Eon McKai

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Eon McKai (born 1979) is an American director of altporn-themed adult films. The name "Eon McKai" is a pseudonym and a tribute to punk singer Ian MacKaye. [1]

McKai was involved in the internet-based altporn scene soon after its emergence and photographed some of the early sets on SuicideGirls. [2] After graduating from film school at California Institute of the Arts, he decided to wanted to go into directing pornography and introduced himself to adult film director Veronica Hart. Hart put him in touch with the adult video company VCA, who signed him as a director in 2004. [3] In 2006, after producing several features for VCA, McKai was signed by Vivid to head a new imprint of theirs called VividAlt. [4]

McKai's films are altporn-themed hardcore adult films, casting younger actors with an "alternative" punk, goth, or otherwise subcultural look, many of whom are not established porn stars. Going against the predominant trends in adult video, McKai preferes to shoot features with a plotline and high production values rather than gonzo porn. His influences include Andy Warhol, early "artistic" porn directors like Alex de Renzy, The Dark Brothers, and Stephen Sayadian, as well as the aesthetic of altporn websites such as RaverPorn, SuicideGirls, and BurningAngel. [5] [6]

McKai's work has generally been well received by altporn fans, but has also been criticized by those who feel that he is appropriating the aesthetic of alternative subcultures for use in pornography, or who question his credibility and connection to alternative subcultures. After leaving the porn industry, one of the actresses in his films, Keiko, referred to McKai as "edgy as a butterknife". [7][8] Others, such as porn reviewers Roger Pipe [9] and Scott McGowan, denounce McKai for what they see as his artistic pretensions, with McGowan stating "If people jack off to your art, you're not the artist you think you are". [10] Tristan Taormino, however, has defended McKai's work as authentically based on his own lifestyle and sense of aesthetics, and views the idea of creating artistic porn as much more worthy than simply churning out product. [11]