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
Funny stuff. Hard to believe anybody could watch it with a straight face.
“Happy premise number three: Even though I feel like I might ignite, I probably won’t.”
Funny, perhaps. But we always laugh at ‘indoctrination videos’ when it is a way of life that we do not necessarily understand.
Just out of school I had to work on corporate training videos for major companies with the theme of ‘tolerance and diversity in the work place’.
They were far more creepy in that people’s lively-hoods depended on compliance with speech codes and codes of conduct that were very totalitarian and anti-human relations in my opinion.
I do not say that to be an instigator; just that these types of ‘testimonial videos’ are done all the time with various subject matters. All of them are cheap, cheesy and lame. Everything from Fortune 500 companies to religious groups to universities and public schools to charities use them.
We only laugh at the ones however that we do not agree with, but they all have the same purpose; to get you to not think for yourself.
I must say I like how these made every testimonial equal with the generic titles of ‘actor’ and ‘actress’.
10 of 10 is the best…some amazing one liners.
You are at the threshold of your next trillion years. You will live it in shivering agonized darkness or you will live it triumphantly in the light…I’m sorry, but that’s the way it really is.
It only gets better too…just wait for the little spiel about free will.
Doesn’t look like a hoax…unless Travolta and Alley are suddenly making fun of it.
Making fun of Scientologists is so five minutes ago. You are not X-factor.
Isn’t X-Factor a cable show where Jeff Wells wears a spandex suit and tries to get budding girl superheroes to sit on his lap?
Ohhhh… I just couldn’t resist… I shoulda, but I couldn’t…
Wow. That was so insanely cheeseball, I too thought it was fake. But it’s not. How can people be persuaded by that video??
In all honesty, Scientology piques my interest because it really seems to work for people. I’m sure it’s B.S., but if you can get some ind of inner peace or life management skills from it, it can’t be all bad.
Then again, that video….oy. I like the part in part 10 where the guy says something to the effect of..”If you walk away from this video and don’t want to know more, we won’t stop you. It would be stupid, but we won’t stop you.” Classic!
Direct quotes:
“If you leave this room after seeing this film, and walk out and never mention Scientology ever again, you’re perfectly free to do so. It’d be stupid but you can do it. You can also dive off a bridge or blow your brains out. That is your choice. But if you don’t walk out that way, if you continue with Scientology, we will be happy with you. And you will be happy with you. You will have proven that you’re a friend of yours…”
Wow.
Nicol, you were just on Jeff Wells’ blog bitching that people were acting “intolerant” of Christians. Is tolerance only a bad word when it’s about minorities?
most informational videos are cheesy or creepy. That was so creepy i might have to sleep with my stuffed bunny and light on tonight.[The language used is downright weird, though. Maybe weird enough to be a hoax.]
Not only did I need a bath after looking at that but I had to blast my ears out with The Sisters of Mercy!
James,
I know you are passionate about this. I respect that.
When modern workplace speech/conduct codes tell a male co-worker that he can be fired for complimenting a female co-worker on the style of her suit on grounds of sexual harrassment; or a Christian co-worker fired for not displaying a rainbow flag on his/her desk, that is a very different proposition than me calling someone to the mat on Wells blog.
No one will lose their livelihood and have their family starve by disagreeing with me on a blog, nor would I want them to.
However, if you disagree with the hard-PC speech/conduct codes of most multinational corporations, you lose your job and your livelihood.
That’s a very different proposition.
I know you are passionate about your beliefs; so am I and that’s cool. But no one should have to lose their job because they disagree with you or me.
I am not talking politeness here. I am talking acquiescence. And no multinational conglomerate should have the right to force one to compromise one’s own conscience.
I have worked on these videos for major companies when I was just out of school and they turn the term ‘tolerance’ into a joke.
What is most laughable is that on the videos I worked on…even the CEO’s who recorded the VO’s would joke in the recording room that they were BS…but they did them out of fear.
Fear is not the way to run a company or live a life.
I would hope you would agree with that.
How many Christians have lost their job for not displaying a rainbow flag on their desk? Is this a widespread problem?
I dig how sexy Anne Archer looks in Part Eight
Anne Archer! I was just watching Short Cuts last night, and she’s excellent in that. So I was wondering what happened to her and there’s the answer.
Meanwhile, I think we’re all good at picking our oppression of choice. Fear is no way to live a life. It just depends on what the fearmongers are selling.
Michael Douglas chooses Glenn Close over her.. Jesus he is a sex maniac! Good to see a Zanuck in there as well.
I like how they always avoid discussing HOW specifically Scientology helps people. Just “buy the books and you’ll see.” Jesus, regardless of whether you believe him to be the son of God or not, always had some philosophies to draw people in. Psychology’s made some major mistakes (Much of its doctrine in the 1950s coming from simple Pavlov and Pavlov-esque scientists), but at least they evolve and their data is up to public scrutiny. Scientology from this video….. “Buy some of our books. You’ll see. And if you don’t, you’re stupid.” That is what draws me away from Scientology.
And honestly, my workplace’s video on sexual harrasment was a lot more amusing (Well, until the last part where the guy goes bonkers and the camera gets all Fight Club-ish. “You are not the contents of your wallet….”).
At least DP is an equal-opportunity copyright violator, between this and Kubrick’s Day of the Fight.
I couldn’t make it through all of the videos…did they say millions of billions of believers worldwide in the first part? i’m going with millions, but billions would not surprise me.
“When modern workplace speech/conduct codes tell a male co-worker that he can be fired for complimenting a female co-worker on the style of her suit on grounds of sexual harrassment; or a Christian co-worker fired for not displaying a rainbow flag on his/her desk…”
Gross overexaggerations, as usual, of the actual law involved, which really does the argument, such as it is, no favors. Quid pro quo sexual harrassment involves workplace favors in return for sex. Hostile environment sexual harrassment involves a situation “where the harassment is sufficiently pervasive so as to alter the conditions of employment and create an abusive work environment.” Telling someone they look nice in a suit — or just look nice — qualifies as neither. If a company tells any worker that such speech is grounds for termination, they really need to get themselves a better HR person and/or employment law attorney.
In fact, the second “example” probably violates the law, if any company actually had such a requirement. Somehow I don’t think such a company actually exists.
Are you sure your last name is McMahon, Jeff?
You sure go a long way to find a way to criticize me not matter what the topic.
What does my last name have to do with anything?