JAILHOUSE BLUE: The news finally came down yesterday: Al Goldstein is off to jail. The New York-based pornographer and longtime publisher of Screw Magazine was convicted last month on charges that he harassed a female employee by insulting her both in person, in the magazine, and on his late-night cable access show, "Midnight Blue"; the sentence is 60 days. I watched 'Blue' regularly when I lived in Manhattan and it's clear Goldstein was doing Howard Stern's act years before Stern was. The highly entertaining show consists of Goldstein ranting non-stop about his various enemies (real and imagined) and punishing them with creative, scatological insults (at one point Goldstein offered, for a $250 fee, to videotape personalized "Fuck you" rants for anyone who asked.) If Goldstein was ever treated rudely by store clerks, he would mention both the store and the clerk's name on the air, as well as reveal their home phone numbers- in short, it's a wonder he wasn't convicted on harassment charges years ago. I for one can't wait to watch Goldstein's show the week he gets out: imagine the prison jokes.
Posted by Stephen Silver at May 10, 2002 08:05 PM