Giant Robot Store and GR2 News
Before they played their songs at today’s noontime free in-store at Amoeba Hollywood, Wayne Kramer and Billy Bragg talked about Jail Guitar Doors. The organization was started in England by Bragg, with the intent of raising money to give guitars to prisoners. Not so they’ll be musicians when they are released but so that they have a creative outlet for the rest of their lives. Of course, its namesake is a song by The Clash, and when Bragg was telling the MC5 guitarist about the cause and the tune, Kramer’s response was something like, “That song is about me!” Bragg was embarrassed but excited when the Detroit musician agreed to sign on to spearhead the U.S. arm of the group. When the British punk/folk singer relayed the story to Mick Jones, the singer of “Jail Guitar Doors” didn’t even remember that Kramer was in it!
Before they played their songs at today’s noontime free in-store at Amoeba Hollywood, Wayne Kramer and Billy Bragg talked about Jail Guitar Doors. The organization was started in England by Bragg, with the intent of raising money to give guitars to prisoners. Not so they’ll be musicians when they are released but so that they have a creative outlet for the rest of their lives. Of course, its namesake is a song by The Clash, and when Bragg was telling the MC5 guitarist about the cause and the tune, Kramer’s response was something like, “That song is about me!” Bragg was embarrassed but excited when the Detroit musician agreed to sign on to spearhead the U.S. arm of the group. When the British punk/folk singer relayed the story to Mick Jones, the singer of “Jail Guitar Doors” didn’t even remember that Kramer was in it!
Underground filmmaker Jon Moritsugu not only has a mind-blowing new movie out, Pig Death Machine, but he has also been on the receiving end of recent retrospectives in San Francisco and New York City. Coming up on August 9 it’s the City of Angels’ turn at the Downtown Independent. I asked my friend about the honor as well as the flick to get all of you excited about it.
MW: Is this the first time you’ve ever depicted a character with the problem of being too smart?
JM: Yeah, it’s a first. I’ve had characters in other movies who thought they were really smart. F’rinstance, Miles Morgan (played by Kyp Malone from TV on the Radio) in Scumrock and Kazumi in Mod Fuck Explosion. But Cocojoy is the only legit, hands-down, I’m-so-smart-this-sucks character. Amy and I wanted to portray “too smart” as an affliction, a total problemo, like not something you’d ever wish for.
MW: Santa Fe looks amazing, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you show nature like this before in a movie. Can you talk about how your new home base has affected your film making?
JM: New Mexico is totally intense–visually, physically, psychically. I love it. You have the desert (of course), blue-screen colored skies, summer monsoons that bring full-on thunderstorms and torrential rains and then blistering sunshine half an hour later, seven thousand foot altitude and 30 percent less oxygen. Green chili sauce so hot it makes you puke (no joke, the place is Horseman’s Haven). The sweet smell of pinon wood burning in fireplaces at night. Plus, we live in a 200-year-old adobe (!!!) house that looks like a baked potato with holes poked in it for windows. This area is totally weird and cool, foreboding and beautiful all at once. Perfect inspiration for making the movies. Plus Albuquerque is only an hour away for getting rowdy in that Walter White sort of way.
Underground filmmaker Jon Moritsugu not only has a mind-blowing new movie out, Pig Death Machine, but he has also been on the receiving end of recent retrospectives in San Francisco and New York City. Coming up on August 9 it’s the City of Angels’ turn at the Downtown Independent. I asked my friend about the honor as well as the flick to get all of you excited about it.
MW: Is this the first time you’ve ever depicted a character with the problem of being too smart?
JM: Yeah, it’s a first. I’ve had characters in other movies who thought they were really smart. F’rinstance, Miles Morgan (played by Kyp Malone from TV on the Radio) in Scumrock and Kazumi in Mod Fuck Explosion. But Cocojoy is the only legit, hands-down, I’m-so-smart-this-sucks character. Amy and I wanted to portray “too smart” as an affliction, a total problemo, like not something you’d ever wish for.
MW: Santa Fe looks amazing, and I don’t think I’ve ever seen you show nature like this before in a movie. Can you talk about how your new home base has affected your film making?
JM: New Mexico is totally intense–visually, physically, psychically. I love it. You have the desert (of course), blue-screen colored skies, summer monsoons that bring full-on thunderstorms and torrential rains and then blistering sunshine half an hour later, seven thousand foot altitude and 30 percent less oxygen. Green chili sauce so hot it makes you puke (no joke, the place is Horseman’s Haven). The sweet smell of pinon wood burning in fireplaces at night. Plus, we live in a 200-year-old adobe (!!!) house that looks like a baked potato with holes poked in it for windows. This area is totally weird and cool, foreboding and beautiful all at once. Perfect inspiration for making the movies. Plus Albuquerque is only an hour away for getting rowdy in that Walter White sort of way.