In one of his first detailed interviews for many years, Tom Byron joins us to look back at one of the most prolific careers in adult film history.

His life story resembles the history of the adult film industry since the beginning of the video age, during which time he’s won just about every kind of adult film award going and is in every Hall of Fame invented by the industry. He’s appeared in literally thousands of films, and he’s directed, produced, and edited hundreds too. He’s weathered the storms of AIDS, obscenity charges, tax indictments, pro-wrestling, drugs, industry controversies, and much more.

So how does he make sense of it all? What does he remember about Traci Lords, John Holmes, Alex de Renzy, Marc Wallice, Ginger Lynn, Jim South, John Stagliano, Patrick Collins and others?

And, now in his 50s, what is he doing today? You may be surprised.

This podcast is 109 minutes long.

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If you’ve followed us for long here at The Rialto Report, you know how much we respect and admire actors like Jamie Gillis, John Leslie, George Payne, and others.

But as a teenager growing up watching their films, I have to admit – I never watched the screen and really identified with them. I never saw myself in their shoes. I never looked at them and thought, hey, that could be me.

And then one actor came along who did look familiar. He looked like us, talked like us, and seemed just like all the teenage kids I knew. It was almost like watching ourselves onscreen. In an adult movie too.

And that was Tom Byron.

He looked like a naïve choirboy virgin who’d watched a golden age porn film in a theater somewhere in Texas, and decided it looked so much fun that he’d climb up onto the screen and join the action. And, as it turns out, that’s almost exactly what happened.

Tom Byron started appearing in adult films in 1982 often showing up in the role of the innocent brother or son who discovers sex. In the years since then his life story resembles the history of the adult film industry since the beginning of the video age. He’s appeared in literally thousands of films, and he’s directed, produced, and edited hundreds too.

He dated Traci Lords when it was revealed that she was underage in one of the biggest scandals ever to hit the adult film industry.

He saw so many come and go, he weathered the AIDS crisis, drugs, tax investigations, and burn out.

He’s had his own film production company several times, including the controversial Extreme Associates which he started with his best friend Rob Black, which featured rough sex and ultimately legal charges for obscenity.

He tried his hand at launching a music career as a singer, and even formed a wrestling company, Xtreme Pro Wrestling.

He saw the industry re-invent itself – several times, and all the time he kept working and making more films. And he still looked like a teenager.

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In this podcast, Tom refers to the effect that the Frontline documentary, ‘American Porn‘, had on Extreme Associates, the business he owned with Rob Black.

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