Customer Reviews

Lights, Camera, Sex!

5 star:		(27)
4 star:		(17)
3 star:		(8)
2 star:		(5)
1 star:		(4)

 

 

Among the jobs you don't want to tell your parents you got is porn star. In a way this was easy for Christy Canyon. At eighteen, she wasn't speaking to her parents anyway, and she had left them to get on her own. Nonetheless, one of the themes that even the most conservative will approve of in _Lights, Camera, Sex! An Autobiography_ is that Christy loved her family, as disrupted and misguided as her parents may have sometimes been, and wanted to be back with them and accepted. It won't be giving anything away to say that she got her wish. After all, among the generous three pages of dedications at the front of the book are loving notes to her mom and dad, and especially to her sister who during some periods had to act as her ambassador to them. Among the other dedications is one to her producer at Vivid Video, the last studio she worked with, thanking her lucky stars that "... you spoon-fed me all those years under contract and never asked me to do anything you knew I wouldn't do anyway." Even when as close as she could get to family was her cast and crew making sex films, Christy found supportive friends, and it seems she remains sweetly grateful. It is impossible to say how representative her experience in porn was. However, it is hard to say she was taken advantage of when she was making deliberate decisions to promote and protect herself, and she was able to get out of many uncomfortable situations and assignments. It might be a little surprising that there is so much self-examination in her book and so much reflection on family matters, but it can't be surprising that she has some good stories to tell, and it isn't at all surprising that she is uninhibited in telling them.

One surprise is that she tells the stories in an unexpectedly sophisticated way. She has not told the chronological story of her life. The first pages deal with her first appointment in Hollywood at World Modeling in 1984, but throughout the book, a memory will lurch her back into some experience from her past. On one page, there might be intercalated sentences of memories alternating with events of the moment. She was tricked into going to her first movie shoot, which she thought would be merely the nude still modeling she had been doing. Her agent said it would be a piece of cake: "It's nothing that you haven't done in your personal life. It's one quick sex scene." He even assured her it could be in her favorite position. Canyon was remarkably inexperienced in sexual matters for one who had rebelled against her parents and hit the road, but to help her agent out, she agreed just this one time; the pay for the day's work being $1,500 was one of the advantages. She froze on the first shoot, but eventually got to enjoy doing scenes. She realized that with the few men she had been with in her personal life, she was inhibited: "I never wanted the guy to think I was some sex-crazed maniac" so she had reined herself in. On camera, though, nobody minded "how loud I moaned and groaned... I realized how much fun it was just to enjoy sex." She learned she enjoyed sex when it was with another woman, or with more than one person, and she did not at all mind getting paid for it.

Not everything went smoothly. Canyon developed a coke habit, which she later shook, and she had to fend off unwanted advances from some sleazebags. She had to deal with lots of criticism from strangers, some of whom would write her to say that if she only had faith, God would save her from the business she was in. "I was always perplexed by how these types acquired my fan club address as it was only printed in porn magazines." She got burned out on making films and went to work for her dad's accounting business, but came back to porn with a renewed business sense and also an interest in her paychecks funding her education. Years after she left home, she was even accepted back by her mother and dad, even while she continued her chosen profession; her book makes clear that for all she has managed to do for herself, regaining the love of her parents was the accomplishment she valued most. _Lights, Camera, Sex!_ is a unique look at one woman's experience in the porn film industry. It is unpolished; there are spelling and punctuation errors throughout, but while this would be a difficulty in other works, it is part of the book's charm that Canyon wrote it all herself without hiring an editor or an "As Told To". When a company expressed interest in publishing the work, but wanted to change it around, she published it herself. Look elsewhere if you seek a confessional from a porn star as victim; this is a story by a victor.

I had no idea what to expect, had no idea that the woman could even string two sentences together. Guess what? This is one of the best autobiographies I have ever read. Yes, I knew her from the videos; no, her acting wasn't much, in fact, she never could act worth a...but how many of us rented her videos to see her act? Right.
Know what else I'm glad about? That deep down, in her heart and soul, she turns out to be monogamous and has finally settled down with a decent guy.
Yes, she was always a looker, hot, not a great beauty, per se, but put it all together and, man, she had it. I can't even put my finger on it exactly...maybe a Sophia Loren type...
Maybe some other guys out there were like me, found her incredibly attractive, but always wondered what this person was like; was she human at all? Was she capable of being with just one guy, all that. And the answer to that question, and many others, is in this book.

Troubled childhood? You better believe it. On her own before she turned eighteen. Lived through her share of hard times. Some of it sad enough to almost bring tears to your eyes, and some of it is hilarious enough to actually do exactly that: bring tears to your eyes.

It's worth reading...and, in my opinion, would make one hell of a motion picture.

So why then, after all this praise, would I not give our Christy five stars? Here it is: (and it can easily be corrected) punctuation throughout this edition is off; commas are missing and there are typos that can easily be taken care of.
First couple of pages (title page, etc.) also should be re-done so that it does not look like a self-published book).

A professional editor could take care of this without breaking a sweat. It really would be worth it, Christy--because you have one hell of a story here. And don't worry, it'll still be your book, your writing, your baby. Greats like Hemingway, Thomas Wolf, etc., etc., all of them, have had help in this area. It won't take away from the fact that it is ENTIRELY YOUR CREATION.

Can't wait for part II.

80s porn legend Christy Canyon shares the professional highs and personal lows of her life as a porn queen. The book alternates between harrowing (her very first hardcore shoot) to hilarious (the shooting of her first comeback scene) as Canyon goes from a naive and rebellious runaway teenager to a therapy strengthened professional ready to earn her true worth. Canyon manages to tell very personal, and sometimes quite painful, stories while maintaining a level headed distance from the subject matter (herself). Thus the reader gets a pretty detailed look at how working in such an industry can either be empowering or demoralizing, and how easy it is to be taken advantage of or to be treated poorly for doing so. Love or hate the adult film industry, by the book's end you will probably have an admiration for the financial success and mental balance that Canyon has obviously worked so hard to achieve. Recommended.

Ever wonder what a porn star's day-to-day life is like? If you're reading this review, I'm thinking the answer is "yes." Here is Christy Canyon to answer the questions you may have on what happens "behind the scenes" in the life of an adult film starlet.

Christy is one of the pioneers of the adult film business. Sure, there were XXX actors before her. However, she blossommed during the mid-1980s, at which time the business exploded thanks to the invention of the VCR.

Christy takes us on a "grand tour" of what happens inside the world of porn. We're introduced to all the shady characters who lurk in the shadows, as well as what REALLY happens on a porn set.

Christy is far from a perfect human being. However, she never professes to be bereft of shortcomings. This auto-biography is a very intimate look at Christy the person, and it does not attempt to cover up the shortcomings of her character. She openly writes of her struggles with cocaine as well as her flakiness. As an honest approach, I found that to be very refreshing.

Along those same lines, she does not pull any punches when it comes to her opinion of people. She slams people she doesn't like and she speaks glowingly of people she does like. It seems to me that most every male who ever crossed her path is in one of two categories: she either adored them or absolutely hated them.

For those who may wonder if she is explicit in detailing her sexploits, there is no need to worry. She gives a visual description of several of her scenes. There are no "oblique references" that could be found in other biographies (I've heard that Traci Lord's bio is like that).

An unexpected touch of the book is humor. For a woman who has sex for a living, it's surprising how difficult it was for her to find a partner who was not a "freak" outside the business. Christy's hilarious sexual mis-adventures are sure to bring a smile to your face!

If you want to know about the "old school" pornstars, or are simply curious about the world of porn in general, then this book is for you. The bio starts out with a bang with Christy's first interaction with the business. Her going into the studio to arrange her first photoshoots reminded me of the hero crossing the threshold in a Jungian "hero's journey." The rest, they say, is history. Christy's history. And, it's worth your time to read.

I read this book because I've always thought that Christy Canyon was the smartest and probably most attractive of all the porn stars I have seen over the years. While I have to say this is probably still true, the book at best is mediocre.

It does start out strong and it is intereting how she got into pornography. After that though, you should probably put down the book and stop reading because it doesn't get more interesting. Thus the title of my review; the other reviewers must be fans of her on-screen capability. So much so that they are willing to give her a pass for her book.

On the other hand, it takes much longer to read a book and it is substantially more of an intellectual exercise than to watch one or even most of her films. The investment should have more payoff and reward from an intellectual standpoint vs. a carnal one.

With the above in mind, her book leaves a bit to be desired.

1. It doesn't blow the lid off of celebrity. She really only discusses meeting one major celeb and that person is a has-been. If I go by her book, she really hasn't met or didn't articulate any experience with real big time Hollywood talent. Or New York or even Michigan talent for that matter.

2. The overviews she gives of porn's celebrity such as the owner of Vivid or Ron Jeremy is pretty weak. Again, I expected some reasonable detail for someone that has been in the business as long as she has. Her descriptions of interactions with Tom Byron, Ron Jeremy and so on is lacking. Her best description was of her interaction with Tracy Lords. And it took some serious verbage for her to get to that (the payoff wasn't worth the work).

3. She dedicates much of the book to her parents. Without spoiling the book, I have to say this perplexed me, especially when the bulk of the book is dedicated to spelling out some major shortcomings of her parents.

There are gaps in logic in the book. The end of the book really leaves you wanting and end of the book. She fails to tie up loose ends and adequately give the reader what she desperately needs; closure.

After reading her descriptions of her sex scenes, the reader is led to believe she only had sex only a hand full of times and that she really didn't enjoy it, it was just a job that she muddled through. Unfortunately Christy downplays her ability to actually do what she was good at and again that logic thing comes up, she actually did a substantial number of films, her later one's being far more mediocre than her mid-career flicks. It misses the essential description of dynamics of her films, what made her exciting in them and why she thought her chemistry was right for the screen (which it is in many cases).

I'll put it as simply as I can - I expected much more. A disasppointing read at best.

Christy's candid (and often painful) recollections lend heart to this book, something not found in recent adult star memoirs.

Sure, there are juicy tidbits from behind the scenes and anecdotes suggesting that the freaks aren't necessarily the ones in the show (refer to Max Baer and the "silver bullet," respectively), but there's no hint of Raw Talent's arrogance or Underneath It All's sugar coating.

Equal parts cautionary tale (particularly for parents and those contemplating adult entertainment careers) and personal triumph, Canyon proves herself a self-respecting, resilient survivor. She (refreshingly) refuses to shy away from or downplay her past and self-assuredly forges into the future.

Not a bad read from a first time author, there's an ease to Christy's story telling that will only grow with future works.

Christy's book is quite readable, though i agree with the use of the "flashbacks" as sort of a blaming device for the life choices she's made. It seems that porno was her only choice becuase of her parents - and even in her comeback, she kind of blames the fact that this ex of the dad's might be coming back to work. Nontheless, as a fan of 80s porn, this book is quite detailed in how a girl would break into the biz, and Christy was a star. the tidbits about her co-stars are great, but i kind of wish there were quadruple the amount of explicit stories and sordid tales. but what does make it into the book is very very fun, and it's a fun read altogether (i read it in 2 sittings.) I'm sure i'll get her next book, and i hope she's more honest about the sleaze and the sleaze she was involved in. what's great is her attention to detail - she has a cat-like memory for words and phrases - though sometimes too thorough in her recollections of conversations where maybe a sharper editor could've got to the ponit a bit more. Still, very very enjoyable and real and refreshing.

I enjoyed this book, but it wasn't everything I was hoping for. Christy doesn't dish much about the industry or her colleagues, and I think her book would have been a better read if she gave us some juicy tidbits, as did Jerry Butler in his (admittedly self-indulgent and self-serving) book. She was in adult films for decades and has worked with just about every star that anyone's ever heard off, yet she only mentions a handfull (Peter North, Ron Jeremy, Billy Dee, Traci Lords, Ginger Lynn), and says little about them. She shares even less behind-the-scenes insight, other than in the context of her "firsts" (first black man, first threesome, etc.). C'mon Sweetie, you're just dancing now -- what are you afraid of?

If you're a fan of Christy's, however, you'll enjoy reading about her life and her path to porn. Although there's little to learn beyond the stereotypical didn't-get-along-with-my-family story that most porn chicks and strippers relate, it's her story, so the hardcore (no pun intended) fan will be into it. The book has some editorial glitches ("heals" vs. "heels") but overall it's worth the time. And mine came signed by the author herself, so, to paraphrase Bill Murray in "Caddyshack", it had that going for it. Which was nice.

Christy Canyon has written a very interesting book about her career in pornography. The words feel like the truth. You won't be seduced into believing this is a great career move and you won't be fooled into thinking that Ms. Canyon is the woman you want to take home to meet the folks. She is neither a victim nor a proponent.
I have read other insider books (e.g. Jerry Butler) and outsider books (e.g. Luke Ford) and sexpert books (e.g. Susie Bright, Carol Queen) and saw Boogie Nights but this book was the most satisfying in terms of my curiousity of what it is like to work in XXX. I recommend this book for those who are similarly curious. Those looking for a simple turn on will be disappointed.
Some have criticized this book for an excess of typos. One that I spotted was "striper" instead of "stripper". Well, a spell-checker program would miss that one also. But I have read technical books with more typos than this one. More distracting was the sloppy page layout. I suspect the phrase "orphan management" refers only to the musical Annie as far as this book's producer is concerned. The book would also be better with some pictures - even simple black and white photographs showing Christy Canyon in a pose not intended for a video cassette box.

I've been a huge fan of Christy's since her earliest days in Adult Films. This, her first autobigraphy, has served to make me an even bigger fan by showing her human side, her humor, her stumbles and her perseverance.

This is quite a lady who's been through a lot. Her writing is strong, witty and very engaging.

While reading of her early days in film, a part of me felt a bit guilty about my complicity as a fan, however remote, in the early and instant success that she found in a life that so ostracized her from most members of her dear and broken family. But in an industry that chews up and spits out many pretty little girls, I learned of a Christy Canyon who grew, evolved and is now stronger than ever as a real woman.

If you are interested in the woman or in the business, Christy's ride is a very good read. Buy "Lights, Camera, Sex!" and enjoy.

The only reason I didn't give Christy's first work a full five stars is that she's working on her second book and I want her to have something to shoot for!

Oh...and did I mention that I'm a FAN???