Spectator article
The East Bay Express profiles the new owners of The Spectator, Dara Lynne Dahl and W. Vann Hall, who bought the Bay Area sex paper from its original owners in January. There's some fascinating background on the paper's history and philosophy.
[Founders] Penny "Kat" Sunlove and Layne Winklebleck ... sought to mold the Spectator as a porn publication for literate men -- less gross than most, and more humanistic. The idea was a radical departure from many of the lowbrow raunch rags then on the market, which treated sex as mere filth. The Spectator tended to take a healthier view of the subject, with articles on transsexual, bisexual, and polyamorous lifestyles in addition to the standard smut. The tabloid also began sponsoring monthly salons where porn stars, writers, photographers, and even professors would all get together to talk about sex. The salons, which became all the rage in some circles during the '80s, continue to this day.
This article also covers a vindictive lawsuit being waged by local rival Yank, which accuses the Spectator of methodically vandalizing its news racks. Dahl and Hall deny the charge and insist that, in fact, Yank's owner has methodically vandalized Spectator news racks.
