THE PORNO-POLITICO

On a particularly sultry, early-summer evening in downtown San Diego, a palpable buzz of anticipation grows within the lollipop-colored confines of the erotica department mega-store Hustler Hollywood as a small line of individuals-most in their 20s and 30s-anticipate the scheduled appearance of Larry Flynt, Hustler magazine's controversial publisher, who is in town to promote the July 4 release of his latest book, Sex, Lies & Politics: The Naked Truth.

A large neon sign beams down from the high ceilings, reminding all in attendance to “Relax-it's just sex” as they excitedly share with one another items they've brought in for Flynt to autograph.

After a publishing career spanning 30-plus years, Flynt continues to attract media attention for statements that include a heady mix of proportionate amounts of sex and politics.

Flynt has also become a strident opponent of what he terms the “make-believe politics of the Bush presidency.” According to Larry Flynt Publications Inc., Flynt's new book (from “a smut peddler who cares”) details how “our current administration... is fundamentally and constitutionally corrupt, a ‘front organization' for the most reactionary forces in corporate America, in cahoots with radical fundamentalists obsessed with controlling every aspect of American life.”

A few minutes after 7 p.m., an immaculately groomed Flynt, left paraplegic from a 1978 assassination attempt that occurred during one of the porn mogul's numerous obscenity trials, is quietly ushered in-dripping with diamonds, on a gold-plated wheelchair (reported cost: $80,000)-by two imposing men-in-black bodyguards. Deposited behind a white-draped table, his diminutive wife ensconced on a red velvet divan by his side, Flynt sips cranberry juice from a straw.

Meanwhile, with the permission of Flynt's bodyguards (who seem somewhat out-of-sorts from a lack of sleep), I perch myself on a chair that resembles a giant, black patent leather stiletto high-heel and wait for a moment when the line of autograph seekers will taper off enough to allow me to approach Flynt with a few questions.

It's apparent that most who've come to greet Flynt consider him a hero. They praise, congratulate and even thank him for, what one terms, being “a crusader for First Amendment rights” as they ask him to autograph copies of Flynt-authored books, copies of Hustler, DVDs of The People vs. Larry Flynt and a plethora of Flynt-themed novelty items.

In a typical request, a young man gives precise instructions as to the exact anatomy part of one Hustler centerfold over which he wishes Flynt to scrawl his name.

“I studied your case in college,” a young woman in a cleavage-revealing tank top gushes as she leans down over the table toward Flynt.

A jittery, middle-aged male asks Flynt to autograph a $2 bill. The grimy note displays an array of signatures and ink stamps, which the man explains are signatures of “famous pimps... I keep in my pocket for luck.”

Finally, opportunity permits me to sidle up alongside Flynt, who fixes me with a direct, unblinking gaze. I ask him about his move last year to substantially restructure Hustler, particularly in relation to its political content. In May 2003, Flynt wrote that he'd made the changes because the magazine, though always known for a “fierce independent and antiestablishment” attitude, was “no longer leading the charge against censorship and conformity.”

“Yeah,” Flynt responds, his slurred speech delivered in a soft, sometimes difficult-to-decipher cadence. “You have a certain crew of creative people, and after a few years, you realize you need to make changes and be more aggressive with editorial policies.... I do lean to the left, and I'm proud of it”

When I ask Flynt about his quote that “in a land of sexually healthy people, we'd have less crime, less poverty, less divorce, less drug use and fewer right-wing Republicans,” he asserts that he has observed “a lot of these people that come from conservative, repressed backgrounds. I think it affected their general behavior-and sexual behavior in particular.”

He laughs when reminded of his call last August for a “National Prayer Day” for the death of Fox News Channel talk-show host Bill O'Reilly.

Despite O'Reilly's subsequent survival, Flynt says he'll grant the Fox commentator “a reprieve” this year, despite the fact that “I can't stand anything he stands for, and he can't stand me. The only thing we agree on is we're both against the death penalty.”

Before the book signing comes to an end, a melodramatic moment unfolds: a young male Hustler Hollywood employee faces Flynt, whom he chastises for “attempting to bring George Bush down.” The young man then announces his resignation and tosses his employee ID badge on the table directly in front of an unflinching Flynt. Before the youth exits, he faces the crowd, raises his fist in the air and shouts, “Vote Republican!”