Crispin Glover is for the Children!

I've got nothing to say about this- plus, I've got fraps to make. Gotta go!

Dan

Letterman's History of Surreal Interviews

So we know this is all a prank at this point and that sort of ruins the fun- for me at least. Also, it makes me wonder why is it that when someone decides they want to go crazy during an appearance on a talk-show, they do it on Letterman?

I feel bad for Dave, but I also think it's cool that we now have this treasure trove of surreal talk-show appearances.

I know what's going on with Joaquin (he's not on drugs, he's not nervous- he's 'acting') so let's not spend any more time on it. Instead, let's discuss these...

Andy Kaufman
He did a lot. I won't post them all- but here's a famous one.



Harvey Pekar
Ummm...



Crispin Glover
Like Joaquin Crispin is in character- though not the character from the film he's promoting (The River's Edge) but a character from the yet-to-be-made Rubin and Ed.



Harmony Korine
He's probably screwing with Dave. He might also be an awkward guy. He's probably got a weird sense of humor. Add those together and you get this.



And the sequel...



Side note: Harmony Korine cast Werner Herzog in his Julien Donkey-Boy and Mister Lonely and Crispin worked with Herzog on Incident at Loch Ness and both gave a commentary track on Herzog's Fata Morgana. Werner Herzog has yet to appear on Letterman (though he was on Conan...)

Anyway, moving on to some less-intentional surrealism...

Madonna
Watch Madonna try not to be boring- this shtick was old at the time. Who cares?



Farrah Fawcett
Unlike Joaquin, Crispin, and Harmony, Farrah quickly came out to admit she was nervous- but... I don't know...







Dan

ART WE LIKE: Trent Harris' The Beaver Trilogy

The Beaver Trilogy is a movie. Crispin Glover is in it. We like him.

So it starts with this dude in a parking lot being filmed by this other dude. The one dude does some impressions and stuff. Then the two dudes split up... Then the one dude writes to the other dude and tells him that he's doing a show and he's going to dress up as Olivia Newton John and the dude (the camera dude) should film it. Then we see this talent show, which ends with this dude singing like Olivia Newton John.

(Pretend this paragraph is in black and white.) Then we see these two new dudes in the parking lot. One is holding a camera and the other is Sean Penn and he is doing impressions. Then they split, and it turns out the one dude (Sean Penn) is putting on a talent show. The camera dude goes to film it, and film it. Eventually Sean Penn dresses up like Olivia Newton John and sings. Then the camera dude leaves. Then Sean Penn calls the camera dude and goes 'hey dude, I don't want that to be on TV,' but the camera dude says 'no' or whatever...

(Now we're in color again, and we look like a movie.) There's this dude who like Olivia Newton John (like we said, Crispin Glover). He goes to a restaurant and Dottie is there. People make fun of him, but he will be on TV, he says. The he goes to a parking lot and runs into this camera dude. He does some impressions... etc... talent show... etc...
[SPOILERS]
dresses like Olivia Newton John...
[END SPOILERS]

So as you can tell from my synopsis, the movie is awesome! It is a documentary, a narrative, and an experimental film. It is case-study in obsession, hind-sight, and regret. No amount of thesis papers on the re-enactments in The Thin Blue Line will tell you as much about the objectivity (or the lack there of) in cinema as The Beaver Trilogy.

Check out the official site HERE.

Dan

Thanks, Crispin

I met Crispin Glover the other day at the La Brea Tar Pits. It was an accident. He was dressed quite nattily, and we discussed his movies -- the trailers for which we included in our last post -- and then exchanged pleasantries. It was very cordial. He's a great guy.

Here's what you may be asking: "That's it? Two Surrealists meet each other on the street and they exchange pleasantries, go their separate ways, and that's all? There were no monkeys? No giraffes? No string quartets perched in the trees overhead?"

Right. Exactly. Because if two Surrealists met randomly in the street and all kinds of crazy stuff started happening, it wouldn't be that surprising, would it? As a matter of fact, you'd kind of expect it, right? So the Surreal thing would be for nothing out of the ordinary to happen at all. Which is what did happen.

It was Surreal.

And then, it rained. In Los Angeles. We parted ways, and the sky opened. It never rains in Los Angeles, especially not this year. It was as though the heavens nodded slightly to us, appreciating our restraint.

It was art.

Vince out.

ART WE LIKE: Crsipin Glover

It might seem weird to pick someone who works in the traditional art-form of "acting" in what are mostly "narrative feature-length motion pictures" as an artist we admire. But watch the above clip from the film River's Edge...

Crispin Glover is not traditional, even when doing traditional actor things, like going on a talk show...



Or making a guest appearance on a sit-com...



Or a playing a small role in a slasher film...



Or releasing an album...



Or directing his own films...





Crispin Glover is awesome.

Dan