If
you have already read the introduction about George Harrison Marks elsewhere on this site,
then you will know that he went bankrupt in 1970, lost everything and struggled to get
back on his feet for many years.
In
later interviews, Harrison Marks claimed that the whole concept of CP as a turn on was
quite alien to him and that when he first came in contact with the subject matter he
couldn't understand it. However, a chance meeting in a Soho pub gave him an opportunity he
badly needed at the time and he quickly got to grips with the intricacies of his newly
acquired career.
It
was 1979 and for the ten years since his old empire had collapsed HM had done everything
he could think of to get a regular business established again. He still frequented some of
his old haunts from his Soho days. One evening he decided to re-visit one of the pubs he
used to go to, not far from the old Gerrard Street studio where it had all started. In the
pub he recognised some of the staff from a Soho based magazine called 'Janus' that he'd
produced some home movies for in the past.
It
turned out that they had a bit of a crisis on their hands. The elderly owner and editor of
the magazine, who had been ill for some time, had just died. None of the remaining staff
knew how to put a magazine together properly and they needed a new editor. Knowing of
George's experience in the publishing business they asked if he would be interested. So it
was that Harrison Marks became the editor of a well established magazine for C.P.
enthusiasts called 'Janus'.
You
could say that this twist of fate focused George's attention on an aspect of the female
anatomy that he hadn't paid very much attention to before. For although he had spent most
of the previous twenty five years taking pictures of naked models, their bottoms had never
featured significantly in his photographic studies. In fact there are whole editions of
Kamera that ignore the subject completely.
One
of the most popular themes of CP magazines is 6th form schoolgirls getting their (usually
bare) bottoms spanked. Real schoolgirls were then, and still are, off limits, of course.
However, HM was amazed to find out how many young women, generally in their early
twenties, were prepared to volunteer their services and dress up in a school uniform
before baring all and suffering the indignity and pain of a real thrashing for a modest
financial reward. Not only did the readers enjoy the spectacle but most of the models also
seemed to derive some pleasure from the experience as well, because many of them made
regular appearances in the magazine.
Harrison
Marks held the post at Janus for about two-years until the title was eventually taken over
by a new owner. When the time came to move on, HM thought he'd put his new experience to
good use and start a CP magazine of his own. The success of such a venture depended on
good photography and imaginative writing, two of the talents that HM was still endowed
with. Kane was published every couple of months from that time on and the readership
steadily grew.
Harrison
Marks was also able to put his knowledge of movie making to good use by producing home
movies, and later videos, for the same market, which were promoted through the magazine.
You will find a list of over 100 Harrison Marks videos that are available behind the Green
Door.
The
profits from the publications kept him in booze and cigarettes and an acceptable degree of
comfort for the rest of his life. After he died in 1997, his daughter, Josie, took over as
editor of the publication and it continues successfully today, celebrating its 25th
anniversary with issue No.100 in 2007. The next issue, No.106, is coming shortly. |
