P#nthouse Pet [2004] Jenna Jameson talks to The Inside Reel about ambition, the changing face of digital in the late 90s, the persona of Guccione and her approach to the business in regards to the new A&E limited documentary series "Secrets Of P#nthouse" detailing the rise and fall of publisher/magnate Bob Guccione.
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TVTranscript
00:00 (dramatic music)
00:02 - He was the emperor in his own kingdom
00:15 who could do no wrong.
00:16 That was his downfall.
00:18 - Secrets of Penthouse, two night event,
00:20 premieres Labor Day at nine, only on A&E.
00:24 - I mean, it's interesting,
00:24 like even when Club Jenna reached its pinnacle
00:27 and everything like that,
00:28 you were trying to make sure there was production value
00:31 plus that, which is interesting
00:33 'cause if you look back in the '70s,
00:35 Caligula obviously has a reputation,
00:39 but he was trying to do something
00:41 and make it sort of that sort of level.
00:45 Could you sort of talk about that
00:46 and taking sort of that ambition, that production value,
00:48 and placing it into your businesses
00:51 going forward from that point?
00:52 - Well, I think that when I first got
00:55 into the adult industry and decided
00:57 that I was going to form Club Jenna,
01:00 I wanted my movies to be something very different
01:04 than had been seen for so many years.
01:07 When the adult industry started,
01:09 the movies were like, they were such big productions
01:14 and over time, money-wise, they just didn't have budgets
01:19 and they cut everything down
01:21 and I wanted to bring that back.
01:24 It was very important to me
01:26 because I'm artistic and I really thought
01:31 that there was a big space in the adult industry
01:35 that was not being capitalized on.
01:37 So I decided to start making big budget movies for people
01:42 and it caught hold.
01:44 People really, really liked it.
01:47 And yeah, I think that what I did kind of changed things
01:52 for the adult industry
01:54 'cause it was kind of circling the drain for a while.
01:59 - Penthouse, the most successful magazine
02:02 in the history of publishing.
02:03 - The dirtiest magazine in America
02:05 and one of the richest men in the world.
02:07 - There was so much money.
02:10 - But Bob Guccione died penniless.
02:13 What the hell happened?
02:14 - My father was manipulative.
02:17 - He was a serial predator.
02:19 - The dark, satanic prince of sex.
02:22 - I can't photograph a girl that doesn't excite me.
02:24 - Same shot again.
02:25 - He was 50.
02:26 We're teenagers.
02:28 - 18 to 19.
02:30 - Well, but it's interesting,
02:31 like looking at Bob's trajectory
02:33 and the fact that he was old school and it was hard.
02:35 I mean, listening to his son talk about
02:38 trying to push against or his daughter,
02:40 trying to get him to come into the digital age,
02:43 that 2000, that like 1996 to like 2001
02:46 was the time to make that jump.
02:49 What was it that you think prevented him
02:52 from seeing that whereas you understood that?
02:55 I mean, you had the stock tips,
02:56 you had the relationship advice
02:58 in addition to the videos and everything else.
03:00 Could you sort of talk about that?
03:02 - I think Bob Guccione was from a different day and age
03:07 and he was an artist.
03:09 I think people just see him as a pornographer.
03:13 They don't understand that he was an incredible painter.
03:17 He had a very vivid mind and imagination
03:21 and if anybody out there knows an artist,
03:25 they know that they are stuck in their ways.
03:29 And I respected that.
03:30 He had a beautiful view of the world
03:33 and he was not willing to change.
03:36 And I mean, it worked against him in the end
03:41 to his detriment, but he held true to who he was
03:45 and what he believed.
03:46 So I still have incredible respect for him
03:49 as a businessman.
03:51 - Hi, I'm Jenna Jamison.
03:54 I'm just the girl next door that has a really filthy mind
03:58 and I'm famous for it.
03:59 Even at a young age, I would sneak into my dad's room
04:03 and steal his dirty magazines, namely "Penthouse."
04:08 And I just remember thinking to myself, wow.
04:12 - And the thing is he pushed it.
04:14 And two more questions if I have time, Jenna.
04:15 Thank you so much.
04:16 Really appreciate it.
04:17 'Cause you have such a unique view into this whole thing.
04:19 It's unbelievable.
04:20 But see, he pushed it to the limit.
04:23 I mean, he was ambitious.
04:25 It's that sort of goal-oriented,
04:27 almost that American sort of ego, like go for it, do it.
04:31 But also the thing that you had
04:33 that maybe he didn't see as much was the business aspect.
04:37 The fact that he went through all this money
04:39 with the Atlantic City Casino, with all this stuff.
04:43 There is that thing.
04:44 But can you talk about that sort of running up
04:47 to the American dream, him making this thing,
04:50 you doing what you did?
04:51 Can you talk about that representation
04:54 in society of that American dream
04:56 that both you and him accomplished?
04:58 - Bob was very important when it comes to the adult industry
05:03 but I saw the adult industry in a different way.
05:08 I looked at it like a business
05:11 and I wanted to not only change it for women,
05:15 but I wanted to capitalize on it.
05:18 I wanted to become incredibly famous
05:20 and I knew exactly the steps I had to take to do that.
05:25 It wasn't about the art for me.
05:30 I really produced beautiful things,
05:35 but I also knew business
05:37 and I knew what it took to become incredibly famous
05:40 and well-respected.
05:42 And I think that the difference between Bob and I
05:45 is that I took that into account.
05:48 He was about art and he was not willing to budge on it.
05:52 He had his vision
05:54 and he was willing to go down with the ship.
05:57 - To me, it looked like power.
06:00 It didn't look like someone being sexually exploited.
06:05 I thought, wow, these women are extremely beautiful
06:09 and they own their body.
06:12 And I just, I wanted to be them or be with them.
06:17 So it was a little confusing.
06:19 - And that leaves my last question,
06:21 which is interesting 'cause it's about perspective.
06:23 You know, looking at perspective.
06:24 See, you can have this perspective of looking back,
06:27 looking at the adult career
06:28 and seeing what everything could do,
06:30 but also you became one of the most famous adults.
06:33 You were the, you are the most famous adult star
06:35 in the world.
06:37 But can you talk about,
06:38 'cause it's about bringing that personality,
06:40 bringing enough of you,
06:42 but bringing enough of that sort of persona, you know?
06:45 And that's what Bob had, that silky voice,
06:47 all that kind of stuff.
06:49 Could you say, but the thing is,
06:50 and what I get from you,
06:51 and I've gotten this from you before,
06:53 is that sense of humor,
06:54 that ability to look, you know, in reverse and see it.
06:58 You know, did Bob have a sense of humor?
07:00 Did you see any of that?
07:01 Or was it just about being that cool,
07:03 being that guy, being that artistic person?
07:06 - Yeah, Bob was a very eclectic person.
07:11 Like he was smooth and a total ladies' man.
07:16 So I never really saw a lot of humor out of him.
07:22 He was just a really sexually forward guy,
07:27 and that really got him far.
07:29 Now, when it comes to me, you know,
07:33 I always felt weird being overtly sexual,
07:37 which sounds odd,
07:38 but I find myself as a funny person
07:43 and as a kind of nerdy person.
07:45 So I think that that kind of made me more relatable
07:50 to the public,
07:51 was that, yeah, I am a famous adult star,
07:55 but I'm also kind of dorky and read books,
07:59 and I crack jokes all the time,
08:01 and I don't take myself too seriously.
08:03 So I think that in this day and age,
08:06 you have to be faceted.
08:09 You know, people have to be able to see
08:11 all different sides to you,
08:12 and the more relatable you are,
08:14 the more important you become.
08:16 (upbeat music)
08:18 - He had this power and control.
08:20 - You put the girls on birth control pills.
08:23 - He wanted us in an orgy.
08:25 - How he abused me is against the law.
08:27 - All that money just disappeared.
08:30 - He wrecked it.
08:31 - Even family members will try to usurp you.
08:34 (upbeat music)
08:37 (upbeat music)
08:40 (upbeat music)
08:43 (upbeat music)
08:46 [BLANK_AUDIO]