Book Review
Traci Lords: Underneath It All
by Traci Lords
★★★★★
A good read, whether you believer her or not.
I had a mild obsession with Traci Lords for a couple of years after the news broke that she was underage when she made almost all of her adult videos. Naturally, Traci became (in)famous shortly thereafter and took advantage of her notoriety to launch a somewhat successful career in mainstream movies and TV. She was even allowed to take a stab at a singing career (not so successfully). Even though she never made the Hollywood A-List, Traci has arguably had the most successful mainstream career of any former porn queen, so more power to her. I do scoff at the way she makes herself out to have been a “victim” of the porn industry, like the way she does in this book, though.
Traci was paid only a straight fee for her magazine appearances and the films she made while she was underage, but after she turned 18, she and a “boyfriend” formed her own company, in which she was entitled to a share of the profits her movies made as well as the rights to them. It’s believed by some that Traci herself tipped off authorities about he underage romps on video in exchange for immunity from prosecution and to have a monopoly on the legally-available adult videos of her, the only one being Traci, I Love You, which she reportedly sold the rights to for $100,000. (No, that’s not in the book.)
Traci’s accounts of moving with her mom and sisters from Ohio to Southern California, obtaining a fake ID at 15, getting into nude modeling (which landed her the centerfold of the infamous September 1984 issue of Penthouse), porn, and the FBI knocking on her door 2 years later, are all detailed here, and much more. Even though the only side of story you get here is Traci’s, as this is an autobiography, this book is a good read.
About the author
Originally from the San Francisco Bay Area, Chris flirted with the music business there and in Nashville before joining the U.S. Army and serving in South Korea. He remained in Asia for several years afterwards, teaching English, traveling, and covering the regional entertainment scenes. Currently in a mindset between Seoul and San Francisco, besides Idol Features, you can also catch his writings in the print edition of the monthly magazine, Effective.
