Comedian Dave Attell on Old Porn and His New Showtime TV Show
The star of Dave’s Old Porn explains how the show came about, who we can expect to join him and why he’s the Dr. Oz of porn
We finally know why Dave Attell has been an insomniac all of these years. The caustic comic has been staying up late watching classic skin flicks. The star of Comedy Central’s late, lamented insomniac is back on the small screen as the host of Showtime’s Dave’s Old Porn, which premieres tonight. Attell, who actually has a massive stash of old school X-rated films, will dissect such underappreciated art every week along with his funny comic friends and the porn legends from a generation or two ago.
Your show sounds a lot like Mystery Science Theater.
It’s the Mystery Science Theater of porn. We talk over it like Mystery Science Theater and have fun with it.
Who will analyze Ron Jeremy’s penis and break down Nina Hartley’s rack with you?
Comics like Jim Norton, Chelsea Handler, Margaret Cho and Whitney Cummings. It’s refreshing watching porn with a girl, especially when that girl is a really funny lady. People think women don’t watch porn but they do. Guys should watch porn with their girlfriends. It’s a blast. It’s different.
Old school porn is totally different. Back in the day, you had guys that were fat and hairy and girls, who had real jugs.
It’s completely true. Guys weren’t ripped and the girls didn’t have boob jobs back then. The films were very raw and the dialogue and production were different than today. These people thought they were real actors, real artists. They actually told stories. It’s not like today’s porn factory system. You’ll be seeing films that were shown late night in seedy Manhattan theaters. I have the best time with this. I hate to call myself the host. I’m just the guy with the porn. It’s my collection.
So you still have your VHS tape porn?
Yes. Kids today have no idea about VHS porn. Today porn is instantly downloaded into your penis. I’ve had my stash of tape porn in a duffle bag. Whenever I would move from one apartment to the next, I would grab that bag and tell the mover, “This is really heavy, I got it.”
How far will Showtime let you go?
We can go pretty far. But we can’t show penetration. But everything else is there. If you don’t get a chubber, not full wood, this show not for you.
Speaking of full wood, this is before the days of Viagra. Wasn’t it pretty hard, so to speak, to be a go-to-guy in the Boogie Nights‘ era of porn?
Yes. A lot of these guys thought they could do it but they couldn’t. The go-to-guys, like Ron Jeremy and Peter North just had this natural ability. They could pop whenever they were told to. It’s an incredible skill. Those guys are studs. The old porn is different. I’ve had newer porn stars on like Belladonna and she found the old porn quaint. They were trying to tell stories and well, it’s so unlike what’s happening today.
What do the old porn stars think when they watch their old footage of themselves?
They get a kick out of it. They enjoy watching themselves. They might not remember what they did then but I remember it.
Do they ever offer sex advice?
Yes. Nina Hartley, who is so great, was nice enough to give techniques on how to deep throat and she was also giving the proper etiquette in a three-way. I’m like Dr. Oz. I’m helping people.
Have you ever made it through an old porn flick?
Yes and it can be excruciating or like ecstasy. But you won’t be seeing the whole film when you tune into Dave’s Old Porn. You’ll see the best, most interesting stuff on my show.
Read This Next
