It shows how out of it I was in trying to be in it, acknowledging that I was out of it to myself, and then thinking, “Okay, how do I stop being out of it? Well, I get some legitimate illogical narrative ideas” — some novel, you know?
So I decided on three writers that I might be able to option their material and get some producer, or myself as producer, and then get some writer to do a screenplay on it, and maybe make a movie.
And so the three projects were “Do Androids Dream of Electric Sheep,” “Naked Lunch” and a collection of Bukowski. Which, in 1975, forget it — I mean, that was nuts. Hollywood would not touch any of that, but I was looking for something commercial, and I thought that all of these things were coming.
There would be no Blade Runner if there was no Ray Bradbury. I couldn’t find Philip K. Dick. His agent didn’t even know where he was. And so I gave up.
I was walking down the street and I ran into Bradbury — he directed a play that I was going to do as an actor, so we know each other, but he yelled “hi” — and I’d forgot who he was.
So at my girlfriend Barbara Hershey’s urging — I was with her at that moment — she said, “Talk to him! That guy really wants to talk to you,” and I said “No, fuck him,” and keep walking.
But then I did, and then I realized who it was, and I thought, “Wait, he’s in that realm, maybe he knows Philip K. Dick.” I said, “You know a guy named—” “Yeah, sure — you want his phone number?”
My friend paid my rent for a year while I wrote, because it turned out we couldn’t get a writer. My friends kept on me about, well, if you can’t get a writer, then you write.”
~ Hampton Fancher
“That was the most disappointing thing to me in how this thing was played. Is that I’m on the phone with you now, after all that’s been said, and the fundamental distinction between what James is dealing with in these other cases is not actually brought to the fore. The fundamental difference is that James Franco didn’t seek to use his position to have sex with anyone. There’s not a case of that. He wasn’t using his position or status to try to solicit a sexual favor from anyone. If he had — if that were what the accusation involved — the show would not have gone on. We would have folded up shop and we would have not completed the show. Because then it would have been the same as Harvey Weinstein, or Les Moonves, or any of these cases that are fundamental to this new paradigm. Did you not notice that? Why did you not notice that? Is that not something notable to say, journalistically? Because nobody could find the voice to say it. I’m not just being rhetorical. Why is it that you and the other critics, none of you could find the voice to say, “You know, it’s not this, it’s that”? Because — let me go on and speak further to this. If you go back to the L.A. Times piece, that’s what it lacked. That’s what they were not able to deliver. The one example in the five that involved an issue of a sexual act was between James and a woman he was dating, who he was not working with. There was no professional dynamic in any capacity.
~ David Simon
I’ve read and heard reports of Foo Fighters’ new record (well, relatively new, at this point) having the same problem…commercial release of new record by a major band on one of the major record lables that intentionally is designed not to be easily ripped to harddrive and transferred to the world’s fastest-growing musical playback device. Thanks, record companies!
Yes this will hurt the record industry. In Canada this has been going on with New Releases for a few years. Most records that have this anti-copying device encoded in it are labeled as such so you know before you buy.
I think it is a bad call. Especially with the advent of more people playing MP3’s etc. The recording industry has gotten into a major pickle with this technology. Personally…I won’t by any cd that will not allow me to copy or rip it.
u have to figure they’ll come up with some way to stop piracy. but these pirates are always a step ahead.
This is DRM technology and it’s becoming more and more prevalent on commericial CDs, not just promos. It probably allows you to rip files in Windows Media format, but that obviously doesn’t do any good for the people who on the most popular portable digital music player.
And it doesn’t stop piracy. I gaurantee you the Just Like Heaven CD is available on the file-sharing networks as we speak.
Once they figure out how to actual make a piracy watchable, then it will become a problem. Seems like the film industry should learn from music and get into this game as soon as possible. The music industry cost itself billions by refusing to join technology.
The last Springsteen album was like this. Sad, but understandable.
Any copy protection on any cd can be defeated and I haven’t had a problem yet. Like, Nicol D, that new Trews cd a few weeks ago- I was pissed-off when Itunes wouldn’t rip it, but then I used something else to cleanly rip it and it’s fine. There are a number of free programs out there that work perfectly on these protections by authors who seem to relish writing programs to defeat these protections (it also depends on the drive you’re using).
and never never never let any cd install any software that ‘allows you to play the cd’ on your computer.
I bought a CD recently that had this copy protection and I promptly returned it to the store for an eventually relented refund. I listen to CDs nearly 90% of the time on my computer and have my entire collection of 800+ CDs ripped to hard drive.
Screw ’em! No more CD purchases for me.
I definately buy more cd’s now that I download then I did before.
It’s just a matter of time before they come up with file sharing for movies online. Downloaded in minutes and in great quality.
My only question is this: Why would you want to download a soundtrack filled with mediocre covers of great pop songs? If you’re going to make a pop romantic comedy than go all the way with it and use the “good” versions of the songs that move your movie along.
“Lust for Life,” “Brass in Pocket,” and “Just Like Heaven” are great pop songs. Who at DreamWorks Music thought covers of these songs by Kay Hanley, Kelis, and Katie Melua were better than Iggy Pop, Pretenders, and The Cure? Couldn’t they have spent the extra money for the rights? I liked the movie but was constantly being taken out of it by these lame covers. The use of Screamin’ Jay Hawkins’ “I Put a Spell On You” and Beck’s “Strange Invitation” gave the movie a charage that the rest of the music could not. (I was actually shocked that the moviemakers went the extra mile and used The Cure’s version of “Just Like Heaven” during the credits. Then again, they didn’t even bother to play the whole song!)
As Bowling for Soup’s cover of “Ghostbusters”…? I guess it would kinda funny for it to pop up on the shuffle mode.
Henry, you knocked over a truck or two filled with cd’s back in your day?
Shrimp and lobsters were best. They went really fast.
Jewelry flies off the shelf. That is what they tell me at least.
Henry, it’s called cost-management. An album of covers is not only more interesting to the film’s demographic but it’s also cheaper to get people like Katie Melua to sing a song than pay The Cure or whoever it may be.
And, on the matter of buying CDs. I always try and by the CD if I want the entire CD because I like having it but I’m not going to buy an entire album for one song and singles are a pathetic waste of time. And sometimes my city doesn’t even have the ones I want! It’s their own fault!!
Luckily I just bought Missy Elliot’s new CD and Green Day’s “American Idiot” album for $10 each, which is a bargain considering big retail stores are still selling them for $20+.
AUS$10 equals about US$7.50 fyi.