LOS ANGELES — Adult legend Amber Lynn admits it’s nothing new — Howard Stern featured porn stars and adult themes on the radio years ago in an effort to shock the airwaves.
But Lynn’s Rock'N'SeXXXy-Uncensored (RNSU) on LATalkRadio.com has managed to turn the tables, and although she offers listeners a healthy dose of porn titillation, the radio hostess has attracted mainstream guests into her broadcast booth ushering in a new blend of entertainment that’s helping to bridge the gap between the two forms of popular entertainment.
Since its launch, Lynn’s show has featured mainstream guests including Dennis Rodman, Russell Peters, Emilio Rivera, Clifton Collins Jr., Body Count’s ErnieC, Channel Zero, B-Real, Cypress Hill, Adrianne Curry, Jessica Hall and many more.
And there’s lots more coming. XBIZ sat down with Lynn who has thrilled adult fans for more than three decades appearing in 350 popular movies, and 200 magazines, along with feature dancing across the U.S. and Canada to get her reaction to the porn/mainstream crossover being ushered in by shows like hers.
XBIZ: What was the transition from XXX Porn Star radio to your new show?
LYNN: Well it really wasn’t a transition at all. I re-routed the offer because it wasn’t turning out to be what it was originally proposed to do. I’m basically a businesswoman, so I saw that the [adult] industry was declining similar to what’s happening in the movie and music industries and thought by creating an adult radio show that could crossover and attract guests from both adult and mainstream I’d have a much larger pool of listeners than if it were only adult.
XBIZ: What makes your new show different?
LYNN: Well, being in the industry for more than 30 years and at a time when adult stars were considered actors, I’d made friends with mainstream actors, musicians and had good relationships. With that in mind I’d decided that I wanted to do a show where I could use my knowledge of that world, and do a mainstream show.
We started with more music acts — more rock stars than actors. I went to autograph shows and met a lot of actors who had cult followings. We support rebels and rockers so those actors naturally gravitated to a show like mine. For example, FX’s “Sons of Anarchy’s” Kristen Renton, my co-host who plays Ima, a porn star on the show and I did a porn star vs. porn star shtick that was great.
XBIZ: What’s your main competition?
LYNN: I respect everyone’s show in this genre. Our show is different than most — it’s taken on a life of its own because of the number of mainstream guests we've had. But I don’t think it will bump anyone out of the market.
XBIZ: Who are the most notable mainstream guests and how did that happen?
LYNN: There are so many. The reputation of our show kicked in and the guests followed along with the help of my contacts. As I mentioned, we had Dennis Rodman, along with Kristen from “Sons of Anarchy” and actor Clifford Collins Jr. — all of whom created quite a buzz. We’ve also had director/writer/producer Adam Rifkin who did the movie, “The Chase” with Charlie Sheen, and actors from the TV show “Gang Related.” Also Adrianne Curry from “America’s Top Model.” All big draws.
XBIZ: It seems like rock bands are particularly interested in your show? Why?
LYNN: Rockers have always been more sympathetic to porn. It’s that rebel thing. They have a real connection with adult so it’s a natural. Also, they broaden our listener base quite a bit, so I love having them on.
XBIZ: Are you generally seeing a wider acceptance of porn? Explain.
LYNN: Oh yes. Porn’s not a big deal anymore. It’s not shocking like it was 20 years ago. So many mainstream TV shows are now using porn stars. We have fans calling in from all over the world now, from Egypt, Dubai and many places. Everyone sees it now as opportunity to promote themselves on a global basis.
XBIZ: Is the fact that you're on LATalkRadio a better venue for mainstream?
LYNN: I chose mainstream access radio deliberately in order to have a show with an adult flavor instead of simply an adult show. I’ve had a couple of offers to do an all-adult access show but they weren’t what I wanted. You have to go with what you know.
XBIZ: What about advertisers? Is Hustler still on board? Others?
LYNN: Yes, Hustler’s Hollywood store is our advertiser since April. And we’re growing every week. We have a new mainstream tequila company coming on board soon. We’re also heavily into promoting mainstream conventions like Comic Con and wrestling organizations.
XBIZ: Do you think you'll see mainstream radio shows adopting your format and focusing on porn?
LYNN: Like I said, Howard Stern did it years ago and it made everyone freak. But now it’s not the kind of thing that will shock mainstream listeners. We have the advantage of being an adult show first where we can get top adult names like Tera Patrick and Bree Olson more easily and also add the rock stars and TV personalities.
XBIZ: Are you planning on offering video segments for your listeners?
LYNN: Yes, definitely it’s in the plans for the future but we’ve not yet nailed down the details.
XBIZ: Any surprises you can tell us about?
LYNN: Yes, Marilyn Manson has committed to being a special guest and we’re working on Jenna Jameson who now has a role in “Sons of Anarchy.”
Photo courtesy of William Ramos
