Interview conducted by Rose Riot
I have been following Crispin Glover’s career since I was a little girl and he played Roach on Happy Days. After that, I would see him cameo in movies and T.V. shows, he would always play someone left of center– and this I could relate to; this I was fascinated with. The crush I had on him was more cerebral than sexual (I saved that role for Adam Ant). By the time he made the movie “River’s Edge,” I was a full-on fan. I read and watched interviews, sought out his films like “Rubin and Ed.” I bought his books, and like many was bewildered and intrigued by what they meant. His book “Oak Mot” was a feast for my imagination. His appearance in mainstream movies upped their artistic cred in my eyes. I haven’t always understood everything that Glover has done, but I don’t need to; I’ve just been happy that he does the stuff he does.
One of my friends posted on Facebook that Crispin Glover was coming to the Plaza Theater for February 8th and 9th to do movie screenings, spoken word, Q&A, and a book signing. My heart raced like a tween girl’s as I panicked, thinking for some crazy reason I would not be able to attend the event. I knew instantly that I wanted to write about these special appearances but the thought that I would be granted an interview was beyond my comprehension. When I was CC’d on an email from Glover himself agreeing to do an interview, I was, for lack of a better term, giddy.
I was slightly intimidated by this news, so I was happy when I was informed it would be an email interview. WHEW! The last thing in the world I would want to do is sound like a nimrod doing a phone or live interview with my favorite actor of all time. I did the required research to come up with questions, but found that much wasn’t necessary because once I started writing them, they just rolled right out of my brain. I crave to know the creative tickings of any person I meet, but especially of someone I hold in such high artistic regard.
So it was done, the questions were written and sent so I needed to wait patiently for his answers. I didn’t have to wait too long; he responded very quickly. I opened the email like a present and read what turned out to be my most prized interview to date!
First of all, Glover complimented my good questions (SIGH) and second, his answers were fantastic! His explanation of his films almost made me tear up. I had a realization that Crispin Glover possesses a very special kind of compassion. A compassion that isn’t always appreciated. Not that I ever had any doubt, but this man was the real deal: an artist’s artist and a thinker’s thinker. The art of Crispin Glover has the ability to shock our hearts into feeling respect for those people and situations that are often disrespected. I can’t think of a person alive who wouldn’t benefit from exposure to his work.
Describe a Crispin Glover fan.
Usually people that come to my shows are people who have seen me in a number of films and they enjoy the idea of having some kind of interaction with something they know will be a bit unusual.
What do you hope your fans will take away from seeing “It is fine! Everything is fine.” and “What is it?” ?
&
You dive right into images and subjects that make most people uncomfortable, why are you attracted to these types of things?
I am very careful to make it quite clear that What is it? is not a film about Down’s Syndrome but my psychological reaction to the corporate restraints that have happened in the last 20 to 30 years in film making. Specifically anything that can possibly make an audience uncomfortable is necessarily excised or the film will not be corporately funded or distributed. This is damaging to the culture because it is the very moment when an audience member sits back in their chair looks up at the screen and thinks to their self “Is this right what I am watching? Is this wrong what I am watching? Should I be here? Should the filmmaker have made this? What is it?” -and that is the title of the film. What is it that is taboo in the culture? What does it mean that taboo has been ubiquitously excised in this culture’s media? What does it mean to the culture when it does not properly process taboo in it’s media? It is a bad thing because when questions are not being asked because these kinds of questions are when people are having a truly educational experience. For the culture to not be able to ask questions leads towards a non educational experience and that is what is happening in this culture. This stupefies this culture and that is of course a bad thing. So What is it? Is a direct reaction to the contents this culture’s media. I would like people to think for themselves.
Steven C. Stewart wrote and is the main actor in part two of the trilogy titled It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. I put Steve in to the cast of What is it? because he had written this screenplay which I read in 1987. When I turned What is it? from a short film in to a feature I realized there were certain thematic elements in the film that related to what Steven C. Stewart’s screenplay dealt with. Steve had been locked in a nursing home for about ten years when his mother died. He had been born with a severe case of cerebral palsy and he was very difficult to understand. People that were caring for him in the nursing home would derisively call him an “M.R.” short for “Mental Retard”. This is not a nice thing to say to anyone, but Steve was of normal intelligence. When he did get out he wrote his screenplay. Although it is written in the genre of a murder detective thriller truths of his own existence come through much more clearly than if he had written it as a standard autobiography. As I have stated, I put Steven C. Stewart in to What is it? When I turned What is it? in to a feature film. Originally What is it? Was going to be a short film to promote the concept to corporate film funding entities that working with a cast wherein most characters are played by actors with Down’s Syndrome. Steve had written his screenplay in in the late 1970’s. I read it in 1987 and as soon as I had read it I knew I had to produce the film. Steven C. Stewart died within a month after we finished shooting the film. Cerebral palsy is not generative but Steve was 62 when we shot the film. One of Steve’s lungs had collapsed because he had started choking on his own saliva and he got pneumonia. I specifically started funding my own films with the money I make from the films I act in when Steven C. Stewart’s lung collapsed in the year 2000 this was around the same time that the first Charlie’s Angels film was coming to me. I realized with the money I made from that film I could put straight in to the Steven C. Stewart film. That is exactly what happened. I finished acting in Charlie’s Angels and then went to Salt Lake City where Steven C. Stewart lived. I met with Steve and David Brothers with whom I co-directed the film. I went back to LA and acted in an lower budget film for about five weeks and David Brothers started building the sets. Then I went straight back to Salt Lake and we completed shooting the film within about six months in three separate smaller productions. Then Steve died within a month after we finished shooting. I am relieved to have gotten this film finally completed because ever since I read the screenplay in 1987 I knew I had to produce the film and also produce it correctly. I would not have felt right about myself if we had not gotten Steve’s film made, I would have felt that I had done something wrong and that I had actually done a bad thing if I had not gotten it made. So I am greatly relieved to have completed it especially since I am very pleased with how well the film has turned out. We shot It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. while I was still completing What it? And this is partly why What is it? took a long time to complete. I am very proud of the film as I am of What is it? I feel It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. will probably be the best film I will have anything to do with in my entire career. People who are interested in when I will be back should join up on the e mail list at CrispinGlover.com as they will be emailed with information as to where I will be where with whatever film I tour with. It is by far the best way to know how to see the films.
After Charlie’s Angels came out it did very well financially and was good for my acting career. I started getting better roles that also paid better and I could continue using that money to finance my films that I am so truly passionate about. I have been able to divorce myself from the content of the films that I act in and look at acting as a craft that I am helping other filmmakers to accomplish what it is that they want to do. Usually filmmakers have hired me because there is something they have felt would be interesting to accomplish with using me in their film and usually I can try to do something interesting as an actor. If for some reason the director is not truly interested in doing something that I personally find interesting with the character then I can console myself that with the money I am making to be in their production I can help to fund my own films that I am so truly passionate about. Usually though I feel as though I am able to get something across as an actor that I feel good about. It has worked out well.
What makes you uncomfortable?
Non questioning in and non-thoughtfulness in general and non questioning of propaganda in particular.
Why are you showing the second in the film trilogy the first night and the first in the trilogy the second night?
More people have seen and consequently written and talked more about “What is it?” as opposed to “It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE.” I am proud of both the films for different reasons but I want very much for people to see “It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE.” for certain. It ultimately does not matter which order people see the films.
What is the final film in the trilogy?
I should not go in to detail for “IT IS MINE” yet and I will not shoot that next. There are other projects outside of the trilogy that I will shoot next. The Czech Republic is another culture and another language and I need to build up to complex productions like “What is it?” and the existing sequel “It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE.” IT IS MINE. Is an even more complex project than those two films were so it will be a while yet for that production. I will step outside of the trilogy for a number of films that deal with different thematic elements.
You seem to be very approachable and hands-on with the promotion of this tour, if so, why?
I have to be approachable because I am the distributor of the films. I do not have the corporate shell that most actors and filmmakers have. This means that the people who come to my shows are the people who are directly paying me back for the investment I have made in the these films I am so passionate about. I am therefor quite grateful to everyone who helps me with my shows.
How do you feel about the death of film?
&
Will it affect your future film tours?
Film has definitely not died. There is definitely a difference between film prints and film projection and digital distribution and digital projection. It is true that the studios have announced that they will not send film prints starting in 2014. It is possible that some of the venues I am currently touring that are single screen venues/cultural centers may not be able to afford the transition to digital projection. I know that most of the types of venues that I tour will continue to project film. It is possible that the types of venues that I tour will actually have an increased need for film prints as digital distribution becomes the norm.
You are an artist in many genre’s, what genre do you enjoy the most and which genre is most inspiring to you?
(i.e. I’m a photographer, but music is the inspiration for much of my work)
I enjoy making my films most, but I am glad to act in other filmmaker’s movies.
For being inspired for sets I enjoy going to view paintings at art museums when I am traveling. For editing and writing I like to listen to classical/non lingual music the most for the images and thoughts it puts in to my head.
Is there any art form you haven’t attempted that you would like to?
No, although I took violin when I was a child and would like to take it up again.
If you could work with any artist alive or dead, who would it be?
Here is a list of filmmakers I would like to have worked with or still work with:
Werner Herzog
Rainer Werner Fassbinder
Luis Buñuel
Stanley Kubrick
Todd Browning
FW Murnau
Fritz Lang
Akira Kurusawa
Frank Wysbar
Milos Foreman
Roman Polanski
Frederico Fellini
Karel Zeman
Abbas Kiarostami
Wong Kar Wei
Ken Russell
Gaspar Noe
Orson Wells
John Cassavetis
Timothy Carey
Finish this sentence: Creativity is _______________ .
exceedingly important.
——————————————————
I look forward to two memorable nights in February that will undoubtedly change my perspective. For information about his shows here in Atlanta visit : http://plazaatlanta.com/
