s my attitude,” Byrd
said. “Sex is a form of magic, but many people don’t seem to know it.”
That attitude was in ample evidence when we met for the interview at the SoHo,
New York, loft owned by co-director Gunther. When I arrived, Byrd was finishing
up a photo shoot that featured her and the directors simulating a threesome in
bed. “Come join us!” she said at one point. (I politely declined.)"
Share and enjoy,
*** Xanni ***
--
mailto:xanni@xanadu.net Andrew Pam
http://xanadu.com.au/ Chief Scientist, Xanadu
https://glasswings.com.au/ Partner, Glass Wings
https://sericyb.com.au/ Manager, Serious Cybernetics
