At the heart and soul of every true artist there is a need. Sometimes that need is a bowl of cereal, other times it happens to be the need for a root canal or several.
Last Thursday I sat with writer, curator and all around artist Shade Rupe, author of Dark Stars Rising and discussed everything from his first interviews at the ripe age of 14 with John Hughes to his more recent encounters with Crispin Glover in Olympia, WA while curating and producing the Deep Red International Festival of Fantastic Film. He has had jobs that range from being a grip on the set of David Lynch’s feature Twin Peaks: Fire Walk With Me, to his current and very temporary state of employment as copy editor at MTV.
After taking in a plethora of film star names of the past and present, and processing a few dates, years, venues and states, the conversation inevitably lead to the present state of freelance artists in this perpetually depressing economy. Naturally, this conversation would occur in The Players club, in a building that predates the 1900s, inside of which some gentlemen predate even the building itself. Regardless of their age, the longevity of the members is trumped by the hefty fee of membership which permits you entry to the building as does a healthy air of belonging, as Shade and I found out. As you can imagine, none of the actual members can remember if ever they were being freelance and struggling, much sooner than they care to remember which son they handed their business over to. This all made it a perfect place and time to discuss our outrage at the right-wing healthcare policies, capitalism, and the current economic depression. While sitting at a table of 7 descendants of a wealthy Irish immigrant who was also present, but luckily also sadly deaf, it occurred to me that what makes an artist is not his linear career path, but how much he hates it. There comes a time in every artist’s life when we have to suck it up and go to work for our teeth but hopefully no longer than for a couple weeks.
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Because, just like Shade, his book is seriously awesome.
If you are a cult film nerd, I dare you to read the list of interview subjects below and not cream your pants…
Richard Kern, Alejandro Jodorowksy,
Buddy Giovinazzo, Udo Kier, Jim VanBebber, Dennis Paoli, Tura Satana, Teller, Divine,
Brother Theodore, Peter Sotos, Zamora,
Johannes Schonherr, Chas. Balun,
Floria Sigismondi, Hermann Nitsch,
Genesis P-Orridge, William Lustig, Dennis Cooper,
Gaspar Noe, Johanna Went, The Torture King,
Andre Lassen, Arnold Drake, Richard Stanley,
Dame Darcy, Stephen O’Malley, Crispin Glover
If you are not a cult film nerd, this book allegedly contains 500 pictures.
Everything and more about Shade Rupe can be found on his website.
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Curious Wednesday is a weekly column written and driven by the personality of Ms. Marquise discussing the insides of her head in relation to things around her. New topics can be found on the Bushwick Daily every Wednesday, while you can find her productions listed on False Aristocracy.