bo16 saturday review oks Saturday May 28 2011 | the times Erica Wagner ‘Wecan’t be monogamous. It isn’t in ourgenes’ Literary Editor

TIM KNOX FOR THE TIMES on’t expectDominique and ason), but has arelationship with only Larry Flynt believes in free speech,responsible sexand Strauss-Kahn, the former one, Theresa, 40.“The others spend their head of the IMF charged weekstryingtofigureouthowIscrewedup gaymarriage.He’salsomademillionsfromhardcoreporn. with the sexual assault of a their lives.”One daughter,Tonya,wrote a He tells Tim Teeman whyevenpresidentscan’t stayfaithful NewYork hotel maid, to bookclaimingthat her father had forced stand trial or stick around, hertoperformoralsexonhim,whichFlynt D denies; he says that he has tapedevidence Iamperfectly awarethat saysLarryFlynt,themulti- millionairepornmagnate,advocateoffree- ofheradmittingthatshewasmistaken.She therearethoseamongyou domofspeech and observerofthe sexual toldhim that he “ruined” her life. “I told whowouldseemy name transgressions of the powerful. “He’s62. her,‘Here’sasolution: forten bucks go to uptopthere andthinkthatitoughttobe Think of the jail time if he’sfound guilty. I the courthouse and change your name’.I replacedbythat ofKingCanute—you think he’ll skip the countryatthe earliest don’tmiss beingaparent. They’re moti- remember,he’stheonewhotriedtohold opportunityand returntoFrance. Idon’t vatedbymoneyandIdon’tgivethemany. backthetide.Ifyoudoremember,itmight knowif he’sguilty, butwhenamanhas that “When Istarted Ihopedtoget justbebecauseyoureadthestoryina much power,the question is: what lies 5per cent of the market,” he book:somethingthatwillbehard to do, behind his behaviour? Well, synonymous recalls. “In less than ayear Ihad athird.” soon,ifyouhappento beapupil at with extreme wealth and power is ahuge Money “buys youfreedom”.But despite WellingtonCollege. Gettingrid ego, and the needtofeedthis egowith the private jet and Hollywood home, Flynt Youcouldn’tmakeitup, couldyou? constantsexualconquests.” ismostproud of hisfree-speech campaign- That’s right,atip-topindependentschool of booksin That priapic knot is also the focusof ing, which began in the early 1970sand in istochuckout morethan80per centofits favour of Flynt’s book, One Nationunder Sex,which the late1980s ledtoalandmark case librarybooks.Intheirplacewillbean exposesthe sex livesofAmerican presi- againsthim brought by the tele-evangelist e-reading“researchandinnovation their digital dents, pastand almostpresent,fromAbra- JerryFalwell in which ajudge ruledthat centre”.There willbeiPadsrather than ham Lincoln’s predilection forsharinghis public figureswho had been parodiedhad hardcovers,cosy chairsinsteadof equivalents? bedwithmen to marriagessuch as those of no grounds to sue for“intentional bookshelves,acafé andan“aptitude the Roosevelts and Kennedys, with infi- inflictionof emotionaldistress”. centre”withopaqueglasswalls.An What if delityrifeonboth sides (Jackie Kennedy’s Afterone obscenitycase in 1976 Flynt “archive”ofacouple ofthousandbooks there’sa conquestsincluded Marlon Brando, Wil- wassentencedto25years in prison (which willremain,artefactsofapastway of life. liam Holden and BobbyKennedy,JFK’s he did not serve): “Which waswhen Ireal- Iknowthetimesthey area-changin’. powercut? brother). While Flynt has been travelling isedthat freedomofspeech is not freedom Look,I’m learningtolovemyKindle,andI around Americapromotinghis salacious forthe thought youagree with, but the one neverthoughtthatdaywouldcometo tome (co-writtenwith the academic David youhatethe most.”The sentiment wasnot pass.E-booksaleshavejustsurpassed Eisenbach), the countryhas been gripped sharedbyhis would-be assassin, Joseph hardbacksalesonAmazon,we’retold. by twosex scandals: Strauss-Kahn and Paul Franklin, who shot him after Hustler Thisisindeedabrave newworld. ArnoldSchwarzenegger’s lovechild. featuredaninterracial coupling. “The ButI’mnotreallytalkingaboutsales, “Arnold’smaid wasinhis house for shots rangout,then Iwas on the street. It here,am I?I’mtalkingaboutalibrary, years. That child cannot be the result of which—whileit’s only onelibraryatone one-offsex,”saysFlynt,proprietorofLarry private school—seems anexemplarofan Flynt Publications (mostfamously the ‘The greatest idea,currentin somequarters thesedays, publisher of Hustler magazine) and with thatlibrariesarefusty, old-fashioned afortune of about $1 billion. “Women, rightany nation placesthatneedtobesprucedup. One especially,hatehim. Idon’t think he can canaffordits people sensesthatWellingtonCollegeis redeemhimself.” somehowembarrassedbyitshuge stockof In aNew York hotel suiteFlynt,68, sits is to be left alone’ books,theseantiqueinstrumentsof inhisgold-platedwheelchair,whichhehas learning.Andyetpeoplelovetheir had since1978,when he wasshot and para- survivor LarryFlynt, 68, wasshotin ringtothe 18th would-be pornmodel he heterosexual.”And yethehas become feltlikeahotpokerandrippedupmyintes- libraries: thethreatto publiclibraries lysedfromthe waistdown in an attempted 1978.Heisparalysed from thewaist hadhadsexwith:“Ifthey’reinthere longer quitethe gayrights crusader.“I’m opposed tines. Foramonth it wastouch and go across thecountry—hundredsareset for murder.“Isaw NatKingCole’sgoldwheel- down andusesagold-platedwheelchair than tenminutes,Iknow you’ve f***ed to anyformofdiscrimination.Thegreatest whether Iwouldlive, but Iacceptedmy closureto savemorethan£6 billionover chairinamuseumandthought,‘IfIhaveto them.”Hehad lots of sex: “The more you right anynation canafford its people is to paralysis easily and quickly.Iresolved that thecourseof twoyears—hascausedan beparalysed, Iwant one’,” He has asmooth wivesand partners? “I don’tthink human get,the more youwant.”Did he ever catch be leftalone.”Asfor gaymarriage, “They Iwouldn’t spend my lifedwellingonsome- outcry. “Librariesareoneoftheplaces face and shortginger hair and speaks in a beings were intended to be monogamous,” anydiseases? “Never.Inthe Navy,amedic canmarryatreeforallIcare”. thingIcouldn’t change. Idon’t think about peoplegowhenschoolfails them,”Sir frailgrowl. He wasrecentlyinhospitalfora he says. He never has been. “Itdoesn’t advisedustodrink five beers before sex, so Hissexualliberalismsitsuneasilyalong- beinginawheelchair untilsomeonebrings TerryPratchetthasremarked(hecredits Erica’s week urological problem and had surgery, “but appeal at all. Idon’t think monogamyisin we would urinateany nasty stuffout,and sidehis pornography,with titlessuch as it up.Idecided not to feel sorry formyself hisownsuccesstoBeaconsfieldLibrary). it’s no bigdeal”. Astrokethat he had years our genes. I’vealwaysbeen the Energizer to wash everywhere with hot soapywater. Barely Legal glorifyingthe youth of its orbeangryattheworld, andto moveon.” Librarieshavetokeepupwiththetimes agoafter overdosingonpain medication Bunny. Sex has been amajor,pleasurable It worked and became such ahabit that models. “They accuse me of exploiting Chronic pain ledFlynt to become addic- asmuchasanyofus:butlookingatmy Imet mayexplain his blurredspeech. But he is partofmylife.”Were his wivesOK with my second wifeIwould wash after women. We don’tcoerce them to appear. tedtomorphine, cocaine, sleepingpills, local IdeaStoreinWhitechapelIthink Thatintrepid traveller no complainer,isunapologetic about about his promiscuity? “No, that’s why sex,whichshefoundembarrassing.” They want money,haveagreat body and uppers and downers. “There are twokinds thatit’s perfectly possibleforlibrariestodo PaulTherouxatthe pornography,dryly funny(claimingthat I’vebeen marriedfivetimes. My current Hisfourthwife,Althea,washistruelove: want it preservedinour magazines.”He of addiction: physiological and psychologi- sowithout losingtheirsouls —ortheir CharlestonFestival. , who played him in the wife[Elizabeth Berrios] is more tolerant.” “Wewere inseparable.”Adrugs and alco- says that men “are turnedonbywhat they cal. Iwas physiologically addictedtodrugs. books.Iadmitthat Iwinced, backin2005, charleston.org.uk movie The People vs LarryFlynt,“madea What if they weren’t faithful? “I don’t holaddict, shecontracted HIV in 1983 see and women by what they read. Men When the pain wasdealt with, Iquit.”Asfor whenIheardthattheword“library”was bettermethan me”) and blush-inducingly know how I’d react,but how canI through ablood transfusion, Flynt says, caningesthuge quantitiesofpornography, sex,althoughhehashadabattery-operated beingditched.Ifeltsad,too, fortheclosure Iread open when talking about sex, whether it’s expectthem to be something I’m not? and developedAids. “Wehad acompletely and their female partners find it hard to penis implant removed“afteraninfection”, ofhistoricWhitechapelLibrary. Butthe SiddharthaMukherjee’s losinghis virginity, his rejection of mono- I’venever demanded fidelity, but they’ve open marriage. Sheliked girls as well as compete. Women should stop trying to he still has sex: “And [I] enjoyit. Some IdeaStoreisaroaringsuccess anddoesa remarkablebook,The gamyorhisbattery-operatedpenisimplant. never said, ‘Larry,Iwant to sleep with guys.”After the diagnosis of her illness compartmentalise their attitudes to sex people talk about growingold gracefully thrivingtradeinbooks; theold Emperorof AllMaladies: His latestbookisariot of prurient his- someone else’.Monogamyismore they “abstained” from sex. Shedrownedin and pornography and focusonthe kind of and it’s horseshit. Ifeel likeI’m in my thir- WhitechapelLibraryhasbecome, of ABiographyof Cancer. tory,sowhenFlyntsaysthattheKennedys’ feasibleforwomen.Menaresuchdogs.” 1987. “Itwas awful.Iwassodeeply in love relationshipstheywant.” ties. People sayyou can’ttakeyour money course,thewonderfulWhitechapel (FourthEstate). sexual indiscretions depressedhim, Flynt wasbornand raisedinpoverty in withherthatthewholeprocessofherdying As foryoungpeople, whose access to sex withyou;ifthat’s so,I’mnotgoingtogo.” Gallery. Notall change isbad. “because Igrew up duringCamelot”, I Kentucky.“We didn’t have twofood wasnumbing.”FlyntisHIV-negative. and sexual imageryhas never been greater Flynt’s legacy, he hopes, will be “that I Butgettingridofbooksalmost snort: “Come offit, yougointothem in stamps to rubtogether.That explains my Althea is “still the love of my life”,Flynt thanksto the internet,Flyntsays: “There is fought to expand the parameters of free entirelyinfavouroftheir digitalequiva- Ienjoyed huge detail.”Healso publishednudepho- success. The only waywas up.” His father says. Berrios understands. “I love her,but no evidence that pornisharmful to child- speech”. He wishesthat Americawould lents?I’mnotsosure.Foronething,what TerryGilliam’sbrilliant tosofJackie in Hustler in 1975.“Iwas hop- wasanalcoholic.“He came back from not likeAlthea.”Did he share Althea’s ren, although they shouldn’t be exposedto “become more likeEurope”,where the happenswhenthere’sapowercut? productionofBerlioz’s ingtomakealot of money,and Idid,”he World WarTwo and drank till he was60. bisexual leanings? “No, I’m averyuptight it. We can’tlimit what adults cansee based Church is detachedfrompoliticsand Gettingridofbooksmaylooklike Faust—takenoriginally concedes. “It’sabout capturinganicon in a He wasviolent and abusive to my mother onwhatchildrenmightsee.Theproblemis “where it’s more laid-back about sex. In progress:oritcouldheraldanew Dark fromGoethe’stext—at wayyou’d never expect. Icould make but not to me.”Flynt firstjoinedthe Army, sexeducation:over30percentofkidsaged France and Spain they takethree-hour Age.I’mnotsurethat’s whatthefolksat theENO. millionswithnudepicturesoftheQueen.” thentheNavy.Helosthisvirginityat15toa ‘Wealthymen such as between 11 and 13 are having sex. Teach lunch breaks, which means they canhave WellingtonCollegehadinmind. eno.org Although he writes about ’s prostituteinGeorgia. He began empire- them properly about sex. Tell them about mistresses.”Flyntconcludesthat“theGov- sexscandals,Flynt,aDemocrat,asserts:“If buildingin1965 with acollection of bars. Strauss-Khan need to the diseases. Scare the shit out of them. ernmenthasnobusinessin yourbedroom” you’ve fought twowars and balancedthe Hustler began in 1972 and mushroomedto feed their egos with Tell them that along with sex comes —whereashe,ofcourse,has. budget,you should be able to sleep with includeclubs,videos,shopsandacasino. responsibility. At the moment they’re just OneNationUnder Sexis publishedby *Whereyouseethis symbol,orderbooksatdiscountedprices, whoever youwant,but acertain discretion Flynt remembers his secretaryinthe sexual conquests’ shownhowtoputacondomonabanana.” Palgrave Macmillanat£16.99.Toorder withfreep&p,fromTheTimesBookshop:call08452712134or is required.”What about cheated-upon early days saying to him, “That’s 18”,refer- Flynt has five children (four daughters itfor£15.29,call08452172134 visitthetimes.co.uk/bookshop