Moving from Livonia, Michigan, to Santa Monica, California, seemed like a good idea at the time. There were no winters, and living near the beach felt like paradise; however, during the two and a half months that my younger sister, Annie, and I lived here, it became a nightmare for me. Everything here was more expensive. At eighteen years old, I barely knew how to manage a checkbook, let alone properly budget for a family of two.
While my friends back home were enjoying their summer before starting college, I was working at Safeway, pushing carts and stocking shelves to ensure we had enough money for rent and groceries. If that wasn’t depressing enough, I went from having sex pretty much every day to once a week, and that was with my sixteen-year-old sister. As much as I enjoyed being with her, I thought it was somewhat humiliating that the only intimacy I could find was with someone I was related to.
It wasn’t like I was overweight or unattractive; in fact, I considered myself pretty good-looking. I stood 5'10", weighed 140 pounds, and had a full head of brown hair with smoldering blue eyes. The older women who shopped at Safeway often said I was a catch, always offering to set me up with their daughters or granddaughters. Still, I was constantly horny, and would have let any woman—especially Ashley Kunkle, my downstairs neighbor—get their hands on my thirteen-and-a-half-inch cock.
Shortly after we moved into the upper left apartment in a four-unit building on the corner of Pier Ave. and Lincoln Blvd., we quickly met all of our neighbors. There were the Colemans, a nice middle-aged Black couple who lived directly across from us, and Carl, who lived below them. Then there was Ashley, a beautiful blonde-haired girl who was also known as Kelsey Lynn, one of the hottest porn stars of the time.
She wasn’t very social and mostly kept to herself. When I'd see her shopping at my job, she’d either look disheveled or wear a long black-haired wig and sunglasses to help conceal her identity. When I saw her at the mailboxes, I would try to make small talk. She'd only say two words, either "hi" or "bye." I didn’t know if she was shy, stuck-up, or someone who didn’t speak with people she thought recognized her. But on Tuesday, August eighteenth, my relationship with her, and my life, were about to change.
On Tuesday, like any workday, I’d get up at six-fifteen. After going to the bathroom, I’d do thirty push-ups, thirty squats, and thirty sit-ups before taking a shower. Then I'd put on my work uniform, which consisted of a collared pinstripe buttoned-up shirt, black trousers, a tie, black dress shoes, and a vest with my nametag. I’d then eat breakfast, brush my teeth, grab my bike, and walk out the door by seven-thirty.
As I walked outside, the cool breeze hit my face, and I was ready for my short bike ride to work. As I put my feet on the pedals, I saw Ashley trying to start her car. From where I was standing, it sounded like she had a dead battery. She looked frustrated as she kept trying to start her car. As I started riding away, Ashley rolled down the window and said, “Hey, can you help me?”
I replied, “I would, but I don’t have jumper cables.”
“Fuck,” she screamed with anguish. “This fucking sucks.”
“I wish I could help,” I said.
Ashley got out of her car and started chasing me as she shouted, "Wait, Tommy.”
I hit my bike’s brakes as I said, “I can't; I'm going to be late.”
“If you drive me to my shoot, I’ll pay you a hundred dollars,” she emphatically stated.
That was a tempting amount, and she could see that I was really thinking about it. I guess she thought I was taking too long, because she then said, “A hundred dollars and a blowjob.”
That was an offer I couldn’t refuse. So I got off my bike as I said, “Guess I’m calling in sick today.”
I grabbed my bicycle and took it upstairs with me. Before changing my clothes, I called into work to let them know I wouldn’t be in today. Here’s the thing: when you’re someone who shows up to work no matter how terrible you feel, they know something is really wrong when you’re taking a sick day. After doing that, I got out of my work garb and put on a black T-shirt and jeans.
Ashley looked so hot standing in front of my Volvo. She was 5'5", weighed 110 lbs, and had a slim 36C-25-35 figure. She also had striking green eyes and big, teased, dyed platinum blonde hair that had feathered layers. In addition to her short red halter mini-dress, which accentuated her figure, she appeared as though she were going to a club at seven forty in the morning.
As our journey was underway, we were listening to the alternative sounds of KROQ-FM. At first, we didn’t say much to each other, until Rodney on the ROQ played “Down in a Tubeway Station at Midnight” by The Jam. Ashley immediately started singing along to it, and I quickly joined in. By the time the song was over, we were both laughing and actually started having our first real conversation, which included how she became a porn star.
Ashley was born to Mike and Denise Kunkel on Thursday, April 7th, 1966, in Des Moines, Iowa. She was the youngest of three kids. Her two older brothers, Lloyd and Pete, were five and three years older than her. At the age of seven, the family moved to Berwyn, Illinois, a Chicago suburb. It was there that she discovered her love of dancing, singing, and acting. After being part of her elementary school’s production of songs from Disney films, she got to play Snow White and got rave reviews from her parents, teachers, and her friends’ parents. She knew she wanted to be a star.
From that point on, she was involved with plays, choir, and theater camp, and even appeared in several commercials that aired around Chicagoland. In high school, she got her biggest break by singing on the Jerry Lewis Muscular Dystrophy Telethon. Jerry himself introduced her, and after she got a standing ovation, he told her that he had a feeling that one day she’d be a big star. That convinced her to skip college, move to Hollywood, and fulfill her destiny. Her folks doubted that was a good idea, but she pleaded her case and convinced them that it was the right decision.
Shortly after she arrived, Ashley quickly realized that being a star in Berwyn didn't mean anything. She attended open casting calls with many girls who shared the same look and were stars from whatever city they were from. She even fucked casting directors to give her a leg up. She booked some roles, like a topless girl getting killed in a low-budget slasher, and as a background stripper in several direct-to-video erotic thrillers. Her career was progressing at a slower pace than anticipated, which was extremely frustrating.
To make ends meet, and to avoid calling her parents and begging for money, she started stripping at The Body Shop in West Hollywood. Within three months, she was making excellent money from tips and favors she did in the champagne room. She wasn’t happy that this was what her life had become, but she still had plenty of time to audition and save money.
One night, while dancing, Ron Sullivan, a porn director who used the nom de plume Henri Pachard, came in. Immediately, her beauty struck him. After she got off the stage, he invited her to his table, where he asked her if she was an actress. When she said, “Yes,” he told her that she would be perfect for a role in his new movie. Ashley was excited, until she found out what kind of movie it was. She thought he was a mainstream director, while he thought she was already in the biz. He handed her his card, after she politely said, “No.”
Here’s the thing: Ashley had never actually seen a porno film. Curious, she rented a couple. Sure, she found them hot, but she couldn’t see herself doing them. Her parents would be so pissed, and, most importantly, it would kill her chance at a mainstream career.
The next day, when she returned to work, the bartender told her that somebody dropped off a giant envelope for her. It was a script for Ron’s next movie, “Bare Elegance.” It blew her mind that adult movies had scripts. For some reason, she just assumed they were written on napkins. When her shift was over, she went home and read it. She thought it was really good and that her character, while not the lead, had plenty of screen time.
The only problem was having sex on camera. She didn’t know if she could go through with it. Before she moved to Los Angeles, she had only made love to one guy, her long-term boyfriend. After the move, she fucked a lot of casting agents. But she told herself that was different; it was for her career. Yet it wasn’t paying off. Neither were blowing and fucking rock stars and celebrities in the champagne room for huge tips. They promised her the world, at least until they blew their loads, and then quickly forgot about everything they told her.
By ten in the morning, she decided to take the part. Ashley then called Ron and gave him the wonderful news. A week later, she was in a house in the San Fernando Valley, losing her onscreen virginity to Peter North. From that moment on, she set the adult film industry on fire, quickly becoming one of its biggest stars. The only thing she hated was that Kelsey Lynn became a household name, while only a select few knew her real one.
When she asked what brought me to L.A., I told her that after my mom died, my sister and I wanted a change of scenery. She could sense that I was reluctant to discuss it, so she did what everyone in L.A. does: complain about the traffic. The 405 was pure gridlock, where moving a couple of inches felt like a small victory. Back home, there were traffic jams, but nothing like this. The KROQ traffic report said two accidents on the freeway would slow things down.
Eventually, traffic started moving, and I did something I’d never done before: drove to the Valley. A few minutes after we crossed over, she had me get off at an upcoming exit and drive to a gas station. After I parked, she got out and headed straight for the phone booth in the parking lot. She didn’t make a phone call; instead, she put her hand underneath and grabbed a piece of paper that was taped to the bottom. For the first time in my life, I felt like I was in a James Bond movie. My mind began to imagine that being a porn star was merely a cover for covert activities, and I was an unwilling patsy drawn into her life of intrigue.
When she returned, I half-jokingly asked, “Are you really a spy?”
She replied by saying, “I wish. These are just directions to where we’re filming.”
Back then, shooting porn was illegal in California. Although it was legal to show and sell it, being caught making it could lead to serious consequences. The state believed that paying performers to engage in sex on camera amounted to pandering. That made adult film production risky, so they were filmed in more liberal cities, like San Francisco.
If you wanted to film in and around L.A., producers would have the cast and crew meet at a certain location, get into a van, and drive there together. The police sometimes had an informer in the group, who would tell them where to meet, so they could follow in an unmarked car. This would usually lead to a raid and arrests. John Holmes, the legendary male performer, was one of these informers. Without regret, he would tattle on the same producers who paid him handsomely. To ensure their shoots were rat-free, producers would usually hire people they could trust, like the same actors and crew. And, in this case, they sent them on a tiny scavenger hunt to get to the final location.
As we got closer to the house in northern Topanga Canyon, I learned that the crew was wrapping up the final day of a two-day shoot. Last Friday, they shot a scene with her having sex with Peter North at a closed restaurant in Burbank. They also shot a scene with Debbie Sterling and Eric Edwards in the manager’s office in the same restaurant. They also filmed a scene at a motel with Tom Byron, Melissa Melendez, and Careena Collins at a hotel. Ashley, along with Eric Edwards, who played her father, was in another hotel room that had been made up to look like a master bedroom.
We finally arrived around nine forty-five at what looked like an ordinary colonial-style house. The instructions told us to park a few blocks away to avoid suspicion. After a ten-minute walk, we entered the house. Alex de Renzy, the director, lit up when he saw Ashley walk through the doors. He quickly walked over to her and said, “Kelsey Lynn, you’re not late; this must be a sign of the coming apocalypse!”
After giving Ashley (whom I’ll now call Kelsey) his undivided attention, he looked over at me and said, “Who are you? I don’t remember hiring you.”
Before I could respond, Kelsey said, “This is Tommy; he’s my neighbor and hero because he drove me here after my car wouldn’t start.”
“Nice to meet you, Tommy,” Alex said as he walked over to me with his hand extended. “Because you brought her here on time, we can now start as scheduled. So thank you.”
I really liked Alex de Renzy; I would go on to work for him many times in my career. Some consider him one of the best directors in adult cinema. His films introduced the world to the likes of Juliet Anderson, AKA Aunt Peg; Annette Haven; and Desiree Cousteau. Two of his movies, “Pretty Peaches” and "Babyface," are considered iconic. He was also a really organized director and was more focused on making an actual movie than simply filming sex scenes.
The movie he was shooting today was considered a rarity in 1987 because he was shooting on 35MM. By this time, the majority of filmmakers were using video. It was cheaper, which resulted in higher profits for the financiers. For the veteran actors and directors, they saw the business was becoming disposable; they were no longer making movies. Adult theaters were disappearing, and video stores were popping up all over the place because people would rather watch these types of movies in the privacy of their own homes than be surrounded by people in the audience whacking off.
He then called everyone into the living room and started talking about today’s schedule. “People, listen up,” he shouted. “First, we’re going to film the non-sex scene between Kelsey, Eric Edwards, and Tom Byron in the kitchen. Let’s see if we can do the scene in one take. After that scene, we’ll break down the equipment and move upstairs to bedroom one, where Debbie will masturbate while talking to Kelsey on the phone,” he said with authority.
Debbie gave Alex a thumbs up as she drank some coffee. She was so much hotter in person than on the screen and was one of the few porn stars to use her real name. Long before she ever sucked and fucked for a living, she was on a child star on a long-running sitcom, “Me and My Family.” For several glorious seasons, she was the wisecracking star who blossomed into a beautiful woman. The show ended after she turned seventeen. The network wanted her to be the face of a new prime soap aimed at teenagers. She turned them down and disappeared for a little over a year.
There was speculation that she was going to be pursuing a film career. It was said her agent was calling her non-stop about potential movies. Instead of celebrating these potential opportunities, she fired him. Three months after her eighteenth birthday, the world was shocked by her next career move: porn. On April first, 1983, her first film, “Eighteen,” was released in theaters, and people were lined up to see her naked and doing things that weren’t allowed on television.
Debbie definitely had a body built for the sex industry. She was 5'2", weighed 112 lbs, and sported a 34B-24-34 figure. Her long blonde hair went down to her ass, and her brown eyes sparkled every time she sucked cock. I was starstruck and wondered if it would be rude if I asked for an autograph.
As I started undressing Debbie with my eyes, Alex continued talking. “From there, we’ll move to bedroom two, where we’ll shoot Kelsey playing with herself while talking to Debbie. After touching up Kelsey’s makeup and changing her outfit, we’ll film her sex scene with Ricky Star. And then, we’ll end with the group sex scene featuring Debbie, Kelsey, Ricky, and Tom Byron. Let’s do this.”
“Rock and roll,” Ricky replied as he walked to a room in the back, while Debbie, Kelsey, Eric, and Tom went to makeup and wardrobe before they started shooting. I just sat there, watching the crew set up cameras in the kitchen for the first scene of the day. Honestly, I was already bored; I needed something to do, so, when the director walked by, I asked, “Mr. de Renzy, is there anything I can do to help?”
He stopped in his tracks, looked, and said, “Kid, you’re lucky to be here. I normally don’t allow outsiders on my sets, but you got Kelsey here on time, which means this production is going to start on time, and that makes you a good guy...
