Two of the writers of Borat: Cultural Learnings of America for Make Benefit Glorious Nation of Kazakhstan sit down and chat with David about the process of making the film, why Bruno pisses off more poeple than Borat, what’s next, and making a waistcoat out of Dakota Fanning. And away we go….
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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
“A waistcoast made from Dakota Fanning” LOL!! (Actually, their response to your HoundDog review is even funnier… these guys are hilarious!)
Almost turns into “Talking Rape with the Borat Writers” but it’s a really insightful interview… (as was the interview with Cohen not in character on NPR)
Dave:
Have you considered adding a little monolgue either before or after the interviews? It could tie in with the topics/themes discussed, be completely random, or just be a ‘this week’s news & gossip’ type of thing (like your original iklipz bits)? I really enjoy both and think they might play well together.
There is a new video feature coming, J… enough of me to gag on, no doubt.
I am really enjoying the experiment of it all and the guests have been, as we expected them to be, terrific. Each one is a somewhat new experience to me, whether an actor, a writer, doing 2 in one afternoon, etc. Next week, we’re trying a threesome of guests. So far, so good.
This is very much how Hot Button was grown. Organic. No end game. And because it’s the web, the pressure that would be there from the start if this was a weekly 30 minute TV show is not there. I didn’t need to launch with Eddie Murphy to get a ratings impact.
Anyway, thanks for the nice words and keep watching. It will get even better… I will get better…
funny guys. Waistcoat? Well there’s a litle more to her than that. You could probably get a pair of gloves too. SHouldn;t waste anything, not environmental.
i do have a coat made from young black possums (animal parts are important in Indian culture), but no unborn calves or any type. That’s a bit too far out even by my primitive standards.
Do more stuff like that Dave.
I think DP would make a great Midnight Blue mainstream-movie-dirty-talk cable show host, if he could do it in a litig enough way not to scare off guests.
ED, I just shocked you didn’t offer some mic/audio advice… it’s not too late.
Actually, I think David doesn’t do bad with the audio on his pieces unlike another blogger pal whose name cannot be invoked on this blog. 🙂
Clink-clink coffee cups, what’d he say? Even public access Robin Byrd did better.