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Susan Tomorrow
2.2k Plays1 year ago
Susan Tomorrow is a film programmer from Austin Texas, specializing in cult, horror, and Golden Age Hollywood cinema.
“As Co-Owner/Programmer of the Clinton Street Theater I am thrilled to be helping to bring back that William Castle MAGIC.”
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Transcript
Introduction
00:00:02
Speaker
You are listening to something rather than nothing. Creator and host Ken Zalante. Editor and producer Peter Bauer.
00:00:17
Speaker
This is Ken Vellante with the Something Rather Than Nothing podcast. And I have Susan tomorrow who I've somehow wrangled and brought in and basically are saying the things that in your head that I see you talk about in film and in connection to Clinton Street Theater.
Susan’s Move and Theater Involvement
00:00:36
Speaker
Welcome Susan, welcome to Something Rather Than Nothing. Hey Ken, thanks for having me.
00:00:42
Speaker
Yeah, it's a great pleasure and I wanted to start just to jump right into the theater and like
00:00:53
Speaker
the what to do and what's special about Clint Street and just the unique program and what I see of like art outcroppings and art organizing and pulling people together to celebrate deeply loved art. So using that as the locale, tell us a little bit about what you do in the theater.
History and Transformation of Clinton Street Theater
00:01:17
Speaker
Yeah, totally.
00:01:20
Speaker
I got involved with the theater. Well, first off, I moved here from Austin about two and a half years ago. And I was there for over a decade. I worked as a film programmer and at an independent video store. And I moved to Portland specifically because there's nowhere else on the planet that has independently operating century-old theaters, let alone like 12 of them.
00:01:47
Speaker
and i love the pacific northwest and i just ended up writing into the clinton after going there seeing a screen here and i don't know it was a uh a phone poll advertisement kinko's punk style for um the last angel of history and lawnmower man and my thought was like what the hell theater is showing that is like what the what
00:02:08
Speaker
Exactly. And so I immediately went and saw those with, you know, just like a couple other people in the audience and just fell in love with the space. And it's been an independently operating functional theater since 1915.
Rocky Horror Picture Show and Queer Community Impact
00:02:25
Speaker
And it's just
00:02:28
Speaker
wonderful to go through the layers of the history. For a decade it was an XXX theater and there's all these rumors and lores and histories that people have about the
00:02:44
Speaker
you know, wholesome and salacious parts of the theater. Yeah, yeah. So yeah, I wrote in and Aaron Coulter at the time was helping out the former owner as Lonnie Joan Roger, we with programming and just kind of getting stuff together. And I just wrote in saying, Hey, do you need me volunteers? I love the space at the time I was working full time marketing.
00:03:09
Speaker
And yeah, he just hired me on the spot. So I started working nights there. And that's when kind of the transition of the sale happened. And yeah, my main job so far as a new owner is film programming and then like special events. Like we had the Freak Freely Fest last year in August was brought together like two of my favorite zine heads in town and then a bunch of
Art Scenes in Austin vs. Portland
00:03:32
Speaker
bands. So we're able to have music, drag, comedy, in addition to film.
00:03:37
Speaker
I mean, I just I'll tell you straight up why you know, I'm really digging on what you're talking about is that In doing the podcast just thinking about organizing, you know Like my day jobs union organizer and just seeing how my brain tries to connect People and what they love and what they're passionate about right? It's about like some sort of inspiration right if you're around five people
00:04:02
Speaker
who you can have a conversation about a film from 1969 that nobody's heard of, that's thrilling. And I get excited by that kind of potential in organizing, which is really why it's really so cool to chat. What about the Rocky Horror Picture Show and how long that's been playing and the big,
00:04:28
Speaker
longest in the world? Like what's the exact story with that?
00:04:34
Speaker
Yeah, it's been, it's so cool to have that as part of the roster of the legend, you know, that kind of collective queer obsessive community cult experience, having it being centered at the Clinton for 44 years now.
Cultural Vibes and Art Communities
00:04:50
Speaker
Originally in the 70s, it was bought by a similar collective as the current owners and they brought in Rocky and that kind of
00:04:59
Speaker
put lifeblood back in the theater after it being a XXX spot for a decade. It's incredible to see that even though it's been something that's running for so long,
00:05:13
Speaker
There's nothing that beats the enthusiasm of like a queer teenager from some smaller town, you know, an hour away that came in that just gets to be themselves fully and creatively for the first time. Even my like grumpy old, you know, Statler and Waldorf Hart can't get mad at that. And the fact that it's still happening, there's the Clinton Street Cabaret, which is a whole separate organization that's been doing the live shadow cast for decades as well, you know, in different incarnations.
00:05:45
Speaker
It's wonderful to have that as part of our helm. Yeah. I think there's something particular about the places that you mentioned. I just want to mention something. You mentioned Austin and Portland. Now, I haven't been to Austin, but I know a lot of people who live in Austin. And part of it is a strange connection where I also lived in Madison, Wisconsin.
Collective Film Experience in Theaters
00:06:10
Speaker
And for some reason, there was some sort of nexus like that was north and south between Madison and Austin, university towns in a unique state just being diplomatic for once, but just like a very particular type of vibe. And of course, Portland being unto itself.
00:06:31
Speaker
But there's so much energy towards film and art in these type of places. And, um, and I heard in, when you were talking about it, how you just drawn to where is film? Where are these old theaters? Where is the biggest video or movie rental store in the world or the longest running it's, it's here. It's, it's, it's in, it's in Portland. Um,
00:06:59
Speaker
Prior to me moving here, I was shocked because it was all my culture that I love and I didn't know. People dove in this hard. So there's something unique about where you're doing this as well in Portland. What's been your experience going from Austin to Portland for what you're doing?
00:07:29
Speaker
For what I'm doing, it's in Austin, there's like, you have the Austin Film Society, which is really cool. You have formerly, well, the Alamo Drafthouse, but you know, that was more of an independent thing. And then it's been franchised since and they're everywhere now.
00:07:46
Speaker
the Austin Film Festival and the Blue Starlight Drive-In. It used to have two independent video stores running for forever, Isla Video and Vulcan Video. And I worked at Isla Video for a long time and started doing outside programming for them. The cool thing about Austin is that every single bar is also a venue because everyone's a musician. But that also gives you
00:08:16
Speaker
more places to kind of independently screen things, you know, here and there, kind of guerrilla style, which was great. But coming to Portland and just talking to people too that are from here, lived here for a long time, and they're like, yeah, yeah, every neighborhood has its own hundred year old operating theater. What? What, what, what?
00:08:43
Speaker
anything in Austin, since it is in Texas, unfortunately, whoever has the most money wins, historical buildings don't get preserved. It's like
00:08:52
Speaker
Elon Musk and Joe Rogan docking over the city. That's a science fiction horror story, except that it's the news.
Preservation of Cultural Spaces
00:09:02
Speaker
But go ahead. Oh, yeah. Yeah, yeah, yeah. For real, for real. And there's still a lot of friends. I'm going actually next week to visit people that are holding it down. But things like old buildings, especially old art space buildings,
00:09:16
Speaker
don't stand a chance there. And here there's like a fierce preservation of them, which is incredible. Also, it's way too hot there. It's definitely too Texas.
00:09:33
Speaker
It's not sponsored. I'm not sponsored by the Texas, the travel agent, nothing like that. So we're totally cool. I accept the indictment of, you know, the folks I know, they're kind of
00:09:48
Speaker
couple there would end up going there connected to a dynamic that I often saw in Madison with Wisconsin. I've had a lot of experience both in rural and city environments over time, but there's such a distinct experience where if you're in Madison, you're in Austin, you are there and there are particular things that are going to be unique there, which is the draw.
Evolution and Accessibility of Art
00:10:11
Speaker
creates these dynamics of like rural versus city that I think people kind of really antagonize so but Susan we got some like conceptual questions I get a I get a loft a couple of them at you because I am very interested in
00:10:36
Speaker
in what your definition or what you believe art is. What is art? For me, it can be anything from a physical object to an experience. And for film in particular,
00:11:03
Speaker
It's not just seeing the movie, how well it's done, how creatively it's shot, how good the cinematography is. It's going into a space that is for that collective consciousness and sitting into a piece of art with a bunch of other people experiencing it at the same time. And I'm sure that you've heard a song that changed your mood or seen a movie or read a book that
00:11:29
Speaker
change something very significant. Experiencing that with other people, I think is art in itself. And just the connection. I'm very, very passionate about that. I call it the witch web in my head. But just taking this person who has this highly specified weird interest and putting them with this person, you know, making kind of modern salons and bits and pieces,
00:11:54
Speaker
And I think that that smaller community structure is becoming kind of more important as technology progresses so much faster than culture. And I've seen so many people in Portland living their art. Yeah, fully and thoroughly. And I think that that is partially a result of the pandemic is just I think people are realizing that
Connecting People through Art
00:12:20
Speaker
in the large scheme of things, you should really do what makes you happy, you know, and let your, your freaky flag, whatever that may be, fly. And yeah, and being able to be the connector for that or holding the space for that, like the Clinton to either do community events, bring people together are things that are cheap or free.
00:12:44
Speaker
And then the curation of certain films that for whatever reason I'm completely bonkers about. And I think that they're important to be shown or they're rare. That's my art. Yeah, I'm very moved by what you had to say.
00:13:01
Speaker
And I heard in there, too, your description of, like, you can have the individual experience of what any art piece is, whatever that is. And this is also the collective piece. To be honest with you, when I heard that, I was like, oh, yeah, of course, because I think in my head I've always kind of like individualized experience, right? Maybe it's like I'm reading the book and it cracks my head in a particular way, which is me reading the
Passion for Horror Films and Festival Events
00:13:27
Speaker
book. But
00:13:28
Speaker
Talking about the power to collect it when you're around that type of film that says, yeah, this film says, fuck you. I'm going to do like what I want to do. And I'm going to have this type of character and I'm going to clear this up and whatever, whatever the project is that you're going to do that and people go around it and are like,
00:13:49
Speaker
yeah i want to tell you just one one thing is like i've thought about this idea because i'm newer to arts organized as of like doing the podcast or meeting people or me identifying as a artist so this experience is new to me
00:14:06
Speaker
And it's new within the last few years. But I've also done organizing within a pre-existing environment that's K to 12 education that has all these components. And so I'm able to see the experience of what happens do you go in and try to connect and organize around things that are inspiring to people, movies that are like movements, drag shows, poetry readings, whatever it is.
00:14:33
Speaker
And now I'm looking at that and since it's trying to look at like with the podcast and who I'm able to connect with, it's not a terrain that's preset like the other institutions. The art is open and the potential is open. And that's my transformation. So when you're talking about like the organizing component or that collective piece, as important a point is, it still feels newer to me like the, that everybody's experience in the art and, um,
00:15:03
Speaker
making less art less separate in our experience or at least in in my head um isn't that where the power is isn't that like the unlocking of like the people isn't that where it is i think i think it is and i think that you know sometimes when you just mention art people think of a painting on a wall but as corny as it sounds uh for me it's watching a life-changing movie and it's uh
00:15:31
Speaker
with other people, because if you think about it, you're experiencing the same thing. So your heartbeat syncs up, your heart rate goes faster depending on the scene. And that provides a different experience for me, especially the social aspect as well, being able to go out of the film and discuss it with people who have just seen it and then talk about your individual experience collectively.
00:15:55
Speaker
Yeah, I remember that the point that you made around how there's this syncing, the physical syncing, and I remember, I forget which episode, but I was actually talking about opera. I've had a few opera singers to learn about opera in that performance and just some of the voice and the physiological connections that people experience. I want you to key into what has happened to you and celebrate it, then you're like,
00:16:24
Speaker
Wow, I can talk about that I was transformed and felt great sorrow and joy within 10 minutes in an unexpected way and not feel like a weirdo. To me, it's a more authentic religious experience.
00:16:41
Speaker
Here we are. We're talking about everything. We're talking about something. And tell me, I would qualify myself as a deep, deep lover of horror film.
Unique Film Experiences and Director Influence
00:16:56
Speaker
The podcast itself has gotten into some Friday the 13th fan films. And I know there's a horror film festival
00:17:07
Speaker
the Clinton Street Theatre as well. I haven't had like a lot of contact or maybe linked up to like kind of like local regional horror film festivals. What's that about? It's at the end of the month. That sounds super exciting. That's the Oregon Screams Film Festival. They're part of a bigger group that does like the Oregon Documentary Film Festival, the Oregon Comedy Film Festival, and they do all of those at the Clinton.
00:17:36
Speaker
Um, in the past we've had the Guegenau fest, which is like a horror movie competition, 48 hour film fest kind of a thing. Um, yeah, basically, uh, Aaron and I are. We're responsible for most of the programming and we're both huge horror heads. So, uh, yeah, anytime someone comes with. Any kind of horror fest, anything we're usually pretty open to it.
00:18:03
Speaker
I want to record for the record before I ask you the next question. I had the experience of watching a movie which just blew me away as a particular viewer. My experience of the whole thing was horror in the high desert. And I just wanted to mention that.
00:18:29
Speaker
uh... i don't want to say anything more about except that was a very very unique uh... experience uh... documentary uh... so thank you for allowing me to say that out loud uh... susan allow you to say and mention any other things you need to say out loud i wanted to follow up on the what is our question and i no i know you got into this but i i do want to ask it to just more generally is what do you think the role of the art is and and i say
00:18:59
Speaker
now as well if it's changed. What's the role of art and is it different in 2023 as we're talking than it's been before? Yeah, I think it's different in that it's more accessible. As much as I'm kind of a technology curmudgeon, my movie specialty is like pre-95 and back.
00:19:31
Speaker
Yeah, it's more accessible and meaning that like people that don't have a lot of money and aren't just like a white man can
00:19:43
Speaker
get their art out more just because of technology. But that too sucks people in. That quote from David Lynch where he talks about how you're not watching a movie on your fucking phone.
Midwest's Eerie Aura in Film
00:20:00
Speaker
That's it exactly. That's it exactly. Thank you for that, by the way.
00:20:05
Speaker
Huh? Thank you for that, by the way. Oh, it's so good. So good. That and Werner Herzog talking about how chickens are psychotic. They're just like in my head on a loop. Totally lost. I just started thinking about Werner Herzog. No, that's fine. I did the same thing. I gotta tell you, before this interview, I said
00:20:27
Speaker
I know we're gonna have to, and not because it won't work, it's because it does work. There's gonna be a couple points we're gonna have to reset. I was talking in a recent episode, because I was talking about volcanoes a lot, and I saw this obscure, maybe you know, when Herzog went to the volcano that was gonna erupt, there was this island and all the reports were that it was gonna erupt, and he went,
00:20:55
Speaker
is in the 70s, I think is one is early one. And he went into it and then he's just filming the wild dogs. And you're like, is that is that is that fucker going to blow behind him? Yeah, that's one of those things where it's like, I I love him. I appreciate his genius. Did he care about his film crew? No.
00:21:22
Speaker
But that's the thing, too, is great artists aren't generally known as being the most stable.
00:21:30
Speaker
Well, this is a director who openly gave testimony on video about firebombing his lead actor, Klaus Kinski. How about Kinski was a handful? He was a handful, but I don't know. I'm a union guy. I know, I know. You don't get to firebomb anybody. You would not want to work for any of Herzog's.
00:22:01
Speaker
Yeah, and that's a thing even being people that are You know pro-worker both of us were still like yeah, we're in a Herzog rules Yeah, but yeah, what do you do? I mean, it's it's the output you're looking at the output you're you're watching I've always had a strange deep connection to His throw sec verse Herzog's movies throw sec which because I lived in Wisconsin for
00:22:29
Speaker
12 years of my life and being next to Plainfield, Wisconsin, which is the home of Ed Gein, the famous serial killer. This had this like, and of course he has locals, Vertzog had locals in the production of the film. It has this
00:22:49
Speaker
Super eerie 1970s Midwest Creepy
Haunted Theater Stories
00:22:54
Speaker
factor that is just huge and it's such it's such a unique piece of filmmaking particularly if you dabble around the Midwest and some of those folk all do respect love the Midwest but uh That that was quite the film's throw sec. Have you are you familiar with that one?
00:23:11
Speaker
Yeah. Yeah. I am not well traveled in the Midwest myself and mostly a West Coast kid. But, um, no, that's, that's part of a thing is like certain places have, for lack of a better word, like a psychic aura, you know, things that hang. Super, super creepy. I got one more of those for Wisconsin for you before I ask you another philosophical question.
00:23:39
Speaker
I lived in Milwaukee, Wisconsin on the west side of Marquette University campus, which is about five blocks from the killing grounds of Jeffrey Dahmer. And I used to photograph and I have photographs because I'm just so
00:23:58
Speaker
The haunted place, the haunted place, like the apartment building where all that horror happened is knocked down. But looking at that type of place in the fall, old industrial city, weird Milwaukee, Wisconsin. And you can feel a structure that does not exist. That just doesn't, there's nothing there, but there's something. I'm not trying to do a plug for the show. I'm just saying, I was like, we're, we're at Midwestern stuff.
00:24:28
Speaker
It's yeah, yeah, I do. I do think whether it's a placebo or not, certain places hold certain feelings and the Clintons like that. Yeah, like especially when it's dark and no one's there, if you're the only one in the theater, it's like you can almost feel the butts. Tell us. Oh.
00:24:50
Speaker
Oh, you want to hear the ghost secrets? Well, I haven't had as many as I would like. There's been a couple of sightings by a couple of other people, but for me, it's just knowing, knowing that for over 115 years, like butts have been in those seats, having that artistic experience, even if it was just a bunch of dudes whacking off, they were having it together. That's still energy. It's still energy. That's some Crowley and sex magic stuff, you know?
00:25:20
Speaker
Uh, without them even knowing it. Yeah.
00:25:25
Speaker
Well, just the experiences of the theater. I thought of that. I thought of that right when you were talking about right there about like whatever it is, like whether it's sexual or otherwise, like the intense experiences in an area. And plus the, I don't know, you probably agree kind of like that spectral aspect of like film and there are people there, but they're not real people, but they're near us as well. And they're doing things that,
00:25:55
Speaker
as soon as like haunted territory, a haunted world, particularly over a hundred years. Exactly. And even, you know, thinking of, of people, people on the screen as ghosts, they're still humans that affect you emotionally. They change you by witnessing them, even if they're not there.
Historic Film Memorabilia and Community Impact
00:26:12
Speaker
And I think that that just adds to the beautiful aura that the theater has. There's certain things too, where you can go, um,
00:26:22
Speaker
in a back corner, you can see where in the late 20s, the screen was curved for sound, just like every other century theater and up in the back corner, there's a tiny bit of Art Deco stenciling remaining. And things like cleaning out the stage. Finally, we've been doing a lot of just
00:26:42
Speaker
refurbishing of the theater, you know, like helping structure bones a little better, finding a whole bunch of hand-painted film advertisements that Muriel from Church of Film did research on, these huge painted banners for like Kurosawa movies. They had traveled from a hand painter in Washington and Seattle. They went to a theater up there that Dennis and I, back the programmer, used to operate, traveled down to the Clinton when he owned it in the late 90s.
00:27:11
Speaker
and were shoved in the walls. Whoa. Yeah. So it's just an endless, an endless adventure, you know? And the theater has affected so many different people. And Dennis Nybeck being an owner in the late 90s, he's a legendary archivist and programmer, especially for 16 millimeter things. He passed away recently. We had a memorial for him there.
00:27:40
Speaker
But I know that he's had a huge effect on a lot of my film programming and archiving friends now. And just being able to trace that path through time, through people that are now in Austin, probably Wisconsin, New York, Seattle, different independent
Archiving and Zine Creation
00:27:57
Speaker
theaters. It's a really cool web. I see that too. And I thank you for mentioning that. And it's kind of like timely chatting about and thinking about connections in that web, because I think when you're
00:28:11
Speaker
Sensitive to to our and what it can do for people you like I mean I know I can palpably feel Excited when I know two people have connected in a place that I know how and why they should have connected even if though it's like might seem just a Passé event in the midst of everything that happens. I know that There's a magic point there or like that. There's like oh
00:28:36
Speaker
something's might happen like out of that not in the sense of manipulation but a sense of organization in placing people towards like a creative spirit and you like to tap into that like that type of energy so um and uh i uh how how big is the clinton street uh theater how
00:29:03
Speaker
Uh, it is a perfect 222 seats, single screen. Um, it occupies a building on that corner. The whole block is like a movie set, really. It feels like walking onto a Paramount lot. Um, things have been different things throughout the years, but the Clintons always kind of been there and witnessed it, seeing all the changes and.
00:29:32
Speaker
We've had people come in for memorials, you know, octogenarians who were like, oh, last time I was here was in 1952, you know, and that is amazing to hear. That's something we want to start as the Clinton Street archives. I would love to get stories from people, photographs throughout the years and maybe collect them and put out like a monthly zine just so people can, you know, kind of see the history for themselves.
Zines in Art Communities
00:29:57
Speaker
I love I've been talking a bit about zines on the on the show and a little bit more kind of like zine makers and Comic book folks and the podcast has a zine actually has one issue as a second one coming out but really dropping into Another vibrant art area that people who know about it get jazzed about it's like super exciting to Have cool
00:30:26
Speaker
mostly cheap stuff and be able to trade amongst each other. No matter what your age, no matter what your inclination, it's a lot of fun. So I want to see the zines because I almost if I can try to get any scene that I could get my hands on, that would be lovely. The second issue of the podcast scene is going to be all indigenous issue. So issue number two. So that's right. I'll look out for it. Yeah, I'll get you.
00:30:56
Speaker
I'll definitely place a copy in your hands. Yeah. And that's the beauty too, is having that gathering place. Like for the Freak Freely Fest back in August, that is Mara and Corby who do zines called Little Obsessions and Totally Different Head, which are all about weird art, music, that kind of a thing. Bringing them in, brought in other music people. I know Aaron Coulter, he used to
00:31:24
Speaker
be involved in music stuff and comic stuff.
Community Events and Artistic Unity
00:31:28
Speaker
It's just, it's like a beautiful cauldron to be able to put everybody's weird little interests in.
00:31:35
Speaker
Yeah, I um, I was just said um, I gotta tell you about this I got another question or question for you in just a moment, but uh, i'm in uh, albany i'm down in albany just not too far from up in portland. So um And there's a comic con here small comic con it's called hub city comic con
00:31:56
Speaker
And I'm wearing a shirt and it's called Sicktown. It's the Rola Derby team that I did not know about from Corvallis in Albany and they're forming and putting together their league team. So I was so excited that I got my Sicktown jersey and now know there is Rola Derby very close to where I am right now. And that has made my world a lot better than it was before that meeting. Hey, you know,
00:32:25
Speaker
It's a little thing. I'm so excited. Susan, I wanted to ask you one of the questions I sometimes ask it at the beginning has to do with seeing yourself as an artist and living that way. When did you see yourself as an artist?
Artistic Identity and Community Engagement
00:32:52
Speaker
It's hard for me to call myself
00:32:56
Speaker
You know, an artist in the respect, you know, that I produce a physical object for me, it's, it's being able to live my passion, which has always been movies since, as long as I can remember, I was very latchkey kid with no restrictions. So, and I lived near a video store, rut row.
00:33:19
Speaker
I know, I know that combined with like an Oingo Boingo, Oingo Boingo mix tape and Nick at night basically formed my brain at the age of like nine. And it's been that way ever since. Being able to have a place where I can foster my specific weirdness and then share it with others and connect those people. That to me is the craziest thing.
00:33:47
Speaker
And when I got to become a co-owner, you know, when the sale happened, I'm still looking for tiny pianos to fall out of the sky and hit me, because I'm pretty sure in my ninth grade yearbook, when it says like, Oh, what's your, what's your future goal? I've mentioned something about Howard Hughes living in an old theater and collecting piss. So it's been a focus for a minute. Yeah. And it's somewhere in that range, right? Yeah.
00:34:12
Speaker
Exactly, exactly.
Organizing Around Art
00:34:14
Speaker
And one thing throughout my life that I've always consistently just cared about, been obsessed about, excited about, like it brings pure enthusiasm in a relatively harsh gnarly world has always been this. And yeah, I think that being able to do that as
00:34:36
Speaker
as part of the Clinton is just being able to live my art consistently, being able to program things like, you know, John Waters and film noir and being able to show folk horror that hasn't been seen and then being able to show weird shit once in a while that has a two person attendance that I think is really important. That
00:34:58
Speaker
I think that my probably deep enthusiasm. I had the weirdest movie experience I had, which thrills me to this day. I'm glad it happened to me, as strange as it was. But I was at the Portland Art Museum, and I think it's the Whitsill Auditorium, the film screen that they have there at the Art Museum. And it was a Czech film festival, and I like
00:35:25
Speaker
I've watched a lot of Czech film and I'm kind of fascinated by it by the culture and I'm watching a bunch of Czech film different experience, right? One's a comedy one's this and there's this as a drama, you know, and it featured this woman who's the the star and
00:35:47
Speaker
you know, highly charismatic, attractive lead, like lead, you know, like really the star of it. And I looked in front of me in the scene in front of me, it was the actress from the gesture was from Prague in the end, who was up there. And my head like exploded. Like for me, it was gleeful and like, but I'm like,
00:36:11
Speaker
like where things come in, you can't compute. It's like if we saw a UFO outside, most of us wouldn't see it because it doesn't fit into the.
Art’s Transformative Power
00:36:19
Speaker
It shouldn't have happened, so our brain erases it. But I was looking and I was like, wow, there is such a I never been able to describe it, but it was just really cool because, you know, in New York City and in Hollywood, I imagine run to stars all the time. I'm just in a basement theater in Portland. I'm like, that's her right in front of me in the flesh. That type of magic is
00:36:41
Speaker
I don't know. I remember it to this day. Yeah. Yeah. And that, that, that could only happen in Portland. Um, there's just, there's so much, so much passion for enough weird things that I think it's, uh, it's kind of self sustaining and self fulfilling because people, if people have places to go to find each other, things happen. Yeah. Yeah.
00:37:11
Speaker
And yeah, I was able to do a private, just like a little private kind of anger night screening the other night with one of my friends who, you know, is such a passion for them.
00:37:22
Speaker
Being able to see something on the big screen too is a whole different experience. It's like the art boot on your chest where you just sink into it. Yeah. I sink into all different things. I did sink into the recent Scream 6 movie because just schlep it up on the screen for me. Give me the 3D glasses. I'm down. Whatever. That's just me. That's just me. Boom. I'm in the seat. I'm doing the thing.
00:37:52
Speaker
Uh, that was, that was a lot of fun, but I wanted to, um, I wanted to ask you, uh, Susan, um, about the digging a little bit more on the, on the art, uh, piece and, you know, seeing yourself, uh, as an artist, I was talking to, um, Ricardo Levens Morales on the show one time and he schooled me and it was kind of the language I was using about.
Expansive Nature of Art
00:38:17
Speaker
labor and trying to organize that way and then art being as some sort of like dichotomy or something different or something. And he's like, you know, really pulling me back into the heart and the center of it, whether it's labor,
00:38:32
Speaker
or protecting rights to access to abortion, or it's any of these type of things that people, it's the art, it's the visuals. When I've been in conflict, or my teachers that I represent have been in conflict, they draw like motherfuckers all of a sudden. They have the best teacher-y postcards, poster boards that insult, but are not too mean, but get under your skin, and the art
00:39:02
Speaker
in the heart, in the organizing, it's all in that activity. And I feel that like in what you're talking about and like connecting to the arts, I feel sometimes it's kind of tough to get your hand on the art of that organizing or to talk about, and for me, that's, that's the heart of it. So I see you as a deep creative in your description of just how you pulled the program and pulled the people together. That's how I would perceive what you're saying.
00:39:33
Speaker
And I got that lesson from him of just being, Ken, don't talk about art as like some freaking, something separate from the whole thing. What do you think about all that? I rambled a bit. No, no, no, I, I agree. Um, and that's, that's really the thing too. You do think about it separately, uh, initially, but the whole point of any work of art, I think is you're trying to,
00:40:00
Speaker
make or change the way either yourself or someone else feels or both. And that for me, I've had experiences that were curated by people. I've been to parties, had conversations with people that were so, so much more just impressive upon me, like intellectually and emotionally.
00:40:29
Speaker
than any piece of physical visual arts really got me. And I think that ultimately when you boil everything down, the person viewing the art or making the art or living the art is trying to change or shape or impress a feeling. And so I fully, fully agree with that statement. I think that
00:41:01
Speaker
Objects of art inspire that feeling, but that's ultimately what the quest is, no matter what the medium is. Whether you're connecting people, you're a painter, you're a filmmaker, a musician. Yeah.
00:41:16
Speaker
I love that. I, well, and on the show too, like I've had over 180 episodes in, in, in talking about it. Like I talk about some of my experience in those conversations and like early on, you know, it's art and philosophy, but then I realized that. Like the categories did just, it just, they don't work.
Dynamic Events and Community Bonding
00:41:35
Speaker
They don't, they're not useful to attach to because I would encounter female first that I wanted to tell the story about like them being an incredible runner or
00:41:45
Speaker
or displaying an issue like right on their body to bring awareness to it or like whatever it was. And I found that the idea of it being so much more expansive and thinking about it expansively because the category is just kind of like
00:42:01
Speaker
and lay, you know, kind of like just narrow it down. It can be very difficult to describe what you're doing or when you're organizing around, like, what is it that you do? Well, I can tell you about what I do and there's a lot of it and I'm really good at it and it's going down and things are happening. But how do I explain that to you? Because I could see your faces already get a little bit glazed over. Uh, well, you know, I could talk, I could talk your face off about the things that I'm interested. It's mostly like, um,
00:42:30
Speaker
sci-fi, horror, Golden Age Hollywood, exploitation, things like that forever and ever. But a lot of people have that knowledge and that access. But for me, each film that's curated is, for a specific purpose, a reason, a feeling.
00:42:55
Speaker
doing Pagan May as the spring hits. You know, it's a matter of like bringing people back to earth. But also for me, because I love Blood and Guts, a reason to do a little bit of spring horror. Hmm.
00:43:16
Speaker
Let's see. What happens during what happens? Tell me, like, dig down on that. Like, so I'm on the outside, right? I haven't been there. The pagan may. And you talk about like that event. And I would assume there's these these energies and this art experience, like what not like what? Like what happens? What's the vibe? That is great. One of the things that I'm really excited to
00:43:43
Speaker
be making a May tradition is showing the original Wicker Man with Christopher Lee, which that movie is one of those movies when seeing with other people on the big screen is epic, more epic than Gone with the Wind could ever be. It's- Okay, you saw me. You saw me, yes. And Christopher Lee in a turtleneck and that crazy hair just yelling to the Japanese cult immediately, I don't care who you are, and you see Brit Eklund's butt. So good.
00:44:14
Speaker
And that were, you know, I like to add a little William Castle flair where I can, he's my like fake pretend dad and definite idol. Like the first movie we showed in January was, which I think is the most joyful movie, UHF, Weird Al's UHF. Yeah, yeah. Spirit of our times. I love it.
00:44:39
Speaker
And as part of that, I had people come up on stage and eat Twinkie Wiener sandwiches, which are disgusting. But a little kid came up, and then his dad came out later and said that his shy little kid, that was the first time he'd ever gone in front of anybody for anything, usually a hide behind the coattails kid. And he slammed a Twinkie Wiener dog and said, I love weirdo! Yes.
00:45:07
Speaker
And that that was magic. That's like jumping across and over a mountain. Exactly. That's the spirit of Mr. Weird Al Yankovic pulling that little kid out to just rage and party. See, I almost broke a lamp. Yeah. And things like that, it being a collective experience like, yeah, you can watch UHF on an iPad, but that shit's not going to
Philosophical Reflections on Existence
00:45:31
Speaker
happen. Yeah.
00:45:33
Speaker
I love that. I love that. I love to bring into you where I can. I love a little bit of a gimmick if the movie is still good. Yeah, yeah, absolutely. I, um, I have to say, uh, cause I gotta make sure I get to this, to this question. And, uh, and Susan tomorrow knows I've been desperately seeking Susan to answer the question.
00:45:59
Speaker
Why is there something rather than nothing? So I do have to ask you that and I need your answer. Oh. Well, there's something rather than nothing because nothing is the inevitable. It's the inevitable option that we'll all get to in the end. And we only have, you know, a small amount of life bucks, let's say a hundred if you're lucky.
00:46:27
Speaker
And you, you know, don't have any fun. And that hundred years of life bucks is for the something. We're all going to go to the nothing, but the something for me is the time to have fun. Yeah. I really, I really, I really, I really dig that. I, uh,
00:46:50
Speaker
I would say my personal response to when the pandemic stuff started hit, I'm like, we're all gonna die. I need to do something with my life.
Theater’s Community Impact and Gratitude
00:46:59
Speaker
That's what I was like. I moved to Portland five months into it and bing, bing, bong, if I don't get hit with a piano. Yeah. Sitting pretty, you know, in my art, which is the best I can ask for.
00:47:16
Speaker
Hey, it's all going to open up as we're doing this interview. I know the sun is shining through. You know, you might listen to this podcast anytime, but I want to express the general spirit that the sun out in March in Oregon and in the 60s Fahrenheit is a very inspirational idea.
00:47:38
Speaker
And I was looking, Susan, at just the programming calendar more closely when you look at calendars more closely and just seeing all the incredible art and opportunities to Clinton Street Theater. And I do want to say outside of just getting the description of the place is that I just really want to thank everybody involved with this because the things we're talking about,
00:48:08
Speaker
Very important and they can be important to a certain number of people a lot or a few But what I think people don't realize or I'm sensitive to is that people need things they need they need like certain type of experiences and You know when they're hosted and shown without there having to be you know 175 percent profit for this 95 minutes is
00:48:38
Speaker
like where some of it can happen. So I know that's the major place, you know, where where the theater lives. And yeah. And because just by its nature, Clinton's never going to make anybody rich nor should it. And that means that everyone involved is there for the pure enthusiasm of it.
00:49:03
Speaker
And there's a lot. I can go a lot of places. I'm learning and talking to folks and talking to artists. So yeah, the sun is out. Clinton Street Theatre is dope as hell, strong, so many events. And I've been talking to Susan tomorrow. I got to tell you, it's a real blast to be able to meet you and be able to connect on what you're doing and being able to talk about it on the show.
00:49:33
Speaker
got a lot of new listeners and I'm not shying away from any aspect of spreading what we just talked about and like art and like, let's go, let's do it, let's spread the message. So it's just so nice to connect with you, Susan. Well, I gotta come see a movie.
00:49:54
Speaker
I'm gonna, as a matter of fact, you said Harlan County USA, I think is as we're recording today. You should tell me, since we're still on, what time is that showing today? Harlan County USA is showing today. Let me double check, I believe 3.30. It's a free screening. And I think that we have a full up RSVP list, but there's always wiggle room.
00:50:21
Speaker
Wow, I have, wow, that is so wild and free too. I love that film. I got the DVD copy either in the union hall or on the shelves I'm looking for over here. Yeah, I adore that one. Very, that one changed me. There's a few that changed me within labor. I'm studying labor, master's degree at the university of Massachusetts.
00:50:50
Speaker
deep dive into labor film. That one's got it. Harlan County is a good one. Aaron's really passionate about that too. And, um, luckily because we do some larger events, uh, and private rentals, we're able to do the occasional like free screening. Um, and also, you know, show a movie once in a while that it doesn't matter if people come, it just needs to get shown, which is important to everyone.
00:51:20
Speaker
Yep. Yep, that doesn't have to be explained. That's awesome. This is something rather than nothing.