A true porno original, John 'Buttman' Stagliano is probably the most imitated director in the business. His 'Buttman' series changed porn irrevocably, pointing it towards its gonzo future and away from its plot-driven past. With an almost giddy, childlike reverence for the female backside, John's pleasure at being on camera always came through. His unique eye for eroticism brought a whole new aesthetic to porn.
Born in 1951, Stagliano grew up in Chicago and developed an early affinity for porno. He remembers sneaking over to seedy neighborhoods and buying skin mags while in his teens -- even then he was drawn to the mags that focused on rear ends! He graduated from high school in 1969, then moved to Southern California in order to pursue a degree in economics at UCLA. His plans to be the next Alan Greenspan got sidetracked, though, when he answered an ad at the school placement office looking for models.
Although the ad was looking for women, Stagliano met the agent who placed it. The man also ran a porno newspaper on the side, and John wrote a story for the mag. Before long, the agent was sending Stagliano on softcore modeling jobs. By 1974, Stagliano had appeared in his first short hardcore loop. He continued to appear in the occasional loop throughout the rest of the 70's while he worked days in a market research company.
In 1979, John found an ad looking for male dancers. A few modern dance classes at UCLA had prepped him for the role, so he applied and became one of the first crew of Chippendale's dancers. His dancing led him even further into the world of porn and by 1983 he had hooked up with producer Bruce Seven. The duo produced a series of steamy hardcore vids over the next few years, and by 1989 Stagliano felt ready to move out on his own. He formed Evil Angel with Patrick Collins, taking the company's name from his old stripping name (Evil John) and a former girlfriend named Angel.
The company instantly made a huge mark on the industry with the release of 'Adventures of Buttman' in '89. Unlike anything that had been seen before, the Stagliano-directed feature brought a cinema-verite style to sexvids. Stagliano brought his camera along with him as he pursued a bevy of amply endowed strumpets, shooting footage on the fly with no attempt at putting any of the action in a plotted framework. The whole thing came across as a fun-loving sex freak's home videos, and together with Ed Powers' 'Dirty Debs' series it changed the face of porn forever.
Stagliano continued to hone his Buttman persona and newly minted 'gonzo' style in a string of fantastic flicks over the next few years. From 'Bend Over Babes' to 'Buttman Goes To Rio' to 'Buttman's Ultimate Workout,' Stagliano's videos never failed to amuse and arouse. His infectious good nature drove each flick forward with a real sense of fun, and this was surely one guy who enjoyed his work.
Stagliano eventually began easing away from his Buttman flicks, instead relying on Evil Angel's new crop of filmmakers to bring home his cash. He still shot the occasional hardcore feature, but seemed more content to rest on his laurels than to keep cranking out features. John shocked the porno industry in early 1997 with his admission that he had tested HIV positive.
Stagliano had long been a practicing bisexual, which was an open secret in the industry. He says that he caught HIV from a transsexual hooker during Carnival in Rio during a particularly poorly thought out evening of debauchery. He immediately went public with his condition and quit working in front of the camera. After a hiatus during which John engaged in some serious soul searching, he's now back behind the camera -- as well as in front of it. In the recent 'Buttman Confidential,' he talks all about his bisexuality and how he attained the HIV virus. Plans are currently afoot to pair John up with fellow HIV-positive porner Tricia Devereaux for the first ever all-HIV sex scene.
Whatever the future holds for John Stagliano, we wish him nothing but the best. He promises to battle his disease to the utmost while continuing to be one of porn's most visible practitioners. His legions of fans and imitators worldwide insure that regardless of what happens, John Stagliano's influence over hardcore will never wane.
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