We had a nice chat with “Crispy” Canyon after her appearance on The Ginger Lynn show Monday night. We kept slipping by calling her Crispy, and Canyon, laughed, no problem, that deejays she said often announced her as Christy Cannon or Christy Canyons. I mention to Crispy, er, Christy, that she’s probably the most asked about porn star around, past or present. She seemed very surprised about that. “That’s good to know,” she said, venturing a guess that it was probably because of all the comebacks she’s made in the industry. “I kept catching different generations. That kind of thing.”
Canyon is on her book promotion tour stressing that she wrote it herself. “It was wonderful writing it,” said Canyon who figures it took her about a year and a half to complete. “I quit dancing on the road in 2000, then I took a writing class because I thought what do I do? I couldn’t picture myself working in a department store or in an office- just because I’ve been so blessed with being a free spirit.” Asked if she’s developed an appreciation for writers, Canyon says, “Do I ever!” Canyon said not only that but to have to be creative so often. “I had a year and a half to write a whole book but writers have to be on top of their game every day. I had my own schedule but you guys have to do it or your job is gone.”
Canyon said she worked both from free hand notes and on the computer. “I’d get home type it on the computer and the story would alter. It would totally change from my handwritten notes by the time it got on the computer.” Canyon said her writing class lasted a year and that every week she’d have to write a 3-page story. “We had to focus in on what you’d call image momenting where you write a story and focus in on everything almost like you’re looking at a Polaroid. God knows I know what a Polaroid is after all those years on the road!”
Canyon said her teacher was amazing and every week she’d come in with stories about her childhood or stories about the porno business. “Some were funny, some were touching.” Canyon said her teacher complimented her on her stories and asked if she ever thought of writing a book. Canyon said no but the fact that she was keeping journals, she was a good portion of the way there. Canyon said once she got into the rhythm she’d take the phone off the hook and go through the weekend, writing. “A year and a half later it was ready to go to print.” Canyon said she self-published. “I shopped around with an agent for publishers and I had three offers. I wasn’t pleased with any of the three. Nothing I was interested it. So I thought I’d publish it, not knowing where it was going to go.”
Gene: By self-publishing you don’t mean you had a printing press down in your basement?
Canyon LOL. Oh no! I just did it and had been very lucky. I got good promotion from Vivid. They helped me and got me on some radio shows like 97.1 and KROQ. And I put it on Amazon and my site. It is what it is.
Gene: Now that you’ve doing mainstream interviews what are the questions people have been asking you.
Canyon: I think the main question everyone asks- porno or mainstream- is how did you get in the business. That’s always the number one question. And then, of course, who’s your favorite guy to work with, who’s your favorite girl. Which I’ll expect forever because that’s just what people are interested in. And I can’t blame them. I would be, too.
Gene: Dancing?
Canyon: I’m not even dancing any more. I quit in June, 2000. I did it for 9 years and I don’t miss it. I really don’t. I tour bookstores and my website.
Gene: And you actually own christycanyon.com.
Canyon: That’s what I was saying on Ginger’s show. Her and I are probably of the hundreds that actually own our own website. And I have Vivid to thank for that because someone other than the girls owned the girls’ web domains and the day that they came up for renewal the owner of Vivid went in there and bought them all out and here you go.
Gene: I made a note to ask you Crispy this question if I had a chance.
Canyon: LOL. Go ahead.
Gene: The Robin Williams-thing. You did an interview once where you talked about how foul-smelling he was.
Canyon: I never had sex with him. I have to clear that up. He used to come over to my condo when I lived with a roommate. He would come over. He came over quite a bit and did have sex with her. I never joined in. I have to make that crystal clear. But it was during the Eighties when he was into drugs. He just stunk. I think it was the drugs coming out of his body. But he really had some bad body odor. But he was adorable.
Gene: Did he ever try hitting on you?
Canyon: I think at that point he would have taken my roommate or me and she happened to want to be with him. And she just took over. We never shared. He used to come over like two in the morning, have sex with her and leave.
Gene: It was a booty call.
Canyon: Total booty call with her- absolutely.
Gene: So you’re married now.
Canyon: I am- to my high school sweetheart.
Gene: How did that happen.
Canyon: Throughout the years after I graduated high school and got into the business we’d bump into each other every so often. Back in ’99 I was going through a divorce with somebody…
Gene: Gee, I wonder who that is…
Canyon: LOL. And it would be a very good guess. I bumped into this guy and he know my [future] husband. We all went to high school. I asked how Grant was doing. I always adored Grant but the timing for us was never right. I had to go through this whole adult phase. Even when I was married to the other guy who has your old job, which who would want anyway, I was still dancing and I think that was part of the reason that we didn’t work out. This time I was finally ready to move on in life. And it was the first time Grant said to me I love you, I want to be with you but let’ not get married until you’ve got the dancing out of your system. I respected that. Because no one ever aid that. They’d always say, I don’t care, I love you for you. If you’re gone, that’s okay. I trust you. That crap. And it always backfires. Anyway I ran into this guy and he hooked me up with Grant. A year later we started going out. A year after that we got married. Until I got married to Grant I don’t think I was really ready for a steady full-on I love you forever kind of thing. Because I still had my foot in that world which is a great world. I think it’s really hard to have a solid relationship when you’re gone half of the year in a strip club. It’s not that I cheated on ex-husbands, boyfriends, whatever. It is tough when someone’s gone 25 weeks out of the year.
Gene: Temptations on the road?
Canyon: Not even that for me. I think in my nine years of being on the road I only had sex on the road twice. And that was within the first two months of it. To me it was really work. By the end of the night I was exhausted and wanted just to get back to my room. I never cheated on any of my boyfriends or husbands- I give myself credit for that.
Gene: No multiple partners?
Canyon: No! I’m very monogamous. These guys think they’re getting a hot mama- punch me and you’re dead. I did all of that on film. So when it came to my personal life, I decided to be one-on-one. We’d have fun and do a lot of role-playing and stuff. I wasn’t like stiff as a board, get it in, get it out.
Gene: What kind of roles would you play.
Canyon: Like I’d strap one on.
Gene: Anybody we know?
Canyon: LOL. I don’t want to defame anyone’s character. But you never know. It’s a very small world. But personally I never got into bringing anybody else into our bedroom. I always seemed to hook up with people who were kind of like me in that way. They knew I wasn’t into that wild life.
Gene: You don’t have kids.
Canyon: No I don’t. But I’m going to…in the next few weeks.
Gene: You have this planned out?
Canyon: Literally. Getting the shots every night up my ass. Oh my God that’s like so personal. See what you do to me, Gene! LOL
Gene: Ignorant as I am, when somebody tells me they’re getting shots up their ass my question is condom or no condom.
Canyon: LOL: Getting poked up the ass every night. But I’m totally ready. I’m at that age thirty-rgggh, rggggh. It’s just that time. I’m just in a really good mama place right now.