The abrasive, middle finger giving, ‘Screw’ Magazine publisher, Al Goldstein died Thursday at the age of 77 in Brooklyn, NY after a long illness. He spent his years always pushing the envelope of the porn industry,  some say often pushing it to far. Regardless, Al Goldstein made an incredible mark on the porn industry.

He said in an interview with Playboy magazine in 1974:

“We [at Screw magazine] lead the league in tastelessness. Our photographs are filthier and our stories are more disgusting. We make no effort to be artistic. Our photos are so explicit that the readers can see the come running from the girl’s mouth. Our stock in trade is raw, flailing sex.”

Having lost his virginity to a prostitute, paid for by his uncle, at the young age of 16, it isn’t too shocking that Goldstein ended up in the porn business.  He and Jim Buckley founded Screw for only $150 in 1968 and at it’s peak was selling 140,000 copies a week and even selling over 500,000 copies when he published secretly taken photos of the former first lady, Jackie Kennedy in 1973.

Goldstein also hosted a late-night talk show called “Midnight Blue” for 30 years where his infamous ‘Fuck You Department’ rants resulted in him being sued repeatedly, thus fueling his rants even more! For a further ‘Fuck You’, Goldstein installed a giant Fuck You statue in his backyard in Pompano Beach, FL in 1998. The statue was a prop used on the show, Spin City.

His friend, attorney Charles C. DeStefano is quoted as saying:

“Up until a month ago he still had that spark,” said DeStefano. “In fact, he gave me the middle finger. As he did it, he smiled at me. I knew he was still Al Goldstein inside this shell of a body.”

Eventually as Screw’s popularity faded so did Goldstein’s fame and money. In 2003 the magazine shut down and he filed for bankruptcy protection. He certainly hit rock bottom when he at times had to sleep in his car and even a homeless shelter.

We think that Al Goldstein would have enjoyed Orgasm.com , He was an asshole but we loved him.