Year: 2011

I love this time of year. There’s a sharp thrill in the air. The holidays are here and people are full of anticipation and excitement. Everyone’s putting their lists together. Not Christmas lists; I mean their 10 Best Lists. Yes, this is the time of year when people help us figure out which were the best […]

Here’s a paragraph I came across today. The words are David Lynch’s. They had a lot of resonance for me so I thought I’d share them. “Negativity is the enemy to creativity. So, if you want more ideas flowing then find happiness in the doing–happiness in the doing. I love, literally LOVE building a thing that ultimately […]

I feel a little guilty. I’m not writing about anything that has to do with film–especially not about anything regarding progress on one of my own. There is progress but it would only be of interest to those who get excited by watching snails race up a long, dry sidewalk. I can say this though. I did […]

Flew to Munich for a Retrospective of my films at the end of June. As we left this tragic Tale of our Time was entrancing America:   I was not sorry to leave that world behind for a few days. The festival put us up at the Bayerischer Hof, an elegant old-world hotel that Keith Richards […]

The Black & Blue Orkestre has been at it again. We just did a cover of the Trogg’s “With A Girl Like You.” It’s the usual suspects;  Grog on bass and additional vocals; Will Crewdson on rhythm and lead guitar and DiCillo on vocals, arrangement and rhythm guitar. The idea was to kind of dust it […]

A few weeks ago a documentary called Freedom Riders aired on PBS. It’s a strong piece about a milestone event in the American civil rights struggle and I recommend it highly. I was struck by a song in it called, “I’m On My Way”, by Barbara Dane. Her voice is amazing; very rich and strong, and […]

The Munich Film Festival’s retrospective of my films is moving forward. I’m heading over at the end of June. They’re going to show all 7 films which is pretty amazing to me. Not that they’re going to show them, but that I actually made them. They’re starting with Johnny Suede which has never screened in […]

Alright Wayne, you axed for it. Well, actually you didn’t but here you go anyway. The financier of The Real Blonde told me at the beginning of production he felt it was time for me to make a “bigger film,” one that would play in Middle America. His first demand was that I not cast […]

  Well, the actual Grammy arrived yesterday. I’m glad it did. It has a great weight to it. And I like the shape; it’s like a big, shiny, metal flower. I’d been waiting for it as a motivation to put up a fresh post. I hear you, Elaine–I have been remiss. I do miss the exchanges […]

Well, blow me down. When You’re Strange just won the Grammy. I’m celebrating right now. I urge everyone else to do the same. Alright, I’m back from celebrating and doing what I should have done 3 hours ago; acknowledging the people who worked so intensely with me on this film. And I mean worked. The other […]

A few weeks ago Wayne, a frequent commentor and friend of this blog, sent me an email. Some of you may recall that Wayne made a huge career change a few months ago when he went insane and quit his day job to start film school in Ireland. His email was about making his first film […]