self-titled - no. 3 - (Page 25) “ANY FILM ABOUT DEATH HAS TO HAVE SOME CATHARSIS. I WANTED TO BRING THE VIEWER BACK EMOTIONALLY FROM SADNESS.” Once you got deep in it, were you ever worried about being able to finish the thing? I’m different than Arthur in that I’ve always worked with ruthless deadlines! It’s hard to finish when you make something out of nothing; the possibilities are endless. I certainly empathized with Arthur throughout the process. How much of the performance footage is real? All the performance footage is real; the faceless, abstract recreations are entirely staged. here’s a moment halfway through Wild Combination when you realize what a daunting project this Arthur Russell documentary must have been. Aside from the fact that Russell died of complications due to AIDS in 1992, the mutant-disco/ avant-everything icon left behind scant original footage for a potential feature-length film. Yet director Matt Wolf’s New York University education helped the 2004 film school graduate take the project into abstract, Technicolor territories that any arthouse buff can appreciate. As one of self-titled’s associates put it at a New York screening, “I don’t really care about the music that much, but that was really beautiful.” That beauty comes from the way Wolf contrasts Russell’s cornfield-wandering childhood in Oskaloosa, Iowa, with the Lower East Side breakthrough—the peak of the post-disco/ punk era that gave birth to both no (and new) wave—that would eventually define him as an artist. It’s enough to leave you hopeful for an art-damaged reaction to all the apocalyptic rhetoric that’s polluted the airwaves since the stock market started plunging. self-titled spoke to Wolf about Wild Combination via e-mail. self-titled: How would you describe your approach to this documentary? The lack of authentic Arthur footage pushed you to make this more of a visual, experimental film, didn’t it? The lack of archival footage made it necessary to get creative. To bring Arthur to life, we made evocative recreations with Arthur’s actual clothes. Shot on Super 8 and VHS, these have an experimental narrative quality to them, which I hope characterizes the whole film. T How much time did you spend casting Arthur’s scenes? I just e-mailed a guy I knew from a few years back who reminded me of Arthur, or at least how I imagined his body language. He was like, “Sure whatever.” Arthur attempted many styles of music, from disco to straight-up country tunes. What are some of your favorite Arthur songs/styles? I love Calling Out of Context, which strangely never made it into the film. Any time I hear something new, I love it; I’ve over-listened to everything that’s been released! David Toop conducted Arthur Russell’s last interview. Looking back, he told you that Arthur’s music was “too remarkable, too individual for its time.” Do you think that’d be the case if he arrived on the music scene today, that he’d be seen as far too experimental for most people? I think Arthur had the right impulses to self-promote. He had great personal style, famous friends and incredible talent. With MySpace and the other tools which democratize music production these days, I think there’s a good chance he would have broken out. You got some wonderful interview footage from Arthur’s parents. How much time did you spend with them? Did you ever feel like you were opening old wounds because no one has focused on Arthur like this before, at least not outside of the reissues market? I spent a week with the Russells, and I talked with them on the phone a few times before arriving. I knew it would be an emotional experience, but I hoped that it could be cathartic, too. I think we also had a good time hanging out and running around Oskaloosa with a film crew. Chuck [Arthur’s father] was ready to make a movie! And Emily [Arthur’s mother] was also a very gracious host. http://www.arthurrussellmovie.com/ http://digital.othermusic.com/search/full.php?FULL=322636&ref=17
Table of Contents Feed for the Digital Edition of self-titled - no. 3 self-titled - no. 3 Contents Titus Andronicus A.C. Newman Los Campesinos! Zombi Arthur Russell Gentleman Jesse Circlesquare Oneida Cut Off Your Hands Frances and the Lights School of Seven Bells and Free Blood ...Trail of Dead’s Conrad Keely cLOUDDEAD self-titled - no. 3 self-titled - no. 3 - self-titled - no. 3 (Page Cover1) self-titled - no. 3 - self-titled - no. 3 (Page Cover2) self-titled - no. 3 - self-titled - no. 3 (Page 3) self-titled - no. 3 - self-titled - no. 3 (Page 4) self-titled - no. 3 - self-titled - no. 3 (Page 5) self-titled - no. 3 - self-titled - no. 3 (Page 6) self-titled - no. 3 - self-titled - no. 3 (Page 7) self-titled - no. 3 - self-titled - no. 3 (Page 8) self-titled - no. 3 - self-titled - no. 3 (Page 9) self-titled - no. 3 - self-titled - no. 3 (Page 10) self-titled - no. 3 - self-titled - no. 3 (Page 11) self-titled - no. 3 - self-titled - no. 3 (Page 12) self-titled - no. 3 - Contents (Page 13) self-titled - no. 3 - Titus Andronicus (Page 14) self-titled - no. 3 - Titus Andronicus (Page 15) self-titled - no. 3 - A.C. Newman (Page 16) self-titled - no. 3 - A.C. Newman (Page 17) self-titled - no. 3 - A.C. Newman (Page 18) self-titled - no. 3 - A.C. Newman (Page 19) self-titled - no. 3 - Los Campesinos! (Page 20) self-titled - no. 3 - Los Campesinos! (Page 21) self-titled - no. 3 - Los Campesinos! (Page 22) self-titled - no. 3 - Zombi (Page 23) self-titled - no. 3 - Arthur Russell (Page 24) self-titled - no. 3 - Arthur Russell (Page 25) self-titled - no. 3 - Gentleman Jesse (Page 26) self-titled - no. 3 - Gentleman Jesse (Page 27) self-titled - no. 3 - Circlesquare (Page 28) self-titled - no. 3 - Circlesquare (Page 29) self-titled - no. 3 - Oneida (Page 30) self-titled - no. 3 - Cut Off Your Hands (Page 31) self-titled - no. 3 - Frances and the Lights (Page 32) self-titled - no. 3 - Frances and the Lights (Page 33) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 34) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 35) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 36) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 37) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 38) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 39) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 40) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 41) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 42) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 43) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 44) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 45) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 46) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 47) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 48) self-titled - no. 3 - School of Seven Bells and Free Blood (Page 49) self-titled - no. 3 - ...Trail of Dead’s Conrad Keely (Page 50) self-titled - no. 3 - ...Trail of Dead’s Conrad Keely (Page 51) self-titled - no. 3 - ...Trail of Dead’s Conrad Keely (Page 52) self-titled - no. 3 - ...Trail of Dead’s Conrad Keely (Page 53) self-titled - no. 3 - ...Trail of Dead’s Conrad Keely (Page 54) self-titled - no. 3 - ...Trail of Dead’s Conrad Keely (Page 55) self-titled - no. 3 - ...Trail of Dead’s Conrad Keely (Page 56) self-titled - no. 3 - ...Trail of Dead’s Conrad Keely (Page 57) self-titled - no. 3 - cLOUDDEAD (Page 58) self-titled - no. 3 - cLOUDDEAD (Page 59) self-titled - no. 3 - cLOUDDEAD (Page 60) self-titled - no. 3 - cLOUDDEAD (Page 61) self-titled - no. 3 - cLOUDDEAD (Page 62) self-titled - no. 3 - cLOUDDEAD (Page 63) self-titled - no. 3 - cLOUDDEAD (Page 64) self-titled - no. 3 - cLOUDDEAD (Page 65) self-titled - no. 3 - cLOUDDEAD (Page 66) self-titled - no. 3 - cLOUDDEAD (Page 67) self-titled - no. 3 - cLOUDDEAD (Page 68) self-titled - no. 3 - cLOUDDEAD (Page 69) self-titled - no. 3 - cLOUDDEAD (Page Cover4)
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