From In Heat magazine Issue 1
He is John Holmes. Alias Johnny Wadd. Unchallenged and still-reigning superstar of porn. Not even Marc Stevens’ 10½ inches can come close to his 13 ½ inches that fascinates porn lovers, male and female, all over the world. His name and likeness (and full glory) graces magazines and 8mm films in adult bookstores everywhere.
He gave an exclusive interview to John Roberts not long ago. a rarity for Holmes, since he doesn’t normally acknowledge his gay fans nor grant interviews to the gay press. In fact, despite images on celluloid, he denies ever making a gay film or posing for gay fotos. He’s the super- star of the porn world, there’s no denying that, tho… and in a perfectly outrageous interview in 2 parts, he tells us about his career, his reputation, and those rumors…
IN HEAT: Have you given an interview to a gay publication before?
HOLMES: No. Not per se.
IH: Why did you decide to?
HOLMES: Why not? I’d say probably two thirds of my friends are gay.
IH: Two thirds, huh?
HOLMES: At least. Oh yeah. I like gay people.
IH: But most of your friends are in the business, aren’t they?
HOLMES: No. A lot of them are into distribution, which is not really theatrical. It’s more the business end… distributing films, publicity, all aspects.
IH: You know when we talked before at that time your attitude was “I’m not gay. I have not done any gay things. Films, magazines, whatever…
HOLMES: Yeah. There’s too many guys doing them. Why should… you know.
IH: But I just wonder. Your name is all over town at the gay theatres with your films showing…
HOLMES: Right.
IH: So there’s no doubt you’ve made gay films, right? You’re not denying that…
HOLMES: I’m denying it.
IH: You’re denying it.
HOLMES: It’s not me… I can give you the name and address of the guy who it is. He’s a German. He’s 26 years old. He lives in San Francisco. He’s gay. Before the film was shot they offered me $1,000 to shoot the loop and I said ‘No. Pass. I don’t want to do it. I don’t want to get involved with it. I’m shooting straight films. There’s a million guys to shoot gay films. I’m just sticking to the heterosexual trade’… you know, so they called me back in 30 days and they said ‘We’ve found a guy who looks just about like you in New York. He’s got a huge fucking cock. It’s probably bigger than yours’… and I said ‘Good. I’m glad shoot it’… and they said ‘He only wants a 1-way plane ticket back to Germany. He’s stuck here. Hasn’t got any money. Just wants to get back to Germany.’ So they shot the film, gave him the ticket. He cashed it in, flew to San Francisco. But he shot 2 or 3 films since then. He even brought out a couple straight films that people think is me.
IH: So what you’re telling me… now this sounds kinda preposterous, you’ve got to admit… that this guy looks exactly like you.
HOLMES: People say ‘why don’t you just admit it? Why don’t you come out and say it?’ Well, I’m denying it because it isn’t me. Not because I would be ashamed that it’s gay. If I were gay. Fuck it man, I’d be in the gay military league just screaming it… you know ’cause whatever I get into, I’m a total radical. Fuck ’em. I’m just denying it because it isn’t me. Not because if it was me I’d be ashamed.
IH: But you’re saying that this person looked that much like you to fool everybody and still fooling everybody.
HOLMES: He doesn’t fool me at all. I look at him and he doesn’t look like me at all.
IH: I gotta admit he does look a little older than you.
HOLMES: Thank you! Allll right! This is gonna be an O.K. interview.
IH: I said to friends, ‘You got a magazine with John Holmes in it; well let’s see it’…
HOLMES: He’s got straight hair. They curled his hair, just for the fucking film. They had his hair curled and styled.
IH: Have you seen the film?
HOLMES: No. I’ve heard of it, tho.
IH: But you’re asking me to believe this too…
HOLMES: Fuck no. I’m not. I’m not asking you to believe it. I don’t give a shit whether you believe it. You know what is really nice in my circumstance? I’m self-employed. No one pays my rent but me. And I don’t give a fucking shit what anybody thinks. I perform. I do my job. I love the work I’m in. I don’t give a shit if a priest walked up to me. If a rabbi walked up to me. If a nun walked up to me. I wouldn’t give a shit. I’m just me. Nobody pays my rent but me. So I’m just saying it because it’s fact.
IH: But this guy got his ticket back to Germany and has never been heard from since…
HOLMES: He cashed his ticket in and flew to San Francisco and he’s shooting films now. He’s done 5 or 6 films… straight films… gay films.
IH: Well we’d obviously like to check this out.
HOLMES: I can call my agent and get his number. Last I heard was 16 months ago. I’m sure he’s still up there. I’ve seen 3 films he’s done. Straight films. ’Cause I don’t go to gay films. They don’t interest me. ’Cause I’m not into the gay thing.
IH: I know you were going to tell me this. Will the real John Holmes please stand up! Now this is your side. I’d really like to hear his side.
HOLMES: He has very broken English. You may have a hard time…
IH: I’ll take an interpreter. If he exists. If he really exists…
HOLMES: Oh yeah…
IH: We’d like to prove it.
HOLMES: Oh definitely…
IH: What do you think about the fact that he’s using your name or the money men are using your name?
HOLMES: I told them when they told me they got a guy who looks just about like me. ‘He’s got a big cock. We’re going to shoot the gay film. He’ll shoot it.’ I said ‘Fine, you use my name on the carton. I’m gonna crucify you in court. I’m gonna put you thru it man. You’re gonna burn.’ They said ‘O.K.. we won’t.’ But the film was pirated… if you’re picking up a gay movie and it says ‘John C. Holmes’ on the box. you’ve got a bad copy because the people who took the original film and made copies off of it… the copies are always grainy and fuzzy, and not quite right. So if you’re buying a carton that says ‘John C. Holmes’ in a gay movie, you’re buying a really rotten fucking movie anyway.
IH: Well what does it say on your movie cartons? ‘John Holmes?’
HOLMES: Yes. But that’s the films I’m in.
IH: But the ones that he’s in always say ‘John C. Holmes’?
HOLMES: ‘John C. Holmes’. Mine say John C. Holmes’.
IH: Yours do too…
HOLMES: Oh. yes!
IH: He had the same name but they just gave him the name.
HOLMES: I don’t even know his name anymore.
IH: It’s not like you could sue them or anything.
HOLMES: Oh. already got it in court! In court! $500,000 lawsuit!
IH: Against who? The money men…
HOLMES: The distributors.
IH: You know who they are…
HOLMES: Oh. we’re right in the middle of a court battle right now over it.
IH: You’re protecting your identity. I mean your name. Is that your real name?
HOLMES: John C. Holmes. That’s me.
IH: Is that the name you used on “Leave it to Beaver”?
HOLMES: I wasn’t on “Leave it to Beaver”.
IH: Now wait a minute! We gotta settle a lot of things here.
HOLMES: Uh oh. Here we go! That wasn’t me.
IH: Well, you’ve heard all that…
HOLMES: … he’s a cop in No. Hollywood…
IH: You’re shattering a lot of myths here, you know.
HOLMES: Oh. Gawd. I don’t care… I always tell the truth.
IH: Why does everybody say that was you or he was you then?
HOLMES: They said it was Alice Cooper for awhile.
IH: Amazing.
HOLMES: Alice Cooper was supposed to be Eddie Haskell. I was supposed to be Eddie Haskell, this cop in No. Hollywood was supposed to be Eddie Haskell.
IH: Well then you didn’t have a show biz career as a youngster?
HOLMES: Oh yes I did. Live stage, singing, dancing, everything…
IH: Since what age?
HOLMES: Six months. I played baby in an off-Broadway play… a lot of babies.
IH: Kinda just give me a brief…
HOLMES: I worked 6 years in Europe when I was a teenager… and back out to California… lived in Miami for awhile…
IH: Basically doing what? Commercials… stage?
HOLMES: Going to college.
IH: You were in college…
HOLMES: Went to college for 5 years.
IH: Where at?
HOLMES: U-C-L-A… I shouldn’t have said it. UCLA.
IH: Why shouldn’t you have said it?
HOLMES: Well, because I used a different name… to go to UCLA.
IH: Now it’s all coming out!
HOLMES: I know, fuck it! I don’t care!
In the next issue of IN HEAT: Part 2 of this interview, in which Holmes discusses his beginnings as a male whore in a Paris bordello at 15, bisexuality, and the continuing saga of a porn superstar.
