interview with amanda reyes

Amanda Reyes is an author and podcaster who concentrates most of her work on the made for television movie (although she loves and writes about horror movies and soap operas from time to time!). She edited and co-wrote the book Are You in the House Alone? A TV Movie Compendium: 1964-1999, which was released through the UK publisher Headpress earlier this year.

Her blog, Made for TV Mayhem and its companion podcast are the central locus for most of her writing/discussions. Amanda has also been a guest on several other podcasts and has traveled all over the world to discuss TV movies. Most recently, she provided the commentary track for Shout! Factory’s release of the 1977 tele-horror The Spell.

JB: What have you been watching lately? Any favorite movies of the year so far?

AR: To be honest, I haven’t had time to watch much in the way of new. I did see Get Out earlier this year and really, really loved it! I was happy to see it do so well too. While I don’t get to see as much as I’d like, I can see a real shift in the way post-modernism is dictating some of what is happening in horror, and I quite enjoy it. At the same time, there’s still a hold on the more classic stuff, like the things James Wan is doing with the Conjuring films. He’s a great filmmaker, but admittedly I’ve fallen behind on his films too.

In terms of what I normally watch and have been watching of late, I’m currently working on a paper about female-centric paranormal telefilms of the 1970s-80s and their response to second wave feminism, which means I’m watching things like Midnight Offerings (1981), which is a favorite, and Night Cries (1978). I’m having a lot of fun with the topic. 

JB: Tell us a little about your podcast and what we can find there.

AR: The podcast is named after my blog, Made for TV Mayhem, but I added the word "Show" at the end to differentiate it! I have two co-hosts. I do the show with my good friends Dan Budnik and Nathan Johnson. While we’re open to discussing all facets of classic television, the podcast concentrates mostly on the made for television movie. It’s a double feature show, and the way I program it is that I do my best to put one well-known title alongside a more obscure title, pairing them by some sort of theme.

For instance, we did Dark Night of the Scarecrow and Revenge, and they were put together because they are both revenge titles. Also, we did Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark and Crawlspace together because John Newland directed them both. It’s a lot of fun. Just the other day Nate said he enjoyed doing the show because he hasn’t seen a lot of the titles I’ve chosen and he’s never sure what he’s about to see. That’s fun for me. Mostly, we’ve loved all of the movies, but there’s a clunker or two in there! 

JB: When did you start getting into TV movies?

AR: As a kid. I grew up on TV movies, although I didn’t know that’s what they were. They were just movies playing on the "Afternoon Movie" on the local station. It was a gateway into horror for me and I can still remember being fascinated by the monsters in Gargoyles, and terrified of the creatures in Don’t Be Afraid of the Dark. And as I got older, I went to the movies as often as I could, but I didn’t have a real source of income, and we didn’t get cable until I was almost out of high school, so I relied heavily on TV movies in terms of feeding an early cinefile habit I was developing.

JB: It seems like sometimes people are reductive when comparing a theatrical picture to being like a "Lifetime" or "Disease of the Week" picture. Do you think TV movies get a bad rap? How would you describe television movies as an art form?

AR: Yes, TV movies get a super bum rap. While it’s true that TV movies were and still are produced in a sort of factory system, there is still artistry within these films. I think that we know that low budgets, quick script writing, and sometimes even quicker production schedules hamper a lot of potential in TV movies. Furthermore, because they are beholden to FCC standards, they are limited in their ability to into anything even marginally objectionable, and therefore, we think telefilms have nothing to offer. But TV movies can be fantastically subversive, or at the very least, extremely entertaining. So, I guess if I were to describe the telefilm as an art form, I would say that TV movies say more with what remains unsaid. They may look superficial, but often have layers of meaning, and it’s a tribute to the medium that many of these films not only endure, but also mean something, even all these years later. 

JB: Are there any TV movie directors who are particularly great?

AR: My favorite small screen director is John Llewellyn Moxey. He’s probably best known for directing The Night Stalker, which introduced the world to Kolchak, but he made so many good films. He was a bit of a journeyman, and just seemed to know how to set up suspenseful set-pieces. Some of his best horror films or thrillers are The House that Would Not Die (1970), Home for the Holidays (1972), and No Place to Hide (1981). He also kind of redid the vampire thing in the underrated I, Desire in 1982, which had David Naughton fighting vampires not so long after he had turned into a werewolf in An American Werewolf in London!

I also really like Gordon Hessler, who had a really nice eye, and his films were often very moody. I think Hitchhike, which stars Cloris Leachman, is my favorite of his films. He also did the underrated The Strange Possession of Mrs. Oliver.

JB: Any TV movies with a great music score?

AR: Oh yes, pretty much anything by Billy Goldenberg, who did Duel and The Legend of Lizzie Borden. But honestly, I really, really love the music for Night Terror, which was done by Fred Steiner. It’s so discordant and really gets into the disturbed mind of the killer chasing Valerie Harper across the desert. The soundtrack to The Spell by Gerald Fried runs along those same lines and is also oh-so-seventies!

JB: It was exciting to see that you did commentary for the The Spell. This is actually my first TV movie memory. I believe it aired as an also-ran on TBS. I was haunted and disturbed by it and didn't know the name of it for years! I finally traced it down a few years ago and it seemed so much less sinister but more of a fun watch. What are your experiences with the film?

AR: I didn’t discover The Spell until I was an adult. I had a friend who was obsessed with it and thought it was a must see film, so he made a copy of his copy for me. I can imagine what seeing it as a kid must have been like, and I’m sure that re-watching it with adult eyes made it a little less sinister. It’s got a lot of depth to it though, which I discovered as I was prepping the commentary track. It’s like I mentioned before, these telefilms can appear inconsequential at times, but there’s a lot going on at their core. I was glad I got to revisit it and give it some deeper thought.

JB: Are there any other TV movies that should be on bluray?

AR: Oh yes! My favorite TV movie, This House Possessed has never had any kind of legitimate home video release, and it really needs one. It’s endlessly entertaining, and I just recently watched it with a crowd and they loved it too.

Also, there’s some classics that are just woefully in need a real release such as Midnight Offerings, Don’t Go to Sleep, Satan’s Triangle and I Saw What You Did, just to name a few off the top of my head. Also, there are some dramas like Griffin and Phoenix and That Certain Summer that deserve a chance at a second audience. And I think Murder By Natural Causes is such a clever mystery/thriller. It would be nice to see that get a release as well. Oh, who am I kidding, can we release every TV movie on bluray? Please?

Actually I’ve a seen a few people comment that they’d like to see an Aaron Spelling boxset. Spelling is, of course, best known for his TV series, but he produced something like 140 telefilms, many of which are absolutely wonderful. I think a box set like that would be a good place to start.

JB: Do you think that's common--that we sometimes have vague memories of a TV movie but can't place the name of it or know who's in it?  Perhaps because it was always hard to find a resource list of films or the actors in them? It sounds generic but I have one where a woman is being followed by a truck (or another car?) for a long amount of time on a deserted highway. Any guesses?

AR: Check out the aforementioned Night Terror and let me know if that’s it or not. I think it might be!

I had a vague memory, which I don’t want to go too into because it will spoil two films, but it turns out I was conflating a telefilm – Scream, Pretty Peggy and an episode of the British series Thriller – "Dial a Deadly Number" together, and for years I was looking for one film. I’m not quite sure how I extrapolated the memory but I’ve been able to get copies of both things, and I can see the similarities now.

I think when we’re young there are just some images that resonate and we don’t really know why yet. Those are the types of memories that linger. If you grew up in the seventies or even the eighties I can see where those images might have come from a made for TV movie. If you caught it on its network airing, it may not have aired ever again.

JB: What do you think the state of television movies is today? Have you enjoyed any recently?

AR: That’s a good question, and very difficult for me to answer. I don’t watch all that much in terms of new television. For one, I don’t have as much time as I used to, and secondly, I’m not as drawn to long form series the same way I once was. I am a soap opera addict though and am really into The Young and the Restless right now. I only mention that because modern TV really takes a nod from the soaps in terms of long-term story arcs, and I do love stories that take a long time to unfold. But for whatever reason, I haven’t found a show that has hooked me yet.

JB: Many are calling this era a renaissance for television.  As someone who prefers the medium and time constraints of a film, rarely do I last through multiple seasons of a show. Lately I've been re-watching early Dynasty though. Do you have favorite TV shows?

AR: Old shows? Yes, I love a lot of them. As far as nighttime soaps, I’m an uber Dallas fan. It’s so amazing. Lots of fun, and great acting. My all time favorite show was One Life to Live, which I watched religiously for 30 years. I miss it every day. But my favorite prime time series is Magnum P.I. Now, that’s a show that just keeps giving. While there’s a lot of a fun-in-the-sun-car-chase episodes, there was a lot of depth given to many of the stories, and certainly to the characters. So much of what came during and after the fifth season could be really esoteric and thoughtful. I fell in love with every recurring character and constantly return to my DVDs to enjoy the show. I also worship at the altar of the Golden Girls, but who doesn’t?

Another show I’m revisiting and loving is Reba, which was an early 2000s sitcom that is truly funny. And I’m a sucker for Three’s a Crowd, which was the spinoff of Three’s Company. It only lasted one season, but it’s all about John Ritter and Robert Mandan chewing the scenery. That was a show that needed a longer life. Oh, and I really adore Lucan, which is another short-lived series that had a surprising amount of depth and heart. And Love Boat, Fantasy Island and Charlie’s Angels are my go-tos when I need to escape from the world. Lately I’ve also been revisiting and loving Eight is Enough. Oh, I also love The Waltons!

This is why I don’t have time to watch new shows, apparently!

JB: And how is your day today?

AR: Very well, thank you! I really enjoyed this interview! Thank you!

interview with twin sun!

jdb: Who is Twin Sun?

TS: Twin Sun is Jamie Willcox & Pete Wheeler, both of us live in Reading, UK. We started off collaborating on edits in late 2013 under the pseudonyms Solid Gold Death Star & Wonder Wheel. By the following Summer we knew we wanted to team up properly and in November 2015, Twin Sun was born!

jdb: What equipment do you use to create remixes?

TS: We mainly produce using Logic with a little help from Abelton Live here and there. With those we use software synths like Arturia ones and hardware synth like the Juno 106.

jdb: Any reason why you're drawn to Fleetwood Mac?

TS: Both of us have been huge fans of Fleetwood Mac since childhood, including the earlier blues material and their albums with Bob Welsh before Lindsay Buckingham & Stevie Nicks joined. In 2012, Pete met Alex & Lisa of Fleetmac Wood at their second party while promoting his club night with Psychemagik & Gigamesh (both of whom have produced brilliant Fleetwood Mac edits). This immediately sparked a synergy which has resulted in the numerous Fleetwood Mac edits we've created over the last few years.

jdb: "Gold Dust Woman" is a particularly deep transformation from a folk-rock tune to pulsating Giorgio Moroder-esque disco. What were the elements that made this mix come together?

TS: Our edit of "Gold Dust Woman" came about from the unexpected discovery of a "piano and vocals only" version of the track. The sound of the Rhodes alongside just Stevie Nick's voice transformed the track and gave us the opportunity to seriously indulge ourselves on the production side...and that we did! The chorus had so much potential for being turned into a hands-in-the-air disco moment and the extended outro vocals gave us room to build up a big Moroder style arpeggio with filters into an acid tinged finale. Let's just say we had a lot of fun making that one!

jdb: Are there any songs where you've run into roadblocks in remixing? 

TS: Quite a few of our edits and remixes have hit roadblocks along the way but we find the challenge of that helps ensure you only finish the ones that are really worth it! "Baby Be Mine" by Michael Jackson was particularly problematic

jdb: How did your original tracks "Jump Back" and "Lilac Light" come about?

TS: "Jump Back" came from one day together in the studio messing about with the synths and software. We had already made quite a few slower tracks by this point and wanted something more upbeat. Once the bassline was in the place the synth parts were easy to add and inspired the "jump back" vocal hook. We wanted to get a 'mini-choir' effect so got Claire Morgan (now part of our live band) to add to our voices, creating the final version.

"Lilac Light" began as an instrumental Jamie had started created prior to forming Twin Sun. We sent this to Jen Stearnes from Saltwater Sun and loved the vocals she wrote so recorded her over two studio sessions. The chorus in particular gave us the opportunity to create our own remix for DJ sets which became the "Sundown Version." In live shows, we combine both versions which works really well as the set finale.

jdb: Who are some current musical artists that you are into?

TS: Roosevelt, Parcels, Tuff City Kids, Harvey Sutherland, Fatima Yamaha and the new stuff from Phoenix, Arcade Fire & Poolside.

jdb: Any remixers we should be aware of that maybe don't get much credit?

TS: Fingerman, Dr Packer, Evil Smarty, Twisted Soul Collective & V's are really solid remix/editors. More obvious names like Classixx, Dimitri From Paris & Alkalino we play plenty of edits from too

jdb: What is on the horizon for Twin Sun?

TS: We've been playing live a lot recently with a full five piece band which we've really enjoyed. In September we support Drop Out Orchestra, who are exceptional remixes and big heroes of ours, in London. We also have quite a few tracks that need finishing off and some remixes we've been asked to do so the Autumn is going to be very busy for us!

an interview with artist mj forster

M J Forster is an established British water-colorist. Born in 1975, he has drawn and painted since childhood. With no formal education in the arts, he is self taught and still learning.

Having traveled extensively, he has explored a huge range of subjects in both traditional and abstract styles.

Currently working from his Studio Gallery in Hexham Northumberland, he is currently engrossed in the development of watercolor as the ultimate medium of both technical innovation and total expression.

When did you start painting?

My first memory was drawing a Brio train at around age 3. I suppose I’ve always been an artist. I just love the focus that being creative gives me and the way the time passes. So I used to draw and copy everything I saw. I started painting in watercolor when I was 12 and sold my first painting a year later for £25. That was 1988; I never really looked back from there.

What kind of materials do you use primarily for your work?

I have used a variety of materials over the years. I think I really know what I’m doing now and my materials have naturally reduced down to just three primary colors, a range of brush sizes, a pencil and rubber, lots of paper towels and the stretched paper itself. Oh... and a hair dryer to speed things up a little. You really need nothing more.

What is your work space like?

I have a studio gallery in Northumberland. My studio is fairly small and yes a little messy. The main requirement with watercolor is simply natural light. It’s crucial to gaining consistency with  the colors.

How has your art changed over the years?

My art changes all the time. I really paint for my own enjoyment. It just so happens that people like most of what I do. I’m perhaps best known for landscape painting although my real and increasing love is for more abstract work that reflects the same contrasts in light and tone that my landscape work does. Currently I’m producing a very limited hand made artist's book on this work that I’m crowd funding on Kick Starter (here is a link to my latest campaign). 

What / who are you inspired by artistically?

I'm always inspired by new ways of thinking and anyone who is brave and experimental. I've always been a big fan of the impressionists. It is hard to appreciate now how radical the changes they made to painting were. It’s hard to conceive of such a dramatic shift again. I recently saw a small collection of Seurat's Work and was astounded at the level of detail involved. They were simply incredible.

How do you know when your work is done?

Knowing when a piece is finished is the hardest thing. Many of my landscapes arguably aren't. It's easy to ruin a watercolor with just that final stroke. My recent color contrast work has a far more definite conclusion to each piece. Although I increasingly don't view a single painting in isolation. They are all linked to the previous works and the possibilities involved with the next on, this is what keeps me painting.

my super gay book of saints and holy days: an interview with jim smith

Below is my interview with the amazing artist Jim Smith who is raising funds on Kickstarter to publish a book of his work entitled My Super Gay Book of Saints and Holy Days.


jdb: I stumbled upon your artwork on instagram and instantly fell in love. Do you remember the subject of your very first portrait?


JS: Thank you so much. My first illustration was a portrait of Sigourney Weaver in 2007. I had started a blog that’s now archived at jiminysnap.com. The blog started out exclusively as illustrations of my dreams, but only when I dreamt about a celebrity.

I had planned to just use photos from the internet of whoever was in my dream, but my boyfriend at the time was an animator and he kind of encouraged (insisted, really) that I create the images myself. I protested that I didn’t know anything about illustrating but he said that didn’t really matter, that I should just start doing it. Eventually I expanded the blog with essays and salutes to some of my favorite performers on their birthdays.

jdb: What kind of materials do you use primarily?

JS: I used to use art markers and watercolor pencils on watercolor paper. I love the pencils over regular watercolor because I felt I had a little more control and I could use them dry or wet or some combination of both.

I still use the pencils from time to time, but over the last year or so I’ve drifted to creating my art digitally on my iPad using an Apple pencil and a program called Paper 53. It’s a fairly simple program, but it has a “brush” that simulates watercolor where you can add layer upon layer of color. When I print my images I tend to use water color paper, and then sometimes I will add actual water color on top so they’re really like embellished prints that feel very much like paintings. This method allows me to work more quickly, but also I feel like I have more control (there’s that word again!) than I do working exclusively on paper.

I also sometimes love using a plain red accountant’s pencil—just the one color. I feel like sometimes with shading you can get as much or more feeling out of an image with this single color than you can with a whole palette full of hues.






jdb: Where do you make your paintings? Do you have a studio? Where do you store your work?

JS:  I have a drafting table that I inherited from my old boyfriend when he moved to Canada. It has both sentimental and practical value for me. When I’m working on paper I absolutely use it, and when I’m working on the ipad I sometimes still sit at the drafting table, but more often I am sitting on my bed with my dog trying to distract me by dropping balls, bones, squeaky toys, and the occasional sock into my lap right on top of the iPad.

My work is stored in my iPad, of course, and the prints and paper originals are stored in a couple of large bins in my apartment, and I also have several hanging on my walls. I felt funny about that at first, like it was kind of arrogant or showing off to display my own work. But I wouldn’t have painted these subjects if I wasn’t interested in them, so I’ve mostly made peace with that. I think of a quote I once read from Carol Channing when asked what was her favorite role. She answered “whichever one I’m doing at the time because if I don’t feel that way, why should the audience?” Well, if I don’t like my work enough to display it, why would anyone else?




jdb: Tell us about your kickstarter project. What is it for?

JS: I’m running a Kickstarter project to help me self publish a book of portraits and short biographies I’ve been working on called My Super Gay Book of Saints and Holy Days.  The book is not exactly a parody but it’s done in the style of the books of the saints lives that a lot of Catholic children grow up reading. They are usually illustrated with bright and kind of tacky portraits on one page and on the opposite page it will tell you things like the saint’s birthday, what they are the patron saint of, what miracles they performed (ie, how they got their sainthood) and often times the gory details of how they met their demise.

I’d been trying to figure out a theme for a book for some of portraits. I tried putting one together with my dream illustrations and some longer essays, but it was like an overstuffed burrito. It was too hard to get your hands around it and ultimately it was a mess.

As I mentioned before, I often do portraits when I know someone I admire has a birthday coming up. Well, during the last week or so of April, there are no less than 10 people I like to draw with birthdays—Barbra Streisand, Ella Fitzgerald, Carol Burnett and several more. Last year I was hard at work creating all the portraits for the week and I joking told my sister I was super busy because it was Holy Week. And that’s when it sort of hit me, that pop culture had been kind of a religion to me in terms of its ability to sooth my soul and inspire me. And then I remembered the religious books of my Catholic childhood and the theme for my book revealed itself.

I’m editing the book now and hopefully with the help of Kickstarter I’ll be publishing it in the next 3 to 4 months and you’ll see full color portraits of roughly 50 “saints” ranging from Eleanor Roosevelt to Susan Sarandon, Bette Midler, and Broadway divas like Jennifer Holliday and Bernadette Peters.

I’m trying not to include people just because they may be popular with the LGBT community, but rather performers, writers, politicians and even athletes whose work particularly affected me. I’ve also been lucky to meet many of the people featured, usually just briefly, but I’ve included some fun personal encounters with a few of the saints.

jdb: Who are some of your favorite icons? Is there anyone in present day pop culture you find inspiring?

JS: I think I would answer that in two ways. As far as inspiration goes, I would put Barbra Streisand at the very top because of her sheer talent and because of how deeply her work has touched me and continues to color my outlook on life. Also Gloria Steinem, whom I worked for several years ago, inspires me every single day, as does original Dreamgirl Jennifer Holliday who has this incredibly positive attitude while she lives with MS and makes her way in a business that’s not always kind. As far as my favorites to draw or paint, I never get tired of Ella Fitzgerald and Edith Piaf. I like doing simple sketches of them and also slightly more detailed  fully colored pieces. Also Judy Davis, the wonderful, intense Australian actress. She has this beautiful alabaster skin, massive lips, and piercing eyes. I once did an illustration of her as Medusa because I almost think I would turn to stone if I were to meet her gaze.




When you say present day pop culture, it makes me realize that every person I named is over 50 at least, though I like to think of them as current. Certainly there are wonderful performers that are younger but I’m hard pressed to think of anyone that I feel compelled to draw. Lily Rabe, a wonderful young actress and the daughter of Jill Clayburgh, comes to mind. She is someone whose work I enjoy immensely, particularly seeing her perform "Shakespeare in The Park", and I have painted her in a scene from Much Ado About Nothing.

jdb: Do you make a list of those you want to paint or does it come about organically?

JS: I have a pretty extraordinary memory for Birthdays, so I generally know when one is coming up for someone I want paint. I’ve missed a few this year because of working on the book. Sometimes it’s more organic. I may have just been thinking about someone or heard a song on the radio. Or the news may influence me at times.  I had never done Carrie Fisher or Debbie Reynolds before, for instance, but when Carried passed away I did a quick portrait of her and then worked on one of Debbie. I was finishing it up when I heard the news that she too had passed.   Sometimes late at night if I can’t sleep and I don’t have a particular subject in mind, I have two fall back subjects: Edith Piaf and nuns. Not together, of course. I don’t know why exactly, but there is something extremely satisfying about absentmindedly drawing nuns.

interview with john waters

Check out my interview with John Waters over at Lambda Literary about his new book Carsick.

I was a bit afraid to talk to him because he's so iconic / important to me (and where to begin?!) but he was sweet as can be.

alfre

Really fascinating David Poland interview with Alfre Woodard on her career, acting, and small role in 12 Years a Slave.

Joe Vallese's interview with her on Pop Matters.

interview with luke pelletier

Recently I stumbled upon Chicago artist Luke Pelletier's work. His pink flamingo  painting is this month's header.  I love his subject matter and use of color.  Besides being a talented visual artist, he is also a musician and a skateboarder. He was nice enough to answer a few questions about his work.









Where do you work and what kind of paint and material do you use?


Right now, I work in North Carolina, but I'm usually working up in Chicago. I grew up in NC. So I'm always going back and forth. It changes pretty frequently. I use brush and Ink to sketch out ideas/make images for print, but recently, I've been using house paint and canvas.












I am interested in the subjects: the animals and also the headstones.  What do you think draws you to this imagery?


I'm drawn to different animals for different reasons. Sometimes, I'll use an animal in a painting as a purely visual component. I'll use some animals because of the legends and folk lore based around them, but I usually use animals because of what they mean to me on a more personal level. It just depends on how I'm feeling really. I think about the headstones as a way of acknowledging the end of something important to me. I've done a bunch that say different things on them. "Summer 2006" "A few kids I grew up with" etc.

Are there any visual artists who should be on our radar?


Austin England, Michael C. Hsiung, Jeff Kubasak, Ben Jensen, Sean Morris, The Yok, Sheryo, John Malta, Miles Jackson, Dillon Froelich, Teddy Kelly, Eric McHenry, and a ton of other people that I left out.

Talk a little about your music. I enjoyed the lyrics in the track "No Worries. It's Alright. I Swear."  How did you get started with this?


I write lyrics in a few stages. It usually starts when I'm drunk... haha... I use photobooth on my computer to film myself playing guitar and fumbling trough words. I'll write a ton of short, fragmented, lyrics in a night, usually about 2-4 lines at a time. When I sober up the next day, I go through the video, pick out what I like, rearrange it, add new lyrics, and try my best to make it make sense. "No Worries. It's Alright. I Swear" is about how I've been letting go of grudges as I'm getting older because I'm realizing that everyone is just trying their best and we're all in the same boat.




Who or what are some of your inspirations for your art and music?

All the dudes in the list above. CRAIG STECYK. Bomb the music industry, the smith street band, NOFX.



On a scale of one to four stars, how many stars for your day?

4-ish

sarah polley interview

Elvis Mitchell interviews Sarah Polley on her new film Stories We Tell.