Thomas Leveritt [Interview]

Oh Netflix.  Bloody, bloody Netflix.  For all of your bemusement, you sure can bring out the best in a body at times.  That is why when my wife recommended a little film entitled Tonight You’re Mine because of our mutual adoration for music festivals and quirky comedies that was currently instant streaming on the site, I bit.  And in a nutshell, the film was……good.  Not grand.  Not spectacular, just, good.  Good as it was, I found myself only truly falling in love with the concept of the film itself.  Some of the dialogue was choppy and seemed ill rehearsed.  Antics ran wild, and only to a certain annoyance.  But, eventually my bias opinion for these modern day PG-13 rated orgies took hold, and I enjoyed the film just enough.

But as a man who once aspired to be a screenwriter, I once again found myself blustered by the idea that the story was so magnificent, that there had to be a genius mind behind writing the film.  This of course is not to knock the filmmakers and all those behind the film, but my personal preferences have always led directly back to the writing.  It is always the writing that amuses and entertains me most.  So, I decided to find out just who was behind the keypad on this one.  And lo and behold, I discovered an extremely interesting man, who has been far more renowned in other works besides penning words for films.  The great Thomas Leveritt is a painter, author, and so much more.  He has been through war and tyranny, and love and laughter.  My research on this illustrious cat was found to be quite inspiring.  And said inspiration ran so deep that I decided I need to get a few words from this mastermind, and see what else he has going on and maybe learn his thoughts on one my latest Netflix findings (you may or may not be surprised by what he has to say).  And out of pure unadulterated luck, he was willing to speak with us.  So here you have it folks, a few words with the modern day wise man Thomas Leveritt!

You are a painter, a novelist, a journalist, a screenwriter, and more.  Tell us, what don’t you do?  And are you ever going to get to that?

Have you returned to Bosnia since the book was released? 

James Merendino [Interview]

I’ve never truly understood Punk Rock. I’m also certain I never truly will, and I am okay with that.  I have enjoyed several different artists who have been tagged as being “punk”, but I never really put so much thought in to whether they are “truly punk” and what not.  Of course, this whole bloody debate is as old and tired as who came first, the chicken or the egg, the man or the god, and so on and so on.

But one thing is for absolute certain, using Punk Rock as a theme in the world of cinema is definitely a go to strategy.  And some times it falls flat on its face, most likely due to the internal conflicts of the world of Punk Rock.  But, sometimes the entire demeanor of the lifestyle is captured so damn perfectly behind the lens that even the most pretentious of “true Punks” have to give props.  And in the late 90’s, we saw a shining example of such a film in the critically acclaimed film SLC Punk, a film that has continued to be a mesmerizing tale that has inspired so many people be it punk rockers or not.  And this was all in thanks to the mastermind known to the world as James Merendino.  His semi-autobiographical masterpiece has continued to intrigue audiences with each passing year, and has even developed a whole shit ton of buzz around the idea that Merendino is currently working on a “sequel” of sorts to the legendary film.  James is also the genius behind films like The Invisible Life of Thomas Lynch and El Club de la muerte.  And he was kind enough to take some time out of his busy ass schedule to give us a bit of insight on the background of the legend he has created for himself, about his upcoming film, and basically just shooting the shit in general.  So here you have it folks, the great James Merendino!

I understand you worked under the wing of the legendary late Daniel Melnick.  What was your involvement with Mr. Melnick, and how did said tenure affect and influence your career? 

The answer to that question could fill three books. Short answer. Working with Dan Melnick was the best worst thing that ever happened to me. In the end, it had no physical effect on my career. But he definitely taught me how to play.

It is widely known that SLC Punk is semi-autobiographical to yourself, and many of the characters are based on real people.  Tell us, do you still hang out with some of those characters? 

Actually just one, and I talk to a few on FB.

What do you consider to be your biggest achievement as a filmmaker on a personal level?  

The ability to even make a movie is such a herculanian and ill advised endeavor I would say that being able to say I am a filmmaker is the achievement.

In your professional opinion, what do you believe the greatest difference between the American and European film industries and what do you believe to be there perks and common traits with one another?

I am not sure. I guess I find European Cinema to be more friendly to Independent movies and the US is friendlier to Huge ideas.

What is your opinion on the current state of punk rock?  What do believe the future holds for the genre?

I have no opinion about Punk rock. Other than I like it and I am sure it will stick around.

If you could create the biopic for any punk group from the late 70’s or early 80’s, who would it be? 

Minor Threat. Simply because I really respect Ian.

What made you decide to revisit the world of SLC Punk with the forthcoming sequel due out next year?

I just feel and felt that there is more to say about ones own life. It’s not so much a sequel as much as it is the way I feel comfortable talking about things that concern me.

What else does the future hold of James Merendino?  What have you been working on lately?

I will keep making movies and eventual die. Lately I’ve been working on a sequel/spinoff to a movie I made called SLC Punk.  Before that I made a few small movies. And I’ve been a hired hand on several screenplays.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

This question.

Hilary Holladay, PhD [Interview]

For many years now, I have been obsessed with the Beat Generation and the characters that made up such a powerful movement.  But, much like so many profound writers and artists of so many different times, it is actually their own lives that are even more interesting than even the work they produced.  Of course this is not to discredit the beauty so many of these great folks have brought to this earth as it is crucial to this world.  But, I will be damned if I didn’t admit that what has always interested me the most about this cast of characters was the life they lived outside of their work, which ironically was almost directly reflective of their real lives anyway.

I get this.  But even better, an person of actual intelligence and sound mind seems to believe the same.  Hilary Holladay is one of today’s most brilliant minds in the world of literature.  She has taught the growing minds for several years at James Madison University, as well as giving the rest of us so much more.  She has written on Kerouac and his importance in American literature.  But, as an even greater feet, she wrote to us about a man that seems to be forgotten at times.  I am speaking of the late great Herbert Huncke.  The man who is ultimately almost as responsible, possibly even more so than, Lucien Carr in being the side characters that made the Beats in to the legends they are today.

Of course I could go on, but I think it is best to stop right here and let Hilary explain a bit more for the noobs and new Beat fans out there.  Also it is about time we get to know Hilary a bit more and get to know a woman who has contributed so much to the world of literature and writing that we should all bow and praise such a wonderful human being.  Ladies and gentlemen, I present to you, Hilary Holladay…..

For those of us who are unilaterally misinformed, who is Herbet Huncke, and why did you decide to profile this man in your book American Hipster: A Life of Herbert Huncke?

What was it that initially interested you in the members of the illustrious folks known as the Beat Generation?

Eli Hastings [Interview]

Eli Hastings is an incredible author living in Seattle who has just published a new memoir titled, Clearly Now, The Rain: A Memoir of Love and Other Trips.

Clearly Now, the Rain traces the decade-long relationship of Eli Hastings and his friend Serala: from ill-advised quests for narcotics in Mexican border towns through summer road trips, from southern California to Tennessee and on to New York City and Seattle, from 1996 to the very last days of 2004, when Serala’s journey concluded tragically at age 27.

Kirkus Reviews says “Clearly Now, The Rain” is “… a candid, bracing memoir of love, addiction and self-destruction … as elemental, lyrical and cringe-inducing a love story as they come.”

Eli is passionate about using writing to help at-risk youth, and is a team leader at PONGO TEEN WRITING.  We caught up with Eli to ask him some questions about his life, his new memoir and to learn more about his work and the lessons he’s learned.

Can you tell us a little about Clearly Now, The Rain?

Clearly Now, the Rain traces the ten years I shared with my lover and best friend.  It takes place in Seattle, NYC, Venezuela, Mexico and many other places.  Because of how wild a ride those years were, the book has the good fortune of being a gritty travelogue, one of those “mental illness and addiction memoirs,” an unorthodox love story, a painful reflection on trauma and abuse and, in many ways, a tale of adventure.  But most important to me, it’s an elegy.  I used to tell Serala (my friend) that when she died, I was going to write a book about her.  She’d scoff and say “you’d better.”  Of course I lied.  It’s not a book about her; it’s the story of a friendship through which I’m trying to share what she taught me about loving people—and letting them go.

The book goes into great depth about your best friend Serala’s struggles with mental illness and addiction. What advice would you give to someone with a loved one dealing with similar mental illness?

I could write an epic response here.  Instead I will say this: be courageous in cultivating your spiritual beliefs.  You will need them.

At the Jack London Bar in Portland Oregon you talked about using writing to heal. How long did it take to write this book, and how long until you started feeling that healing? 

Serala died in the last days of 2004.  In February of 2005, I had a month’s residency at the Vermont Studio Center.  My first day there I stared at a blinking cursor for over an hour and then began to type.  I wrote 385 pages in 12 days.  Then I drank two bottles of wine and got into bed for two days.  Then I got up and started revising.  The book was published in May of 2013. All of the interim was a ceaseless and often painful fight through 17 revisions.  I could not allow it not to happen.  That is the nutshell.

Have mutual friends read the book as well? What was it like having them read it? 

I think that virtually everyone in the book has read it.  I had some mild concerns but have received almost nothing but overwhelming positivity and support.  One person—Serala’s other closest friend—was impressed by how differently she would have written it and felt I didn’t capture Serala’s joy.  So she didn’t love it.  Of course, she knew Serala when her joy was more intact, earlier.  We agreed her response is what it should be.

What was the writing process like?

Ha!  Like digging big shards of glass out of your knuckles.  Which is something I also did in that era.  It really was like digging a bullet out of yourself—exquisite pain that means you will survive.

How would you describe your writing style?

Hmmm.  Unapologetically lyrical?  Risky?

Any favorite writers who have inspired you or influenced your work?

Oh man.  I’ll take only the second part of that question on: Ann Patchett (Truth & Beauty: A Friendship), Mark Doty (Heaven’s Coast), Mary Karr (The Liar’s Club), William Styron (Darkness Visible), David Wojnarowicz’s Close to the Knives. And even though it only came out when my book did, I wish I could have read Christa Paravanni’s Her at the time of first writing.

Which phrase or passage from Clearly Now are you most proud of?

Too much pressure!  Maybe this one:

“We circled the fire clockwise, scoping out gaps between logs to float the remaining MISSING posters. The embers were a huge spill of searing heat and it was hard to get close enough. We managed to, though not without burns. One by one, stepping in enough to singe our brows, to release and back out, like a martial art or a dance. Her face whirled and slid with the air currents around that massive blaze, falling with something like grace into the pulsing white center, curling into the holy nothingness of ash, delivered through the whirling smoke to the impossible silence of the sky.”

Much of the book takes place with the backdrop of the Pacific NW in the late 90’s early 2000’s. What local albums or bands were you listening to during that era? 

You know, it’s funny—I grew up in central Seattle in the 90s, my mother’s house not a stone’s throw from Kurt Cobain’s.  But in high school we were all steeped in Led Zeppelin, De La Sol, A Tribe Called Quest.  It wasn’t until college that I realized the musical mecca I’d come from.  Then I dove pretty hard into Pearl Jam, Mad Season, and even reached back into Nirvana and Mudhoney and stuff.

How have the experiences you discuss in the book influenced and informed your current career path?

Let me count the ways…we don’t have the space here.  I work with distressed and traumatized youth via therapeutic poetry in Juvenile Detention for Pongo Teen Writing and I am finishing my clinical internship in youth and family therapy.  I think that if I hadn’t lived what I did with Serala, I would still be banging my head against the academy, trying to scrap my way to tenure somewhere (which isn’t to say that I wouldn’t take it if someone put it on a platter).

What do you hope people take away from your book?

A compassionate but severe self-interrogation about how well they are loving others.

What was the last thing that made you smile? 

My little boy, Pax, wearing nothing but Crocs and blue sunglasses dancing in a sunray this morning.

Learn more about Eli and his new book at his Official Website.

Mark Anthony Galluzzo [Interview]

Several years ago, I came across a little independent horror film entitled R.S.V.P.  And while the concept seemed intriguing, a Hitchcockian like mystery where you already knew who the killer was (but not who was next on his list!), I did have to admit that it was the appearance of the legendary View Askew favorite Jason Mewes that led me to checking out this film.  But, what I was not expecting was to completely fall in love with the film.  It had a certain touch of brilliance in the mystery genre that you simply didn’t see much during that time (circa 2002) and even to this date.  It still remains a steadfast go to film when I am looking to be thrilled, scared, and yes, even laugh a little at the terror of others.

The film became even more intriguing when I discovered that the film’s director, Mark Anthony Galluzzo was sort of a one man show behind the camera.  Writing, directing, filming, producing, even some stunts.  The idea of a filmmaker taking the reigns like this has impressed me ever since I caught my first Robert Rodriguez film twenty years ago.  So, I did some research and discovered some of Mark’s previous work including his amazing and acclaimed film Trash, which is a must see for anyone who is a fan of other side of the track films.

Mark as been out of the game for a little while, but he has definitely kept himself busy as I would learn after asking this modern marvel a few questions.  So ladies and gentlemen, please allow me to introduce a cult hero in our time, Mark Anthony Galluzzo.  Enjoy!

What was the first film you remember seeing and realizing that you wanted to be in the world of film?

That’s a tough one. I don’t really remember any eureka moment. I think it was more of the fact that my dad loved to watch old movies on TNT on Sunday. So I got a good early exposure to Hitchcock (Rear Window, Strangers on a Train come to mind), War films (The Great Escape, Battle of the Bulge, Longest Day), Bond films (Dr. No, Goldfinger) and Westerns (Shane, High Noon, Once Upon a Time in The West).  When I got older I gravitated to the films of Oliver Stone, Scorsese and Spike Lee and that naturally led me to want to go to NYU.

I understand you were a real “go for” guy on the set of Saturday Night Live in the beginning of your career.  How was this experience?  And overall, what did you take away this experience?

Ha. I reckon it was more the ‘go get it’ guy.  I was a writers’ assistant, which meant I had to hang around all night in case one of the cast/writers needed something.  SNL was written fresh each week so after the show Saturday night followed by the party Sunday morning (1:30 am it would kick off) everyone would recover on Monday and roll into 30 Rock on Tuesday.  Table reads were Weds afternoon so a lot of the talent would just pull an all nighter on Tuesday. And that’s where I came in.

David Spade wants some onion rounds and sugarless peanut butter at midnight?  Sure I’ll get it. Sandler left his guitar at his apt? Sure I’ll get it.  XXXX forgot his special cigarettes?  Well you get the picture.  But let me tell ya finding sugarless peanut butter in midtown Manhattan at midnight ain’t easy!

All in all it was a good time. I learned a hell of a lot about deadlines and execution, as writing the material was one thing but then only having 4 days to make it real with costume, rehearsal, set design, hair and make up, props, graphics, camera blocking… And after all that frantic work, they put it on live. No net…  That’s old school.  That’s what makes it special.

Your Hitchcockian-esque thriller R.S.V.P. is be far one of the most interesting modern horror films I have seen.  What made you want to make this film?  Where did the idea and story for this film come from?

Other odd one this… After Trash I was approached by a guy who said he had the cash to shoot this remake of Rope. I think it was called Unscrupulous or something. I read his script and it was terrible. A complete retelling of Rope without any changes or insight. I explained it wasn’t possible and offered to write something new that was ‘inspired’ by Rope instead of just ripping it off.  At the time, teen horror was quite big but the formula was getting so stale that the audience could anticipate the beats like a veteran script analyst. Thus I thought, hey, let’s turn this mo-fo on its head and completely take the piss out of the current genre expectations. Instead of putting the ten beautiful people in our story and having the audience guess who the killer is whilst watching them get bumped off one by one, let’s just show the audience who the baddie is and let them come along for the ride.  This lead to some very strange developments that really pushed the script into black comedy and satire territory. For by simply pulling apart and reordering the old teen thriller genre, it threw up a lot of laughs as well as insights into why audiences even go to see these movies in the first place. Thus the motif of Bull Fighting throughout the film.  A bullfight is very scripted with the outcome pretty much never in doubt.  Same with the teen horror. Oh there may be a twist or two but they all end pretty much to script. Thus turning the genre on its head sort of lets the Bull win for a change. Although as I found out to my peril, when you fuck with a genre / audience expectations, be prepared to make some of em fighting mad.  Yeesch, some people were really pissed off.  Where’s the tits! Where’s the blood! I knew who the killer was in the first ten minutes (um, duh, we did just tell/show you)!  I think the one key shortfall of winning over these people was we didn’t have a likeable enough protagonist.  Rick did an amazing job considering the circumstances but originally we had Ian Somerhalder to play Nick (Ian dropped out 3 days before shooting for a film with a bigger paycheck) and I think his boyishness would have taken some edges off our twisted psychopath. Somehow we also let Ryan Gosling slip through the cracks during auditions.  Kicking myself for that one.   I’d love to see the old audition tape again to figure out what I missed or if he was just having a bad day.

Your casting of Kevin Smith’s well-known sidekick, Jason Mewes seemed sort of shocking and surprising.  What led you to casting the young Mewes?

He was a friend of the casting director Shannon Makhanian. Originally I was going to use Troy Garity who lived nearby in Venice Beach and did some table reads of the script as Terry, but when the film got pushed by six months, he was booked.  Shannon thus set up a meeting with Jay, and he must have been on good behavior because I thought he was perfect. I was unaware of some of the personal problems he was going through, which made for a very stressful shoot. Still I’m glad he’s back on his feet and doing well as he has a lot of heart and talent.  Glenn Quinn was pretty much the same. When I met him he was all business and fired up to play Hal, but once in Vegas, the temptations were too much and he headed on a downward spiral.  Glenn tried to clean up after he hit rock bottom in LA but fell off the wagon for one lousy weekend and it ended with tragic results. I’m just glad Jay managed to pull it together in time.  Losing Glenn and his great talent and love of life was enough.  I joked with my bro that I should have shot in Provo Utah.  No drink, no drugs, no gambling. Perfect!

Exactly how much of your acclaimed independent film Trash is autobiographical? 

All the characters in Trash are based on people I knew and the things I saw growing up outside of Jacksonville.  I took traits (good and bad) from several different individuals and combined them to create the lead characters.  Most of the events are true but aggregated from the town itself and attributed to the leads.  The opening hunting accident is real.  Great guy I played football with, Curtis Cantrell, was tragically shot and killed by a young boy while turkey hunting. It profoundly affected a lot of people. Shortly after graduation, another boy was shot by the police after robbing a jewelry store (His girlfriend was the getaway driver).  A third boy was killed cleaning his father’s gun.  Two others died in a car accident.  We had a pretty bad run of luck my senior year culminating in a brawl between some parents, students and teachers involving baseball bats and chair legs. Blood, broken bones, cops, ambulances and a crying baby. Quite surreal in hindsight.  Shame, I never figured out how to weave that one into the story!    Back then too, the trailer park community wasn’t as stereotyped as it is now thanks to reality TV. Back then it was just how poor folk lived and no one thought too much of it.  As the character Sonny says “Here or there, poor is still poor.”

What was behind your decision to move to become an English citizen, and begin teaching over there? 

The usual…. A girl.  A Welsh one in fact, so we have to be careful with the English citizen bit. Technically I’m a dual citizen US/UK.  I got the 2nd passport as it makes travel a lot easier in the EU and supposedly I will get a pension one day if the government isn’t broke by then.   Also I have three kids now and all have these funny British accents, so I guess I’m in for the long haul.

Teaching was just a way to stay active and get involved in the UK film community. I’ve stepped back though as I think they are pumping out too many media grads and there just aren’t enough jobs out there… well, unless you want to teach. Sort of a ponzi scheme I didn’t want to be a part of.

And do you think you will be getting back behind the camera soon?

Definitely. I took a few years off to run a business and start a family. Both have been a smashing success and have allowed me the opportunity to return to making films.  I also reckon the time away from the industry has helped mature my storytelling.  When you’re young and ambitious you are convinced that what you’re doing is always the best way and if people don’t get it then they are just wrong. As you get older you learn to take on feedback and comments and pick out any hard truths that you are willfully ignoring.  I look at Trash and see a young artist who needed a guiding hand to really make that film a classic. It was very close to achieving greatness but the handling of the final reel held it back.

I’ve got three new scripts on the go. One is an ensemble comedy / drama called Dirty Little Secrets that I’m shooting in Wales next Summer.  My producing partner and I are taking it out to talent at the moment. It’s sort of a Gen-X Big Chill.  The other two are bigger budget genre pictures.  First up is a sci-fi thriller called Prisoner’s Dilemma that we’re hoping to take to IFP Film Week in New York.  It’s a futuristic noir using post WWII Berlin as inspiration.  Lots of spies, smugglers, femme fatales and outlaws. After that is a Western adventure about a motley group of hunters, trackers and killers hired to track down a monster that killed the son of an old West land baron. It’s called Helen Ballard and The Fall Creek Ten and has gotten some good heat on the new Blacklist.   Sort of a Western version of Avengers Assemble.

What was the last thing that made you smile?

My three kids waking me up on Fathers’ Day with homemade cards.