Peter Sotos became interested in Jamie Gillis’ “private tapes” after being told of their limited existence by an old troll in a porn shop that specialized in under-the-counter sales. Thinking that the films Jamie was releasing were far more intriguing than sex acts performed by low level prostitutes, Sotos started transcribing the conversations that took place between filmmaker and performer. It is his contention that the work is more about the insulting elasticity of respect than it is an obscene record of hookers pushed to their mental, rather than purely physical, limits. Jamie Gillis is known as one of the first male “superstars” of pornography. He started his career in NY during the early basement years and lasted through the Times Square and LA glitz booms, eventually creating the gonzo (“reality porn”) genre. He was one of the very few actors capable of introspectively writing about his career, tastes and experiences during his lifetime, and most of it pre-internet. In Pure Filth, Jamie explains that his interest in what sex really is came from his greater desire for “exploration and exposure of the sexual imagination in all its variety”.