Let me give you an analogy to explain what gonzo porn is. Just like the best story-driven porn, Hollywood films tell narratives through the point of view of their characters. You, as a viewer, may even forget there is a camera present. By contrast, with documentaries, filmmakers and their crew engage and interact with their subjects. A gonzo video is like an X-rated documentary.
Everybody acknowledges there is a camera in the room and often the cameraman engages directly with the performers. He may be an active participant in the sex or he may only film it. If it’s the latter, he goes for tight shots from intimate angles. He may also comment on and direct the action. As a viewer, you will feel like an active rather than passive observer.
Discover the Icons of Gonzo
The niche’s heyday was during the ’90s and one of its most prolific producers was Seymore Butts. Many of his DVDs are still available on Adult DVD Empire. Another notable master of the genre was John Stagliano, whose Buttman series is now part of his Evil Angel network. Of course, even if both gentlemen shot plenty of anal sex, the gonzo niche includes other hardcore acts too.
Diabolic is a porn studio that has been going strong for over 20 years. Many in the adult industry also credit its early productions for popularizing gonzo. These days, as tastes have changed, the studio focuses more on taboo and reality porn videos. Still, you can catch some of their classics if you dig deep enough.
Perfect Gonzo is your most obvious choice. Otherwise, Rocco Siffredi has shot in this style for 30+ years now. And while he may appear less frequently on camera these days, he continues to film and direct gonzo scenes with other performers. Mike Adriano, another successful adult star, shoots his True Anal scenes gonzo style.
What Are Gonzo Porn’s Origins?
Originally, gonzo referred to a journalism movement. The author and journalist Hunter S. Thompson founded it, but his name may be familiar to you for another reason. His novels Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas and The Rum Diary inspired two Hollywood films. His first gonzo article (for a long-defunct publication) was “The Kentucky Derby Is Decadent and Depraved.”
The article was revolutionary because he didn’t write it as a sober impartial observer. Thompson and his illustrator Ralph Steadman became active participants in the drunken debauchery surrounding the horse race. In 1971, the editor of The Boston Globe Sunday Magazine Bill Cardoso called Thompson’s piece “pure gonzo.” Subsequently, Thompson used the term.
How Gonzo Led to Reality Porn
The popularity of gonzo made it clear that elaborate story-driven productions were no longer necessary. The participants in a scene were free to acknowledge the presence of the crew and even screw the cameraman. This less is more approach to filmmaking gave rise to reality porn. In the early days, you’d see girls getting picked up on the street. Some gay sites followed suit.
Generally, people credit Bang Bus as being the first reality porn site. (Our article on how to cancel BangBros explains why we no longer list them.) Similar websites soon sprung up in the wake of its success. For example, Reality Kings’ Captain Stabbin did his scenes on a boat, while their pal the MILF Hunter tracked down cougars ready to pounce in front of his camera.
What Is Gonzo Compared to POV Porn?
The major determining factor for whether a scene is POV or gonzo is if the participants interact with the cameraperson. Or at least acknowledge their presence. If it’s apparent there’s a camera in play that’s gonzo. If the performers address the camera as a character, like say a stepfather or stepbrother, that’s POV. This is the case with Dad Crush and Sis Loves Me.
Although POV often incorporates taboo themes, porn makers don’t limit themselves. The choose-your-own-adventure movies on Life Selector instantly spring to mind as an excellent example. As a viewer, the action unfolds as if you’re right in the heart of it. And because the scenes are interactive, you get to decide what happens next.
Of course, I can think of some scenarios where POV crosses over into gonzo territory. Namely, lesbian VR porn on sites like VR Bangers. Of course, the girls won’t make any direct reference to a camera being there. You are still playing the role of a random voyeur and watching them play with each other from an intimate third-party perspective. That’s more gonzo.
How Casting Porn Fits Into the Niche
It turns out that gonzo is the gift that keeps on giving. It also inspired casting porn sites like Backroom Casting Couch which launched back in 2008. I would say that year aligns nicely with what I consider the height of the category’s popularity. Certainly, that has got to be more than a coincidence. I think it’s because people appreciate how the girls interact with the camera.
Other popular sites featuring gonzo-style porn auditions include Net Video Girls. Amateurs trying out for softcore modeling gigs end up having sex during their on-camera interviews. Many of the NVG girls end up auditioning on Casting Couch HD once their adult cherries are popped. These follow-up casting couch screentests are almost always interracial gonzo videos.
Where to Find More Gonzo Porn
At the moment, we have no specific tag on Rabbit’s for gonzo. After all, it is more of a filming style than a niche in the traditional sense. Fortunately, related sites can be found in our Reality Porn category. And if you search Rabbit’s for “gonzo,” you will get some worthwhile results. Filtering by Review will increase your hits.
I can also tell you that many large porn libraries, like Bang.com and Adult Time, have filters for Gonzo. I also encourage you to explore on your own. After all, gonzo is one of those trends that will never entirely go away. Just as journalists still employ this style, so too do adult content makers.
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