Risen Magazine

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vol 3 • iss 3 – may - june 06

Purcell

Blaine Fontana Bob Stevens Tristan Prettyman Eddie Steeples Joshua Radin

Kat Dennings Criss Angel

Discovering Bettie Page

Dominic

Features 22: Dominic Purcell

:: The Strong and (not so) Silent Type

Prison Break’s Dominic Purcell is more conviction than convict when it comes to his philosophy on acting and the fleetingness of fame.

28: Tristan Prettyman

:: Sea Notes

This generation’s Gidget, surfing songstress Tristan Prettyman invites you into the sun-drenched good life with her love-laced lyrics.

32: Criss Angel

:: Passionate Illusion

Illusionist Criss Angel redefines the art of magic and mysticism by taking the dark and making it afraid of him.

40: Dr. Edith Eger

:: The Cherished Wound

Holocaust survivor Dr. Edith Eger speaks about dancing for Dr. Mengele and how no amount of torture could ever rob her of the treasures kept in her mind and heart.

46: Eddie Steeples The Future

:: Tapping Into

They say everything’s bigger in Texas, where, in a little town called Spring, a kid named Eddie had a vision beyond his backyard that reached all the way to Hollywood.

:: With A Little Help From His Friends

50: Joshua Radin

Singing from his bedroom to your living room wasn’t easy, but old friends like Zach Braff made it happen and indie musician Joshua Radin couldn’t be happier.

54: Kat Dennings ::The Revenge of Being Almost Famous

The cantankerous daughter from The 40 Year Old Virgin talks proudly about being who she is—not the cool kid conforming to non-conformity in distressed $400 jeans.

Departments EXPRESSIONS 60: Blaine Fontana :: Man of roots

The wonderland that is the imagination of artist Blaine Fontana stands before you, and five minutes is all you’re getting. You’ll have to use your own imagination for the rest.

66: Bob Stevens ::

A Thousand Words Paint a Picture Einstein said curiosity has its own reason for existing. One might argue it exists so that photographers like Bob Stevens can take its picture, over and over again.

SCREEN 72: DVD Reviews

Jeffrey Overstreet recommends some of the movies that you may have overlooked and shouldn’t have.

SOUND 74: CD Reviews

RISEN lays out the low-down on a stack of new musical offerings.

76: UP TO SPEED

Those who have been featured in RISEN are on the move. Find out where they are headed.

79: END NOTE

Bettie Page: Simply Bettie

10 :RISEN MAGAZINE

may/june Contributors EDITORIAL EDITOR-IN-CHIEF :: Steve Beard MANAGING EDITOR :: Regina Goodman FOUNDING EDITOR :: Chris Ahrens CULTURE EDITOR :: Tyler Shields COPY EDITOR :: Dane Wilkins

7

CONTRIBUTING WRITERS :: Bob Massey, Jeffrey Overstreet, Owen Leimbach, Scott Schulte, Jared Cohen, Jesse Duquette, Thaddeus Christian, Fayola Shakes

ART

1

4

ART DIRECTOR :: Rob Springer PHOTO EDITOR :: Bob Stevens

8

CONTRIBUTING PHOTOGRAPHERS :: Aaron Chang, Clay Patrick McBride, Rene Velasco, Bil Zelman, Eugenie Jolivett PHOTO STAFF :: David Choo, Cameron Nelson, Gexcel ILLUSTRATION :: Zela

FASHION

2

FASHION EDITOR :: Mona Van Cleve

5

CONTRIBUTING STYLISTS :: Derek Van Cleve, Malia Miyashiro, Carey Hendricks

9

RISEN Magazine is a subsidiary of RISEN Media, LLC. The views expressed by the subjects interviewed in RISEN Magazine are not necessarily those shared by the staff or publishers of RISEN Media, LLC.

3 1 Jessie Duquette - Writer CD Reviews (page 74) Jessie Duquette is a freelance writing fledgling who still gets nauseous every time she sees her name in print.

2 Thaddeus Christian - Writer CD Reviews (page 74) Musical physicist. Literary biologist. Asphalt deviant.

Wilderness philosopher. Freelance writer. Also temping as a high seas pirate.

3 Scott Schulte - Writer Criss Angel (page 32) Scott Schulte has interviewed some of today's biggest names including Michael Jordan, Derek Jeter and Garth Brooks. A native of Milford, Connecticut, Schulte and his two sons (16 and 11) reside in Bountiful, Utah.

4 Bil Zelman - Photographer Tristan Prettyman (page 28) Photographer Bil Zelman loves shooting rockstars and commercials, drinking coffee, smoking good cigars, and living with his wife Megan and two dogs in Southern California.

PUBLISHER :: Michael Sherman ASSOCIATE PUBLISHER :: Dan Alpern ACCOUNTING :: Cynthia Beth CIRCULATION:: Helen Warmath

6 5 Owen Leimbach - Writer Blaine Fontana (page 60) I hope you enjoy seeing and reading about Blaine Fontana's work. I think it has the cure for what ails a bored mind.

10 8 Fayola Shakes - Writer CD Reviews (page 74) My Dad is a self-taught pianist and guitarist. May I inherit half his talent. Meanwhile, I write.

Visit my blog at: http://myimmortallife.blogs.com

6 Bob Massey - Writer Joshua Radin (page 50)

9 Rene Velasco - Photographer Kat Dennings (page 54)

Scientists have pulled the bones of thousands of sabre-toothed tigers from the La Brea tar pits.

Tigers understood other predators, but they had no conception of tar. Or the internet.

The modern music industry has long teeth and a nice, tawny pelt.

From Dia del los Muertos to Red Carpet events.

Contributing photographer Rene Velasco has had his share of personalities in front of his lens, and found Kat Dennings to be a wonderful person.

And keep your eyes open for his further adventures in Los Angeles.

7 Aaron Chang - Photographer Dr. Edith Eger (page 40) Meeting Edith Eger was a remarkable encounter. To hear her story and be in her presence is to be changed. Her energy and passion for life and compassion towards humanity is both an inspiration and a challenge. I loved the experience.

10 Jared Cohen - Writer CD Reviews (page 74) I'm young and naïve, and I think music can save the world. In my spare time, I make an awful lot of music over at www.conceptbravery.com

All interviews are recorded live and exclusively for use

by RISEN Magazine. Interviews remain the sole property of RISEN Media, LLC. All rights reserved. No part of the contents of this magazine may be reproduced without the written consent of RISEN Media, LLC. PRINTED :: USA SUBSCRIPTIONS :: 858.481.5650 - risenmagazine.com $19.99 for a 1 year subscription (6 Issues) • $29.99 for a 2 year subscription. Canada and outside of the US pay $25.99 for a 1 year subscription • $41.99 for a 2 year subscription. Payment must be sent with order. Send all orders to Attn: Subscription Department. For faster service please inquire about credit card payment.

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RISEN is published 6 times a year by RISEN Media, 11772 Sorrento Valley Rd., Suite 257 San Diego CA 92121.

Periodical pending at San Diego CA and additional mailing offices.

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RISEN Media, LLC 11772 Sorrento Valley Rd., Suite 257 San Diego, CA 92121 Tel. 858.481.5650 • Fax: 858.481.5660 info@risenmagazine.com Copyright © 2005 “RISEN” is a Trademark of RISEN Media, LLC. All Rights Reserved.

Cover Dominic Purcell: Tyler Sields Cover Kat Dennings: Rene Velasco

14 :RISEN MAGAZINE

ATTICUSCLOTHING.COM

may/june:Letter From The Editor

There is one billboard in Las Vegas that sticks out from the gamut of ads for spectacular magicians, salacious strip clubs, and spacious casinos. It shows the torso of a Buddha and reads: “Spiritual Dining, Religious Nightlife.” Needless to say, the billboard looks out of place despite the fact that Vegas is home to no fewer than 600 churches. But that may mean good business for the creators of Tao Asian Bistro and Nightclub—located in the center of the Venetian Hotel and Casino—who have staked their claim to Zen, great tempura, and hip-swaying dance music.

Their promo blurb states: “Guests are transported from the City of Sin to the Pacific Rim with lush velvets and silks, waterfalls and century old woods and stones, and a hand-carved 20foot-tall Buddha floating peacefully above an infinity pool complete with Japanese koi.” Not a bad description. Nor is it inaccurate. The circular entranceway is lined with bathtubs filled with rose petals and floating candles—ultra Feng Shui.

Following up on their success in New York, Tao specializes in Hong Kong Chinese, Japanese and Thai cuisines. After dining on “Buddha’s Harmonized Vegetable Feast for the Minor Gods” and grilled Kobe steak ($150—definitely not wallet Zen), you can get your groove on at the ultra-sleek, celebrity-magnet nightclub festooned with Asian artifacts ($30 cover).

The designers left no stone unturned in their oriental garden when they planned their restaurant, letting one detail ripple into another. Tao means “the way” and in Chinese culture denotes an attempt to find one’s place or way in the universe.

As for the restaurant’s message, the menu states: “Tao has no rules. Be creative, live long, be happy, and follow your own path.” The religious lingo continues over at the nightclub where Wednesday nights are called “Sutra” (Buddhist scripture narrative) and Thursday nights are called “Worship.” Both evenings are guided by the gyrations of go-go dancers and the chestthumping beats of DJs—definitely a different idea of worship than what I learned in Sunday school.

Those who have spent time in Las Vegas will understand the allure of tranquility, peace, and a 16 :RISEN MAGAZINE

sense of being tethered to something solid. Walk into any building in Vegas and you’ll think you’ve stumbled into a giant pachinko machine—Ding, Ding, Ding. Walk down the strip and you’ll feel lost in the vastness of flashing neon lights.

The creators of Tao are attempting to tap into our desire to bring significance and meaning to the common activities of our days; to help us find solace amidst chaos. Although their marketing scheme is more likely shaped by Madison Avenue than Siddhartha Gautama, they understand that we have an innate compulsion to live a life that is more substantial than three visits a day to a drivethru window.

We need meaningful interaction with our steamed rice. We want our meals to be filled with something more than exotic tastes. We desire witty banter, companionship, and lots of laughter. We crave to connect at a significant level with friends and to taste life.

In some ways, the same could be said of our quest at RISEN. In the midst of the big questions and the hot photos, we have always strived to be a magazine that offered something unique and different—something like “spiritual dining,” a buffet with soul.

We have never been shy about our questions regarding faith, hate, love, and what lurks beyond death. These are the issues that interest us and animate our vision. We love the actors, musicians, filmmakers, artists, photographers, and athletes who help us interpret life through their unique perspectives. We watch their movies, look at their photos, listen to their songs, and cheer their accomplishments. On occasion, we look to them to lift our spirits when we are down. Sometimes, they’re our comfort food.

Back in Vegas, the other place that offers spiritual dining is across town at the House of Blues in Mandalay Bay—my kind of joint. There is an intriguing heaven/hell, angel/demon, good/evil vibe that runs through their extensive collection of Southern folk art, and through their merchandise (T-shirt slogans such as “On a mission from God,” “Serving your soul since 1992,” etc.).

On Sunday mornings, it hosts a Gospel

Brunch that “nourishes the body and soul.”

Attracted by performers such as the Reverend Al Green, the Blind Boys of Alabama, the Zion Harmonizers, and Gentlemen for Christ, guests feast on biscuits and gravy, southern fried chicken, and shrimp jambalaya before they start whooping it up and waving their hankies.

I’ve grown to love the concept of spiritual dining. After all, Abraham entertained angels over dinner. Moses and some of his friends ate and drank while they met with God on a mountain.

Jesus multiplied fishes and loaves. We gather around food for Passover, potluck suppers, Thanksgiving spreads, Christmas dinner, and communion.

Food has the power to put our minds at ease in the worst of times. In the RISEN interview with Holocaust survivor Dr. Edith Eger, she is asked if she thought about food a lot while she was in Auschwitz. “All we talked about was food; cooking seven-layer chocolate cakes and we were salivating, salivating, salivating,” she replied.

We should not be surprised to read that she was thinking about seven-layer chocolate cake in the midst of one of the most horrific crimes against humanity. After all, do you hear those contestants on Survivor who rhapsodize about eating an Oreo cookie? They can’t help it. Breaking bread and drinking from the cup triggers hope for another day. As they would say at the Gospel Brunch, “Praise the Lord and pass the biscuits.”

photo: Kenny Wilson

Soul Food

Steve Beard Editor in Chief

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may/june:Letters To The Editor

Today was the first time that I ever read RISEN. I’m a fan of music and movies, so I totally love RISEN! The issue I read is the one with will.i.am radiating the cover. I gotta admit that the article I favor the most is the one Owen Leimbach did on Danny Trejo. I love Danny’s honesty! He also does the name of Danny great justice. My father has been in jail. After reading Danny’s article, I realized I learned an amazing life lesson from my father, which is the same message I got from reading about Mr. Trejo—don’t ever do drugs or use alcohol.

Thanks RISEN!

inside and out. And it really is awe-inspiring to watch her play her violin. Words can’t describe the talent she possesses.

When I go to see my clients, I usually pick up a few of the magazines left in the lobby to keep on top of things, as well as look for new companies to possibly represent. I brought your magazine home; meaning to pick out some leads and ended up reading it from cover to cover, as opposed to my usual skim. What a great read. Keep up the great work.

— Amy K., El Segundo, CA

— Dannie E., Bad Axe, MI

I picked up my first copy last night by chance and already feel a strong connection to your magazine. Your choices in interviews for the Jan/Feb issue were of people that have touched and inspired me deeply. Q’orianka Kilcher is a huge talent and her words are filled with wisdom. Miri Ben-Ari, too, is an incredible artist/person. I had the rare pleasure of witnessing a surprise performance at a packed club in L.A. Let me tell you, it was a defining moment for me as a student of music. One song that stuck out to me was her rendition of Fabolous’ “Breathe.” Incredible. Luckily, a friend captured the experience. In awe, I had to give her props, but all I could say was “You’re beautiful,” before she left the stage with all of our respect and admiration. Thanks again for putting together such a fine magazine.

— Day L., Searingtown, NY

Thank you, Day, for the compliments, and for sharing your Miri Ben-Ari experience with us.

We think your words couldn’t have been more appropriate—she really is beautiful,

18 :RISEN MAGAZINE

Just received the new Pauley Perrette issue, and am stoked to be associated with RISEN. The issue is filled with great interviews, sweet photos, and clean, artistic vibe.

— Steve McBride, Owner/ Rider of Kahuna Creations

It’s great to get feedback from our readers, and it’s even greater when your reader is also an advertiser. Check out the amazing boards—surf and snow—at Kahuna Creations’ website at www.kahunacreations.com So I am sitting here with my arm in a sling after having shoulder surgery for trying to do things below my age level of 52. I have been receiving RISEN for some time now. I think I have an entire year’s collection lying around my office. I glanced at this newest one as I have glanced at the previous ones.

I never ever read one of [Anne Rice’s] books, because, at 52, I am often alone hunting in the deep dark woods, and I still am scared of only one thing—vampires. But this was an amazing article. She is a

haunting presence even at a diminutive sub 5-foot height. I read the article twice. She affirms me. Yea! Keep up the fine picture taking and article writing.

—Barry F., Pastor – Spokane, WA

Thanks and get well soon Barry!

I love this magazine. It is no fluff in content (yes there are ads, because, it’s a magazine). I sat down for hours and read [Ozzy, Adrien Brody, and Bam Margera] from cover to cover, and I fell in love. It is absolutely my favorite magazine ever. They interview all kinds of people, but instead of silly Hollywood stuff, it’s about the real stuff—mind, heart, and soul.

— Pauley Perrette via her blog

When we found out Pauley wrote a blog entry about RISEN, we were both ecstatic and humbled. She’s an amazing person with an equally amazing spirit. To read the rest of her post on RISEN, as well as enjoy many other great things she has to say, check out her blog at www.pauleyp.com

Sound Off! Letters to the Editor RISEN Magazine 11772 Sorrento Valley Rd. Suite 257 San Diego, CA 92121 letters@risenmagazine.com

THE

and

STRONG

(not so)

silent type Dominic Purcell Writer: Steve Beard Photographer: Tyler Shields

i

t’s a long way from the pounding surf of Bonzai Beach in Australia to the dank and depressing surroundings of Joliet Correctional Center outside of Chicago. By most measures, that would be considered a really bad detour in life. But in the case of Dominic Purcell, it is merely one more step along his walk of fame.

Built in the 1850s through the blood, sweat, and muscle of convicts, Joliet looks a lot like a castle. Its gargantuan stone walls held serial killer John Wayne Gacy before he was executed in 1994. The penitentiary was even granted its 15 minutes of pop culture fame when John Belushi (“Joliet” Jake Blues) was released from the fortress at the beginning of The Blues Brothers.

The real-life rapists, murderers, and thieves were transferred to other facilities when the famed correctional institution became defunct in 2002. It is said to be haunted by the lost souls who were shanked and brutalized within its razor wire boundaries. Today, however, it is the home away from home for Purcell and the cast of Fox’s mega-hit Prison Break.

Purcell’s character, Lincoln Burrows, is sitting on death row after being convicted of killing the brother of the vice president of the United States. Despite his desperate and utterly hopeless situation, Lincoln has an ally. His own brother (Wentworth Miller) believes in Lincoln’s innocence and holds up a bank in order to get thrown in the slammer. Why? Well, it just so happens that he is a structural engineer who drew up the blueprints for the very prison that incarcerates Lincoln.

The brother spends months having the blueprints of the prison cleverly and elaborately tattooed onto his body so he can help Lincoln escape and prove his innocence. It is the anti–Cain and Abel story—innovative and costly brotherly love. Did I mention that the show is a mega-hit? The season finale drew 12.2 million viewers.

Dominic Purcell is a straightforward, no-nonsense, strong-and-silent type. Well, maybe not so silent. He is unpretentious to a fault and a ferociously independent thinker. He’s been around long enough to wax eloquently on the philosophy of acting, but he doesn’t. He’s all business in front of the camera. He’s played a bloodsucker in Blade: Trinity, a bad guy in Mission: Impossible II, and an über-genius with a bad memory in Fox’s John Doe. But what he really loves to do is surf and hang out with his wife and four kids. The hulking family man even changes diapers.

Interviewed exclusively for RISEN Magazine in Los Angeles.

RISEN Magazine: Having moved from Australia, what was your first impression of America?

Dominic Purcell: When I got to the States, the first place that I experienced was Los Angeles. I MAY/JUNE 2006 - Feature: 23

was really blown away by the focus on celebrity and paparazzi and stardom and being seen in the right places. It was something I was not used to and I didn’t want anything to do with. People would tell me to meet-and-greet and network. I have never done that in my life and I was not about to start here.

RM: Every actor deals with the temptations and opportunities of fame differently. Did you create any kind of guidelines for yourself when roles, paychecks, and notoriety began getting larger?

DP: Look, I am really lucky that I have a wife and four kids. They are my sanctuary in a way. It is unconditional. I do diapers, I feed them, I take them out, play baseball—I do all the basic stuff with my kids.

When I am working, my philosophy is that my responsibility is between “Action” and “Cut.” Everything apart from that is really out of my control.

The other thing about the business is that it is fleeting. One day they love you and the next day they f—king hate your guts. If you are aware of that, it is easy to find a balance. You just don’t believe all the s—t that people tell you. You just have to be smart about it.

RM: I don’t suppose they teach you that type of thing in acting school. Correct?

DP: Absolutely. First of all, I was digging holes in Australia as a landscape gardener. I saw these woodchucks on TV making a lot of money. I wanted a part of that. My motivation at the start of it was, “Get rich, get famous, get laid.” As I have gotten older, those views have changed dramatically. Now I am still about making the money, but also trying to do some good work if I can.

The whole publicity thing—the whole fame thing—can be really boring at times. But at the end of the day, as an actor, when you do get the pat on the back, it’s a nice feeling. I think that anyone who wants to become an actor is seeking affirmation in some way.

RM: You are in an industry that employs personalities with large egos.

How do you deal with prima donnas?

DP: I never take a step back. It’s something that I am kind of working on. I have to learn to be a lot more diplomatic in certain situations. I do have a volatile temper and I speak my mind. If an actor pulls the big ego card out, I am right there to tell him to shut the f—k up. I expect the same kind of response. Just because certain actors get to be in a position of power, it does not give them the right to abuse that power. When an actor does that, it pisses me off and I have very little tolerance for that.

RM: Prison Break is a very clever crime drama. Putting oneself in prison for someone else is serious brotherly love.

DP: That is obviously the glue of the show. We get to witness loyalty. I think that loyalty is not as strong these days. We are easily distracted and we are quick to seek greener pastures. It is refreshing when you see someone who is totally loyal and ready to, basically, put their life on the line.

RM: Do you have siblings?

DP: I have five siblings.

It is refreshing when you see someone who

is totally loyal and ready to, basically,

put their life on the line.

RM: Are there ever days when you want to go back to landscaping?

DP: Yeah, there are a lot of days like that. I am kind of living in a surreal environment right now and it would be nice to be able to walk down the street and not be recognized and go into Starbucks and sit down and read the paper without having someone come up to me and say, “I love your show,” or “What is happening in the show?” It’s like, “Dude, just chill out. I am just trying to relax.”

RM: How does your wife handle being one step removed from all this fame? How big is the strain on your marriage?

DP: I am lucky that my wife grew up in the business—her dad is a famous playwright and screenwriter. She has been familiar with this kind of thing, but obviously things are becoming a lot crazier for me at the moment and she is very good about it. She is very supportive and strong and she keeps my head on and when I get out of line she will give me a f—king clip across the ears. I am lucky that I have someone who understands and is really cool about it.

24 :RISEN MAGAZINE

RM: The show is a pretty hardcore lesson on what it means to be a family.

[Laughter] DP: Absolutely. I don’t think that I would go to the extreme of trying to break my brother out of prison.

RM: Were you apprehensive about portraying prison culture? Obviously that is very different than landing a job on The O.C. It seems to me that you stand a better chance of offending people who have actually been in prison.

DP: I don’t care about that. I have never thought about that. You can’t censor yourself as an actor. You are trying to portray a truth in life.

People say, “I can’t deal with the swearing or the violence.” Well, turn it the f—k off. Just go watch The O.C. or whatever. That was not a concern at all. I was just intrigued by the premise and the originality of the show. That is really what attracted me to it. The thought of doing another cop show or another doctor show or whatever, it would be hard. If someone offered me a gig on CSI:, I would not do it. It would bore me s—tless. I much prefer to do things that are challenging and kind of different. I will probably be saying the same thing about Prison Break in a year and a half. [Laughs] I went to drama school, and did stage for awhile. I was on the stage every night. It drove me f—king nuts.

RM: Johnny Cash never actually did hard time in prison, but many people believe that he did because of his songs and concerts. The perception and reality of the man were very different. Do you think you may walk away from this role with that perception?

DP: Not at all. I have not really thought about that. If they think that, they are f—king stupid.

RM: Your surfing time has been crimped because of shooting

Prison Break. What else that you love have you given up to pursue your career?

DP: That is the battle of the actor. Sometimes you just have to go to where the work is. Don’t get me wrong, I think Chicago is a great town. It is good for certain people. I have grown up in the ocean for as long as I can remember. When I am not around the ocean I tend to freak out a bit. I get clausterphobic. I have not had a good surf in at least six months. When I can’t surf, I stay away from all of it. I don’t read surf magazines. I don’t watch any surf videos. It drives me crazy. But that is part of the sacrifice.

The other sacrifice is, of course, leaving my family for extended periods. I have young kids and it is a battle getting them on a plane and getting them in different schools. They are based in Los Angeles and I commute as much as I can.

RM: Do you ever pray?

DP: Every now and then.

RM: I heard that you refused to shoot a scene in an actual electric chair.

DP: I would be some kind of tradesman like a carpenter. I like to do things

I am not sure if

RM: Is there any advice that you have been given that proved worthwhile as you navigated through Hollywood?

DP: Not really. I have kind of learned myself. I am not really influenced by people. I am not saying that I don’t listen to people because I do, but I kind of like to work it out myself. The best thing that I have come up with is that I control the things that I can control between “Action!” and “Cut!” and the rest of it is beyond my control—especially when you are doing TV; the f— king thing is a crap shoot. There are some crappy TV shows that rate through the roof and then you have some great stuff that doesn’t.

RM: If you could not act, what would you be doing?

prison really does

rehabilitate people.

Is that the creepiest thing you have been asked to do?

DP: Yeah. I thought they were f—king joking when they asked me to do that. I was like, “Yeah, right, whatever.” And they gave me the serious look: “No, no, we are for real.” I was like, “F—k, I am not doing that. Make one. You want me to sit in the chair that has taken lives? Forget about it.”

RM: Were you supposed to film in the cell where John Wayne Gacy was incarcerated?

DP: Yeah, man. It was f—king creepy. It was a trip. I got on set and the makeup lady was refusing to go into the cell. I walked up and said, “What’s up?” She said, “I can’t go in there—this particular cell housed John Wayne Gacy,” and I looked at Brett Ratner, the director, and said, “You have got to be kidding me.” He said we had to use it because of the light or something. It was a sick joke that Ratner played on me.

RM: On the show, your brother has intricate tattoos all over his body in order to help you escape. One of the tats is of Satan’s face and it coordinates with blueprints to drill holes in the wall. Is it true that the tattoo was originally going to be Jesus on the cross but the network felt that it was going to be too controversial?

DP: Yeah, I think it had something to do with drilling a hole in the wall and then you would be drilling a hole through Jesus.

RM: I have heard that Australians put a greater value on recreation, while Americans put a greater value on religion. Is that fair?

DP: Very fair. Americans at the core are a very Puritanical and religious people. Australians are not geared like that. I am not sure why it is like that, but it may have something to do with the isolation factor. We are a lot more down with relaxing and getting drunk than trying to control the world.

RM: Do you have any kind of religious beliefs yourself?

DP: I was raised Catholic. I have since left the Church, as they say. I don’t practice anymore. I am still of two minds about it. But I do believe that there is a greater force than me on the planet. So that is where I will leave it.

26 :RISEN MAGAZINE

with my hands and try to be creative or go back to landscape gardening. I could never work in an office.

I would probably move to Hawaii and surf for the rest of my life.

RM: We often say, “If you do the crime, be prepared to do the time.” Does that message have a different feeling for you now that you have played this role?

DP: Kinda. I have done a lot of research on the prison system and spoken to inmates who are serving 50 years for robbing a bank. Stuff like that is just too steep. I am not sure if prison really does rehabilitate people. I think it just makes them angry. Once you have a guy who has been in the joint for a long time, he gets out and he doesn’t know how to look after himself. Obviously, though, you can’t just let things go. If you do the crime, you have to be prepared to do the time.

I don’t believe in capital punishment. I believe it is an archaic system. I think it is a flawed system. I really don’t believe we have the power to play God. There is that side of it, but there is the other side of it, of course. I have to be sensitive about this because of the victims of these crimes. For instance, if someone took the life of my son and the judge said that he was going to send the guy to death, that would be good. It’s a very blurred thing, capital punishment.

RM: I guess the justice equation becomes more complicated if your family is involved.

DP: Exactly. It’s all very well and good to say—as I just said—that capital punishment is archaic and bad, but if you are in that situation, you may be thinking different.

RM: Did interviewing convicts shape your acting?

DP: The inmates that I talked to have an air about them—a sense of gloom. Their faces almost look dead. You’ve got to go to a different planet if you are locked up for a long time. You become very, very introverted and start thinking about stuff. If you are an angry person to start off, you are going to become angrier. Meeting these guys was very intense and sad.

RM: After working in Joliet, I imagine there is nothing better for you than to be able to see your wife and kids.

DP: F—k yeah. Absolutely.

Prison Break airs Mondays on Fox. Check your local listings for show time.

Sea

Notes

I was blessed with a birth and a death and a gift or a curse somewhere in between cause you’re only as loud as the noises you make and as big as the things that you dream.

—Tristan Prettyman, “When it Rains” Writer: Chris Ahrens Photographer: Bil Zelman

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rior to the late 1950s, surfing was a male-dominated sport, existing almost exclusively along the fringes of Hawaii and Southern California. The surf industry, now a multibillion-dollar-a-year enterprise, then consisted of a handful of backyard craftsmen who built custom balsawood surfboards with hand tools. If you were a hardcore surfer, you knew most everyone on the California coast by name.

Those who rose to the top, like Dale Velzy, Matt Kivlin, and George Downing, were legendary among beach tribes from Rincon to Baja. And while these men proved to be prototypes for surfers everywhere, it would take a teenage girl, Kathy “Gidget” Kohner, to thrust surfing irreversibly into the mainstream. She was the focus of the 1958 film Gidget, portrayed with the girl-next-door beauty of actress Sandra Dee while her surfing was done by stunt double and surf star Mickey Munoz—in drag.

Since that first cinematically inspired boom, surfing’s charge to meet Middle America and, later, Middle Earth, has launched a social tug of war in which female surfers have gone from being perceived as serious athletes to beach ornaments and back again, numerous

times. The Beach Boys made the point by describing a “surfer girl” as someone who “watches on the shore.”

But surfer/singer/songwriter Tristan Prettyman actually rides waves, rather than watching from the shore. Having been raised nearby and in the ocean, she surfs well and often. And while her sound could never be confused with the rock instrumental electronica of Dick Dale and his Deltones or the sappy “surf city here we come” teen poetics of Jan & Dean, Tristan’s organic love-laced lyrics and her healthy saltwater vibe perfectly complement paddling out and catching a wave.

Inadvertently, the 23-year-old is in competition with few others (Daize Shayne comes to mind) as her generation’s Gidget, inviting first the neighborhood and then the international music scene into the sun-drenched good life.

On a hot summer afternoon, Tristan approached the Longboarder Café on Pacific Coast Highway in Oceanside, California.

Dressed without ornamentation, like the average beach girl in jeans, T-shirt, and slaps, she is recognized by nobody as she walks gracefully and joyfully through the city streets.

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not necessarily Tristan’s job description, any more than it is her stated desire to make every young girl in America want to be her.

It may be her down-to-earth approach or her nonthreatening presence, but Tristan finds her fan base composed primarily of women around her own age, something that seems to surprise her. “Girls can be very jealous of each other,” she said, after sitting for several minutes in the restaurant, patiently, awaiting a waitress. “Girls dress for each other and we can be really competitive among ourselves. Still, for some reason, I have more girl fans than I do guy fans.”

And make no mistake; the fans come to see her, rather than some dazzling lightshow and dry ice imitating smoke. The antithesis of a KISS concert, Tristan’s performance is not dependent upon makeup, fireworks, or special effects, but a good voice, rich lyrics, and a guitar, which in its simplicity might just be the most difficult combination in show business.

low tech collection of songs composed and played by friends.

One song, which Tristan had recorded on a mini disc player, made it into the film. Subsequent to the movie’s success, Tristan found her first paying gigs as a musician.

Aside from her musical talents, Tristan’s success can be attributed to her subtle and positive presence that floats into a room like a light tropical breeze. It’s little wonder that people enjoy helping her on the way up. Of the many who have helped, she credits her father and mother. “I used to sign all the CDs I could; now my mom writes little notes for me, which inclines people to comment that she’s the coolest mom in the world.” Other friends, like La Jolla surfer/musician Peter King, who recorded Tristan in his home studio, and Jet Set Modeling Agency’s Cindy Kananui, have contributed to the landslide of those who believed that her quiet talent could rock the world stage.

She met her musically talented (and somewhat famous)

ristan’s performance is not dependent upon makeup, fireworks or special effects, but a good voice, rich lyrics and a guitar, which in its simplicity might just be the most difficult combination in show business.

I was pretty confident I knew the answer already, but I asked if she would ever open for someone like Marylyn Manson. She laughed and shook her head before stating, “No, my music is so mellow that I don’t think his fans would sit still for my show. As it is, when I open for people, some of those in the audience are like, ‘I don’t know; do we have to sit through this?’” She continues to chuckle at the thought, sips water, and orders breakfast.

Like most of her statements concerning others, her remark about Manson carries no hint of judgment for anyone else’s musical preference, and somehow evokes optimism and joy while discussing philosophical opposites.

Optimism and joy don’t transfer well to the printed page, but while reviewing the tapes of this exclusive RISEN magazine interview, those traits were unmistakable. They ring in nearly every line, especially when she says or, rather, sings the interjection uh, like a single note played on an ivory pitch pipe.

Raised in Del Mar, California, by surf-addicted parents, riding waves is as natural for her as peddling a bicycle is for most other young adults. Her musical career was less scripted. “I started picking up my dad’s guitar when he went to work, after he told me not to. You know how it is when you’re young; I wasn’t supposed to play it, so naturally I found it and started trying to figure out how play a few chords. After my dad found out I’d been playing it, he kinda gave it to me. In time I taught myself how to play, and then I started composing songs. Eventually I’d be at someone’s house and they would say, ‘Hey, Tristan, play something on the guitar.’ That’s how it started.”

When her social group expanded to include pro surfer Brad Gerlach and surf filmmakers Taylor Steel and Chris Malloy, she added to those impromptu and musically rich backyard soundtracks that often included such luminaries as Jack Johnson and Donovan Frankenreiter. Seeking music to accompany their classic surf movie Shelter, the Malloy brothers had settled on a

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boyfriend, Jason Mraz, at one of her shows. “I’ve always been shy and I was especially nervous that night because I was about to sing standing up for the first time. I knew who Jason was and when I saw him walk in, I said to myself, ‘There’s the guy I’m going to marry.’ I was getting ready to play when he walked up and introduced himself. I told him why I was nervous and he replied, ‘I remember the first time I stood up; you’ll get through it.’

I think that was the happiest moment of my life.”

The comparisons to singer/songwriter/surfer Jack Johnson pop up regularly. “Someone actually asked me if I was going to marry Jack Johnson,” she said with a slight laugh, adding, “He’s married with kids. But I don’t mind when people call me the female Jack Johnson. In fact, I take it as a compliment.”

Tristan’s closest friendships were forged in childhood and remain strong to this day. “Each time I come home from touring, we all get together. Everyone’s different, but one of the things each of us has in common is that we’re all very independent. Still, if any of us ever need each other, we’re there.”

Musically, Tristan avoids songs about politics and religion, concentrating more on day-to-day-life feelings that sprout from an introspective heart. “I think music should be an outlet from work and the daily news, a way of getting away from everything, in the same way that surfing is,” she said, between bites of vegetarian omelet. Time drifts by with talk of waves and surfboards and future gigs.

“Where do you see yourself in 10,000 years?” I ask, predictably. Throwing back her head and laughing hard, she replies, “Ten thousand years? Oh, I don’t know; probably in outer space, surfing Mars with cosmic flying fish.”

Tristan Prettyman’s CD, Twentythree (Virgin Records), is available online and in stores.

vWr i t er : Scott Schulte Phot ogr apher : Clay Patrick McBride

kay, so I admit it; I was a little afraid of meeting Criss Angel. All right, very afraid. After all, he’s no David Copperfield. With Copperfield, I’ve always felt you knew what you were getting: a talented magician. Angel appears much darker as he’s built his career out of pushing the limits of reality and illusion with an in-your-face kind of magic the world has never before seen. And quite frankly, it actually creeped me out. As I meet Criss, I’m wondering if I’m in too deep.

Criss Angel’s Mindfreak kicks off its second season on A&E May 31. Loyal viewers who made Mindfreak the highest-rated cable show last season and those intrigued through word-of-mouth and e-mailed video clips of his form of illusion will tune in to see if Angel can possibly outdo himself. Last year, after all, viewers were introduced to Angel’s mystical world of illusion events like having meat hooks attached to his back and then being dangled from a helicopter over Nevada’s Valley of Fire, surviving being buried alive in front of hundreds of onlookers, and levitating people on the streets Vegas’ famed Strip. No, this is not your parents’ magic show.

Criss Angel grew up in New York and by the age of 6 knew he would live a life of magic. While other kids in the neighborhood dreamed of hitting homeruns for the Yankees, Angel knew he wanted his own unique form of fame. And like any artist, he spent hours honing his artform by performing at any opportunity. He watched his father fight cancer with the grit of a lion and has been inspired by that life-altering experience.

Reaching much beyond these aspects of his personal life is nearly impossible. A fiercely private man, Criss Angel has taken the concept of artist and turned it on its ear. And now, as he approaches me, I wonder what’s going to happen next. My heart races. I am intimidated. So immediately the question comes to mind: is this real or just another Criss Angel illusion?

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Interviewed exclusively for RISEN Magazine in Las Vegas.

Risen Magazine: Who are you?

Criss Angel: I’ve been asking myself that same question for many years. I’m someone who

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is very passionate about my art. I work very hard at it and I try to live life to its fullest.

RM: You seem to be all over the place as an artist. When did you decide you wanted to focus on being an illusionist?

CA: The truth is I’m still involved in all types of art forms. I write all the music for the show. I have a CD coming out with Jonathan Davis from Korn. I’m involved in mentalism, illusions, escapes, performance art— everything I can get my hands on. I just basically use what I need in order to create that emotional experience for the public that will give them a connection with me. I basically just consider myself an artist.

RM: Do you ever get into something and say, uh oh, I’m in over my head?

CA: Well, a lot of what I do is going down uncharted territory. There’s a lot of due diligence and we prepare for anything that might come. I face stuff all the time and I try to remain calm and rely on the training I’ve done to prepare me for this. I just try to deal with any challenge that might come up and try to get through everything so I don’t end up a dead person.

what I’m doing compared to me just doing it. It’s more difficult on them because they aren’t in control and when you love someone you have that feeling of helplessness.

RM: Are you a daredevil?

CA: People perceive me as a daredevil and I’m not. I’m very methodical about what I do. I’m not trying to kill myself. I’m not trying to do things for shock value.

RM: Where do get your inspiration?

CA: All of this is inspired by my father who was diagnosed with cancer many years ago. He was given three weeks to live and yet, he had such an incredible outlook that he lived each day to its fullest and he lived way beyond the time they gave him. He knew he wasn’t getting better, but he lived each day as if he was getting better. He knew he was dying but he didn’t let death own him for the remainder of his life. For me, that’s always been, and continues to be, such a great source of inspiration. Because of my father’s experience, I wanted to confront my own fears. The most flattering thing I’ve gotten out of my career is that others tell me I’ve helped them confront their fears.

RM: When you’re out there walking up the side of a building, how do

you that?

CA: Well, a lot of that is real and a lot of that is an illusion. What I try to do is blur the lines between the two and let the general public argue and decide what’s what. A lot of what I do is complete bulls—t and a lot of what I do is real. It’s really up to you to find out where that line begins to blur. I think that kind of approach has captured the imagination of the people who watch Mindfreak.

RM: Do you ever get scared?

CA: I don’t fear death. I’ve always said if you don’t fear death, then what’s there to fear? I guess I just look at it from a different perspective than most people. I get concerned, but afraid, no.

RM: If the rest of world is afraid to die, why aren’t you?

CA: I have a personal belief that it’s inevitable for all of us to die so why not accept it and realize that whether you’re afraid of it or not it’s still going to happen. You just need to go with the flow. It’s happened to people that were stronger than me and people less strong than me, so in my mind, let’s just accept it and move on. I mean it’s not like I want to die or I’m looking forward to dying, but when it happens, it happens and I accept that.

RM: What about your family?

CA: Yeah, my family. [Laughs] It’s more stressful for them to watch

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RM: You’ve become kind of a rock star. How’s that?

CA: Yeah, it’s quite fascinating how people perceive me. I appreciate what people have done for me in supporting me so whatever it is that they perceive me to be—a rock star, a magician, a performer, whatever—it’s fine as long as they perceive me to be something they enjoy.

RM: Some people have said you must have sold your soul to the devil to do these stunts. Does that bother you?

CA: There are a lot of people who think when you are dealing in the realm of magic there’s that hidden dark force. I don’t blame some people for feeling that way, but it doesn’t matter to me because I know what I believe and I know what I feel and I tell people straight up that I have no psychic ability. As a matter of fact, psychic ability doesn’t exist. It’s a funny scenario. The more I say I don’t have psychic powers, the more people think I have those powers so I can’t win for losing. People are going to say what they say and trying to please everybody is the kiss of death.

RM: What about the magicians out there who don’t appreciate you and try to bring you down?

CA: There are a lot of magicians who are just plain jealous because they’re not as successful as they want to be so it’s easy for them to attack someone like me. It’s unfortunate, really. I don’t really spend

much time looking over my shoulder. I spend my time looking forward.

I don’t spend my time on people that are negative. It’s a big world and there’s room for everybody. People should be more concerned with making their circumstances better and should work toward making their own dreams come true instead of spending time being negative about someone else. Ultimately, no one is going to further their career or life by trying to tear someone else down. It’s a waste of time.

RM: How’s your private life now that you’re famous?

CA: It’s completely insane. I’m a guy who worked very, very hard since my childhood to achieve my dream and I have a wonderful

family and team that has supported my dream and it’s coming to fruition. It has also grown rapidly in a short period of time. And now I literally have not been able to go outside for one day without people wanting a picture or they want me to give them something off my body. It’s just amazing, especially in Las Vegas, because people think I live here and so they come looking for me. But I am so grateful for these people because they found the connection with the show and without that I would be out of job, so whatever I can do for the people who enjoy my art, I’m all about doing. So, it’s crazy but it’s wonderful at the same time.

RM: Are you married or have a steady girlfriend?

CA: I don’t discuss certain things like religion, politics, personal stuff, because I want people to experience my art for what it is, not because I’m preaching something or because they like me or don’t like me or because of my personal relationships or some political thing. I just keep all of that to myself. My father gave me that advice before he passed and I remain private as much as I can.

RM: Is it difficult to remain private?

CA: It is. I mean I enjoy going out and I enjoy going to clubs and I’ve been out the last few nights. When I go to a club, though, someone will take a picture and then the press wants to put you together with this person or this situation and most of it is just complete bulls—t.

But these people in the media are just trying to do their job, so you just have to roll with it. Honestly, I just live my life and do my thing and let the chips fall where they fall.

RM: What were you doing with that body suspension bit over the Valley of Fire?

CA: It was the most difficult thing I’ve ever done, hanging four fish hooks from my flesh and being suspended outside a helicopter over the Valley of Fire. No human has ever done anything like that. It was excruciatingly painful. I used no pain killers, nothing to numb my skin.

I wanted to demonstrate that the body is a slave to the mind and that you can accomplish anything when the mind, the body, and the spirit work together. But it was unbelievable pain with the downdrafts, the swinging back and forth, the turbulence from the other helicopter that

was filming. It was surreal.

RM: How do you get your mind, body, and spirit to come together so often when many people spend their whole life trying to have it happen once?

CA: Because I’m coming together in a specific obstacle or hurdle. It’s my lifestyle; it’s how I live my life. I’m bringing them together in dealing with a very specific demonstration and at a specific time that’s going to last a specific duration. I get focused and put everything else out of my mind. And for me, it might be an incredibly different process than for anybody else. I’m not someone who went to college or trains in meditation. I really learned most about this from watching my father

and what he endured and seeing that whole process. I’ve had an opportunity to see it firsthand through my father so I just learned the techniques. I’ve now honed those techniques like anyone who is great at anything would have to. My education came through real life experiences and that’s the best teacher.

RM: Do you feel your father with you when you’re doing these stunts?

CA: First of all, I don’t believe in communing with the dead. I think it’s complete bulls—t and it’s sad that people make money by using that concept against those who have lost a loved one and are therefore incredibly vulnerable. I will say, however, that my father lives in me through the lessons he’s taught me. I feel he’s with me but not to the point where I can see him or hear him. [Laughs] If that were the case, he’d be behind me, kicking me in the ass for taking such dangerous risks.

RM: One of the popular segment on Mindfreak is when you climb through a large glass window without breaking the glass in front of a large audience. How do you do that?

CA: Yeah, that’s a popular one. It’s all over the Internet. It’s something I always wanted to do and I thought about how I could really do it and I really played with that for a while and it fortunately came together. I did that in one take (for the show) and it’s worked out great.

RM: What worries you about your career?

CA: Today, we live in a very technological world and everyone has a camera so it’s important to do the things I do perfectly. If I don’t and I’m out on the street performing, someone is going to catch me and I’ll be done. It’s a huge risk but that’s part of the reason those other magicians sit in their rooms and talk s—t about me because I’m doing stuff that’s never been done before and they can’t figure out how I’m doing it.

RM: So, you’re not going to tell me how you climbed through that window, are you?

CA: [Laughs] Of course I’m not going to tell you how I did it. That would ruin the fun.

Season 2 of Criss Angel's Mindfreak debuts on A&E, Wednesday, MAY/JUNE 2006 - Feature: 37

The Cherished Wound

Dr Edith Eger Wr i t er : Chris Ahrens Phot ogr aphe r : Aaron Chang

di will look you in the eye and call you sweetheart, pouring out a deep love refined in a very hot fire. Like millions before her, 17-year-old Edith Eger had been thrown away, discarded onto a pile of dead bodies. Armed with nothing but thoughts and prayers she had waged a war of passive resistance against her Nazi captors for 15 months. But Auschwitz had broken her back, literally, and she had few weapons left with which to fight back. While slight in stature at her peak physical form, she now weighed an infantile 40 pounds. Liberation had come to the captives, but it was almost too late for Edi, who lay motionless, except for that tiny hand waving, a signal to the American soldier who rescued her and started on the long journey back to life.

Just a year before, she was filled with dreams of Olympic glory, training five hours daily as a gymnast, ranked among the top in the nation. While gymnastics itself proved little help in surviving the concentration camp, the discipline learned in the sport and the technique she learned as a ballet dancer did indeed help keep her alive.

“I would dance for Doctor Josef Mengele [the sadistic physician remembered by the world as the Angel of Death, who ordered the murder of hundreds of thousands]. I would close my eyes and pray for him and dream that I was in the Budapest Opera House, knowing that it was up to him if I lived or died.”

This is not a sad story.

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Interviewed exclusively for RISEN Magazine at the home of Dr Edith Eger in La Jolla, California.

RISEN Magazine: As a holocaust survivor and a therapist, you are uniquely qualified to empathize with the grief of others; so how do you deal with trivial complaints?

Edith Eger: I remember one time a woman came to my office and told me about her son dying from Leukemia. I cried with her. Sometimes I 42 :RISEN MAGAZINE

don’t know what to do but just cry. In the next hour a woman came in with equally big tears, telling me that her new Cadillac arrived and it wasn’t the exact yellow she wanted. Do you think it would have helped her if I said, “Look, what’s the matter with you?” Then she would feel guilty. That’s what we do; we try to cheat others of their feelings. They are sad and they need permission to feel sad. We don’t need to judge their feelings.

RM: How did you overcome the losses in your own life?

EE: I don’t think I overcame them; I came to terms with them. It’s like I don’t live there. But I don’t run from my past anymore like I did. I didn’t tell anyone I was in Auschwitz for at least 20 years, if not more. I was ashamed; I don’t know why. I didn’t want anyone to feel sorry for me, so I chose to go underground.

RM: How did you envision your life would be when you were a little girl?

EE: I was very much like Anne Frank. I studied Latin and Greek. I had my own book club. I was highly educated as a young girl. Now I have a Ph.D., and you know what? I never finished high school. That’s what happens with survivors; you come in last in a revolving door and you come out first. You don’t give up and you don’t give in. Everything has a reason. Auschwitz is the cherished wound that made me the person I am today. Right now I am embracing that part in me and doing everything in my power to be sure that my children and grandchildren never experience what I did. I think the most powerful thing people can do is tell their story over and over and over again.

RM: Do you have any recurring dreams?

EE: I’m not having them now, but when I was in Auschwitz, I would dance for Doctor Mengele. I remember closing my eyes and imagining that I was in the Budapest Opera House, performing Romeo and Juliet.

At night in my dreams I was a dancer. Life without dreams is madness.

Just don’t confuse your romanticism with realism. [Laughs] RM: When you were a teenager dancing for Mengele, did you realize he had the power of life and death over you?

EE: Totally, he did. We were in a line and he told my mom to go to the left, and I followed her. Whenever I saw him, he would look me in the eye—that’s why today I pay so much attention to eye contact. I can kill you with my eyes [makes menacing look with eyes]. I can also love you with my eyes [makes loving look with eyes].

RM: So you feel you can read people well through eye contact?

EE: The eyes are very important. The tone of voice is important too.

Sometimes women sound like little girls. They are still waiting for Mister Right. I kind of guide them to grow up. [Laughs] RM: Did you dance your best for Mengele?

EE: It is very interesting to think back to the man who annihilated my family, drugged me and told me that my mom was going to take a shower, and threw me on the other side, which meant life.

RM: Have you forgiven him?

EE: When I heard he was living in Paraguay, I dreamed of disguising myself as a journalist and telling him that I was the one who danced for him. I prayed for him when I danced for him. I would close my eyes and pray for him, that I would not be the next one to the gas chamber.

RM: You say there is evil in the world.

EE: Yes. RM: Do you think Mengele was evil?

EE: I think he was taught to hate and to believe certain people are cancers to society. We are not born to hate; we learn it.

and are lying in our deathbeds, we realize that our lives might have been based on something that really didn’t allow us to be free, to be ourselves. We are no more and no less than human beings, and we are fallible and are going to make mistakes. I think perfectionism can really kill you. Many children who grew up in families where they care more about what their neighbors think than about their children’s feelings, grow up to be perfectionists.

RM: You were one of the top gymnasts in the nation; did the discipline required take you toward perfectionism?

I would dance for Doctor Mengele. I remember closing my eyes and imagining that I was in the Budapest Opera House, performing Romeo and Juliet.

RM: How would you define evil?

EE: That’s a hard one, but I like what Albert Camus said on evil and sin: “The only sin is not to love and the only evil is not to care.”

RM: How would you define love?

EE: As the ability to let go—to let go of our demands of life, our expectations. There’s such a need to be approved of, the need to please others. Many times I go back and see that my expectations are unrealistic.

RM: You traveled and lectured with Cori Ten Boom, the Christian Auschwitz survivor.

EE: Yes, she became my hero. I heard that she met with the person responsible for her sister’s death and her first reaction was anger. There is no forgiveness without rage. You’ve gotta go through those feelings.

Don’t cover garlic with chocolate. We forgive too quickly sometimes.

RM: What issues do you dedicate your life to?

EE: Freedom is a big word for me. I like to talk about freedom from. The concentration camp of our own mind, and how we live our lives, is based many times on wrong assumptions. When we get to the end of the road

EE: I was. I practiced five hours a day. I did the splits. I could kick my foot up…

RM: Three years ago I watched you kick your foot up over your head.

EE: I still do, not as good, but it’s all right. It’s important to take care of the body. I’m very careful about what I put into my body. I’m careful about sugar. It’s very hard when people bring you deserts and I make very good Hungarian deserts. I am trying to keep my figure, the best I can. [Laughter] Not that I don’t like a good filet mignon, but I don’t have it often. All things in moderation. It’s very important for us to look at our bodies as temples, and to be careful about what we put in there.

RM: Did you think about food a lot when you were being starved to death in Auschwitz?

EE: All we talked about was food; cooking seven-layer chocolate cakes and we were salivating, salivating, salivating. What kept me going was that I was waiting for tomorrow. I always thought, If I can just make it today, tomorrow I will be free. I never allowed them to murder my spirit,

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even though I was told day after day, “You’re never getting out of here alive.” I kept saying to myself, “When I get out of here…” I had my own world and the hope that tomorrow I would be free kept me alive.

RM: Do you teach that to people imprisoned in their own minds?

EE: We create concentration camps in our minds and the key is in our pockets. Many times when you move toward your spiritual self, you give up right and wrong, bad and good. You practice the one thing that is left, and that’s love.

RM: What sorts of prayers do you say?

EE: Many times we ask God to forgive us, but I wonder if we can forgive God. People ask, Where was God in Auschwitz? God was with me in Auschwitz. I talked to God every day.

It was important for me that I felt sorry for the guards. I made up my mind that they were the prisoners, and so I was able to turn the hatred into pity. At university I heard that Thoreau said, “Even though I’m surrounded by mortar, I am freer than my captors.” I said, “Ah ha!”

coming to terms with. I will never forget Auschwitz; it’s part of my life. I’m going through the valley of the shadow, but I don’t camp there. I don’t set up household there; I don’t live there. But I don’t run from it anymore. I had been running and running and running and, thank God, I had the courage to revisit Auschwitz. And thank my mom that she was right, because, in the cattle car, she said, “We don’t know where we’re going, we don’t know what’s going to happen, just remember nobody can take away from you what you put here in your own mind.” We need to be as realistic as we can, rather than being idealistic. When the idealists don’t find exactly what they’re looking for, they can become sarcastic and cynical.

RM: Have you ever been jealous of…

EE: Sure, sure. I can be jealous. I’m insecure in many ways; just like the next person. I’m very ordinary and I think it’s good to get in touch with your ordinariness. The older I get and the freer I am, the more I can tell you I don’t know the answer. It helps to become more real. Life is filled with wonderful surprises.

I like the whole concept of not arriving, but being in the process of becoming.

We never knew when we went to the showers if water was going to come out, or gas.

Maybe that’s why I was so silent for so many years, because I was looking for words like that, but I didn’t have them, so I didn’t say anything. People like Thoreau gave me the words. When I read Victor Frankl’s work, Man’s Search for Meaning, I wanted to write ten pages for every page. Later on I had an article published on his work and I got a call from Victor Frankl and I ended up doing the keynote address for his 90th birthday. He has given me the words I had been seeking: “I have been victimized, but I refuse to be a victim.”

RM: Did you have any joy in Auschwitz?

EE: We did funny things, we did crazy things. We tried to entertain ourselves. One day we had a boob contest. Guess who won? [Laugher all around] I had this gorgeous body, but I didn’t know what to do with it. I was a gymnast and a dancer. So I got a little piece of bread. You know, it’s hard for me to talk to you about those sorts of things, but we did anything we could to make it. We never knew when we went to the showers if water was going to come out, or gas. So you never knew what was going to happen next. That’s what happens to Vietnam veterans, too. It’s not the stress, it’s the distress. The distress is when you don’t know what’s going to happen next. It’s important to differentiate between stress and distress.

Auschwitz to me was a boot camp. Now that I look back, what I learned there is how to move beyond ego needs, how to commit to others, how to cooperate rather than compete and dominate, because all we had was each other. It became my mission in life to unite people, because they’re far more similar than different. I think sociologists try to point out how different we are; I try to point out how similar we are. We all want to be loved and to love.

RM: Do you think that anyone is capable of overcoming anything emotionally?

EE: Again, I think there’s a difference before overcoming and 44 :RISEN MAGAZINE

RM: What is important to you?

EE: I kind of see myself as a guide and I like that concept—taking people from victimization to empowerment, darkness to light, from prison to freedom. And the prison is in our own minds. It gives meaning in my life to be able to teach people choices, because the more choices you have, the less you feel like a victim. To move away from black and white, all or nothing.

RM: Have you ever punched anyone in anger?

EE: Not really, no. They would have punched me. [Laughs] I tell people to take anger breaks. Anger is not bad; it’s how you channel it. If you don’t like your boss, make a big picture of him and put it on a dartboard and when you come home. What comes out of our bodies doesn’t make us ill, but what stays in there does. Anger is fear; anger is not the primary emotion. Anger has a great deal to do with unmet expectations.

RM: Do you believe in absolute truth?

EE: Uh, no. It’s so subjective. I’m right, of course I’m right, but I can only be right for me. There is no right or wrong. Your thinking will create your feelings. So, you cannot make me feel anything without my permission.

We have the power to choose not to react, because when you react, you don’t think. Not to shoot from the hip; people who did that in Auschwitz ended up electrocuted, because they would touch the barbed wire. I saw their blue bodies.

RM: They reacted strictly from emotion.

EE: That’s right, fight or flee—this is our automatic response. I could see that some people would run right into the barbed wire; that was their response. Then there were others, it was an epidemic that we don’t talk too much about, people gave up before the Nazis even got to them. We call them musulmen, the walking dead. I saw people just giving up— those were the children who were spoiled. That’s why I feel so strongly today. Children who grew up without being spoiled were able to bear the discomforts much better than the children who were waiting for someone to liberate them and make them happy.

RM: If you were the mother on that train to Auschwitz with a daughter, what would you tell her?

EE: Just what my mother told me; that everything can be taken away from you my sweetheart, except what you put in your own mind. I’ve lived that way all my life. I take full responsibility for my life, for my happiness. I am a widow now and I am doing the best I can to live a full life every moment. It’s very precious. We don’t seem to appreciate things many times until we lose them—that’s why it’s very hard for me to throw out a piece of bread. I go to a restaurant and I usually end up eating all your leftovers. I can’t stand leaving food on the plate. It has nothing to do with money, really.

RM: What do you do for fun?

EE: I love the theater. I love to go dance. I love ballroom music. Give me the music of Casablanca, that’s my kind of music. But I grew up in a very musical family. My sister, Clara, was a child prodigy in violin. She played a Mendelssohn violin concerto when she was 5 years old. I love jazz, big band.

RM: From your past, what do you pass on to your patients?

EE: Auschwitz taught me to be a survivor rather than a victim of circumstance. I teach survivor skills. People say, Why me, why me? To why me, we add another word: why not me? Then you see that everything is an opportunity in life. Even cancer can give you life. You will be much better for it, much stronger for it. So many times people say, Cancer gave me life. It’s not what’s happening but what you do with it.

There are no problems in the world; only challenges. Many people don’t have a midlife crisis, they have meaning crisis. They don’t get up in the morning, because there’s nothing to get up for. We need to listen to people and give them a choice. I was very suicidal after the war. I was very ill and I knew my parents were not coming back and I wanted to die. Sometimes it’s easier to die than to live.

RM: What do you say to someone who says the death camps never existed?

EE: Never argue with people like that. People believe what they want to believe. The young boy who calls himself the Angel of Death…If you recall, Columbine was on Hitler’s birthday. These are the children I would like to reach out to. But I don’t give neo Nazis permission to make me feel anything.

RM: Where do you see yourself in 10,000 years?

EE: Smiling, winking. I remember when I was separated from my mother and Doctor Mengele said I would see her after she took a shower. I asked another inmate when I would see my mother and she pointed to the chimney and fire was coming out of the chimney and she said, “Your mother is burning there, you’d better talk about her in past tense.” My sister Magda and I hugged each other and said, “The spirit never dies.

The spirit never dies.” My sister Magda is alive and well. She lives in Baltimore, sings Black spirituals, and teaches piano. She’s quite a character. My sister Clara was rescued by wonderful Christian people who took her to Australia and she never ended up in Auschwitz.

RM: Do you ever think war is justified?

EE: I wouldn’t be here talking to you if your grandparents didn’t…I’m a very grateful American, I’ll never forget those boys who died. I was part of the final solution of Eichmann. In April 1945 I was in a very bad situation. I had survived Auschwitz, and then sent on the Death March as a slave laborer, carrying ammunition. I was not liberated until May 4, 1945, in Austria by the Americans.

RM: Do you celebrate that day?

EE: Absolutely, May 3 is my grandson’s birthday, so I have a big celebration. Life is filled with suffering. There’s no resurrection without crucifixion. It took 40 years for the Jews to reach the promised land. Life is suffering and suffering is feeling.

Dr. Edith Eger works as a psychologist in La Jolla, California, specializing in post traumatic stress. She lectures worldwide.

MAY/JUNE 2006 - Feature: 45

s e l p e e t Eddie S name. If you do, it’s w Eddie Steeples by ou probably don’t kno individuals who reads the those rare and patient because you’re one of ys l, where Steeples pla om, My Name is Ear is credits for the hit sitc o wh l, Ear c wit off He bounces his comedi Darnell, AKA Crabman. and ter TV star, wri subject, skate star turned played by former RISEN Lee. on Jas Hollywood sweetheart, director and all around ful face from -joy know Eddie’s ever-so But that’s not it; you commercial, where he yeah, the OfficeMax® somewhere else. Oh . man. Yeah, he’s that guy plays the rubber band in some ways he’s An re than that guy. d, Of course he’s a lot mo on TV,” said Steeples r as outgoing as I appear less. “I’m nowhere nea mercial features two of my-nominated TV com to me recently. His Em yond that he performs acting and dancing. Be Eddie’s diverse skills: a member of the No Surrender and is d ban hop hip his with by director Kevin Ford. fit Mo-Freek, helmed experimental movie out a producer, a writer, a finds time to work as Somehow Eddie also ual artist. cameraman, and a vis Steeples is by his en persona, however, Contrary to his onscre racters I play.” I recently s outgoing than the cha own admission “far les transplant from Texas ltitalented, ever-so-polite caught up with the mu near as outgoing as I llywood. “I’m nowhere at his new home in Ho you for Tinseltown, me. Little can prepare told he ” TV, on ear app town America. e church kid from smallespecially if you’re a nic

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ris Ahrens Wr i t er : Ch s r : Bob Steven for Phot ogr aphe ve ee Cl n Va a Mon Gr oomi ng: Stila rey Hendricks St yl i st : Ca

gnawing in the creative class, a slight Long the scourge of the in favor of the rks n—wo t this side of depressio , gut—one that lands jus depressed or when I’m to create art when I’m artist. “For me it’s easy ng, feri a financial suf something, whether it’s you know, I’m suffering many times better is whatever. My creativity emotional, spiritual, or . I think being creative content with everything than when I’m happy and take it and you lose bad feelings. You just is one way of redirecting joy and something that . Out of the pain comes whatever you’re feeling eone else.” can possibly inspire som l life, and Steeples is good practice for rea In a way, daydreaming long before his name the entertainment world envisioned his role in u can’t tell if you’re just “It’s weird,” he said. “Yo was listed in TV Guide. what your future , or if you’re tapping into pen hap will at wh of ing r dream town called Spring, eve was raised in this little s will be. Even though I wa ion vis where my this view of the world since I was a kid I’ve had beyond my backyard.” le as a Hollywood n nearly as predictab Life for Eddie has bee way to mostly sunny morning clouds giving weather forecast, a few years old, people from y back to when I was 4 skies. “Going all the wa ple, have always said high school, different peo my grade school and movies. They tell me m I was gonna be in the the tell uld wo I t tha to me n Travolta, dancing and h a white suit like Joh I would run around wit

MAY/JUNE 2006 - Feature: 47

Just speaking it and believing it—your thoughts become your words and then action s and habits.

I guess it was just in the was gonna be a star. telling everyone that I people believed in me, I wanted to do. A lot of cards, and it was what don’t you go back to people would say, ‘Why ’ but in time a lot of other take up another trade. . You should probably school and get a real job ck , ‘Oh man, you stu pened, they would say Then, when it finally hap knew you could do it.’ stuck with it. I always with it; I’m so glad you lookin’ out for me.” really love me and are Those are people who babysitting duty. s, Eddie was often on The oldest of eight kid once they knew that ldn’t spank the kids, and cou “I t. ysi bab to e , hav I was about 13 years old zy. During time, when they would just go cra rs characters for my brothe I started to create these ‘I’m , like ss up and I’d be and sisters. I would dre like leave.’ And I would act sick of y’all, I’m gonna na house saying, ‘I’m gon I was gonna leave the of e car e tak ’ll here, she send Miss Johnson in ’t can you be saying, ‘No, y’all.’ And they would see ’ To this day, when I leave us, you can’t leave. er s they’ll say, ‘Rememb my brothers and sister ?’” ter rac cha play this when you used to

but, you know…” you’ve gotta work for it, for…it takes action and well grounded in amer, Steeples is also While something of a dre ams can be less than early age that even dre reality, realizing from an ught it would be. I’ve far, has been what I tho so , ood llyw “Ho t. fec per stic and Angeles was kind of pla always thought that Los on the live that people would lot of a surface. I don’t have nds, cuz time to spend with frie I’ve been I’m so busy hustling. ee years, thr ut out here for abo five really and I have less than same time, good friends. At the homebody, I’m something of a , creating sic mu painting or making goes for t indoors. But I think tha [Laughs] uld stay there erts that he wo almost anyplace. If you Steeples confidently ass meet some ice for the lead in the long enough, you will have been a good cho ile wh d An i Hendrix. really cool people.” upcoming movie on Jim choose tential, po his ill fulf to yet is There are those who Eddie feels that he om the arts cess so far is based the arts and those wh he is certain that his suc of the chosen r me, it’s having faith. choose. Eddie was one in an unseen realm. “Fo or n it is difficult gio t reli tha about a ones, to the point It’s not necessarily ing eth pleteness in t faith in som imagining any sort of com anything, but having tha as a roofer or a t that you have to him if he were working beyond yourself. No length of time. or anything. I think it’s real estate agent for any practice some religion say you en Wh done. e’s pursuit. you say, it can be lizes the vanity of fam all one and whatever en you say quite famous, he rea Wh not ne. ile do s Wh get it t od at the tha mo k back and see It depends on my something, you can loo great being recognized. maybe it’s Or, es o. tim ont me bs “So gra e ed fame to the degree energy that someon about it. I haven’t achiev something, there’s an go it— y ing the iev how bel and and e it tim seems like it gets you felt it. Just speaking I go in that direction, it as but all they put it out there and rs, It pee its. my hab of e and ions of som your words and then act your thoughts become you ask ver ate wh lonelier and lonelier.” ve, siti po k ughts. If you thin follows from your tho r local listings for ays on NBC. Check you rsd Thu airs l Ear is me My Na show time.

MAY/JUNE 2006 - Feature: 49

With a little help from his friends Joshua Radin Wr i t er : Bob Massey Phot ogr apher : Tyler Shields

T

wo years ago Joshua Radin had no idea what he wanted to do with his life. He was like a lot of 29-year-olds that way. He had tried painting, teaching art, journalism, screenwriting, and aimless wandering. A long relationship had just gone sour. Like a lot of aimless twenty-somethings, he picked up a six-string to exorcise his angst.

He had never before written a song.

But now, unlike most 31-year-old musicians, his songs have allowed Radin to quit his day job. His enjoys appearances on Carson Daly and KCRW’s “Brave New World.” He was invited to join the Hotel Café Tour, sponsored by MySpace.com, that included underground heartthrobs Imogen Heap, Rachael Yamagata, and others. So did Radin win some American Idol-type reality show, or what?

Not quite. “That first song aired on Scrubs,” Radin says, referring to his tune “Winter,” featured in a 2005 episode of the NBC medical-intern comedy, “then 67 countries were hitting my Web site. I was like, you gotta be kidding me. I was getting e-mails from soldiers in Iraq. It was really cool.”

After Scrubs licensed a second song, Radin quit his job to concentrate on music. After a dozen more licenses, his selfreleased album, We Were Here, shot up the iTunes album charts.

A major-label bidding war ensued. When Columbia Records sweetened their offer by promising Radin an opening slot on a Bob Dylan tour, he signed a five-record deal.

“I didn’t have to go through what so many other musicians do,” says Radin. “I got lucky.”

“But what amazing music he makes,” says Alexandra Patsavas.

That she thinks so is no small thing. Patsavas runs the Chop Shop, a music supervision company. She has a music junkie’s dream job: sift through new music to find just the right sonic accompaniment to a television show. Currently, she finds the songs that add emotional punch to pivotal scenes in FX’s Rescue Me, The WB’s Supernatural, ABC’s Grey’s Anatomy, and Fox juggernaut The O.C. Patsavas trolls the record store, goes to shows, reads music blogs, and considers the 500 CDs that deluge her office each

week. For teen-oriented shows like The O.C. and Grey’s, she needs six to ten songs per episode. Stretch that over a 25-episode season, and that’s a lot of songs.

Still, there are a lot of songwriters out there. Radin’s career could signal a new career model for artists—or it could be a perfect storm of talent, accessibility, and breaks.

Radin’s style already sounds classic. He was raised on The Beatles, Bob Dylan, Cat Stevens, Nick Drake, Van Morrison, and Simon and Garfunkel. “When I was a little kid,” Radin says, “I loved ‘Rocky Raccoon.’ I loved that song ‘Sad Lisa,’ by Cat Stevens.”

His music is not self-consciously arty, experimental, or loud.

“I’m not, like, a rocker,” Radin says. “I don’t have any tattoos.

Always been on the right side of the law. I know that doesn’t sound too interesting.”

Radin’s songs are unfailingly melodic, emotional, and accessible. He favors whispery vocals in the vein of Elliott Smith or Ben Gibbard, often with sweet harmonies. He picks patterns on an acoustic guitar or delivers clean, chiming lines on an electric.

“People say it’s kind of like film score music, very visual,” Radin says.

His song “Closer,” which was featured in both Scrubs and Grey’s Anatomy, features bells, swelling strings, an acoustic, and a languid walking bass line. No drum kit. Radin’s impressionistic lyrics sketch the story of a bittersweet romance reaching its end. The song practically conjures a poignant scene from some imaginary movie.

So what does Patsavas listen for? “Interesting instrumentation, a compelling lyric, and music that sits well under dialogue,” she says. “Closer” earns a perfect score.

But Patsavas didn’t rescue Radin’s music from the slush pile of incoming CDs. In show biz, it still helps to have friends in high places. “Zach was among the first two or three who loved it,” says Radin of his songwriting. Zach being Zach Braff of Scrubs. “We went to college together,” Radin explains.

And Braff had just scored a surprise art-house hit with his MAY/JUNE 2006 - Feature: 51

directorial debut, Garden State. That movie’s soundtrack sold over a million copies, significantly raising the profile of underappreciated talents like Frou Frou (whose singer Imogen Heap has become a veritable soundtrack maven), Thievery Corporation, and Iron & Wine. Braff put Radin’s songs in the hands of the producers of Scrubs. They used one on-air. And lo: “Instant fanbase,” says Radin. He adds, “I feel somewhat guilty.”

Maybe some of the guilt should be assigned to music industry execs who, over several decades, systematically stacked the deck against emerging artists. The injustices include Byzantine contracts with low royalty rates, bloated label infrastructures that necessitate inflated CD prices, radio consolidation, and payola—with most costs recoupable to the artist alone. Records that sold in the low-to-mid six-figures came to be seen as failures. Consumers were being overcharged and underserved. Artists became disposable.

David Katznelson is a former vice president of A&R for Warner Bros. Records. “I was there for ten years,” he says. “The first five I got to sign who I loved,” including The Flaming Lips, Mudhoney, Nick Cave and the Bad Seeds, and The Boredoms.

“The last five I worked for a jerk who only wanted quick commercial hits. It became all about quarterly stock reports, not artist development.”

Then the iPod was born, foreshadowing the death of the CD. Napster happened, and iTunes followed. A MySpace page became compulsory for bands. And Katznelson, fed up, left Warner to start his own company, Birdman Recording Group. As a great American said, the times, they are a changin’. Especially for Big Media, including major labels.

“Jon Stewart is now where I get my news,” says Radin, neatly encapsulating the traditional media’s nightmare. And, he adds, “Film and TV, that’s the new radio.”

“Old” radio means commercial radio, which is increasingly controlled by two companies: Clear Channel and Viacom International. Deejays rarely choose music anymore. The actual playlists are carefully prefabricated based on ratings, focus groups, market research, and the efforts (and sometimes payola) of radio promotion companies. So without hundreds of thousands of dollars, new and emerging artists will remain unheard on commercial radio.

Satellite radio is still in its infancy. College radio stations generally have limited reach and sales impact. And only a few independent stations can muster the taste-making clout of KCRW, a public station based in Santa Monica, California.

So when TV is breaking indie bands, it’s tempting to call it the new radio.

“We have the opportunity,” says Patsavas, “on shows like Grey’s and The O.C., to feature artists who maybe are overlooked in the mainstream music media and by labels.

Audiences are eager to hear interesting artists.”

With the help of focus groups? “Never,” Patsavas states flatly.

“As a former college concert promoter, I’ve always been a fan of indie music.” And in the case of The O.C., show creator Josh Schwartz professes to listen to underground bands while he writes. “We work hard with the producers of shows to create a musical world for the project,” says Patsavas. “I really listen to see if the song will work in one scene. I’m looking to enhance a moment.”

And that moment is viewed by 6.5 million people weekly, if it’s on The O.C., according to Nielsen Media Research. Plus, the 52 :RISEN MAGAZINE

four volumes of Music from The O.C. mix CDs have sold nearly 600,000 copies. That’s the kind of exposure that an indie or emerging band can’t find many other places.

Says Radin, “I get a lot of people who write me and say ‘I saw this episode of Scrubs, and I didn’t know who sang the song. All I remembered was five words out of chorus, so I Googled it and found you.’”

Not surprisingly, there are drawbacks. “It’s weird,” says Radin, “to see your song that means something to you, that’s so personal, and people are like: Whoa, it really fits in that scene.

And it’s not about that at all.”

Nor is a song likely to be played in full. Ultimately, says Katznelson, “it’s very different than hearing a song on the radio.

There’s a power in hearing the entire song.”

So the trick, for an emerging artist like Radin, is to get that entire song in the hands of listeners.

After Imogen Heap’s song “Hide and Seek” was featured on The O.C., the song—available only on iTunes—shot up the Billboard Hot 100 chart to number 32. On the strength of that showing, she licensed her newly completed album, Speak for Yourself—which was entirely self-financed and produced (thank you, Garden State)—to RCA Records. Sufjan Stevens’ placements in various shows, including The O.C., helped power the ascent of his album Illinoise, released on his own label, Asthmatic Kitty. Both recordings have passed 100,000 in sales—a rare feat for any album, much less an indie. And both artists retain an unprecedented degree of control.

Radin released his new album exclusively to iTunes on February 7, 2006. It was self-financed and self-released. There was no Grammy-winning producer, no promotional campaign.

When it reached number 24 on the album chart, outselling Coldplay, the labels started calling.

“I’ve been totally content, broke, for my entire life,” says Radin. “This record deal wasn’t really about the money. I just wanted to go out with Bob Dylan. I mean, I’m not gonna lie—it’s not like money’s awful. It gives you more freedom, creatively. But this whole record was written while I was completely broke, and it’s something major labels responded to. That’s great news for artists recording in the bedroom on ProTools.”

“The major label model is very viable but you have to watch out what you’re using it for. If you want a big hit and that’s all you want, go for it. They’re great at that,” says Katznelson. For an artist who hopes to develop over the long term, however, Katznelson says, “You don’t need a label anymore in the digital age. In the future, especially with career artists, you’re going to find people who are consultants that artists can hire to create the infrastructure of their own label, including distribution and a marketing plan.”

For Radin, the outcome remains to be seen. But so far he’s not blinded by the bright lights. “You never know what’s gonna happen, you know? It’s a fickle business,” says Radin. “But my biggest fear is picturing myself on my deathbed, an old, old man, not having tried to do the things I really wanted to do. I’d be totally fine just being able to pay my bills, write music, touch a few people here and there. And hopefully when I’m gone maybe there will be a song or two people remember.” And, he adds, “I will never be on a reality show. I can tell you that right now.”

Joshua Radin's CD, We Were Here, is available now on iTunes, and in stores on June 13th.

“

This record deal wasn’t really about the money. I just wanted to go out with Bob Dylan.

”

MAY/JUNE 2006 - Feature: 53

The Revenge of Being

Almost Famous

KatDennings T

Wr i t er : Chris Ahrens Phot ogr apher : Rene Velasco Makeup: Mona Van Cleeve for Stila Hai r : Derek Van Cleeve for Kerastase St yl i st : Malia Miyashiro

T

he 19-year-old actress with screen credits in The 40 Year Old Virgin, Raise Your Voice, Big Momma’s House 2, Sex and the City, ER, CSI: as well as a lead in Raising Dad, is huddled near another woman on a couch, enjoying conversation and warmth. “Hi, I’m Kat,” she says extending her hand for a firm shake. The other woman is Kat’s mother, Ellie. I tell them I am here to do the interview, and at Kat’s insistence, Ellie walks to a far corner of the building and Kat and I engage in conversation, something that seems to come easily for her. Once out of range, Kat brags, “Can you believe she’s nearly 60?” She adds that her mother doesn’t smoke, drink or use soap on her face.

Besides actually liking her parents, Kat Dennings has some other traits that separate her from many of her Hollywood peers. She is sure of herself, but not full of herself. She reads Nabokov, and she loves Edith Piaf and a hamster named Baruchito that she’s seen on a Japanese Web site. She listens attentively before answering. She hopes to save the world, help restore trees to the landscape, and be a better person. As for fame, she claims she is not the least bit interested in pursuing it, but won’t run from it if it results from acting, which she loves.

Ask the wrong questions and you could get the wrong impression.

Interviewed exclusively for RISEN Magazine at K&M Digital Photo in Los Angeles.

RISEN Magazine: How would you describe yourself?

Kat Dennings: Weird, I guess. [Laughs] Maybe not that weird, but MAY/JUNE 2006 - Feature: 55

abnormal. Okay, here’s something about me that’s weird. I get cravings for certain things—I don’t mean food. Do you ever get cravings for certain books you read when you were 6 and you feel you’re going to die if you don’t read it again?

RM: Yeah.

KD: I just took up knitting. I love knitting. I get really, really interested in something and then it just stops. But I don’t really know what normal is. My upbringing wasn’t really normal. It was great. I had very loving parents and family. I was home-schooled. I grew up in a house on a hill in the woods. I didn’t have many friends, so I would name the trees around my house. I know that sounds psychotic, but at the time it made perfect sense. I guess maybe that’s why acting comes naturally, cuz I’m used to communicating with inanimate objects. [Laughs] RM: Are you stop-and-go with relationships?

environment?

KD: I probably shouldn’t say this, cuz it’s illegal. Tell me I won’t get arrested and I’ll tell you.

RM: You won’t get arrested.

KD: OK, my friends have written things on walls, not with paint but with lipstick. Political things in plain sight. It can be easily washed off. [Laughs] RM: What other issues are you concerned about?

KD: I try not to wear leather if I can help it. I don’t have any leather on, and fur is the last thing I would ever, ever have in my life. I have a link to PETA on my Web site. I’m not a member, but I think a lot of things they do are admirable.

RM: Do you have any friends who live without passion?

KD: I know a few people who would be happy to live like that, but

I don’t desire fame at all. I’m not famous, but if fame came I would accept it as a part of my job.

KD: They’re definitely all or nothing. I’ve had this wonderful boyfriend for two years now and it’s the best thing in the world.

RM: How would you describe your worldview?

KD: I’m not religious at all. I think religion kind of divides people, even though they all think that if we followed their ideas everything would be great.

RM: What do you think unites people?

KD: I’m going to sound like a big hippie when I say this, but love unites people.

RM: Do you think the desire for fame is the desire to be loved?

KD: I’m gonna tell you this; I don’t desire fame at all. I’m not famous, but if fame came I would accept it as a part of my job. I think if someone sought it out intentionally…they must be seeking out love or attention or whatever.

RM: When someone stops you and says, “Oh my gosh it’s you!” how do you react?

KD: [Laughs] It’s really nice, unless it’s some crazy dude trying to stab me or something.

RM: You love trees, so how do you feel seeing trees give way to shopping malls and planned communities?

KD: The other day I was walking with my mom and they cut down this gorgeous, huge tree. It actually kind of hurts me. Maybe people don’t understand that trees are life-giving. If it’s a danger to somebody, I understand. I know the numbers of how much rainforest disappears every minute, but it’s almost too much of a burden to know that stuff. I understand wanting to live in your own little bubble and ignore things.

RM: Have you ever taken a radical action to help save the 56 :RISEN MAGAZINE

then they don’t have any highs or lows.

RM: Maybe it’s risky to be passionate?

KD: But if you aren’t, maybe you’ll always be thinking about it. I have passion for painting, but I think I can live without. I’m very passionate about babies, animals and health.

RM: If you had children and you could give them one guiding principle, what would it be?

KD: One thing my mom always tells me is to be as informed as possible about as many things as possible, so you can make your own choices. That would be a pretty good one.

RM: Have you ever been in a fistfight?

KD: Almost, and I would have kicked some ass too. These two girls hung out together, mean-spirited, horrible girls and mean, for no apparent reason. One of them came up to me and pushed me really hard in the shoulder. I had taken martial arts for a long time, but I didn’t want to do anything. One rule of martial arts is to only use it if you need it. If you can’t run, you fight, but you run first. I tried to reason with her, but she wouldn’t have it. I grabbed her by a pressure point and she yelled. When my mom pulled up, I was ready to unload.

RM: Do you think your generation is as passionate as past ones?

KD: I don’t want to speak for my generation, cuz I’m not really that involved in my generation. My mom has talked to me a lot about her hippie days and marching and doing sit-ins. That stuff doesn’t seem to go much anymore, or at least not with the same passion.

RM: Do you lecture your friends?

KD: I have in the past, but nobody’s listening. [Laughs] I used to give my boyfriend a lot of lectures, but it doesn’t change anybody’s mind, you know? Experience is the only real teacher.

RM: What’s it like to go home to Philadelphia?

People who are originals will often get s—t for being who they are, until someone says, Hey, that guy’s awesome, and then everybody copies them.

KD: I went back to the little town where I grew up and it was weird; nothing had changed at all. I felt like I was 12 again. I felt trapped, cuz I have sensory memory of what it was like when I was back there. I was pretty miserable, and I knew there was more. There was that handful of girls back there, and whatever they said I used to start to believe, like ‘I guess I’m not pretty’ or ‘I guess I’m not smart.’

They would be like, “You can’t act.” That was the only thing where I really kind of ignored them. Those people go and see The 40 Year Old Virgin and say, “There’s that girl I made fun of.” [Laughs] You don’t talk about it, so they assume you’re making pizza somewhere.

RM: What makes you angry?

KD: People who are completely uninformed make me angry. People who are ignorant and want to stay that way. People that get bored and do drugs, thinking there’s nothing else to do, cuz they’re just lazy.

RM: When you are acting, are there ever times a scene transports you?

KD: Yeah, especially when they’re sad. That’s the problem, when you want to make it real. I remember this one thing I did; it didn’t really translate to the screen though. [In the show] my sister had just [been] killed. When [my character] needed to cry, I thought about my dad being sick, which sends me to tears right away. It’s a place you don’t really want to go, but in order for it to work, you have to. There’s one episode of a certain show that can never be aired again, cuz it was too graphic. It got a lot of people up in arms.

It’s a true story of these kids in suburban Iowa, or somewhere like that. There’s nothing to do but get drunk, do drugs, and have sex

parties. Really horrible, gut wrenching. It wasn’t glamorized. I was just 16 and had never, obviously, been in a situation like that. I played this girl who decided to sleep with every guy at the party.

She was 13 or something like that.

Afterwards I had the most horrible day. I almost felt like I was having an out-of-body experience. I couldn’t believe it was real. It was disturbing to me. In the car, on the way home, I burst into tears and couldn’t stop.

RM: Do you have any fashion pet peeves?

KD: What makes me angry is that the cool kids have $400 jeans that look like they’ve been run over. Save your money; get an old pair of jeans and run over them and you’ll have the exact same thing. You all look the same. You’re conforming to being a nonconformist. I don’t know if I’m an individual, but I try to be who I am.

I’ve never dyed my hair or done anything like that. The problem with being who you are is that you face possible alienation. It’s a risk.

You’re on your own. People who are originals will often get s—t for being who they are, until someone says, Hey, that guy’s awesome and then everybody copies them.

RM: Where do you see yourself in 10,000 years?

KD: 10,020 years old. [Laughs]

Along with other projects, Kat Dennings has been cast in the upcoming feature film, Charlie Bartlett.

MAY/JUNE 2006 - Feature: 59

dept:Expressions

Blaine Fontana — Man of Roots

photo: Eugenie Jolivett

Writer: Owen Leimbach

For years I’ve heard about the death of classical music, jazz, poetry, fine arts … all those things that you have to take a moment to understand. Most often I hear their demise tied to un-stoppable cultural forces such as high-speed technology and shortening attention spans.

Dana Gioia, our nation’s poet-in-chief, offered what I think is a more compelling argument a few years back when he chastised poets for failing to write for the public and catering instead to an insular and introspective group of peers.

After all, who wants art they can’t understand? Who’s interested in something that is built upon layers of inside jokes?

Blaine Fontana certainly isn’t. Catching a glimpse of his work has something of a catnip effect on the average passer-by. He’s willing to sit and talk about it, but he doesn’t want to stunt the exercise of your imagination with what he has to say about it. “I have a rule,” he explains. “When I’m at a show, I don’t talk about my work for more than five minutes because it demystifies and deflates the magic of the piece. I think it takes the joy out of looking at it.”

And there is a lot of joy to be had looking at his work: a lot of memories.

Memories of times before our imaginative work was done for us by movie directors, times when we had to create images of stories we heard and times when beautiful images were telling us stories, not trying to sell us something.

It seems the only thing Blaine Fontana is trying to sell us is the use of the imagination we gave up all those years ago. “A lot of my ideas and experiences are coming from my childhood,” Fontana says, “…growing up with the forest around me. There are these things that are the guardians of the seasons. You know, that help birds out of nests…the moment before that happens, I think it’s a magical place. And I think that is what I’m always trying to tap into.” It is the longlost wonder that children have for nature.

There’s plenty of fodder in Fontana’s story to sustain a romantic account of his innocent and nurturing upbringing—an almost inevitable path toward an artistic naturalist. Raised on a picturesque island in Puget Sound, a mother who made a living on canvas, and a childhood full of wooded bliss.

But if you spend a few minutes looking through his work you will quickly see that he has encountered more than just a forest in his few years. “I walked around [Seattle], getting in trouble on the streets…I was homeless for a minute…I was 60 :RISEN MAGAZINE

"The Symbiotic Arrangement" 12" x 12" acrylic on board

"Faster Than Imagination" 12" x 12" acrylic on board

"The Pond Forum" 24" x 48" acrylic on canvas

"Dig Dug" 15" x 45" acrylic on canvas MAY/JUNE 2006 - Department: 61

"Come Alive Mr. Truffalump" 60" x 36" acrylic on canvas bouncing around a lot, getting in and out of jail.” That’s how Fontana explains the several years he spent as a graffiti artist and vagabond before following his brother to art school in California.

Immediately after art school he spent a few months as an art director for a clothing company, but got fired. “I never had the conscious decision to do my own thing,” Fontana explained, “I just sorta fell into it…getting fired from there was probably the best thing that ever happened to me.”

And his brief experience in the clothing biz probably didn’t do too much harm to Fontana either. He is comfortable in both fine art and design, something which may help explain his ability to craft accessible and almost addictive fine arts.

While a lot of the press Fontana has received deals with the “distinctive figures” that populate many of his pieces, I think he is better understood by looking at the little houses you see pasted prominently in much of his work.

Fontana is a man of roots. Never in our two hours of sitting in the second story windows of his Long Beach studio does five minutes go by without a reference to his childhood, grandfather, mother or other connections to his first impressions on this planet. This, I think, is where his heart is. In the little houses which he describes as “knowing where home is.”

And if you look closely at the little domiciles in his paintings you’ll see the roots extending down from their floor to depict “how and where you lay your roots, and how far they go down.”

My imagination thinks the house is Blaine Fontana in the midst of terrific exploits in expressing the wonder of what he sees himself surrounded by. And perhaps it’s because he doesn’t fixate on what is happening on the inside of his own house that I find his work so palatable and downright purchasable.

“A friend asked me why I don’t paint the inside of the house,” he continued. “It’s because I don’t know what it looks like. It’s constantly changing.”

Visit Blaine Fontana's website at www.totembookmedia.com for upcoming shows and to see more of his work.

"Eternity Green" 16" x 24" acrylic on board 62 :RISEN MAGAZINE

Grizzly 32" x 84" mixed media on paper

“My December Affair”

12" x 12" acrylic on board

"Guerillas in the Fist" 32" x 84" mixed media on paper

"Elk56" 32" x 84" mixed media on paper

"Pearls, Porcupines, Pennies" 12" x 12" acrylic on board MAY/JUNE 2006 - Department: 63

dept:Expressions

A Thousand Words Paint A Picture

Bob Stevens “No matter how slow the film, Spirit always stands still long enough for the photographer It has chosen.”

– Minor Martin White (co-founder of Aperture magazine)

Writer: Regina Goodman Photographer: Bob Stevens Do you find what you love and make it your life’s mission, or is your life’s mission to find love in what you’re doing? Is there even a difference?

Pick apart the questions and look closely because you’ll find a sense of great joy in one and a sense of great sadness in the other. Bob Stevens found his joy—or maybe it found him— years ago, serendipitously, in college. “It’s kind of a funny story. The only reason I took a photography class was that one class was 10 units, and it made me a full-time student, so I could play on the [volleyball] team. In the process of attempting those photo classes, I found something that I really love doing.”

After a short period of photo assistant jobs, Bob decided to start his own business and quickly found work in the advertising industry. But, for Bob, what keeps his passion for photography constant, today, the same as it was in its seminal stages on the campus of Santa Monica College, are his personal projects. “When I do advertising work, it’s always working with someone else’s idea…to execute someone else’s vision. So the way photography continues to be enjoyable, refreshing, challenging, and new is I continually challenge myself with personal projects. I’ve always shot personal projects.”

Getting past Bob’s loading page for his web site without a smile or a chuckle is hardpressed, but necessary if you want to enjoy his clever, photographic innuendos exhibited in his “Scratch ‘n’ Sniff” portfolio, a prime example of some of his personal work.

Explaining his process, Bob’s says, “I write 66 :RISEN MAGAZINE

about what I’m going to take pictures of, before I take pictures. I could send you a thousand words that I wrote before I shot [the landscapes on my site]. I’ll create, in words, a semantic context so that when I take pictures of what I discover, they maintain a common, visual link.” A piece of bacon, a banana, and a lone maraschino cherry in “Scratch ‘n’ Sniff,” for instance, are stripped of their conventional definitions for those more befitting of an elementary school playground—the things you say just out of earshot of Miss Crabtree.

But the levity that imbues Bob’s work belies the skill honed primarily through selfteaching. And he proudly submits that all one needs in order to be a good photographer is to possess curiosity. “I think that curiosity is a gift. It’s taken me a while to realize what this is all about, what I’ve been doing my whole life.

And it’s about curiosity, and it’s about tenacity, about exploration, about a thirst for knowledge and for daring perspective on the same thing.”

To wonder whether his creative well will, at some point, find itself arid is to wonder whether grass will, at some point, find itself purple; it won’t. “My creativity is synonymous with curiosity, and I will always be curious.”

Bob Stevens was recently awarded 1st Place at Photo Santa Fe, as part of Review Santa Fe, in the color division of the Singular Image competition. His winning piece is titled “Rose.” To see more of Bob’s work, visit www.bobstevens.com.

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MAY/JUNE 2006 - Department: 69

MAY/JUNE 2006 - Department: 71

dept:Screen

Café Lumiere ( 2005, avai l abl e on DVD)

Tonight, you can turn on television and watch stories that won’t demand anything of your brain.

Or you can test your powers of observation and try something mysterious and secretive, like Hou Hsiao-Hsien’s Café Lumiere. This subtle, intriguing film invites you to peer into the life of a meandering young woman named Yoko (played by pop star Yo Hitoto).

Through this story about time and change, Hou pays tribute to Yasujiro Ozu, one of the world’s most revered filmmakers, adopting a similarly meditative style and considering some of Ozu’s favorite themes. As Yoko’s parents travel to visit her in Tokyo, we see a clash of generations and the fading of a different world.

Yoko’s mother isn’t happy that she has abandoned traditional values and lost her sense of propriety, and her father seems troubled as well, sinking into silence. Yoko is scraping the bottom of her bank account, borrowing frequently from her landlord, eating on the run, and spending more time writing about her favorite composer than thinking about her future. She daydreams and hangs out at a bookshop where she fancies the soft-spoken shopkeeper Hajime (played by Tadanobu Asano of Last Life in the Universe). She also has a boyfriend in Taiwan, and that has complicated things in more ways than one.

Hou’s film is only for the patient, wide-eyed movie aficionado. Its joys are subtle and hard to describe...but that’s what makes them special.

Because Hou does not tell you what is important in the frame, but lets you explore and decide for yourself, it’s likely that you’ll see a different movie every time.

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You Can Count On Me

Waking Life

( 2001, avai l abl e on DVD)

( 2002, avai l abl e on DVD)

Kenneth Lonergan’s You Can Count On Me tells the story of a young woman trying to leave the past behind and live life on her own terms. And, of course, the past catches up with her.

This Sundance Grand Jury Prize winner is a small movie with a big heart. Lonergan, who also wrote the mediocre comedy Analyze This, strives for something more meaningful here, and the story suggests echoes of personal experiences.

Set in Scottsville, a quaint small town in upstate New York, the film introduces us to Sammy (Laura Linney of The Exorcism of Emily Rose), a nervous, struggling single mother and bank worker. Sammy lives a seemingly simple life, trying her best to raise her son Rudy and to cope with a tyrannical new boss at the bank. But she is also haunted by the long-ago tragedy of her parents’ untimely deaths in a car accident. When her reckless and wandering brother Terry (Mark Ruffalo of Just Like Heaven) shows up in Scottsville, their happy reunion takes an abrupt turn into a nasty argument over responsibility and money.

Linney plays Sammy with such confidence that it makes you wonder how much she identifies with the character. Ruffalo should have received an Oscar nomination for his performance as Terry. Young Rory Culkin (Mean Creek) jumped into the big leagues here and began a string of impressive performances.

Matthew Broderick and Lonergan himself contribute memorable supporting work, as Sammy’s boyfriend and the neighborhood cleric.

Lonergan avoids the faults of so many other contemporary American storytellers by refusing to cast his characters in a judgmental light, giving each one just enough dignity to make him or her convincing and sympathetic. He reveals himself to be more of an artist than an entertainer.

Have you ever experienced dreams in which you knew you were dreaming? Richard Linklater’s Waking Life is a movie in which the main character is well aware that he’s stepped into dreamland, but he can’t get out.

Wiley Wiggins’ character might be described as a slacker/seeker. He has the compulsion of every Richard Linklater character—he craves heavy conversation so much that I suspect he doesn’t have time for much else, like a good job or a girlfriend. His favorite songs are probably by Travis, Sparklehorse, or Elliott Smith, and his favorite movies are probably My Dinner with Andre and Wings of Desire. He’s Gen-Existential.

And he can’t wake up.

Some viewers will be fascinated by his dreams. Others will find them too “talky” and mind-bending. Whether you enjoy the ride or not, you’ll be hard-pressed to find a film that offers more challenging conversations and varying worldviews than this one.

In each dream Wiley goes looking for a way to wake up, and ends up sidetracked in a conversation with characters who challenge him with ideas about the nature of reality. Some are self-centered, like the despairing suicidal young man who thinks it’s time for his “lack of voice to be heard.” Some have craniums that swell with the size of their thoughts, like the man who envisions the next stage of human evolution.

Others are optimistic, open-minded, offering possibilities and invitations. One young lady refuses to pass Wiley on the stairs without an intimate conversation; she’s tired of relating to strangers like ants passing inside an anthill.

It’s a trip, to say the least, and if you spend time thinking about it and discussing it, it becomes something much, much more. Oscar Wilde once said, “Skepticism is the beginning of faith.” If that is true, then Waking Life is an invitation to begin.

dept:Screen

Sunshin

e State

( 2002, avai l abl e on DVD)

When Crash won the Oscar this year for its complex web of storylines about the barriers between cultures in America, it was celebrated as brave and groundbreaking. But writer/director John Sayles has been telling complicated and challenging stories about similar themes for years.

And, just as he did in Men with Guns, Passion Fish, Lone Star, The Secret of Roan Inish, and Limbo, he’s done it again with Sunshine State, a film in which we learn as much about the territory as we do about the characters.

Sunshine State takes place, of course, in Florida. In a small island community, full of small family businesses, folks are trying to carry on their traditions in spite of encroaching developers, big money, and the homogenization of American society.

The film tells several stories. The most central are about two women in very different dilemmas. One story follows Marly (Edie Falco of HBO’s The Sopranos), a restaurant owner who wants to sell the place and get on with her life.

But her father is stubborn and doesn’t want to surrender to the pressure of big corporations. The other woman, Desiree (Angela Bassett of Akeelah and the Bee), has become a moderate success in the big city, and is now returning home to face her family for the first time since she was “sent away” as a troubled teenager.

Sunshine State does get a bit heavy-handed at times—several conversations become preachy monologues. But this is a small complaint.

Sayles’ writing is so good, and so convincing, he makes the experience more like reading a complex and well-researched novel than watching a movie. He gives his actors such compelling characters that their enthusiasm keeps us hooked throughout.

The Ice Storm ( 2001, avai l abl e on DVD)

Long before Brokeback Mountain, director Ang Lee was impressing American moviegoers with first-rate filmmaking. The Ice Storm stands alongside Sense and Sensibility and Eat Drink Man Woman as one of his finest.

An all-American family…that’s what Ben Hood (Kevin Kline) seems to have: a lovely wife, Elena (Joan Allen); a beautiful teenage daughter, Wendy (Christina Ricci); and a promising collegebound son, Paul (Spider-man’s Tobey Maguire).

They seem fine at first glance. But look closer. Dad’s giving Mom hugs and kisses that are merely formalities, and he doesn’t hide the truth very well when she hints that he might be out messing around. He is messing around, with another married woman — a neighbor named Janey Carver (Sigourney Weaver). Still, he’s not the only one acting irresponsibly. While fretting about her husband’s unfaithfulness, Elena’s out cheering herself up by shoplifting cosmetics.

And the children aren’t clueless either. In fact, as Wendy becomes increasingly obsessed with Nixon’s betrayal of the office of President, she tries to ignore the fact that her father is forsaking his own duties. Impressionable as she is, she learns by observation that rules about sex are not to be taken seriously, so she begins her own explorations with the neighbor boys (Elijah Wood and Adam Hann-Byrd).

The Ice Storm is, indeed, chilling. Few films have portrayed more effectively how parents’ actions affect their children, how irresponsibility begets irresponsibility, how lies set ongoing evil into motion, and how love through commitment and family provides order in the chaos of a downward-spiraling culture.

Ang Lee’s direction is perfect. He does not clobber the viewer with a moral. He merely shows the truth: Affairs are not glamorous. Marriage is difficult. Children are extremely fragile. And those we love will not go unaffected by what we think are personal, private sins.

Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time ( 2004, avai l abl e on DVD)

Need some creative inspiration? Pay a visit to Andy Goldsworthy, an artist who will make you look at creativity in a whole new way.

Rivers and Tides: Andy Goldsworthy Working with Time is Thomas Riedelsheimer’s awe-inspiring documentary on Goldsworthy’s unique experimental sculpture and photography.

We watch as he pieces together fragments drawn from nature—twigs, leaves, clay—into exhibits that express the mysterious and fragile balance of the environment in which he constructs them.

Goldsworthy is something of an enigma. He is, above all, an artist. That means he is not focusing on pleasing the audience, but on excellence and vision. His creativity is an investigation, a way of exploring questions. For those who take the time to watch him work, there are vast rewards. We get not only the suspense of “How will it end?” but the added suspense of knowing that even the person in charge doesn’t know what’s going to happen. He builds complex, gravity-defying walls by joining the tips of twigs; he erects a precariously balanced column of stones that becomes the submerged secret of a rising river; and he braids leaves into long colorful ribbons that wind their way down rivers into oblivion.

The scriptures say that creation itself “pours forth speech.” Goldsworthy is teaching us how to listen. I’m sure he’ll inspire a large crowd of imitators and disciples who will go running into the woods—or even their backyards—looking for undiscovered patterns, .

Jeffrey Overstreet’s reviews and interviews have appeared in Paste and other publications. His book about finding meaning at the movies, Through a Screen Darkly, will be out next year, as well as the first novel in his fantasy series, Auralia’s Colors, in 2007.

MAY/JUNE 2006 - Department: 73

dept:Sound what makes their latest album so exciting. In the City of Sleep keeps the catchy danceability of previous releases, but adds fairytale lyrics and creepy carnival accompaniment, making the finished creation a refreshing and memorable event. The album opens with an arresting Moody Blues-esque haunter that twangs into a fast-paced romp with rock 'n' roll lyrics David Johansen style,

Artist: Mathew Herbert Album: Scale Label: !K7 Release: May 30th

Mr. Bungle keyboards, and whirling surf guitar.

Britain's most esoteric electronic producer returns with a jazzy pop album that's smart and smooth, like Shaft teamed up with James Bond. After his previous release, Plat Du Jour, a scathing criticism of the food industry, no one expected Herbert to drop an upbeat record of slick songs. Here's the secret; the politics lie just below the surface. Every sound echoes the refrain of global discontent. But you'd never know it; these tracks melt like butter.

With Scale, Herbert pushes the envelope of musical experimentation; samples include meteorites, jet bombers, and involuntary regurgitation. But Scale comes out smelling like a rose. The freakish samples are sewn into a quiltwork of music that's dominated by the strings and woodwinds of a chamber orchestra and the ultramellow voice of Dani Siciliano. Beats range from house to hip-hop, but the songs are never subordinated to the boom. These are classic dance tracks in the finest discotheque style.

percussion, finger-snaps, jack-in-the-box piano

From there you're in constant motion, sliding from waking life wanderings into gritty sex district dreamlands and back again. Scrap metal tinkering, and pretty pump organ waltzes give the album incredible life and depth. This isn't simply an album, it's an adventure.

- Jessie Duquette

Artist: Micah P. Hinson Album: The Baby And The Satellite Label: Jade Tree Release: June 6th

were better than most, but lacked the innovation

This record is not cute, or poppy, or elementary... it's not any of the things music seems to be resting on these days. However, this record is everything a modern, meaningful album should be. Micah P. Hinson's debut CD is quite a rare occurrence in this respect. The 18-year-old Hinson has taken acoustic guitars (along with a slew of accompaniment at times) and unique vocals to turn these songs into something with a clearly defined style and maturity unattainable to most people so young. Micah's voice is something of a mix between Tom Waits and David Bowie, and it compliments the acoustic timbre of the songs perfectly. While acoustic instrumentation is the base for most of the record, Hinson also incorporates synthesizers at times, and drum machines on "The Last Charge Of Lt. Paul" to create a truly unique sound. With a record like this at age 18, one can only imagine the phenomenal things that will come from Hinson in the future.

necessary to make a real impression. Which is

- Jared Cohen

-Thaddeus Christian

Artist: The Fever Album:In the City of Sleep Label: Kemado Release: April 20th Until recently, the Fever was just another New York troop slinging peppy dance-punk numbers to sweaty high-fashion kids with jitterbug feet. They

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Artist: Francine Album: Airshow Label: QDivision Release: June 13th Catchy pop hooks abound on Francine's latest release, "Airshow." It's been a few years since we've heard anything from Cambridge, Massachusetts' Francine, and not much has changed musically. While definitely catchy, it seems the record is missing something, though pinpointing where exactly the album falls short is difficult. It's a very interesting record to listen to, but it's not enthralling. It doesn't beg you to listen to it again. "Airshow" seems lost, under-produced, and underdeveloped. It's certainly a decent record, and it sounds nice, but there's little depth to it. Stylistic variation amongst the songs is scarce, leading to a bland-albeit catchy-display of typical pop rock. If you're looking for a fun, pop record then this is for you. If you're looking for something that's going to push creativity to the limits, you might want to look elsewhere.

- Jared Cohen

Artist: Amel Larrieux Album: Morning Label: Bliss Life Release: April 25th Why are people still sleeping on Amel Larrieux? It's a question fans and reviewers have been posing for years and will no doubt arise with the release of her latest offering, Morning. The focus, however, shouldn't be on why Larrieux hasn't achieved mainstream success but rather on her admirable refusal to compromise, her musicianship and

dept:Sound growth over the past 10 years. Yes, she waits

poking out," Psapp's newest LP is an infusion of aural delights, where down tempo beats meld with curious tinkering. What sounds like pebbles playfully falling on tile is mixed with ethereal strings on "This Way." Keyboard and horn creatively mate with creaking floorboards and a baby's rattle on the closing track, "Upstairs." Combine the pair's unique ability to find music in unsought places with the dreamy vocals of Clasmann and you've got something that is both buoyant and lullabying.

- Regina Goodman

years between releases, but after 15 seconds of the opening track "Trouble" a smooth bossa nova lets you know it was worth it. Husband/producer Laru adds intelligent beats on tracks like "Earn My Affection," a jazzy ultimatum to a pursuing lover; and the perfect phrasing and harmonies on "Just Once" is reminiscent Ella Fitzgerald. Never oversinging, Larrieux understands her voice is an instrument meant to blend seamlessly with the backing music, not outshine it.

- Fayola Shakes

Artist: Cities Album: Cities Label: Yep Roc Release: April 18th North Carolina's Cities has broken onto the scene with a very praiseworthy debut. While the record is not completely original in sound, Cities brings an energy lacking from many of the records that obviously influenced them. The opening song, "A Theme" is very catchy and textbook, and leads you to believe you're in for another radio-ready pop record, but the next nine tracks reveal a well-

Artist: Jewel Album: Goodbye Alice in Wonderland Label: Atlantic Release: May 2nd

written complex rock record, which comes

Fans that cringed at Jewel Kilcher’s 2004 syrupy 0304 will be happy to hear she’s returned to her folk/rock roots on Goodbye Alice in Wonderland, an autobiographical effort that raises a metaphorical middle finger in Hollywood’s direction. The red pill of fame was a bitter one and on her sixth album, the Alaskan singer chronicles her career from disillusionment to the journey out the rabbit hole into tentative early-30s maturity in Texas. It’s Jewel’s best offering since her debut Pieces of You, 1995’s musical and lyrical antithesis to grunge. Tracks such as “Satellite” and “Long Slow Slide” find her dissing the “volleyballs, Valium and PowerBars” LaLa Land is famous for; “Last Dance Rodeo” and “Stehpenville, TX” provide glimpses into life on her ranch with beau and rodeo champion Ty Murray; and “1000 Miles Away,” a long-time concert fave, highlights her paradoxical voice – equally girlish, sultry, powerful and vulnerable. Lyrically, the album delivers, with gems such as “Tell your boss you’re dead/Let’s get back in bed” covering rambling missteps like “Good Day,” where she asks a lover to “drink [her] like water.” It’s a minor hiccup on a reflective ride through Jewel’s Wonderland and a welcome return to form.

– Fayola Shakes

and truly molded it into an altered state. Cities

together effortlessly. Drawing upon the sounds of early Radiohead and Interpol, Cities have taken what European bands have been doing for years leaves you at a place where it's easy to look back at the band's influences, but even easier to look ahead, to what Cities' style can and will become.

It's great to hear what this young group of American's has done to a sound previously reserved for the Brits.

- Jared Cohen

Artist: Psapp Album: The Only Thing I Ever Wanted Label: Domino Release: May 25th

Artist: Thursday Album: A City By The Light Divided Label: Island/Def Jam Release: May 2nd Thursday's long-awaited follow up to 2003's War All The Time has finally arrived... and it will exceed any expectations held about. I've always been an admirer of Thursday for their ability to meld catchy pop riffs, deep guitar tones, and deafening screams into something beautiful and cohesive.

It's no surprise, then, that Thursday has managed to do it once again. Using the same formula that brought their previous two records much acclaim from fans and critics, Thursday combines all things angry and beautiful into a masterful wall of sound.

Lead singer Geoff Rickly has once again found the perfect blend of singing and lung-tearing screams.

While Thursday has always been very technical musically, this record seems to be their most advanced to date, with much more detailed guitar work than in the past, and a greater incorporation of synthesizers. Thursday is back and leaving their mark once again. Take two or three listens, and you'll be singing along.

- Jared Cohen

If the word 'wondrous' had a sound all its own, it would be that of Psapp. Carim Clasmann and Galia Durant, the duo that make up Psapp (pronounced sap), release their sophomore album, The Only Thing I Ever Wanted, on May 25th. True to their mission of making "songs with little noises

MAY/JUNE 2006 - Department: 75

dept:Up to Speed Anthony Kiedis RISEN Magazine: Do your fans get you?

Anthony Kiedis: No, I don’t think so, but I really don’t expect them to. I don’t think that anyone gets

me, let alone someone who doesn’t know me. They may get something; they may get a part of me. They get a moment or an interpretation.

RM: Is that lonely?

AK: Sure, but it’s not constant, and I’m not even against lonely. Lonely can be very inspiring. I don’t know

too many people that feel “gotten” entirely by people. Every once in a while you have a girlfriend or a friend that gets you, but that’s very rare to me.

Up to Speed: A little over a year ago, RISEN sat with Red Hot Chili Peppers front man, Anthony Kiedis, discussing sobriety, epitaphs, and even his chipped tooth. Kiedis also shared his reverence for the late Hendrix, and the Guitar Great’s inimitable reputation in London, forever immortalized by Hendrix-slept-here placards. It might not be long before Red Hot Chili Peppers enjoy the same honor. The band is already underway on a European tour, with UK performances scheduled throughout July. Their ninth album, Stadium Arcadium, is scheduled for release on May 9th.

Afeni Shakur

RISEN Magazine: Did you speak a lot about death to Tupac?

Afeni Shakur: In our house, life and death is a yin and a yang issue. First of all, I believe life is

everywhere. And I think the people who go around as if they’re not going to die, they’re nuts. I think that my son was conscious of a great sacrifice, I really do.

RM: Universities are teaching classes on your son now. Do you think he’ll be as big as, say, Shakespeare hundreds of years from now?

AS: I have no clue. I do believe that hundreds of years from now Tupac will be studied. He will be

listened to. Very few people among his peers can measure up to where he is. Not to talk about his work is not to talk about him as an artist.

Up to Speed: 2006 marks the 10th anniversary of the passing of rapper Tupac Shakur. In

commemoration, the famed Madame Tussauds wax museum in Las Vegas recently unveiled the “wax portrait” of Tupac as part of its “On Stage” attraction. Tupac’s likeness was created using hundreds of photographs and measurements provided to artists at the Tussauds Studios London by Afeni Shakur, Tupac’s mother. Each of Tupac’s tattoos was meticulously redrawn and individually hand-painted onto the finished sculpture. The final attraction took six months to complete, involved 700 hours of work, and more than 300 pounds of clay and wax. The entire figure weighs approximately 55 pounds. (Facts courtesy of Gorgeous PR) Visit www.mtvegas.com for more information on Madame Tussauds Las Vegas and to purchase tickets.

Sufjan Stevens It’s been almost a year since Sufjan Stevens released Illinois, the second album in his 50 states album endeavor (Michigan being the first). RISEN sat with Sufjan in the fall of 2005 just as he was beginning his sold-out, national tour. Many of Sufjan’s songs possess religious allusions, so when RISEN asked him about his faith, he responded with the following: “Christianity is like the heart and the core of the faith. It’s really about service and love and generosity; a yielding of your will for other people. The Christian Right, or whatever you want to call it, in this country is really a political organization, and I think we should stop associating it with the Church, because it’s reduced an entire philosophy—an entire religious consciousness—to a set of principles. To me, that’s legalization, or legality, or however you want to describe it, and those ideas are pretty alien to fundamental Christianity.”

Up to Speed: On March 31, 2006, Sufjan was chosen as the inaugural winner of the New Pantheon Music Prize. The award honors the most creative and artistic records produced within the eligibility year, and they must have sold less than 500,000 copies (the amount required to achieve Gold by the RIAA).

Other nominees for the prize included: Death Cab for Cutie, Fiona Apple, M.I.A., and The Decemberists, just to name a few.

Back issues of RISEN magazine are available for purchase while supplies last at risenmagazine.com.

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Writer: Steve Beard Illustration: Zela

Ah, those jet black Bettie Page bangs. Fifty years after they were immortalized on a pinup icon, you still see them on the pale hipster chicks with the cat-eyed glasses. That is just one of the lasting manifestations of Bettie Page’s industrious and enigmatic seven-year modeling career. She was a splash of rockabilly, a dash of Goth, and an extra helping of sass. The Los Angeles Times described her as a “taboo breaker who ushered in the sexual revolution of the 1960s.”

Bettie Page is more popular today than she was in the Eisenhower era. You can purchase her image on playing cards, t-shirts, lunch boxes, beach towels, lighters, key chains, and fridge magnets. There is even a Bettie Page action figure.

Her Web site has received 626 million hits since August 9, 2000.

Her legendary status is only going to escalate because of the recent film The Notorious Bettie Page. It chronicles the life of a religious Southern girl who heads off to New York in 1950 and becomes a world-famous pinup.

Her nude or scantily-clad image appeared in magazines such as Escapade, Wink, Titter, Eyeful, and Playboy. She was a hit with the underground fetish and bondage enthusiasts when she posed with whips, was tied to chairs and trees, and wrestled with other underwear-clad women in scenes that looked like a 1950s sorority initiation gone awry.

It didn’t matter if she was posing with a leopard skin bikini or a tight leather corset and thigh-high boots; she had a bright and playful smirk of innocence as though she were at a costume party without the spiked punch.

According to Bettieophiles, she had more magazine appearances than Marilyn Monroe and Cindy Crawford combined. In 1957, however, she suddenly disappeared and never again appeared for a photo shoot.

In whatever way the vanishing act may have added to her mystique, the effect was unintentional. Bettie simply didn’t want to model anymore. There were too many stalkers and weirdoes. In 1955, Page was even wrapped up in a congressional investigation on the matter of pornography and juvenile delinquency led by moral crusader Sen. Estes Kefauver (D-TN).

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Bettie never had a manager, stylist, publicist, or lawyer. She never dated anyone famous and even declined the offer to meet with fans such as Howard Hughes. The one characteristic that marked Bettie Page—aside from her fabulous figure—was her independent streak.

For nearly forty years, no one knew what happened to her. She just fell off the radar screen.

Journalists Karen Essex and James L. Swanson were the first to track her down, and they published her authorized biography Bettie Page: The Life of a Pin-Up Legend in 1996. What happened after her modeling career only makes her more fascinating.

There is a scene in Notorious when Page is asked by a photographer, “What do you think Jesus would say about what you are doing now?” Having been raised in the church, Bettie (played by Gretchen Mol) responds, “I hope that if he is unhappy with what I am doing he’ll let me know somehow.”

I’m not sure Jesus got terribly specific about her career choices, but the two of them definitely had a powwow. Page was walking on the beach in Key West on New Year’s Eve 1959 when she noticed a little white church with a neon cross and heard singing inside.

In a very rare recent interview with the Los Angeles Times, Page says, “The Lord took me by the hand and we stepped inside. I was crying in the back row about my sins. I turned my life over to the Lord.”

Over the following three years, Page attended the Bible Institute of Los Angeles (Biola), the Moody Bible Institute in Chicago, and the Multnomah School of the Bible in Portland, Oregon. For several summers, she attended the Winona Lake Bible Conference in Indiana, founded by the flamboyant evangelist Billy Sunday.

While she was living in Chicago, she was a counselor at a massive Billy Graham Crusade. “I’m more proud of my work with the crusade than of anything else I’ve ever done,” she told the Times.

“I get emotional just thinking about it. If ever there was a man of God, it’s Billy Graham.”

She wanted to be a missionary and applied to various missions boards but was rejected—not because she had been a fetish pinup, but because

she had been divorced. She spent the next few decades living quietly and happily in obscurity, working as a secretary, a teacher, and then eventually living modestly off of Social Security.

She had no idea that the world was intrigued by her whereabouts.

She never changed her name, or her famous hairstyle. When she was asked if she was Bettie Page, she would playfully reply, “Who’s that?” “I was never trying to keep away from people, I was just through with modeling and went on to other things,” she told Essex and Swanson. “I went right on living my life in the open all the time.”

Her raven hair is now gray. Bettie Page shuns the cameras, choosing instead to be remembered as the bombshell of her younger years. She has few regrets, with the exception of some of the bondage photos. “I had lost my ambition and desire to succeed and better myself; I was adrift,” she soberly confessed to the Times at age 83. “But I could make more money in a few hours modeling than I could earn in a week as a secretary.”

As for the rest of her portfolio, she remains unbowed. “From the first time I posed nude, I wasn’t embarrassed or anything,” she says. “I never thought it was a terrible to be in the nude.

After all, God created man and woman totally nude and put them in a garden. If they hadn’t turned against Him and disobeyed Him, they might have remained in the nude all their lives.”

In the current configuration of the cultural standoff in America, neither liberals nor conservatives are quite sure what to do with Bettie Page. She is neither a libertine nor a prude. She opposes promiscuity and favors nudity. She considers Billy Graham a hero and Hugh Hefner a friend. She follows Jesus and loves to skinny dip.

Bettie is simply Bettie.

“I was not trying to be shocking, or to be a pioneer,” she has written. “I wasn’t trying to change society, or to be ahead of my time. I didn’t think of myself as liberated, and I don’t believe that I did anything important. I was just myself. I didn’t know any other way to be, or any other way to live.”