A veteran of literally hundreds of films, Ron Jeremy has gone on record saying that he will only retire from porn when he works his dick to the point that it literally falls off his body, and not before. His legendary endowments – work ethic, and the other one – have made him the undisputed king of not only straight porn, but porn as a whole. Jeremy has set the gold standard of longevity in a business that is infamous for burning out its talent, and next month Albertans get the opportunity to see him live in Lethbridge.

Short, round and hirsute (an awesome way to say hairy), Jeremy’s look is more what one would expect of the stereotypical, polyester-suited porn movie producer of bygone days, and not so much the on-camera talent. Combine that with the fact that his career began in an era when pop culture would have us believe that porn was an unmitigated sleaze-fest, and one is left to make certain assumptions about his character. Let me tell you, reader, those assumptions are way off. Ron Jeremy is an enthusiastic, kind-hearted, teddy bear of a man, driven by a consuming love for films and the art of making them.

When I asked him if he had ever made movies just for the paycheque, something Lance Henrikksen – another pulp horror veteran – has referred to as an "alimony picture", he answered demurely. Jeremy began effusively praising his colleague, rattling off the names of the cast and crew of a 1985 Henriksen picture called Savage Dawn, verbatim. Right then I had my answer: Ron Jeremy is not a man who takes a job for the money.

He was no less forthcoming when I asked about his current projects. In a soft-spoken staccato he told me he was in a "movie [that] just came out called Jersey Shore Massacre, produced by Jwoww [Jenni Farley], and I have a record coming out, produced by Waylon Jennings. I’m really excited about it."

Perhaps I was getting a bit of a jet-lagged Ron Jeremy, as he had just flown in from Germany the previous evening, back from a tour to promote Ron de Jeremy rum. That’s right: the Hedgehog’s face is emblazoned on bottles of individually-numbered, $65 bottles of seven-year-old Panama dark rum, 94 proof, he was quick to tell me.

"My rum is all over the world," he boasted. "There are a lot of cities that don’t have it in Canada yet, but Edmonton does." Jeremy proceeded to rattle off, in his clipped cadence, just how many other countries across the world are carrying Ron de Jeremy right now. He seemed pleased.

"My name has been on other things before – like rolling papers, skateboards, hot sauce, beef jerky ... – this is my first alcohol, and it’s working out real nicely." I was a little incredulous. As much fun as Ron de Jeremy is to say, what was the tie-in with rum, I wondered?

"They wanted to use my name, because ron is rum in Spanish – they wanted to find a famous Ron. Then we joked around; Reagan died, Ronald McDonald makes hamburgers, Ron Howard makes movies, and that left me. And I agreed."

As Jeremy proceeded to tell me about the rum’s provenance – and the fact that it’s available in Donald Trump’s casino – I had to wonder how much of this was genuine enthusiasm, and how much was a finely-honed instinct for self-promotion. At some point I decided that the distinction was speculative: the man is clearly having fun, and one can hardly be faulted for enjoying one’s work.

"We joke that Captain Morgan’s on one leg; I’m on three," he said of Ron de Jeremy Spiced. It’s easy to laugh with him.

The Internet is studded with pictures of Jeremy with his arms around the shoulders of grinning fans, at the San Diego Comic Con and other prominent gatherings of geeks across North America.

"I like the horror movie conventions," he told me. "I like all the special effects – heads pop off and guts start flying out – they’re a lot of fun. I have made a lot of films like that too. Like Troma movies, you know? Great special effects, lot of fun. And there’s Trey Parker and Matt Stone – I was in a film called Orgazmo for them." His love of the craft is evident, but does he attend as a fan, or is it work? "[I go] to Comic Con in San Diego to promote films that I’m in – there is always a few. You make a movie, and your commitment is now to promote it. These conventions make that possible. And it gets your face out there too, you know? They are fun, but it’s more business."

I found myself cringing slightly at the thought of interacting with people who knew me primarily for my dick’s work (imagining a terrifying brunch will all of my exes) so I had to ask: is it awkward interacting with your fans? How do they approach you?

"Oh, it’s just, drop your pants and we’ll have sex," he replied. "You look at them and say, well, it’s all just friendly. It is what you would expect of anyone. Like, I’m sure Kid Rock has the same thing, on a larger scale maybe. Sometimes they can get a little romantic, where they give you a hug and a kiss, or they put a boob right in your face – nothing wrong with that. Other times it’s really formal, and they just give you a handshake, or just give you the thumbs-up."

I ran toward the end of my questions, but Jeremy appeared as though he would be willing to talk pulp cinema for hours. He is a huge Troma Films fan, and seems to really enjoy the splatter-horror genre as a whole. "I have been in a lot myself. Andre the Butcher was a big hit; I played Andre. One-Eyed Monster was a great film – played on Showtime – about a penis that severs and kills people. It’s really fucked up... [These films] are fun: all the different monsters, all the creatures and the special effects. It’s a genre that won’t go away."

As we wrapped up, I asked if he had any mountains left to climb. If I could have predicted his answer, I might have phrased the question differently.

"Yeah, I never did Jenna Jameson!"