MR. SKIN EXPOSED

One day he’s just a guy with an encyclopedic knowledge of which female celebrities got naked in which films, the next he’s an internet icon. Mr. Skin has filled the void in everyone’s celebrity nudity soul, and between scouring the world for rare nudes of the rich and famous and the occasional radio visit on the Howard Stern Show, Mr. Skin takes some time to discuss the humble beginnings and the passion that keeps his site the number one space for celebrity nudes on the ‘Net.

How did this all get started?

As a kid I was always a fan of female celebrity nudity in film. When I would look through my dad’s Playboys in the 70s, my favorite was the “Sex in Cinema” issue. Then in the fall of 1980, cable television came to my neighborhood. It was the same month my dad bought our first VCR. This was a momentous intersection of opportunity, technology, and youthful… skinthusiasm.

I taped every movie with female nudity I could. I was fascinated by the nude scenes and realized I had a knack for remembering who showed what, who did what, and in which films.

Years later, around 1996, I happened to be in a bar in my hometown of Chicago talking to local Chicago radio personality Harry Teinowitz (who, incidentally, as a kid starred in the Mad Magazine movie Up the Academy). I started rattling off my skincyclopedic knowledge of each and every actress Harry named. He invited me on to his show.

I thought I would do one appearance on the radio and then go back to work at my job at the Chicago Mercantile Exchange. But the station enjoyed having me on and soon I was a regular guest. In time, other shows around the country heard about my “talent” and I started going on more and more shows.

I launched MrSkin.com at 5:05 PM August 10th 1999. I had my first signup by 5:10 PM. Howard Stern had me on as a guest in March 2000 and we’ve been making money ever since.

Why “Mr. Skin”? Why not “Naked Ned’s Treasures”? Did you consider other names?

Before I did my first radio interview in Chicago I needed a moniker. I didn’t want to use my real name because I had a real job. I talked it over with the DJs and we came up with Mr. Skin.

How do you get the rights to show all those pictures?

MrSkin.com is a compilation of reviews, references and other critical commentary on actresses and the films in which they have appeared, just like any televised review program. The website is also a resource for viewers who want to purchase movies in which the more than 11,000 actresses they feature have appeared.

Accordingly, they fall squarely under fair use provisions of the law (and equivalent foreign exemptions for review and criticism) and have successfully operated under this premise since launch in 1999.

Also, about 75-percent of movie companies and movie distributors send us screeners of their films for us to review at MrSkin.com. They realize a site that gets over six million visitors a month, and has a spokesman who is heard weekly on Howard Stern and many other shows has a pretty good platform to promote their movies.

Your web site employs a load of people, so to speak, how do you keep up with the volume of nudity exposed on an annual basis?

It’s a dirty job and it’s our dirty duty to do it. We constantly monitor DVD releases, cable and satellite broadcasts, and the cheapo bins at video stores around the entire world to keep the site as up to date as possible. And that’s not just in terms of new releases; our ultimate goal is to chronicle every nude scene that’s ever been released. So it’s an ongoing challenge that the crack squadron at Skin Central is happy to rise to.

Do you ever have any celebrities complain to you?

We have over 12,000 actresses at the site. In the course of a year, we may get a handful of letters from some actresses, but we always give them prompt replies explaining what we do and why. It’s never gone farther then that.

Do any women ever contact to send, say, more complimentary pictures?

Of course. And we always oblige.

What would you consider your biggest find?

We have a lot of rarities at MrSkin.com. Stuff you would never find anywhere else. Some examples:

Melanie Griffith’s full-frontal nudity in a 1977 Israeli movie called Ha-gan.

Stockard Channing’s only nudity in a 1977 movie called Sweet Revenge.

Barbara Bach’s great full-frontage in another 1977 movie called Ecco Noi Per Esempio from Italy.

Victoria Principal’s nude scenes in the 1973 movie The Naked Ape.

Former CNN anchor and NYPD Blue’s Andrea Thompson in a ménage-a-trois in 1986’s Manhattan Gigolo.

Jodie Foster showing bush in the 1991 European version of Backtrack. The US copy only shows breasts.

Show your goods and read more in part two of MR. SKIN EXPOSED>>>