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Who is John T Bone – and why did The Rialto Report find him languishing in jail when we looked for him?
John T Bone was one of the more controversial figures in adult film history.
But as we heard in the first episode of our mini-series about him, he was also an enigma wrapped in mystery with a fascinating past. Before he ever got involved in making X-rated films, he was a notable figure on the fashion scene in London at the height of the Swinging Sixties. Then he made millions trading in antiques, before becoming a successful art dealer in New York in the 1980s. Along the way he was part of a hoax involving Marilyn Monroe’s secret diaries, was close friends with Adrian Lyne, the director of Flashdance (1983) and Fatal Attraction (1987), and used Cher’s costumes from her Las Vegas stage show in porn films. He acquired a drug habit and a porn star. And that’s just scratching the surface.
Now in the concluding part of The Search for the Real John T Bone, we find out how John became the bad boy of 90s porn, the truth – revealed for the first time – behind Jerry Springer’s secret sex tape scandal, how he made the infamous World’s Biggest Gang Bang in 1995, in which Annabel Chong supposedly had sex with 250 men in 24 hours, became the first Westerner to shoot adult films in Eastern Europe, introduced Rocco Siffredi to America, and was thrown into jail in the Far East for prostitution.
But why, when The Rialto Report found him, was he was in jail serving a lengthy prison sentence, forgotten and alone, and willing to reveal all?
This is the second part of our mini-series, The Hunt for the Real John T Bone.
This podcast is 83 minutes long.
The music playlist for this episode can be found on Spotify.
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John T Bone – Part 2
A selection of some of the people and topics covered in this episode.
Savannah
Annabel Chong
Jasmin St. Claire
Kendra Jade
Cicciolina and Riccardo Schicchi
Rocco Siffredi
Zara Whites
John T Bone, whose real name is John Bowen, is sentenced to prison
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It was really interest article about Savannah famous x-rated film star from the early 90s inspire Marilyn Chambers from the 70s and Amber Lynn from the 80s but I knew John T-Bone keep up the good work BTW Happy Valentine’s Day enjoy the podcast
Wow. That’s a podcast!
Thank you Jim!
Terrific ending. I was shocked and didn’t see it coming but was moved by it. How can I feel emotional about someone I hadn’t even heard of at the beginning…??? That’s the genius of this crazy website. Thanks.
We really appreciate that Eric – thank you!
Just finished the 2nd part, always the best interviews around. Keep up the good work.
Thanks so much James!
What a life and what a fabulous storyteller. Mr W. you made a lost lonely soul at the end of his life feel appreciated. You did good.
Another great podcast, with the usual quality interviewing, I found it quite moving & sad at the end but what a life he had & it seems he was at peace to some degree.
I read that he was originally from my home town of Manchester & could hear his accent come through every now & then, particularly when he swore lol.
I really enjoy this site, your interviews & pieces are always really well put together, keep up the good work.
Thank you so much Jay!
John was a fantastic entrepreneur, and was a true visionary. His treatment of people is another story, but congratulations to Rialto for another classic presentation!
Thank you Richard!
Knocked it out of the park as usual. Captivating and fascinating.
The first adult movie I saw was a John T Bone film staring Tracey Adams called Bimbo Cheerleaders from Outer Space. I’ve always admired how theatrical the design was. Watching Tracey draw the scenery is among my favorite porn movie plot elements. I’m happy to know that the person who made the movie was indeed a master of the art form.
For some reason this one sent me back to the Tom Byron podcast for another listen. Tom’s, of course, not so tragic but both men seem scarred by a business they loved that discards its own so easily.
Another great RR Podcast. Like episodes of a great TV series that leaves you craving for more oh, the Rialto report is still my favorite podcast covering the Golden Age of the adult entertainment industry that truly has a place in history despite it being controversial. Also, I did watch the second g******* featuring Jasmine St Clair while I was in college, because that’s where people you’ve never seen porn or crazy art House movies at home see them. People can judge this industry all they want to, but when this industry made it into the mainstream in the 1960s unlike the direction it is now, I believe the industry has a right to exist, taboos were being broken, but the Golden Age of erotic films will be remembered much longer then the state of the adult industry is in today. John will be missed. He had an interesting story to tell, and was sad how his life ended. We lost Jim South, who just like John, was an unlikely contributor.
Thanks again, Ashley.
“You’ve been listening to the Rialto Report. Thank you.” I thank you, Ashley. I was not expecting such a poignant story. At least John Bowen had the chance to tell a small portion of his tale.
The history of the Italian porn industry is one that I have had an increasing interest in over the past few years. Just the part about the pipeline of performers from Eastern Europe mentioned by Mr. Bowen would contain plenty of intriguing stories. Is there any equivalent of the Rialto Report for that?
I don’t know many folk from the Italian porn industry other than Rocco Siffredi and Cicciolina, but it does seem like there might be a lot of crazy stories from there. I remember watching the Rocco documentary, but of course it didn’t delve much into the rest of the industry except what appeared to revolve around him. But I suppose if April or Ashley wanted to branch out…there’d be folk who’d be interested. 😉
I just finished part 2. All your shows are wonderful to hear. Keep up the good work.
Thank you so much!
Thank you for this wonderful, moving and revealing set of podcasts about a ver creative and sometimes misunderstood man. Great journalism.
We appreciate it Andy!
Ashley, the later 80s and 90s have a treasure trove of characters and a rich history too. I hope you are going to continue your pursuit of these stories too. Listen to your podcasts daily because there’s just so much in there to learn. We all love to hear all the stories the film and video do not tell. This is just a way of saying keep doing what you are doing. Let’s hear about more of these people and all of the interesting stories.
I find it difficult to express who much I love this episode – and how much I like John…!
Works fail me. Amazing. Really first class.
Thank you Hank!
Very moving. Unexpectedly so.
R.I.P. John.
Thank you Tony!
I always thought that John T Bone came across as somewhat brash and obnoxious in interviews. He was obviously a very good and ruthless business man. This interview showed another side to this infamous character, and things ended on a rather poignant note. Thanks for another great podcast Ashley.
Thank you Darren!
More Brits in America! Hockney, Springer and (sort of) Annabel Chong.
Superb stuff Ashley, well done! John combined the panache of Barnum Bailey and the PR skills of Don King or Simon Puxley. There’s no way the Beeb would’ve covered the Annabel story as often as John suggested, but strip away the exaggeration and the warmth and decency his friends latterly credited him with shines through his interviews.
This is exactly what makes RR so important.
As mentioned, the business might indeed have a short memory…..but fans worldwide never forget their favourite movies and stars decades later.
A superb podcast.
Thanks Paul!
The humanity of this story! Thank you for giving joy to this sick, forgotten old man in his last days. A true cautionary tale.
We really appreciate that William!
This podcast was amazing.What a life lived! I knew very little about John before the podcast but found his story compelling. His story brought to mind another raconteur you educated me on, Marty Hodas. The common thread seemed to be their ability to invent ways to be successful, or find new avenues of success when a previous one closed.
I am consistently pleased by the RR’s ability to meet or exceed the jounalistic high bar you have established for yourselves. Thanks for the time well spent.
Thanks for taking the time to comment Tony!
Every time I hear another of these podcasts, I think ‘damn, that was the best one ever’. But this one definitely was. Even better than the Tracy Lords series. Well done.
Thanks Bunty!
You are giving many of these people a great opportunity to have their stories told and many of them are final epitaphs they otherwise would not have gotten, like Bowen, Randy Paul, Phil Prince and others. Insightful, interesting and enjoyable as always. I love actually being able to hear much of their stories in audio format in their own voices.
Another fascinating story from start to finish. Whatever may be said about John, he certainly lived. Thank you for all your work in recording his life and so many others in what is largely an ephemeral business.
Very touching biography and interview with a true character. Thanks for giving John dignity in the direst of circumstances.
So now lovely people at Rialto, how about an interview with Rocco?
interesting
awesome!
Wow, Another Fantastic Podcast. Never knew what happened to this Artist. Tremendous and Sad at the same time.