Robin Byrd

Her show is STILL on the air. It’s on at 10:00 pm EST on Spectrum Cable in Manhattan. Channel 79.

Also Margarita Pracatan! Remember her?

I love her.

It used to be on Channel J, on the cable box that had a dial.

Jesus if I’m that old, how old is SHE?

How about Mrs. Mouth that came on right after Robyn Byrd? Two funny gay guys that I wish I could have met in real life. It was so off the wall and funny.

I loved both shows. I loved the trade on Robin Byrd. She had a good vibe with everyone, it was a freak show yet kind. People did their little dance.

FoHeaven;s sake OP you could have provided a link fo rthose who have no idea what your talking about.

She's the only person I have ever heard refer to brushing as scrubbing your teeth.

I always think of Cheri Oteri when I think of Robyn Bird.

Robin was really born in 1955. She looks over because well, lets just say she enjoyed herself back in the day. She wasn't too bad looking back when she was doing porn back in the late 70s. Plain, but not ugly.

^ looks older. Although she does look over too.

The tall guy in the middle of the back row in the YouTube clip is Trent Reed, one of the hottest performers in Falcon porn.

Loved Robin Byrd.

R4, that’s what I liked about Robin. She was nice to everyone, kind of goofy like a golden retriever.

R3, that’s some good stuff! Holy shit, I forgot about these shows!

Back then, anyone could have a cable access show. My SIL had one. And a friend had one that was a call-in dating show for teens, called “Dream Date”. Some kid would come on the show and say their thing and then people who were interested would call in and talk to the guest. Maybe it would be a love match!

And you can still do it, 30 years later.

Robin Byrd was often a part of the Gay Pride parade in NYC. One time she asked to use a friend's toilet. We tried to get her to stay for a drink, but she had to run to some personal appearance. She really did look "rode hard and put away wet", but was very nice and seemed genuine. (Hazmat level crap though. Her diet must have been lousy.)

So much crazy-assed stuff could be found on Channel J. Absolutely broken people diving into public access television for the very first time.

Al Goldstein used to feature a woman named Jackie Park who did unspeakable things with a variety of 'marital aids,' both latex and inflatable, as she dispensed advice about sex, sexuality, and relationships.

Linked below, the one and only Mari Lynn and a clip from her weekly classical recitals.

[quote]Robin was really born in 1955

That's hard to believe. Surprised The Rialto Report hasn't covered her yet.

Manhattan Cable really was a lot of fun, as the terrible shows were fascinatingly grotesque. You never knew what you'd see. There was one show that was nothing but three or four boring straight guys just hanging out. It seemed absolutely pointless, and it was a call-in show--the audience was supposed to supply the content.

It was also informal to a fault, as the guys would yawn or read the paper or just get up and wander around. Baffled viewers would call in and ask, What is this show about?, and one of the guys would say, It's about twenty-nine minutes.

There was also one guy who have some guest on to do whatever, then offer a little talk on interior decoration, and then sing a number at the piano to his own accompaniment. He was without question the worst singer and the worst pianist of all time; one watched in helpless astonishment. His grin seemed to tell us he thought he was good. How can people so lack perspective?

But Robin Byrd was great. It was a chance to hear porn stars in their real life (in her little chat times at the end before Bang Your Box) and she did have some spectacular-looking guys on. Rarely, but still.

R17. I agree. Some of that local content was crazy weird. I wonder if the FAA still requires equal air time that led to all those weird "shows". But Mrs Mouth (above) rocked my world.

Love her. She's what used to be called a "good time gal ". Fucks who she wants, drinks and snorts what she wants and lets the chips fall as they may . Good natured, loves life and doesn't play the victim over her own choices. Those types are so rare nowadays .

I loved Robin! I worked with her on a few AIDS benefits in the '90s. She introduced me to a bevy of porn studs (who danced and stripped), a few of whom I had sexy flings (without paying)! Hung out on Fire Island a few summers back then, too. What a gal, sporting the only macrame bikini on the beach.

"Lie back, get comf-tah-ball..."

Does anyone remember the one show Robin did on location, in (I think) Philadelphia? It was at a soiree in a bar, and she focused on a bartender who was like the epitome of the Big Blond Boy.

I think his name was Stuart. He tended bar completely stripped and even dipped his cock into Robin's drink for that touch of tang. He was really something, the most beautiful creation ever seen on her show.

Why isn't there more video of her online?

This is hilarious. I miss SNL being funny!

Fun montage.

Her Fire Island home

R25, shit!, she didn't pay for that with a crummy cable access show.

[quote]Why isn't there more video of her online?

Probably because most of the easy to find streaming sites ban full frontal nudity, and her show was jam packed with tits and dicks. The men were usually whatever porn stars were headlining the Gaiety and Show World the week the show was taped. The performances at Show World made the Gaiety look like the Disney Channel. One of the nights we went, we watched some Falcon star fuck himself with a beer bottle before he stumbled around the theater in a chemically induced stupor trying to collect tips.

She rents the FI house out for a portion of the season and it pays for all the taxes and maintenance. She has owned it for several decades already, probably paid off or close to.

Her cable access show was sponsored by sex phone lines. She made a mint.

Robyn Bird and Sandy Kane

I met Robin Byrd several times around NYC back in the 90s/2000s and she was always lovely.

She bought the Fire Island house decades ago, when real estate was much cheaper. I believe she came from family money as well.

Not to hijack but I’m so tempted to hijack!

I LOVED public access in the 90s in Manhattan. So many weird shows and a few great ones too.

Some examples. “Alternative Lifestyles” was a guy who had a foot fetish showing alt-erotica of women trying on shoes and tickling each other’s feet and so on.

The Church of Shooting Yourself was, well, beyond description.

Of course there was the AMAZING show Media Funhouse which has the motto (iirc) “from high art to low trash and back again.” Sadly I couldn’t find any of the 90s shows on YouTube but the guy who does the show has a YouTube channel featuring some of the many Hollywood celeb interviews he’s done. By the way I think the show is still on (don’t live in Manhattan anymore).

I remember seeing Mrs mouth for the first time and just sitting there dumbfounded.

I recall when I first moved to NYC and saw this on Tv, I thought, “WTF?!”

Ugly George went around with a camera asking women to show their tits. And they did.

Didn’t find any of his shows, sadly.

^^^ 90s nostalgia guy

And who could forget the ... beyond human description...”The Weather ... Report.”

R36. I posted the Mrs Mouth way upthread. But the Russian Tea Room is epic!!!!!! To this day, a few friends and I still quote a few scenes. I would have loved to have met the two guys who did it. They must have been fun as hell

She made a fortune from 900 phone lines back in the day. She's a fixture at the Pines.

Love or hate Ugly George, but the guy was a forerunner to this....

Wasn't Brini Maxwell's show on Manhattan Cable, too? Love Love Love her!!!

Wish someone would start a thread on Brini. After years of following her tv shows, I met her about 15 years ago at a friends' event and she was one of the most beautiful persons I'd ever seen! Couple of weeks later ran into same friends and a stranger on the street; friends chided me "you know who this is, right?!" I had no idea who the nondescript young gentleman was. Amazing transformation.

Besides Maxwell, there was another drag queen act on Manhattan Cable, only the guy in real life was very handsome and built. His first name was John, but that's all I remember.

Does anyone here recall whom I mean?

The 900 line ads on Robin Byrd were hot, hilarious and sometimes both.

There was a gay one where a guy was jerking off on a motorcycle all wet that was hot AF.

There was the 970-PEEE girl where "the extra E is for extra P"

The interviews were unintentionally hilarious because she'd discuss porn work with her guests in such an incredibly corporate way, you realized that yes, it was just a job for them, but to hear them discuss anal sex scenes the way two sales guys might discuss cold calling new customers was priceless.

And who could forget "so snuggle up next to your loved one, and if you don't have a loved one, you always have me, Robin Byrd."

[quote]There was the 970-PEEE girl where "the extra E is for extra P"

I just died laughing!

R16 She's pretty much told her whole story before, I would guess that's why they haven't posted a interview her yet. The New York Times even did lengthy article on her around 20 years ago. She's wasn't even that big as porn star, she was much more well-known for her TV show and her work in the gay community (she was an early AIDS and safe sex advocate).

She's had her wild times, but she's been with the same guy for 40 plus years. An unassuming jewish guy named Sheldon (or as Robin calls him "Shelly"). They used to have an open relationship, but it seemed like she did most of fucking around with other men mostly.

She once talked about how she fucked Jeff Stryker while he was in NY doing her show.:

"But, oh man, he was so big! My pussy was saying, There's no way you're going to get this in, but my head was saying, Girl, when is your cunt going to get a dick like this again? So my head won out. He was not only sexy and hot, but a very sensitive person, too."

Too funny. She's basically a gay man with a pussy.

When I was visiting NY during the mid 90's, there was a late night cable access show that was a weird collage of violent crash scenes, old hollywood movies and flotsam, all very quickly edited, accompanied with music, and it was mesmerizing. Do you know what I'm talking about?

Good person. Every interaction in NYC and Fire Island, she has been upbeat, positive and considerate. I’m glad she has had success in life and hope she is happy. Through the horrors of the 80s to now, she has been an unwavering and uplifting support for gay men.

R44, there was a thread about Brini. She has an Instagram account - follow her!

I actually loved her lo-fi show back in the day. She seems to be more polished now, which is great, but I did love the kitsch and homespun quality of the earlier Brini.

It’s like Howard Stern’s TV show on Channel 9. It was funnier when it was small and a small budget.

R46. My favorite 900 line they advertised was a dominatrix one. A lady in thigh high leather boots. A guy on all 4s in a diaper with a dog leash on him. As she shoved her spiked heel in his lower back she said "fuck and suck and cook and clean..... that's your daily routine". I remember it to this day and often recite on bad days.

I have a memory of there being video of her fucking Jeff Stryker R48.

Hallucination or real?

R52 was that the mistress Sharon Mitchell? She almost could have been a tranny

That was her "in bed, in depth interview" with Stryker, R53. In two parts. She advertised it for so long, it seemed like a hoax. But it finally appeared and she reran the segments forever.

It was fake-fucking, but it was real. There was one shot where he was taking off his trousers and was already half-hard. It was very striking--the best three seconds in the whole two parts.

Thanks R55. I love that DLers remember stuff like this!

There was some fat ugly middle aged guy from New Jersey who claimed he had discovered a cure for Peyronie's disease. It involved some particular masturbation technique that needed to be performed as often and as long as possible. So every week he'd come on his show, display some medical charts and illustrations with a little instructional speech and then he'd pull out his little pud and jerk it for the next half hour to demonstrate his discovery.

r1, how old is she now 90?

OP I remember watching her show and I wasn't sure if it was for real or a joke. She is the originator of trolling.

That Biotch is BiPolar. Her photo displays crazy manic eyes.

Was the other drag queen Sybil Bruncheon???? She must be on Social Security by now.

Sybil Bruncheon! Remember Brenda and Brandywine of the Fashion Patrol?

Yes, R60! Sybil Bruncheon!

He's the only drag performer I ever saw who was handsome (and built) enough to be a romantic lead in Hollywood.

Once, a long time ago, I was watching the Gay Pride Parade here in NYC, and he came down Fifth Avenue in a white convertible, totally in drag but with those big shoulders showing--and, remember, Sybil's make-up didn't hide hoe good-looking he was.

There were two cops standing to my right, and I saw them watching this and being bewildered that a neat-looking guy would turn himself out that way. Then one of them looked at me as if asking, "You're gay. Can you explain this?"

I just shrugged.

Sybil Bruncheon = John Burke?

Yes, John Burke.

Here's a YouTube video of John without the drag outfits.

Oh, thank you, I hadn't thought of the lovely Sybil Bruncheon in years!

What was the half hour gay news broadcast hosted by Andy Humm and his lesbian co-host du jour? And what happened to Andy Humm? Didn't he try for a career in politics at one point?

Sixty five posts and NOT ONE mention of the era-defining "Ed Bergmann's You Are the Light"????

You people are slipping!

She has the biggest pussy EVAH!!!!!!!!!

Love Robin Byrd. I remember seeing her one night at The World when she was doing a benefit. She took off her t-shirt to reveal her macrame bikini and threw it into the crowd and I caught it!

[65] Ann Northrup and Andy Humm are still covering gay news. I've chatted with Andy at the theatre about 2 years ago. And friend used to see Ann at the Met Opera. There was a Greek guy named Nick(?) who was out and had an interview show in the early 80s. I remember he died of GRID (AIDS) very early on.

r46, my friends and I STILL joke about the "extra E" commercial!

Gay Cable Network: "In the Dungeon" with Slave Dale

[quote]Thousands of hours of video news and features on the LGBT and AIDS movements produced by Lou Maletta for his Gay Cable Network (GCN) over 19 years have been acquired by New York University's Fales Library for cataloguing and preservation.

10 Public Access Cable Shows That Rocked NYC

Coca Crystal "If I can't dance you can keep your revolution"

Interviewing Debbie Harry

The extra "E" is for extra Pee!

That seemed to run for years. In my head, and amongst my friends, it has run for decades.

Thinking back on it now, that number must have been answered somewhere in Trump Tower.

[quote]What was the half hour gay news broadcast hosted by Andy Humm and his lesbian co-host du jour? And what happened to Andy Humm? Didn't he try for a career in politics at one point?

Still going strong. They are like an old married couple. The were big supporters of "Moonlight" before all the accolades.

Today is Robin's birthday. Hope she has a great one since she's a sweetheart.

R44, I've started a few threads about Brini Maxwell to very little response.

Now why didn't YOU think of that?

Is Brini/Ben still making new stuff or is it all just repeats?

Bump

[quote]R20 "Lie back, get comf-tah-ball..."

“We just have to wait for Mr. Cameraman. Hi there, Mr. Cameraman.”

NYC recently purchased former home of Manhattan News Network (MNN) on UWS, and will be putting in a homeless shelter.

[quote]Her cable access show was sponsored by sex phone lines. She made a mint.

“Feeling naughty? Call 970-PEEE. The extra 'e' is for extra pee!”

Well since someone asked, *and* this thread was resurrected from the dead...

Yes, Ben Sander/Brini Maxwell is still around.

Like many others Ben/Brini has had to adapt to changes and move with the times...

More:

Having arrived in NYC as an (overly) image conscious young actor, stumbling upon her show in the wee hours I was honestly aghast at how Robin appeared on her show without a drop of makeup. And that straggly haystack of hair!

I was no drag queen (yet) but was like, “Don’t you own a lipstick?? What about a hairbrush… or a barrette?? Jesus, woman, YOU’RE ON TV!”

She’s also the first person I saw wear white nail polish. I wondered if it was Wite-Out.

How did this woman get on TV? No stage presence, she looks ratched, and she can’t even sing!

R86

Bar for public access television at the time was shockingly low.....

As a 19 yr old gay, I came to NY and stayed where I could afford to stay, the Westside YMCA. How shocked was I to turn on the tv and see the Robin Byrd Show. The sight of naked men stirred my loins, so, after it was over, I went to the showers and sucked some dick. Good times.

"Hi, Tree!!"

I vividly remember the Jeff Stryker episode(s) and Robyn looking truly dickmatized, like she couldn't remember her name or which planet she was on. Fake?

"Whatever you are, you were MADE for SEX!!!"

They should put this on YouTube

[quote] She's the only person I have ever heard refer to brushing as scrubbing your teeth.

Oh God, now you have summoned the "I'm from England" troll who will post endlessly about the origin of people scrubbing their teeth and how all Americans are fascinated by the term.

I think Robin Byrd Show would make a good Broadway Musical.