YNOT Radio – Rob Black of Extreme Associates called in to the HumpDay Show earlier today and chatted it up with co-hosts LAJ and Connor Young, YNOT’s Editor-in-Chief, who was filling in for YNOTBob.Prosecutors in Black’s obscenity case recently announced they would appeal the case’s dismissal.
“It wasn’t a surprise. We knew they would appeal,” said Black. “They have to appeal; they made such a big deal about the whole obscenity issue that they have to appeal now. They can’t just let it go.”
“Are people in the industry starting to understand what’s at stake?” asked Connor.
“Some do, but some don’t. a lot of people think ‘Oh, this doesn’t affect me.. I do ‘nice porn’ but it really does affect everyone. They’re talking about obscenity, and that applies to the whole industry. Most people in the industry are on my side; there are more people for us than against us, anyway.”
The appeals process is going to be long and slow, explained Black. “At least a year and a half. We might have some resolution sometime around the middle of the next president’s term. But for now, the bottom line is, I have my passport and I can travel. Now it’s up to them.. it’s up to them to follow through.”
Connor asked Black his thoughts on whether prosecutors would go after other hardcore content producers.
“I’m no law expert, but the general consensus is they’re not going to do anything to anyone else while they’re still going after us. It’s kind of senseless to hit other people with obscurity charges while this is still going on. It’s probably safe to say they won’t go after anyone else until my thing is resolved,” Black said.
Asked his opinion of new attorney general Gonzales and his anti-porn declaration, Black commented, “It doesn’t matter if it’s Gonzales or Ashcroft, they’re going to go after porn. When a republican takes office, you can expect a wave of conservatism to sweep through. But I think the majority of Americans don’t give a shit about pornography. It’s the extremists, the nuts…”
In the chat room, Cybercat summed it up with his comment: “Trouble is, the religious nuts are the vocal minority.”
Connor asked Black how he dealt with the possibility that he could go to jail just to make these guys feel better?
Black answered, “I filtered it out, kept it out of my head, just kept thinking that we’d get through it, they’d pick a good jury and my lawyer [Louis Sirkin] is so good.. he’s won more than he’s lost.”
“Did you ever want to ask the prosecutors how they can sleep at night?” Connor asked.
“Nah, I never did that,” said Black. “It’s part of the business, you know? When you get in the porn business, you have to be prepared to take the consequences that come with it. You can’t bitch and moan, you’ve gotta roll with the punches. Anybody in this business has to know that if a republican comes into office, you might be taken up on obscenity charges. You’ve got to be prepared for the consequences whatever your job or industry. I’ve always known we could get busted for what we did.. I never bitched. I always knew that we’d have to roll w the punches, and we’d fight if it happened.”
Jay was resolute. “We all need to be prepared. Like I’ve said before, you don’t have to like the guy or like the content, but if it’s legal, then you have to be ready to support it.”
