Back in the day: a smiling and reportedly happier Mark Robinson poses with Louis Money of the band Trailer Park Orchestra. / Credit: Facebook
With an extensive list of issues and contradictions already chipping away at his place in the race to be North Carolina’s next governor, current Lt. Governor Mark Robinson can tack another on: he was reportedly a consistent visitor to adult video stores in the Greensboro area back in the 1990s and early 2000s.
In a story first reported by the website The Assembly. Louis Money, a former porn shop employee at many of the 24-hour adult stores during those decades, including I-40 Video & News and Gents, told Assembly Robinson was a regular customer during that time. Money confirmed that Robinson visited as many as five times a week to watch pornographic videos in some of the stores’ private booths.
Recalling the occasions he encountered with Robinson, Money conjured up a character very different from the figure we know today, describing him as funny and somewhat upbeat and able to crack jokes on the fly with other customers and coworkers. One thing that apparently hasn’t changed about Robinson: his anti-LGBTQ+ sentiment. Much of the jokes he made were at the cost of punching down gay clientele.
“I hate to say this, but he was very homophobic.” Money also added, “I know he might have problems with gay [men], but I don’t think he has problems with lesbians.”
One of the most comical details of this most recent accusation leveled at Robinson is how it was discovered. In what Money referred to as “a chance at self-promotion,” his band, Trailer Park Orchestra, released a music video on YouTube called “The Lt. Governor Owes Me Money,” giving viewers a very clear picture that Robinson was a porn store regular and a fan of “adult entertainment.”
Currently sitting at 7.5k views from when it was originally released on the platform in August 2024, the video depicts a suited figure in a rubber mask, vaguely reminiscent of Robinson, visiting a store called New Vision Video, with a much less subtle sign on the door touting it as “Ye Ol’ Jack Shack.” Along the rock-riffed instrumentals of the track, the figure is seen laughing it up with the store clerk as he seemingly hands over a pizza for payment, referencing Money’s last memory of Robinson never really paying for the tape he took. That visual insinuation adds to the story and narration within the lyrics of the song, which even mention Robinson by his title and name.
“I made you a bootleg/I did all the time/most of the time you paid me/I guess it slipped your mind/I hate to remind you/please don’t forget/you know where I live/could you mail me a check?/Hey, Mr. Robinson, mail me a check/Hey, Lt. Governor, please don’t conveniently forget/Don’t forget Mark!”
Robinson, not surprisingly, denies the charges. His campaign spokesperson Mike Lonergan tild The Assembly that Money’s story was “bullshit” and “complete and total fiction.” Money’s recollection is backed up by five others who were former employees and customers of Gents Video and I-40 Video & News.
Specifically, one former customer recalled Robinson, who worked for Papa Johns during part of those years, would arrive at the stores with pizzas in hand, generously sharing it with staff and customers alike. Apparently the Lt. Governor’s visits to the stores wasn’t limited to just rentals and booth viewing. Reportedly, he would stop by to socialize, as well. That does raise the question: where might someone find that cheerier version of Mark Robinson today?