NoirCon PostMortem

I'll have a lengthier post to come about my NoirCon experiences, but I wanted to make sure to post this quote from Don Siegel: Director I happened to have with me on the weekend. I think it speaks to many of the issues that were brought up, including the "noir brain," the explosion of noir after WWII, noir/evil and reality, as well as the book's author, Stuart Kaminsky. This quote comes from actor Neville Brand, possibly best known as Al Capone on the first TV version of The Untouchables, who worked with Siegel on RIOT IN CELL BLOCK 11. He also happened to be, at the time of publishing (1974), the fourth most-decorated soldier in US history.

"Don is like Peckinpah. They both dig violence and are two of the least violent guys I've ever met. It takes that kind of guy to understand violence. The violent guy doesn't understand. A man who has killer instinct in him, who has killed a lot of people - I killed a lot of people in the war - doesn't understand. I've worked all my life to channel the violence in me, to keep me out of the penitentiaries, for God's sake. They pinned medals on me for it during the war and since then I've had to channel it. Acting is the perfect channel for me..."

Going Dark

Next week I will be attending and participating in the NoirCon event in Philadelphia, as well as the Association of Moving Image Archivists (AMIA) conference in the same city at the same time. Let me tell you, attending two conferences at the same time is hard. I've got 6 days straight booked with things to do. As such, I've decided to leave the laptop at home (less pressure to actually use it) and I'll let you know all about it when I get back. Hopefully this doesn't mean I won't have content for you. I'll have some WEEKEND TV set up for you, and I hope to have a big announcement stretched over the entire week I'm gone. So stay tuned noir fans, and for a preview of NoirCon, make sure to check out the blog at noircon.info.

David Goodis and Me

If you can't wait for my conversation with Larry Withers at NoirCon on Thursday, November 4, Lou Boxer has posted a preview interview with Larry about his film DAVID GOODIS...TO A PULP. Find that interview here.

NoirCon and Me

Well, I'm new to this sort of self-promotion thing and I don't know what kind of timetable you all keep, but I thought it appropriate one month out to tell you that I will be appearing at NoirCon in Philadelphia this year, which runs November 4-November 7 at the Society Hill Playhouse. I will be talking with filmmaker Larry Withers about his new film DAVID GOODIS...TO A PULP, which opens up the conference on Thursday night at 7:00 pm. The event is open to the public for a $10 donation, and you can mingle with the NoirCon attendees for the night.

Lou Boxer, the event's organizer has re-posted the schedule for the 4 days. I was going to point out some highlights, but they're all highlights, and you should check out the schedule for yourself. George Pelecanos is receiving the Goodis Award and Johnny Temple of Akashic Books is receiving the award for Excellence in Publishing. It promises to be a grand weekend, and I encourage you all to show up. Registration is here.

For an idea of what's in store on Thursday night, here is the trailer for DAVID GOODIS...TO A PULP.