My first completed cryptic in a while (arguably NSFW) (13x13)

Question

I started this at least a year ago, and somehow never finished it. Some of the topicality may have worn off. Anyway, this is the first time I've posted a complete puzzle here, so apologies if I've failed to follow formatting conventions. It was also my first attempt at a 13x13, which is the format the NZ Herald uses, though this is obviously not suitable for publication.

It may help you to know that I'm a computer programmer, science enthusiast and science fiction fan living in New Zealand. This is my creative outlet, and it wouldn't work if it wasn't about me.

(R) Adult themes and strong language, and a bit of politics.

Across
7 Distributing unlicenced copies (more than three) of smut (6)
8 A wall will exist, hugely (6)
9 His dad ruled Iraq when the Alliance won the war (4)
10 See Gore and town around it. In principle, it's only affected by its neighbours (8)
11 Secret police use incorrect postage (7)
13 Unbalanced chi and thorny exterior are uncomfortable (5)
15 Once repaired, will catch second-fastest Indian, perhaps (5)
17 Merit rum on boarding vessel (7)
20 Share space   with a table (8)
21 Sad! Song not good. Really not good. (4)
22 Unbeliever with no basis for knowledge is angry (6)
23 Release binary file format describing register application (6)

Down
1 Starting to die out, you old hippies liked to wear this (3-3)
2 Several Northeastern states (4)
3 He cannot perceive the depths of his monstrosity (7)
4 Root cause of insolence (5)
5 Liberal extremists taken in by Bill? Who asked their opinion? (8)
6 Grab 'em by the pussy! (6)
12 Runner (athletic, perhaps) is 0 for 1 (3,5)
14 Start rubbing in middle of belly. Dog is horny! (7)
16 Selected stockings in China (6)
18 "I am last player off" - good bloke at rugby club (6)
19 Contact is the beginning of pain, it's said (5)
21 Found in the road up Eketahuna way, I took him in (4)

Answer 1

I had fun solving this. There were more aha! moments than NSFW moments. (The NSFW warning is fair, but the crossword isn't all smut and cusswords, so if you don't mind the occasional "adult" clue or answer, you might want to have a go at this crossword before looking at the solution below.)

Anyway, here goes.

Definitions are in italics; * indicates anagrams.

Across

7 PIRACY: Distributing unlicenced copies (more than three) of smut (6)
PI (more tha three) + RACY (of smut)

8 ABOUND: A wall will exist, hugely (6)
A + BOUND (wall)

9 UDAY: His dad ruled Iraq when the Alliance won the war (4)
Double def.: Uday Hussein, Saddam's eldest son and U-day [OP: "Unification Day", a reference from the TV show Firefly]

10 LOCALITY: See Gore and town around it. In principle, it's only affected by its neighbours (8)
LO (see) + AL (Gore) in CITY (town)

11 GESTAPO: Secret police use incorrect postage (7)
POSTAGE*; the secret police of the Nazi party

13 ITCHY: Unbalanced chi and thorny exterior are uncomfortable (5)
(CHI + T[horn]Y)*

15 OCEAN: Once repaired, will catch second-fastest Indian, perhaps (5)
[f]A[stest] in ONCE*

17 TRIREME: Merit rum on boarding vessel (7)
RE ("on", concerning) inside ("boarding") MERIT*

20 POOLROOM: Share space with a table (8)
POOL (share) + ROOM (space); a space with a pool table, that is. [OP: The extra space in the text is part of the definition, but if you missed it you can read it as "space" doing double duty.])

21 DIRE: Sad! Song not good. Really not good. (4)
DIRGE without G (good). [OP: The punctuation in "sad song" (DIRGE) was partly a trap, and partly thematic dressing.]

22 SEPTIC: Unbeliever with no basis for knowledge is angry (6)
S[k]EPTIC (unbeliever) with K[nowledge] missing (Thanks, Sp3000!)

23 EXPOSE: Release binary file format describing register application (6)
EXE (binary format) around ("describing") POS (Point of Sale)

Down

1 TIE-DYE: Starting to die out, you old hippies liked to wear this (3-3)
T[o] + DIE* + YE (you old)

2 MANY: Several Northeastern states (4)
MA (Massachusettes) + NY (New York), two states in the northeast of the USA (Thanks, zimpsonr, for explaining the wordplay!)

3 CYCLOPS: He cannot perceive the depths of his monstrosity (7)
Cryptic def.: This monster has only one eye and therefore has no visual depth.

4 SAUCE Root cause of insolence (5)
(CAUSE)*

5 POLLSTER: Liberal extremists taken in by Bill? Who asked their opinion? (8)
L[ibera]L ("extremists") in POSTER (bill)

6 SNATCH: Grab 'em by the pussy! (6)
Double definition, one a verb, the other a noun. (Thanks, Deusovi.)

12 TEA CLOTH Runner (athletic, perhaps) is 0 for 1 (3,5)
(ATHLETOC)*, which is ATHLETIC with the I replaced by an O (0 for 1)

14 TRUMPET: Start rubbing in middle of belly. Dog is horny! (7)
R[ubbing] in TUM (belly) + PET (dog); a trumpet is a wind instrument like a horn, thus "horny"

16 CHOSEN: Selected stockings in China (6)
HOSE (stickings) in CN (TLD of China)

18 MARIST: "I am last player off" - good bloke at rugby club (6)
(I AM playe[R])* + ST (Saint, good bloke)

19 TOUCH: Contact is the beginning of pain, it's said (5)
T[he] + OUCH!

21 DUPE: Found in the road up Eketahuna way, I took him in (4)
Hidden in "roaD UP Eketahuna"