Gay of the Day: James Taylor

I sweat Jimmy pretty hard so I've already talked about him a bunch on the ol' blog (and posted his latest video a few days ago). How he's a genius, how his band/performance under the moniker "Hundreds of Dismembered Handbags" rules.

But indulge me for a few minutes more, cause heres the really real deal: Jimmy is an authentic human being and as such is a gift from the universe. Next to my brother Matty, he's my favorite ginger haired tosser with a heart of gold. I love him and I'm so grateful for his existence. Now you can know why...

how do you know the weasel?
Through Tucker. We became friends when we all lived in Portland.

where did you grow up and where do you live now?
Anchorage, AK. Now I live in San Francisco, CA

where/what did you study(college)?
English was my degree at Reed. But I was a theory geek. Big time. Lacan, Deleuze, Baudrillard, and many other post-structuralist took over my life.

I also took film classes at City College, which totally changed my life in so many ways that it's futile to try to talk about it here. Take intro film production at City right now! Okay?

what do you do for $$$?
I work at a record store. I need to get a new job!

what do you do for art?
I do performance art (but not stupid) that is narrative. I make movies too and do a lot of video
stuff. It's all narrative: I fuck around with the structure though. Basically I am interested in people that aren't considered desirable by our society and all their secrets they never get to share. But in my world, they make their private world public. It's all very confessional. AND they are working customer service jobs. Uh, I'm not feeling articulate today...

what do you make for lunch?
Beans and rice is the usual. But now I'm making your sandwich, only slightly modified. Hummus, spinach, tofurkey, cucumbers, and a cup of dehydrated split pea soup.

who are your biggest influences?
AH. I have too many! Artistically, I like later Ingmar Bergman, like "The Hour of the Wolf" and "The Passion of Anna." I also like Godard after he left the film industry: I guess I like a lot of Euro 70s radical art films. But I also love Classic Hollywood films. You know what movie rules that I saw last week? Lubitsch's "To Be or Not To Be." Watch that movie!

A year ago, I finally realized what album was most important to me and was indeed my favorite. It's EVOL by Sonic Youth! It feels so good to be able to just put your foot down and say this is my favorite of all time. Bam. That's it!

what inspires you?
People's faces. Sometimes I go for weeks without seeing an interesting face, but when I do, I can almost write a complete script.

what do you like about performance?
When it's over, and I'm at home relaxing.

about film?
It's a bunch of records of things that really happened and it lasts forever. (I realized how magical this quality is after Tucker died.) I also like that I can share it with people all over the world, and now with youtube and DVDs, it's not as elitist. I can just set up my camera in my room, and then the whole world can see what it's like to be me. Isn't that fucking amazing!

where do you see yourself in 10 years?
With health insurance. Living in a cabin in Alaska. Making movies. Watching movies.

what would you do if you were fully funded, like by God (he's got deep pockets)?
Well, my biggest dream is too shoot a feature in black and white 35mm. It would be shot in Anchorage and be about a gay vampire that works at the Arctic Road Runner (it's super rad burger joint, but I think they're really religious!). It would totally reference Universal horror movies from the 30s, and the lighting would be as good as any Dreyer film, let me tell you!

If I had a lot of money, I would do something political too. Like evict all the white yuppie people from SF and have the people that were displaced interview them as they pack up their shit.

is it important that people understand your work or interpret it as you intended?
No. Once I open my mouth, it's not really mine anymore. (But I also don't like those artist who won't say anything about their work!!) I do have a point I'm trying to argue with every piece, but I'm not master of the fucking universe.

Thanks for interviewing me Mel! I feel so much more focused!

You can learn more about the bay area's beloved James Taylor at: http://www.myspace.com/100sofdismemberedhandbags