Creator of New Book from Aperture, Car Girls: My Interview with Jacqueline Hassink

Jacqueline Hassink is the creator of several signature art compilations including: "The Table of Power” published by Menno van de Koppel, (Amsterdam), 1000 copies, February 1996. “Female Power Stations: Queen Bees”, published by Menno van de Koppel Amsterdam, 2200 copies, October 1999. “The Table of Power” (reprint) published by Menno van de Koppel, (Amsterdam), 1500 copies, September 2000. “Mindscapes” published by Birkhäuser Verlag (Basel), 3000 copies, 1 March 2003.“The Power Book", published by Chris Boot Ltd. (London), 3000 copies, October 2007.“Domains of Influence”, published by I.B. Tauris (London), 2000 copies, June 2008.“Quarry Walls”,(New York), 10 copies, July 2008. "Car Girls" (luxury edition), published by Aperture, 1500 copies, April 2009. "Car Girls" (travel edition), published by Aperture, 7500 copies, September 2009. Today she spoke with me about her latest artistic exploration and publication, Car Girls. It is as one writer puts it a “huge economic matrix that is otherwise invisible; the car girls are a visual manifestation of all these marketing and branding strategies…”

What inspired you to create the amazing photo collection, Car Girls?
A major part of my work is about economic power and I started my career with the project The Table of Power in 1993. I photographed board room tables of Europe's largest multinationals. In 2001, I befriended a woman who worked for Fortune Magazine and she said, “If you really want to learn about the Japanese economy, you have to visit the car show in Tokyo.”

Did you immediately start taking pictures there?No. The difference between a journalist and an artist is an artist only takes a camera with him or her if there is a clear idea. When I first went there I didn’t have my camera. I just watched everything. The car industry at the time was one of the richest and most powerful in the world. The sky was the limit…the way the car girls were dressed, the music…it was such a sight. I was fascinated by these car girls. Every brand had a different type of car girl and that’s how the idea started.

Do you mean a different car meant a different type of woman?This was like eight years ago. There’s a German brand called Volkswagen and they had this tall, blond, Russian girl and she looked like a prima Donna and she had this sophisticated look and then there was a small SUV kind of jeep/car and they had this Japanese girl with a much too revealing, sort of sexy short shorts…that was an extreme example of the difference between the car girls there.

When you were creating Car Girls did you work exclusively on it?
No. When I make my work I work on three or more projects at the same time. What usually happens is all this information starts to bubble in my head and when I’m on the plane from Tokyo to New York for example a concept might shape. I wait usually two, maybe three more weeks and if the idea is still good it almost feels like I’m falling in love. I get butterflies in my stomach and then maybe three or four months later…I begin to embark on the new project. April 2002 was the first car show I photographed right here in New York.

I read you were surprised at how typical the Car Girls were in the United States compared to other countries.Yes, it’s fascinating. We have one of the most boring car girls in the world! I’m from Holland and I think the United States is very urgent with TV shows, Hollywood but when you go to a car show in New York, it’s just like an office…the girls are in suits. It’s like Anne Taylor style; they’re nothing modern or contemporary about it. I guess the customers are just looking for what they’re familiar with I think. The woman in the United States are mostly participating in the work force so maybe there are more female customers going to car shows and they don’t accept a woman dressed like (this).

What is your interpretation for the use of a car girl at these car shows?That feeling of luxury in a normal economy, unlike this recession…a car is the largest asset aside from a house….it’s a style icon that comes with the woman. When a man sees a nice car with this gorgeous girl standing next to it, they think, I can get both. I saw this was common in New York but not in other places. In New York some of the men at the shows tried chatting up the car girls. (Laughing)

Really? Why was that not as common in other parts of the world?I think it’s the culture. The men here may be more outgoing. Also if you look at the photos most of the time, the car girls standing on these circle platforms and they’re just part of the shows.

Where were the most spectacular car girls?
Geneva…it’s the most important in Europe, all the CEOs go there to give their press conferences, Tokyo, Shanghai…Paris is also very nice.

You also became a car girl to experience what it would be like.I did this also with my other work, I do a self portrait. For this I got a make up artist and a close friend, a photographer in Frankfurt photographed me as a car girl. I was wearing really high heels and people believed I was a car girl. The problem was just that there are different types of girls I was supposed to be a “sexy girl” so it was difficult for me to be judged in this way. You’re in the limelight and all these guys are checking you out and it’s a very strange feeling…I was only there for 15 minutes. After that I just had to go, I wasn’t comfortable.

Are there any artists that inspire you?No. I travel extensively. I just see what’s happening around me and that’s my source of inspiration.

Do you have a favorite concept that you prefer researching?
They are all different. The thing is more that people react different, but it’s also very personal, the Car Girls concept is very easy for a broad audience to understand while others like Mindscapes only architects, curators and intellectuals would appreciate.

What are some interpretations of Car Girls that people have come up with?One is that it’s discrimination against woman. I don’t agree because none of the car girls were unhappy in fact most of them think its fun and it’s an easy way for students to make money…instead of working in a bar till late at night, this is what they do. But then again there are different types of car girls. There are the ones that stand there (sexy girls) and then there is also the woman that is professional and is trained by the car company. She sells the car.

Do you have a specific photo technique?The camera technique is very simple, for the car girls I use a fast film, for the interiors I use a slower film and I work with a tripod. For the car girls there is a very strong focus where I just walk around and wait for these specific moments, for interiors it’s about getting as much information in the photo as possible.

What is the length of these shows?
Really big shows are limited for the press during the first two days, I go the first and the second day for the press and then the show is opened two weeks after that for the public. Sometimes I go twice like I did in Detroit. If there are not enough photos and I need to take more, I went back to that car show the next year. And in between I was spending a lot of time in the Middle East working on another project Arab Domains.

What else were you working on?
Mrs. Haifa Al Kaylani who has an organization that works with very high profile woman in the Arab world (AIWF) was working on a project and I collaborated with her. So I met about 36 Arab women from 18 different countries…I was in Saudi Arabia, Libya, Egypt and all the countries in the middle east…the book came out in the summer of 2008, it was launched in Dubai and was presented….Domain of Influence.

Your book also points out the similarities and differences of uniformity of trends or lack of, depending on the car company….When I was at the car show in Tokyo I saw a “Volkswagen girl,” the ballerina type, and then I wanted to see how a “Volkswagen girl” looked in Shanghai, Paris, Geneva, Frankfurt, Detroit and New York. The Ferrari girl for example almost always looks the same but if you look at other car brands, another guy in Paris visiting the car girl is looking for a different type of girl and when their eyes fall on a certain girl they want to see more and this is what the shows do on a global scale. I was also interested in how they do this marketing on a smaller scale.

Speak about the music.
It’s like lounge, feel-good music, never aggressive. If you go to my website, that’s the type of music you’d hear. The booth of a Mercedes Benz for example is the same everywhere you go. They want to get you to feel good with the beautiful woman, the contemporary music; it’s like if you go to a W hotel.

And the car girls, how did they feel about being photographed?They opened up because there were very few female photographers; they were quite friendly all over the world.

What did you discover?They were doing their thing. Whenever some one took their picture, they would pose. But with me I tried to find these other moments where they were immersed in their work and not really thinking about the camera. I tried to capture them underneath this theatrical façade.

What made you decide to finish this project?When I spoke with Aperture, we began to print it in China…Irma Boom was very important in the compilation of this book, she created the design of the book. There was a deadline and by then I had enough material to begin to publish the work. There were many people involved in its final creation.

Your work takes on a very unique approach in analyzing the economy and the idea of power. I look forward to further exploring your work and looking at your other publications to compare the different approaches you took to embody this ideal.www.jacquelinehassink.com

Meeting Mark Borkowski, NYC Playwright

Mark Borkowski is the star and writer of The Perfect Witness (starring Wes Bentley: The Last Word, P2, Dolan's Cadillac, American Beauty) and writer of numerous plays: Box of Nails, Within the Skins of Saints, The Kids are Awake, etc. Prior to this interview, I had no idea this very established playwright I was recommeded to interview was the same guy who gave me nightmares when I watched him in his believable perfomance. The Perfect Witness is a movie you can never forget. Maybe because he was so charming and calm I didn't put two and two together....

When did you begin writing?

I began writing as a child when I was 11 or 12 years old. I wrote a lot of short stories…usually horror…as a kid, I identified with monsters. Especially the more sympathetic ones. I was a weird, lonely kid who felt like an outcast so they really helped me, I don’t know …I worked out a lot of stuff.

Your first play was produced when you were quite young.

Yeah, when I was about 18 years old I took a nervous breakdown… it was a manifestation of drug addiction and trauma I went through as a child. I was hearing voices and a doctor told me to write the voices down as part of my therapy. They came out in the form of dialogue—as voices would-- and after a while I realized I had a play. I had already been involved in theatre as an actor so I was more than familiar with the form. I called the play Saturday Mourn. I showed it to a friend of mine shortly after that and he gave it to the late great Albert Benzwie (artistic director of the legendary Theatre Center Philadelphia back in the 80s). The play went on to win his one-act play festival.

That’s an amazing story.

And when I went to see it something opened inside me and I realized I could help others. From there, I continued to write play after play because I realized I could work out my demons and give them a platform to maybe help others.

What was the response?

After that play people came up to me and said they were not only touched by it but felt comforted because they too felt so alone and really related to my characters. At a young age I realized I could be of service through my work by expelling and sharing my demons.

How long did it take after that to write your next play?

Oh I immediately went into my next play. I was driving a cab when I wrote, Suicide, Inc. It was a full length play, produced at the Walnut Street Theatre in Philadelphia.

How were the reviews?

The Philadelphia Daily News called it “a multi level masterpiece”.

Did you get paid well for your initial plays?

No, you’re lucky if you break even. It’s only in the past few years that I’ve done more than break even. People, especially in New York, know who I am.

What is your genre? Has it stayed the same or changed throughout the years?

Psychological drama seasoned with black comedy. My stuff can be pretty brutal. I push the envelope in order to get my point across. I tried to conform to the mainstream, writing “commercial” type stuff but I usually end up losing interest and shelving it. I have to really feel a direct, even soulful connection to my characters in order to live with them and tell their story. In reference to form, I started out writing realistic plays, then I took the reality into the absurd. I like to place characters in hardcore reality and then challenge them with ultimately absurd circumstances which shake and transform their reality or reality as we know it. Then I found myself slipping into hyper-realism. And now, while always keeping my work rooted in reality (so people can identify), I incorporate mystical, even spiritual layers. Metaphors and symbols. Shakespeare wrote on different levels; he had witches, dreams, ghosts… He had all kinds of stuff…you know? My writing has become much more of an exploration of not just reality but dreams, mysticism and spirituality…

Can you explain hyper realism, I’m not familiar.

It’s hysterical realism… much like what we find in dreams or in madhouses. Or, less dramatically, the average hysteria we might experience when we’re being tormented in, say, the throes of addiction or the loss of a lover… For a while there I loved writing about hysteria, you know?

Give me an example.

Well in one of my plays, Within the Skins of Saints, a girl is getting ready to jump off a subway platform and a guy enters and has until the subway comes to stop her. By the end, she almost succeeds in convincing him to jump with her. She shares her dreams of saintly mutilation and the hysteria that caused her to be institutionalized and medicated. She decided to stop taking the meds and escaped the madhouse and is now ready to die and be with her lover, God (a notion that many female Saints also shared at martyrdom). I know it sounds like a dark journey but there is a tinge of hope the end. A branch for the audience to grab onto. I feel it’s kinda my responsibility, after having taken an audience into a dark tunnel, to give them a tinge of light at the end. Or at least furnish road signs so they can get themselves out.

Wow, tell me about another play of this type.

Another dark play I recently wrote is called Painting Corpses. It’s about a painter who’s bottoming out on drugs and alcohol. He gets a call from an aristocrat who asks him to paint a picture of his dead wife. The money is too good to be true (100 grand) and he accepts the commission. The aristocrat delivers the body to the artist’s loft. When the artist begins to paint her…as the days pass…he starts to fall in love with her…

Whoa!

…and one night he’s very drunk and he’s imagining her lips saying beautiful things to him, her eyes looking at him, her ears listening… he imagines her the woman of his dreams.

And…eventually…he makes love to her… Oh My God!

…the next morning he wakes up and he comes to…he’s very hung over and… she’s sitting there. She’s alive! He thinks. He doesn’t know if she’s a supernatural phenomena or a psychotic delusion. One thing leads to another, and she tells him that she doesn’t want to be painted. She didn’t want it in life and she certainly doesn’t want it in death! BUT she’ll make a deal with him… He needs five primary colors to paint her… she says she will grant him the five colors if he does five favors for her. He finds himself bargaining with the dead. These five favors take him on a journey that ends up changing his life forever.

Wow! What happens in the end?

People have to see it to find out. We workshopped it at the Actor’s Studio and right now we’re trying to find finance for the production. The play is like a Charles Bukowski meets Sleeping Beauty… it’s actually a very beautiful play. One of the biggest qualms people, and some producers, have with this is the necrophilia. They don’t think he should molest the corpse. That the audience won’t forgive him. I think its bullshit. I mean, look at mythology—especially the Egyptians. Isis and Osiris. I mean, necrophilia takes on a whole different meaning when you look at it through those fucking glasses! So, okay, now I’m modifying, maybe… with extreme reluctance.

Any big actors in it?

Yeah… Elias Koteus played the lead and it was directed by Richard Masur.

How many of your plays have been on stage?

One acts, short plays, they’ve been done all over the world…too many to count. I also write screenplays.

Oh?

I wrote a film called The Perfect Witness.

I remember that movie, oh my god…that was you!?

With Wes Bentley (Ghost Rider, American Beauty). It was originally called “The Ungodly”. It’s still called that everywhere else except America. It’s being distributed in England this September.

That movie was so scary!

Oh you’re a chicken shit.

Tell them what it’s about.

It’s about a down and out film maker, he’s a newly recovered drug addict…he lives with his mom and he’s obsessed with a serial killer. Through months of research, he figures out where the killer might strike and, low and behold, he tracks him down.

You played the killer. You were great!

…. So he catches me murdering—or rather, he catches the killer murdering someone and videotapes it. He then blackmails him into being his documentary subject.

And he agrees to it.

… and as he gets to know the killer, the killer gets to know him and… well, again, I would rather our readers rent it. You can get it at Blockbuster or Netflix. It’s also on Showtime and The Movie Channel. It’s a film about addiction (to drugs or murder) and ambition. Also, personal accountability. Ultimately, it’s about a person taking responsibly for their part in something. His ambiton leads him to look the other way and allow haenous crimes to occur, similar to Nazi Germany. People do it all the time and it’s fucked.

That movie was intense. I can’t believe that was you and that you wrote it. Was that your first movie?

First major feature length movie...I’ve had a lot of short films produced. I’ve sold screenplays but they haven’t been made yet.

How long did that take to write?

About a year and a half and it took twenty four (or so) days to shoot. Editing took a while.

What? It only took twenty four days to shoot it? That’s so fast!

Yeah, well that’s independent filmmaking. It comes down to making it as quickly as possible because everyday costs thousands of dollars…. The editing took several months though.

What inspired you to write The Perfect Witness?

It started out as a play. I had a few scenes but it didn’t go anywhere. Wasn’t working. Tom Dunn, the director, and I had been wanting to write something together but we couldn’t figure out what. One day I told him about this play I couldn’t finish. He was amazed by the story and told me I couldn’t finish it as a play because the damn thing is a film! We locked ourselves up and wrote the screenplay. Within a year or two he made it into a film and cast me as the killer.

Bet it got all sorts of awards!

Yeah, I got best actor at the Portugal Film festival… We got into the Austin Film Festival. Brussels, Amsterdam, Sitges (Spain, it’s right on the coast), and a few others. Then First Look Studios swept it up, changed its name from The Ungodly to The Perfect Witness and… distributed it.

Do you consider that your biggest accomplishment so far?

Yeah, it’s one of them….it even got picked up by Showtime and—oh, I think I said that already.

Wow! If you could do something else? I mean, if you weren’t an actor or writer?

Oh I’m a carpenter. That’s sorta my survival job. I was very poor as a young man…

And now?

I get commissions to write screenplays…for example these Russians came to me with a short story called The Animals, and I adapted it into a screenplay. After I’m done, they translate it back and shoot it as a Russian language film. The money is okay. I also get royalties for my plays… right now three of my plays are being done…

Oh, where?

In Philadelphia TheWalking Fish Theatre is doing my play The Kids Are Awake. My two one acts, Don’t Listen to What it Sounds Like and I like to Watch ‘em Beg Ma are running at The Producers Club here in New York.

What’s that about?

Watch them all and find out.

Ok, I will and I'm going to tell my sisters I met that scary guy in A Perfect Witness, I can't believe it, that's one of my favorite movies!

Gini Graham Scott, Ph.D.

GINI GRAHAM SCOTT, Ph.D., J.D., has taught at California State University, East Bay, Notre Dame de Namur University, and the Investigative Career Program in San Francisco. She writes nonfiction, scripts and has published over 50 books. Her latest books on business relationships and professional development include: WANT IT, SEE IT, GET IT; DISAGREEMENTS, DISPUTES AND ALL OUT WAR; 30 DAYS TO A MORE POWERFUL MEMORY; A SURVIVAL GUIDE TO MANAGING EMPLOYEES FROM HELL; A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR WORKING WITH BAD BOSSES; and A SURVIVAL GUIDE FOR WORKING WITH HUMANS (all from AMACOM 2004-2009), AMERICAN MURDER (Greenwood 2007), others such as HOMICIDE BY THE RICH AND FAMOUS (Berkley 2006, Greenwood 2005); HOMICIDE: 100 YEARS OF MURDER IN AMERICA (Contemporary 1998), YOU THE JURY (Seven Locks 1997), CAN WE TALK? THE POWER AND INFLUENCE OF TALK SHOWS (Plenum 1996), MIND YOUR OWN BUSINESS: THE BATTLE FOR PERSONAL PRIVACY (Plenum 1995), THE TRUTH ABOUT LYING (Smart Books 1994), POWER OF FANTASY (Citadel 1994), and PRIVATE EYES (Paladin 1994, with Sam Brown).

She has received national media exposure for her books, has hosted a weekly radio talk show series, CHANGEMAKERS, featuring interviews on various topics, which aired from 1991 to 1993 to 2 million listeners in over 70 countries. Scott has written over 100 songs, featured at http://www.songworks.net/ , and has cuts on several records. She has won awards for her photography, featured at www.artsandphotos.com. She has designed several lines of dolls and character licenses and writes children's books....and this isn't all, check out her websites (she has many more accomplishments!!)

Let me start by stating when I ‘googled’ you, there were 36,000 results! I also discovered you have 4-5 separate websites on very diverse topics such as music-as you’ve written over one hundred songs, books-on almost every topic one could write on, AND you have a few consultant companies and not to mention you’ve taught at several universities all over the U.S! And…every book you’ve written has its own site! It must be REALLY good to be Gini Graham Scott.

Oh, thank you.

And….you’ve been on several talk shows like Montel Williams and Oprah…. And what other shows were you on?

I was also a guest on CNN, Good Morning America…The O’Reily Factor …to talk about topics I’m an expert on….

Which seems to be EVERYTHING...

…I could get calls on the topic of crime for example because I’m considered an expert…. I’ve written many books on crimes ….

Right now as you know I’m writing a blog. Most people blog for many reasons…one of the reasons I blog is because I’m a scatter brain and I just don’t want to lose what I’m writing. However, the overall goal for my blog is to write a book…do you think this is a good way to do that?

I think most definitely. I also started using a blog…I have this book called Playing the Lying Game and the original book, was from a blog…

Really? Christian Lander did that…wrote a blog as kind of like a joke and it became a huge success...the book is Stuff White People Like. That’s good to know it’s also worked for you. So what’s that book mostly about…about lying?

Well there are different categories of liars and….there’s this continuum. I had a lie quiz at the end of the blog and many people wanted to know about it so a lot of the information is the same in the book. And after the book came out, I started posting articles and posting them on EZINE an articles.com site where there are about 250,000 articles in return for links to their websites…

That’s a smart way to promote what you write!

And I also have a service that sends out quires and press releases so I have a data base and from time to time I will send out postings…it’s a PR and networking connection…

So, if someone wanted to consult with you…

Well, there’s a fee. I subscribe to a number of queries…I’ve used it for myself and the business which connects writers to publishers…then there are other categories like film festivals…I also tie into what I’m currently doing...

Which is?

The next thing is how to write and produce your own short film. It’s useful to people doing these short films…for someone who just wants to just take a camera out with them… that’s fine. But for someone who is really serious, this book is informative for them.

Wow, so it seems to me that whatever you’re doing in your life…becomes a book?

Yes! Thankfully whatever I do, I write about (it).

You’re a great promoter for all these projects. What’s a good tool one can use to self promote?

One is Linked-In to promote your business or yourself….

My boss uses that and it certainly has helped her obtain clients. I have to get an account now. What about for book promotions?

You know the book business have changed so much and it’s very much celebrity driven…

It really is!

The mainstream publishers have had these blockbusters, celebrity- books AND people are reading less or in different ways…so now there are e-books and packaging blogs into e-books…

Hmmm, I guess it’s true the ‘old way’ is no longer the most effective, it seems.

It’s something like 500,000 books getting published each year and 350,000 of them are self- published.

So you think that’s the way for writers to go then?

It certainly is one way, yes, that’s something I’m doing now for clients…

Can you give me an example of how that’s worked for one of them?

Well, for example I have a self-published client who’s published and has had great success. She’s managed to sell thousands of copies and that’s a lot even for books that have been published by reputable book companies!

That is! How long did that take for her to do?

Only about six months.

Wow! What are some difficulties people face when looking for a book company to publish their work?

Well, what publishers want these days is someone who already has a platform. Like I said before, books are more celebrity driven and if you aren’t famous or well-known they may not represent you and if they do, the advance for a book these days compared to in the past is about half. If a self published book becomes successful and I help my clients make this happen…then they can build a platform…

And then they can get bigger advances from those reputable book companies like Random House!

Exactly…things are vastly changing for ALL writers including those who have been represented and published by major book companies many times like myself. I’m doing other things to promote my work myself now.

Like what specifically?

Well one very basic and simple way to self promote your work is through FaceBook.

I’m doing that for this blog too. And I've seen musicians do this...and comics. One comic posted a link on my wall to promote himself. His name is Luke Francis actually and now I’m buying his DVD...he's very funny! So, that promotion strategy can work.

Yeah…I’ve been building up my face book account and I think at some point I’ll write a book about this process also…

Big surprise there (laughing).

Well, it’s whatever I’m doing, you know if I know a lot of these things it becomes possible…it’s just very easy to publish books these days….the average book is for people looking for quick reads.

And ‘Quick reads’ would be considered… how long exactly?

Oh, only about…50, 000 words and some publishes will only want to work with those types of books because they sell a lot quicker. I have a few books like this ….they’re substantially shorter…

Wow, I always thought the book writing process was LONG and it took years to publish a single book.

Everything in this business is changing…now I think you must have an ability to market your book where you have an audience for a particular niche like you have someone who’s looking to mortgage and you have some information on that…there’s a book for that purpose. So, for a lot of people with all these formats, you can cut out the’ middle man’ or if it’s not really for the purpose of making money although that’s also nice…you may just want to have more marketability… to get hired for companies….

The e-book and self publishing thing is starting to sound like a good idea to me now.

Print-on-demand is another way and I have a book on network marketing and another one on party planning…which at one point was published by The Idiots Guide for a few years and then I got the rights back.

You can get the rights back for books you’ve published for companies? I never knew that.

Yeah. I have 20 books that were published by major book companies and I got the rights back for them years later and by dividing them up into sections with let’s say 90 pages, it makes it easier so people can still buy the book but there are also ways they can just buy a section so that’s another way to sell it for much less…

That’s smart. I always wondered about that…what happens to books when they stop selling at stores?

I help my clients with all these things and I also tell clients how to pitch film rights for their scripts….there’s just a number of things I do consulting for with my PR firm.

And you have a …PHD in…

Sociology... I just found that there was less interest in that and there was a cut back in this at the time and so I sort of shifted myself and I ended up writing a lot of books about businesses.

So what was your first book then?

Well my first book was my dissertation for my doctorate but it was shortly after this I wrote Working with Humans and then I wrote Working with Bad Bosses as a follow up which I wrote next when I was commissioned by a book company to write it.

Where did you get your research? These must have been fun to write. I can’t think of anyone not having had a ‘bad boss’ it’s just such a common thing…unfortunately.

Yes, at one point I had one…and I’ve interviewed people and I did the same for the book on ethic s and lying…they’re based on interviewing… and some of these recent books are from PR and discovering what other people do.

What about that funny photo book I used to always see in Barnes and Noble…the dog one? That was a HUGE book, it was everywhere at one point….who published it?

Random House published that…it was Do You Look like your Dog …

It was brilliant…what made you think of it?

I was just testing a data base and put up some pictures and little comments and I was contacted to make an entire book out of it so you just never know what people are finding interesting.

Is it still out there?

No, not in stores no...but you can still buy it of course. After a couple of years I got the rights back from Random House for that one also.

How can this happen? I should have asked you that before.

Oh, that's okay (laughing)...when the book goes off the market….after sales go below a certain number or point, you write a letter stating that you want the rights back and sometimes they’ll tell you to purchase the unsold books for a fee…..it’s not a big deal with most publishers.

Was that book your most money making book?

No, Want it ,See It, Get it...which uses manifesting techniques was more popular and sold more…and Playing the Lying Game was very big also a lot of people took an interest to it.

Wow, and how do you come up these ideas…how did you obtain the knowledge for the manifestation books which I mean are HUGE now, The Secret for example sold millions of copies.

It’s like The Secret in a way but…I think my book is more of a methodology that can be applied to any technique.

What kind of technique?

Well, I would consider it a compliment to this book…it’s how you can apply it… mine is more you want to express your gratitude; here are some ways you can do this...

So, what’ll your next book be about?

I think the Linked-in book that’s getting finalized as we speak, is going to be very popular….it’s a comprehensive guide and gets more involved with all the different capacities of this network strategy.

Oh, I see. So what else can you tell me about yourself?

Well, if anyone has a book, film, song or idea they’d like to promote, they can reach me at http://www.ginigrahamscott.com/ or changemakers@pacbell.net or http://www.publishersandagents.net/ or info@changemakerspublishandwriting.com or http://www.e-bookpublishing.com/ or http://www.changemakersproductions.com/ some of these are my own sites and others I sold but I still do consulting with them.

I was going to just ask you about that! That's a lot for one person...well, thank you so much Gini for sharing all your pearls of wisdom…I want to be like you when I grow up and publish fifty books and be a guest on Oprah and Montel Williams and Bill O’Reily …even though he can be mean…

And you can….and you will! (laughing).

Hope so! Think I’ll need to read Want it, See it, Get it to learn tips from you first...

It’ll help you manifest anything you want and bring it to life!

That's so awesome….I’m so excited…thanks again.

You are VERY welcome Phil!

Mary Ann Johanson, TV and Film Critique

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MaryAnn Johanson is a New York City-based writer whose writings on film, TV, DVD, and pop culture appear in a variety of US alternative weekly newspapers including Salt Lake City Weekly and Charleston City Paper, and in the UK’s Blockbuster Preview. Online, she contributes to Film.com and FlickFilosopher.com. She is the author of The Totally Geeky Guide to The Princess Bride, and is an award-winning screenwriter. Today she spoke with me about her job, writing, blogging, what it’s like to meet so many celebrities among other things.


What made you decide to do this…how did it all begin?

I went to film school in the late 80s because I wanted to direct. However I soon realized it wasn’t for me and I dropped out of film school. But I was writing more and more. So, basically the bell went off and I thought if I’m making movies how will I be a writer? So that’s how I began writing. Then in 1997 when the web became big I began a web site and then it started to get really big…

It is really big! And I must say you are very insightful not just with your reviews but also with your predictions.

Oh, thank you…

I was shocked and impressed by your accurate predictions for the 2009 Oscars. I saw you on that show, Grit TV with Laura Flanders...you predicted Sandra Bullock for The Blind Side AND you also predicted Kathryn Bigelow as best director for Hurt Locker and they both won!

I certainly wasn’t alone in making those predictions and I don’t think anyone was hugely surprised by those wins…

No?

…the academy is very sentimental in a lot of ways and Sandra Bullock’s win totally fit into that sentimental side. They’re not going to have another chance to honor her so they took this chance to do it.

What do you mean she won’t have another chance?

Oh, I could be wrong…she’s reached some sort of pinnacle in her career with this role and there aren’t a lot of roles for older actresses and they tend to go to better actresses but all that said… I would be delighted to be wrong about that. I would love for there to be more opportunities for any actress to have more opportunity. So, what I’m saying is unless something really changes…she’s not going to have another opportunity.

I see what you mean now. And sadly, I think you’re right. The age thing for woman in Hollywood is a major concern and that really upsets me. Anyway, back to your web site…how did it get so big?

At the time (1990s) no one had been doing this. A lot of mainstream press was noticing because there weren’t that many people doing this so I was able to capitalize on that. Lots of people were going on-line for independent movie reviews and my site always came up. It’s interesting to see that not too many people that started around the same time are around today. I mean there are two sites that are still huge Ain’t it Cool News which is run by Harry Knowles from Texas makes millions…

Millions?

Yes. Part of my plan this summer is to try to figure out how to increase the traffic to my website...it’s good but I think it can be better.

I wish you luck. I think it’s great…and it’s lead you to several television appearances…can we talk about that?

Sure. I’m not really a TV person per se but if it brings more exposure then I’ll put up with it. I’ve done radio a lot more than I’ve done television.

Like what?

There’re almost always local…I recently did an appearance on a rural radio show in Canada.

With radio you really don’t have to travel…

Oh no, we did it on the phone. They emailed me in the morning and asked me if I wanted to discuss Conan’s move to another show.

So you don’t just review but you also do commentary…that’s interesting. How does one make money in this?

First from advertising on the website which is based primarily on traffic and sometimes ‘click thru's’ and then also selling reprint rights to Newspapers.

What newspapers?

Salt Lake City Weekly, Folio Weekly…that’s in Jacksonville Fl, Charleston City Paper, Monterrey County Weekly, California…

And what about the web ads?

I use a network…Value Click…they use banner ads and square ads…they’re the ones for major corporations; we’re all in that network…they’re selling ads across a network of websites, not just my websites.

I see. You’re giving me a lot of ideas for my own blog. I love that. Tell me about the celebrities you’ve interviewed?

Well, sometimes it’s been in a round table situation like everyone is discussing something and in walks Meryl Streep or Samuel Jackson or Kiera Knightly or Colin Farrell…um, James Franco, I could go on and on.

Have you published something on all of them?

The reason why you don’t always publish a round table discussion is because you’re not the only writer there and so it’s not unique. Other journalists are getting the same material. But…if it’s one on one then I always publish that. But that’s always rare. However, there was once a situation where I had written something unique that a director had spoke on and for some reason, no other journalist had picked up on it but me.

What do you mean?

It was during a press conference for the film District 9. The star of the film who’s a film maker also who had never acted before…his name is Sharlto Copley http://awfj.org/2009/08/12/awfj-women-on-film-sharlto-copley-on-district-9-maryann-johanson/ …well, somebody asked him, “What does your name mean?” He went into this big explanation on it and then there was also a big discussion on the geeky sci-fi production stuff. I posted all of it on website because I thought my readers would appreciate it and for some unexplainable reason no other journalist published that tid-bit about his name! And then the movie ended up being HUGE and I ended up getting all the credit for the bit about his name and the sci-fi bits and it eventually got linked in People magazine!

With all those journalists there, not one wrote about it…that’s very strange. I feel like if I was there I would try to write about everything that (celebrity) is saying. So, tell me what it was like meeting James Franco, what sort of guy is he?

I went and did a round table for a movie called the Dead Girl with Marcia Gayharden and James Franco among other people and she brought her nieces with her because they wanted to meet James Franco and we met her first. We all sit in multiple rooms and they move the talent around and the nieces were so excited to tell us all about their meeting him and then when we talked to him about it he was totally laid back about it and it was very sweet.

Who else have you personally interviewed one on one?

I got to interview Ron Livingston from Sex and the City http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/2007/11/ron_livingston_on_holly_and_mu.html and most recently Rodrigo Garcia http://awfj.org/2010/05/06/awfj-women-on-film-rodrigo-garcia-on-making-movies-about-women-maryann-johanson-interviews/ he directed Mother and Child…

Yes, I know. I read a lot of great reviews about this film. His father is Gabriel Garcia Marquez…I had to read many of his books in college. How did you get chosen to interview him? This little indie is getting lots of good press!

The publicists connect to me. He’s totally done to earth which is true about most of the people…I mean take someone like Merryll Streep who was just like completely goofy and it just wasn’t what I expected…that’s how he was. If you ask most people about their job this is how they are about it. He was just a pleasure to talk to…he was intelligent…there’s intent behind his films and he’s able to articulate that in an interesting way.

Wow, I would be intrigued to meet him, the son of the great writer…I would be totally spellbound. Oh, and I remember you mentioned meeting Colin Farrell…

He was quiet, thoughtful, and introspective; shy even, totally not what I expected. He has this reputation of being a ‘lad’ as the Brits and Irish say like this bad-boy ‘ladies man’ but this totally didn’t come across when I met him…did not jibe with the shy thoughtful artist he came across as.

Wow, that is surprising! You consider him an artist…what movies of his would be considered artistic?

This round table was for the movie, In Bruges.

Wow, I am really surprised I never heard of this film until now!

The title is a city in Brussels. Brendan Gleeson played the other lead…it was like if Laurel and Hardy were hit-men and they were stuck in this quaint little city. It’s a hilarious movie and he’s such a moron in this movie and he’s not in real life…I really highlight what an excellent actor he is…which I always thought. I also thought he was great in Pride and Glory…he plays an NYC cop in that with a perfect American accent. In Miami Vice he was good also…and um, Cassandra’s Dream which he did with Ewan McGregor. They play brothers in London and one is confident/secure and the other is a mess and they play the opposite of what you’d expect and although it’s not a very good movie…they play very well together.

Oh, and I really love Amanda Segfried, what was she like?

That was a while ago….she was doing the film, Chloe but she’s been in all these movies since then so I think it’s worthwhile to go back and transcribe it all. I mean she was so fresh and spontaneous which is not like what a lot of much more experienced actors are like…

What do you mean?

They have their patter…

Patter?

You know like routine…they get the same questions all of the time.

Did you know about her before meeting her?

I had watched many of her films and I think she has a lot of screen presence...

What other female actresses?

Julianne Moore http://awfj.org/2010/04/03/awfj-women-on-film-julianne-moore-on-atom-egoyan-amanda-seyfried-and-choosing-chloe-maryann-johanson-interviews/ …she is so elegant…that’s the one word that comes to mind. I know I’ve saying a lot about this…I guess we only get the smart ones (laughing).

And you did get a one on one interview with Paul Schneider http://awfj.org/2009/09/17/3832/ ?

He’s on Parks and Recreation. I was interviewing him for an upcoming movie of John Keats...it came out last autumn, Bright Star. I hadn’t seen the show at the time. That interview went well and when an interview like that works whether one on one or round table you make someone laugh or you make them say, “wow I’ve never thought of that before” means you haven’t asked the same questions they get asked by all these other journalists.

Does this happen often?

It can. I made Sam Rockwell laugh once before at an interview session…I likened him to one character he played to another and he hadn’t thought of that before. And Paul and I just talked a lot about his acting and afterwards he joked with me and said, “I don’t think I need to see my therapist today.” I thought he was going to get nominated for that role…then my interviewing would have really taken off!

I think it already has…your content is great.

Another one and one I got to do was with Kirk Jones http://awfj.org/2009/11/29/4128/ he directed a movie last year with Robert Dinero and Drew Barrymore called Everybody’s fine.

Oh, I wanted to see that…thanks for reminding me.

He was great, he was so enthusiast about the move and so was I and this doesn’t always happen. It’s sort of like an on-the-road movie…so we talked about English film making verse American film making and how American landscapes inspire different kinds of films.

So what was the movie about? It seems like it’s like a self odyssey film from the way you describe it.

It’s a movie about family and how family members sometimes lie to keep the peace…

Can you give me an example?

Let’s just say there are four children that live in different places and everyone knows something is going on about the brother and they keep giving him (the father, Robert Deniro) excuses.

I think you did say you met him too!

Yes, never interviewed him though. Robert Deniro is very smart…he’s been in everything and he’s everywhere and it’s always difficult to get him to say even a monosyllable. He just doesn’t like to talk about himself.

Tell me something about your job that is surprising.

My job is not as glamorous as it sounds. First of all you cannot act like a fan. I’ve seen many journalists take pictures and ask for autographs. It is a job…yeah it’s awesome…I wouldn’t do it if I didn’t love it…you go and see the movie, then spend hours writing about it...

Can a review or something else you create about a movie be sold more than once?

Absolutely, I do that all the time…I’m selling (it) to several local newspapers. I mean I couldn’t sell it to Time Magazine and Newsweek but I could sell to two or more newspapers in different states because then there’s no competition.

I see…

I have written exclusive stuff once in awhile… for example I reviewed The Indian Jones Box Set for Archaeology Magazine and that was exclusive; they paid a lot more than $75.

And they commissioned you for that?

They did yeah.

Wow, that’s very cool. I recently read one of your reviews about Just Wright and it seemed like you were in love with this movie (laughing)?

Really? Did you read it?

Yes, I’m just joking. You couldn’t stand this movie. Was it really that bad?

I went to see it in this tiny little screening room...they are all over the city…you wouldn’t even know it. So it was me and a bunch of other journalists watching Queen Latifia in the middle of the afternoon…

And there’s nothing good you can say about it?

No. Queen Latifia is amazing…she’s fantastic, she just deserves better movies…one good thing is she didn’t have to loss forty pounds to get the guy…that’s a good thing. Too bad the guy is such a drip and the movie was so predictable.

What’s the most rewarding part?

Every once in a while I’ll get a letter from a movie director who will say something nice to me and that’s always nice. But the thing I find most rewarding is the site. A lot of sites suffer from span or junk comments but I’ve tried to foster a community that is intelligent and has something to say to each other even if we don’t always agree.

I have to say…you do get a lot of comments to your site…which isn’t common for any site….

I’ve managed to maintain that even as the site traffic has grown. So I also have this big master file, there’s one link on the front pages which has every review since I began…and the blogging software lets you tag your posts and that creates a kind of index which is very useful.

Let’s talk about your book!

Okay…it is a long deconstruction of the movie A Princess Bride...um…it’s a social cult favorite movie so I wanted to find out what was so appealing about it…how it falls into classical fairy tale structure and how it turns it upside down and plays with it.

So it is a fairytale then, she falls in love?

Yeah, but prince charming is a pirate and there’s an evil prince, a giant, a magician, it’s got everything…true love. It’s one of the first movies that weren’t very big in the theaters but when it got released on VHS and something happened…it became an instant cult.

Who did you interview for it?

I did interview some cast members and a couple of other film critics and one guy who is an expert in fairy tales but mostly it was my opinion…I just made it an e-book.

Is that cheaper?

Yes, the actual book to buy is about ten bucks and the e-book would be about two….but I think it could be easier to sell more that way…

For sure, I understand that…you could sell a few thousand copies if the price is right. I want to buy a copy now.

Let me know what you think.

Well Maryann, I’m glad I could let my readers know about your site so next time they decide whether or not to go and see a film or wait for the DVD they’ll check out your site first. Oh and I have two more questions…

Ask away.

Can I go with you to a round table sometime?

Sorry, it’s only for journalists…otherwise, yes.

Okay and what film have you been commissioned to see tonight?

McGruber…the release of this movie starts tomorrow and they’re only just premiering it tonight… which is never a good thing.

Enjoy!

Learn more about the ever insightful MaryAnn Johanson! She was a nominee: BEST ONLINE CRITIC, 2010 National Entertainment Journalism Award (Los Angeles Press Club) and check out her sites FlickFilosopher.com: http://www.flickfilosopher.com/ and MaryAnnJohanson.com: http://www.maryannjohanson.com/.
She is a member of the International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences: http://www.iadas.net/
 Alliance of Women Film Journalists: http://www.awfj.org/ and a member, Online Film Critics Society: http://www.ofcs.org/ and here’s two more interviews you might want to read: Neill Blomkamp (DISTRICT 9 director):
http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/2009/08/082609more_from_neill_blomkamp_on_di.html

Shohreh Aghdashloo: http://www.flickfilosopher.com/blog/2009/06/i_interview_shohreh_aghdashloo.html

Christian Lander: The Best Selling Author of "Stuff White People Like"

Christian Lander began a little blog on WordPress back in 2008 called “Stuff White People Like" It became an instant over night sensation. In less then a year he has been commissioned by Random House to write a book version and since then his book has sold millions around the world. He took a break from giving book talks and dreaming big to discuss his secrets of success. It was an honor and a privilege to meet such a humble writer like himself who has become one of the most famous writer/bloggers in the world!

When did you first begin these entries on WordPress?I began January 18, 2008…I remember it quite vividly, at the time I thought it would be a stupid blog that would just make my friends laugh but looking back, I see it as an important day.

How long did it take after that for agents to contact you?
I started getting approached by several agents in the first three weeks…

That was fast!
…and it took about three months after that before I chose my first agent.

What made you chose him/her?I asked a lot of people. All the agents were reputable but I really liked this agent that I chose.

What’s your advice to writers who want to become published?My advice is not to try…

That’s right…I did read that somewhere actually.…that’s the snarky way to say it…but realistically my main goal was for my three friends. It’s its own reward because I love what I do...there’s an honesty to it that I think people really see.

Are you open about discussing the advance you got for your book or is it a secret?It’s not something I discuss and I continue to follow that rule… Random House has been very good to me.

Has it been translated into other languages?
It’s doing really well in Australia... it’s also been translated into Dutch and Japanese.

I’m so glad it’s getting world-wide recognition. Oh, I also read somewhere that people initially thought you were black?Yes (laughing) and they were disappointed that I wasn’t. Many people thought I was an Ivy-League black guy…people would have thought it was more controversial and it would have been more instigated. It was fun for a while in the beginning. Some people also thought I was Asian.

How many hits did your site get before an agent approached you?It hit the one million mark.

Oh, I didn’t know that! I’m kind of jealous of you. There. I’m admitting it. Do you think that made a difference in getting so many agents?
It makes it easier for them to market…it has proven itself and it’s not as much of a risk.

Are you still adding new material?

It’s slowing down because I’m definitely feeling a bit burned out on it. The book itself has eighty or so entries something like that and on the web another forty…there was a lot of new material for the book that has been kept exclusive to the book.

Do you recall what your very first entry was about?“Coffee” was the first one I wrote and then so many followed after that…when I get a good idea I just need to get it out and I need to write it as fast and as furiously as possible.

Do you have a favorite?
“Knowing What’s Best for Poor People” is my favorite…

Why?
It was the one where I was most viciously attacking how pretentious I am…

In what sense?
When you read it you’ll get what I’m getting at.

I have to reread that one now. What were you working at, at the time you first embarked on this life changing journey?I was a copywriter at an ad agency…

Dreaming of becoming a writer I assume?Yeah, since I realized I wasn’t going to be a rock star or a major league baseball player…I was a failed writer, a journalist and academic…I dropped out of a PH.D program…

That’s so encouraging…you were struggling a bit and then BOOM, this great book gets written…I read this book in an hour by the way, I couldn’t put it down!
There’s a lot of ways to get it as a writer…I got ridiculously lucky…but it’s not like I hadn’t been trying to be a writer my whole life…my job was in writing and I had done some journalism…but this is better though.

Where have you given book talks?Google, Brown University… I’ve done three book tours since it came out so it’s a long list…

I also read somewhere that you don’t own a car, is that some political message?I prefer bicycles…I’ve never had a car in my life.

Is there another book in the works?
No, I’m moving into TV writing next….

Really? What kind of genre?
I’m hoping to write for a comedy TV show next.

That makes sense. Your writing is hysterical.

Thanks.

What was the reaction from your friends? Were they surprised by the instant fame you received?I think people were surprised about how big it was…people who know me weren’t surprised about what it was…they know this is the kind of stuff that I write.

Have you ever gotten any hate mail?
Yeah, people have accused (it) as being racist. It’s misinterpreting…some people really mean well and some people are idiots…there’s no getting around that at all.

I also read that there have been many knock-offs of your original idea…I think that is just wrong!
Yeah, there’s so much… “Stuff Unemployed People Like,” Stuff Midwesterners Like,” “Stuff Gay People Like…”

That must have been upsetting for you after you thought of it and now so many people are using it and making a lot money from it!
No, not at all. Almost all of them have linked back to me. I think they do really good work. I think it’s cool people are doing it….I don’t have any problem whatsoever with it…they’re writing about stereotypes in a non-hateful and funny way….some of them aren’t that funny but they’re trying. The only thing I dislike is when it’s negative, that’s something I wish I could get rid of but you can’t really stop the Internet. But the idea of people taking the idea and going with it is a positive thing…the world is not about bottling up ideas…it’s an art, I think it’s fantastic… they’re just building off my idea, it’s not taking away from my site…

That’s very liberal you. Have you ever been influenced to write a certain entry by a fan?Someone added one earlier on about hardwood floors and I really liked that and wrote about it but most of these ideas I already had…

Is there a certain length you use in your entries?
No. I just wrote as I saw fit….just where the humor flows and how it fits…..

What are your current projects?
I just got back from the Sydney Writers Festival in Australia and the Bumper Shoot Festival in Seattle and they’ll be some college readings coming up in September.

Do you have many “writer friends?”I still have “writer friends” but now I have “successful writer friends” (laughing)....

Now that you’re a celebrity, do you have to wear sunglasses to get ice cream and that sort of thing?
Well, not exactly…but I have been recognized…three times in Australia, twice in the US and once in Toronto…and once in LA but I was mistaken for an actor on “Entourage” before I had the beard.

Now that you can do whatever you want…what are some things you’ve gotten the opportunity to do because of this highly acclaimed book?I got to be on the Conan O’ Brian show and that was a life long dream of mine that I thought would never happen…

What are some qualities you like about him?
He’s been a hero of mine since I was in high school…he’s very funny and sharp and I thought it was just a dream come true that I just wasn’t expecting…

Is there a writer who you are greatly influenced by?
David Sedaris…probably the funniest writer I ever read and everyone who works for the Onion…oh, he just writes these really funny essays.

I will check him out. Oh, I love the Onion! What about music...that a "White" question?Indie rock… Reggaeton,,,um…let’s see, it’s always dated…Apollo Ghosts, Dirty Projectors, Saint Vincent…

I don’t know any of them…they don’t seem dated.Yeah, that’s how I win.

You’ve written about this in your book too, “Music White People Like,” which is…It’s the “white ipod;” the Arcade Fire, the Pixies, The Beatles, A Tribe Called Quest…

And then there’s the other one, “Black Music White People Like?”That would be Blues, Old School Hip Hop, that sort of stuff....

So, if a fan or just a friend said, “Hey Christian, I’m writing (fill in the blank) and I want to be a success!” your advice to them would be?
The happiest you’ll be is if you consider (it) your own reward and you’ll be surprised about what will come of it…

What about life in general…what makes you happy in life?
Um…I don’t know, no idea…

But Christian! I thought you knew everything! (laughing)
I DO know everything! It’s all subjective. Find something you really like to do…it’s all very Eckart Tolle…I’m hoping when I do something it’ll work…BUT if it stops just like that I’m okay with it…I’ll be totally fine….everything I’ve dreamed of is happening for me. I’ve been on Conan O’Brien and I have this best selling book….I dream big but I don’t believe anything is owed to me, that is an important way to look at things.

Is there a country where your book has been more successful then others?Australia was insane…I got recognized a lot…and the book readings were packed and…many people over there just really embraced it.

Well, Christian, I am so grateful for your time and words of wisdom…your book is very funny but also very well written, it has changed many lives, it has influenced others to write their own versions, and it’s got people talking which is always a positive thing. I wish your book continued success and I hope you write another book one day. Thank you.
You’re welcome.

Talking with Thomas C. Dunn: Writer and Director of The Perfect Witness starring Wes Bentley

Thomas C. Dunn is the director of the captivating movie A Perfect Witness (in Europe, it's titled The Ungodly) starring Wes Bentley (American Beauty). I was thrilled to speak with him about this amazing directorial debut film, his work as a screenwriter and his collaboration with Hollywood greats such as Beth Grant (Little Miss Sunshine) and Kenny Johnson (The Sheild). He also spoke to me about his sucess as a playwright and his ongoing collaboration with writer Mark Borkowski (Cost of a Soul). The two co-wrote the screenplay and continue to write even though Thomas resides in LA and Mark in NYC. I cannot wait to see what they will produce next. A Perfect Witness was one of the best psychology thrillers I have seen to date and I was quite amazed at how the two completed the film in such short time for the film festivals.

When did you decide you wanted to be a writer/director?
I’ve been writing since I was really young, mostly short stories--hopefully not my best work, then I started writing poems in high school…short plays, full length plays…now I’ll go back and forth from plays to screenplays. As far as directing, my friend Mark Borkowski showed me this play he was writing and he was stuck on the idea and I told him, “The reason you can’t move forward is because it’s not a play, it’s a screenplay.” We began to collaborate and finished it together…we just kept working back and forth until it made sense to both of us and we had in mind that he would play the lead role of the serial killer and I would direct. It was his first major role in a feature film and my first time as a director. That became ‘The Perfect Witness.’ For the international release, it’s called ‘The Ungodly.’
Wow!
We wouldn’t do the film any other way even when it was suggested…It’s sort of the norm, just from a financial point of view, if people see that Mark didn’t have a big name as an actor or I haven’t directed several other films, there’s always a risk. We had offers to move in a ‘bigger’ actor, a more experienced director…but for Mark’s role as the serial killer, we wanted someone you couldn’t recognize from ten other films. I thought it was perfect for him because you simply don’t know what to expect…Mark’s unpredictable as an artist and a person so he just really fits the role.

You filmed in Philly…that was his choice, right?
Well, we wrote mostly in LA and NY. The film was supposed to take place in Philly but it was cheaper to do it in LA…After we scouted Philly though, I said, “Let’s just find a way to do it in here…It’s got the sort of edgy, inner-city grit and realism we want.” And we found a way to make it happen.

Mark said it only took twenty four days to shoot...
He exaggerated. It took twenty-two or twenty-one, depending how you count—on one of our days, the camera had a problem and we only shot two hours. But I had a brilliant cinematographer, Paco Femenia. He kept the crew going, the actors were locked in, everything was storyboarded and we always made sure we made our days. Sometimes you’re forced to take short cuts, but there were a few scenes, like the elevator scene…when I was told by my first AD we weren’t going to have time to do it, and I just found a way to make sure we still got it in…you know that scene where the nurse is standing in the middle of Wes and Mark and she can sense this crazy energy between the two of them?

Yeah, and I’m so glad you made that decision to keep it, it was quite well done. The bloody scenes were also intense, what was that like behind the camera?
We had a special effects person, Steve Tolin, to help design all of that but in the end it’s interesting…if you look at the scene where the waitress was terrorized…someone once said to me that was a hard scene to watch because it was so bloody but we purposely didn’t show any blood in that scene! The audience pictures a lot more of what’s going on then you actually see. It’s the emotional toll on the victim that was important to us, not showing blood.

Aside from Wes Bentley, were there any other mainstream actors in The Perfect Witness?
Yes, Beth Grant, who plays Mark’s Mom, has been in everything. She’s just an amazing actress. She’s been in Little Miss Sunshine, No Country for Old Men, Rain Man, The Rookie, Matchstick Men…she’s had a career that’s spanned decades. There’s also a small scene where a cop stops Wes and Mark from fighting…

Yeah, I remember him and he actually trusts Mark’s story that Wes’ character is freaking out because he’s not on his meds…
…he’s one of my best friends, Kenny Johnson. He was on The Shield for years and he’s now on Saving Grace with Holly Hunter. And then Joanne Baron, who plays the sister, has done a ton of work and was really a pleasure to work with, so these actors may not all be household names but they’re really experienced, professional and enthusiastic. Even the waitress, Marina Gatell…she’s a well-established Spanish actress, just not as well known over here.

It did really well in Europe, right?
Yeah. You know, our original title for The Perfect Witness was The Ungodly, but it had to be changed in the US. We were told any title that can be viewed as potentially negative toward God, distributors won’t pick up, because there’s this nebulous fear of some religious backlash. It’s absurd. We’re catering film titles to the US bible belt which probably wouldn’t watch it anyway. But in Europe and everywhere else, it’s being released as it should be, as The Ungodly. The UK release, for example, is in September, 09.

Were there many challenges to making an independent film?
Yes, time, money, resources. But the lack of some of these also forces you to be even more creative and that can actually improve the end result. So there’s no excuses. I made the film I wanted to make. It can be a double standard when it’s finished though because we all complain about Hollywood releasing big budget films with tons of effects and very little story then when certain films are made independently, we complain because they don’t have those same effects. So I think it’s important that we balance going to see blockbusters with also seeing independent films. Even supporting local musicians at shows and buying their CD’s there, it really make a big difference to truly independent artists and helps shape the landscape of what films and music are made in the future.

How did you guys get the money to do the film?
A lot of the money came from Spanish funds and some of it was private equity, just individual investors.

How did you get the money from Spain?
A Spanish company had read one of my other scripts and approached me about funding it. Mark and I had just completed writing The Perfect Witness though and when I told the Spanish company about this other screenplay, they asked to read it too. They called afterwards and said, ‘we love it. Let’s do this first…’ We were really the first US/Spanish co-production and we needed to hire some Spanish actors and crew. It was a great asset to the film though because we got access to European talent that we might not have had. I went to Spain for some casting, parts of post-production…I also worked with the composer in a little village on a mountain outside of Barcelona. As a result, I think the film has a European feel blended with Americana and I really like that about it.

And you wrote a lot of plays?
A play I wrote, The Thread Men, was just published by Samuel French as one of the best short plays of 2008…

What’s The Thread Men about?
These two people get locked in an elevator together: one is a psychiatrist and the other one acts increasingly crazy. The elevator just becomes this pressure cooker. And the audience starts to realize that these two characters share some secrets from their past…It becomes increasingly tense and dangerous as the psychological chess match between the two of them plays out.

Hmmm, I like the sound of that…sounds like you were an English major?
Yes…I was around film all the time but didn’t take film courses. I graduated as an English major from UCLA.

Do you feel this (English) degree helps you?
Not particularly. I mean, it exposed me to new writers and novels and gave me an opportunity to write. At the same time, I think I was already on this path of discovery and was learning before university and am still learning long after…

When did you meet Mark (co-writer and actor of The Perfect Witness) anyway?
I met Mark when I was in college. We would be working on stuff together back then and it would get to 3 in the morning. I’d say, ‘I have to leave to finish a paper that’s due in the morning.’ And he would say, “what, a new play?” I would say, ‘Mark, a paper. I’m in college, remember?’ He always forgot I was still a student (laughing). We would be collaborating on this intense play and then I would go home and have to write a Chaucer paper.

Wow, LA seems so cool.
Mark and I have a crazy story of how we really first got together…we did a play, Everyman. It’s a 15th century play written in verse. It alternates between two character dialogues and monologues. Mark was playing the character ‘Knowledge’ and I had this small, five line part. The lead guy suddenly quit though and the director…he was crazy…said, “Anyone else want to do the lead?” And I said, “I will.” It was that simple. The director would just leave the theater and everything was up to the actors to do themselves.

Sounds awful…
The play opens with the main character, ‘Everyman,’ dying and having to make an accounting of how he lived his life to God. Even though it’s this Christian-morality play, Mark convinced me to mime overdosing from heroin in the opening scene. Mark was modernizing it. The director just shrugged. So one night, during a rehearsal, the theater fills up with 50 women from some Jewish women’s group that had pre-paid to see a different show. The director rushes backstage in a panic and tells us we have to put our play up, even though it’s a Christian play. Half the cast had already gone home for the night but Mark just wrote their names on my hand and told me to go on and do it. I had to improvise almost the whole thing, looking down at my hand and skipping around actors who weren’t there, ad-libbing in verse…I’m on stage, sweating and anxious as hell, doing my best, and I can hear Mark laughing hysterically behind the curtains…and that was our first time working together.

You’re writing screenplays now?
I just finished a new script I will work to direct, called The Assassin Club…and currently, I’m working on a screenplay that will be filmed by a Greek director, Vangelis Liberopoulos…I just got back from a month in Athens doing research and now I’m writing it…It deals with the Greek riots that lasted about a month last December after a 15 year-old boy was shot by a policeman.

Anything that stood out to you when you were there in Athens?
When you get behind some of the things that happened, it’s really amazing. Take for example, the cops who worked 20-22 hours a day during the riots. Many of them had second and third jobs because they only make about $15,000 US a year. Because of the hours they worked during the riots, they had to quit these extra jobs so they’re really struggling for money. The government steps in though and gives them a bonus of 500 euros for all their hard work. Three months after the riots end though, the government says, ‘yeah, you know that bonus? It was more like a loan that we’re now deducting back out of your pay checks.’

That’s not right!
I spent the whole month in Athens hearing some really interesting things. As a writer, it’s important to be a good listener. If you mean what you say and do what say, you gain people’s trust and they can really open up to you. I think if you stop any one person in the street and sit down and hear about their life, they will become fascinating…

What are the European films festivals like?

They’re all so different. For example, in Brussels, there were 500 people screaming at me in a French to sing when I got on stage to introduce my film. It’s their fun sort of way of heckling the director. I just started ad-libbing the Willy Wonka ‘Oompa Lompa song’ with my own lyrics. It ended with something like ‘Oompa Loompa doompity da, here-is-my-film-enjoy-Voila!’ They just went nuts!

Are there any celebrities you’d like to meet…I always ask this cheesy question.
I don’t have a strong desire to meet this or that specific person. I’ve met a lot of celebrities and I mean, I absolutely appreciate their talent but I don’t really know them as people…Maybe there’s ones I’d like to work with but not just to meet…When I see independent artists creating music, writing scripts, etc., not really knowing if anyone will ever hear or see the end result of their efforts, that’s actually inspiring to me. I can appreciate them just as much for their hard work, belief and talent…

What was Wes Bentley like? I want to meet him!
He’s a great guy. He worked extremely hard on this film. Usually actors get some breaks, to relax in their trailers every now and then but we really worked him non-stop. He did a great job…he was in every scene!

How did you support yourself when you were still just an up and coming writer/director?
I did all kinds of jobs but just continued to write as I worked. Anything, everything. I mean I was a stockbroker in New York for two years a long time ago...

What a contrast!
Yeah, and I convinced them that I couldn’t work on Fridays so I would work four days, wrote three. I saved money and after two years, took off and traveled for 10 months through Asia, just writing, learning, jumping trains, crossing borders…I think experiencing other cultures is a huge asset for a creative person.

How do your parents feel about you having such a creative lifestyle?
They’ve never said throughout my entire life, ‘do this or do that’. They’re always there for me, unconditionally. They’ve allowed me to make my own choices and supported those I made. Sometimes parents try to steer their children at the expense of ruining their relationship with them. Just love your kids, support them and let them follow their passion…

That’s very true, if everyone did what made them happy, people could get a lot more done. Thank you so much for meeting with me to discuss your work. It’s fascinating, I love it.
Thank you and you’re welcome.

Chillin with Chris Campion: Writer, Playwright, and Singer of Band

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WjkHZWQIfeo

WNEW: What's remarkable about this book is that it reads almost like a screenplay, with the author's monologue and the characters' dialogue so vividly intertwined it feels more like you're watching it happen around you, not reading it on the page. Campion has no doubt told and re-told these stories from many a barstool, perfecting the sequence of events but retaining that off-the-cuff delivery that makes them feel so real. Nowhere is this more genuine and hilarious than during the early scenes in the book that deal with his childhood in Huntington. From stories of sneaking out to watch his brothers play rock band in the garage, to the very humbling tale of moving home after dropping out of college, Chris's remembrances reveal the loving family that plays witness to his undoing. Phillster: Speaking with Chris Campion was a real roller coater ride. He is the author of the recent book, Escape from Bellevue and the lead member of the popular indie rock band, Knock Out Drops. We spoke about his humble beginnings, some of his adventures and his influences both musically and literary.
Tell me a bit about your temporary leave from your band.
We were an indie rock band putting out records for years and my life spiraled down a rabbit hole which is the major part of the book so coming back from that…you know I was a drug addict and an alcoholic, the title is when I was in Bellevue from 1998-2000 and our band had a bad history in the music business (during that time)…in the chapter, “Always a Bridesmaid” I illustrate this how we were always on the precipice of something big…we were always the opening for bands like the Violent Femms and Soul Asylum…but couldn’t go beyond that for whatever reason.

How did you go about getting reacquainted with them?
In 2000, I got sober and the band had been derailed by all of this so we got back together and put back together an album in 2003-2004. Around that time I was always in the habit of telling stories during the shows to make it part of the wider experience. We had this record that we were going to do when I came back from one of our tours and I had this idea to do like a rock-in-roll theater show…

That’s taking music in a different direction…
…and we ended up slapping it up, doing it in a hundred seat theater and it just took off beyond our expectations and we ended up extending it to three shows and along the way this thing happened on the radio, we picked up an agent, I wrote a book proposal, and the story (Escape from Bellevue) got picked up by Penguin.

That’s great publicity for your band…
Yeah, we graduated to a 300 seat theater, the Village Theater, when that show wrapped I wrote the book I was commissioned to do and the book came out March 19, 2009.

How inspiring, it’s all so adventurous.
Now it’s about doing performances around the passages; sometimes with the band, other times by myself…next Sunday I’ll be in Long Beach (the Cabana) and next Thursday we’ll be promoting in Riverdale doing a reading, then there’s a Boston Show at the Paradise Rock Club (one of the most famous venues up there, like Irving Plaza), after that at the Steven Talk House in the East Hampton area, I’ve been doing a ton of interviews with The New York Times, Newsday…

You’re keeping busy. Does your band get more groupies the bigger you guys get?

(laughing) The term is just like…it paints an image of giggling young women and I wouldn’t say the people that followed us around were groupies but you know with any band…our followers were primarily outside of New York and then when we moved here we built it up…we played with bigger bands, so the groupies were usually theirs (laughing). We have a lot of fans; you know I don’t know about too many groupies.

You escaped from Bellevue, right? So tell me about that…
Well, it is the climax of the story so I can’t tell you too much about that…there’s a lot of humor in the book, which is the Irish way…

Oh, you’re Irish?
Well, I’m Irish American…I don’t consider myself like Steve McQueen, I’m more like Benny Hill, you’re going to have to read the book to get that answer.

So if I’m not mistaken you got an advance to write this?
Oh, yea, it was really cool, we did that huge show that I mentioned and I wasn’t sure how we were going to do and then you know, the book…the idea of doing that was presented to me and then after I did the deal, there’s a kind of euphoria…at first you’re kind of jumping and then there’s this kind of terror…and then you start freaking.

That must have been serious pressure, you got paid well for a book you hadn’t even written yet…how did you manage it?
You know I had this 17 chapter outline. And I had this really great editor; it was great to have a good editor who can kind of say, “Okay, cut the fat off this…” I think it’s good to always stay within your outline. It definitely was kind of a terrifying thing, there’s this fear that nothing’s going to come out.

I bet…
I was playing gigs in New York at the time…I actually had to go away and get some work done. I decided to stay at my friend’s house in New Hampshire. It was winter time, very desolate, no internet and I just buckled down and then I came out to the city and I kicked out about 6 or 7 chapters…

That’s a huge accomplishment.
It’s obviously an amazing day when you get a book deal, just like it would be to get a record deal or art deal…with a book, it’s good to get someone to pay you and trust you but it’s also one of those ‘be careful what you wish for scenarios.’

Is your book completely autobiographical?

Yeah, although there is a note to the reader that because I was incredibly high at times…it’s not a social studies book, don’t hold me to any timeline, you know?

(Laughing) That was nice of you to give them a heads up…who are your literary influences?
My influences would be…Hunter Thompson would be one…Frederick Exley.

I’m not familiar with him.
He wrote A Fan’s Notes, a sort of memoir with a wink that he wrote in the 1960s and dialing it back…John Irving, John Steinbeck…

Those are great writers…
Obviously, I’m sort of doing monologues for people in the book, that’s the narrative tone and that was my objective and that’s what I feel like I’ve accomplished.

Are there any movie offers yet?
Well, that’s going on right now…we had an offer to convert it into an HBO series. The book only came out two months ago. In the fall, we might do a college theater show to promote the book. It comes out in paperback next year. It’s doing well in the Tri-State area where I’m from and we’ll be doing the West Coast swing soon.

Can you compare it to promoting albums?
It’s definitely different than promoting my music especially because I am a first time author.

I just love how you’re affiliated with my favorite radio station in the world, 90.7. I love how your already successful band got a big reception on that show.
I love all of what they play on that station. You know you can hear Modest Mouse or The Replacements…I just love that they don’t have to adhere to…I hate commercial cock rock. My taste is coming from an indie background…I feel like it’s the best radio station in town…

I do too….
….and discovering people and playing new stuff…it reminds me of when I was a kid growing up in Long Island…we had WLIR, and at the time they would play XPC and early U2, they played them two years before Bloody Sunday…they played them in 1980, it was an alternative to classic rock, you know elsewhere they played “Born to Be Wild” forty times a day. I mean I did grew up with this…you know Stones, Beatles but 90.7 keeps it current and they also do county, like The Jay Hawks and Steve Earl and to get on there for me at the time…I mean I didn’t even that Julian Welby was there…at my show!

It seems like she really played a big part.
She came down with her husband and they both loved it and then they asked us to come in and it was that fast. We got played during prime time, it was all lickedly-split…people were getting ready in the apartments to go to work and that’s when my soon-to-be agent heard it …

You were on this positive flow.

I did not plan for it and say, “You know if this succeeds, I’ll write a book…” it just ended up being…ever since we started doing that show in 2005, everything’s been new, everything is a dream, you know life gets more and more interesting it seems.

Do you feel curtailing your wild lifestyle had anything to do with it?
I don’t think anything could have been possible without it (sobriety), you know the “getting it” part is all in the book…circumstantially I would never have been able to write a book. But there are a lot of drunk-great writers like the two I mentioned earlier but I don’t think I have that kind of discipline. You know I was always able to write songs and play but I’m an alcoholic so eventually I couldn’t function. When I drink or drug that’s it for me.

What is the odyssey that is part of the book’s title?
You know the realization that I had this story of the band, it is kind of an odyssey in a sense, starting with me as a kid….the singer of Deep Purple lived next door to me so I always had my sights set on becoming a rock star but then there’s always been a quest for faith at the same time. I had a falling out with it (faith) when I was eighteen years old in college. But at the same time I never stopped trying to foster a relationship with god and I really missed the companionship of it and so you know that’s a big part of it too. As I descend further and further into alcoholism, it’s all very colorful, having all these crazy adventures. I’m really just trying to grapple with faith so the story is really how I try to get that…so there were many of these sort of moments…I would say quite a few along the way that were turning points; things like interventions. There was a time that I was ostracized by my family and I’m in a big Irish family…all my extended family was there.

What were some negative pressures holding you back?

I got to a point where I bought into the mythology of writers, look at those I’ve mentioned and then there was also people like Dean Martin or Jim Morrison and I bought into that stuff and didn’t want to get sober. I just thought it was…I was pigheaded about recovery at first…I was very much against that…I think for me when I was in rehab and this was like my second rehab…this guy who was a former drug lord…and we were in this detox together and as we’re both unpacking our gear I asked him where he was from. He took off his shirt and showed me gun shot wounds and said, “That’s where I’m from mother ******” and then he looked at me and I showed him my thirteen stitches from when I fell off my bike…

That’s hysterical.
…and he ended up being one of my best friends in there and I realized that this guy who came from a completely different background…at that moment all the armor came off. I would cite that as probably one of the biggest moments of my life and that was something that put me on a bright and shiny path, not to sound too corny.

You don’t…I wish you and your band and of course, your book continued success. I love the concept of your book and happy to see your positive choices in life have taken you to incredible places…it really affirms the importance of living life to its fullest.
Thank you.