Eon McKai
Encyclopedia
Eon McKai is an American director of alt porn-themed adult films. The name "Eon McKai" is a pseudonym
and a tribute to punk singer Ian MacKaye
.
McKai was involved in the internet-based alt porn scene soon after its emergence and photographed some of the early sets on SuicideGirls
. After graduating from film school
at California Institute of the Arts
, he decided he wanted to go into directing pornography and introduced himself to adult film director Veronica Hart
. Hart put him in touch with the adult video company VCA Pictures
, who signed him as a director in 2004. In 2006, after producing several features for VCA, McKai was signed by Vivid
to head a new imprint of theirs called VividAlt.
McKai's films are alt porn-themed hardcore adult films, casting younger actors with an "alternative" punk
, goth
, or otherwise subcultural look, many of whom are not established porn stars. Going against the predominant trends in adult video, McKai prefers to shoot features with a plotline and high production values rather than gonzo porn. His influences include Andy Warhol
, early "artistic" porn directors like Alex de Renzy
, The Dark Brothers, and Stephen Sayadian
, as well as the aesthetic of alt porn websites such as SuicideGirls
, BurningAngel, and GodsGirls
.
McKai's work has generally been well received by alt porn fans, but has also been criticized by those who feel that he is appropriating the aesthetic of alternative subcultures for use in pornography, or who question his credibility and connection to alternative subcultures. After leaving the porn industry, one of the actresses in his films, Keiko
, referred to McKai as "edgy as a butterknife". Others, such as porn reviewers Roger Pipe and Scott McGowan, denounce McKai for what they see as his artistic pretensions, with McGowan stating "If people jack off to your art, you're not the artist you think you are". Tristan Taormino
, however, has defended McKai's work as authentically based on his own lifestyle and sense of aesthetics
, and views the idea of creating artistic porn as much more worthy than simply churning out product.
Pseudonym
A pseudonym is a name that a person assumes for a particular purpose and that differs from his or her original orthonym...
and a tribute to punk singer Ian MacKaye
Ian MacKaye
Ian Thomas Garner MacKaye is an American singer, songwriter, guitarist, musician, label owner, and producer. Active since 1979, MacKaye is best known for being the frontman of the influential hardcore punk bands Minor Threat and The Teen Idles, the post-hardcore bands Embrace and Fugazi, as well...
.
McKai was involved in the internet-based alt porn scene soon after its emergence and photographed some of the early sets on SuicideGirls
SuicideGirls
SuicideGirls is a website that features softcore pornography and text profiles of goth, punk and indie-styled young women who are known as the "Suicide Girls"...
. After graduating from film school
Film school
The term film school is used to describe any educational institution dedicated to teaching aspects of filmmaking, including such subjects as film production, film theory, digital media production, and screenwriting. Film history courses and hands-on technical training are usually incorporated into...
at California Institute of the Arts
California Institute of the Arts
The California Institute of the Arts, commonly referred to as CalArts, is located in Valencia, in Los Angeles County, California. It was incorporated in 1961 as the first degree-granting institution of higher learning in the United States created specifically for students of both the visual and the...
, he decided he wanted to go into directing pornography and introduced himself to adult film director Veronica Hart
Veronica Hart
Jane Esther Hamilton is an American former pornographic actress and current porn director who performed under the name Veronica Hart during the 1980s. She is sometimes credited as Jane Esther Hamilton, Jane Hamilton, V. Hart, Veronica Heart, Victoria Holt, Kathryn Stanleigh, Randee Styles or just...
. Hart put him in touch with the adult video company VCA Pictures
VCA Pictures
VCA Pictures is an American pornographic film production and distribution company. The company was founded by Russ Hampshire, and was formerly a major player during the 'Golden Age of Porn'. Throughout the 70's and 80's VCA produced big budget, plot-oriented feature films...
, who signed him as a director in 2004. In 2006, after producing several features for VCA, McKai was signed by Vivid
Vivid Entertainment
Vivid Entertainment Group is an adult video producer, featuring a catalog of VHS and DVD titles and internet content. In 2006 it was described by Reuters as one of the handful of studios that dominate the U.S. porn industry....
to head a new imprint of theirs called VividAlt.
McKai's films are alt porn-themed hardcore adult films, casting younger actors with an "alternative" punk
Punk subculture
The punk subculture includes a diverse array of ideologies, and forms of expression, including fashion, visual art, dance, literature, and film, which grew out of punk rock.-History:...
, goth
Goth subculture
The goth subculture is a contemporary subculture found in many countries. It began in England during the early 1980s in the gothic rock scene, an offshoot of the post-punk genre. The goth subculture has survived much longer than others of the same era, and has continued to diversify...
, or otherwise subcultural look, many of whom are not established porn stars. Going against the predominant trends in adult video, McKai prefers to shoot features with a plotline and high production values rather than gonzo porn. His influences include Andy Warhol
Andy Warhol
Andrew Warhola , known as Andy Warhol, was an American painter, printmaker, and filmmaker who was a leading figure in the visual art movement known as pop art...
, early "artistic" porn directors like Alex de Renzy
Alex de Renzy
Alexander de Renzy was an American director and producer of pornographic movies.Born in Brooklyn, New York, Alex de Renzy served in the United States Air Force, serving as a Survival Instructor. Back in the United States, he began making documentary films in San Francisco...
, The Dark Brothers, and Stephen Sayadian
Stephen Sayadian
Stephen Sayadian, also known as Rinse Dream is a writer, production-designer and director active in the 1980s and 1990s. His films and videoshave a small but rabid cult following throughout the United States and Europe...
, as well as the aesthetic of alt porn websites such as SuicideGirls
SuicideGirls
SuicideGirls is a website that features softcore pornography and text profiles of goth, punk and indie-styled young women who are known as the "Suicide Girls"...
, BurningAngel, and GodsGirls
GodsGirls
GodsGirls is a California-based alt porn website featuring softcore nude photography and video. The website also serves as a social networking community, featuring model and user blogs, email, discussion forums, original writing, and interviews.- History:...
.
McKai's work has generally been well received by alt porn fans, but has also been criticized by those who feel that he is appropriating the aesthetic of alternative subcultures for use in pornography, or who question his credibility and connection to alternative subcultures. After leaving the porn industry, one of the actresses in his films, Keiko
Keiko
-Possible meanings:As with many Japanese names, Keiko can be written using a number of different kanji. Some of the most common ways of writing Keiko are:* 恵子 — "lucky/blessed child"...
, referred to McKai as "edgy as a butterknife". Others, such as porn reviewers Roger Pipe and Scott McGowan, denounce McKai for what they see as his artistic pretensions, with McGowan stating "If people jack off to your art, you're not the artist you think you are". Tristan Taormino
Tristan Taormino
Tristan Taormino is a feminist author, columnist, sex educator, activist, editor, speaker, and pornographic film director . She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with her Bachelor's degree in American Studies from Wesleyan University in 1993...
, however, has defended McKai's work as authentically based on his own lifestyle and sense of aesthetics
Aesthetics
Aesthetics is a branch of philosophy dealing with the nature of beauty, art, and taste, and with the creation and appreciation of beauty. It is more scientifically defined as the study of sensory or sensori-emotional values, sometimes called judgments of sentiment and taste...
, and views the idea of creating artistic porn as much more worthy than simply churning out product.
Filmography
- Art School Sluts (2004)
- Kill Girl Kill 1-3 (2005)
- Neu Wave Hookers (2005)
- Girls Lie (2006)
- Debbie Loves Dallas (2007)
- The Doll Underground (2008)
- On My Dirty Knees (2009)
- Tres Flores (2010)
External links
- Eon McKai (official site)
- "Eon McKai - Art School Sluts" interview by Daniel Robert Epstein, SuicideGirlsSuicideGirlsSuicideGirls is a website that features softcore pornography and text profiles of goth, punk and indie-styled young women who are known as the "Suicide Girls"...
, January 8, 2005. - "Generation XXX" by Peter Gilstrap, Los Angeles TimesLos Angeles TimesThe Los Angeles Times is a daily newspaper published in Los Angeles, California, since 1881. It was the second-largest metropolitan newspaper in circulation in the United States in 2008 and the fourth most widely distributed newspaper in the country....
, December 11, 2005. - "Art on His Sleeve: The Eon McKai Interview" by Gram Ponante, GramPonante.com, 2005.
- "The Berlin Porn Festival: Alternative Smut for the Silver Screen" by Alex Bakst, Der SpiegelDer SpiegelDer Spiegel is a German weekly news magazine published in Hamburg. It is one of Europe's largest publications of its kind, with a weekly circulation of more than one million.-Overview:...
Online, October 20, 2006. - "Eon McKai's Altporn Liberation Army" by Violet Blue, San Francisco ChronicleSan Francisco Chroniclethumb|right|upright|The Chronicle Building following the [[1906 San Francisco earthquake|1906 earthquake]] and fireThe San Francisco Chronicle is a newspaper serving primarily the San Francisco Bay Area of the U.S. state of California, but distributed throughout Northern and Central California,...
, February 8, 2007. - "Eon Mckai: Alt-porn Auteur", SexTVSexTVSexTV is a Canadian documentary television series which explores many issues about human sexuality. The show premiered in 1998 and spun off a television channel called SexTV: The Channel in 2001....
, January 20, 2007. (Links to RealPlayerRealPlayerRealPlayer is a cross-platform media player by RealNetworks that plays a number of multimedia formats including MP3, MPEG-4, QuickTime, Windows Media, and multiple versions of proprietary RealAudio and RealVideo formats.-History:...
video) - "Eon McKai Interview: He's So Alty", Porn Star Interviews (podcastPodcastA podcast is a series of digital media files that are released episodically and often downloaded through web syndication...
), April 13, 2007. (page links to MP3MP3MPEG-1 or MPEG-2 Audio Layer III, more commonly referred to as MP3, is a patented digital audio encoding format using a form of lossy data compression...
audio file) - "Eon McKai: Porn For The Rest of Us", by Omniphiliac Deviant Nation, April 16, 2009.