Susan Block
Encyclopedia
Susan Marilyn Block also known as Dr. Susan Block and Dr. Suzy, is an American sexologist, author, filmmaker, therapist, cable TV talk show
host and cultural commentator. She is perhaps best-known for her television special
s on HBO.
Chosen as one of "America's Greatest Thinkers" by the Great American Think-Off of New York Mills, Minnesota
, Block is also known for her philosophy
of ethical hedonism
and "The Bonobo
Way", as well as her writings on sex
, love, politics
and culture
in CounterPunch
, Perfect 10, the New Haven Advocate, LA Weekly
, Los Angeles
magazine, the San Francisco Bay Guardian
, Metro, The Brentwood Bla Bla, Beverly Hills, The Magazine, and her own publications Dr. Susan Block's Journal, The Cannes Bla Bla and her weblog, Bloggamy.
Block is also known for her bacchanalian celebrations attended by couples and other participants, as well as her Internet, TV and radio shows featuring professors and porn stars, erotic art exhibitions, sex educational salons, seminars and other events at the Dr. Susan Block Institute for the Erotic Arts & Sciences, a.k.a. Dr. Suzy's Speakeasy in Los Angeles
. Block is also a sex therapist in private practice and works with clients from all over the world, using her "pleasure sex" therapy techniques to deal with various sexual problems, both in person and over the telephone.
, an honors student at Harriton High School
, recipient of the DAR Award, President
of the Philadelphia Model United Nations
and Editor-in-Chief of the Harriton Forum student newspaper
which she renamed the Harriton Free Forum (the name stuck for over 20 years). She was accepted into Yale University
in 1973, graduated from Yale
magna cum laude, with distinction in Theater Studies, in 1977. She received her masters
and doctorate
degrees in philosophy
from Pacific Western University
in 1991, which was at the time and for more than a decade to come not accredited; and there she wrote her doctoral thesis on “Being A Woman: A Philosophical Analysis of the Four Aspects of Female Psychology
According to Toni Wolff
.”
In the late 1970s and early ‘80s, Block continued her studies in theater, sex
and philosophy
at PWU, San Francisco State, UC Berkeley, Naropa Institute and More University, while working as a New Haven City Mime
, performing as a member of the casts of New England Commedia and La Mer Mime and Mask Theater, and writing freelance articles for local publications. She climbed to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge
, as well as the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, several times with members of the San Francisco Suicide Club who later founded Burning Man
. She also traveled extensively throughout the U.S., Mexico
, France
, the Netherlands
, Italy
, Israel
, Afghanistan
, Pakistan
, India
and Nepal
.
In 1984, Block wrote her first book, Advertising for Love (William Morrow
) which forecast the personal ad revolution
that soon began in newspapers and magazines and is now on the Internet. Toward the end of that year, she began hosting her first radio talk show
Radio Match, sponsored by the LA Weekly, on KIEV in Glendale, California
, where she helped singles
meet on the air. Later it aired as Date Night, produced in collaboration with John Clark
.
), which was published in 1988 and became a New York Times bestseller
, with pioneer radio psychologist Dr. Toni Grant. In 1987, Block moved her radio program to KFOX
92.7 FM, where it became less of a matchmaking show and more of a call-in talk show about sex, politics and culture with guests like Dr. Timothy Leary
, John Densmore
of The Doors
and comedian Sam Kinison
. During this time, she also contributed short stories
to Dr. Lonnie Barbach's anthologies, Pleasures, Erotic Interludes and The Erotic Encounter. She wrote the last story with Lobkowicz.
In 1990, Block collaborated with Lobkowicz to produce the audio cassette series “Desert Susan,” distributed to the troops of Desert Storm, and “Bedtime Stories for Adults.” They also published Dr. Block's Journal. In 1992, Block and Lobkowicz got married in Philadelphia. That same year, they began filming Block's radio show, now called The Dr. Susan Block Show, for cable TV. They also founded the Dr. Susan Block Institute for the Erotic Arts & Sciences. In 1993, Block's show was syndicated nationwide on over 75 radio stations through the Independent Broadcasters Network. In 1996, after the owners of IBN were indicted for fraud, Block started one of the Internet's first radio stations, RADIOSUZY1.com, where her show is still broadcast, live and taped, 24 hours a day. That year, she also hosted her first HBO special, Radio Sex TV with Dr. Susan Block, and published her third book The 10 Commandments of Pleasure: Erotic Keys to a Healthy, Sexual Life (St. Martin's Press
).
s chimpanzees on PBS, and in 1996, she started the Block Bonobo Foundation, an advocacy group for the highly endangered bonobos. Called "the Erin Brockovich
of the Bonobo" by Salon
, Block uses the highly sexual, remarkably non-violent and non-male-dominant bonobo "lifestyle" as inspiration for her philosophy of “Ethical Hedonism,” a.k.a “The Bonobo Way of Peace through Pleasure.” She contributes to the conservation efforts of the Bonobo Conservation Initiative
, among others, and produced The Bonobo Imperative with Bushmeat Project Director Tony Rose and “The Bonobo Way” with Harvard anthropologist Richard Wrangham
. She is also featured in the documentaries Cousin Bonobo and Humanimal, among others.
”, “Luscious Cunnilingus
”, “Sex Heals” and “Spanking for Adults Only,”. Around this time, Block became a consultant for the Los Angeles
Public Defender
's Office, Death Penalty Sex Crimes Division.
Also, in 1998, she moved her institute and production company from the “Villa Piacere” in the Hollywood Hills
to “Dr. Suzy's Speakeasy” in Downtown LA. “We call it a Speakeasy
because we speak about subjects that are not so easy to speak about,” says Block. The Speakeasy Gallery of Erotic Art exhibits erotic art
works from artists around the world. Block's first gallery opening was featured on HBO's Real Sex
. The scene at Dr. Suzy's Speakeasy is often described as “Felliniesque” and “Warholesque.”
, the “Father of Euro Porn,” joined forces to produce the first celebration of “Eros Day,” a holiday of lust and pleasure held on the day of the year when the planetoid 433 Eros
is closest to Earth. The Block Institute celebrates Eros Day every January. In 2004, it was called Eros Day: The Counter-Inaugural Ball.
invaded Block's television studio
on the night of a live broadcast of The Dr. Susan Block Show. Though they spent several hours there, she was never charged. A year later, Block, acting in pro per, sued the LAPD for infringement of her First
and Fourth Amendment
rights, and won a settlement. Also in 2000, Block started fighting a public Freedom of Speech
battle with Adelphia CEO John Rigas who censored the nudity on her Public-access television
show. She told her viewers to “Dump Adelphia stock”.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks
, Block began writing The Terror Journals, a series of essays which Steven Mikulan in the LA Weekly called "among the most readable to come out of LA, smartly combining outrage...with levelheaded warnings about the loss of civil liberties
."
Later in 2002, Block's show was threatened with censorship by Berkeley City Councilwoman Betty Olds in Berkeley, California
. The Dr. Susan Block Show continues to broadcast without censorship on BTV, where it is produced by First Amendment
advocate and artist Frank Moore
. She ran for Vice President of the United States
in 2008 as Moore's running mate for his independent
presidential
campaign
In 2003, Block and Lobkowicz founded the Cannes Press Club in Cannes
, France
, began publishing the Cannes Bla Bla online, and broadcasting shows in Paris
and the South of France. In 2004, she starred in The A-Z of Fetish.
, featuring Deborah Sundahl and Annie Body, premiering at the Barcelona Erotic Film Festival and New York
's CineKink Film Festival. Dr. John Perry
, author of the best-seller The G-Spot, calls Dr. Suzy's Squirt Salon “Masterful...raising the bar for female ejaculation videos”. In 2005, she also started working with award-winning filmmaker Canaan Brumley on a documentary
entitled Speakeasy which will be released in 2008.
Besides ethical hedonism and the Bonobo Way, Block promotes what she calls “Pleasure Sex”, sex that is recreational, healthful, relationship
-oriented or celebratory as opposed to reproductive. She also advocates what she calls “Faith-Based Sex” and “Blue Values”. Cara Jepsen put it this way in the Illinois Entertainer: "Dr. Susan Block's HBO specials expose inhibited Middle America to the idea that it's OK to discuss—and enjoy—sex...”
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
host and cultural commentator. She is perhaps best-known for her television special
Television special
A television special is a television program which interrupts or temporarily replaces programming normally scheduled for a given time slot. Sometimes, however, the term is given to a telecast of a theatrical film, such as The Wizard of Oz or The Ten Commandments, which is not part of a regular...
s on HBO.
Chosen as one of "America's Greatest Thinkers" by the Great American Think-Off of New York Mills, Minnesota
New York Mills, Minnesota
New York Mills is a city in Otter Tail County, Minnesota, United States. The population was 1,199 at the 2010 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the city has a total area of , all of it land.-Transportation:U.S...
, Block is also known for her philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
of ethical hedonism
Hedonism
Hedonism is a school of thought which argues that pleasure is the only intrinsic good. In very simple terms, a hedonist strives to maximize net pleasure .-Etymology:The name derives from the Greek word for "delight" ....
and "The Bonobo
Bonobo
The bonobo , Pan paniscus, previously called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often, the dwarf or gracile chimpanzee, is a great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan. The other species in genus Pan is Pan troglodytes, or the common chimpanzee...
Way", as well as her writings on sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
, love, politics
Politics
Politics is a process by which groups of people make collective decisions. The term is generally applied to the art or science of running governmental or state affairs, including behavior within civil governments, but also applies to institutions, fields, and special interest groups such as the...
and culture
Culture
Culture is a term that has many different inter-related meanings. For example, in 1952, Alfred Kroeber and Clyde Kluckhohn compiled a list of 164 definitions of "culture" in Culture: A Critical Review of Concepts and Definitions...
in CounterPunch
Counterpunch
Counterpunch can refer to:* Counterpunch , a punch in boxing* CounterPunch, a bi-weekly political newsletter* Counterpunch , a type of punch used in traditional typography* Punch-Counterpunch, a Transformers character...
, Perfect 10, the New Haven Advocate, LA Weekly
LA Weekly
LA Weekly is a free weekly tabloid-sized "alternative weekly" in Los Angeles, California. It was founded in 1978 by Editor/Publisher Jay Levin and a board of directors that included actor-producer Michael Douglas...
, Los Angeles
Los Angeles (magazine)
Los Angeles magazine is a monthly regional magazine of national stature. Published by Emmis Communications and produced monthly since the spring of 1961, LA Magazine is a combination of award-winning feature writing, investigative reporting, service journalism, and design, the definitive resource...
magazine, the San Francisco Bay Guardian
San Francisco Bay Guardian
The San Francisco Bay Guardian is a free alternative newspaper published weekly in San Francisco, California. The paper is owned mostly by its publisher, Bruce B...
, Metro, The Brentwood Bla Bla, Beverly Hills, The Magazine, and her own publications Dr. Susan Block's Journal, The Cannes Bla Bla and her weblog, Bloggamy.
Block is also known for her bacchanalian celebrations attended by couples and other participants, as well as her Internet, TV and radio shows featuring professors and porn stars, erotic art exhibitions, sex educational salons, seminars and other events at the Dr. Susan Block Institute for the Erotic Arts & Sciences, a.k.a. Dr. Suzy's Speakeasy in Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
. Block is also a sex therapist in private practice and works with clients from all over the world, using her "pleasure sex" therapy techniques to deal with various sexual problems, both in person and over the telephone.
Early life
Block was born in Philadelphia, and grew up in Bala Cynwyd, PennsylvaniaBala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania
Bala Cynwyd is a community in Lower Merion Township which is located on the Main Line in southeastern Pennsylvania, bordering the western edge of Philadelphia at US Route 1 . It was originally two separate towns, Bala and Cynwyd, but is commonly treated as a single community...
, an honors student at Harriton High School
Harriton High School
Harriton High School is a public secondary school located in Rosemont, a community in Lower Merion Township, Pennsylvania.Harriton is one of two high schools in Lower Merion School District; the other is Lower Merion High School. It used to be a comparatively small high school, containing 889...
, recipient of the DAR Award, President
President
A president is a leader of an organization, company, trade union, university, or country.Etymologically, a president is one who presides, who sits in leadership...
of the Philadelphia Model United Nations
Model United Nations
Model United Nations is an academic simulation of the United Nations that aims to educate participants about current events, topics in international relations, diplomacy and the United Nations agenda....
and Editor-in-Chief of the Harriton Forum student newspaper
Student newspaper
A student newspaper is a newspaper run by students of a university, high school, middle school, or other school. These papers traditionally cover local and, primarily, school or university news....
which she renamed the Harriton Free Forum (the name stuck for over 20 years). She was accepted into Yale University
Yale University
Yale University is a private, Ivy League university located in New Haven, Connecticut, United States. Founded in 1701 in the Colony of Connecticut, the university is the third-oldest institution of higher education in the United States...
in 1973, graduated from Yale
YALE
RapidMiner, formerly YALE , is an environment for machine learning, data mining, text mining, predictive analytics, and business analytics. It is used for research, education, training, rapid prototyping, application development, and industrial applications...
magna cum laude, with distinction in Theater Studies, in 1977. She received her masters
Master's degree
A master's is an academic degree granted to individuals who have undergone study demonstrating a mastery or high-order overview of a specific field of study or area of professional practice...
and doctorate
Doctorate
A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder to teach in a specific field, A doctorate is an academic degree or professional degree that in most countries refers to a class of degrees which qualify the holder...
degrees in philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
from Pacific Western University
Pacific Western University
California Miramar University , is a nationally accredited private proprietary institution of higher learning and is recognized by the Council for Higher Education Accreditation and the United States Department of Education...
in 1991, which was at the time and for more than a decade to come not accredited; and there she wrote her doctoral thesis on “Being A Woman: A Philosophical Analysis of the Four Aspects of Female Psychology
Psychology
Psychology is the study of the mind and behavior. Its immediate goal is to understand individuals and groups by both establishing general principles and researching specific cases. For many, the ultimate goal of psychology is to benefit society...
According to Toni Wolff
Toni Wolff
Antonia Anna "Toni" Wolff was a Swiss Jungian analyst and a close associate of Carl Jung. During her analytic career Toni Wolff published relatively little under her own name, but she helped Jung identify, define, and name some of his best-known concepts including anima, animus, and persona...
.”
In the late 1970s and early ‘80s, Block continued her studies in theater, sex
Sex
In biology, sex is a process of combining and mixing genetic traits, often resulting in the specialization of organisms into a male or female variety . Sexual reproduction involves combining specialized cells to form offspring that inherit traits from both parents...
and philosophy
Philosophy
Philosophy is the study of general and fundamental problems, such as those connected with existence, knowledge, values, reason, mind, and language. Philosophy is distinguished from other ways of addressing such problems by its critical, generally systematic approach and its reliance on rational...
at PWU, San Francisco State, UC Berkeley, Naropa Institute and More University, while working as a New Haven City Mime
Mime
The word mime is used to refer to a mime artist who uses a theatrical medium or performance art involving the acting out of a story through body motions without use of speech.Mime may also refer to:* Mime, an alternative word for lip sync...
, performing as a member of the casts of New England Commedia and La Mer Mime and Mask Theater, and writing freelance articles for local publications. She climbed to the top of the Golden Gate Bridge
Golden Gate Bridge
The Golden Gate Bridge is a suspension bridge spanning the Golden Gate, the opening of the San Francisco Bay into the Pacific Ocean. As part of both U.S. Route 101 and California State Route 1, the structure links the city of San Francisco, on the northern tip of the San Francisco Peninsula, to...
, as well as the San Francisco – Oakland Bay Bridge, several times with members of the San Francisco Suicide Club who later founded Burning Man
Burning Man
Burning Man is a week-long annual event held in the Black Rock Desert in northern Nevada, in the United States. The event starts on the Monday before the American Labor Day holiday, and ends on the holiday itself. It takes its name from the ritual burning of a large wooden effigy on Saturday evening...
. She also traveled extensively throughout the U.S., Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, the Netherlands
Netherlands
The Netherlands is a constituent country of the Kingdom of the Netherlands, located mainly in North-West Europe and with several islands in the Caribbean. Mainland Netherlands borders the North Sea to the north and west, Belgium to the south, and Germany to the east, and shares maritime borders...
, Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
, Israel
Israel
The State of Israel is a parliamentary republic located in the Middle East, along the eastern shore of the Mediterranean Sea...
, Afghanistan
Afghanistan
Afghanistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan, is a landlocked country located in the centre of Asia, forming South Asia, Central Asia and the Middle East. With a population of about 29 million, it has an area of , making it the 42nd most populous and 41st largest nation in the world...
, Pakistan
Pakistan
Pakistan , officially the Islamic Republic of Pakistan is a sovereign state in South Asia. It has a coastline along the Arabian Sea and the Gulf of Oman in the south and is bordered by Afghanistan and Iran in the west, India in the east and China in the far northeast. In the north, Tajikistan...
, India
India
India , officially the Republic of India , is a country in South Asia. It is the seventh-largest country by geographical area, the second-most populous country with over 1.2 billion people, and the most populous democracy in the world...
and Nepal
Nepal
Nepal , officially the Federal Democratic Republic of Nepal, is a landlocked sovereign state located in South Asia. It is located in the Himalayas and bordered to the north by the People's Republic of China, and to the south, east, and west by the Republic of India...
.
In 1984, Block wrote her first book, Advertising for Love (William Morrow
William Morrow and Company
William Morrow and Company is an American publishing company founded by William Morrow in 1926. The company was acquired by Scott Foresman in 1967, and sold to Hearst Corporation in 1981. It was sold along to the News Corporation in 1999...
) which forecast the personal ad revolution
Revolution
A revolution is a fundamental change in power or organizational structures that takes place in a relatively short period of time.Aristotle described two types of political revolution:...
that soon began in newspapers and magazines and is now on the Internet. Toward the end of that year, she began hosting her first radio talk show
Talk show
A talk show or chat show is a television program or radio program where one person discuss various topics put forth by a talk show host....
Radio Match, sponsored by the LA Weekly, on KIEV in Glendale, California
Glendale, California
Glendale is a city in Los Angeles County, California, United States. As of the 2010 Census, the city population is 191,719, down from 194,973 at the 2000 census. making it the third largest city in Los Angeles County and the 22nd largest city in the state of California...
, where she helped singles
Single (relationship)
In legal definitions for interpersonal status, a single person is someone who is not in a relationship or is "unmarried". If a marriage is annulled, however, or it is found to have been void ab initio , and assuming the person was not married previously, that individual is single, rather than...
meet on the air. Later it aired as Date Night, produced in collaboration with John Clark
John Clark (actor/director)
Ivan John Clark is an English actor, director, producer, and writer with British, American and Canadian citizenship. He is also known as the ex-husband of actress Lynn Redgrave, to whom he was married for 33 years.-Early career:...
.
Marriage and collaboration with Lobkowicz
In late 1984, she met her husband-to-be H.R.H. Maximillian Rudolph Lobkowicz-Filangieri through KIEV. Though they became good friends, they were in relationships with other people, and didn’t get romantically involved until six years later. In 1986, Block started some of the first 976 and 900 number telephone dating, advice and fantasy lines. That year, she also started co-ghostwriting the best-selling book Being a Woman(Random HouseRandom House
Random House, Inc. is the largest general-interest trade book publisher in the world. It has been owned since 1998 by the German private media corporation Bertelsmann and has become the umbrella brand for Bertelsmann book publishing. Random House also has a movie production arm, Random House Films,...
), which was published in 1988 and became a New York Times bestseller
Bestseller
A bestseller is a book that is identified as extremely popular by its inclusion on lists of currently top selling titles that are based on publishing industry and book trade figures and published by newspapers, magazines, or bookstore chains. Some lists are broken down into classifications and...
, with pioneer radio psychologist Dr. Toni Grant. In 1987, Block moved her radio program to KFOX
KFOX
KFOX may refer to:* KFOX-TV, a television station licensed to El Paso, Texas, United States* KFOX , a radio station licensed to Torrance, California, United States...
92.7 FM, where it became less of a matchmaking show and more of a call-in talk show about sex, politics and culture with guests like Dr. Timothy Leary
Timothy Leary
Timothy Francis Leary was an American psychologist and writer, known for his advocacy of psychedelic drugs. During a time when drugs like LSD and psilocybin were legal, Leary conducted experiments at Harvard University under the Harvard Psilocybin Project, resulting in the Concord Prison...
, John Densmore
John Densmore
John Paul Densmore is an American musician and songwriter. He is best known as the drummer of the rock group The Doors.-Early life and The Doors:Born in Los Angeles, Densmore attended Santa Monica City College and Cal...
of The Doors
The Doors
The Doors were an American rock band formed in 1965 in Los Angeles, California, with vocalist Jim Morrison, keyboardist Ray Manzarek, drummer John Densmore, and guitarist Robby Krieger...
and comedian Sam Kinison
Sam Kinison
Samuel Burl "Sam" Kinison was an American stand-up comedian and actor. Kinison was known for his intense, harsh and politically incorrect genre humor...
. During this time, she also contributed short stories
Short story
A short story is a work of fiction that is usually written in prose, often in narrative format. This format tends to be more pointed than longer works of fiction, such as novellas and novels. Short story definitions based on length differ somewhat, even among professional writers, in part because...
to Dr. Lonnie Barbach's anthologies, Pleasures, Erotic Interludes and The Erotic Encounter. She wrote the last story with Lobkowicz.
In 1990, Block collaborated with Lobkowicz to produce the audio cassette series “Desert Susan,” distributed to the troops of Desert Storm, and “Bedtime Stories for Adults.” They also published Dr. Block's Journal. In 1992, Block and Lobkowicz got married in Philadelphia. That same year, they began filming Block's radio show, now called The Dr. Susan Block Show, for cable TV. They also founded the Dr. Susan Block Institute for the Erotic Arts & Sciences. In 1993, Block's show was syndicated nationwide on over 75 radio stations through the Independent Broadcasters Network. In 1996, after the owners of IBN were indicted for fraud, Block started one of the Internet's first radio stations, RADIOSUZY1.com, where her show is still broadcast, live and taped, 24 hours a day. That year, she also hosted her first HBO special, Radio Sex TV with Dr. Susan Block, and published her third book The 10 Commandments of Pleasure: Erotic Keys to a Healthy, Sexual Life (St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press
St. Martin's Press is a book publisher headquartered in the Flatiron Building in New York City. Currently, St. Martin's Press is one of the United States' largest publishers, bringing to the public some 700 titles a year under eight imprints, which include St. Martin's Press , St...
).
The Bonobo Way
In 1994, Block first saw the “Make-Love-Not-War” bonoboBonobo
The bonobo , Pan paniscus, previously called the pygmy chimpanzee and less often, the dwarf or gracile chimpanzee, is a great ape and one of the two species making up the genus Pan. The other species in genus Pan is Pan troglodytes, or the common chimpanzee...
s chimpanzees on PBS, and in 1996, she started the Block Bonobo Foundation, an advocacy group for the highly endangered bonobos. Called "the Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich
Erin Brockovich-Ellis is an American legal clerk and environmental activist who, despite the lack of a formal law school education, or any legal education, was instrumental in constructing a case against the Pacific Gas and Electric Company of California in 1993...
of the Bonobo" by Salon
Salon.com
Salon.com, part of Salon Media Group , often just called Salon, is an online liberal magazine, with content updated each weekday. Salon was founded by David Talbot and launched on November 20, 1995. It was the internet's first online-only commercial publication. The magazine focuses on U.S...
, Block uses the highly sexual, remarkably non-violent and non-male-dominant bonobo "lifestyle" as inspiration for her philosophy of “Ethical Hedonism,” a.k.a “The Bonobo Way of Peace through Pleasure.” She contributes to the conservation efforts of the Bonobo Conservation Initiative
Bonobo Conservation Initiative
The Bonobo Conservation Initiative is a non-profit organization based in Washington, D.C. and the Democratic Republic of the Congo that promotes conservation of the bonobo and its habitat in the tropical forests of the Congo Basin....
, among others, and produced The Bonobo Imperative with Bushmeat Project Director Tony Rose and “The Bonobo Way” with Harvard anthropologist Richard Wrangham
Richard Wrangham
Richard W. Wrangham is a British primatologist. He is the Ruth Moore Professor of Biological Anthropology at Harvard University and his research group is now part of the newly established Department of Human Evolutionary Biology....
. She is also featured in the documentaries Cousin Bonobo and Humanimal, among others.
Sex, fetish and Dr. Suzy's Speakeasy
In 1998, BlockFilms began producing the Encyclopedia of Sex & Fetish series, including “The New Horny Housewife”, “Feet: An Erotic Study in Podophilic Sexuality”, “Kenneth W. Starr: A Pornographer for Our Times”, “Vibrators & other lovers”, “The Fine Art of FellatioFellatio
Fellatio is an act of oral stimulation of a male's penis by a sexual partner. It involves the stimulation of the penis by the use of the mouth, tongue, or throat. The person who performs fellatio can be referred to as the giving partner, and the other person is the receiving partner...
”, “Luscious Cunnilingus
Cunnilingus
Cunnilingus is an oral sex act performed on a female. It involves the use by a sex partner of the mouth, lips and tongue to stimulate the female's clitoris, vulva, or vagina...
”, “Sex Heals” and “Spanking for Adults Only,”. Around this time, Block became a consultant for the Los Angeles
Los Ángeles
Los Ángeles is the capital of the province of Biobío, in the commune of the same name, in Region VIII , in the center-south of Chile. It is located between the Laja and Biobío rivers. The population is 123,445 inhabitants...
Public Defender
Public defender
The term public defender is primarily used to refer to a criminal defense lawyer appointed to represent people charged with a crime but who cannot afford to hire an attorney in the United States and Brazil. The term is also applied to some ombudsman offices, for example in Jamaica, and is one way...
's Office, Death Penalty Sex Crimes Division.
Also, in 1998, she moved her institute and production company from the “Villa Piacere” in the Hollywood Hills
Hollywood Hills
The Hollywood Hills is an affluent and exclusive neighborhood of Los Angeles, California, in the southeastern Santa Monica Mountains. It is bound by Laurel Canyon Boulevard to the west, Vermont Avenue to the east, Mulholland Drive to the north, and Sunset Boulevard to the south.-Hollywood Hills...
to “Dr. Suzy's Speakeasy” in Downtown LA. “We call it a Speakeasy
Speakeasy
A speakeasy, also called a blind pig or blind tiger, is an establishment that illegally sells alcoholic beverages. Such establishments came into prominence in the United States during the period known as Prohibition...
because we speak about subjects that are not so easy to speak about,” says Block. The Speakeasy Gallery of Erotic Art exhibits erotic art
Erotic art
Erotic art covers any artistic work that is intended to evoke erotic arousal or that depicts scenes of love-making. It includes paintings, engravings, drawings, sculptures, photographs, music and writing.-Definition:...
works from artists around the world. Block's first gallery opening was featured on HBO's Real Sex
Real Sex
Real Sex is a television series broadcast on and a production of HBO. As its name implies, Real Sex is a sexually explicit "magazine" which "explores sex '90s style."...
. The scene at Dr. Suzy's Speakeasy is often described as “Felliniesque” and “Warholesque.”
Eros Day
On January 22, 2000, Block, Lobkowicz and Lasse BraunLasse Braun
Lasse Braun is an Italian pornographer, film director, producer, screenwriter, novelist and researcher.- Introduction :...
, the “Father of Euro Porn,” joined forces to produce the first celebration of “Eros Day,” a holiday of lust and pleasure held on the day of the year when the planetoid 433 Eros
433 Eros
433 Eros is a near-Earth asteroid discovered in 1898, and the first asteroid to be orbited by a probe . It is an S-type asteroid approximately 34.4×11.2×11.2 km in size, the second-largest NEA after 1036 Ganymed, and belongs to the Amor group.Eros is a Mars-crosser asteroid, the first known...
is closest to Earth. The Block Institute celebrates Eros Day every January. In 2004, it was called Eros Day: The Counter-Inaugural Ball.
Freedom of speech, politics and education
On the evening of February 26, 2000, for the second time in two years, armed officers of the Los Angeles Police DepartmentLos Angeles Police Department
The Los Angeles Police Department is the police department of the city of Los Angeles, California. With just under 10,000 officers and more than 3,000 civilian staff, covering an area of with a population of more than 4.1 million people, it is the third largest local law enforcement agency in...
invaded Block's television studio
Television studio
A television studio is an installation in which a video productions take place, either for the recording of live television to video tape, or for the acquisition of raw footage for post-production. The design of a studio is similar to, and derived from, movie studios, with a few amendments for the...
on the night of a live broadcast of The Dr. Susan Block Show. Though they spent several hours there, she was never charged. A year later, Block, acting in pro per, sued the LAPD for infringement of her First
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
and Fourth Amendment
Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution
The Fourth Amendment to the United States Constitution is the part of the Bill of Rights which guards against unreasonable searches and seizures, along with requiring any warrant to be judicially sanctioned and supported by probable cause...
rights, and won a settlement. Also in 2000, Block started fighting a public Freedom of Speech
Freedom of speech
Freedom of speech is the freedom to speak freely without censorship. The term freedom of expression is sometimes used synonymously, but includes any act of seeking, receiving and imparting information or ideas, regardless of the medium used...
battle with Adelphia CEO John Rigas who censored the nudity on her Public-access television
Public-access television
Public-access television is a form of non-commercial mass media where ordinary people can create content television programming which is cablecast through cable TV specialty channels...
show. She told her viewers to “Dump Adelphia stock”.
After the September 11, 2001 attacks
September 11, 2001 attacks
The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks The September 11 attacks (also referred to as September 11, September 11th or 9/119/11 is pronounced "nine eleven". The slash is not part of the pronunciation...
, Block began writing The Terror Journals, a series of essays which Steven Mikulan in the LA Weekly called "among the most readable to come out of LA, smartly combining outrage...with levelheaded warnings about the loss of civil liberties
Civil liberties
Civil liberties are rights and freedoms that provide an individual specific rights such as the freedom from slavery and forced labour, freedom from torture and death, the right to liberty and security, right to a fair trial, the right to defend one's self, the right to own and bear arms, the right...
."
Later in 2002, Block's show was threatened with censorship by Berkeley City Councilwoman Betty Olds in Berkeley, California
Berkeley, California
Berkeley is a city on the east shore of the San Francisco Bay in Northern California, United States. Its neighbors to the south are the cities of Oakland and Emeryville. To the north is the city of Albany and the unincorporated community of Kensington...
. The Dr. Susan Block Show continues to broadcast without censorship on BTV, where it is produced by First Amendment
First Amendment to the United States Constitution
The First Amendment to the United States Constitution is part of the Bill of Rights. The amendment prohibits the making of any law respecting an establishment of religion, impeding the free exercise of religion, abridging the freedom of speech, infringing on the freedom of the press, interfering...
advocate and artist Frank Moore
Frank Moore (performance artist)
Frank Moore is an American performance artist, poet, essayist, painter, musician and Internet/television personality who has experimented in art, performance, ritual, and shamanistic teaching since the late 1960s....
. She ran for Vice President of the United States
Vice President of the United States
The Vice President of the United States is the holder of a public office created by the United States Constitution. The Vice President, together with the President of the United States, is indirectly elected by the people, through the Electoral College, to a four-year term...
in 2008 as Moore's running mate for his independent
Independent (politician)
In politics, an independent or non-party politician is an individual not affiliated to any political party. Independents may hold a centrist viewpoint between those of major political parties, a viewpoint more extreme than any major party, or they may have a viewpoint based on issues that they do...
presidential
President of the United States
The President of the United States of America is the head of state and head of government of the United States. The president leads the executive branch of the federal government and is the commander-in-chief of the United States Armed Forces....
campaign
In 2003, Block and Lobkowicz founded the Cannes Press Club in Cannes
Cannes
Cannes is one of the best-known cities of the French Riviera, a busy tourist destination and host of the annual Cannes Film Festival. It is a Commune of France in the Alpes-Maritimes department....
, France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, began publishing the Cannes Bla Bla online, and broadcasting shows in Paris
Paris
Paris is the capital and largest city in France, situated on the river Seine, in northern France, at the heart of the Île-de-France region...
and the South of France. In 2004, she starred in The A-Z of Fetish.
Female ejaculation, health and ethical hedonism
In 2005, Block produced, directed and hosted Dr. Suzy's Squirt Salon: Secrets of Female EjaculationFemale ejaculation
Female ejaculation refers to the expulsion of noticeable amounts of clear fluid by human females from the paraurethral ducts through and around the urethra during or before an orgasm...
, featuring Deborah Sundahl and Annie Body, premiering at the Barcelona Erotic Film Festival and New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
's CineKink Film Festival. Dr. John Perry
John Perry
John Perry may refer to:*John Perry , English politician, MP for New Shoreham*John Perry , Irish engineer*John Perry , English musician, guitarist with The Only Ones...
, author of the best-seller The G-Spot, calls Dr. Suzy's Squirt Salon “Masterful...raising the bar for female ejaculation videos”. In 2005, she also started working with award-winning filmmaker Canaan Brumley on a documentary
Documentary film
Documentary films constitute a broad category of nonfictional motion pictures intended to document some aspect of reality, primarily for the purposes of instruction or maintaining a historical record...
entitled Speakeasy which will be released in 2008.
Besides ethical hedonism and the Bonobo Way, Block promotes what she calls “Pleasure Sex”, sex that is recreational, healthful, relationship
Interpersonal relationship
An interpersonal relationship is an association between two or more people that may range from fleeting to enduring. This association may be based on limerence, love, solidarity, regular business interactions, or some other type of social commitment. Interpersonal relationships are formed in the...
-oriented or celebratory as opposed to reproductive. She also advocates what she calls “Faith-Based Sex” and “Blue Values”. Cara Jepsen put it this way in the Illinois Entertainer: "Dr. Susan Block's HBO specials expose inhibited Middle America to the idea that it's OK to discuss—and enjoy—sex...”
Works by Block
- Chaingangs (play, 1978)
- Mattress Madness (performance poetry, 1983)
- Advertising for Love (book, 1984)
- The Dr. Susan Block Show (radio show, 1984- ), formerly called Radio Match, Date Nite and The Susan Block Show, Block's talk show has gone from radio to cable TV to the Internet. As of 2007, Block has produced over 1000 installments of her radio program, over 800 cable TV shows and many more Internet shows.
- Being A Woman: Fulfilling Your Femininity and Finding Love (book with Dr. Toni GrantToni GrantToni Grant is an American psychologist and talk radio host. She was one of the first licensed psychologists to have her own radio talk show, and a pioneer in the advice-giving genre.-Personal life:...
, 1988) - Desert Susan (audio series, 1990)
- Bedtime Stories for Adults (audio series, 1991), featuring "The Great Train Ride", "Passions of the Plaza" and "Office Fantasies"
- Dr. Susan Block's Journal (magazine, 1991)
- How to Give a Woman Pleasure (video, 1992)
- Real SexReal SexReal Sex is a television series broadcast on and a production of HBO. As its name implies, Real Sex is a sexually explicit "magazine" which "explores sex '90s style."...
(HBO TV series, 1994) - The 10 Commandments of Pleasure (book and audio book, 1996)
- Radio Sex TV (HBO TV series, 1996- )
- The Bonobo Way (video, 1996)
- Feet: An Erotic Study in Podophilac Sexuality (video, 1997)
- Sex Acts with the Artist Heilman-C at Jack Tilton Gallery (interactive art exhibit, 1997)
- The New Horny Housewife (video, 1998)
- Kenneth W. Starr: A Pornographer for Our Times (video, 1998)
- Dr. Suzy's Speakeasy (HBO television special, 1999)
- SpankingErotic spankingErotic spanking is the act of spanking another person for the sexual arousal or gratification of either or both parties...
for Adults Only (video, 1999) - Erotic Art of the Apocalypse (art exhibit, 1999)
- Democratic Sex (art exhibit, 2000)
- Eros Day: Holiday of Love & Lust (video, 2000)
- Inner Space: A Sex Odyssey (video, 2000)
- The Bonobo Imperative (video, 2001)
- Adelphiagate (video, 2002)
- Sex Heals (video, 2003)
- Bellydance, Bukkake & Other Beauty Tips for the Horny (video, 2003)
- HOODS & handjobs: Anti-War Insurgency & Orgasmic Sex (video, 2004)
- Republican Torture (art exhibit, 2004)
- Eros Day (art exhibit, 2005)
- Dr. Suzy's Squirt Salon: The Secrets of Female Ejaculation (video, 2005)
- Weimar Love: Hot Sex in Pre-Nazi Berlin (video, 2006)
- Blonde Island: An Island of Pleasure in a Sea of War (video, 2006)
- Double-Annie Squirting Anniversary (video, 2006)
- Zorthian: Art & Times (video, 2006)
- Yale's Whim 'n Rhythm at Dr. Suzy's Speakeasy (video, 2006)
- Max's Birthday (video, 2006)
- Squirt Crazy (video, 2007)
- Dommes & Hollie (video, 2007)
External links
- Official website
- Dr. Susan Block's Bloggamy
- Bonobo Encounter: Meetings with Remarkable Apes
- Block's Counterpunch Columns Counterpunch
- Tao Ruspoli Interview with Dr. Susan Block
- Chemistry of Love Perfect 10
- Block's Adelphia Comeback The Wall Street Journal
- Sex Week at Yale
- The Great American Think-Off
- Of Thee I Swing The LA Weekly
- Dr. Suzy's Squirt Salon Eros-Zine
- Weimar Love Eros-Zine
- Eros Day Celebration Recounted AIN
- Block Press Quotes
- The Erin Brockovich of the Bonobo Salon Magazine