JimmyD Remembers Toby Dammit

This was written by James DiGiorgio, better known in the biz as JimmyD.

I found out today I lost a good friend. A close friend. A long-time friend. His name was Tony Biner. Many knew him as Toby Dammit

I first met Tony on the first day I came into the adult business. That was back in 1993 or 94.  I had been hired by Sin City as an editor. Sin City, at the time, was the only company in the business with an AVID digital non-linear editing system and wouldn’t you just know it?  I not only  happened to know how to cut on an AVID, but I randomly met someone who worked at Sin City. Someone who knew that Sin City desperately needed another editor to cut their flicks, mostly Buck Adams’ flicks, on their nearly brand-spanking-new, $100K+, AVID system.  So, I was hired almost immediately — with no one to vouch for me (as was customary back then) — for a weekly paycheck that most editors in the biz these days would kill for.  And that was 20 years ago. We certainly have devolved as a well-paying workplace in so many ways. But that’s another story.

Back to my good friend Tony Biner, aka Toby Dammit.
Tony was already working at Sin City when I arrived. He wasn’t actually working “for” Sin City but “at” Sin City. He was, in fact, working for Mickey Blank’s company, “Glitz,” designing boxes and doing other things, mostly things that involved artwork and/or computers. But he was doing it at Sin City’s building in The Valley.

Mickey Blank, who owned Glitz, was also Sin City’s General Manager.  Mickey always claimed he didnt get paid for being Sin City’s GM but that was bullshit. He always said he was doing it as a personal favor to Sin City’s recently-released-from-federal-prison owner, David Sturman. But that was bullshit too. There’s getting paid and there’s GETTING PAID and I guarantee Mickey GOT PAID, one way or another, personal favors notwithstanding. Besides, who works for free in the porn biz? Only saps and marks, that’s who. And Mickey Blank was neither a sap nor a mark. Not even close.  But that’s another story as well.

So, my first day on the job and I meet Tony. Actually, it was Tony went out of his way to meet me. In fact, Tony was practically the only person at Sin City who went out of their way to be friendly to me when I first arrived there. That’s the kind of guy Tony was. Friendly. Exceedingly friendly. Friendly to a fault.

Naturally, I was very open to striking up a friendship with Tony. I mean, I knew no one in the business, either at Sin City or anywhere else in the business, and the biz had a less than savory reputation amongst most people, myself included, and here’s this guy, this genuinely friendly and affable young guy — I think he was about 21 at the time, I was forty or so — who seemed quite intelligent, had mad skills with computers, was a talented graphic artist, and who scored bonus points for being funny, witty, and, believe it or not, refreshingly innocent in many ways. (In spite of the fact he was working in the jiz biz and had been doing so for a number of years.)

Next thing I knew, Tony and I were becoming terrific friends. Since AVIDs back then only operated with Macs as their core systems, and since Tony had those mad computer skills — mad Apple computer skills I should add — he quickly became my in-house computer trouble-shooter and saved my ass more times than I can recall. Macs were notoriously twitchy back then. Constantly crashing. It’s like they had Murphys Law programmed into them. Especially  those Macs being used for AVID systems. But Tony was always willing to help me out. And he always did so with that patented, Tony Biner grin: A grin that was simultaneously endearing and ball-busting.  Those of you who knew him know what I’m talking about… about that engaging/ball-busting grin, that is.

While we worked at Sin City, Tony and I would often have lunch together, shooting the shit about all kinds of things — Tony was a very eclectic person if ever there was one — plus we’d gossip like old ladies about all kinds of crap regarding people in the porn biz. Often, those lunches took place at buffet restaurants. Tony loved to go to buffets. He always insisted that “buffet” is not a noun. According to Tony, “buffet” is a verb. And Tony loved to buffet.

That was twenty years ago. I went on to direct, shoot, and more. Tony did some of  the same, but he mostly continued producing art work for many companies until finally starting his tee-shirt business– Dammit Tees. Tony’s tee-shirts were really taking off. They were all his own designs and he printed them himself in an industrial space in Van Nuys, CA. But now, suddenly and tragically, Tony is gone. Forever. Found dead in his combination tee-shirt-making studio and living quarters.

Tony and I remained terrific friends throughout all those 20 years.  We shared some really fun times.  We’d hang out. We’d buffet. We’d sometimes work together and sometimes play together.  Some friends are not only friends, but resources. People you can count on. Beyond our close friendship, I could always count on Tony to be a friend and a resource of one sort or another. I hope I was the same for him.  You see, Tony was also a generous guy… some might say he was generous to a fault.  Tony had a soft spot for people in need. And from what I’m hearing, his sense of generosity and willingness to help someone in need might be a big factor in his demise.  I hope that’s not the case. I spent most of the day believing Tony died of natural causes, but then a boom was lowered.  I began hearing a different tale, one that I hope isn’t true but might be true. If it is true, it will make Tony’s passing even more difficult to accept, to deal with, and to recover from.

I’m still reeling over the news that my good friend Tony is gone regardless of how or why or whatever the circumstances of his passing. Many other people are equally shocked. I can’t manage to wrap my head around Tony’s sudden passing.  I’m trying to process it but my brain refuses to cooperate. All I know for sure is that I’m going to sorely and immeasurably miss my good friend Tony Biner. RIP dude. And thank you so much for being my friend.