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Downloaded from
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YTS.BZ
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[Robin Byrd] Okay,
for those of you who don't know
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00:00:16,058 --> 00:00:17,851
what this is all about...
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00:00:21,355 --> 00:00:23,398
good, we'll keep you
in suspense.
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Hi, I'm Robin Byrd
and this is the Robin Byrd Show.
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And what I want everyone to do
is to get comfortable.
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You're probably
with a loved one,
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so snuggle up
real close with them.
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And for those of you
who don't have a loved one,
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well, you always have me,
Robin Byrd.
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[♪ upbeat music playing]
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Will you please welcome
one of New York's
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best-kept secrets, Robin Byrd.
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[cheering and applause]
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Everybody knows Robin Byrd!
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[Annie Sprinkle] She's probably
the record holder
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of the most cable shows.
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That's what happens
when you produce,
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direct, write, and whatever.
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[Robin laughing]
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[Sandra Bernhard]
She's a cultural avatar,
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and I think she loved the idea
that she was hosting
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the ultimate underground party.
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[Annie]
Robin was an important part
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of sex-positive feminism
and pleasure activism.
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And the more lubricated
she becomes,
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the easier it is
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to insert the weenie.
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[Byrdwatcher]
People dismissed her as camp,
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but the truth is
that Robin fought like hell
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for the gay community.
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Now, go get your rubbers while
I'm doing all this, you know.
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[news reporter] Meese today
declared a federal crackdown
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on obscene materials.
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[Phil Donahue]
Excuse me, but Robin...
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Robin, is this it? Fini?
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I'm putting up a big fight.
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My fans are behind me 100%.
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Before you know it,
we'll be censoring everything in the United States.
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Books and what we learn
in school.
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[Byrdwatcher] The fact is,
once you speak out,
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they'll come after you.
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[protesters] Shame! Shame!
Shame! Shame!
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[Ceyenne Doroshow]
Being an activist is one thing,
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but when you're
intentionally teaching,
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it means you're an activator.
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That's what Robin was.
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Isn't it indecent?
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[Robin] The human body
is not indecent.
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What is indecent?
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[light bulb crackling]
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[Robin] Wow, I haven't had
anybody in this apartment
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in over 20 years.
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It's hard to find things
in here.
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Oh, here's my costume.
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It's a crochet bikini
that I would wear on the show.
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Yep, it's stretched out,
alright.
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Nope, doesn't smell.
[laughs]
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So, that's this.
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This should go in a museum.
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As you can see,
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I have the decks here
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and the DV cam.
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And transferring--
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And my audio board
is underneath all of those.
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- [dog barks]
- Sit with Daddy.
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Go sit with Daddy.
Baby, you can hear me?
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[Shelly] Yeah, I hear you,
and I'm not gonna say a word.
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[Robin] That's Shelly.
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He never left,
no matter how crazy I am.
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[Robin laughs]
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[Robin sighs]
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And these are all our children.
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We have more than 600 tapes.
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December 27th, 1989.
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Different century.
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They're numbered.
All my shows are numbered.
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So, these are the earlier ones.
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Here's one with Heather Hunter.
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[♪ seductive music playing]
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It's always fun
when Heather's on.
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Julie Bond was my first
transsexual.
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She was beautiful.
She was beautiful.
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I always thought
it would be a good idea
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to get up close and personal
with Jeff Stryker.
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So we did an interview in bed
at my hotel in Vegas,
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and then we had sex
and Shelly filmed it.
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And his dick was large.
It had girth.
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This is the first--
the Hot Legs show.
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Let's put this in the box.
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[Shelly]
That is a super classic.
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[Robin] This is one
of the first shows I did.
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[♪ funky music playing]
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In 1976, there was
a porn producer,
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Bobby Hollander.
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And he had this TV show
called Hot Legs,
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hosted by two porn stars.
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Bobby had begged me
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'cause nobody was in town
to do the show.
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It was a half-hour show
on Thursday nights.
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They called me and said,
"Do me a favor."
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And I'm like, "What?"
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"Well, can you come down
and be a host?"
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And he was like, "Oh, please,
please, please, please."
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I'm like, "Okay, Bobby,
I'm gonna do this for you."
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The format, it was a film.
Like a short.
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Like a-- like a 8-millimeter
short for 15 minutes.
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And then, the next 15 minutes,
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you opened up the phone lines
to the audience.
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This was the first time
that TV was interactive.
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And everybody
took all their hostilities out
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on this poor half-hour show
where they could talk to the TV.
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But first, some phone calls.
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And I was so reluctant
to push the first call
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because they weren't screened.
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- Hello?
- [caller 1] Hot Legs.
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Hot Legs, this is.
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I oozed "Please love me."
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[laughs] Please don't hate me.
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All I want is love
for everybody.
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[caller 1] I want to know,
what makes you so hot?
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All these lights here.
[laughs]
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And they're like, "You're great,
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we love you,
you're so beautiful."
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[caller 2] You've got
a great show. You got a hit.
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[Robin] So, I was like,
"Oh, thanks.
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I'm beautiful. Oh, great!"
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You know, there's nothing
like a compliment,
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especially on television.
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[caller 3] Hello. Your hot legs
are absolutely very delightful.
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[Robin]
And I said, "Oh, thank you."
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And, "You wanna say anything
about the film?"
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"No, we just want to see
more of you."
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[♪ upbeat electronic
music playing]
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And I didn't get paid.
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My payment
was all those compliments.
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You know, this was the '70s.
We didn't do things for money.
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I continued to go back every
Thursday to fill in for them.
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And the studio that we were
doing it at said,
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"Oh, there's no show tonight."
I'm like, "Why?"
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He says, "Well, Bobby Hollander
owes me a lot of money.
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"And until he pays me,
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there's not gonna be
any more show."
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And I said,
"Well, I wanna do a show."
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And they said, "Well, you can't
call it the Hot Legs show."
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And I said, "Well, what am I
gonna call it?"
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And I said, well, Johnny Carson
had the Johnny Carson Show.
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Tom Snyder had
the Tom Snyder Show.
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I'm gonna call it
the Robin Byrd Show.
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[♪ upbeat electronic
music playing]
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I was the first woman
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to bring adult programming
to television.
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Well, it was mostly
a male audience
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when it started out as Hot Legs
'cause it was run by a man.
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It was more geared towards men.
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And here I am, I have
a female's point of view,
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which is a lot softer.
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- Hello?
- [caller] Hi, how are you?
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I just want to know
why the show has changed
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from the Bobby Hollander Show
to now, of course, your name?
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Well, because
I'm producing it now.
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[caller] Oh, very good.
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[Robin]
In the beginning, they said,
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"You'll have
to produce it yourself."
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And I said,
"Okay, I'll produce it,"
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not knowing
what a producer does.
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Of course, 30 years,
some-odd-years later,
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I know a producer
does everything, everything.
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- Hello?
- [caller] Yes, Robin.
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- Yes?
- [caller] Yes, I'd like to know
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what do you do
when you're not on the show?
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Um, I'm constantly thinking
about the show.
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I was always told that in TV,
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you can't use white,
black, or red.
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And I'm like, well,
I'm gonna change that.
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I got my red background paper.
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I had a black rug on the floor.
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I wore a black crochet bikini.
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And you know what?
All those colors
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and psychedelic looks
that I added to the show,
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well, I taught the studio
how to do video feedback.
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And that's what you see
on the show.
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We're gonna do
some exercises now,
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00:09:15,889 --> 00:09:19,142
and that's all part
of living these days.
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Back in those days,
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it wasn't common for women
to be bodybuilding.
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Now, you breathe...
[inhales sharply]
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00:09:26,399 --> 00:09:27,901
...in from your diaphragm.
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So, I'd show everybody,
this is what I do for my body.
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I do squats, I do lunges.
This is my thing.
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You can do the same.
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Do leg circles.
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This is how I got my ass.
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And then,
I had a five-minute story
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that I would write,
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Byrd's Book of Bedtime Stories.
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My, uh, bedtime music, perhaps?
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This was X-rated fairy tales.
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So, I would turn you on
and tuck you in.
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"He had taken her out to dinner,
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00:10:01,935 --> 00:10:04,687
and then he had
taken her to a disco."
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00:10:04,729 --> 00:10:07,023
[♪ upbeat electronic
music playing]
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00:10:07,065 --> 00:10:09,526
I started having guests
on the show
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00:10:09,567 --> 00:10:12,612
after the Byrd's Book
of Bedtime Stories...
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00:10:14,489 --> 00:10:17,492
because people didn't
understand the adult industry.
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00:10:20,703 --> 00:10:23,248
They thought that everybody
walked around with dildos
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00:10:23,289 --> 00:10:26,042
in their mouth and their ears,
and stuck up their butts.
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00:10:26,084 --> 00:10:28,419
And-- and I just wanted
to show people
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00:10:28,461 --> 00:10:30,046
that these are just
human beings
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00:10:30,088 --> 00:10:31,256
that have a lot of talent.
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00:10:31,297 --> 00:10:33,258
♪ Mix me with vodka ♪
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00:10:33,299 --> 00:10:35,927
♪ And call me Bloody Mary ♪
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00:10:35,969 --> 00:10:37,887
♪ Mix me with hot sauce ♪
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00:10:37,929 --> 00:10:39,806
♪ And I get pretty scary ♪
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00:10:39,848 --> 00:10:41,891
- Thank you.
- [Robin] Oh, that's great!
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00:10:41,933 --> 00:10:43,768
- [laughing]
- That's great!
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00:10:43,810 --> 00:10:46,437
- Thank you.
- I love that. That's super.
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00:10:46,479 --> 00:10:48,439
[♪ upbeat dance music playing]
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00:10:50,150 --> 00:10:53,820
We were on once a week
on Wednesday night at midnight.
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00:10:53,862 --> 00:10:56,614
'Cause it's hump day!
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00:10:56,656 --> 00:10:59,659
And with me is Samantha Fox.
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00:10:59,701 --> 00:11:01,286
And I want to...
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00:11:02,162 --> 00:11:03,454
[both] Mm.
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00:11:04,205 --> 00:11:05,415
Cut.
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00:11:05,456 --> 00:11:07,333
- [both laugh]
- Oh, boy.
227
00:11:07,375 --> 00:11:10,503
If that wasn't hot enough
for you, we have more.
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00:11:11,796 --> 00:11:14,591
Then later on,
as the show got more popular,
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00:11:14,591 --> 00:11:19,179
I had up-and-comings
and all kinds of people.
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00:11:19,220 --> 00:11:20,430
Lie back, get comfortable.
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00:11:20,471 --> 00:11:22,849
We have a great show
for you tonight.
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00:11:22,891 --> 00:11:26,978
First on line is Annie Sprinkle.
233
00:11:27,020 --> 00:11:29,105
[spitting and groaning]
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00:11:29,147 --> 00:11:30,607
[Annie]
I did a performance piece
235
00:11:30,648 --> 00:11:31,816
on Robin's show
236
00:11:31,858 --> 00:11:34,944
about my 100 worst
sexual experiences.
237
00:11:34,986 --> 00:11:36,946
[yelling]
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00:11:36,988 --> 00:11:42,118
We'd all go and promote
our stuff on Robin's show.
239
00:11:42,160 --> 00:11:45,038
That was like the internet.
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00:11:49,083 --> 00:11:51,628
[Robin] You-- you've been
doing postmodernism.
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00:11:51,669 --> 00:11:53,796
I like to call it
porn-formances.
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00:11:53,796 --> 00:11:56,174
- Porn-formance art.
- Oh, porn-formance, yeah.
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00:11:56,216 --> 00:11:58,509
[Annie]
Robin was so passionate
244
00:11:58,551 --> 00:12:01,221
about people
in the sex industry,
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00:12:01,262 --> 00:12:04,140
and her heart
really came through.
246
00:12:04,182 --> 00:12:06,017
- [caller] How you doing?
- Oh, I'm great, how are you?
247
00:12:06,059 --> 00:12:07,810
I've been watching a long time.
I think your show is great.
248
00:12:07,852 --> 00:12:09,187
- Thank you.
- The first time I've gotten through.
249
00:12:09,229 --> 00:12:10,313
Oh, thank you so much.
250
00:12:10,355 --> 00:12:11,814
And you know what?
251
00:12:11,856 --> 00:12:13,816
My show is still on
in reruns today,
252
00:12:13,858 --> 00:12:16,736
even though the technology
is changing.
253
00:12:16,778 --> 00:12:19,030
This is my cable box.
254
00:12:19,072 --> 00:12:23,493
But in the beginning,
there was a sit-top thing
255
00:12:23,534 --> 00:12:26,162
where you had a dial,
256
00:12:26,204 --> 00:12:28,998
and then there was one
with push buttons.
257
00:12:29,040 --> 00:12:31,834
And the cable box
has been keeping me on
258
00:12:31,876 --> 00:12:33,419
for all these years.
259
00:12:35,463 --> 00:12:38,549
In the '70s,
buildings were getting taller
260
00:12:38,591 --> 00:12:42,178
and your rabbit ear antennas
weren't picking up as much.
261
00:12:42,220 --> 00:12:44,013
And they couldn't get
the reception
262
00:12:44,055 --> 00:12:45,765
from the antennas,
263
00:12:45,807 --> 00:12:48,518
so that's why they decided
to get cable.
264
00:12:48,559 --> 00:12:51,354
[Kirsten Fleming] Instead of
sending signals through the air
265
00:12:51,396 --> 00:12:53,106
like they did
with broadcast TV,
266
00:12:53,147 --> 00:12:55,066
they put cables
under the streets.
267
00:12:56,276 --> 00:12:58,361
Since the streets
were public property,
268
00:12:58,403 --> 00:13:00,405
politicians and advocates
demanded
269
00:13:00,446 --> 00:13:02,198
that cable companies set aside
270
00:13:02,240 --> 00:13:04,117
some channels for public use,
271
00:13:04,158 --> 00:13:06,244
which would become
public access TV,
272
00:13:06,286 --> 00:13:07,912
the wild wild west
of the boob tube.
273
00:13:07,954 --> 00:13:09,747
Hi, welcome to Speak Out.
274
00:13:09,789 --> 00:13:12,625
My name is Ken Sander,
and tonight's issue is,
275
00:13:12,667 --> 00:13:14,585
should New Yorkers
carry handguns?
276
00:13:14,627 --> 00:13:16,879
[Bob Morris] The idea was
that local community members
277
00:13:16,879 --> 00:13:19,215
who were not represented
on broadcast TV
278
00:13:19,257 --> 00:13:22,218
would be able to put
themselves on television.
279
00:13:22,260 --> 00:13:24,721
- There were church groups...
- ♪ Come to Jesus ♪
280
00:13:24,762 --> 00:13:26,889
...community neighborhood
associations.
281
00:13:26,931 --> 00:13:28,599
[speaking Spanish]
282
00:13:28,641 --> 00:13:30,226
Artists, activists.
283
00:13:30,268 --> 00:13:32,729
Reagan, Connor, and Anderson.
284
00:13:32,770 --> 00:13:35,732
That's what they are.
Call them the three musketeers.
285
00:13:35,732 --> 00:13:38,818
[Michael Musto]
Politics, town hall rants.
286
00:13:38,860 --> 00:13:40,987
Canned wine.
287
00:13:41,029 --> 00:13:42,739
[Michael] Manhattan Cable
actually handed out
288
00:13:42,780 --> 00:13:46,242
free studio time
to anyone who signed up.
289
00:13:46,284 --> 00:13:47,744
As you can see from the hearts,
290
00:13:47,785 --> 00:13:49,245
this is our
Valentine's Day show,
291
00:13:49,287 --> 00:13:50,913
so we have one
of the most romantic bands
292
00:13:50,955 --> 00:13:52,915
in New York City with us,
the Beastie Boys.
293
00:13:52,915 --> 00:13:54,792
What you do is you
put your fingers here, you put your fingers there,
294
00:13:54,834 --> 00:13:56,336
and you walk like this, see?
295
00:13:56,377 --> 00:13:58,463
[Michael]
No gatekeepers, no auditions.
296
00:13:58,504 --> 00:14:01,758
Just show up and boom,
you're on TV.
297
00:14:01,799 --> 00:14:04,761
Mm, we have an excellent
Burgundy today.
298
00:14:04,802 --> 00:14:07,096
A Fixin from Hervelets.
299
00:14:07,138 --> 00:14:09,265
[♪ upbeat dance music playing]
300
00:14:09,307 --> 00:14:10,850
[Robin] And then,
Manhattan Cable
301
00:14:10,892 --> 00:14:12,435
added another channel,
302
00:14:12,477 --> 00:14:14,354
which was Channel J.
303
00:14:14,395 --> 00:14:16,272
Getting comfortable
in swinging.
304
00:14:16,314 --> 00:14:20,193
Channel J was the first
leased access channel
305
00:14:20,234 --> 00:14:24,113
where you could rent time
and sell ads.
306
00:14:24,155 --> 00:14:26,783
[announcer]
1-900-HOT-TOOL.
307
00:14:26,824 --> 00:14:29,619
[Robin] As long
as it wasn't considered
308
00:14:29,660 --> 00:14:31,287
legally obscene,
309
00:14:31,329 --> 00:14:33,873
you could pretty much do
anything you wanted to do.
310
00:14:33,915 --> 00:14:36,292
[Coca Crystal]
We have the world's only
311
00:14:36,334 --> 00:14:38,127
weekly pot report.
312
00:14:38,169 --> 00:14:40,171
[Jim Chladek]
Our studio was an open door.
313
00:14:40,213 --> 00:14:42,548
I didn't censor you.
I didn't do anything.
314
00:14:42,590 --> 00:14:44,509
Only thing you couldn't do
in the studio was start a fire.
315
00:14:45,510 --> 00:14:46,969
[Robin]
Jim Chladek was a rebel.
316
00:14:47,011 --> 00:14:49,972
He had an office next door
to Time Warner.
317
00:14:50,014 --> 00:14:55,144
And he somehow rigged
a wire in the alleyway
318
00:14:55,186 --> 00:14:59,607
between the two buildings
to connect it for live TV.
319
00:15:03,861 --> 00:15:05,196
[blowing]
320
00:15:07,865 --> 00:15:09,075
[blowing]
321
00:15:10,535 --> 00:15:11,911
That's an old tape.
322
00:15:11,953 --> 00:15:14,247
[director] Why are you
holding on to all your tapes?
323
00:15:15,373 --> 00:15:17,542
[Robin]
It's a good question.
324
00:15:17,583 --> 00:15:19,919
I don't know why
I'm holding on to the tapes.
325
00:15:22,213 --> 00:15:24,173
I don't need all these tapes.
326
00:15:24,924 --> 00:15:28,261
But I can't see myself
getting rid of them.
327
00:15:30,221 --> 00:15:32,515
[Shelly] These originals
are gonna stay,
328
00:15:32,557 --> 00:15:34,934
or are you gonna
put them in storage?
329
00:15:34,976 --> 00:15:36,352
[Robin]
I'm not gonna continue
330
00:15:36,394 --> 00:15:38,271
paying so much money
for storage.
331
00:15:38,312 --> 00:15:40,565
You know, we're living
on a fixed income.
332
00:15:40,606 --> 00:15:42,567
You wanna hold on
to the physical tapes?
333
00:15:42,608 --> 00:15:44,402
Yeah, the physical tapes, sure.
334
00:15:44,444 --> 00:15:46,028
What are you gonna do with it,
throw it away?
335
00:15:46,070 --> 00:15:47,905
[Robin]
Things don't work anymore.
336
00:15:47,947 --> 00:15:50,366
The-- the format's not the same.
337
00:15:50,408 --> 00:15:51,784
Destroy these tapes?
338
00:15:51,826 --> 00:15:53,703
[Robin]
What would happen if I die?
339
00:15:53,703 --> 00:15:55,371
- You know what's gonna happen?
- Oh, you're never gonna die.
340
00:15:55,413 --> 00:15:57,457
- Says who?
- [Robin] I'm not magic.
341
00:15:57,498 --> 00:16:00,209
- What's gonna happen with it?
- You're never gonna die.
342
00:16:00,251 --> 00:16:01,627
- Really?
- Yes.
343
00:16:01,669 --> 00:16:03,045
[Robin] What, you think
I'm Superwoman?
344
00:16:03,087 --> 00:16:05,756
Yes. I know it.
345
00:16:05,798 --> 00:16:07,383
[Robin] Okay, but if I die,
346
00:16:07,425 --> 00:16:10,136
city marshal's gonna come in
here and throw everything away.
347
00:16:10,178 --> 00:16:11,804
It only means something
to you and me
348
00:16:11,846 --> 00:16:14,098
because we put our life into it.
349
00:16:17,435 --> 00:16:20,438
Ah, dealing with dementia.
350
00:16:21,314 --> 00:16:23,608
I'm not gonna win at this one.
351
00:16:24,817 --> 00:16:26,819
- [people chattering]
- [birdsong]
352
00:16:36,162 --> 00:16:38,414
Central Park is my backyard.
353
00:16:38,456 --> 00:16:40,833
This is where
I come to get away
354
00:16:40,875 --> 00:16:43,127
and to have me time.
355
00:16:44,170 --> 00:16:46,339
I used to come here
with Shelly, too,
356
00:16:46,380 --> 00:16:48,466
but now he has dementia.
357
00:16:49,759 --> 00:16:51,636
So, it's usually just me
and Om.
358
00:16:57,308 --> 00:16:59,977
I was born and raised
in Manhattan.
359
00:17:01,479 --> 00:17:03,773
I was adopted at childbirth,
360
00:17:03,814 --> 00:17:06,609
and I was taken away
from my mother
361
00:17:06,651 --> 00:17:08,486
right then and there at birth.
362
00:17:09,529 --> 00:17:13,282
My adopted father
was an antiques dealer,
363
00:17:13,324 --> 00:17:15,326
and I would hang out
in the store with him.
364
00:17:16,244 --> 00:17:19,372
But he always loved me.
I was Daddy's little girl.
365
00:17:23,251 --> 00:17:25,503
My dad died when I was eight.
366
00:17:27,338 --> 00:17:28,881
Everything changed.
367
00:17:31,259 --> 00:17:34,011
My adopted mother,
she took a lot out on me.
368
00:17:34,053 --> 00:17:37,306
She drank and cried
and screamed.
369
00:17:37,348 --> 00:17:41,227
She would always say I wasn't
going to amount to anything,
370
00:17:41,269 --> 00:17:43,980
and that I was ugly.
371
00:17:44,021 --> 00:17:47,483
And we got into a big fight,
and she said to me,
372
00:17:47,483 --> 00:17:50,987
"Well, if you don't
like it here, then get out."
373
00:17:51,028 --> 00:17:54,657
And I'm like, "Okay, bye."
374
00:17:54,699 --> 00:17:56,909
[♪ folksy acoustic
music playing]
375
00:17:56,951 --> 00:17:58,494
And I ran away,
376
00:17:58,536 --> 00:18:00,246
and I packed up whatever
I thought I needed,
377
00:18:00,288 --> 00:18:02,039
which wasn't much,
378
00:18:02,081 --> 00:18:04,292
slept in Central Park
for a couple of days.
379
00:18:05,459 --> 00:18:08,170
There were hippies everywhere.
380
00:18:08,212 --> 00:18:09,922
It was freedom.
381
00:18:11,048 --> 00:18:15,386
The '60s was the awakening
of love and sex.
382
00:18:17,763 --> 00:18:21,684
You could come out of
the closet with your sexuality.
383
00:18:21,726 --> 00:18:24,812
And that's when I realized
I really liked women, too.
384
00:18:26,355 --> 00:18:29,775
I had a girlfriend, and she
knew I needed a place to stay,
385
00:18:29,817 --> 00:18:32,903
so she suggested that I come
live with her and her family.
386
00:18:34,739 --> 00:18:37,908
- [♪ upbeat music playing]
- [singers vocalizing]
387
00:18:41,203 --> 00:18:46,083
Fast-forward, I took a GED
and I got into college.
388
00:18:49,587 --> 00:18:51,130
I wanted to be
an art director.
389
00:18:51,172 --> 00:18:53,215
I wanted to be
a creative director.
390
00:18:53,257 --> 00:18:54,759
I wanted to be the director.
391
00:18:56,469 --> 00:18:59,055
So, I went to School
of Visual Arts.
392
00:18:59,096 --> 00:19:01,390
I started taking
some art classes.
393
00:19:01,432 --> 00:19:03,809
And I needed money.
394
00:19:03,851 --> 00:19:06,771
So, I posed for line,
you know, drawing,
395
00:19:06,812 --> 00:19:08,022
and I had to be naked.
396
00:19:11,150 --> 00:19:14,445
My friend said that,
"If you're already modeling nude,
397
00:19:14,487 --> 00:19:16,113
"and you're comfortable
with it,
398
00:19:16,155 --> 00:19:19,116
why don't you enter this
Miss All Bare America contest?"
399
00:19:20,117 --> 00:19:22,078
[announcer]
Now, ladies and gentlemen,
400
00:19:22,119 --> 00:19:24,455
let's take a look at Number 8.
401
00:19:24,497 --> 00:19:25,790
Here she comes.
402
00:19:26,957 --> 00:19:28,668
[Robin]
It was like Miss USA,
403
00:19:28,709 --> 00:19:30,336
but it was all bare.
404
00:19:30,378 --> 00:19:32,129
[applause]
405
00:19:32,171 --> 00:19:33,506
[announcer] Let's hear it.
406
00:19:35,132 --> 00:19:36,592
Aren't they something?
407
00:19:36,634 --> 00:19:39,970
All shapes, sizes, colors,
East and West...
408
00:19:40,012 --> 00:19:42,431
[Robin]
High Society magazine saw me
409
00:19:42,473 --> 00:19:46,560
and asked me to do a layout
for the Christmas issue.
410
00:19:49,647 --> 00:19:52,274
My whole life,
I was told I'm ugly,
411
00:19:52,316 --> 00:19:54,151
according to my mother.
412
00:19:55,236 --> 00:19:56,570
She got that wrong.
413
00:19:57,947 --> 00:20:00,366
I realized, yeah,
I have a bitchin' body.
414
00:20:01,325 --> 00:20:03,077
I got a great ass.
415
00:20:06,163 --> 00:20:07,665
'70s was fun.
416
00:20:07,707 --> 00:20:11,043
Disco, orgies.
417
00:20:11,085 --> 00:20:12,545
I was the orgy queen.
418
00:20:14,004 --> 00:20:15,506
[Annie]
The birth control pill
419
00:20:15,548 --> 00:20:18,467
becoming accessible
changed women's lives.
420
00:20:18,509 --> 00:20:20,302
They could have lots of sex
421
00:20:20,344 --> 00:20:22,138
without fear
of getting pregnant.
422
00:20:22,179 --> 00:20:26,016
So, they went wild
and they started experimenting
423
00:20:26,058 --> 00:20:28,602
and having
lots of sex partners.
424
00:20:28,644 --> 00:20:30,062
This age of permissiveness
425
00:20:30,104 --> 00:20:33,023
may have finally found
its ultimate expression.
426
00:20:33,065 --> 00:20:34,817
A sexual Disneyland
427
00:20:34,859 --> 00:20:37,236
where you can live out
your wildest fantasies.
428
00:20:37,278 --> 00:20:39,155
[Robin] I used to go
to Plato's Retreat,
429
00:20:39,196 --> 00:20:40,906
which was a sex swingers club.
430
00:20:41,699 --> 00:20:44,577
And I used to love going there
because I love sex.
431
00:20:44,618 --> 00:20:46,245
I loved it.
432
00:20:47,580 --> 00:20:49,582
And I was having sex
with the people
433
00:20:49,623 --> 00:20:53,502
who were
in the porn films off camera.
434
00:20:53,502 --> 00:20:57,423
So, they said, "Well, if you're
gonna do it off camera...
435
00:20:57,465 --> 00:21:00,426
why don't you do it on camera
and get paid for it?"
436
00:21:00,468 --> 00:21:02,094
And I'm like, "Oh, okay."
437
00:21:03,554 --> 00:21:04,847
[chuckles]
438
00:21:04,889 --> 00:21:07,057
Is she not attractive, monsieur?
439
00:21:07,099 --> 00:21:08,267
Ah, oui, oui.
440
00:21:08,309 --> 00:21:10,227
[Robin]
And so, I started doing films.
441
00:21:10,269 --> 00:21:11,687
Do it, Glenna.
442
00:21:11,729 --> 00:21:13,230
Do whatever you want to me.
443
00:21:14,648 --> 00:21:19,403
My most famous film
is Debbie Does Dallas.
444
00:21:20,738 --> 00:21:23,616
I was Mrs. Hardwick
of the candle store.
445
00:21:23,657 --> 00:21:26,702
[♪ upbeat funky music playing]
446
00:21:26,744 --> 00:21:29,246
They premiered
at the Pussycat Theater
447
00:21:29,288 --> 00:21:30,581
in Times Square.
448
00:21:33,793 --> 00:21:35,252
[Annie]
I mean, back in the day,
449
00:21:35,294 --> 00:21:38,380
the New York Times
had ads for X-rated films.
450
00:21:38,380 --> 00:21:41,842
Deep Throat kind of launched
that golden era porn chic.
451
00:21:44,053 --> 00:21:47,306
This is Harry Reems,
and I'm interviewing Robin Byrd.
452
00:21:48,265 --> 00:21:50,559
No! And Veronica Hart?
453
00:21:50,601 --> 00:21:52,269
I'll tell you what,
you give me your autograph,
454
00:21:52,311 --> 00:21:54,313
- I'll give you my phone number.
- Oh, yeah!
455
00:21:54,355 --> 00:21:55,564
[both laugh]
456
00:21:55,606 --> 00:21:57,483
I'll go for that, sure.
457
00:21:57,525 --> 00:21:59,819
[Annie] Movie theaters
were showing these films,
458
00:21:59,860 --> 00:22:02,613
and you could go
with your husband or wife.
459
00:22:03,864 --> 00:22:06,075
[Robin]
And the porn stars all came,
460
00:22:06,116 --> 00:22:08,077
and the paparazzi were there.
461
00:22:08,118 --> 00:22:10,246
And it was like
any other premiere or movie
462
00:22:10,287 --> 00:22:13,582
that you would go to
like any other film.
463
00:22:13,624 --> 00:22:16,585
No fucking way
do I have any regrets.
464
00:22:16,627 --> 00:22:19,171
I have done 13 films.
465
00:22:19,213 --> 00:22:21,966
I didn't set out
to do these things.
466
00:22:22,007 --> 00:22:25,678
My life has been
always like I'm a pinball,
467
00:22:25,719 --> 00:22:29,932
and I hit one bumper, and then
I go to another bumper.
468
00:22:29,974 --> 00:22:31,559
I mean, that's how I met Shelly.
469
00:22:32,977 --> 00:22:34,812
I'm filming in the park,
470
00:22:34,854 --> 00:22:38,274
and I see a familiar face
sitting on the rock.
471
00:22:38,315 --> 00:22:39,775
It was Shelly.
472
00:22:39,817 --> 00:22:43,487
So, I walk over to him
and I went, "Hi, remember me?
473
00:22:43,529 --> 00:22:46,991
We met in Fire Island
just last summer."
474
00:22:51,495 --> 00:22:56,458
I think it was love
at first sight.
475
00:22:56,500 --> 00:22:58,043
Well, second sight.
476
00:23:03,340 --> 00:23:04,842
We had a lot in common.
477
00:23:04,884 --> 00:23:08,178
I was interested in art,
478
00:23:08,220 --> 00:23:09,930
and he was the artist.
479
00:23:11,181 --> 00:23:14,977
He was a hot shit art director,
creative director.
480
00:23:14,977 --> 00:23:16,979
He had his own ad agency,
481
00:23:17,021 --> 00:23:19,690
but he worked
with all these big advertisers.
482
00:23:20,524 --> 00:23:22,985
He was, you know, a big deal,
483
00:23:23,027 --> 00:23:25,654
but that didn't
attract me to him.
484
00:23:25,696 --> 00:23:27,698
What attracted me to him
was the fact
485
00:23:27,740 --> 00:23:30,743
that he was
so sensitive and warm,
486
00:23:30,784 --> 00:23:34,580
and he was the woman
that I always wanted to marry.
487
00:23:36,373 --> 00:23:39,168
We had sex in different
little places
488
00:23:39,209 --> 00:23:41,670
that he would never think
of having sex.
489
00:23:41,712 --> 00:23:43,297
But I was always on top.
490
00:23:46,091 --> 00:23:47,509
We moved in together,
491
00:23:47,551 --> 00:23:49,762
and we've been
in the same place since then.
492
00:23:58,145 --> 00:24:00,230
♪ ...day to you ♪
493
00:24:00,272 --> 00:24:04,526
♪ Happy birthday, dear Robin ♪
494
00:24:04,568 --> 00:24:07,780
- ♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
- ♪ ...to me ♪
495
00:24:07,821 --> 00:24:10,115
[cheers and applause]
496
00:24:10,157 --> 00:24:12,701
Thank you!
Now, everybody strip!
497
00:24:12,743 --> 00:24:14,453
[all laugh]
498
00:24:17,748 --> 00:24:20,042
Hi. My name is Shelly.
499
00:24:20,084 --> 00:24:21,627
I live in a shoe.
500
00:24:21,669 --> 00:24:24,713
This is my friend Robin.
She's in there, too.
501
00:24:24,755 --> 00:24:26,090
[laughing]
502
00:24:27,424 --> 00:24:28,926
Woo-hoo!
503
00:24:28,968 --> 00:24:32,221
This is my 69th birthday.
504
00:24:32,262 --> 00:24:34,932
- A sexy number. Mm, mm, mm.
- [Shelly chuckles]
505
00:24:34,974 --> 00:24:36,809
Last year, it was 68.
506
00:24:36,850 --> 00:24:38,644
You do me, I owe you one.
507
00:24:38,686 --> 00:24:40,437
[laughing]
508
00:24:40,479 --> 00:24:41,897
Oh, this is so good.
509
00:24:41,939 --> 00:24:44,817
- Who needs real food? Mm!
- [Shelly] Oh, wow.
510
00:24:44,858 --> 00:24:46,402
Whipped cream.
511
00:24:46,443 --> 00:24:49,655
I was in a film where I was
covered with whipped cream once.
512
00:24:51,323 --> 00:24:52,658
It's so delicious,
513
00:24:52,700 --> 00:24:54,493
but it's so hard
to get off your skin.
514
00:24:54,535 --> 00:24:55,911
Do you remember I came home,
515
00:24:55,953 --> 00:24:58,789
and I had to shower
and bathe for like-- like--
516
00:24:58,831 --> 00:25:00,624
[Shelly] Three weeks. [laughs]
517
00:25:00,666 --> 00:25:04,128
[Robin] I was a sundae,
and people ate it off my body.
518
00:25:05,504 --> 00:25:06,922
Yum!
519
00:25:06,964 --> 00:25:09,133
- [Robin laughing]
- Ah!
520
00:25:09,174 --> 00:25:10,634
[Robin] How many years
have you and I
521
00:25:10,676 --> 00:25:12,177
been coming here
for my birthday?
522
00:25:12,219 --> 00:25:13,429
[Shelly] One.
523
00:25:13,470 --> 00:25:15,597
- That's not true.
- [Shelly] Two.
524
00:25:15,639 --> 00:25:17,766
- No.
- Three.
525
00:25:17,808 --> 00:25:19,601
We've been together almost 50--
526
00:25:19,643 --> 00:25:23,022
we'll be together
50 years this July,
527
00:25:23,063 --> 00:25:26,984
so 45 years at least you and I
have been coming here.
528
00:25:27,026 --> 00:25:28,318
How did you meet me?
529
00:25:28,360 --> 00:25:30,696
[Shelly]
Oh, I-- I met the Byrd, uh...
530
00:25:30,738 --> 00:25:32,948
- [Shelly clears throat]
- Do you remember?
531
00:25:32,990 --> 00:25:34,783
[Shelly] No.
532
00:25:34,825 --> 00:25:36,160
Yes, you do.
533
00:25:37,703 --> 00:25:39,788
- You don't remember?
- Give me-- give me a hint.
534
00:25:39,830 --> 00:25:41,165
[Robin] Fire Island.
535
00:25:44,334 --> 00:25:46,628
I mean, he's still a jokester
and he's still funny,
536
00:25:46,670 --> 00:25:48,422
but he's not the same.
537
00:25:50,174 --> 00:25:52,301
He was there when we signed
the contract
538
00:25:52,301 --> 00:25:56,013
with Manhattan cable that
we were gonna be producers.
539
00:25:58,891 --> 00:26:02,019
And then, in the studio,
he made sure the crew
540
00:26:02,061 --> 00:26:03,479
did what they were
supposed to do.
541
00:26:03,520 --> 00:26:07,191
We had a cameraman,
a sound person who was deaf,
542
00:26:07,232 --> 00:26:09,401
a technical director
who was colorblind,
543
00:26:09,443 --> 00:26:10,861
and me.
544
00:26:13,238 --> 00:26:15,199
We called him Mr. Head Gopher,
545
00:26:15,240 --> 00:26:18,911
and that was Shelly's,
Mr. Head Gopher's job,
546
00:26:18,952 --> 00:26:23,540
was to answer the phone
and tell them to hold on.
547
00:26:23,582 --> 00:26:24,833
And I would always say,
548
00:26:24,875 --> 00:26:26,835
"He gives the fastest head
in the city.
549
00:26:26,877 --> 00:26:28,212
Coffee, tea, and head."
550
00:26:29,296 --> 00:26:30,422
Head Gopher.
551
00:26:30,464 --> 00:26:32,591
Mr. Gopher,
go back in your hole.
552
00:26:32,633 --> 00:26:33,926
[laughs]
553
00:26:33,967 --> 00:26:36,261
I don't call him by his name.
554
00:26:36,303 --> 00:26:38,722
Well, Mr. Gopher's screening,
what can I say?
555
00:26:38,764 --> 00:26:40,390
475-1550...
556
00:26:40,432 --> 00:26:44,895
My audience has this
imagination of who I am.
557
00:26:44,937 --> 00:26:46,522
I'm their fantasy.
558
00:26:46,563 --> 00:26:48,690
I mean, nobody knew
we were married.
559
00:26:48,732 --> 00:26:50,859
This is probably
a complete shock
560
00:26:50,901 --> 00:26:54,738
to know that I've been
with him since '74.
561
00:26:54,780 --> 00:26:56,824
Me, the orgy queen?
562
00:26:57,825 --> 00:27:00,285
But he never judged me.
563
00:27:02,579 --> 00:27:05,791
I called Shelly
the Head Gopher.
564
00:27:06,667 --> 00:27:09,545
But he's-- was so much more
than that.
565
00:27:09,586 --> 00:27:11,380
He's so much more than that.
566
00:27:11,421 --> 00:27:12,923
[seagulls cawing]
567
00:27:12,965 --> 00:27:14,508
[waves lapping]
568
00:27:21,390 --> 00:27:24,810
It's a whole different story
with the dementia.
569
00:27:28,188 --> 00:27:29,439
- Hi.
- Hi.
570
00:27:29,481 --> 00:27:30,983
Hello! How are you?
571
00:27:31,024 --> 00:27:32,734
[Shelly] Hey, you guys.
Hey, you guys.
572
00:27:32,776 --> 00:27:35,779
Hey, you guys. Hey, you guys.
Hey, you guys. Hey, you guys.
573
00:27:35,821 --> 00:27:37,281
- Hello.
- [Robin] Good afternoon.
574
00:27:37,322 --> 00:27:39,074
[Shelly] Hey, you guys.
Hey, you guys. Hey, you guys.
575
00:27:39,116 --> 00:27:40,951
[Robin] Hello, travelers.
576
00:27:40,993 --> 00:27:42,911
- [person] Hi, Robin.
- [Robin] How are you?
577
00:27:42,953 --> 00:27:44,830
The Byrd, the Byrd, the Byrd!
578
00:27:45,789 --> 00:27:47,291
This is where I sit
every morning.
579
00:27:47,332 --> 00:27:49,084
[Robin] I know, but you're not
gonna sit here now.
580
00:27:49,126 --> 00:27:50,419
[Shelly] No, that's for sure.
581
00:27:50,419 --> 00:27:51,670
[Robin]
We have to make the boat.
582
00:27:51,712 --> 00:27:53,005
[Shelly] You bet.
583
00:27:53,046 --> 00:27:55,215
- [♪ upbeat music playing]
- [singer vocalizing]
584
00:27:56,967 --> 00:27:59,011
[Robin]
It's our 50th anniversary.
585
00:28:01,138 --> 00:28:05,017
The first time Shelly and I
crossed paths
586
00:28:05,058 --> 00:28:07,227
was right here on Fire Island.
587
00:28:09,646 --> 00:28:12,524
I wanted to see if I could
jog his memory a little.
588
00:28:14,151 --> 00:28:17,821
Just wanted to have him
regain something.
589
00:28:20,824 --> 00:28:23,285
- [laughing] Hey. Thanks, man.
- Happy birthday.
590
00:28:23,327 --> 00:28:25,996
[Robin]
Does this look familiar?
591
00:28:27,915 --> 00:28:29,708
[Shelly] No.
592
00:28:29,750 --> 00:28:32,044
So, why are we--
why are we here?
593
00:28:32,085 --> 00:28:33,795
[Robin]
I'm here because I love you.
594
00:28:33,837 --> 00:28:36,381
[Shelly] We're not gonna be
walking all the way down there.
595
00:28:36,423 --> 00:28:38,634
[Robin]
Uh-huh. Yeah, come on.
596
00:28:38,675 --> 00:28:41,345
[Shelly]
No. You don't want to do that.
597
00:28:45,015 --> 00:28:47,142
[grunting softly]
598
00:28:47,184 --> 00:28:49,519
That's it. This is the end
of the line for me.
599
00:28:51,063 --> 00:28:52,856
[Robin] You don't wanna go
any further?
600
00:28:52,898 --> 00:28:54,399
[Shelly] That's right.
601
00:28:54,441 --> 00:28:56,151
[Robin]
Alright, maybe we can leave you
602
00:28:56,193 --> 00:28:57,861
- and I can walk further?
- [Shelly] Sure.
603
00:28:59,947 --> 00:29:02,074
[Robin] It's really hot,
604
00:29:02,115 --> 00:29:04,243
and I didn't realize
how far it was.
605
00:29:04,284 --> 00:29:07,871
I mean, I was 19, 17, 18,
whatever I was.
606
00:29:07,913 --> 00:29:11,208
And it's a little
too much for him.
607
00:29:12,209 --> 00:29:15,545
And I don't want him--
you know, he's 84.
608
00:29:15,587 --> 00:29:18,590
[♪ gentle music playing]
609
00:29:35,065 --> 00:29:36,566
You know something?
610
00:29:37,567 --> 00:29:39,736
I think it was this house.
611
00:29:40,821 --> 00:29:42,614
But it's been changed.
612
00:29:42,656 --> 00:29:46,576
Oh, way, way different
than 50 years ago.
613
00:29:48,495 --> 00:29:49,955
That's me. Yeah.
614
00:29:51,081 --> 00:29:52,291
Are you familiar with my--
615
00:29:53,417 --> 00:29:56,920
Hi! May I take
a picture of the house?
616
00:29:57,963 --> 00:29:59,298
Thank you.
617
00:29:59,339 --> 00:30:00,632
Wow.
618
00:30:10,100 --> 00:30:12,352
I guess coming back
was more for me.
619
00:30:16,023 --> 00:30:20,402
When I first met Shelly,
he was always an observer.
620
00:30:20,444 --> 00:30:24,573
And that's what his attraction
to me was.
621
00:30:24,614 --> 00:30:26,408
Get the Byrd.
622
00:30:26,450 --> 00:30:27,993
Caw, caw, caw!
623
00:30:28,035 --> 00:30:30,287
[Robin] Because I was
what he observed.
624
00:30:42,966 --> 00:30:44,593
Do you remember
when we used to go
625
00:30:44,634 --> 00:30:46,094
to the health food store there?
626
00:30:46,136 --> 00:30:47,512
- Yeah, of course, yeah.
- Downstairs.
627
00:30:47,554 --> 00:30:49,181
That was the best
health food store.
628
00:30:49,222 --> 00:30:50,766
Didn't it have like a--
629
00:30:50,766 --> 00:30:52,601
- I used to get my hair cut.
- Can we make a left here?
630
00:30:52,601 --> 00:30:54,519
Didn't I get my hair cut
someplace along here?
631
00:30:54,561 --> 00:30:57,647
Yeah, you got your--
next-- the next block.
632
00:30:57,689 --> 00:30:58,815
Yeah.
633
00:30:59,983 --> 00:31:02,361
On good old 42nd Street.
634
00:31:02,402 --> 00:31:06,031
[♪ sultry jazzy music playing]
635
00:31:06,073 --> 00:31:07,282
Back in the day,
636
00:31:07,282 --> 00:31:10,452
it was an adult playground,
literally.
637
00:31:10,494 --> 00:31:11,953
[speaker] Ah, yeah.
638
00:31:11,995 --> 00:31:14,206
Only one hot sexy token
does it all.
639
00:31:14,247 --> 00:31:16,124
Come on in.
We're gonna tickle your pickle,
640
00:31:16,166 --> 00:31:18,710
burn your banana and make
your liver quiver, daddy.
641
00:31:20,879 --> 00:31:23,298
[Robin] Look, that's where
the Gaiety was.
642
00:31:23,340 --> 00:31:26,718
The Gaiety was the male
go-go place.
643
00:31:27,719 --> 00:31:32,224
And then around the corner
was Females, for straight men.
644
00:31:32,265 --> 00:31:34,351
The back door of the Gaiety,
645
00:31:34,393 --> 00:31:38,188
you'd be able to get through
to the straight one.
646
00:31:39,606 --> 00:31:42,025
The straight men
went into the straight one
647
00:31:42,067 --> 00:31:43,151
for the females,
648
00:31:43,193 --> 00:31:45,320
and then snuck in the door
649
00:31:45,362 --> 00:31:46,363
to the Gaiety.
650
00:31:46,405 --> 00:31:47,531
Byrd used to walk
651
00:31:47,572 --> 00:31:49,324
up and down 42nd Street,
652
00:31:49,366 --> 00:31:50,826
getting the guests.
653
00:31:50,867 --> 00:31:54,454
She used to go
from Show World to...
654
00:31:56,039 --> 00:31:57,249
What was the other place?
655
00:31:58,208 --> 00:31:59,668
Show Palace!
656
00:31:59,709 --> 00:32:01,253
Byrd may be
dancing there tonight.
657
00:32:01,294 --> 00:32:02,546
Let's check it out.
658
00:32:06,716 --> 00:32:09,886
[Porsche Lynn] So, I was
performing at Show World.
659
00:32:10,887 --> 00:32:12,722
I kept asking everybody,
660
00:32:12,764 --> 00:32:16,184
"What am I gonna have to do
to get on Robin's show?"
661
00:32:16,226 --> 00:32:17,686
And all these guys were like,
662
00:32:17,727 --> 00:32:20,397
"Well, you kinda
got to be famous."
663
00:32:20,439 --> 00:32:22,858
And then she's knocking
on my dressing room door
664
00:32:22,899 --> 00:32:25,944
after our shows and she's like,
"Hi, I'm Robin Byrd!"
665
00:32:25,986 --> 00:32:29,197
So, she finally invited me
on the show.
666
00:32:29,239 --> 00:32:32,909
And then of course,
I was the female adult star
667
00:32:32,951 --> 00:32:35,537
that was on the Robin Byrd Show
the most.
668
00:32:35,579 --> 00:32:37,539
Ha, ha!
669
00:32:37,581 --> 00:32:39,791
[no audio]
670
00:32:39,833 --> 00:32:43,462
Every time
Mr. Gopher meets me,
671
00:32:43,503 --> 00:32:45,088
Robin's running around.
672
00:32:45,130 --> 00:32:46,715
And she's like, you know,
673
00:32:46,756 --> 00:32:49,968
shouting and barking orders
at everybody.
674
00:32:50,010 --> 00:32:51,887
[Robin]
Shelly, do you need a filter?
675
00:32:51,887 --> 00:32:53,930
- [Shelly] No.
- [Robin] Oh, how wonderful.
676
00:32:55,140 --> 00:32:57,392
[Porsche] Mr. Gopher saying,
"Come in the bathroom.
677
00:32:57,434 --> 00:32:58,894
You can change."
678
00:32:58,935 --> 00:33:01,730
And the bathroom's
like the size of a closet.
679
00:33:01,771 --> 00:33:05,108
[Heather Hunter] It was like
a little broom closet.
680
00:33:05,150 --> 00:33:07,652
I mean, we were all
crammed up in there.
681
00:33:07,694 --> 00:33:09,905
[Heather laughs]
682
00:33:09,946 --> 00:33:12,908
Just like total strangers
just getting dressed.
683
00:33:12,949 --> 00:33:16,661
It was like no space at all.
[laughs]
684
00:33:16,703 --> 00:33:19,581
[Robin] After getting them
all down to the studio,
685
00:33:19,623 --> 00:33:21,791
I would get them together
and I would line them up
686
00:33:21,833 --> 00:33:24,127
and say, "Okay, you're on
first, you're on second."
687
00:33:24,169 --> 00:33:25,837
And sure enough, all I had
688
00:33:25,879 --> 00:33:28,340
was like 10 seconds
to get myself ready.
689
00:33:28,381 --> 00:33:30,967
So, that's why I would
powder myself
690
00:33:31,009 --> 00:33:32,677
in front of the camera
all the time,
691
00:33:32,719 --> 00:33:36,640
because people like to see you
put your makeup on.
692
00:33:36,681 --> 00:33:38,475
So, I worked it into the show.
693
00:33:38,517 --> 00:33:43,396
Hi, I'm Robin Byrd,
and this is the Robin Byrd Show.
694
00:33:44,981 --> 00:33:47,859
And I usually, at this point,
get at least my powder on,
695
00:33:47,901 --> 00:33:51,029
but there's so much disarray
in the studio all the time
696
00:33:51,071 --> 00:33:53,657
that here I am
doing my powder.
697
00:33:53,698 --> 00:33:55,116
I'm the director.
698
00:33:55,158 --> 00:33:57,452
I direct in front of the camera.
699
00:33:57,494 --> 00:34:00,705
Like, "Mr. Cameraman,
hi, how are you?
700
00:34:00,747 --> 00:34:02,874
Come over here, Mr. Cameraman."
701
00:34:02,916 --> 00:34:04,668
And I would play
with the camera.
702
00:34:04,709 --> 00:34:07,879
Am I shining, Mr. Cameraman?
703
00:34:08,755 --> 00:34:10,215
No. Good.
704
00:34:10,257 --> 00:34:12,968
'Cause it's live.
There's nothing better than live.
705
00:34:13,009 --> 00:34:16,012
Live audience, live TV.
706
00:34:16,054 --> 00:34:18,223
Just one take.
707
00:34:18,265 --> 00:34:21,142
What you saw
was what you got.
708
00:34:21,184 --> 00:34:23,311
This should be like a--
a makeup class.
709
00:34:23,353 --> 00:34:25,021
Okay, and now
you put the lips...
710
00:34:25,063 --> 00:34:27,232
[Joe Bruno] I mean, she pretty
much did everything, right?
711
00:34:27,274 --> 00:34:28,858
So, you see her on the show
712
00:34:28,900 --> 00:34:30,986
and she's kind of ditzy
and bubbly.
713
00:34:31,027 --> 00:34:32,988
But when it was time
to film and stuff,
714
00:34:33,029 --> 00:34:34,197
she was a businesswoman.
715
00:34:34,239 --> 00:34:35,490
Lie back.
716
00:34:35,532 --> 00:34:37,158
- Get comfortable.
- Get comfortable.
717
00:34:37,200 --> 00:34:39,536
Here is Joey,
718
00:34:39,578 --> 00:34:42,706
and he is Mr. Altar Boy.
719
00:34:42,747 --> 00:34:45,083
[♪ funky seductive
music playing]
720
00:34:49,379 --> 00:34:51,423
[Joe] She suddenly jumps
behind the camera.
721
00:34:52,465 --> 00:34:55,010
And she's like,
"So I'm gonna be talking to you
722
00:34:55,051 --> 00:34:57,345
"while I'm filming you,
but you can look,
723
00:34:57,387 --> 00:34:59,347
but you can't respond to me."
724
00:34:59,389 --> 00:35:01,016
I'm like, "Okay."
725
00:35:01,057 --> 00:35:03,560
Don't talk to me. Just listen.
I'm the director.
726
00:35:03,602 --> 00:35:05,770
I would tell them,
"I'm on your face.
727
00:35:05,812 --> 00:35:10,567
"I'm on your dick. Turn around.
Bend over. Let me see your butt.
728
00:35:10,609 --> 00:35:12,193
"Spread your ass cheeks.
729
00:35:12,235 --> 00:35:14,696
Now get down on your fours."
730
00:35:14,738 --> 00:35:16,698
[Joe] That's why
when people were dancing,
731
00:35:16,698 --> 00:35:19,284
suddenly they just smile
for no reason.
732
00:35:19,326 --> 00:35:20,785
'Cause she's, like,
"Oh, you look great.
733
00:35:20,827 --> 00:35:22,746
We're gonna zoom in
on your crotch right now."
734
00:35:22,787 --> 00:35:25,081
And you couldn't
say anything back to her.
735
00:35:26,583 --> 00:35:28,209
At the end of every show,
736
00:35:28,251 --> 00:35:30,879
we end the show with a song
737
00:35:30,920 --> 00:35:33,214
called "Baby, Let Me Bang
Your Box."
738
00:35:33,256 --> 00:35:36,134
♪ Oh, baby,
let me bang your box ♪
739
00:35:37,093 --> 00:35:39,804
♪ Baby, let me bang your box ♪
740
00:35:39,846 --> 00:35:44,267
I was doing a satire,
so I would grab people's boobs
741
00:35:44,309 --> 00:35:46,436
and put my head
in between them.
742
00:35:46,478 --> 00:35:49,397
Just what the audience
wanted to do themselves,
743
00:35:49,439 --> 00:35:52,400
but here I am doing it
saying, "It's okay."
744
00:35:52,442 --> 00:35:54,402
And I'm a woman doing it.
745
00:35:54,444 --> 00:35:59,115
And I pulled out your penis
and I put it in my eye.
746
00:36:00,450 --> 00:36:04,913
And I recorded
and sang the song myself.
747
00:36:04,913 --> 00:36:07,123
♪ Oh, baby,
let me bang your box ♪
748
00:36:08,208 --> 00:36:10,126
♪ Baby, let me bang your box ♪
749
00:36:11,169 --> 00:36:13,672
♪ Baby, let me play your 88 ♪
750
00:36:13,713 --> 00:36:17,258
♪ Gonna play
till the whole house rocks ♪
751
00:36:17,300 --> 00:36:19,219
♪ Bang, bang, bang ♪
752
00:36:20,387 --> 00:36:22,972
♪ Ooh, ooh, ooh, little baby ♪
753
00:36:23,014 --> 00:36:25,016
♪ She likes that ♪
754
00:36:26,142 --> 00:36:28,770
♪ Yeah, in the middle ♪
755
00:36:28,812 --> 00:36:30,980
♪ Bang, bang, bang ♪
756
00:36:32,023 --> 00:36:34,776
♪ Oh, you got rhythm ♪
757
00:36:34,818 --> 00:36:36,111
♪ Baby ♪
758
00:36:36,152 --> 00:36:39,030
♪ Baby, bang my box ♪
759
00:36:39,072 --> 00:36:41,282
♪ Bang, little baby... ♪
760
00:36:41,324 --> 00:36:43,034
[Lou Cass] It was so fun
at the end, you'd always, like,
761
00:36:43,076 --> 00:36:44,953
pretend like you were
blowing me and shit like that
762
00:36:44,994 --> 00:36:46,287
at the end of the show.
763
00:36:46,329 --> 00:36:47,956
"Bang Your Box," I loved that.
764
00:36:47,997 --> 00:36:50,291
[Heather] It was crazy.
We would do the show...
765
00:36:50,333 --> 00:36:52,168
[Robin] Hi, Heather.
How are you, honey?
766
00:36:52,210 --> 00:36:54,170
[Heather]
...bang our box on stage.
767
00:36:54,212 --> 00:36:57,924
It was like a never-ending
circus, you know?
768
00:36:59,342 --> 00:37:00,885
♪ Rock that, baby ♪
769
00:37:00,927 --> 00:37:02,220
♪ Like that ♪
770
00:37:02,262 --> 00:37:03,680
♪ In the middle ♪
771
00:37:03,722 --> 00:37:05,473
♪ All right, baby ♪
772
00:37:05,515 --> 00:37:07,225
[caller] Hello?
I just wanted to tell you
773
00:37:07,267 --> 00:37:09,144
that I watch your show
every week.
774
00:37:09,185 --> 00:37:10,478
Alright!
775
00:37:10,520 --> 00:37:11,855
[caller]
And I'm sitting here right now.
776
00:37:11,896 --> 00:37:13,481
I'm gay, I'm sitting here
with my lover,
777
00:37:13,523 --> 00:37:15,734
- and we really enjoy you.
- Oh, great.
778
00:37:15,775 --> 00:37:18,987
[Robin] I noticed that
there were a lot of gay men
779
00:37:19,028 --> 00:37:21,698
that were watching my show.
780
00:37:21,740 --> 00:37:25,034
So, I started going
to the gay theaters
781
00:37:25,076 --> 00:37:27,370
and getting the gay performers.
782
00:37:27,412 --> 00:37:30,248
- [♪ disco music playing]
- [applause]
783
00:37:30,290 --> 00:37:33,585
[Robin]
Straight from the stages
784
00:37:33,626 --> 00:37:36,212
of the Show Palace Theater,
785
00:37:36,254 --> 00:37:40,091
here is the Brazilian
bombshell himself,
786
00:37:40,133 --> 00:37:43,178
Vladimir Correa.
787
00:37:44,095 --> 00:37:47,599
But I had a technical director
who was homophobic,
788
00:37:47,640 --> 00:37:50,226
and I said, "Okay, bye-bye."
789
00:37:50,268 --> 00:37:52,854
[♪ seductive music playing]
790
00:37:52,896 --> 00:37:56,733
Having male guests on the show
was really a good addition
791
00:37:56,775 --> 00:38:00,278
because I satisfied
the viewers at home
792
00:38:00,320 --> 00:38:02,155
that didn't want
to see women.
793
00:38:04,491 --> 00:38:06,034
[Byrdwatcher] Ten years earlier,
794
00:38:06,034 --> 00:38:08,244
we were literally getting
arrested and thrown in jail
795
00:38:08,286 --> 00:38:10,121
for being gay.
796
00:38:10,163 --> 00:38:12,123
And now I'm, like,
turning on the TV
797
00:38:12,165 --> 00:38:15,084
and I see Robin Byrd
and naked male dancers.
798
00:38:15,126 --> 00:38:16,628
It was so liberating.
799
00:38:18,087 --> 00:38:20,882
It was, you know,
some of my first memories
800
00:38:20,924 --> 00:38:24,135
of seeing naked bodies
in a semi-sexual way,
801
00:38:24,177 --> 00:38:29,057
but also just comfortable
around nudity.
802
00:38:29,098 --> 00:38:31,893
Robin Byrd was the place
where you could be yourself.
803
00:38:31,935 --> 00:38:35,146
Like, it was a place
804
00:38:35,188 --> 00:38:38,817
where there was no such thing
as being taboo.
805
00:38:39,943 --> 00:38:41,569
She made no confusion about it.
806
00:38:41,611 --> 00:38:43,404
Sex was something
that was normal, natural,
807
00:38:43,446 --> 00:38:45,406
and for everybody.
808
00:38:45,448 --> 00:38:46,741
My partner and I,
809
00:38:46,741 --> 00:38:48,409
we always walked around
the Village at night.
810
00:38:48,451 --> 00:38:50,161
And we would see
these red lights in the window.
811
00:38:50,203 --> 00:38:51,955
We really couldn't
figure out what they were.
812
00:38:53,373 --> 00:38:56,251
But, we finally figured out
that it was the Robin Byrd Show
813
00:38:56,292 --> 00:38:58,336
coming on at 10 o'clock.
814
00:38:58,378 --> 00:39:01,798
And after that,
we started watching it.
815
00:39:01,840 --> 00:39:03,466
[Fredd E. Tree]
Everybody loved that show.
816
00:39:03,508 --> 00:39:06,094
We had cable
on at the bar at Julius'.
817
00:39:06,094 --> 00:39:08,012
We'd put it on
and we'd all scream,
818
00:39:08,054 --> 00:39:10,139
"Robin! Hey, Robin!"
819
00:39:11,808 --> 00:39:13,434
- Hi, Robin.
- Hi, Tree.
820
00:39:13,476 --> 00:39:16,437
This is Tree from--
from Julius'.
821
00:39:16,479 --> 00:39:20,608
The gay audience really got me
in a different way.
822
00:39:20,650 --> 00:39:22,277
They really loved me.
823
00:39:22,318 --> 00:39:23,903
[laughs]
824
00:39:25,655 --> 00:39:27,615
[Fredd] Are you gonna be
on the air next Wednesday,
825
00:39:27,657 --> 00:39:29,784
- Christmas night?
- Yeah, of course!
826
00:39:29,784 --> 00:39:31,536
[Fredd] Good, you're gonna
be live, 'cause I have to work
827
00:39:31,578 --> 00:39:32,954
so we'll keep
each other company.
828
00:39:32,996 --> 00:39:34,539
There you go.
829
00:39:34,581 --> 00:39:36,708
[Fredd] It got to a point
I had almost a special number
830
00:39:36,749 --> 00:39:38,209
that I could call,
and I was always
831
00:39:38,251 --> 00:39:40,670
the first one
or the second or third.
832
00:39:40,712 --> 00:39:42,630
[Robin] 475-1550.
833
00:39:42,672 --> 00:39:44,465
- And you're live, hi!
- [Fredd] Hi, Robin!
834
00:39:44,507 --> 00:39:46,301
- Hi, Tree!
- How you doing, sweetheart?
835
00:39:46,342 --> 00:39:47,802
Did you see Jeff this time?
836
00:39:47,844 --> 00:39:49,888
I wanted to take off
Jeff's cock ring
837
00:39:49,929 --> 00:39:51,472
from the inside.
838
00:39:51,514 --> 00:39:53,391
[Robin] Wait, wait, wait.
But what about Keith's?
839
00:39:53,433 --> 00:39:55,184
While I'm doing that,
I'm gonna reach
840
00:39:55,226 --> 00:39:57,353
for the brass ring
many, many times.
841
00:39:57,395 --> 00:39:59,314
[Robin laughs]
842
00:39:59,355 --> 00:40:00,982
[Fredd] Sometimes she had
guys on there
843
00:40:01,024 --> 00:40:03,026
that nobody would touch
with a 10-foot pole.
844
00:40:04,569 --> 00:40:06,738
But then she had some of them
that were real hot,
845
00:40:06,779 --> 00:40:08,865
and those are the ones
I said, "Bring to Julius'."
846
00:40:10,158 --> 00:40:13,244
And then she'd always ask,
h-how many people are there?
847
00:40:13,286 --> 00:40:15,705
- [Robin] How many
people there, Tree? - [Fredd] Oh, about 25.
848
00:40:15,747 --> 00:40:18,166
Hi, guys!
Hello, everybody, wave to Tree
849
00:40:18,207 --> 00:40:21,002
at Julius', 25 at one time.
850
00:40:21,044 --> 00:40:23,212
[♪ upbeat electronic
music playing]
851
00:40:23,254 --> 00:40:25,173
[Michael]
You have this wonderful window
852
00:40:25,214 --> 00:40:26,883
where Robin's show emerges,
853
00:40:26,925 --> 00:40:31,054
and this is a time
between Stonewall and AIDS.
854
00:40:31,095 --> 00:40:34,015
So, this is the window
of sexual revolution,
855
00:40:34,057 --> 00:40:35,683
a lot of gay pride,
856
00:40:35,725 --> 00:40:38,227
and much more openness
than in the past.
857
00:40:38,269 --> 00:40:40,271
And it was so refreshing.
858
00:40:41,272 --> 00:40:43,816
[Sean McKenna] I got to New York
in 1980 from Long Island.
859
00:40:44,901 --> 00:40:46,736
You could be bisexual,
you could be gay,
860
00:40:46,778 --> 00:40:48,279
you could be lesbian.
861
00:40:48,321 --> 00:40:50,949
Sex was something
that people enjoyed,
862
00:40:50,990 --> 00:40:53,576
something that people
didn't frown upon.
863
00:40:53,618 --> 00:40:56,120
It was really,
really very exciting.
864
00:40:56,162 --> 00:41:00,291
But within two years,
everything changed.
865
00:41:02,502 --> 00:41:05,129
We just got
our sexual freedom.
866
00:41:06,422 --> 00:41:09,926
But it turned on a dime.
It happened so fast.
867
00:41:12,470 --> 00:41:14,222
[Tom Brokaw] Scientists
at the National Centers
868
00:41:14,222 --> 00:41:16,224
for Disease Control
in Atlanta today
869
00:41:16,265 --> 00:41:18,059
released the results
of a study,
870
00:41:18,101 --> 00:41:21,980
which shows that the lifestyle
of some male homosexuals
871
00:41:22,021 --> 00:41:24,899
has triggered an epidemic
of a rare form of cancer.
872
00:41:24,941 --> 00:41:27,652
[news reporter]
Researchers know of 413 people
873
00:41:27,694 --> 00:41:30,321
who have contracted
the condition in the past year.
874
00:41:37,328 --> 00:41:39,038
[Fredd] I was watching
my friends die.
875
00:41:41,541 --> 00:41:43,292
My friend Richie's
mother and father
876
00:41:43,334 --> 00:41:44,919
put him on the floor
in the garage
877
00:41:44,961 --> 00:41:46,421
and would wash him
with a hose
878
00:41:46,462 --> 00:41:48,297
because they wouldn't
let him use the tub.
879
00:41:49,841 --> 00:41:52,635
[Sean] As a young gay man
with HIV/AIDS,
880
00:41:52,677 --> 00:41:54,345
it also forced me
on disability.
881
00:41:54,387 --> 00:41:56,764
So, I no longer had a job.
882
00:41:56,806 --> 00:41:58,766
I no longer had a sex life.
883
00:41:58,808 --> 00:42:01,644
The sex life I wanted
was scary.
884
00:42:03,312 --> 00:42:04,939
The stigma was awful.
885
00:42:04,981 --> 00:42:06,774
[news reporter]
Ambulance drivers have refused
886
00:42:06,816 --> 00:42:08,151
to take AIDS patients.
887
00:42:08,192 --> 00:42:11,487
The person said outright,
"I'm not touching him."
888
00:42:13,364 --> 00:42:15,658
[Michael] When AIDS first
started in the early '80s,
889
00:42:15,700 --> 00:42:18,703
everyone thought, "Oh, my God,
you know, one encounter
890
00:42:18,745 --> 00:42:20,621
and you could die
this horrible death."
891
00:42:20,663 --> 00:42:22,165
Sex became the devil.
892
00:42:22,206 --> 00:42:25,126
[David Burrington] All this
has led to a drastic change
893
00:42:25,168 --> 00:42:27,295
in sexual practices
and lifestyle.
894
00:42:27,336 --> 00:42:28,963
According to one study,
895
00:42:29,005 --> 00:42:33,051
8 out of 10 gay men here
have stopped all unsafe sex.
896
00:42:36,012 --> 00:42:41,726
Ronald Reagan never
even said the word HIV or AIDS.
897
00:42:41,768 --> 00:42:45,813
He never acknowledged
what was going on in the world,
898
00:42:45,855 --> 00:42:48,524
until it was too late.
899
00:42:48,566 --> 00:42:51,736
[protesters]
Act up! Fight back! Fight AIDS!
900
00:42:51,778 --> 00:42:54,155
Act up! Fight back! Fight AIDS!
901
00:42:54,197 --> 00:42:56,157
Act up! Fight back!
Fight AIDS!
902
00:42:56,199 --> 00:42:58,743
[Robin] Every summer
I would come to Fire Island,
903
00:42:58,785 --> 00:43:02,371
and more and more
of my friends were gone.
904
00:43:02,413 --> 00:43:03,831
And I'm thinking,
905
00:43:03,873 --> 00:43:08,127
"Shouldn't there be more
information about safe sex?"
906
00:43:10,755 --> 00:43:12,715
Now, go scrub your teeth
907
00:43:12,757 --> 00:43:15,093
and go get those rubbers
908
00:43:15,134 --> 00:43:17,637
while I put on my lip gloss.
909
00:43:18,763 --> 00:43:21,891
I had this platform
that I could speak out.
910
00:43:21,933 --> 00:43:24,060
It was community television.
911
00:43:24,102 --> 00:43:25,895
That's what it was made for.
912
00:43:27,271 --> 00:43:30,274
Just because you carry rubbers
in your wallet
913
00:43:30,316 --> 00:43:34,862
doesn't mean
that it makes it safe.
914
00:43:34,904 --> 00:43:39,200
They have to come
from your wallet on your dicks
915
00:43:39,200 --> 00:43:40,868
for you to have safe sex.
916
00:43:40,910 --> 00:43:42,537
[Byrdwatcher] She would
always have this kind of
917
00:43:42,578 --> 00:43:44,622
safe sex message on the show
918
00:43:44,664 --> 00:43:47,375
where she was, like,
doing these demos.
919
00:43:47,416 --> 00:43:49,544
I do have my rubber.
920
00:43:49,585 --> 00:43:51,796
Do you have yours?
921
00:43:51,838 --> 00:43:54,757
And dental dam!
[babbling]
922
00:43:54,799 --> 00:43:56,425
[laughs]
923
00:43:56,467 --> 00:43:59,053
Everybody should have
a dental dam.
924
00:43:59,095 --> 00:44:01,764
[Byrdwatcher] It was funny
and it was entertaining.
925
00:44:01,806 --> 00:44:03,224
For a dental dam,
926
00:44:03,266 --> 00:44:07,645
what you do is you snip
that little rolled-up thing,
927
00:44:07,687 --> 00:44:10,231
and then you unroll it,
just like this.
928
00:44:10,273 --> 00:44:13,609
Then you would have
this rectangular piece of latex
929
00:44:13,651 --> 00:44:17,238
in which you will have
oral sex with.
930
00:44:17,280 --> 00:44:19,574
[Byrdwatcher]
It really did keep me safe.
931
00:44:19,615 --> 00:44:23,744
It's so easy when
you're young, dumb, and horny
932
00:44:23,786 --> 00:44:27,248
to not practice safe sex.
933
00:44:27,248 --> 00:44:30,126
But I did end up
using condoms all the time.
934
00:44:32,211 --> 00:44:35,256
My George Sardi,
Johnny Poo lube bag,
935
00:44:35,298 --> 00:44:36,799
where I have my condom.
936
00:44:36,841 --> 00:44:38,342
[Byrdwatcher] And it's like
in no small part
937
00:44:38,384 --> 00:44:39,468
because of Robin.
938
00:44:39,510 --> 00:44:40,803
Do you need one?
939
00:44:40,845 --> 00:44:42,346
Do you have one?
940
00:44:42,388 --> 00:44:44,849
[Byrdwatcher] She really did
give me this, um,
941
00:44:44,891 --> 00:44:47,977
sense that it was our
responsibility as a community
942
00:44:48,019 --> 00:44:49,937
to keep each other healthy,
943
00:44:49,979 --> 00:44:51,772
and-- and it's really powerful.
944
00:44:51,814 --> 00:44:53,774
It's a really powerful legacy.
945
00:44:53,816 --> 00:44:55,651
[♪ dramatic music playing]
946
00:44:57,486 --> 00:44:59,197
[Robin]
People were dying,
947
00:44:59,238 --> 00:45:01,282
and they were losing
their loved ones.
948
00:45:01,324 --> 00:45:06,162
So, I wanted to give them
the love that they were missing.
949
00:45:06,204 --> 00:45:08,789
What I want you to do
is to lie back,
950
00:45:08,831 --> 00:45:12,668
get comfortable, snuggle up
next to your loved ones.
951
00:45:12,710 --> 00:45:15,671
What's that?
You don't have a loved one?
952
00:45:16,756 --> 00:45:20,009
Well, you always have me,
Robin Byrd.
953
00:45:21,177 --> 00:45:23,137
- Really.
- [Sean] Quite frankly, honestly,
954
00:45:23,179 --> 00:45:27,391
there were nights when Robin
was my only person.
955
00:45:28,267 --> 00:45:29,560
I know that sounds strange,
956
00:45:29,602 --> 00:45:33,022
but I was really grateful
to have her there.
957
00:45:33,064 --> 00:45:34,482
And I was also grateful to have
958
00:45:34,523 --> 00:45:37,235
some semblance
of sex in my life
959
00:45:37,276 --> 00:45:41,447
because it wasn't happening
for me because of my situation.
960
00:45:43,157 --> 00:45:44,909
[Byrdwatcher]
I didn't have a loved one.
961
00:45:46,452 --> 00:45:48,329
And I always had Robin.
962
00:45:48,371 --> 00:45:49,997
It was wonderful.
963
00:45:50,039 --> 00:45:51,999
So, the things
I learned from Robin
964
00:45:51,999 --> 00:45:54,669
were really helpful to me,
as I was very broken
965
00:45:54,710 --> 00:45:56,837
and trying to fix my life.
966
00:45:56,879 --> 00:46:00,549
One was the power
of acceptance and openness
967
00:46:00,591 --> 00:46:04,553
to who I am as a gay man
and how I fit in.
968
00:46:04,595 --> 00:46:06,764
Robin Byrd meant
everything for the culture.
969
00:46:06,806 --> 00:46:08,599
[clears throat]
When I say the culture,
970
00:46:08,641 --> 00:46:14,272
I mean people
that were outcasts,
971
00:46:14,313 --> 00:46:16,524
the people that
were forgotten about,
972
00:46:16,565 --> 00:46:19,360
the people
that people wrote off.
973
00:46:19,360 --> 00:46:21,279
[Sandra Bernhard] I think
she's an accidental activist.
974
00:46:22,780 --> 00:46:24,865
AIDS was raging.
975
00:46:24,907 --> 00:46:28,202
She was trying to keep
the fun and the spark alive
976
00:46:28,244 --> 00:46:30,079
and the spontaneity of sex,
977
00:46:30,121 --> 00:46:33,416
but also remind people
that one wrong move
978
00:46:33,457 --> 00:46:35,668
and you were gonna be
in the soup.
979
00:46:36,585 --> 00:46:39,547
I was on the beach
980
00:46:39,588 --> 00:46:43,384
at around 5 o'clock
in the morning the other day,
981
00:46:43,426 --> 00:46:48,097
and I saw three guys fucking.
982
00:46:48,139 --> 00:46:49,348
Nothing wrong with that.
983
00:46:50,349 --> 00:46:52,560
But you weren't using a rubber.
984
00:46:52,601 --> 00:46:57,940
Now, obviously, my message is
not getting across to everyone,
985
00:46:57,982 --> 00:46:59,608
and that means you!
986
00:47:01,277 --> 00:47:04,405
So, the next time
you wanna butt fuck,
987
00:47:04,447 --> 00:47:06,032
use a condom.
988
00:47:08,868 --> 00:47:12,955
I did see it and pulled it,
sort of.
989
00:47:14,707 --> 00:47:18,627
I can't remember the last time
we loaded these.
990
00:47:20,838 --> 00:47:23,257
Annie Sprinkle emailed me
991
00:47:23,299 --> 00:47:25,968
and said I should
archive my tapes.
992
00:47:28,596 --> 00:47:32,975
Annie had all her-- her stuff
archived at Harvard.
993
00:47:34,310 --> 00:47:35,853
Here, listen.
994
00:47:35,895 --> 00:47:38,939
"Dear Robin, greetings
from San Francisco today.
995
00:47:38,939 --> 00:47:42,443
"You have this incredible
archive and legacy.
996
00:47:42,485 --> 00:47:44,612
"You have documented
years and years
997
00:47:44,612 --> 00:47:48,949
"of sex-positive community,
of pleasure activists,
998
00:47:48,949 --> 00:47:52,036
"movers and shakers
of the sexual revolution,
999
00:47:52,078 --> 00:47:55,373
visionary sex educators,
and more."
1000
00:47:57,666 --> 00:48:00,378
I'm getting very, um, emotional.
1001
00:48:00,419 --> 00:48:01,670
This is amazing.
1002
00:48:01,712 --> 00:48:04,507
"Your archive is one of a kind,
1003
00:48:04,548 --> 00:48:07,510
"and it must be preserved
for decades to come
1004
00:48:07,551 --> 00:48:08,886
"before it's too late.
1005
00:48:12,932 --> 00:48:16,560
"If we don't share
our her-stories,
1006
00:48:16,602 --> 00:48:21,190
"the people who want to erase us
will write the history.
1007
00:48:21,232 --> 00:48:24,819
"We can't have that.
Fuck that.
1008
00:48:24,860 --> 00:48:26,987
"Please start this process
1009
00:48:27,029 --> 00:48:29,281
"of placing your archive now.
1010
00:48:30,699 --> 00:48:32,410
"Time is of the essence.
1011
00:48:32,451 --> 00:48:34,870
"Place your archive
in a safe institution
1012
00:48:34,912 --> 00:48:37,081
"before the fascists
burn it all.
1013
00:48:37,123 --> 00:48:40,209
It can happen here, sadly."
1014
00:48:42,044 --> 00:48:44,296
Alright, Annie, we'll do this.
1015
00:48:48,634 --> 00:48:51,637
- [♪ upbeat music playing]
- [♪ singer vocalizing]
1016
00:48:56,725 --> 00:48:59,019
[cell phone ringing]
1017
00:48:59,061 --> 00:49:00,271
[Robin] Hello?
1018
00:49:00,312 --> 00:49:01,939
[Shelly] [on phone]
Hey, day Byrd, baby!
1019
00:49:01,981 --> 00:49:04,024
How's it going there?
Where are you now?
1020
00:49:04,066 --> 00:49:05,359
[Robin] I'm in Brooklyn.
1021
00:49:05,401 --> 00:49:07,695
I'm going to meet
with the archivist, remember?
1022
00:49:07,736 --> 00:49:10,448
Byrd, you're in Brooklyn?
Oh, man.
1023
00:49:10,489 --> 00:49:11,949
When are you
coming back here?
1024
00:49:11,991 --> 00:49:13,075
Shortly.
1025
00:49:14,410 --> 00:49:16,537
Do I have to give
the whole library?
1026
00:49:16,579 --> 00:49:18,372
Do they even want my stuff?
1027
00:49:18,414 --> 00:49:21,709
Do I have to have
these all digitized?
1028
00:49:21,750 --> 00:49:23,377
And who pays for that?
1029
00:49:23,419 --> 00:49:26,755
[♪ upbeat music
continues playing]
1030
00:49:31,760 --> 00:49:34,221
- Hi, I'm Robin.
Nice to meet you. - Daylon. Nice to meet you.
1031
00:49:34,263 --> 00:49:36,724
[Robin]
Nice to meet you, too.
1032
00:49:36,765 --> 00:49:39,059
[Daylon] Um, and see, I just
wanted to show you a few things.
1033
00:49:39,101 --> 00:49:40,394
Just to give you a better sense
1034
00:49:40,436 --> 00:49:41,937
of like the sort of work
that I'm doing.
1035
00:49:41,979 --> 00:49:43,939
Right, 'cause I'm--
I'm new to this,
1036
00:49:43,981 --> 00:49:45,065
- you know, um...
- Yeah.
1037
00:49:45,107 --> 00:49:47,401
It's a weird niche thing
that I do.
1038
00:49:47,401 --> 00:49:50,279
It's-- in my house,
it's called hoarding.
1039
00:49:50,321 --> 00:49:51,822
- Yeah. Yeah, no.
- [Robin laughs]
1040
00:49:51,864 --> 00:49:54,116
Sometimes in my house, too.
1041
00:49:54,158 --> 00:49:56,452
- Oh, Veronica. I love her.
- Yes, yeah.
1042
00:49:56,494 --> 00:49:58,579
- Yeah.
- I've been working with Veronica and with Annie.
1043
00:49:58,621 --> 00:50:00,331
Oh, and with Annie.
Yeah, yeah.
1044
00:50:00,372 --> 00:50:02,166
That's actually how I--
1045
00:50:02,208 --> 00:50:03,834
- we got together this way.
- Yeah.
1046
00:50:03,876 --> 00:50:05,085
[Robin] Wow.
1047
00:50:05,127 --> 00:50:06,754
So, if we decide
to work together...
1048
00:50:06,795 --> 00:50:08,297
- Right.
- ...one of the next steps
1049
00:50:08,339 --> 00:50:11,967
is gonna be actually
seeing your stuff.
1050
00:50:12,009 --> 00:50:16,096
I know we had talked--
you had mentioned, uh, tapes.
1051
00:50:16,138 --> 00:50:17,806
I have
three-quarter-inch tapes.
1052
00:50:17,848 --> 00:50:20,476
Right. Um, so the-- the tapes,
1053
00:50:20,518 --> 00:50:22,770
some digitization will happen.
1054
00:50:22,811 --> 00:50:25,606
- I mean, there's like, you know.
- I get the tapes back, correct?
1055
00:50:26,524 --> 00:50:29,276
Well, no, the institutions
that I'm working with,
1056
00:50:29,318 --> 00:50:31,111
they would prefer
to have the tapes.
1057
00:50:31,111 --> 00:50:33,614
It's worth a lot to myself
and my husband.
1058
00:50:33,656 --> 00:50:35,783
- Those are my babies.
- Yeah. Yeah.
1059
00:50:35,824 --> 00:50:37,826
- Those are my children.
- Absolutely.
1060
00:50:37,868 --> 00:50:39,537
[cell phone ringing]
1061
00:50:41,038 --> 00:50:43,123
[Robin] I have to take this.
This is my husband.
1062
00:50:43,165 --> 00:50:44,667
Hello?
1063
00:50:44,708 --> 00:50:47,127
[Shelly] [on phone] Day Byrd,
baby, where are you?
1064
00:50:47,169 --> 00:50:48,796
I'm interviewing the archivist
1065
00:50:48,837 --> 00:50:53,634
to, uh, investigate archiving
the Robin Byrd Show
1066
00:50:53,676 --> 00:50:58,222
to be in an institution
like Harvard or Columbia,
1067
00:50:58,264 --> 00:51:00,349
- or an--
- Or a mental institution.
1068
00:51:00,391 --> 00:51:03,477
- No mental institution.
- [Shelly laughs]
1069
00:51:03,519 --> 00:51:06,480
You're not giving him any tapes
or anything like that, are you?
1070
00:51:06,522 --> 00:51:07,940
[Robin] No, not yet.
1071
00:51:08,857 --> 00:51:10,651
Not yet. Oh, boy.
1072
00:51:10,693 --> 00:51:12,820
Uh, be very careful, Byrd.
1073
00:51:12,861 --> 00:51:15,155
Don't let these things
out of your possession.
1074
00:51:15,155 --> 00:51:19,827
[Robin] You know that I am not
going to give away our babies.
1075
00:51:19,868 --> 00:51:23,747
Okay, just remember that--
that--
1076
00:51:23,789 --> 00:51:26,834
I can't forget it
'cause you keep reminding me.
1077
00:51:26,875 --> 00:51:28,877
Okay, give me a call.
1078
00:51:28,919 --> 00:51:31,422
[Robin] Okay, sweetie,
I'll call you on the way back.
1079
00:51:31,463 --> 00:51:32,673
Bye.
1080
00:51:32,715 --> 00:51:35,426
How do you decide
whether and how...
1081
00:51:36,385 --> 00:51:37,970
that you want my stuff?
1082
00:51:39,138 --> 00:51:41,181
I mean, I need to see
the archive, you know?
1083
00:51:41,223 --> 00:51:43,559
- Mm-hmm.
- And know more about what we're actually talking about.
1084
00:51:48,564 --> 00:51:50,065
[car horns honking]
1085
00:51:54,236 --> 00:51:55,571
[car horns honking]
1086
00:51:56,572 --> 00:51:57,823
[door opens]
1087
00:52:02,828 --> 00:52:04,705
[Robin] Oh, shit.
1088
00:52:04,747 --> 00:52:06,749
[plastic bag crinkling]
1089
00:52:11,587 --> 00:52:13,714
[Shelly] You're gonna
go through all this?
1090
00:52:13,756 --> 00:52:15,257
[Robin] Holy shit.
1091
00:52:16,091 --> 00:52:18,135
Oh, my God, they are!
1092
00:52:18,177 --> 00:52:21,430
The original Robin Byrd Show
T-shirts.
1093
00:52:21,472 --> 00:52:23,265
Always signed on my butt.
1094
00:52:24,350 --> 00:52:27,895
"Bang my box, love always,
Robin Byrd."
1095
00:52:27,936 --> 00:52:31,273
Oh, my God.
1096
00:52:31,315 --> 00:52:33,567
Hello, old friend.
1097
00:52:33,609 --> 00:52:38,405
Seeing this sign makes me wanna
get back on the air and do it,
1098
00:52:38,447 --> 00:52:41,075
but I guess you don't wanna see
a 70-year-old
1099
00:52:41,116 --> 00:52:44,244
in front of the sign
with that crochet bikini.
1100
00:52:44,286 --> 00:52:45,663
[laughing]
1101
00:52:46,789 --> 00:52:50,668
But at any age.
I'm not age shaming.
1102
00:52:50,709 --> 00:52:55,297
But I'm not as sexy as I was,
let's put it that way.
1103
00:52:56,632 --> 00:52:59,134
This is pretty old.
1104
00:53:00,302 --> 00:53:01,970
Oh! Oh, my God.
1105
00:53:05,891 --> 00:53:08,060
Sandra Bernhard segments.
1106
00:53:10,813 --> 00:53:13,190
[♪ disco music playing]
1107
00:53:13,232 --> 00:53:15,109
[Sandra] I became aware
of Robin Byrd
1108
00:53:15,109 --> 00:53:18,320
the summer I was here
doing my show off-Broadway.
1109
00:53:18,362 --> 00:53:20,322
And I was up late
every single night.
1110
00:53:22,991 --> 00:53:25,536
One night I came home,
and she had callers.
1111
00:53:25,577 --> 00:53:27,955
So, I called in.
[chuckles]
1112
00:53:27,996 --> 00:53:30,207
Back then,
that was a much more, like,
1113
00:53:30,249 --> 00:53:34,128
kind of like amazing revelation
1114
00:53:34,128 --> 00:53:35,796
that you could be
talking to somebody
1115
00:53:35,838 --> 00:53:38,966
while it was live on TV.
1116
00:53:38,966 --> 00:53:40,551
I told her how much
I love the show
1117
00:53:40,592 --> 00:53:43,971
and how she was keeping me
company late at night.
1118
00:53:43,971 --> 00:53:47,891
And so, we hatched a plan
for me to come on her show.
1119
00:53:47,933 --> 00:53:50,310
And I co-hosted with her.
1120
00:53:50,352 --> 00:53:51,729
- So--
- [Sandra indistinct]
1121
00:53:51,770 --> 00:53:53,313
- How are you?
- Fine, how are you?
1122
00:53:53,355 --> 00:53:54,815
Great. Lie back and...
1123
00:53:54,815 --> 00:53:56,150
[both] ...get comfortable.
1124
00:53:56,191 --> 00:53:58,485
Put on your nylons.
1125
00:53:58,527 --> 00:53:59,987
- Your rubbers.
- Rubbers.
1126
00:54:00,028 --> 00:54:01,613
[both laugh]
1127
00:54:02,781 --> 00:54:04,992
Your silks and satins.
1128
00:54:05,033 --> 00:54:07,161
[Sandra] We're here
with Lili Marlene, darling.
1129
00:54:07,202 --> 00:54:09,663
[Sandra] It was really funny
and really out there.
1130
00:54:09,705 --> 00:54:11,665
[Robin] And how many films
did you make
1131
00:54:11,707 --> 00:54:13,417
while you were
in the business?
1132
00:54:13,459 --> 00:54:15,002
Somewhere between 200 and 300.
1133
00:54:15,043 --> 00:54:16,503
- [Sandra] No!
- And in-- in five years.
1134
00:54:16,503 --> 00:54:18,839
[Sandra] Wait a minute,
Katharine Hepburn has a name
1135
00:54:18,881 --> 00:54:20,674
for each one
of your films, honey.
1136
00:54:20,674 --> 00:54:22,760
- Well, she doesn't
make the kind of-- - How the hell do you do it?
1137
00:54:22,801 --> 00:54:24,887
We ask Lili Marlene tonight.
1138
00:54:24,928 --> 00:54:28,432
Well, I'm a flaming
sex maniac, I guess, really.
1139
00:54:28,474 --> 00:54:29,933
[laughing]
1140
00:54:29,975 --> 00:54:32,519
[Sandra] The '80s,
when you could still do things
1141
00:54:32,519 --> 00:54:37,107
that were totally insane,
and fun, and cutting-edge.
1142
00:54:40,152 --> 00:54:43,113
[Bob]
The Robin Byrd Show is a hit.
1143
00:54:43,155 --> 00:54:47,451
Miss Byrd is a cult figure with
her trademark crochet bikini,
1144
00:54:47,493 --> 00:54:49,119
white manicured nails,
1145
00:54:49,161 --> 00:54:51,455
sisterly enthusiasm
for her guests,
1146
00:54:51,497 --> 00:54:54,208
and playful
polymorphous curiosity.
1147
00:54:54,249 --> 00:54:56,877
She has become
a kind of kitsch Lady Liberty
1148
00:54:56,919 --> 00:54:59,713
for the city
that never sleeps.
1149
00:54:59,755 --> 00:55:01,924
Alright, we're back
with Barry Manilow.
1150
00:55:01,965 --> 00:55:03,300
[audience cheering]
1151
00:55:03,342 --> 00:55:06,553
[Michael] Robin has
a real nose for publicity.
1152
00:55:06,595 --> 00:55:09,264
She's great at getting
her name in Page Six.
1153
00:55:09,306 --> 00:55:13,602
I remember Barry Manilow said
he was a huge fan of hers.
1154
00:55:13,644 --> 00:55:14,812
- Yeah.
- Her name is Robin Byrd,
1155
00:55:14,853 --> 00:55:16,104
and she's got this
cable television show.
1156
00:55:16,146 --> 00:55:17,439
- And I met her at a party.
- [Johnny] Mm-hmm?
1157
00:55:17,481 --> 00:55:19,107
[Barry] And we had a very
innocent photo taken.
1158
00:55:19,149 --> 00:55:20,609
And the next thing I knew,
it was--
1159
00:55:20,651 --> 00:55:22,110
you know,
I was gonna marry her, yeah.
1160
00:55:22,152 --> 00:55:23,904
[Coca]
Robin, I saw in the paper
1161
00:55:23,946 --> 00:55:26,448
that said you were gonna
marry Barry Manilow.
1162
00:55:26,490 --> 00:55:28,617
- That you were engaged.
- Well, he asked me to marry him.
1163
00:55:28,659 --> 00:55:30,160
You see, I don't have
the ring yet.
1164
00:55:30,202 --> 00:55:31,453
[Michael] And she went with it,
1165
00:55:31,495 --> 00:55:33,163
and really got publicity
out of it.
1166
00:55:35,916 --> 00:55:38,293
[Bob] When Robin began,
it was just a modest show
1167
00:55:38,335 --> 00:55:40,254
for her neighbors.
1168
00:55:40,254 --> 00:55:42,256
But when your neighborhood
is New York,
1169
00:55:42,297 --> 00:55:45,092
the country's biggest
media stage,
1170
00:55:45,133 --> 00:55:46,718
everyone ends up watching.
1171
00:55:48,637 --> 00:55:49,847
Hello, there.
1172
00:55:50,848 --> 00:55:54,101
I'm Robin Byrd,
1173
00:55:54,142 --> 00:55:56,937
and this is
the Robin Byrd Show.
1174
00:55:56,979 --> 00:55:58,981
[Robin] And when they did
the SNL sketch,
1175
00:55:59,022 --> 00:56:02,276
I couldn't believe it.
I'm on national TV.
1176
00:56:02,276 --> 00:56:04,611
[Cheri Oteri] They said,
"Cheri, they want you to do Robin Byrd."
1177
00:56:04,653 --> 00:56:06,864
And I was like, "As if!
1178
00:56:06,905 --> 00:56:10,784
"Yeah, I'm not putting on
a macramé bikini top
1179
00:56:10,826 --> 00:56:12,536
with-- with bottoms."
1180
00:56:13,745 --> 00:56:15,789
And then I had an idea
of putting, like,
1181
00:56:15,831 --> 00:56:18,625
big fake boobs
into the macramé,
1182
00:56:18,667 --> 00:56:22,379
and then we adjusted it
on top of my boobs.
1183
00:56:22,421 --> 00:56:24,965
And don't forget
to wear your rubbers!
1184
00:56:25,007 --> 00:56:27,301
See you tomorrow at midnight!
1185
00:56:27,342 --> 00:56:28,719
[♪ jazzy music playing]
1186
00:56:28,760 --> 00:56:31,722
She had called in to SNL,
1187
00:56:31,763 --> 00:56:34,975
and she said to me,
"Cheri, ask me anything."
1188
00:56:35,017 --> 00:56:36,351
I said, "Do you ever think
1189
00:56:36,393 --> 00:56:38,896
of maybe upping
the production value?"
1190
00:56:38,937 --> 00:56:43,025
She goes, "Cheri, nobody wants
to see well-produced porn."
1191
00:56:44,192 --> 00:56:46,069
And she gave me her lip gloss.
1192
00:56:46,111 --> 00:56:50,824
I put it in a plastic bag
and I kept it in a drawer.
1193
00:56:50,824 --> 00:56:53,201
Somebody's like, "What's this?"
I go, "Robin Byrd's lip gloss."
1194
00:56:53,243 --> 00:56:54,995
Smithsonian!
1195
00:56:55,037 --> 00:56:58,040
Smithsonian!
[laughs]
1196
00:57:00,042 --> 00:57:03,211
[Robin] After a decade,
I finally started making some money.
1197
00:57:03,253 --> 00:57:07,049
There was this woman
named Betsy Superfon.
1198
00:57:07,090 --> 00:57:10,010
Betsy Superfon
was out in California.
1199
00:57:10,052 --> 00:57:12,179
She was the queen
of the phone lines.
1200
00:57:12,220 --> 00:57:13,847
[announcer]
What's your fantasy tonight?
1201
00:57:13,889 --> 00:57:18,560
[Robin] She had sex lines,
she had astrology lines.
1202
00:57:18,602 --> 00:57:21,688
Betsy Superfon
bought tons of air time
1203
00:57:21,730 --> 00:57:24,942
on my show
for her phone sex lines,
1204
00:57:24,983 --> 00:57:27,611
and I would fly to California,
1205
00:57:27,653 --> 00:57:30,280
and she would drive me around
in her Rolls-Royce
1206
00:57:30,322 --> 00:57:32,741
that said "970 Girl."
1207
00:57:36,662 --> 00:57:38,622
[Bob] Phone lines
were like this big thing,
1208
00:57:38,664 --> 00:57:41,291
you know, before apps
and before webcams,
1209
00:57:41,333 --> 00:57:42,793
before OnlyFans.
1210
00:57:42,834 --> 00:57:45,879
If-- if you wanted to get off
or get connected,
1211
00:57:45,921 --> 00:57:47,214
you picked up the phone.
1212
00:57:47,255 --> 00:57:49,383
And there were actual
phone numbers
1213
00:57:49,424 --> 00:57:50,926
in the back of magazines.
1214
00:57:52,469 --> 00:57:55,222
It was analog sexting,
basically.
1215
00:57:55,263 --> 00:57:57,724
You never knew
who you were talking to.
1216
00:57:57,766 --> 00:58:00,268
But that was
part of the thrill.
1217
00:58:02,187 --> 00:58:04,398
Let your imagination run wild.
1218
00:58:04,439 --> 00:58:05,774
Just pick up the phone.
1219
00:58:05,816 --> 00:58:08,276
[Robin] But I realized
it was so lucrative
1220
00:58:08,318 --> 00:58:12,155
for everybody else,
that they convinced me
1221
00:58:12,197 --> 00:58:15,158
to have my own phone lines.
1222
00:58:15,200 --> 00:58:20,288
You can always call us
at 970-BYRD.
1223
00:58:20,330 --> 00:58:24,251
That's right, 970-2973.
1224
00:58:24,292 --> 00:58:28,255
So, then on my own car,
1225
00:58:28,296 --> 00:58:30,799
I went and got a license plate,
1226
00:58:30,841 --> 00:58:34,261
said "970 B-Y-R-D."
1227
00:58:34,302 --> 00:58:36,013
970-BYRD.
1228
00:58:36,054 --> 00:58:37,806
[Sandra]
She was very much in the moment
1229
00:58:37,848 --> 00:58:43,103
and very much a businesswoman
and in control.
1230
00:58:43,145 --> 00:58:45,105
[Robin] Well, we're gonna
take some phone calls.
1231
00:58:45,147 --> 00:58:47,941
The numbers are 475-1550.
1232
00:58:47,983 --> 00:58:49,776
It's a free call.
We don't put you on hold.
1233
00:58:49,818 --> 00:58:52,446
And if we do, well,
it's a free call, you know?
1234
00:58:52,487 --> 00:58:54,948
And if you don't wanna
spend no money
1235
00:58:54,990 --> 00:58:56,658
and you wanna spend
some money,
1236
00:58:56,700 --> 00:58:58,618
you can call my 970-BYRD
1237
00:58:58,660 --> 00:59:00,662
and help support the show
and talk to my girls.
1238
00:59:00,704 --> 00:59:02,622
They're there. Hi, girls!
1239
00:59:02,664 --> 00:59:04,666
They're there
waiting to talk to you now.
1240
00:59:04,708 --> 00:59:07,335
I had a gay advertiser,
1241
00:59:07,377 --> 00:59:12,632
and he suggested
that I do just a show for men,
1242
00:59:12,674 --> 00:59:16,720
so that the gay audience
could see only men
1243
00:59:16,762 --> 00:59:18,805
and have their own phone lines.
1244
00:59:18,847 --> 00:59:22,476
We called it
"Robin Byrd's Men for Men."
1245
00:59:22,517 --> 00:59:25,645
And I said,
"Well, let's do 970-BYRD.
1246
00:59:25,687 --> 00:59:28,690
Let's do 970-BEEF for the men."
1247
00:59:28,732 --> 00:59:30,317
"Where's the beef?"
1248
00:59:30,358 --> 00:59:33,403
And then, I had TVTS.
1249
00:59:33,445 --> 00:59:36,823
That was the transgender
phone line.
1250
00:59:36,865 --> 00:59:39,993
[Sandra]
So, the-- the crazy crochet
1251
00:59:40,035 --> 00:59:42,329
bikini-wearing loon
1252
00:59:42,370 --> 00:59:45,582
also put on her business hat.
1253
00:59:47,375 --> 00:59:48,794
[wind gusting]
1254
00:59:50,962 --> 00:59:53,340
[Robin]
You're not allowed here, ha-ha!
1255
00:59:53,381 --> 00:59:55,092
Ah, little alpha.
1256
00:59:55,133 --> 00:59:57,719
Ha-ha-ha, you're such an alpha.
You won't stay on your back.
1257
00:59:57,761 --> 00:59:59,679
No, you won't. I can keep you--
1258
00:59:59,679 --> 01:00:03,016
Aye, aye, aye, aye, aye, aye!
[laughing]
1259
01:00:03,809 --> 01:00:06,186
What you doing?
Do you wanna get smudged?
1260
01:00:06,853 --> 01:00:08,980
- Do you wanna get smudged?
- [dog barks]
1261
01:00:09,815 --> 01:00:11,066
Let's go.
1262
01:00:11,108 --> 01:00:14,236
[♪ meditative music playing]
1263
01:00:27,499 --> 01:00:29,376
[smoke alarm beeps]
1264
01:00:29,417 --> 01:00:30,710
Oh, shit!
1265
01:00:30,752 --> 01:00:32,963
- [alarm blaring]
- [dog barking]
1266
01:00:33,922 --> 01:00:35,423
Oh, shit!
1267
01:00:36,591 --> 01:00:38,426
Well, no more smudging.
1268
01:00:41,805 --> 01:00:44,558
Shelly and I would always
walk the beach to this house
1269
01:00:44,599 --> 01:00:45,892
that we're in now,
1270
01:00:45,934 --> 01:00:49,980
and found out one day
it was for sale.
1271
01:00:50,021 --> 01:00:51,606
I had money
from the phone lines
1272
01:00:51,648 --> 01:00:54,943
enough to get a loan.
A jumbo loan.
1273
01:00:56,403 --> 01:01:00,407
And the minute the door opened,
I said to Shelly,
1274
01:01:00,407 --> 01:01:04,244
"Don't say anything,
but I love it."
1275
01:01:04,286 --> 01:01:07,414
Hello!
1276
01:01:07,455 --> 01:01:09,124
[♪ singer vocalizing]
1277
01:01:09,166 --> 01:01:11,418
Cheers, everybody.
Good morning!
1278
01:01:11,459 --> 01:01:13,336
Welcome to Byrdland.
1279
01:01:13,378 --> 01:01:15,755
You know, everything in this
house has a little meaning.
1280
01:01:15,797 --> 01:01:18,550
You know, I love disco,
so I got my disco balls.
1281
01:01:20,177 --> 01:01:22,762
When I had this painting
made for me,
1282
01:01:22,804 --> 01:01:24,973
you know, a little bondage
never hurt anybody...
1283
01:01:26,183 --> 01:01:27,767
if you're doing it right.
1284
01:01:27,809 --> 01:01:30,270
The house was a party house.
1285
01:01:30,312 --> 01:01:33,523
- [♪ upbeat music playing]
- [♪ singer continues vocalizing]
1286
01:01:37,319 --> 01:01:39,237
I love exercising.
1287
01:01:39,279 --> 01:01:42,490
It's just too bad I don't have
the body right now to show it.
1288
01:01:42,532 --> 01:01:44,618
[laughs]
1289
01:01:44,659 --> 01:01:47,871
And it is a bit rusty,
but it still works.
1290
01:01:47,913 --> 01:01:50,207
I'm young at heart
and in my spirit,
1291
01:01:50,248 --> 01:01:52,209
but my body and everybody...
1292
01:01:52,250 --> 01:01:53,668
You know, you know...
1293
01:01:54,711 --> 01:01:58,048
When you have
a 60-something-year-old car...
1294
01:01:58,089 --> 01:01:59,716
[laughs]
1295
01:01:59,758 --> 01:02:01,676
...it's hard to find parts.
1296
01:02:08,934 --> 01:02:12,354
I chose Fire Island 'cause
it's a beautiful place to live.
1297
01:02:13,438 --> 01:02:17,108
It's been a haven for gay
people since the early 1900s.
1298
01:02:19,027 --> 01:02:22,989
Freedom of expression
is very important
1299
01:02:23,031 --> 01:02:25,700
to everyone here in Fire Island.
1300
01:02:26,576 --> 01:02:31,122
They feel very strongly about
standing up for their rights.
1301
01:02:35,919 --> 01:02:38,046
This administration
is putting the purveyors
1302
01:02:38,088 --> 01:02:41,383
of illegal obscenity
and pornography on notice.
1303
01:02:41,424 --> 01:02:44,010
Your industry's days
are numbered.
1304
01:02:44,052 --> 01:02:45,679
[applause]
1305
01:02:45,720 --> 01:02:47,347
[Jerry Falwell]
Thank God for a president
1306
01:02:47,389 --> 01:02:49,349
who agrees in totality
1307
01:02:49,391 --> 01:02:52,185
with what we morally
stand for here.
1308
01:02:52,227 --> 01:02:54,854
We are committed
to the pro-family,
1309
01:02:54,896 --> 01:02:56,898
anti-pornography perspective.
1310
01:02:58,275 --> 01:03:01,778
[Bob] The free love vibe of the
'60s and '70s, that was over.
1311
01:03:01,820 --> 01:03:05,740
And suddenly, we were in
a full-swing moral panic.
1312
01:03:06,741 --> 01:03:08,868
Ed Meese
and the Moral Majority,
1313
01:03:08,910 --> 01:03:11,746
they were all coming down
on people like me.
1314
01:03:11,788 --> 01:03:14,708
More controversy tonight
from the report on pornography
1315
01:03:14,749 --> 01:03:17,043
that US Attorney General
Edwin Meese put out this year.
1316
01:03:17,085 --> 01:03:18,586
[reporter]
Meese today declared
1317
01:03:18,628 --> 01:03:21,631
a federal crackdown
on obscene materials.
1318
01:03:21,673 --> 01:03:23,466
They outrageously
abuse the persons
1319
01:03:23,508 --> 01:03:25,885
who are being photographed
and portrayed.
1320
01:03:25,927 --> 01:03:27,804
They do untold injury
to society.
1321
01:03:27,846 --> 01:03:30,140
[reporter] Meese said
he'll introduce legislation
1322
01:03:30,181 --> 01:03:32,726
to ban obscene cable
TV programs
1323
01:03:32,767 --> 01:03:34,728
and telephone
pornography services.
1324
01:03:35,812 --> 01:03:38,565
[Marjorie Heins] By this point,
part of the feminist movement
1325
01:03:38,606 --> 01:03:41,901
is allying
with the conservative
1326
01:03:41,943 --> 01:03:43,903
religious right establishment,
1327
01:03:43,945 --> 01:03:45,488
arguing that pornography
1328
01:03:45,530 --> 01:03:48,616
is the most serious form
of harm to women.
1329
01:03:49,701 --> 01:03:52,787
And so, leased access begins
to become a social problem
1330
01:03:52,829 --> 01:03:55,832
according to some 'cause
it's a lot of sexual content.
1331
01:03:56,958 --> 01:03:58,835
So, I started getting censored.
1332
01:04:02,630 --> 01:04:04,799
Oh!
1333
01:04:05,633 --> 01:04:07,510
No, it can't be.
1334
01:04:08,470 --> 01:04:11,765
There's a box in there
that says "Byrd fan mail."
1335
01:04:11,806 --> 01:04:13,391
Oh, my God.
1336
01:04:16,019 --> 01:04:17,771
- Wow.
- Wow!
1337
01:04:17,812 --> 01:04:22,776
"Dear Robin, those scum-sucking
pigs really made me mad.
1338
01:04:22,817 --> 01:04:26,112
"Anyone who wishes
you to be gone
1339
01:04:26,154 --> 01:04:29,657
can simply block the channel
and fuck themselves."
1340
01:04:29,699 --> 01:04:32,994
Time Warner was petitioning
to take me off cable,
1341
01:04:33,036 --> 01:04:35,455
and they wanted everybody
1342
01:04:35,497 --> 01:04:39,292
to, um, sign a card
1343
01:04:39,334 --> 01:04:42,796
that said that they watch
indecent programming.
1344
01:04:42,837 --> 01:04:47,175
The viewers at home,
I mean, they were pissed off.
1345
01:04:48,259 --> 01:04:50,303
[gasps]
"Dear Robin,
1346
01:04:50,345 --> 01:04:54,557
"if they cancel your show,
I'm going to cancel my cable.
1347
01:04:54,599 --> 01:04:58,353
"Their goal is nothing less
than an Orwellian measure
1348
01:04:58,395 --> 01:05:02,148
"to control what people
can or cannot witness
1349
01:05:02,148 --> 01:05:05,193
in the privacy
of their own home."
1350
01:05:06,444 --> 01:05:08,863
This one's from Sy Newhouse.
1351
01:05:08,905 --> 01:05:11,032
"As a prominent publisher
and writer,
1352
01:05:11,074 --> 01:05:12,992
"I'm shocked that
Manhattan Cable
1353
01:05:13,034 --> 01:05:15,495
"is indulging in censorship.
1354
01:05:15,537 --> 01:05:19,207
"Manhattan Cable is acting
like a gang of fascists
1355
01:05:19,249 --> 01:05:21,418
"and should not be tolerated.
1356
01:05:21,459 --> 01:05:24,212
"We have considerable power
of the press,
1357
01:05:24,254 --> 01:05:26,005
"both here and nationally.
1358
01:05:26,047 --> 01:05:30,510
Sy Newhouse,
Condé Nast Publications."
1359
01:05:30,552 --> 01:05:33,471
Wow, this is some
hell of a sandwich.
1360
01:05:34,389 --> 01:05:35,557
Unbelievable.
1361
01:05:37,517 --> 01:05:40,019
[protesters]
Listen, listen to my voice!
1362
01:05:40,061 --> 01:05:42,897
Don't take away
my freedom of choice!
1363
01:05:42,939 --> 01:05:46,067
[reporter] Robin Byrd's
program has escaped scrutiny
1364
01:05:46,109 --> 01:05:48,862
for more than 14 years,
but no more.
1365
01:05:48,903 --> 01:05:51,197
[protesters]
Listen, listen to my voice!
1366
01:05:51,239 --> 01:05:53,950
Don't take away
my freedom of choice!
1367
01:05:53,992 --> 01:05:55,743
Shame! Shame! Shame!
1368
01:05:55,785 --> 01:05:57,704
[reporter]
A bawdy and boisterous protest
1369
01:05:57,704 --> 01:06:01,082
outside the offices of
the owners of Manhattan Cable,
1370
01:06:01,124 --> 01:06:02,709
where Byrd, her viewers,
1371
01:06:02,750 --> 01:06:05,628
and other Channel J producers
are ready to fight.
1372
01:06:05,670 --> 01:06:08,089
[protesters]
Take back what is right today!
1373
01:06:08,131 --> 01:06:10,383
Don't take away our Channel J!
1374
01:06:10,425 --> 01:06:12,927
I don't tell you
to watch or not to watch.
1375
01:06:12,969 --> 01:06:14,471
You have that freedom.
1376
01:06:14,512 --> 01:06:16,431
I just give you a choice,
1377
01:06:16,473 --> 01:06:18,892
an alternative to what's on.
1378
01:06:18,933 --> 01:06:21,060
The FCC and the politicians
1379
01:06:21,102 --> 01:06:22,979
started stepping up
the pressure
1380
01:06:23,021 --> 01:06:25,315
on the broadcasters and cable.
1381
01:06:26,816 --> 01:06:29,777
Tightening the rules,
and that's when the lawyers
1382
01:06:29,819 --> 01:06:32,405
started screening
everything that I did.
1383
01:06:32,447 --> 01:06:34,949
[protesters continue chanting]
1384
01:06:34,991 --> 01:06:37,577
[Marjorie] I think a big company
like Time Warner
1385
01:06:37,619 --> 01:06:40,163
was primarily interested
in making profits,
1386
01:06:40,205 --> 01:06:43,291
and they were responding
to whatever political pressures
1387
01:06:43,333 --> 01:06:45,084
they perceived
1388
01:06:45,126 --> 01:06:47,504
in terms of their own
business interests.
1389
01:06:49,005 --> 01:06:52,300
So, then we get
to the 1992 Cable Act.
1390
01:06:52,342 --> 01:06:54,135
[reporter 1]
A lawmaker from Nebraska says
1391
01:06:54,177 --> 01:06:56,763
he wants to protect
the sanctuary of your home
1392
01:06:56,804 --> 01:06:58,932
from uninvited indecencies.
1393
01:06:58,973 --> 01:07:01,142
He's trying to ban
the Robin Byrds of the world
1394
01:07:01,184 --> 01:07:03,269
from public
and leased access channels
1395
01:07:03,269 --> 01:07:05,980
by giving cable companies
the right to say no.
1396
01:07:06,022 --> 01:07:07,649
[reporter 2]
Washington lawmakers
1397
01:07:07,690 --> 01:07:10,360
are once again moaning
over this type of programming,
1398
01:07:10,401 --> 01:07:12,028
and have introduced
a senate amendment.
1399
01:07:12,070 --> 01:07:13,780
Members will record their votes.
1400
01:07:13,821 --> 01:07:15,740
[Marjorie]
So, Congress passed the law.
1401
01:07:16,866 --> 01:07:19,452
Censorship was gonna
be permitted.
1402
01:07:19,494 --> 01:07:21,621
[Robin] They wanted
to scramble my show,
1403
01:07:21,663 --> 01:07:24,290
which in cable terms
1404
01:07:24,290 --> 01:07:27,544
is making it so that
you couldn't see it.
1405
01:07:28,836 --> 01:07:32,966
That's when I realized
that protesting wasn't enough.
1406
01:07:33,007 --> 01:07:36,511
I joined in a lawsuit
to sue Time Warner
1407
01:07:36,553 --> 01:07:40,014
with Al Goldstein
and Lou Maletta.
1408
01:07:40,056 --> 01:07:43,393
They both had
their own shows on Channel J.
1409
01:07:43,434 --> 01:07:46,229
We were all fighting
for the same thing:
1410
01:07:46,271 --> 01:07:47,981
free speech.
1411
01:07:48,022 --> 01:07:49,899
They wanted
to scramble your signal.
1412
01:07:49,941 --> 01:07:51,818
Would that have
really put you off?
1413
01:07:51,859 --> 01:07:54,654
It's the fact
that people had to request
1414
01:07:54,654 --> 01:07:56,656
- this channel to be
put on the air. - So, requesting.
1415
01:07:56,656 --> 01:07:59,075
- So, what's wrong with that?
- [Robin] Because you come out of the closet.
1416
01:07:59,117 --> 01:08:00,577
[James C. Goodale]
The real reason is,
1417
01:08:00,618 --> 01:08:02,495
they think it's indecent.
1418
01:08:02,537 --> 01:08:05,540
I, for one,
feel that the human body
1419
01:08:05,582 --> 01:08:07,041
is not indecent.
1420
01:08:07,083 --> 01:08:09,669
I show the human body,
and they're dancing.
1421
01:08:09,711 --> 01:08:10,920
It's an art form.
1422
01:08:10,962 --> 01:08:13,590
My intent is not to be indecent.
1423
01:08:13,631 --> 01:08:14,882
What is indecent?
1424
01:08:14,924 --> 01:08:17,010
I think homelessness
is indecent.
1425
01:08:17,051 --> 01:08:19,262
Children who have no family,
that's indecent.
1426
01:08:19,304 --> 01:08:20,847
I don't think
that the human body
1427
01:08:20,888 --> 01:08:23,224
dancing around to songs
is indecent.
1428
01:08:25,768 --> 01:08:27,437
[Michael]
Once Robin joined the lawsuit
1429
01:08:27,478 --> 01:08:29,522
to keep her show on local TV,
1430
01:08:29,564 --> 01:08:32,734
she became national news.
1431
01:08:32,775 --> 01:08:35,903
Joan, Donahue,
they all wanted a piece of her.
1432
01:08:35,945 --> 01:08:37,322
Robin, Robin.
1433
01:08:38,281 --> 01:08:39,574
For all the Byrdwatchers,
1434
01:08:39,616 --> 01:08:42,368
as you call your fans
in New York,
1435
01:08:42,410 --> 01:08:44,954
are-- is this it? Fini?
1436
01:08:44,996 --> 01:08:47,081
Well, I'm putting up
a big fight.
1437
01:08:47,123 --> 01:08:49,459
Um, I'm not going
to give up the fight.
1438
01:08:49,500 --> 01:08:51,919
My fans are behind me 100%.
1439
01:08:51,961 --> 01:08:53,880
They're anti-censorship.
1440
01:08:53,921 --> 01:08:55,715
- [Donahue] Yeah.
- It's for the freedom of speech
1441
01:08:55,757 --> 01:08:58,259
and expression.
It's the American way.
1442
01:08:59,927 --> 01:09:03,264
I was fearful of losing
the audience.
1443
01:09:03,306 --> 01:09:05,433
I was fearful
1444
01:09:05,475 --> 01:09:10,063
that this negative thought
about my show
1445
01:09:10,104 --> 01:09:12,398
was going to go
the wrong way.
1446
01:09:12,440 --> 01:09:15,526
I was fearful
of losing my purpose.
1447
01:09:20,198 --> 01:09:21,908
[broadcaster 1]
A new court battle over the First Amendment
1448
01:09:21,949 --> 01:09:23,451
and censorship, the issue...
1449
01:09:23,493 --> 01:09:25,578
[broadcaster 2]
The Supreme Court will have to decide
1450
01:09:25,620 --> 01:09:27,413
whether this
is freedom of speech
1451
01:09:27,455 --> 01:09:28,956
or whether
cable companies have...
1452
01:09:28,998 --> 01:09:33,086
[Robin] As the decision
was being made on my lawsuit,
1453
01:09:33,127 --> 01:09:35,254
I was right here in this house.
1454
01:09:35,296 --> 01:09:37,423
[broadcaster 3] Congress said
it was protecting children
1455
01:09:37,423 --> 01:09:40,635
when it passed the censorship
law requiring cable operators
1456
01:09:40,677 --> 01:09:43,262
either to ban all indecent
programs or round them up...
1457
01:09:43,304 --> 01:09:44,972
[Robin] I was waiting
for the Supreme Court
1458
01:09:45,014 --> 01:09:47,642
to decide whether or not
I was gonna be banned
1459
01:09:47,684 --> 01:09:49,018
or not for the show.
1460
01:09:49,060 --> 01:09:51,396
- See you on the other side!
- [man] See you.
1461
01:09:52,647 --> 01:09:54,857
[Robin]
And they called me and said
1462
01:09:54,899 --> 01:09:59,487
the decision was finally made
on the courts.
1463
01:10:01,197 --> 01:10:03,449
The US Supreme Court
has told the federal government
1464
01:10:03,449 --> 01:10:06,619
to stay out of the business
of banning indecent programming
1465
01:10:06,661 --> 01:10:08,454
from cable television.
1466
01:10:08,496 --> 01:10:10,123
[laughing]
1467
01:10:10,957 --> 01:10:13,292
[broadcaster 1] The airing of
sexually explicit programming
1468
01:10:13,334 --> 01:10:15,545
on public access
and leased cable channels
1469
01:10:15,586 --> 01:10:17,547
was protected today
by the Supreme Court.
1470
01:10:17,588 --> 01:10:19,632
[broadcaster 2]
Writing for the court, Justice Stephen Breyer
1471
01:10:19,674 --> 01:10:22,468
said the need to shield kids
doesn't justify
1472
01:10:22,510 --> 01:10:24,554
reducing the adult
population's viewing
1473
01:10:24,595 --> 01:10:25,972
to only what
is fit for children.
1474
01:10:26,013 --> 01:10:27,849
[♪ dance music playing]
1475
01:10:29,809 --> 01:10:34,313
I am so relieved that there is
justice in this world,
1476
01:10:34,355 --> 01:10:36,858
and that... God bless America.
1477
01:10:41,070 --> 01:10:43,656
After Fox interviewed me
in the harbor,
1478
01:10:43,698 --> 01:10:45,950
we went home and opened up
a bottle of champagne
1479
01:10:45,992 --> 01:10:47,577
and got stinking drunk.
1480
01:10:47,618 --> 01:10:49,036
[blowing whistle]
1481
01:10:51,205 --> 01:10:53,207
I felt vindicated
for my viewers.
1482
01:10:53,249 --> 01:10:55,668
I felt vindicated
for my justice.
1483
01:10:55,710 --> 01:10:57,712
[crowd cheering]
1484
01:11:00,923 --> 01:11:02,216
I was elated.
1485
01:11:09,056 --> 01:11:10,391
[Robin] Yes.
1486
01:11:16,731 --> 01:11:18,691
[Nadine Strossen]
The First Amendment protects
1487
01:11:18,733 --> 01:11:21,527
not only the right
of Robin and others
1488
01:11:21,569 --> 01:11:23,362
to express themselves,
1489
01:11:23,362 --> 01:11:27,742
but also protects audience
members to choose to view it.
1490
01:11:29,494 --> 01:11:31,704
[Marjorie] It was a very
important cultural moment
1491
01:11:31,704 --> 01:11:35,708
when Robin challenged the power
of a very big company
1492
01:11:35,750 --> 01:11:39,086
to determine what our
media diet was gonna be.
1493
01:11:39,128 --> 01:11:40,713
[laughing]
1494
01:11:40,755 --> 01:11:43,299
[♪ dance music
continues playing]
1495
01:11:46,093 --> 01:11:49,472
So, she's a local hero
for having represented
1496
01:11:49,514 --> 01:11:53,059
that diversity
and that challenge to the rule
1497
01:11:53,100 --> 01:11:55,269
of the big
monopolistic companies.
1498
01:12:00,650 --> 01:12:02,652
[seagulls squawking]
1499
01:12:06,656 --> 01:12:08,533
[Robin whistling]
1500
01:12:10,993 --> 01:12:12,995
[bird whistling]
1501
01:12:14,705 --> 01:12:16,958
[Robin whistling]
1502
01:12:16,999 --> 01:12:20,837
[Robin] After the lawsuit,
I was overwhelmed with joy
1503
01:12:20,878 --> 01:12:24,841
that after three years,
it finally came to a close.
1504
01:12:24,882 --> 01:12:26,843
[♪ calm piano music playing]
1505
01:12:28,886 --> 01:12:30,388
It was a relief.
1506
01:12:31,472 --> 01:12:35,184
But I felt very spent,
1507
01:12:35,226 --> 01:12:36,477
so to speak...
1508
01:12:37,478 --> 01:12:41,941
'cause we used a lot of energy,
1509
01:12:41,983 --> 01:12:44,569
resources, money.
1510
01:12:45,695 --> 01:12:47,196
Hello, Bobby.
1511
01:12:47,238 --> 01:12:48,990
- [Bobby] Hi, Robin.
- [Robin] How are you?
1512
01:12:49,031 --> 01:12:51,701
Hello. How are you?
1513
01:12:51,742 --> 01:12:54,954
Hi. Welcome home! Hi!
1514
01:12:54,996 --> 01:12:58,624
And then, the crochet bikini
was getting stretched out,
1515
01:12:58,666 --> 01:13:03,337
and I'm hiding
my getting-older body.
1516
01:13:04,714 --> 01:13:07,049
[♪ calm piano music continues]
1517
01:13:09,051 --> 01:13:13,347
After 25, 26 years, I'm done.
I've done it.
1518
01:13:13,389 --> 01:13:17,101
That's a quarter of a century,
so I'm gonna retire.
1519
01:13:19,770 --> 01:13:22,356
[Michael] I think
every success that is achieved
1520
01:13:22,398 --> 01:13:26,319
is endemic to that particular
time when it happened.
1521
01:13:26,360 --> 01:13:29,655
I guess Robin felt
the internet was too unwieldy,
1522
01:13:29,697 --> 01:13:32,408
it's global, it's scary,
it's hard to control it.
1523
01:13:32,450 --> 01:13:35,077
It's not like leased access
in New York.
1524
01:13:38,539 --> 01:13:40,041
It was one of the first times
1525
01:13:40,082 --> 01:13:43,419
that I was able to put things
out of my apartment,
1526
01:13:43,461 --> 01:13:44,921
and put them into my--
1527
01:13:44,962 --> 01:13:47,506
- Into someplace else.
- Yeah.
1528
01:13:47,548 --> 01:13:49,175
Oh, my God, I don't know
what you're gonna think
1529
01:13:49,216 --> 01:13:50,551
about all of this.
1530
01:13:50,593 --> 01:13:52,929
- I'm excited to see it.
- [laughing]
1531
01:13:52,970 --> 01:13:55,181
- Oh, wow. Okay, great.
- [laughing]
1532
01:13:55,222 --> 01:13:56,349
Awesome.
1533
01:13:56,390 --> 01:13:58,601
[Robin] But this is, um,
some of the...
1534
01:14:00,227 --> 01:14:05,358
stuff that I thought maybe
you'd find interesting.
1535
01:14:05,399 --> 01:14:08,527
- Yeah.
- There's lots of stuff in here.
1536
01:14:08,569 --> 01:14:11,280
We have the signs,
the picket signs.
1537
01:14:12,323 --> 01:14:13,741
[Daylon] That's awesome.
1538
01:14:13,783 --> 01:14:17,036
"Protect your rights.
Save Channel J."
1539
01:14:17,078 --> 01:14:19,288
This journal,
I don't remember this journal.
1540
01:14:20,289 --> 01:14:21,707
Wow!
1541
01:14:21,749 --> 01:14:23,709
[Daylon] Okay, this is great.
1542
01:14:23,751 --> 01:14:25,544
This is the sort
of thing that's--
1543
01:14:25,586 --> 01:14:29,799
that's, you know, definitely
of-- of scholarly interest.
1544
01:14:29,840 --> 01:14:33,052
There's a great sexuality
collection at, uh,
1545
01:14:33,094 --> 01:14:35,888
Cornell University has some
really amazing stuff.
1546
01:14:35,930 --> 01:14:38,891
I'd love to work with you,
uh, but the fact
1547
01:14:38,933 --> 01:14:41,310
that you're even,
like, thinking about this
1548
01:14:41,352 --> 01:14:43,896
is really good
and really important.
1549
01:14:43,938 --> 01:14:45,564
So, I'm thankful for that.
1550
01:14:45,606 --> 01:14:48,234
[♪ gentle music playing]
1551
01:14:48,275 --> 01:14:51,278
[Robin] The past year
opened my eyes to the point
1552
01:14:51,320 --> 01:14:54,824
where I wanna do something
with the clutter,
1553
01:14:54,865 --> 01:14:57,243
which turns out to be
not so much clutter
1554
01:14:57,284 --> 01:14:58,995
as much as history.
1555
01:14:59,870 --> 01:15:02,123
I don't need that stuff.
1556
01:15:02,164 --> 01:15:04,583
♪ All I need is you ♪
1557
01:15:04,625 --> 01:15:06,627
[Shelly buzzing lips]
1558
01:15:07,628 --> 01:15:09,463
[Robin] He's my person.
1559
01:15:09,505 --> 01:15:10,631
That's true.
1560
01:15:11,465 --> 01:15:12,967
That's really all I need.
1561
01:15:13,009 --> 01:15:15,678
That's all I needed
to build what we built.
1562
01:15:18,848 --> 01:15:23,853
I would like to move forward
with ar-- archiving our stuff.
1563
01:15:23,894 --> 01:15:25,438
What do you think?
1564
01:15:25,479 --> 01:15:29,692
You're-- you're asking me,
but Robin is the one
1565
01:15:29,734 --> 01:15:32,862
that did the shows
and everything else
1566
01:15:32,903 --> 01:15:34,739
and says yes or no.
1567
01:15:35,656 --> 01:15:37,783
And I go with her decisions.
1568
01:15:37,825 --> 01:15:39,702
Oh, we have
an agreement there.
1569
01:15:39,744 --> 01:15:43,039
It's not gonna get done
if I don't make it happen.
1570
01:15:43,080 --> 01:15:46,333
- Because life isn't infinite.
- Sure.
1571
01:15:47,668 --> 01:15:50,337
- Why am I in this thing again?
- Because you're part of my life.
1572
01:15:50,379 --> 01:15:51,797
Oh, okay.
1573
01:15:51,839 --> 01:15:53,382
[Robin] Wow!
1574
01:15:53,424 --> 01:15:56,302
♪ Happy birthday, dear Robin ♪
1575
01:15:56,343 --> 01:15:57,803
- [friend 1] Robin!
- [friend 2] Whoo! [laughing]
1576
01:15:57,845 --> 01:16:01,640
♪ Happy birthday to you ♪
1577
01:16:01,682 --> 01:16:04,977
- [applause]
- Whoo! Yes!
1578
01:16:05,019 --> 01:16:06,645
[Robin] Not every day I turn 70.
1579
01:16:06,687 --> 01:16:09,023
Oh, my God, it's out there.
I'm 70.
1580
01:16:09,065 --> 01:16:12,276
I am 70!
Can you believe that?
1581
01:16:13,027 --> 01:16:15,196
No. S-Suck.
1582
01:16:17,031 --> 01:16:19,366
[♪ gentle electronic music
playing]
1583
01:16:36,258 --> 01:16:39,345
[Robin] When you all wanted me
to walk down the beach naked,
1584
01:16:39,345 --> 01:16:41,555
I'm like, "Oh, no,
I don't wanna do that."
1585
01:16:42,765 --> 01:16:45,518
Because I didn't want
people to see that I'm,
1586
01:16:45,559 --> 01:16:48,646
you know, older, fatter.
1587
01:16:49,897 --> 01:16:53,109
You know,
I didn't want that image.
1588
01:16:53,150 --> 01:16:55,903
But then I was like,
"Wait a minute.
1589
01:16:55,945 --> 01:16:57,571
What a hypocrite am I?"
1590
01:17:06,455 --> 01:17:09,959
I feel that we all
have a mission.
1591
01:17:10,000 --> 01:17:11,585
We all have a destiny.
1592
01:17:13,420 --> 01:17:15,422
We're all given these detours.
1593
01:17:15,464 --> 01:17:20,177
Me, my-- my detour,
was to make people happy.
1594
01:17:22,972 --> 01:17:25,766
To give them love
that I wanted.
1595
01:17:34,358 --> 01:17:37,361
[♪ upbeat percussive
music playing]