OUR TV ADVENTURE, so far-part ##

i thought this, Eddie Campbell's 'reading' in Chicago, would probably be edited into a more compact shape for posting online, but at the same time I wondered how it could be done and am pleased to see it presented whole, even though I may have left myself hanging out to dry a couple of times. It begins with four minutes of me boosting Leotard, which you've probably heard before, in both its outline and detail, if you've been coming around here over the last couple of months. A promotional operation very swiftly condenses to a few soundbites that have been proven effective. But bear up as from then on it's a half-hour shaggy dog story, a single anecdote with a loony assortment of tangential diversions leading up to an actual four minute reading, in a single piece of unedited videotape. The film was shot by Brown Finch Films, Laura, Michelle and Stacey, "a filmmaking collaborative based in Chicago, IL; producing transformative documentary films that inspire, evoke, and enliven. The cinema is both an art and a history, and as filmmakers, we respect our calling to make films that are both artistic and insightful." They have made a documentary titled Proceed and Be Bold about Amos Paul Kennedy Jr., a printing press artist internationally known for his controversial posters and book art. (trailer)

The venue is upstairs at The Hopleaf, a great pub with choice beers, one of which you see me sampling, and there were maybe thirty in attendance. Jessa Crispin of Bookslut is the host. That's her sitting at the front in the black dress. I only learned on the actual day of the event, when I got a chance to check my emails, of the intention to film my 'reading'. The wife of my bosom had given Jessa the thumbs up several days earlier. It's probably a good idea I didn't know as I might have ruined it by trying to plan it better. However, I have noticed one or two places where I missed installing some important narrative info. But that's always going to happen I guess when you risk letting a bit of improvisation into it. If you think I'm in a muddle here then you should have seen the bigger one I made in my best man anecdote at Mick Evans' wedding, which was all about him, the best dressed man of 1998, splitting his trousers up the back at the San Diego Comic Con. Mick Evans is both my dear friend and the graphic designer on all the books I self-published. I'd like to apologize for all the crap I've thrown at him over the years. He takes his revenge in the final line of my anecdote.

two other things:
A) I forgot to mention, in case you ask an obvious question during my blather about printing From Hell, that time was crucial (original proposed date of the movie release etc. and other issues) and we needed to avoid having to redo the negatives that we had supplied, which would have added a week to the production time given I'm in Australia and the printer was in Canada. The problem could have been solved quicker today, nine years later. Even by me.

B) Before I went on, David Schwartz had read from his novel Superheroes, which is why I'm referring to the subject at the start. Geoff Goodwin interviewed him here for the Bookslut site. Otherwise you know I don't have any truck with superheroes, and that can't really be me pretending to be Batman in the video.


Eddie Campbell Reading - July 2008 from Jessa Crispin on Vimeo.