Summary
Eon McKai (born 1980) is an American director of alt porn-themed pornographic films.[1] The name "Eon McKai" is a pseudonym and a tribute to punk singer Ian MacKaye.[2] Ian MacKaye considers this "surreal", but has said that he does not lose sleep over the matter.[3][2]
Eon McKai | |
|---|---|
 | |
| Born | 1980 |
| Occupation | Adult film director |
| Years active | 2004–2011 |
Career edit
McKai was involved in the internet-based alt porn scene soon after its emergence and photographed some of the early sets on SuicideGirls.[4] After graduating from the California Institute of the Arts School of Film/Video, he decided he wanted to go into directing pornography and introduced himself to pornographic film director Veronica Hart. Hart put him in touch with the adult video company VCA Pictures, who signed him as a director in 2004.[citation needed] In 2006, after producing several features for VCA, McKai was signed by Vivid to head a new imprint of theirs called VividAlt.[5]
McKai's films are alt porn-themed hardcore pornographic films, casting younger actors with an "alternative" punk, goth, or otherwise subcultural look, many of whom are not established porn actors. Going against the predominant trends in adult video, McKai prefers to shoot features with a plotline and high production values rather than gonzo porn. His influences include Andy Warhol, early "artistic" pornographic directors such as Alex de Renzy, The Dark Brothers, and Stephen Sayadian, as well as the aesthetic of alt porn websites such as SuicideGirls, BurningAngel, and GodsGirls.[4][6]
After a personal revelation at the AVN Adult Entertainment Expo in 2010, McKai completed his contractual obligations to Vivid Alt and retired from the industry. He spent some time recovering from a heavy meth addiction, then opened a small post-production studio, hiring former pornographic actors and directors to help them transition out of the industry.[7]
Reception edit
McKai's work was well received by alt porn fans, but was also criticized by those who feel that he appropriated the aesthetic of alternative subcultures for use in pornography, or who questioned his credibility and connection to alternative subcultures. After leaving the porn industry, one of the actresses in his films, Keiko, referred to McKai as "edgy as a butterknife".[8][9] Others, such as porn reviewers Roger Pipe[10] and Scott McGowan, denounced McKai for what they see as his artistic pretensions, with McGowan stating "If people jack off to your art, you're not the artist you think you are".[11] McKai's namesake commented that “the whole punk-porn thing is really just about fashion. If I put on a hat, chaps, and spurs and made a cowboy-porn movie, it wouldn’t make me a real cowboy.”[2] Tristan Taormino, however, defended McKai's work as authentically based on his own lifestyle and sense of aesthetics, and views the idea of creating artistic porn as much more worthy than simply churning out product.[12]
Filmography edit
Director edit
- Art School Sluts (2004)
- Kill Girl Kill 1-3 (2005)
- Neu Wave Hookers (2006)
- Girls Lie (2006)
- Debbie Loves Dallas (2007)[13]
- The Doll Underground (2007)
- On My Dirty Knees (2008)
- Art School Girls Are Easy (2009)
- Content (2009)
- Tres Flores (2009)
- Eyelashes (2010)
Producer / Executive Producer edit
- The Rebelle Rousers (2006)
- Man's Ruin (2007)
- Morphine (2008)
- Circa '82 (2008)
- Sugar Town (2008)
- Live In My Secrets (2009)
- Pussy a Go Go! (2009)
Self edit
- SexTV (Documentary) (2007)
- Debbie Does Dallas Again (TV Series)
- The New Erotic: Art Sex Revolution (2011)
References edit
- ^ Eon McKai at IMDb
- ^ a b c Dunlap, David Jr. (2005-08-05). "I Against...E". Washington City Paper. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- ^ Ryan, Kyle (2007-02-20). ""Ian Mackaye"". The A.V. Club. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- ^ a b Stoddard, Grant (2005). "The New Pornographer". Nerve.com.
- ^ "Eon McKai Goes Vivid". Fleshbot. 2006-02-16. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- ^ EonMcKai.com. (2004). "Bio: Who The Fuck Is Eon Mckai Anyway?". EonMcKai.com. Archived from the original on 2007-09-28. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ Crane, Antonia (2014-07-31). "Beautiful Things That Can Happen In The Dark: A Conversation With Eon McKai". The Rumpus. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
- ^ Ross, Gene. (2006). "Keiko: We're really Gonna Fuckin' Miss Ye". Adult FYI (website), February 15, 2006. Archived from the original on 2007-09-30. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ "Odeo: Search, Discover and Share Digital Media from Millions of Audio and Video Clips". Archived from the original on 2007-09-29. Retrieved 2007-11-12.
- ^ Pipe, Roger (2006). "DVD Review: Neu Wave Hookers". Rogreviews.com, September 5, 2006. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ McGowan, Scott (2005). "Porn, Art, Subculture, and Other Words That Don't Go Together". EyeOnAdult.com, September 14, 2005. Retrieved 2007-05-26.[permanent dead link]
- ^ Taormino, Tristan. (2005). "The Prince of Alt-Porn". Village Voice, November 11, 2005. Archived from the original on 2007-05-15. Retrieved 2007-05-26.
- ^ Ponate, Gram (2007-10-09). "Vivid Alt's "Debbie <3 Dallas"". Fleshbot. Retrieved 2020-06-22.
External links edit
- Eon McKai at the Internet Adult Film Database
- "Eon McKai - Art School Sluts" interview by Daniel Robert Epstein, SuicideGirls, January 8, 2005.
- "Generation XXX" by Peter Gilstrap, Los Angeles Times, December 11, 2005.
- "Art on His Sleeve: The Eon McKai Interview" by Gram Ponante, GramPonante.com, 2005.
- "The Berlin Porn Festival: Alternative Smut for the Silver Screen" by Alex Bakst, Der Spiegel Online, October 20, 2006.
- "Eon McKai's Altporn Liberation Army" by Violet Blue, San Francisco Chronicle, February 8, 2007.
- "Eon Mckai: Alt-porn Auteur", SexTV, January 20, 2007. (Links to RealPlayer video)
- "Eon McKai Interview: He's So Alty", Porn Star Interviews (podcast), April 13, 2007. (page links to MP3 audio file)
- "Eon McKai: Porn For The Rest of Us", by Omniphiliac Deviant Nation, April 16, 2009.
- "Sociology Of Sexuality lecture at UC Irvine"