(picture from Tyler Knight's Facebook page)
"Tyler Knight is a pornstar, blogger and painter. His blog is located at TylerKnight.com.
Tyler's foray into writing began when he fielded questions on a mixed martial arts forum about his life as an adult film star. Tyler’s work has been published in several print and online literary magazines including Danse Macabre, Thieves Jargon, Ignavia Press, Thirst for Fire, Sex and Murder, and Ronin Press. He also writes a monthly column for a woman’s magazine, For The Girls.
On August 4, 2010 his blow-up doll was a guest on The Colbert Report. Tyler was not invited" (Tyler Knight).
Currently, Tyler is working on a memoir that chronicles his "attempts at juggling pimps, porn starlets, pills, and a semi-normal life with [his] girlfriend" (TylerKnight.com)
What made you want to be a writer? Do you plan on quitting the porn biz?
Writing isn’t something I chose. Two years ago I wasn’t even thinking about writing, but it just happened to work out this way. It began for myself, and even though I’ve developed a large readership, it’s still for me. That other people enjoy reading my thoughts is a side benefit.
I have not quit the adult industry. I took a few months off to return to finance, but after working for yourself for almost a decade, it’s a tough transition to make. The idea of seeking permission to eat lunch...having to wear a suit and tie...well, that didn't last.
Who are some of your favorite authors? Influences?
There’s not enough bandwidth to list everything that has influenced me because ideas come from everywhere. A well turned phrase can be found in the most unlikely of places...like a gossip magazine (Jacko IS WACKO!) and you may not be aware of it, but you store it for later manipulation...to make it your own. Often times I take something someone said and use the exact verbiage, but in another context of a story I’m working on it’s different. Picasso said: Good artists borrow, great artists steal.
A few authors I’ve stolen from include: Dostoevsky, John Ridley, Nabokov, Jim Thompson, Richard Rayner, Albert Camus, Jean-Paul Sartre, Dashiell Hammett, Richard Stark, Louis-Ferdinand Céline, Richard K. Morgan, Martin Amis, Poe, Bukowski, Bret Easton Ellis, Irvine Welsh, Melville, and Stephen King. Half of these guys write noir. I love the noir aesthetic. Altered Carbon...I stole that entire novel. I’ll stop here. The more I add to the list, the less meaningful any one name on it becomes.
I lied. In an indirect way, Chuck Palahniuk, too. Of all the novels he wrote, I’ve only read one of his short stories. But it was Chuck that turned me onto a style of minimalism called Dangerous Writing. I’m not a blind follower of any school of this-is-how-things-should-be-done, but I stole some principles from there, also. That I (for now) write in first person, present tense, some of the ideas from Dangerous Writing are a natural fit.
Describe your worst day on a porn set.
A man ejaculated on my thigh once. Maybe I’ll write that story.
You have a girlfriend. Does doing porn make that relationship complicated? Or is sex on the set mechanical, purely professional? (I remember you sent a tweet while fucking a girl on set once).
Porn is a job. I will never have the connection during intimacy with someone on set to the degree that I will off set. Once the camera cuts, the fourth wall comes down and I wash “Tyler Knight” down the shower drain before I leave the set. Some days are better than others. Some women are great and it’s always nice to see them. Others, I’d never even look at on the street. But you’d never know which scene is which by watching them because I’m a professional and I do my job the best that I can, regardless.
Any coupling, on or off camera, is as unique as the two people within it. That, and the circumstances of the pairing affects the dynamic.
What do you like to do when you’re not fucking? Not writing?
I’ve been painting a lot. Museums to analyze the pictures: composition, color, movement. I dissect paintings the way I’d do with a story. Reverse engineering to understand why something works. With a picture, I see subjects...sometimes there are adjectives. And there are verbs.
Are you surprised that some readers actually WANT TO be in porn after reading your stories?
Nothing people do surprises me.
Porn Myths: Most porn stars have been sexually abused. The porn industry is run by the mafia. True/False?
No.
How did you get started in porn?
Two decades ago I was a print model. My agent at the time sent me out for this job for a (now defunct) magazine in Australia called Women’s Forum. That was the first time I took my clothes off for cash. Years later, when I was leaving the Hollywood library, a pornographer named Gino Colbert ran up to me and put a business card in my hand. I called. Here I am.
Any favorite memories from a porn shoot?
With anything, there are good days and there are bad days. I tend not to write about the good days because there is no conflict. And when there’s no conflict, there is no story. It goes back to the grief-per-dollar ratio again. For now, doing what I’m doing serves me.
Is there a lot of prejudice against blacks in the porn industry?
Some sectors of the porn industry operate like a minstrel show, except not as clever...and without the passage of time to evoke quaint nostalgia. It’s here and now. This is not exclusive to any individual ethnic group. I’ve seen three Asian male performers in the last decade.
Tell us about STDs in the porn industry. Do casting directors require that actors be tested?
STD tests are required. Some persons are cavalier about them, though.
Fluffers?
Fluffers don’t exist. I’ve had one set (a gang bang) with fluffers, but the girls were drawn into the melee of the scene, so they were no longer fluffers. They were active participants in the footage like everybody else.
Do you have any strong views about porn and morality?
Who am I to make any assertions of morality? Nobody should listen to what I have to say on that matter...or anyone else. Form your own point of view.
Some would argue that all porn is degrading to both sexes, and there may be merit in those arguments.
Whatever.
Do you ever watch porn?
No, I don’t.
You’re friends with the infamous Tucker Max. Is he as much of an asshole as the Tucker Max depicted in his books I Hope They Serve Beer in Hell and Assholes Finish First?
Everyone has facets of their personality they choose to show at different situations. The side I see is an opinionated yet generous man. As with anyone, you’d be better served to meet the man and form your own opinion.
What do you think of your blow-up doll?
(picture from Tyler Knight's blog)
I should have negotiated my compensation better.
Do you have any other sex toys fashioned after you?
I have a vibrating dildo.
You’ve won awards for your porn, but refuse to attend the ceremonies. Any particular reason? Also, what kind of rewards did you win for porn? Best anal penetration? Best cock?
Simple. My time is better spent on things I find interesting.
What will the title of your porn memoir be?
This has yet to be determined. My agent and I have one we like, but a publisher may have different ideas.
How many manuscript rejections have you received?
Hundreds. Most were my fault. I wasn’t discriminate to whom I’d submit my work to.
What is your writing process? How many revisions do you typically do?
No process. I write when I feel like it. Aside from proofreading I almost never revise. I say what I mean the first time.
What challenges face creative writers today? What opportunities?
If you create something different, something new, you will face opposition, even blatant hostility from those in position who cling to the status quo like a warm Snuggie. Change is terrifying to them. Ask Jobs and Wozniak how their meeting with IBM went when they were kids. In the arts, it’s the same. When you marry the arts and business, it’s the worst. Publishers will publish work that they know is shit, passing over some unknown with something to say, in favor of tripe penned by a name that will move X number of units. Like, say, a reality show personality who never read a book. It’s a business.
How did you promote your work?
Interviews such as this. Social media. My stories have been published in lit mags and chap books all over the world. Word of mouth.
Why do you feel it’s important for your story to be told?
If I didn’t believe I have something to say, I wouldn’t bother.
Any advice for writers?
The arts are full of charlatans. There are no secrets. No great answerers. No gurus, rules, or any single way it should be done. Just write.
Read Tyler's infamous story "Bukkake" here: http://www.tylerknight.com/archives/1325
For more information about Tyler Knight and his work, check out his blog: http://www.tylerknight.com/
Follow Tyler on Twitter: http://twitter.com/#!/TylerKnightxxx
Tyler on Facebook: http://www.facebook.com/#!/profile.php?id=1285020513
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