The Lab Magazine Issue 03

we love ————— you

Editor in Chief / Creative Director / Publisher Justin Tyler Close justin@thelabmagazineonline.com

Editor in Chief / Creative Director / Publisher Jeremy Power Regimbal jeremy@thelabmagazineonline.com

Design Director Xavier Encinas hello@xavierencinas.com

Art Editor Graeme Berglund graeme@thelabmagazineonline.com

Assistant Editor Sarah Herman

Copy Editors Sarah Herman, Elly Smith

Contributing Writers Aleeza Khan, Carly Pope, Graeme Berglund, Jeremy Power Regimbal, Josh Close, Justin Tyler Close, Louise Burns, Michelle Reid, Mohammad Gorjestani, Natalie Robison, Robbie Cairns, Sarah Herman, Sean Tyson, Stefana Fratila, Tilly Stasiuk Contributing Artists Alison Mosshart, Amanda Crew, Angus and Julia Stone, Catherine Hardwicke, Diego Gravinese, Devendra Banhart, Eddie Berman, Georges Bermann, Gregory Crewdson, Herakut, Jacob Tierney, James Jean, Lia Ices, Madame Peripetie, Malin Akerman, Michael Shannon, Michel Gondry, Partizan Film Group, Polina Synyauska, Sam Rockwell, The Kills, Timber Timbre, Vincent Cassel Contributing Interviewers Benjamin Millepied, Coral Osborne, Evan Goldberg, Graeme Berglund, Michael Shindler, Paul Rudd, Paul Sparks, Sean Tyson, Jeremy Renner, Justin Tyler Close Contributing Photographers Autumn De Wilde, Bryan Sheffield, Carlotta Manaigo, Christopher Beyer, Frank W. Ockenfels 3, Emma Hardy, Heather Culp, Jody Rogac, JUCO, Kandle Osborne, Kristiina Wilson, Linda Arredondo, Miles Jay, Walter Chin, Xavier Encinas Contributing Crew Aileen Son, Alison Bernier, Bethany Brill, Cassia Hoffman, Carter Blanche, Collier Strong, David Cox, David Thomas, Dina Yassin, Frederic Chane-Sy, Ilaria Urbainati, Julie Brooke Williams, Karen Schaupeter, Kate Mellinger, Katie Mellinger, Kim Sutherland, Liz Furlong, Marcos Diaz, Max Chin, Maya Fuhr, Meghan Gallagher, Michele Filomeno, Nicolas Bru, Nicole Hawkyward, Noah Jashinski, Rheanne White, Robert Steinken, Ruggeiro Cafagna, Saya Hughes, Shirley Kurarta, Song Isabel Hee, Tami El Sombati, Timothy Reukoff, Tracy Afajora, Yuji Kojima, Zazu Myers Thank You Roger & Lesley Friedmann, Robert Marshall, Mabel Marshall, The Close Family, The Regimbal Family, The Power Family, Linda Baker, Carol Leflufy, Eye Forward Inc, Marek & Assoociates, Tina Pehme, Kim Roberts, Sepia Films, Jesse Regimbal, Drew Nelson, Natalie Robison, Ryan Stinson, Gwyn Pritchett, Austin Andrews, Alex Bodman, Rhino Print Solutions, The Wall Group, Giant Artists, Luke Cyca, See Management, John Howcroft, Tony Yacowar, Glenn MacRae, Duncan MacRae, Next Models, Topless Gay Love Tekno Party, I.D Public Relations + all Lab supporters and contributors from here to Jamaica Mailing Address Liberty Square Postal Outlet PO BOX 32679 Vancouver, BC V6B 0H5 Canada

Contact www.thelabmagazineonline.com info@thelabmagazineonline.com

Advertising www.thelabmagazineonline.com ads@thelabmagazineonline.com

Cover Sam Rockwell Photography by Frank W Ockenfels 3 Produced by Cassia Hoffman Grooming by David Cox for CelestineAgency.com Styling by David Thomas for OpusBeauty.com ———— Opinions expressed in this issue are the opinions of the authors and do not necessarily reflect the opinions of The Lab Magazine.

2011 © The Lab Magazine Inc. and its authors. Reproduction without permission prohibited.

Printed in Vancouver, BC by Rhino Print Solutions.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is a ————— culture magazine



8

Devendra Banhart

Vincent Cassel

1

Interview by BENJAMIN MILLEPIED Photography by CARLOTTA MANAIGO

The Kills

— Interview by CORAL OSBORNE Photography by EMMA HARDY

16

Angus & Julia Stone — Interview by MICHAEL SHINDLER Photography by HEATHER CULP

22

Herakut

— Interview by GRAEME BERGLUND

3

Madame Peripetie — Featured PHOTOGRAPHER

36

Michael Shannon — Interview by PAUL SPARKS Photography by WALTER CHIN

2

Malin Akerman —

Interview by PAUL RUDD Photography by FRANK W. OCKENFELS 3

—

TABLE OF CONTENTS

— Interview by SEAN TYSON Photography by JUCO

54

Michel Gondry —

Interview by EVAN GOLDBERG Photography by AUTUMN DE WILDE

60

Free bird —

Photography by JODY ROGAC

7

Sam Rockwell —

Interview by JEREMY RENNER Photography by FRANK W. OCKENFELS 3

78

The Love Lab

— JACOB TIERNEY / AMANDA CREW CATHERINE HARDWICKE / TIMBER TIMBRE LIA ICES / PARTIZAN JAMES JEAN / EDDIE BERMAN



Diego Gravinese —

1 Featured ARTIST

Gregory Crewdson —

Interview by JUSTIN TYLER CLOSE

————— 3

this is the ————— music section

DEVENDRA BANHART INTERVIEW BY SEAN TYSON — PHOTOGRAPHY BY JUCO

Musician and artist Devendra Banhart is known for many reasons: he dated Natalie Portman, received a Grammy nomination, played Beck’s record club with MGMT and Wolfmother, and remixed songs by Oasis and Phoenix. Unfortunately, he’s also largely misunderstood. His playful, adventurous musical contributions are relevant and mature, but to some he comes off as a hippie stereotype; an experimental cliché. What you really need to know about Devendra is that he’s incredibly intelligent, unbelievably ambitious and one of the most self-deprecating artists I’ve ever had the pleasure of interviewing. There’s no argument that he’s talented, but he’ll be the first person to try and start a debate on the matter.

Here, Devendra and I discuss his unorthodox art school education, the paradox of record label archetypes, the implications of his native Venezuelan architecture, the significance of skateboarding, and, of course, his punch up with Sammy Hagar.

SEAN TYSON—I read somewhere that you enjoy drawing, is that true?

DEVENDRA BANHART—I don’t know if I enjoy it but it’s something I’ve been doing since I started music. I went to the [San Francisco] Art Institute for visual art and I’ve never stopped doing art – I’ve been showing my work since I’ve been releasing music. And right now I have a show about Californian artists at MOCA [Museum of Contemporary Art] in LA. So that’s what I’m putting a lot of my effort into right now.

It’s also showing at MOMA in San Francisco and in Spain.

ST—Why did you leave the Art Institute?

DB—I dropped out because I was spending more time making music.

I went on a scholarship, but I realized that I could access these same tools – mainly the library, lectures, and students – as long as I looked like an art student. I basically went to school for free for the last year.

There was only one teacher who gave a shit about me, and that was Bill Berkson. He’s an amazing writer, and we are still in contact, so as long as you make those connections you don’t have to really be paying for school. I was inspired by living in San Francisco and other artists, but not really from school.

ST—When you were with the record label Young God you said it was an environment where you were just doing your thing, and you suspected things would be different at a major label. Yet you’re with Warner Bros. now. Why did you move?

DB—That was a decision Michael Gira and I made. Young God is not a largely staffed production and it got slightly overwhelming for them. Michael suggested that I be open to other labels. My definition of

selling out is not being on a major label, my definition of selling out is changing what you do for any other reason than the intrinsic necessity that change is, and that’s something that has to come from within. If you’re changing for anything outside of yourself, I think that’s selling out, and I’m proud to say I’ve never done that. I was really apprehensive at first but was spurred on by his enthusiasm about working with other indie labels like XL. When the XL contract ran out I tried something new, which was to make a record and see who’s going to offer what you want. And so we made the record ourselves, not knowing who was going to put it out.

We shopped it around and the label that treated us the most like you would expect an indie label to treat you was the one major, Warner. And the labels that acted most like a caricature of the evil major labels were actually the indies. In terms of what they expected from us and what they were going to give us, it was shocking. It just shows that the line between indie and major has been blurred. The old archetypes don’t really exist. Saying that, I did meet with one major that said “We’ll sign you if we can hire a team of song writers to help you finish songs.”

The whole white, fat man chopping a cigar kind of shit.

ST—In a sense the smaller labels have a lot more to lose. With a smaller roster everything counts, but the big labels have got other things to focus on, and as a result they can give you freedom. They have no other choice.

The state of the industry has forced them to re-evaluate.

DB—Of course. The entire business model collapsed. They have to be a little more cautious with who they sign, which is why it’s so shocking that I’m on Warner. I’m not someone who’s going to sell them records.

And I am someone who from the beginning said, “You have to stay out of what we do. You have no say in the artistic product. You have no say

————— 5

an interview with ————— Devendra Banhart

in the visual or the musical or the marketing.” But because of that they end up not putting a lot of work into it, so I do get lost in the shuffle.

For example, I asked them to change my website and add something in, and they said, “Sure, but there are twenty-five bands in front of you and we need to deal with them first because they’re the ones that make the bread and butter.” But still, they have said I can do whatever I want, and that’s not something we heard from the indies. That being said, I don’t want to shit on any indies. There are a couple of labels that I’d love to work with some day, like Sub Pop. Almost every single one of my friends are there. And I’ve always, since I was a teenager, had the K dream – K Records is the label for me.

ST—You’ve even taken on the role of label now. You and Andy Cabic created the Gnomonsong label, right?

DB—We did that out of necessity. Before I sent XL my demo I sent them Jana Hunter’s. And then I sent Jana’s record to every label I knew. They didn’t put it out because she didn’t have press. And indies particularly are nepotistic – you need to be on the label or know somebody who’s on the label. We thought, let’s make our own label to put out Jana’s records because we think it’s worth something. We’re honoured to have a label that has Jana Hunter, Rio en Medio, Papercuts, Michael Hurley, Lower Dens... Having a label with Andy is amazing.

ST—Yeah, it must be fun to be on the other side of the equation. You’ve also been involved in lots of projects where you’re not the complete focus, like The Golden Apples of the Sun and of course Beck’s Record Club. It must be nice to wear multiple hats.

DB—Yeah, totally.

ST—You’ve mentioned that you don’t like some of your own music videos?

DB—Almost all of them have been complete utter failures; really embarrassing.

ST—Wow, that’s a pretty bold statement. However, I read you were somewhat happy with the video for “Carmensita”, and that was obviously very successful. What was it like working with the guys at SKINNY? DB—I don’t know if I would say I’m happy with “Carmensita”. I’m somewhat ambivalent about it because it was done on the fly, it came out a year after the record was out, and I did it just to be able to work with some friends. Marc-Edouard Leon is an old friend of mine and he agreed to do the video for basically no money. It was their concept, the whole video. The only thing I contributed was the subtitles, but I will say that about 50 percent of the subtitles that I wrote were considered too obscure. And that’s a shame, because I thought that they were the best and funniest thing I contributed to it. Still, when I say that all my videos are complete, utter pieces of shit, I’m not thinking of the “Carmensita” video. But I am really ashamed and disappointed with almost every video I’ve made.

ST—“Foolin’” is more explicit and overt than your other stuff. Can you talk about working with director Isaiah Seret, and how that video came to be?

DB—Yeah, I wrote that with the help of Isaiah, but it was my idea.

I’ve known him for years. He wanted to do a video, so we ended up making, in one afternoon, “At the Hop”. But we were really just messing around. And at that time, all the hippydom stuff for me was a joke, and it still is. Even though I love hippies, I’ve never been one. I felt it was all tongue-in-cheek to me, it was very funny. Then that ended up becoming associated with me and I don’t think people saw that I was completely kidding. At the time every band was doing this kind of post-punk, New York, black leather jacket kind of vibe, and for me the antithesis of that was funny fucking hippies with guitars and ponchos. I never meant that to be some sort of alphabet of my own that I was trying to present to the world.

ST—How often do you speak with your parents?

DB—I speak with my dad almost every day, and he comes on tour at least half of the time. I’m very, very close with him. My mother I speak to less because she’s in Caracas. I have a much stronger relationship with my father but they were both really influential in shaping my music. I’m lucky in the sense that I grew up in Caracas surrounded by indigenous music. Salsa, merengue, and samba is ubiquitous there. You’re going to hear it everywhere you go, blasting from the streets, in the store... but my parents are new-agers, and they’re into world music. They would buy albums that really affected me. It was profoundly different to what I was hearing on the street, and it became obvious to me that music can have a kaleidoscopic emotional effect.

ST—Do you visit Venezuela often?

DB—I do go visit, but it’s so brief. I need to spend more time there.

I get too emotionally involved and angry at the architecture. I think architecture is really important, and Caracas is not built for people, you just don’t have a space to think; it just kills culture. Can you imagine what that does to the collective conscious and unconscious? It isn’t built for human beings to walk around.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

“Music can have a kaleidoscopic emotional effect.„

an interview with ————— Devendra Banhart

“The space you live in reflects the inside of your mind.„

More———— www.devendrabanhart.com

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— music section

ST—I completely agree. My dad is an industrial designer so those principles were communicated to me at a young age. It’s interesting that you say that with such conviction about Venezuela.

ST—I have skateboarding to thank for that, too. It really inspired a lot of my current pursuits and it’s great to see how those guys have gone on to do other things.

DB—Well you can see with Columbia how making small architectural and infrastructural changes can really affect everything. It changed the entire community there, and crime rates dropped by ninety percent.

In Columbia they built roads that connected the poor neighbourhoods with the middle-class and rich neighbourhoods. More importantly, the roads connected people to the universities, museums, schools, and parks. Suddenly, you can see your neighbours, walk to a museum, and everything becomes accessible. You need places for people to think.

The space you live in reflects the inside of your mind.

DB—Well we have that in common. I think that’s so beautiful and that was the thing about skateboarding. You see a kid with a basketball, and it’s no big deal, it’s widespread. But even to this day, you see a kid with a skateboard and it’s like, yeah, we both know about this thing. It’s something we share immediately. We have a common bond.

It’s amazing where skateboarding has gone, but it has from the beginning been made up of outcasts and misfits and artists. Mark Gonzales is probably the apex of that – he’s a writer, a visual artist, completely amazing skater, thinker and a legend. He kind of encapsulates what it means to be a skater – all the facets of that entire culture and that world.

ST—That goes hand in hand with music, too.

DB—I actually met a couple of kids in Venezuela who knew more about the New York underground music scene than some of the kids in New York, and it’s all thanks to the Internet. Being deprived of your own culture opens up your interest in other cultures, and I think that’s a positive thing. But what President Chávez has done is implicated some sort of fascist, cultural caveat that says if you don’t have a small percentage of indigenous content in your music you won’t get played on the radio. It creates an interesting hodgepodge. Imagine some hip hop band that has to implement the use of a cuatro, a four-string guitar in Venezuela, into their music. That’s interesting of course, but not when you’re forced.

ST—Chávez is an interesting cat. He’s a nationalist with a lot of ideas. I can only imagine what that does to their art scene. The creative climate can become very charged with such a heavy political context. When you’re there do you play music? Do you have friends there that play music?

DB—No, it’s very unfortunate. There aren’t venues there, and most of the shows I’ve been to have been in houses and that’s a very exclusive thing. You can’t just show up from the street, you have to know somebody who knows somebody, and yet almost everyone lives in an apartment that’s guarded. So it’s not casual there, it’s not comfortable; it’s unnerving. That, of course, often creates some of the most beautiful art. When it’s very difficult, when it’s not comfortable, that’s when you can make some amazing stuff. But I am not aware of a strong musical, artistic community. It’s just a few individuals that work in a really restricted environment, which is a shame.

ST—I used to play a lot of piano and jazz, which was never considered ‘cool’ in my high school. And then Satva Leung skated to an Overton Berry Ensemble song in that Toy Machine video. Everyone loved it, and suddenly jazz was ‘cool’. That validated my interests.

DB—I remember my first exposure to jazz were Stereo and Think videos. They had this jazzy music playing as they cruised around San Francisco. They filmed it in Super 8, so it was really an exposure to a variety of aesthetics, and I owe so much to skating, and so do you. It’s so awesome.

ST—Is that story about you punching Sammy Hagar for real?

DB—Oh, that was a long time ago. Yeah. I’ve only gotten into a handful of physical fights in my life but I’m proud to say that that was one of them. At the beginning I didn’t have this infrastructure, and I’m grateful for that. I didn’t start off with a label or a booking agent or a tour manager and that led to me playing in some of the most awkward, shitty places in the world. And fuck you Sammy Hagar! But that was fun.

ST—I’m going to see Tommy Guerrero next week and it got me thinking.

I used to skateboard, and to be honest, skateboarding is what really pulled me into great music. That was really important for a young, impressionable kid. You used to skateboard too, right?

DB—Let’s talk about that. I remember seeing Tommy Guerrero as a kid and he was the best, and I know he’s been making music for a long time. Same thing with Ray Barbee, he was also one of our heroes and he now almost exclusively makes music. There’s also a band made up of most of the members of the Baker Skateboard Team, a band called The Goat, and they’re amazing. So there is this beautiful, interdisciplinary scene right now.

I recently curated a show with Meredith Darrow in New York called A Ways A Way. And it was all made up of people that do a variety of things, that don’t exclusively work in their respective genres. It had Kevin Long’s etchings, who skates for Baker, it had my drawings, it had Adam Tullie and Angeline Rivas who are fashion designers, and it had Fab Moretti who’s the drummer for The Strokes. He’s a hyper-realist illustrator in the vein of Chuck Close – he’s really, really good. He’s also one of my best friends – I’ve got to say I owe him the world. He’s saved my life in many ways.

————— 9

this is the ————— music section

THE KILLS INTERVIEW BY CORAL OSBORNE — PHOTOGRAPHY BY EMMA HARDY

Alison Mosshart is living her own American dream. For the lead singer of alternative rock acts The Kills and The Dead Weather there are no 2.5 children, no white picket fences and definitely no sitting around watching daytime TV. In place of these quintessential grown-up wants and needs are concert tours, recording sessions and a music career that would have Josie and the Pussycats purring with envy. And despite being in the industry since her teenage years, the 33-year-old rocker has still got stacks to say. Good job we tracked her down for a chat.

Alison spent most of her childhood in Vero Beach, Florida, but studied her craft on the road touring with fellow Discount band mates in the 1990s. Since those years, song-writing and performance have become her way of life. After meeting London-based guitarist Jamie Hince in a hotel, the pair struck up a pen-pal relationship, mailing recordings on tapes to each other in an effort to combine their sounds. Patience with postal services wearing thin, she moved to London in her twenties so they could join forces, and thus The Kills was born. Not content being in one hugely successful band, in 2009 she went on to form supergroup The Dead Weather finding a whole new sound and excited new fans.

Alison also goes by the names VV when she’s playing with The Kills and Baby Ruthless for her stints with The Dead Weather. This multiple personality order suits her laid-back, spontaneous lifestyle and eclectic musical sound. Hailed as one of the best rock ’n’ roll front-women of her generation Alison’s still got plenty of steam and true enthusiasm for the job she does. Admitting to us that the musician’s life is not for everyone, it certainly seems to suit her just fine.

CORAL OSBORNE—Where are you calling from right now?

CO—Are there any differences between your on-stage personas – VV and Baby Ruthless?

ALISON MOSSHART—I am in London at a recording studio.

CO—I wanted to get a feel for where you came from. I know you started Discount at age 14; did you go on your first tour at that age?

AM—I don’t remember. I think I was in the ninth grade.

CO—And your parents were going to let you take off then or were they conservative folks that you rebelled against? Did they support your creative endeavours?

AM—They were really supportive. They didn’t want me to go on tour.

There was a bit of an issue with that, but the tour was sort of booked already. It was just one of those things – one of the guys in the band was a lot older than all of us, and he drove his parents’ car. I think everyone was older than me.

CO—I hear you’re working on the latest Kills album right now – how’s that going?

AM—Yes, it’s good. It’s just about done.

AM—I think the music is so incredibly different. I don’t feel like I’m putting on an act, but I think the music makes you perform it in a certain way; it tells you what to do. I haven’t played a Dead Weather show and then turned around and played a Kills show and then turned around and played a Dead Weather show. I have been doing The Kills for so many years, and then I did The Dead Weather, and now it’s going to be The Kills for a little while, so I haven’t been put in that situation to really be able to be like, “Wow, that was different!”

CO—The way you write songs with The Dead Weather seems more raw and spontaneous whereas writing for The Kills seems a lot more structured. Is that right?

AM—Yeah, it is, because with The Kills Jamie and I can’t play everything.

There’s a lot of going back to songs, changing things and trying to make it so that two people can play it.You program drums, and you think, OK those are the drums for the song, and then you play the song to it but it’s not right so you need to do it again. There’s a lot of that going back and forth as the song develops, everything changes about a hundred times.

So it’s such a different process than just jamming and pressing record, which is what it’s like with The Dead Weather.

CO—Can we expect a major departure from the last album?

AM—It’s so hard for me because I’m so close to it. You never know how people are going to perceive it . I always think it’s good to make it different. I think that’s always the goal to keep pushing ourselves to make something like we haven’t made before. So we work on every aspect of it: guitar-playing, drums, programming, vocals, the way we sing, the way we write lyrics – everything’s always being pushed.

CO—What’s it like to be a rare front-woman in the music business? Is it something you’re aware of?

AM—For me, people are just people. There’s a lot of fucking women who are jerks and there are a lot of men who are jerks. I have lots of girlfriends and stuff, but I happen to play music with men. That’s just how it wound up; it was never a conscious decision. I don’t know how

————— 11

an interview with ————— The Kills

many girls want to do this; really want to do it. I think the idea of it sounds wonderful but it takes a certain type of person to basically give up everything else that’s going on in the world and do this full time.

CO—Why do you think less women front rock and roll bands?

AM—There are a lot of women that front bands, but there are definitely a lot more boys. I think as a woman you do have to give up the ideals like settling down and being in one place for a while; it’s just the way that it is.

CO—How do you handle that? Do you ever just kind of hit a wall and say, “Hey, I want to chill out for a while, I want to do yoga, I want to do domestic things.”?

AM—When I have a break I don’t really know what to do. My desire is to perform and if I’m not doing that I feel bad. And I can do all that crazy shit like yoga in a hotel room. I don’t care. I’ve grown up doing this. It’s now been since I was 14 and I’m now 31. And it’s just what I know. All of those things you think you’re missing in your life you reinvent them in other ways. Maybe they’re not traditional ways, but you get what you need. I think a lot of people don’t want to sleep for two hours and take a plane; it can run you really ragged so it’s not for everybody. But it’s not for every guy either.

CO—Do you feel creatively fulfilled or are their other endeavours, talents, or aspirations you feel you need to explore?

AM—I always want to do more. I want to do as much as I can. It’s kind of my instinct to do that. When I can’t play music it goes into some sort of art realm and a writing realm and photography and things like that that I love to do also, but it doesn’t give me the same thrill. If I got to play a show every day and record every other day I’d be really happy, as long as I’m using my brain in that way and putting something out into the world I feel like I’m contributing. With the things that I love, like art and stuff, you might not show them to anybody and that’s kind of the difference; you want to give something back.

CO—You have to exude in your music the emotions a lot of people internalise – that’s got to be hard. Are their some things that you feel like you do have to hold close to your heart instead?

AM—No, because I feel like you can say anything with music. If it’s something really private you can always say it’s about something else. I always think I can get everything I need out of writing songs. It’s a really brilliant process. And I never feel scared about giving it to the world or wonder what people will think. Somehow I was born without that part of my brain, which I think helped me be able to work quickly and do a lot. I know a lot of other people that write music are really terrified, and it’s an emotional rollercoaster and I feel for them, and I’m almost in some ways kind of jealous of that.

CO—Do you feel like you’re more of an introvert in your personal life?

AM—I’m definitely more or an introvert in my personal life. I’m quite protective and private. Music is my outlet – that’s what it is.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

“My desire is to perform.„

this is the ————— music section

————— 13

“Theres a chance I might go insane.„

this is the ————— music section

CO—How did Jamie take it when you started pursuing The Dead Weather and that became such a huge success? It clearly brought The Kills some mainstream exposure and brought a lot of new fans to you guys but how did he feel about it?

AM—He was really supportive of me doing it. I’m ten years younger than him, so I want to try and cram it in. He’s really happy with working on things in his time and getting them right and his way, and I’m kind of a different animal in that I get impatient quite quickly. and he completely understands why. I never planned to be in that band in the first place, it was an accident – before I knew it I had a record out, and before I fucking blinked I had two with The Dead Weather. And they weren’t planned. Not once did the four of us sit down and say, let’s do this. I think if any of us had made a plan it probably would’ve never worked. When could we find the time? Too much of that. The band was all about spontaneity. That’s how the music was written, that’s how we got together and how everything happened. Jamie was confused and shocked but I was as surprised as he was to be honest.

CO—What about after this next Kills cycle do you feel like you’re going to need to take some time out for a while, because you’ve been at it so hard these last few years, it seems like there’s been no end.

AM—I don’t know what’s going to happen to me – we’ll see. There’s a chance I might go insane, but I feel great right now. I’m really looking forward to all this touring Jamie and I are going to do – it’s been a while for us, it’s going to be really fun. I can’t wait to get this record out and so I’m just going to roll with it. If stuff comes up I’m going to do it if it excites me. And if I feel like I really need a break I’ll try to figure that out.

CO—You’ll feel it.

AM—I’m just so bad at taking them. I try sometimes, but I get so bored.

More———— www.thekills.tv

————— 15

an interview with ————— Angus & Julia Stone

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— music section

ANGUS & JULIA STONE INTERVIEW BY MICHAEL SHINDLER — PHOTOGRAPHY BY HEATHER CULP STYLING BY JULIE BROOKE WILLIAMS HAIR BY SONG ISABEL HEE MAKE-UP BY BETHANY BRILL

Walking through tall grass, hands gently tickling the tops of the fragile stalks, you smell sunshine. Your eyes then open, revealing your cold apartment with only the harmonies from your stereo illustrating your mind. The music of Angus and Julia Stone evokes the crystalline sensation on your skin after swimming in the ocean and drying in the warm summer sun. Their music is deeply emotional and intense, yet as delicate as a butterfly. The brother and sister have a long history of music in their lineage, though only recently started crafting their soft and elegant melodies. Quickly gaining much deserved notoriety at home, the Australian duo soon took to the road, easily convincing European and North American audiences of their charm. Upon listening to their music, one is immediately transported into a world of innocence and magic. Julia Stone made time for The Lab while waiting in baggage claim at Boston Airport to chat about her friendship with her brother, getting eaten by sharks, and how their grandfather nurtured her sense of creative adventure.

MICHAEL SHINDLER—Where are you right now?

JULIA STONE—We just landed in Boston – I’m in the baggage claim area.

MS—How was the flight?

JS—It was OK, actually. We missed our check in time by ten minutes, so we had to get on another flight, but it’s all good. The sound check is coming up so the boys – the sound engineer and tour manager – are already here so hopefully it’s all set up and ready to go for tonight.

They checked in earlier – they were smart.

MS—So it’s just you and Angus together right now?

JS—Angus, myself, our drummer Matt Johnson and bass player Rob Calder.

MS—Did you play in New York last night?

JS—Oh yeah, we’re coming from New York. We played on Friday night in Brooklyn and then we played on Saturday night in Manhattan in this circus tent with a band called DeVotchKa. They’re so amazing. They had those girls who dance in the sky on pieces of fabric so it was really exceptional. And then Sunday night we played the Hoboken and then last night we had a night off so I went and saw our friend play a show on Bleaker Street at a place called Le Poisson Rouge.

MS—What will you do to get yourself ready for the show tonight?

JS—There’s nothing specific. We don’t have a pre-show ritual.

Depending on where we are we try and find somewhere nice to go and have dinner and hang out and sometimes we have a bit of an acoustic jam if we can get a guitar and sing songs and play cards.

MS—I hear you like to bring your backgammon and poker sets from home on the road...

JS—The cards thing has taken a back seat to be honest because we’re touring with a couple of guys who don’t play cards. Dinner is the big thing for us. Usually when you’re in a city and you find a place with really good food you find really good people as a general rule; people who know a bit about the town and where’s good to go and see, or they tell you a bit about the history of the place. I’m sure there’s probably amazing people in places that serve bad food but we try not to go there.

MS—What's your favourite place been on tour so far?

JS—I don’t have a favourite but in the last couple of weeks I really enjoyed our show in Portland. I thought that was a really beautiful city.

It was so sunny when we arrived. It had a really good feeling. In that part of North America the air’s really clean, you can feel it. There must be something scientific about why the air is so clean.

MS—Does it remind you of home at all, especially the West Coast of the States?

JS—I think the West Coast really reminds us of home – maybe because of the surfing community, or because the ocean is so close to the city.

————— 17

an interview with ————— Angus & Julia Stone

Whenever we’re in California I always feel like I’m coming home in a sense, which is really strange because we hadn’t ever been there until we started to play music, but that whole drive down the coast, especially from San Francisco to Santa Cruz, with the smell of the ocean, it’s so beautiful. And the Australian coast line is a lot like that – you’re looking at the coast and surf breaks for miles. For me, the ocean is home.

MS—Do you surf?

“I don’t mind if I get taken by a shark.„

JS—Yeah, I do. I wouldn’t ever encourage anybody to watch me surfing, but it’s something I really enjoy when I’m at home. I only started three years ago. We did surf life-saving as kids so I knew how to body board and body surf but I’m always a little scared taking a heavy board out, and I have friends who’ve had injuries, so I had all these fears about it. My sister got given one of those really big long foam boards and I decided to borrow it and give it a go. I took it out and it was so easy to stand up on and paddle and since then I’ve gotten more into it, so whenever I get back home I take that out or take out a long board. Long boarding is like standing up on a table – you can’t go wrong. Sometimes I paddle out and just lie on the board in the sun. I just love being out in the water. I’ve sort of overcome my fear of sharks, and you know what, I don’t mind if I get taken by a shark.

MS—Really?

JS—It’s a pretty grand way to go!

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— music section

MS—It’d probably be good for publicity for you guys as well.

JS—Yeah, sell a few more albums. That’s the plan... and then reappear as a mermaid ten years later.

MS—You sound like you’re pretty connected to the ocean and when I listen to your music I get a sense that your surroundings play a big part in your music. Would you say Australia plays a big part in it or is it natural beauty as a whole?

JS—I think everything plays a part in the music and it’s really hard to be analytical about it. We have a real love of nature – it’s the easiest thing to call beautiful because even in the state the world is in you can look at a tree in the middle of a city and appreciate its beauty. One of my favourite places we toured to in the States was Colorado; I really loved the mountains. Some places it can be other things that inspire us like beautiful old wooden houses. We have a real sense of adventure and grew up in a family that was always travelling and moving about.

The songs and the writing happens all over the place and from all different sources of inspiration. It can be a combination of a place, a person and then the emotions that you’re going through in relation to those things. And then there’s the people around you who you’re leaving with and the lover you’ve left at home and the fact it’s your mom’s birthday next week and you’re not going to be there.

A lot of our inspiration goes back to when we were kids. Our grandparents were farmers as well, so we spent a lot of time out in rural Australia. Our

grandpa was a crazy storyteller – the best grandpa you could ever want.

He used to take us on his adventures through the bush and he would say, “Let’s just go for a walk and see where we turn up.” And we’d all troop through the bush with gumboots on and we’d see snakes and he’d throw little coins in the river when we weren’t looking and then shout, “Look what the pirates have left here! Treasure!” and we’d all be in a total world of fantasy where there were wars waging between the koalas and the wallabies. Everything felt so mystical and magical and I still feel like everything is a little bit of an adventure. And I think we try and remind each other of that as well.

MS—When I listen to your songs I’m taken on a fantastical adventure.

Knowing about your childhood gives a lot of context to your music.

JS—This is the first interview that I have ever spoken about my grandpa before in this way. I’ve never thought about that aspect of us growing up because I normally talk about my dad, because he was such a big influence, musically – he played in a band, he was our music teacher, he was our school band conductor – and then our mom was into cabaret.

So I always talk about them and how they gave us the tools to play music, but I think our grandparents, especially grandpa, he was such a big part in the fantastical, the wanderlust of life; to be engaged in the possibility that anything could happen.

MS—Even though your music is technically really amazing it also has this innocence underneath it...

————— 19

an interview with ————— Angus & Julia Stone

JS—I really like that because sometimes I feel like I’m trying to explain why we make music or how we make music and I really don’t know the answer. We just do it because it feels like we have to, and it’s very normal.

But there is a practical side to how we come to make music and that requires practice and lessons and listening to the form and structure of music to be able to make a song but then there’s this whole other element that you just don’t know why it is the way it is, it just is.

MS—I also read that you write individually – how do you and your brother make the songs both of yours? Is that difficult?

JS—I think it’s something that takes a bit of time. Angus will sing a song he’s written to me and I don’t think he cares what I think but I don’t think he’s ever played a song that I haven’t had an emotional response to. And then I’ll ask him to play it again, and then again. And then I start to sing some parts, and we play it in a sound check, and I sing some more or put a bit of guitar on or play some piano with it, and over time it starts to become more like our song. If the song has come from him, I never feel like it’s mine, but I feel like it becomes more ours over time because of the united experience of playing it. Even when our songs are recorded in the studio they are still very much my songs and his songs.

We write that all the stuff is ours and put them on the record together because that’s the way we perform them but I think we are still very separate in so many ways.

MS—Because you both have your own projects is it hard to decide which songs you are going to do together? Would you ever say, “I want to keep this one,” or “You can’t have that one”?

JS—Not yet! Hopefully it doesn’t unfold like that. When we make a record there are always too many songs, so we try and cut back to six songs each. There’s no real process of deciding what gets put on the album and what gets put on our solo records – we don’t actually talk about any of that shit. We just get in there, we record, and whatever ends up working together we put on a record. It all happens pretty much without much communication. Angus and I are not the most communicative people. A lot of the time we’re making jokes and being total fuckwits. We don’t sit down and have big chats about the next record or our solo projects. It’s funny, Angus didn’t hear my solo record until it was being printed and I hadn’t heard any of the songs from his solo record – we did them totally separately and then I hear it and I’m like, “Oh my God, it’s really great.” We don’t talk; we just hang out and do stuff.

MS—I read you went to South America together?

JS—It was so amazing. It’s dense forest and there are crocodiles everywhere. At that time the guitar was a new thing for me. I’d just bought it because I wanted to start learning. So we’re in the middle of the jungle with this guitar and Angus was playing us these songs he’d been writing. I hadn’t really been around him that much for the last couple of years – once I finished school I moved in with my boyfriend and Angus was off surfing and skating – and all of a sudden we’re in the middle of the jungle and he’s singing these songs that are so beautiful so I asked him to teach me some songs and that was the start of learning guitar and our friendship, I suppose, and the start of us having this amazing experience.

We had this guide in his twenties who spoke six different languages, and he knew so much about the jungle, it was incredible. And we were on malaria tablets, which are pretty wild, so you’re having the weirdest dreams. It was really cool.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

MS—Do you have any plans after the tour – is there another album coming?

JS—We’ve been playing new songs in the sets and we’re always writing.

We’ve got a couple of weeks off in Australia before the summer festival season and the band is coming out from New York for New Year’s in Australia, so we figured we may as well get into a studio and record some of the stuff we’ve been playing live. I think it depends how we feel at the end of touring, because we’ve kind of got plans up until May next year. I think we’re doing another European tour in April. If we’re feeling like we want to keep touring then we’ll put out another record, and if we don’t we might just take some time and try and find a home somewhere to have space for a while and sleep in the same bed for a few nights.

MS—Do you see yourself doing this music thing for the rest of your life?

JS—I think I’ll always play music, but I don’t know about this whole rest-of-the-life thing. I’m not good at committing to things beyond little periods of time. I think, for now at least, we’ll be doing it for a while.

I really enjoy doing this. I love being on the road; I love hanging out with Angus; I really like being around the people we tour with and the friendships that form being on the road. I feel like at the moment I could do it forever, but I could just as easily see myself curling up in a little log cabin somewhere and making lots of babies and growing my own vegetables and doing something totally opposite. I have no idea. I don’t know where this path is going and I’m OK with that. It makes me happy now.

this is the ————— music section

“I don’t know where this path is going and I’m ok with that.„

More———— www.elperrodelmar.com

More———— www.angusandjuliastone.com

————— 21

an interview with ————— Herakut

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— art section

HERAKUT INTERVIEW BY GRAEME BERGLUND

————— 23

an interview with ————— Herakut

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— art section

Herakut is a rare two-headed beast. Hailing from Germany Jasmin Siddiqui and Falk Lehma, known collectively as Herakut, have made a distinct and indelible mark on the contemporary art scene. Since meeting in 2004 the two have combined their diametric styles as seamlessly as they entwined their artist names, Hera and Akut, to form their potent crew of two. They have garnered international recognition for their striking works that cling to street walls and decorate galleries with the same haunting mystique. By combining their styles – her sketchy structures and his photo-realistic details – to produce an edgy fantasy realm of angular bodies, zany zoomorphism and wide-eyed wonder, they have forgone the transient trip-up of much street art and replaced it with something that is both immediate and enduring. An artist’s office hours can be lonely, but not for these two happy campers who set up shop together to make the most out of their talents. Drinking beer (and coffee), travelling the world and tagging cute German towns were just some of the things Hera talked about when we caught up recently.

GRAEME BERGLUND—Hello Hera.

JASMIN SIDDIQUI—Hera’s my artist name, but you can call me Jasmin.

GB—Whereabouts are you right now?

they became actually pretty popular and famous. People invited them all over the world to hip-hop jams and festivals and that’s when he realised he could do something important.

GB—You met at an urban street event, but your styles are quite different.

When you came together was it pretty obvious you were going to be working together in the future?

JS—I’m in Heidelberg, which is close to Frankfurt, Germany.

GB—What’s it like there?

JS—It’s very German. It’s very cute and small and quiet here. It’s surreal, but I like it.

GB—Were you born and raised there?

JS—No, in Frankfurt, which compared to Heidelberg is very international. Frankfurt has a big airport so everyone who comes to Germany either goes to Berlin or there – it has this city feel to it, but Heidelberg really doesn’t so I always feel I’m in a fairytale place when I’m here. It’s kind of cool.

GB—It sounds like a pretty good lifestyle. How did you actually come to be an artist?

JS—I’ve always drawn and painted, which my parents liked because I was quiet and busy that way, but that’s how it started. Now I work with Akut, whose real name is Falk. We both come from families with no artistic background – they didn’t push us into any art-related future, it just happened. I always tagged when I was 13 and Falk did the same thing. We met in 2004 and that’s when we started to team up as Herakut and it really started to be a future for us. Before we were just doing something we really liked and then it became a job.

GB—You guys were running around tagging cute little German towns?

JS—I was in Frankfurt then so I’d say I was tagging in a very cool city but Falk comes from a town that’s so much smaller than Heidelberg, and so much more protected, so I think he got busted. He did the cool stuff with the cool kids, which was tagging and doing graffiti pieces, but then I think he realised that there’s much more to it than just the adrenaline rush and you can actually do something nice with it. So he looked for legal wall spaces and started coming up with his own style, which is this photo-realism, and also there were some other kids and they all got together as a crew called Maclaim and

JS—There were a lot of different artists from different countries at the event but it was my first time doing a headliner performance, so I was so scared. I was looking for someone to collaborate with because I didn’t want to paint a wall by myself. We met by accident. I said, “Do you want to do a wall with me?” And he was like, “Yes, sure. Let’s get on the scaffold and do this.” And then we painted this big character together.

It’s really funny, the first time we met we’d already painted a character together, then we just stayed with the concept.

GB—Akut’s work is quite refined and photo-realistic, how would you describe the work you do?

JS—Rough and sketchy. I do the outlines and define the position and the whole composition of the piece. I build the skeleton and Akut adds the flesh and the skin. I do the groundwork and he adds whatever he thinks is important to give it an interesting touch.

GB—That’s an interesting process. I know there are other artists who work in tandem like Os Gêmeos, those Brazilian twins.

JS—We know them very well, actually. They were at the same festival when we met, too. At those kind of festivals a lot of people work together, because it’s graffiti, there are too many artists for too little space, so you do something together and it comes very naturally. The legal space is so limited so you kind of have to share and that’s when you start collaborating and working together on wall pieces. It’s a very different situation for artists who come from a studio, who are used to having room all for themselves. At festivals we spend time with our friends, and at the end of the day we have produced something on the wall. The main thing is about friendship and hanging out and celebrating and drinking beer.

GB—Drinking beer is very important. When you guys are working together is there a lot of dialogue between you?

JS—It depends. When we paint in front of an audience we don’t communicate that often but in the studio where we have the time and no

————— 25

an interview with ————— Herakut

one listening to us we talk constantly. We’re two friends getting together and drinking coffee and talking and we paint at the same time but don’t care too much about it. We have a studio that’s a three-hour drive from home. It means we take time from our real lives and live there together for two or three days a week. During that time we talk, talk, talk and paint, paint, paint and drink coffee. Not beer. Falk drinks beer. I don’t drink beer any more.

GB—It sounds like you’re both very disciplined to dedicate that time to your craft. Is there a lot of pre-planning in your work – are you working from reference material or do these things naturally come out?

JS—Usually, we come up with an idea and then I draw the first sketches or the first outlines onto a canvas or wall or whatever and then Falk will say, “Let’s do a sweater in photo realism,” and then just take a picture of a sweater and then print it out and he can take that as a reference. We have this tiny printer we can carry around, which attaches to the camera so it’s really easy to travel with. Falk can actually freestyle a lot more than he was able to do when he started out. Back then he painted from magazines but today it’s very easy.

GB—A lot of the figures you guys are painting seem unhappy, why is that?

JS—I don’t see them as sad. We like to express innocence and if you show innocent figures you usually show children because they are very innocent. But if you have something as cute as a kid you don’t want to make it smile too much because then it will just be too cute, so we give our kids a little seriousness, so they have both sides. They may look sad but I think they’re just more serious and focused. If I wanted sad I’d make them cry but they don’t cry.

don’t judge our own stuff too hard. There can be paintings which were very successful and sold very well, but we hated doing them, so we don’t like them. It’s hard to be happy about your success if you were bleeding to make it happen. You just think how you could’ve spent your time so much better.

GB—Has being involved with the graffiti scene allowed you to travel quite a bit?

JS—Yes, but only for work as featured artists, so whenever we go somewhere we always paint there. I don’t think we’ve ever been to a festival or urban art show without working there. So it’s always the same – we’ll go and we’ll do some work and then at the end of the day we’ll hang out with friends because you see the same faces all over the world. Falk has been invited to judge some events in New Zealand, for example, that was the farthest away he went. We’ve been all over Europe many times, but it’s always the same because you see the same people.

GB—Do you take time when you’re in those cities to check out the street art?

JS—We don’t really check out the street art. We only hang out with the people who invited us so naturally we come across their art. We don’t want to go and see certain museums and galleries – we’re not too crazy to get more art information inside us. We do other things when we visit cities like have really good food, listen to some crazy music. That way you leave with that kind of energy and not more art.

“I build the skeleton and Akut adds the flesh and the skin.„

GB—A lot of your work has a lot of text in it. It’s obviously something that’s really important to you and probably helps drive some of the dialogue of the work. Where do the words come from?

JS—In the beginning a lot of stuff was taken from music. For years we used to listen to Atmosphere with the rapper Slug so I think I quoted everything he’s ever written. It’s so brainy and clever. It was something I could relate to for a very long time. When we painted outside it made me feel more secure with that music in my head. I listened to the music a lot so I also painted some of the lyrics on walls. I did a piece in San Francisco and I wrote ‘God Loves Ugly’, which is one of Atmosphere’s most popular albums and I was so happy when someone came up to me and said, “I love Atmosphere, too.” It’s like leaving a little message for someone to find. Also, we’ve used a lot of quotes, I quoted a lot of Jeffrey McDaniel’s poems. I met him in Los Angeles in 1998 when I was attending Venice High School. I was so impressed by his work, although I don’t think I understood it until ten years later, but I had it in my head and I wanted to spread his work so I quoted a lot of that stuff.

Nowadays we try to find our own messages.

GB—As a working artist myself, I’m always interested how artists can afford their lifestyles. You’re obviously in the position to be able to take off two to three days a week to focus on your art so is your practice sustaining itself or do you have day jobs?

JS—It’s funny that you put it that way because when I go to the studio for two or three days, that’s my work, so when I’m at home I’m free to do whatever. When we paint we zoom out from real life. When I’m Hera and Falk is Akut, we’re just totally into the whole creating process. We do stupid stuff, and watch Scrubs all day long, read horoscopes and drink coffee. We’re not good for anything else. I couldn’t even do my laundry in that mode, but when I’m at home I’m Jasmin, I’m a girlfriend, I do laundry, I do dishes and I take care of stuff. The lifestyles that we lead are not crazy expensive. We try to do everything as cheap as possible. We don’t choose the most expensive things, so that’s why we can afford to live like this. Right now I’m at a point where I feel like I have to accept any job that comes along. So when I get a call from a magazine and they ask me to do an illustration I would be crazy to refuse. I’m 29 now and I want to work now and maybe take some time off to do family stuff later like having kids. I have to do whatever comes my way, even if that means you have to work long hours sometimes. We do illustrations together sometimes and we get commissioned by cities to paint walls and that keeps things running.

GB—You guys have been working together for six years now, how do you feel your process and the themes in your work have progressed over the years?

GB—Other than street artists are there any other artists out there, conceptual or fine artists, who inspire you?

JS—I think like for everyone, practice is so necessary. I feel like we just practice. Every time we paint we’re getting better. It’s not that we’re focused on getting better, but you realise when you compare older stuff, and you’ll think, oh wow I really fucked that one up. But it’s funny, we

JS—We’ve never been inspired by any other street artists. Our inspiration comes from fine art, and my favourite are French Impressionists – Edgar Degas painting his ballet dancers, very sketchy stuff – and also [Egon] Schiele who really put his focus on the line and made graphic

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— art section

————— 27

an interview with ————— Herakut

“I do it for myself and for the grannies and the little kids who walk by.„

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— art section

sketches art pieces. Falk is more into classic epic paintings. He grew up in East Germany with a very strong Soviet influence so he had access to different things and his training was very different from mine.

something that’s so important to me and after that’s done I can stop. But that’s the one thing I really want to do.

GB—And then you can start having babies.

GB—It seems like you’ve very successfully locked yourself away in the studio but are you still participating in the theatre of the streets?

JS—We’d never choose one over the other. Studio time and outside wall time usually have equal amounts, otherwise it would get too boring to be just in one place. Nowadays our studio work gets more attention but we still paint as much as we can out on the street. We just painted a wall when we were in London last weekend and in Heidelberg there are a lot of legal wall spaces where I like to go and do real graffiti characters. I don’t take pictures and put them online or anything – I do it for myself and for the grannies and the little kids who walk by.

GB—The Internet has made the art world more internationally accessible.

Do you guys strongly identify with your German nationality in your work?

JS—There are some things about globalisation that are sad but it makes it very easy for us as artists. We choose for the words in our work to be in English although our mother language is German but we know our pieces will be looked at all over the world and we want to make it easier for people to understand us, so we try to keep them international as well. We don’t want to just talk about German problems in our pieces because it’s more important to be understood than to be seen as Germans, I guess.

JS—Yes, that’s the plan. One thing though, I’m not going to have them with Akut, we’re just friends.

GB—It seems like a really intimate relationship. Did you guys date at any time?

JS—In the first month about six years ago, for a little while, and then we totally realised it wasn’t about that at all. We’re like twins in a way. We’re so close a relationship wouldn’t work. We called the book The Perfect Merge because we’re so close and open with each other that we’re almost growing together – we even merged our names.

GB—How fortunate that you guys found each other.

JS—I know.

GB—You put out a book with a great title called The Perfect Merge – how did that come together?

JS—We did the book because after four years we had so much stuff on our computer we had to do something with it so we came up with the concept. We tried to keep it as cheap as possible to have a very low price to make it available to as many people as possible. We didn’t want to make a lot of money with it we just wanted to put our stuff out there.

The book came out in 2009, and we sold the first print run of 6,000 in the first six months. It’s published by Publikat, a German publisher, who do graffiti magazines but it’s also put out by Gingko Press in the States and Page One Publishers in Asia so it’s pretty much all over the place.

Apparently, we sell the most copies in the States through the MOMA in San Francisco, so that’s really cool.

More———— www.herakut.de

GB—Does Jasmin do any work at the moment?

JS—Yeah, Jasmin does and so does Falk on his side but we only use our names when we do work that has nothing to do with art. When we do illustrations for magazines, for example, that are not so artistic and are commissioned and more commercial. The more commercial it gets the more we just leave the Hera and the Akut alone because we want to keep that separate as much as possible. Herakut should always be free and do whatever Herakut wants to do but Jasmin can do commercial stuff.

GB—Jasmin has bills to pay.

JS—That’s true; I think you’ve got the concept.

GB—Over the last six years Herakut has accomplished a lot; what’s next for you guys?

JS—As we’re getting older and I keep thinking about this whole family thing, I convinced Falk to do a children’s book with me, so they’ll be a Herakut children’s book one day. I don’t know how the whole process will go but maybe we’ll start next year and finish it in two years. But of course we’ll do shows and paint walls as well but a children’s book is

————— 29

MAD AME Take one look at Madame Peripetie’s exhilarating photography portfolio and you’d think the artist behind them came out the womb in Gaga heels and a bright pink afro.

You’d be wrong. Strangely, Sylwana Zyburu, the German lady who bears the Madame Peripetie name, grew up in Poland and Iceland and experienced a somewhat monochrome childhood. With the discovery of all things sci-fi, comic conventions, David Lynch’s paintings and Robert Wilson’s avant-garde plays, Madame has rebelled against her pallid youth with a photographic explosion of PVC, outrageous fashions, absurd hair pieces and lots and lots of beautiful colour.

Her work has been displayed all over Germany making her nothing short of a national sensation. But to say that her photos are understood by all her fans would be mildly misleading, and that’s the way she likes it. “A tiny bit of mysteriousness and abstruseness is very important,” she says. “If I understand something completely, I'm not interested in it anymore.”

And then there’s the hair. When Madame refers to her own portraiture as “a surreal disturbance” it’s easy to see why. Her fetish for hair is most openly expressed in her series “Mr. and Mrs. Tremblehead”, where models faces are hidden by lavish gravity-defying wigs. Stemming from her love of Star Wars – it’s not hard to picture Chewbacca posing playfully in place of one of her subjects – and sourced from Madame’s own exotic dressup box, the unearthly creatures that emerge from the grandiose styling and polished coiffures are surprisingly delightful.

Madame’s work moves from tense and moody to stark and shocking and as far as playfully obscene, and we’re delighted to reveal just a fraction of it here. It’s time to play dress-up...

More———— www.madameperipetie.com

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

a showcase of ————— Madame Péripétie

Styling & Hat Piece ROLF BUCK, Model CAROLE, Make-up & Hair EVA MITTMANN.

a showcase of ————— Madame Péripétie

Styling MADAME PERIPETIE, Model BLACKSHIFT, Jacket REY PADOR.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— photography section

Styling & Model MADAME PERIPETIE, Head piece/chains MADS DINESEN, Catsuit REY PADOR.

————— 33

a showcase of ————— Madame Péripétie

Styling & Head piece ROLF BUCK, Make-up EVA MITTMANN, Model CAROLE.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— photography section

Styling, Make-up & Hair MADAME PERIPETIE, Dress AGATHE DZIALOCHA, Model ALPHABETON.

————— 35

this is the ————— film section

MICHAEL SHANNON INTERVIEW BY PAUL SPARKS — PHOTOGRAPHY BY WALTER CHIN @ MAREK & ASSOCIATES STYLING BY TIMOTHY REUKOFF @ ARTISTS BY NEXT GROOMING BY RHEANNE WHITE @ SEE MANAGEMENT

Michael Shannon is good at being unhinged. The memorable characters of his career have a deep, disturbed air that he radiates with ease and style, leading many to believe he is as unnerving and eerie in real life. Don’t let that fool you, though. In real life he’s witty, intelligent and dedicated to his craft. The fact he couldn’t be further from the characters he portrays speaks volumes of his talent, which has earned him kudos from film buffs, theatre lovers and industry greats; he earned an Oscar nomination for his show-stealing performance in Revolutionary Road. Shannon prides himself on working (often repeatedly) with writers, directors and other actors who he respects and admires. One partnership of particular rapport is with Paul Sparks. They have worked together on many occasions including off-Broadway play Lady and most recently appearing in Terence Winter’s [The Sopranos] new HBO series Boardwalk Empire, which is also produced by Martin Scorsese. Set in 1920s Atlantic City Shannon stays unhinged as federal Prohibition Agent Nelson Van Alden while Sparks tries to steer clear of the law as gangster and bootlegger Mickey Doyle. The two friends have much in common: both skilled actors of the same ilk, gigging musicians and fathers. With such camaraderie between the two, who better to catch up with Shannon as he prepares for a theatre run in New York?

PAUL SPARKS—Get ready because this is going to be all “gotcha” journalism. I’ve got a lot of questions written down in my notebook because I know you’re not particularly verbose.

MICHAEL SHANNON—No. PS—To prepare for this interview I read another interview that Tim Blake Nelson and Steve Earle did in this magazine and they talked about Robert Frost and the paradoxical duality of humanity, so no pressure.

MS—Well that’s a lot to live up to.

PS—Even though we’ve been friends for 10 years, I have very little knowledge of who you are, so I Googled you.

MS—It’s because I don’t say much.

PS—I found out that you were born in Kentucky on August 7th 1974.

Is that correct?

MS—What are you, a parole officer?

PS—Did you know that’s the same day Philippe Petit walked on a wire between the Twin Towers?

MS—I was born the same hour he did it. While he was on that wire I was being born into the world.

PS—How long were you in Kentucky before you moved to Chicago?

MS—It’s kind of hard to say. When I was five my Dad moved to Chicago so then I was going back and forth between Kentucky and

Chicago, particularly in high school. But then after high school I stayed in Chicago and started doing plays.

PS—What was the first job you remember thinking, man, this is going to be big for me?

MS—I didn’t really look at it that way. I just saw acting as a good opportunity to act out. If you did plays you could act how you felt and not get into any trouble and you could make people laugh. I did these two short plays when I was really young called Fun and Nobody by Howard Korder, who coincidentally is a writer on Boardwalk Empire where we’re both currently employed, and the guy who played my dad was Tracey Letts who at the time was just an actor, but then he started writing plays like Killer Joe and Bug and those became very important.

The guy who directed the play was Dexter Bullard who I’m still working with today. Twenty years later I’m going to rehearse with him, so those plays were the first pebble in the pond, I guess.

PS—You’ve worked with all these playwrights: Tracey Letts, Craig Wright, Adam Rapp, Sarah Kane, Howard Korder, and some of them you worked with over and over again. Why is that?

MS—I have a lot of respect for writing and I’ve always wanted to do new writing; I’ve never wanted to do A Streetcar Named Desire or Death of a Salesman. I’ve always wanted to do whatever’s happening at the time so I really seek that out.

PS—Tell me about the latest play you’re in, Mistakes Were Made, because I haven’t seen it yet.

MS—Mistakes Were Made is a play about a theatre producer who’s trying to produce a play called Mistakes Were Made, so it’s one of those

————— 37

an interview with ————— Michael Shannon

plays within a play. It’s really funny; well it makes me laugh anyway. Not on stage in front of people, because that would be unprofessional. We did it in Chicago a year ago, and now we’re doing it here in New York City.

PS—Did you do it at your theatre in Chicago?

MS—In Chicago we did it at A Red Orchid Theatre, which is where I belong, I’m a member there, like the Y. And then in New York we’re doing it at the Barrow Street Theatre which is where Bug happened – it’s a neat little space in the West Village.

PS—You’ve worked with Terence Malick, Sidney Lumet, Oliver Stone, Martin Scorsese and Michael Bay...

MS—I need to find some guys with some experience.

PS—Why do you think it is you haven’t worked with Wong Kar-wai yet?

Can you just not get an audition or something.

MS—I don’t know who that is. Which one did he make?

PS—He’s Chinese.

MS—Oh I’ve been to China, though. I went to China on the Werner Herzog movie [My Son, My Son,What Have Ye Done?].

PS—How did that work out for you?

MS—That was fun. We flew from LA to Bejing to Ürümqi to Kashgar – this little town in the North West – for one shot. We went to this market where they sold real pretty knives and Werner bought thirty knives – he was going to bring them all back to give away as presents. Then we went to this market where they sold livestock to do the filming. There were cows and sheep everywhere and little puddles of blood from where they’d killed one of the animals. In the middle of one of the takes I felt something on my foot and it kept getting harder and harder. I thought maybe it’s a really large person standing on my foot but I couldn’t look because the camera was rolling. Finally, I couldn’t take it anymore I said, “Stop! Cut! Get off my foot! Get off my foot!” And I turn and there’s a large bull standing on my foot. At that point I decided I didn’t want to be there anymore.

and drove him around. He was pretty powerless. Then I think of 8 Mile – he’s not really a bad guy, I’m just dating Eminem’s character’s mom.

We didn’t get along, but then I didn’t get along with my step-father.

In World Trade Center I played this guy who goes down to Ground Zero and saves a couple of dudes’ lives, is that a bad guy? I don’t know.

PS—Would it be safe to say that you’re misunderstood?

PS—In china, or just in that market?

MS—The market, but probably China, too. After filming, we turned around and flew back to America. But in Ürümqi they took all Werner’s knives away at customs, and they kept them for themselves, so I think he came back empty handed. So maybe that’s why I haven’t been in a Wong Kar-wai film.

MS—Maybe I acted out in public once and it just sort of snowballed from there. Maybe I was seen shouting at an old lady at a convenience store or something, because that’s how that stuff all starts.

PS—It could have all started with Frank Lombardo.

MS—Who’s that?

PS—I think you have to really understand China or Wong Kar-wai’s not interested in what you’re doing. On the Internet a lot of people describe you as scary and creepy. I have some ideas about why they think that.

MS—I would love to hear them.

PS—I think it has to do with you having a large head and your unruly toenails. But why do you think people think that about you?

MS—People say, “You always play the bad guy,” and I think about that and go down the list one by one. I guess in Bad Boys II I was kind of a bad guy, because he was in the KKK, but after they shot his ear off and he went to prison, he came back out and he helped them find the bad guy. Will Smith and Martin Lawrence put him in the trunk of the car

PS—Isn’t that the name of your character in...

MS—Kangaroo Jack? Oh, yeah, you’re probably right, that’s the crux of the matter right there. That guy had ice water in his veins. Clear a path when that guy comes by, Jesus! That was a real fun experience, actually, Kangaroo Jack. I went to Australia for three months, which was nice. I went to see Uluru – it’s real beautiful – so I looked at it as a really nice field trip.

PS—You’re also in a band called Corporal – I finally got your CD by the way. It’s great. My son really likes it and he doesn’t like anything. He’s totally disinterested in my band, but he likes yours.

MS—Don’t take that the wrong way. He still loves you more than me.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— film section

that much effort, so that’s been very helpful. I can just relax and stop trying so hard.

PS—And do you think that’s because I make it appear effortless?

MS—Yeah, it doesn’t seem like you’re doing anything.

PS—I want to punch you the next time I see you, because I feel like I haven’t punched you in a long time.

MS— I know. Don’t go for the head, you’d just hurt yourself, you know, break your knuckles.

PS—Or the toenails...

MS—Don’t punch me in the toenails.

PS—People think you’re more intimidating than I am but little do they know that when we arm wrestle, usually I win. I would say that’s kind of an analogy that holds true in all aspects of our relationship, wouldn’t you?

MS—Yes, you’re winning.

PS—I’m interviewing you – some could look at that as people are more interested in you than me.

MS—I think they’ll be interested in the struggle between us more than anything.

PS—Because somebody reading this might say, “Mike Shannon, that guy’s been nominated for an Oscar; he’s probably on the shortlist for a Nobel Peace Prize. Who the fuck is this other guy?”

MS—They’re not going to think that, Paul. Have you had coffee yet today?

PS—He’s being punished right now, as a result. Why do you think you’re an actor rather than a musician?

MS—I wish I knew the answer to that question. I started playing music before I got into acting. I played piano, like you do. I was in the orchestra and the jazz band at school, but acting got me because it was an opportunity to blow off some steam. You’d get one of those parts where you can shout a lot, run around, it’s an opportunity to release yourself from the hysterical pressure you’re under. Music is also very therapeutic but I think starting a band and having a band is hard. I talk to people who do it and it sounds really hard.

PS—I think it is far easier to do acting than to be a musician. I guess they couldn’t get Leonardo DiCaprio to interview you so they got me to do it, and I can only assume it’s because you and I have been on such a similar trajectory in terms of our acting. We’ve played a lot of the same roles and been in a lot of the same movies...

MS—We’re both semi-famous.

PS—Why do you feel the need to follow me around and be in the things that I’m in and also what have you learned as a result of being in the same projects as me?

MS—To answer your first question, we’re both white males in our midto late-thirties and that’s a very specific group; there’s not a lot of us around, so when you find two of us with the gifts we have we’re going to be up for a lot of the same stuff and we’re going to be in a lot of the same stuff. Second of all, I’ve learnt a lot. I used to put a lot of effort into what I do and when I started watching you I realised it doesn’t take

PS—I’ve been up since five. I have a child – Emmet – he’s in the other room, I think he’s sleeping. And you have Sylvie, who’s a little over two. Do you think there’s a future for those two? This is the “gotcha” journalism...

Elections are coming up.

MS—It’s pretty frightening. One day someone will be able to say, “What this country really needs is for everyone to pound themselves on the head with a hammer,” and they’ll be ten thousand people on the lawn in front of the Capitol pounding themselves on the head. It’s getting to that point. It never ceases to amaze me what people will believe. I hope they do something about big business being able to spend as much money as they want on the campaigns. I think Obama should do something about that before they get rid of him.

PS—Are you going to vote?

MS—I will. I actually vote in Illinois and there’s a really important election there. This is a dark road, Paul. I think there’s a future for our kids. There’s always a future; time doesn’t just stop. I don’t like these new machines they’ve got at the airport. They kind of freak me out. You stand there and put your hands over your head like you’re a hostage and then they look through you with X-rays and they can see your naked form under your clothing.

PS—Are you kidding me?

MS—I’m not kidding you, my friend. You’re just going on a plane. I don’t need an X-ray every time I go on a plane. But when they pat you down it’s pretty humiliating, too.

————— 39

an interview with ————— Michael Shannon

PS—Would you rather be handled physically?

MS—I like the personal touch. At least then I can feel the training behind it. I got a new guy the other day, it was the first time he’d done it, it was kind of sweet. He went to search my butt but instead of palming my butt he turned his head and said, “I’m going to brush it with the other side of my hand.”

PS—You were handled like sensitive dough. If you’re going to pull out a strudel and you want to be effective you don’t use your palms and your fingertips – you use the backs of your hands.

MS—Are you like the dough whisperer or something? Hopefully our kids will have somewhere nice to hang out in the future.

PS—So you live in Red Hook [Brooklyn], you were born in Kentucky and you moved between Kentucky and Chicago but where would you rather live? And keep in mind that I live in New York.

MS—I like being not too far away from you. New York’s really growing on me. I like Red Hook; it’s really quiet. I was lying in bed last night thinking that it’s so quiet here you’d never know you were in New York City.

PS—Where you live in Red Hook is like living in Delaware – you’re that far away from Midtown.

MS—You live in the East Village; that might be a little too busy for me.

PS—Do you think that you and I, and our families, could live in a duplex together?

MS—I think that might be kind of sweet, actually. If we did do that someone might want to film it because it would be like a good reality show.

PS—Do you think that Steve Earle and Tim Blake Nelson are going to read our interview?

MS—No, I don’t think so. But maybe we should talk about a poem before we go?

PS—I know a lot of Seuss.

MS—I’ve been reading a lot of that poetry recently.

PS—Did you ask for me to interview you specifically?

MS—Yes. I didn’t have anything to say to Leo.

More———— www.imdb.com/name/nm0788335/

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— film section

“Hopefully our kids will have somewhere nice to hang out in the future.„

————— 41

Memory Motel t-shirt SOPHOMORE NYC, Floral cotton underwear LAURA URBINATI, Rose gold sabertooth ring MADE HER THINK, Satin and crystal encrusted heels D&G.

this is the ————— film section

MALIN AKERMAN INTERVIEW BY PAUL RUDD — PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK W. OCKENFELS 3 MAKEUP BY COLLIER STRONG @ L'OREAL/CLOUTIER REMIX HAIR BY ROBERT STEINKEN @ CLOUTIER REMIX STYLING BY ILARIA URBINATI @ THE WALL GROUP

At first glance Malin Akerman seems like a cinematic commodity we’ve already stocked up on: blonde, beautiful and funny; the perfectly unbelievable girl next door. It’s an easy assumption to make – she’s featured in the likes of Couples Retreat, The Proposal, 27 Dresses... And then, in a moment of crystalline clarity we realise – she played Silk Sceptre in Watchmen; she was the funniest thing about Ben Stiller’s 2007 rom-com The Heartbreak Kid; she used to be in alternative rock band The Petalstones, oh and did we mention she speaks four languages?

Noomi Rapace she’s not but the Swedish/Canadian actress is no Katherine Heigl either. Our LA-LA-land label larder doesn’t appear to have a Malin Akerman at all. Workhorsing her way from project to project, Malin’s doing it all to prove herself as a Hollywood hot property (she’s even rumoured to be playing porn star Linda Lovelace in a new biopic). She’s just wrapped filming on the Judd Apatow-produced movie Wanderlust with funny man Paul Rudd who was psyched about stretching his bulging journalism muscle to interview her for The Lab. Perfectly unbelievable she may be, but we’re not complaining, and neither’s Paul.

PAUL RUDD—I reckon everyone starts these things saying, “Oh, I’m a terrible interviewer! I don’t know what I’m going to ask you.” I’m not going to do that. I’m an incredible interviewer. And I hope you’re prepared to be stripped emotionally naked.

MALIN AKERMAN—Well, I don’t know about getting emotionally naked, but you can try. I can get physically naked, that’s a lot easier.

PR—To be honest, I’m more interested in the emotional nakedness.

MA—You don’t want gratuitous nudity. What guy ever wants that?

PR—So this is for The Lab Magazine? They’re my favourite type of dog.

MA—That was my first dog ever – a golden Lab named Leia, after Princess Leia.

PR—Who was your favourite Star Wars character?

MA—I don’t really know, because I’m not the biggest Star Wars fan. I’ve seen some of the movies and I think they’re good but I won’t be the first person at the movie theatre to go see it.

being at ComicCon and doing such a fantastic film but it’s still not my number one genre.

PR—Did some of the fans creep you out a bit at ComicCon? MA—They were all really nervous and shaky and I just wanted to take them in my arms and give them a hug and say, “It’s OK. I’m not really Silk Sceptre. I’m just a girl named Malin and I just play her.” They were the cutest people in the world. I loved them. I’ve heard there can be some creepy experiences, but I didn’t have any. I did have an experience on a set once when I was barely in any clothing, which happens to me in a lot of my roles, and I was freezing because it was an air-conditioned studio. There was an older guy working as an extra and one day I get to my changing room and he’s standing outside the room with a bag and he’s like, “Here, I brought this for you. I saw you’ve been cold.” Inside the bag there was a dirty blanket with stains all over it. It was a beautiful thought, but that was kind of creepy. I don’t want to know what kind of stains those were.

PR—How much longer did you have to work together after that moment?

MA—Only a couple more days so it wasn’t so bad. Unlike our experience with the nudists on our movie recently!

PR—What do you think of science fiction in general – the same thing?

PR—That is true. We had nudists. That was a strange thing, wasn’t it?

MA—If there’s been a lot of hype around something I’ll probably go see it. I got a little bit more into science fiction after I did Watchmen because there’s so much love and commitment in the work, and the fans are really true fans. I gained a greater respect for the sci-fi world after

MA—We weren’t prepared for it. All of a sudden they’re about to call “Action!” and all of these people start taking off their robes and there’s nothing under them. And I think all of us became like five-year-olds.

————— 43

an interview with ————— Malin Akerman

“It was a beautiful thought, but that was kind of creepy.„

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— film section

Leopard bustier & suede stilettos DOLCE & GABBANA, Bikini bottom LAURA URBINATI, Brass bangle MADE HER THINK.

It was so unusual. I don’t know about you but I don’t really hang out with nude people all the time. Some of them were quite nice but it’s just weird.

PR—Did you ever get caught by any nudists looking at them?

MA—Every time. That was so embarrassing.

PR—All of the nudists were totally shaved.

MA—They had to recast a few to get some with some real bush.

PR—I suppose that’s the fashion these days.

MA—How old are you? Eighty?

PR—I’m wearing slippers right now, and I’m not kidding. What did you do the first day you got back to Los Angeles after filming?

MA—I kissed my husband and told him I needed to sleep because I was exhausted. I still have all my stuff in my suitcases because we had guests staying and now my aunt and cousin are here from Sweden.

PR—Are you usually the type of person who unpacks their suitcase right away?

MA—I leave it until my husband gets really pissed and goes, “Come on, babe, how old are you? Twelve? Can you please unpack your suitcases?”

When I come home I want to see everyone right away and unpacking and doing laundry is the most boring thing in the world. And I’m probably going to pack up and go soon anyway, so sometimes it’s just better to leave my stuff in the suitcases. But, yeah, I’m the procrastinator in the family, for sure.

PR—Your husband’s the opposite?

MA—We haven’t even gotten in the door and he’s already unzipping his suitcase and unpacking and doing laundry. Partly I think it’s because I want to keep the whole memory of the trip for a long time and remember what clothes I brought with me. Have you ever seen that TV show Hoarders? They have a hard time letting go of all the stuff they’ve accumulated over the years and it’s a huge emotional process to get rid of it. I feel like I’m that kind of person when it comes to my suitcases.

PR—Do you have problems throwing things away?

MA—Sometimes. I’m a bit of a cheeseball so I’ll save cards and really special notes and pictures and I’ll never get rid of a single photograph.

But clothes and all that kind of stuff I can get rid of, that’s no big deal.

PR—That sounds healthy.

MA—Yeah, right? You’ve got to have a personal box where you go through things and have memories; I think that’s kind of nice. I don’t know what a therapist would say about that, but I’m going to talk it up to just being a really romantic person.

PR—So you consider yourself a nostalgic person?

MA—Yeah, I am. I get very nostalgic for my childhood.

————— 45

an interview with ————— Malin Akerman

PR—What’s a song that if you heard now would immediately take you back to a very happy memory from your childhood?

MA—You’re going to think I’m a dork. When I was young I thought I was going to become a prima ballerina, which is hilarious because I have no coordination – as you know from when I fell off the pool table trying to dance on it. I listened to Tchaikovsky all the time, the Black Swan, and that was my dance. I had my dad put that record on and I would dance for my family every night and do really bad ballet for them.

PR—That’s really sweet.

MA—And then after that it was Cyndi Lauper.

PR—Those are both great. I hear a Glen Medeiros song and have that kind of memory, which is horrible. In the eighties and I was dating this girl and she had to fly back to Buffalo where she lived and I played these Glen Medeiros cassettes in my car crying.

And that’s exactly what I did. We would sit out on the balcony with a dictionary and a bottle of wine after band practice and try to get to know each other. He understood a few words but it was basically just the language of love – as cheesy as that may sound. We knew there was something special going on and sometimes it’s even better when they don’t speak the same language as you.

PR—I suppose it allows you to say things that are a little more direct.

MA—I had to be direct otherwise he wouldn’t really understand what I was saying, so it was a pretty honest start to the relationship.

PR—Do you want to learn more languages or are you set with four?

MA—I think I’m alright with four. I’m confused enough already – I literally have moments where I’m trying to think of a word in one language and I’ll say it in another, especially when I’m doing interviews on press tours and you’re talking for hours on end. It can get a bit frustrating at times.

MA—You’re so cute!

PR—Speaking of amazing music, do you want to talk about The Petalstones?

MA—You mean my old band? We can touch on that. What do you want to know?

PR—How did it come about?

MA—When I first got out here to LA I did a year of auditions and didn’t get a single job. I found this group of Italian boys and they needed help writing lyrics, and so I helped them with that and they said, “Why don’t you sing?” and I said, “Because I can’t sing.” but they said they would teach me. Never believe an Italian when they say they’re going to teach you. I would be in the studio trying to sing without any kind of training and they would come in and be like, “Just sing it!” And I was like, “That’s what I’m trying to do! You’re supposed to be training me!”

It was the worst training ever. There were a lot of tears and fights but it was great. We put an album out, which was a lot of fun. We didn’t get a record deal so I decided that I was going to give acting another shot and that’s when I finally got a real job.

PR—When you go on a European press tour and you’re able to talk to local journalists in their language, how do they treat you?

MA—They’re pretty excited. People look at me as an American just because I do my movies over here so when I go to their countries they don’t expect me to speak a different language. Unfortunately it’s not the norm in the States to learn many languages so I don’t think a lot of people in Europe expect it.

PR—I didn’t ask you about this when you mentioned it earlier, because I already know, but I think The Lab readers might want to know what you were doing dancing on a pool table?

MA—You little shit! You know how it is sometimes when you’re on a movie and friends decide to have parties at their houses, and of course I’m not going to say no, I can’t be rude. So I showed up and there was good music playing and I was offered some wine or moonshine or whatever they had. I might have had a sip, not to be rude, and because that music was really good I got up on the pool table and just did some crazy chicken dance. When you have long limbs like mine they don’t always coordinate as quickly as they should so I toppled off. Luckily, I had good friends there to catch me.

PR—And then you married the drummer.

PR—What’s your greatest fear?

MA—Yes, indeed. That was three and a half years ago, which was lovely.

PR—How did you meet these Italian guys?

MA—I kind of lied when I said I didn’t get a single job that first year.

I got a really tiny independent film, which I shot in 10 days. It was called The Utopian Society and the guitarist of the band was also doing editing and audio stuff on the movie. I came in to do some ADR and we started talking. He told me he was a rock star and asked me to help him out with writing and I was so excited. I had nothing else to do, and that’s how it all got started.

PR—How many languages do you speak now?

MA—My greatest fear in life would be to lose a sibling or loved one – I’d rather go first. It’s kind of morbid isn’t it?

PR—I love and adore you and hope you don’t die for a very long time.

MA—I hope I stick around for a while.

PR—I hope that this was as gripping and enlightening for you as it was for me.

MA—You know what, Paul? You were the best interviewer ever. You lived up to it.

MA—Four: Swedish, English, Italian and French.

PR—When did you learn Italian?

MA—It was while I was in the band. Two of the guys spoke English but of course my future husband didn’t. I think it became my challenge to be able to communicate with him and make him fall in love with me.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

More———— www.imdb.com/name/nm0015196/

this is the ————— film section

“I don't know about you, but I don't really hang out with nude people all the time.„ Silk babydoll DOLCE & GABBANA, Floral underwear set LAURA URBINATI, Rosebud satin heels RENEE CAOVILLA.

————— 47

Grey suit & Black tie LANVIN, White shirt EMPORIO ARMANI.

this is the ————— film section

VINCENT CASSEL INTERVIEW BY BENJAMIN MILLEPIED — PHOTOGRAPHY BY CARLOTTA MANAIGO @ 2B MANAGEMENT ASSISTED BY RUGGIERO CAFAGNA STYLING BY AKARI ENDO-GAUT @ MICHELE FILOMENO ASSISTED BY FREDERIC CHANE-SY GROOMING BY FREDERIC KEBBABI @ B AGENCY

There aren’t a lot of French actors strolling down Venice Beach slurping Starbucks protein shakes. Either they’ve all found some faux Parisian café a few blocks away where they sip cafés au lait while doing meticulous impressions of Marcel Marceau or there just aren’t enough good parts for French actors in Hollywood. The latter sounds more plausible. Problem is Hollywood already has their go-to French guys – if you want the frumpy, funny uncle you phone Gérard Depardieu; if you’re in need of a serious assassin with a hint of sarcasm, Jean Reno’s your man; then there’s Vincent Cassel: suave, mildly eccentric, cult movie gravitas – oh, and did you see those moves he pulled in Ocean’s Twelve?

Since his big break in 1995’s French classic La Haine Cassel has swiftly become one of France’s best-loved actors and most successful movie exports. With turns in Elizabeth, Joan of Arc, and Birthday Girl as well as French hits Irreversible and the Mesrine films, he’s proved he’s an actor worth his salt in roles of all sizes. This year he’s done it again in one of the award season’s hottest tickets – Black Swan – working alongside Natalie Portman and Mila Kunis in a thrilling tale of psychological terror. He plays Thomas Leroy, the artistic director of a ballet company, who pushes Portman’s character to the toe-bending brink as she struggles to take on the demanding lead role in a new production of Swan Lake.

Amidst the tutus, pliés and media craziness surrounding the film, Cassel found some quiet time to sit down with renowned ballet dancer Benjamin Millepied – the film’s choreographer and Natalie Portman’s fiancé – to discuss his passion for movement, his father’s dancing feet, and what it’s like to be a French actor playing the Hollywood game

BENJAMIN MILLEPIED—In preparation for Black Swan I sat with you while we watched [legendary ballet dancer and choreographer] Mikhail Baryshnikov rehearse a young dancer at the Paris Opera, which is something that he rarely does. I think that rehearsal had a significant impact on you. What do you remember from watching him, and what did you learn from that experience?

VINCENT CASSEL—That was a wonderful moment, first of all, because to be able to see Mikhail Baryshnikov work in a private session is already a gift, but even more so at a time like that when I was preparing for the movie. That young dancer was obviously very technically skilled but he was doing too much, he was pushing everything; everything seemed hard for him even though he was doing it pretty well. When Baryshnikov started to do it, even though he wasn’t pushing the physicality of the movements to the fullest, it was a thousand times more interesting because it was simple; it was actually more acting than dancing in a way. I guess that moment really helped me in the scene with Natalie [Portman] where I was coaching her and it becomes a more sexual scene. I really thought I would I have to dance more but after seeing Mikhail Baryshnikov I realised you could just walk around and be very low profile and it worked even better.

BM—It was great that you saw that dance because the ease of it is something I think you could relate to and understand through the tap dancing of your father. Your father was a wonderful dancer – did he pass the joy of dancing to you while you were growing up at home and did the opportunity to play a dancer draw you to this film?

VC—He danced a lot. I remember literally sleeping and hearing my father tap dancing every day, without the shoes, just to train. I grew up with the ‘tikata-tikata-tikata’ in my head, so I think he gave me the taste for movement and physicality, even more than dancing itself. What drove me to the film even before that, was the opportunity to work with Darren [Aronofsky] and Natalie; that was very attractive to me. I didn’t really think about the relationship with my father because I didn’t know really what it was about until I got involved.

BM—Your father clearly influenced your career and helped you to express your artistic side – have you and your wife [Monica Bellucci] done the same for your children?

VC—Totally. I guess that’s a good start in life, to be able to speak different languages, to be able to enjoy what you are artistically. I grew

————— 49

an interview with ————— Vincent Cassel

VC—Well I’m sure you know about that more than I do. I think before anything else you need to have a certain taste for it; to have it in you to be able to move. Some people just don’t feel comfortable with it and don’t like it. But of course growing up in the environment that I did helped me a lot. I don’t know if you agree with me, but I think dancing is something, before anything else, that you have to do for your own pleasure. I’ve danced quite a lot but it was always with the goal of being a little more complete as an actor. And so I used that physicality to develop and pick-up kung fu moves or sword fighting, and all the other things you have to do when you’re an actor and you get involved with different kinds of projects. It’s just about being more conscious of your body, and that’s really why I started to dance.

BM—Well you definitely succeeded because it seemed like your entire body had a specific language that developed on this film. Is that something you would recommend young actors to do – get in touch with their physicality a little bit?

VC—A little bit, or even a lot. But some people don’t use their bodies as much. Every actor I really love is physical – Gerard Depardieu, Marlon Brando, Robert DeNiro, those guys use their bodies to become a character. If you want to act you have to be physical in order to change things from one character to the other.

BM—Dancers go through a rigorous training – some of which you got to experience on this film – would you say actors should be subjected to something similar?

VC—Honestly, no. Acting is not really about training; it’s about growing as a person and releasing your emotions. I know there’s a technical aspect to it but as you grow as a person it becomes more of a second nature.

When you see older actors like Dustin Hoffman and Robert Duvall, you really think those guys need to train? I think it has to be important to you and if it’s important to you, you don’t have to take it too seriously because you’re just having fun and you don’t have anything to prove.

I think that’s the best way to find your own voice. up in a multi-lingual environment and I always danced and juggled and had different types of trainings. That’s what we do. My daughter already speaks four languages, and she’s six. And she dances!

BM—And how did you find working with Darren? Did it live up to your expectations?

VC—Let’s say two words – easy and organic. His films are fun, they’re always visually rich and in that sense they are very accessible, too. From the start, from Pi, I always kept an eye on him because I was really blown away by his first feature.

BM—I really felt he was so much in control of the environment in which the movie was shot. I was always very impressed with how he directed the actors, very simply, but always pushed the emotions to really get what he wanted. What was your experience as far as his direction?

VC—The wonderful thing about Darren is he’s very technically skilled, but at the same time, he’s very open. When you show up on the set each morning, you know things might change from what you’re expecting.

He’s also very sensitive. If he feels something suddenly he’s going to dig for it and go further and further. That’s why he does so many takes. And I think he gives us the impression he’s in control of the environment but I’m sure he’s not. It feels like he knows how to adapt to that chaos and make something out of it.

BM—Speaking of control, you have a great understanding and knowledge of your body. Has this come naturally to you or was there a specific role in your career that helped you to develop this gift?

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

BM—Your character in Ocean’s Twelve was certainly athletic, but he may have met his match in Black Swan’s Thomas Leroy. Nevertheless, what was it like preparing for that very cool laser dance sequence in Ocean’s Twelve?

VC—I was in Brazil when I read the script and people were doing Capoeira everywhere. I had practiced Capoeira when I was younger, so when I met [director] Steven [Soderbergh] in Rome I started to perform some Capoeira moves in the hotel room and he loved it and decided to use it in the movie. The performance went really well on the day, but the next day I couldn’t walk.

BM—Do you still practice Capoeira?

VC—No, I don’t. It was very painful the last time. Now that it’s on screen I’m cool with it.

BM—I was also very impressed with your ability to be so spontaneous from take to take in Black Swan. Natalie said many times how easy it was to act with you because you were just a conduit, she could bounce off you very easily. How have you achieved this style of unselfconscious acting?

VC—Acting is all about improvisation, not in the lines, but in the way you interact with one another. You can’t fix anything. If it is to be alive it has to be surprising. It’s like playing ping pong – you never know how you’re going to play the next ball, but still you have to put it back on the table. In French to act is called to play “jouer” and it’s definitely a very accurate word for it.

White shirt & Black tie EMPORIO ARMANI, Grey suit GIORGIO ARMANI, Shoes CHURCH'S.

“I don't do things if I don't want to.„

an interview with ————— Vincent Cassel

“The idea of travelling around to work with different kinds of people, is perfect for me.„

Black sweater GIORGIOA ARMANI, Black scarf LANVIN, Grey trousers YVES SAINT LAURENT.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— film section

BM—Is there a particular experience or role you’ve had that really freed you of being self conscious and made you progress as an actor?

VC—I’ve done more or less everything. I started with shows in the street and then I went on stage and even though you’re not always good, at a certain point performing becomes a normal thing for you to do.

Experiencing different kind of situations has made me understand it’s about having fun and letting yourself go. I don’t make a lot of movies – I’m not the kind of guy who wants to work all the time – so I’m not running after work. I don’t do things if I don’t want to and most of what I’ve done has made me progress somehow.

BM—A lot of European artists see American cinema as a Holy Grail that they struggle to break into – is it important to you to gain international recognition through Hollywood or do you just go with roles you like?

VC—Actually, both. I only go with roles and people that I want to work with but at the same time I’m totally aware that if you do one big American movie it’s all over the world directly. One Ocean movie and they know you in Thailand and that can help to sell French movies all over the world, too. So I try to consider this thing as a game. I have all these cards, and I play them however I like, but it’s not really serious, it’s all just a bit of fun.

BM—In this film the idea of letting go and freedom is talked about. Are your most powerful scenes in front of the camera as an actor the ones where you felt like you lost yourself?

VC—I can’t really say that I lose myself. When we were shooting Irréversible the takes were so long, by the second take I couldn’t remember everything I did in the first one. I remember some days I was literally, totally lost. I couldn’t remember what I had done and the takes were mixing with reality. That was a very strange and weird feeling. But normally, I’m not trying to lose myself, I’m just trying to have fun. It doesn’t sound as serious, but it’s more or less the same thing.

BM—Does it ever feel like hard work?

VC—If it starts to feel like hard work I guess something’s wrong. I’m talking about really acting, being on set. Then the rest: promoting the movie, publicity, repeating the same thing over and over again when the questions are not good, is really work.

BM—What’s it like working with Hollywood directors such as on this movie and Ocean’s Twelve and Thirteen compared with the French filmmakers who launched your career?

More———— www.imdb.com/name/nm0001993/

VC—I have been very spoilt since the beginning because the directors I’ve worked with in English-speaking movies are not typical American Hollywood directors. For example, Steven Soderbergh is very different.

He’s very particular and free in this industry. Darren is definitely not a typical Hollywood director either so I’ve worked with a real mix. It’s exciting to work with directors I really respect, but of course I have to say no to a bunch of French baddie roles in so-so Hollywood movies.

I’ve been working a little bit here in the States, and then in France and I worked in Brazil last year, which I loved. The idea of travelling around to work with different kinds of people is perfect for me.

BM—What do you think of the celebrity that comes along with being a successful actor?

VC—I think you shouldn’t mess around with it too much, because otherwise you can’t complain. If you go to San Tropez all the time, of course you’re going to get in trouble. But if you try to escape and disappear, when you’re not promoting something, it’s not so bad.

BM—Having worked with stars like George Clooney and Brad Pitt, you’ve seen first-hand the more extreme examples of an actor in that position – how did they handle it?

VC—One funny example comes to mind. We were leaving the hotel in Rome – the city of paparazzi – so it was terrible, they were like flies.

“George! George!” they were screaming his name, and he went to them and said Brad Pitt’s coming behind me. And they all ran off and went for Brad Pitt instead.

————— 53

this is the ————— film section

MICHEL GONDRY INTERVIEW BY EVAN GOLDBERG — PHOTOGRAPHY BY AUTUMN DE WILDE STYLIST SHIRLEY KURATA @ REP'D BY GIANT ARTISTS GROOMER YUJI KOJIMA @ REP'D BY THE REX AGENCY PRODUCER MEGHAN GALLAGHER PHOTO ASSISTANT ALISON BERNIER & NOAH JASHINSKI

When Sony announced French director Michel Gondry was their chosen man to helm superhero flick The Green Hornet a few people probably did a Disney-style double take. At that point, his most commercially successful film was Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind – the critically applauded Jim Carrey and Kate Winslet picture that dealt with a couple’s failing relationship and the memories they shared – hardly a popcorn and coke blockbuster for teenage boys. Hollywood raised its collective eyebrow as the film went into production.

Also on board as producers and co-writers were Superbad boys Evan Goldberg and Seth Rogen (who also stars in the film) and they believed Gondry had the goods to pull off the picture they’d envisioned. They weren’t the only ones. Back in the 1990s Gondry was hired to make the same movie for Universal Studios because of his unique camera work and fight sequences in his memorable music videos and TV commercials. NB: He was the dude who invented the ‘bullet-time’ filming technique later used most famously in The Matrix. Finally getting to make the action movie he wanted over ten years later, odd choice or not, Gondry was more than ready to take on the explosions, big cars, buddy-comedy and blockbuster budget of Hornet.

The result which has already eclipsed the total box office receipts of Gondry’s previous films combined, is nothing like Eternal Sunshine, The Science of Sleep or even Be Kind Rewind. It is a Michel Gondry film, but admittedly you have to look a little harder for his footprint. Here, talking to Evan Goldberg, Gondry reveals the films that inspired him to stick with the project, how he adjusted to this new directorial experience, and what he learnt from working with high kicks, Chryslers and comedians.

EVAN GOLDBERG—How did you first get involved in Green Hornet in the 1990s?

MICHEL GONDRY—It was 1997. I was a video director and had done work in advertising and made music videos that were noticed and I think the studio, which was Universal at the time, thought I would bring a cool look to a very conventional story. The bullet-time effect I created in a commercial for Smirnoff was one of the reasons they hired me – they wanted that effect in the movie. I worked on the screenplay with Edward Neumeier, who had written Starship Troopers and Robocop – two of my favourite movies in this genre. I think a bit of this version remained in the film we shot, like the car in the elevator and stuff like that.

MG—Raffi, one of the co-producers of The Green Hornet, and I got together two stunt guys one morning and we shot with a Phantom camera at super-high speed. I remember this effect where one guy would grab a chair and try to smash the other guy with it and I asked him to do it twice. In the meantime the other guy could change positions. I would cut the double action, so in the same frame you would have only one action with the chair while the other guy would switch across the frame and be behind the guy and kick him right away. We also created an effect by shooting each character in a different speed so one would be very slow and the other super fast and then we would reverse that in the same shot, and then on top of that we would move the camera. It was really difficult to achieve and I think that’s what made the effect so cool.

EG—When we hired you to do this movie we hired you off a fight sample video. Were you hired off a fight sample the first time or not?

EG—What kind of superhero stuff did you grow up on? What inspired you to make this and what is your comic superhero background?

MG—I had done a fight sample – I will show it to you one day – where I was combining the bullet effect and the guys would turn each other into statues and keep fighting. It was pretty awesome. We were supposed to shoot it with Jason Scott Lee who had done the Bruce Lee impersonation in the biopic film but he didn’t show up so we had to use this other guy who was a lot older. He could barely kick or anything so it looks funny. It was a combination of this technique of frozen time and the stuff I came up with for you later.

MG—I like films such as Ghostbusters and Robocop, which is my favourite superhero and action hero movie. With this I was hoping to do a crossover between Robocop and Back to the Future, which I think we did. I was also influenced by 80s buddy action/comedy movies where the guys, in the midst of the action, keep arguing about trivial matters. In terms of pure superhero movies my tastes are a little weird. For instance, I very much like Superman 3, especially because Richard Pryor is in it and I think he’s hilarious. I don’t mind the campiness sometimes but we didn’t go this way with The Green Hornet, and even though Seth [Rogen] is in it, it’s much more like Eddie Murphy’s performance in Beverly Hills Cop where he made the step from a great comedian to be an action hero.

EG—Can you explain what you showed us that made us want to hire you so much?

————— 55

an interview with ————— Michel Gondry

The comparison with Eddie Murphy is quite fitting because there is something a little off in those guys. They’re coming from a place that’s a little bit crazy and that will remain with them. Comedy is the hardest form of acting and it’s very underrated. You guys worked your asses off to write lines that make people laugh. It’s much easier to write a character that’s super smart like in The Social Network, which was great by the way, but I think it’s harder to do something that’s really going to come off as funny.

EG—What was it like working with giant stunts, huge cars and big explosions because that’s not what people generally think about when they think about you?

MG—: I loved it. If anything, if you remember, I was the one who wanted to play with the truck the most. I liked this part of the process and I’m so glad we went with the Chrysler because I love seeing little sports cars in movies but to me they look like Speedos – they look unmanly. I’m not for everything being manly, but in terms of cars, I’m in America and to me the American dream includes a big fat car. That’s what we got with the Chrysler and it was awesome. And because it was cheaper we could buy that thing 26 or 27 times to use it in so many different stages of the movie. When I told my son finally I was going to do The Green Hornet after all those years, the only thing he told me was, “You better use the car from the TV show.”

“Comedy is the hardest form of acting, and it's very underrated.„ EG—I remember that.

MG—And it was funny because we were going in so many directions with the car and at some point we were all in the office with Neal [producer, Neal H. Moritz] and we looked at each other and Neal said, “Fuck it. Let’s just use the Chrysler.” I was so overjoyed. And when we parked the car in front of the building where all the Sony people were and they all came outside and some of the ladies said, “I want to have sex in this car,” that was it. We were sold, they were sold.

EG—What was the hardest thing to accomplish in the entire movie be it a stunt or getting the script where it had to be or trying to relate your ideas?

MG—I’d never done such a long shoot. When you finish a movie as a director you sort of get the baby blues a little bit. You get all depressed and you don’t know what to do and you feel all washed up, but this happened during the shooting because I’d never shot for so many days before. So partway through I really had to put myself back together to start on a new big scene including this very complicated fight. It took

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— film section

Dark gray diner jacket BRIONI, Tee-shirt CALVIN

————— 57

an interview with ————— Michel Gondry

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— film section

me one or two days to get excited again. Sometimes it was difficult for my ego during the editing process as well and at times I wished I had more involvement, but you guys made the movie really funny so I think that was necessary. I think the influence of the studio and the writers and the team work for this type of movie is good. Whenever there is a director’s cut I always find it very presumptuous and pompous and when people ask me, “Are you going to have a director’s cut?” I always say no because I hope there is no need to have a director’s cut – it would mean I have some conflict with the original version. I had final cut before, not on this movie, but the difference is very slim. If the producer asks you to make changes and you say no, then they can lose interest in the film and you’re screwed. On Be Kind Rewind they were against a lot of ideas I had and they tried to convince me and I said, “No, let’s stop arguing, I have final cut.” After that I felt I had nobody to sell the movie anymore; there was no team behind it, and that was sad.

EG—Do you have a plan for what you want to do after The Green Hornet?

People are going to look at you in a different way now because this is not just an action movie; it’s everything you hadn’t done before. You know how to deal with the studio, now; you know how to deal with a million different camera crews shooting at numerous times. So what are you going to do with all this new knowledge?

MG—Christopher Nolan is a good example of what I’d like to do, he’s not exactly my favourite director, but he’s immensely talented and he’s managed to balance big studio work with personal work. Similarly to the Wachowskis who did The Matrix. They’re another example of people who did very commercial work but their work. Something those directors don’t do is comedy and I think to me comedy is really important. Even in my other films that were smaller I always had an element of comedy. Life is bad enough without making a completely serious movie. Maybe I should ask you a question.Yesterday I had some drinks with Neal and we talked about another director who was working as a team before he got famous. When he got famous he said fuck off to everybody and he’s now a very arrogant person. The great thing about you and Seth is you’ve stayed the same through your success. You guys are always talking; it’s like a couple in a way. I’d like to hear your take on how that works...

EG—It only works because we’re old, old friends and we literally grew up together since the age of 12. I’ve told him to go to hell so many times, I’ve yelled at him so many more times than everybody else but it’s boring to get furious for long now. We just argue and then we drop it. We both know that we’re not super, super good at what we do alone. We only work really well together because we both have distinct flaws. He’s really good at focusing on stuff but he can’t always let go of it, and I can’t focus as well as him, but I can multi-task stuff together so that’s why we function as a team.

MG—Was there ever a time when you said, our friendship is more important than the success? Do you have this ethic in your mind or does it come instinctively?

EG—Yeah, I say that happens on a daily basis. Because he’ll make decisions that I think are completely wrong. On The Green Hornet I’d come back to the set and he’d done something I completely disagreed with, but I think the most important thing in movies, and I think this is something you said to me, you learn to let go because it’s not a one-man show and you can’t control everything. I guess our bickering relationship resulted in me being a little more Zen. Would you say you’re more Zen now that The Green Hornet’s over or less?

decided that, it didn’t matter anymore. First I took it with humour and I kept making jokes about it and now I feel we are really working as a team. It’s just like in the army, I hate the army, so it’s a terrible image to use, but the director wants to make most of the decisions otherwise you lose so much efficiency when everyone starts to question everything.

EG—Do you feel on your next huge movie you’re going to go in ready to kick ass.

MG—If The Green Hornet is a good success and I get to do another movie with another team they’re going to listen to me. Each one of us will be attributed the success of everything. I think we could all go and do another movie on the good praise of this movie but the truth is if the movie is good it’s because we worked together. And I know directors who have a big success and then they stop listening to others.

EG—That won’t be the case coming out of the Green Hornet after the madness we all went through.

MG—No. We’re going to bomb and stay humble.

More———— www.imdb.com/name/nm0327273/

“Life is bad enough without making a completely serious movie.„

MG—Yes. Sometimes I was really frustrated because I had no say in something or I found you guys rude and then I remember having a discussion with one of your friends and she said just try to make the best movie you can and don’t worry about anything else. And then when I

————— 59

Bodysuit SHABD IS MY NAME, Ring & Angel Wing Choker JESSICA ROBINSON.

this is the ————— fashion section

Photographer — Jody Rogac Stylist — Karen Schaupeter Hair — Marcos Diaz Make-up — Tracy Afajora Photographer's Assistant — Aileen Son Stylist's Assistant — Kim Sutherland Model — Polina Synyavska @ Next

More———— www.jodyrogac.com

————— 61

a showcase of ————— Jody Rogac

Dress TOPSHOP, Ring SNOW OWL BY GERARD TULLY.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— fashion section

Blouse & Skirt SHABD IS MY NAME, Pyramid Ring and Goddess Headpiece JESSICA ROBINSON.

————— 63

a showcase of ————— Jody Rogac

This page— Bodysuit SHABD IS MY NAME, Ring & Angel Wing Choker JESSICA ROBINSON. Opposite page— Dress TOPSHOP, Beaded Cuff ANTHROPOLOGIE, Pyramid Bracelet JESSICA ROBINSON.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

a showcase of ————— Jody Rogac

Cardigan URBAN OUTFITTERS, Lingerie TOPSHOP, Wing Ring JESSICA ROBINSON.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— fashion section

Dress MARC BY MARC JACOBS, Snail Ring GERARD TULLY, Charm Necklace ISABEL MARANT, Earring Stylist's own.

————— 67

this is the ————— fashion section

This page— Bandeau TOPSHOP, Skirt AMERICAN APPAREL, Necklace URBAN OUTFITTERS. Opposite page— Dress MARC BY MARC JACOBS, Charm Necklace ISABEL MARANT, Ring Snail GERALD TULLY, Earring Stylist's own.

————— 69

this is the ————— cover feature

SAM ROCKWELL INTERVIEW BY JEREMY RENNER — PHOTOGRAPHY BY FRANK W. OCKENFELS 3 PRODUCED BY CASSIA HOFFMAN GROOMING BY DAVID COX @ CELESTINEAGENCY.COM STYLING BY DAVID THOMAS @ OPUSBEAUTY.COM

Hollywood has committed a crime. For twenty years, in a town that tosses superlatives around like balls in a dog park, the great unwashed have failed to fully recognise the burgeoning talents of one Sam Rockwell.

The man who has given the world a lawn-mowing loaner (Lawn Dogs), game show host/CIA assassin Chuck Barris (Confessions of a Dangerous Mind), an unbalanced astronaut (Moon), journalist James Reston Jr. (Frost/ Nixon) and a greedy handful of other oddballs, inmates, and stubbly scene-stealers, has been left out in the Californian cold by AMPAS and Hollywood Foreign Press voters and frankly, it just won’t do. Thankfully, Rockwell isn’t in it for the accolades and keeps making movies – most recently he’s been doing the press rounds for Hilary Swank-headliner Conviction, in which he plays wrongfully convicted Bay Stater Kenneth Waters. His performance is meaty, edgy, heart-breaking and oh, so, Sammy. Oscar or no, this underrated actor is at the top of his game. Hollywood, how do you plead? Guilty as charged. One of his biggest fans, fellow thespian and 2011 Oscar nominee Jeremy Renner – that hard-core bomb-diffusing nut-job from The Hurt Locker – was more than happy to catch up with his buddy on behalf of The Lab.

JEREMY RENNER—Hey man! So the last time I saw you was in Toronto.

Have you been on a press tour for Conviction since then?

SAM ROCKWELL—Yeah. We’ve been doing a lot. It’s a grass roots tour. We went to London and San Francisco, Mill Valley, DC, Philly, Washington. Trying to get everybody excited.

JR—Because you didn’t have a big release, right?

SR—We started slow. Fox Searchlight’s really smart about that. They did the same thing with The Wrestler, and Slumdog Millionaire. They’re really good about getting it out there in the right way, and making sure the right people see it. I took my dad to London – that was cool. I barely saw him or London, though. We had some fish and chips and went to the park.

JR—That’s the sad part of the whole process; you don’t get to really enjoy anything because you’re working.

SR—Yeah and as you know your brain is scrambled eggs, and you have to go have a drink or go to the gym or something to relieve all that stuff and then you get up in four hours and get on a train or whatever.

JR—We did it for 18 months on The Hurt Locker so I know what it’s like.

You have no life. And you really want to be out there and support the movie because you should be proud of it. You’re fucking tremendous in it, by the way.

printed across the whole screen like they do on scripts, which was kind of annoying. All through the whole movie it just said “Jeremy Renner”. I felt like I was in the movie with you.

SR—Well I’ll re-enact it for you next time I see you with a sign on my chest that says “Jeremy Renner”. And I’ll do it without any pants on.

JR—I remember you told me some of the film got screwed up or something and you had to do a reshoot?

SR—All the film from a very big 16-hour day was destroyed; it was put through an X-ray at the airport by a security person. It was a scene where I find out that I’m not the blood type of the killer and I’m going to get out of prison and then a scene where I also find out it doesn’t matter because Martha Coakley’s going to try me as an accomplice anyway – she doesn’t care that I’m not the blood type. All the prison stuff was shot in four days and it was really emotional. The last day was the 16-hour day that was destroyed and I think one of us said, “I’d hate to do that again.” The next day Tony Goldwyn, our amazing director, takes us into Hilary’s trailer and says, “I’ve got some bad news, I have to talk to you guys,” and I was saying, “Tony, you know that scene yesterday where I fight with the guards? I feel like it could’ve been more violent, I wish we could’ve done it more,” and he says, “Well you may get another chance.”

JR—At least you didn’t feel really good about what you’d done and you had the chance to improve it. But you’re neurotic that way you always think you can do something better.

SR—You saw the movie?

JR—Yeah, but I had to watch it on my computer. Watching it on the small screen was good enough but ridiculously enough the movie had my name

SR—We did make it better. But it’s funny what stress does to you. When he said we had to do it again my back seized up and I started getting nauseous. Not to be overly dramatic but it was kind of like a death.

————— 71

an interview with ————— Sam Rockwell

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— cover feature

Hilary [Swank] was trying to problem solve, being the optimist, and I just walked out and had a cigarette. It was so depressing.

JR—Did you get diarrhoea?

SR—I think probably. And then the whole day it was like somebody died. They were going to re-shoot it at the end and then Hilary said, “No, we’ve got to get back in there right away.” So we went back to the prison the next day, and brought the whole crew back. We were walking to the trailer in the morning and Hilary pointed two fingers at her eyes and then at me as if to say, “You and me, all day, you and me.” In other words, let’s stay connected.

JR—Did it feel weird once you set back up in the prison, or did you feel like you had a running start?

SR—It felt weird, and I asked them to switch the order of the scenes.

They shot the fight scene with the guards first, because I thought that was the hardest one, and I did the first take and it really sucked ass. I remember thinking, I’ve got to get on top of this. I can’t let this opportunity slip away. It was one of those moment where you’re like am I going to step up to the plate? And then the second take was great, and then the rest of the day was pretty good, but it was scary. Have you ever had to do a reshoot?

JR—I don’t think I ever had to reshoot something but I certainly know that feeling at the end of a day when everyone’s tired and it’s probably one of the most important scenes of the movie and it’s your close up. I kind of thrive on those moments. It gets my adrenaline going and forces me to really dig. I certainly love that pressure; it makes me better.

“The reason I know how to do the splits, is because of watching Risky Business.„ SR—What did they say?

JR—“That’s not happening!” So I just hung around a bunch of ex-bank robbers, and ex-cons and they taped a bunch of stuff, which we watched. I was having a little trouble with it initially. But then I asked three guys from Charlestown to tell the same ‘Knock-knock’ joke and they all sounded different. I learned it’s more about the personality so I didn’t feel pressured into having a technically perfect accent. The biggest compliment I got from anybody was people saying, I know guys like your character; I grew up with guys like him; I hated guys like him. It felt really great that the personality came out without the accent stifling it.

SR—You fucking nailed it man. You nailed it. It was cool when you were making The Town because my girlfriend was shooting a movie in Boston, too.

JR—That was so kick ass that we got to hang out for all that time. You’d already filmed Conviction then, right?

SR—I think it makes me better, too.

JR—Because you were working with Hilary, too, which must have been a blessing? She’s such a tremendous actress. It’s great to be banging heads with wonderful talent because you want to be better for them as well.

SR—I love that, too – that’s why I want to work with you. She’s amazing, though. She’s a force of nature. I’ve been meaning to ask how did you come up with that idea of drinking the soda when you get killed in The Town?

JR—That was something [director] Ben [Affleck] saw on a real interrogation room surveillance tape where a guy was arrested for something. The guy’s being very quiet, and the detectives are trying to get some answers out of him and he wouldn’t answer anything. And then he asked for a soda and they gave him one. You don’t really hear anything on the tape but the detectives tell him to think for a minute and leave the room. As soon as they’re gone, the guy takes a sip of the soda, pulls a gun out and blasts his brains out. Ben thought that was such a strange thing, that he wanted a soda before he shot himself, so he put that in the movie.

SR—That’s so fucking awesome. I love that shit.

JR—Let’s talk for a second about the Boston accent, because we both had to do it for a movie. Did you guys work with dialogue coaches?

SR—We all worked with one of the best dialect coaches in the country – Liz Himelstein, who’s a protégé of Tim Monich who’s really good. We drilled these Gilbert and Sullivan songs with the accent. I like to drill the accent with other text, not just use the screenplay, so your lines don’t get stale. You watched tapes of real convicts, right?

JR—Ben taped them. I asked for an accent coach.

SR—Yeah, a year and a half ago, before Iron Man 2. We filmed it in Michigan, fucking Michigan. Everybody talks like Fargo there. I was scared shitless. It’s a tough accent and people are quick to criticise it if it’s not good, too.

JR—Did you shoot any exteriors in Boston because it certainly looked like it?

SR—No. But they might have shot some second unit stuff.

JR—How long was the shoot?

SR—We shot for maybe thirty-five days, not even. It was a quickie. I had about four or five weeks to prepare. I was at Sundance doing phoners with the dialect coach and avoiding the parties. It’s the only year I’ve been to Sundance and I haven’t been hung over!

JR—Do you have a favourite scene you like in the movie?

SR—We used two cameras for coverage in the prison but there was one scene where we hadn’t gotten our second camera yet. It was the first scene in the prison with me and Hilary where I’ve just tried to commit suicide. We did it the orthodox way – your turn, my turn – on coverage. It’s a very even keel tennis match – the acting problems are evenly distributed between the two of us – so I’m really proud of that scene. Hilary’s swinging for the fences and I’m swinging for the fences.

I think that’s probably my favourite one.

JR—It’s a really good relationship. You guys looked really great on screen together. Obviously I loved all the stuff in the prison, but the scene that really popped out for me was a little staple Sammy in that bar scene near the beginning.

————— 73

“It's important to keep your humanity and your integrity and just know there are many roses in the garden.„

an interview with ————— Sam Rockwell

SR—The bar scene was fun, man.

“Now you know what a dork I am.„

JR—That could be any given Sunday with you and me in New York or something. What’s on the programme now for you, because tonight you go to the Hollywood Film Festival, which is the biggest kick-off for the Oscar awards campaign, right?

SR—I don’t know a lot about it, but it’s all about getting the movie out there and getting people to look at the performances. This is an independent film; this is a movie that ten years ago would’ve been a studio movie, but studios aren’t making dramas anymore. That’s the state of things.

JR—It’s kind of sad, right? Not good for actors like us.

More———— www.imdb.com/name/nm0005377/

SR—This is an interesting topic, because you and I are often up for the same parts. I’m always really happy when my friends get something, even if I wanted it, or if somebody really good gets it like Josh Brolin in No Country for Old Men. I read for that, and I wanted that, but when I saw him do it, I thought he was great.

JR—I think the same way. And probably one of the reasons why we’re good friends is we think a lot alike. We don’t get too emotionally involved in it. I’d probably feel a little weird if I got fired off of a job and then someone came in, like Eric Stoltz in Back to the Future – that would be hard to swallow right.

SR—Yeah, that would suck.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— cover feature

JR—But I love losing out roles to you or to another tremendous actor. I have no problem with that whatsoever.

SR—Ambition is usually a bad word but I think it’s OK to be competitive in a healthy way if your friends or people you admire like Phil Hoffman or Billy Crudup or Mark Ruffalo inspire you to do better. If Liev’s [Schreiber] kicking some as, I want to kick some ass. They make you want to bring your A-game. But there is the petty competitive stuff that I don’t like. You would’ve been great in Conviction, I would’ve loved to play your part in The Town, but when I saw you do The Town, I couldn’t see anyone else in that part because I thought you were that guy. I just wish there was more of that community with actors.

JR—I know it’s hard but we can create that community. We can go up for the same role, work each other’s lines for that audition and then drive together to the audition and go kick ass. I look at it like, you’re tremendous and if I don’t get it of course I want you to have it.

SR—I think it’s such a cutthroat business and everybody’s out for blood. It’s important to keep your humanity and your integrity and just know that there are many roses in the garden. And it’s just about doing good work and what’s meant to be is meant to be. It’s a good life and any of the complaints we have about press and stuff are all limousine problems. When I met you at that hotel in Calgary my girlfriend at the time had already met you and she said, “You’re going to like this guy, Jeremy.” And I thought, I’ll be the judge of that. I remember meeting you at the bar and there was something about you, maybe it’s because we’re both from Northern California or because you reminded me of someone from highschool, but she was right.

JR—We’ve definitely been kindred spirits ever since we got to really get to know each other back then, huh?

SR—Swank wants us to all get together. She’s dying to get you and me in a room. We tried pretty hard to hang out in Toronto; you literally tackled me on the street as I was walking to your hotel to do press.

And now you’re in Prague filming the new Mission: Impossible with Tom Cruise.

JR—It baffles my mind. I grew up watching him and sometimes I can’t believe we’re sitting there working together.

SR—It’s amazing. We’re so lucky. The people you and I have both worked with: John Malkovich, Robert De Niro, Gene Hackman, Hilary Swank and now you’re working with Tom Cruise. The reason I know how to do the splits is because of watching Risky Business over and over.

I used to practice doing that slide in the socks to that song from the movie. Now you know what a dork I am.

Denim jumpsuit CURRENT ELLIOT

————— 77

we love ————— you

Nº I ———— Director

JACOB TIERNEY Words by Josh Close Photography by Miles Jay Assisted by Max Chin Stylisting by Zazu Myers Hair & Make-up by Tami El Sombati Clothes pulled from Carte Blanche

I struggled to disguise a serious case of shaky knee syndrome when I met Canadian actorturned-director Jacob Tierney for the first time in 2002. As a nervous, young actor I was about to audition for his directorial debut and was desperate to obtain and explore one of the leading roles under his careful guidance. The movie was Twist – his self-penned, modernday interpretation of Oliver Twist set in a seedy Toronto underbelly. Though he was only and unbelievably 23 himself, Jacob beautifully captained the film, which showed at Venice, Toronto and Rotterdam Film Festivals, and has since gone on to write and direct two more – Good Neighbours and The Trotksy – needless to say, he’s been busy.

fake a city at your own risk, and if you can't use the cityscapes and landscapes you have at your disposal, then you're cutting off your own nose to spite your face.”

Intent on not cutting off his nose in the slightest Jacob has also made the most of the people closest to him including his father of whom he says, “Working together became a really natural evolution for us. Now I'm left with the feeling that even if we never do it again, which is super unlikely, how lucky am I to have gotten the chance to do the thing I love most with my father?”

Jacob’s extended filmic family now includes Jay Baruchel (who starred in both The Trotsky and Good Neighbours and coincidentally grew up on the same street as Jacob) and Emily Hampshire who I credit for helping Jacob to hire me to star “I was still going to festivals with Trotsky when in Twist. He first met the Montreal maiden when we started shooting Good Neighbors, which was he moved into her old apartment in Toronto. definitely tiring but totally worth it,” he says when “We became inseparable pretty quickly,” he says. we caught up for a chat/interview via email. It’s “Now I function more like a translator for her clear that The Trotsky, which tells the story of a particular brand of crazy, which I love.” high-schooler who believes he’s the reincarnation of Marxist revolutionary Leon Trotsky, is a tale Interestingly, while filmmakers like Alfred close to the Jacob’s heart. “Twist and Trotsky Hitchcock, Ken Loach, Stephen Frears, Jane were actually written in the same year, but I Campion and Jang Yimou all worked their magic lived with Trotsky for a long time, trying to on juvenile Jacob’s mind the written word seems protect it to make sure it got made the right way. to have made an even stronger impression.

It was my baby.” Although the baby now born “I was always a big reader, and since I come and available, Jacob isn’t ready to put its titular at filmmaking as a writer I can't discount the character to bed. “While I never believed I was influence authors have had on me. I definitely the reincarnation of Leon Trotsky, he’s definitely feel more intimate towards the novels I've read someone I had a healthy interest in for a lot of then the films I've seen.” my teenage years,” he says. “He'll also probably feature in a new script of mine soon – another Knees no longer knocking, I consider myself comedy. That's why I never worry about people lucky to have made the cut and been part of stealing my ideas – no one else wants them.” the Jacob Tierney journey. He’s a friend and director who I completely trust, admire, and All jokes aside, Jacob is doing his bit to further would gladly share a beer with any night of the put Canadian filmmaking (and Canadian locales) week and an extraordinary filmmaker that I will on the cinematic map. As the son of producer/ always line up to see and/or join forces with. As director Kevin Tierney [Bon Cop, Bad Cop], the late John Cassavetes said: "The most difficult who worked as a producer on Twist and Good thing in the world is to reveal yourself, to express Neighbours, he moved around a lot as a kid living what you have to". And whether it be conscious in China and India, but has shot all of his films or subconscious you always feel like Jacob in Canada. But while he’s certainly proud of his effortlessly walks on that path. roots and the fact he’s making Canadian films in Canada with Canadians, it’s not something he thought long and hard about. “I know it must all look like I had a master plan, but really my only thought was that I was going to set the movie wherever I filmed it,” he says. “I've acted More———— in enough tax-shelter-style crap to know that you www.imdb.com/name/nm0862932/

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— love lab section

————— 81

we love ————— you

Nº II ———— Actress

AMANDA CREW Words by Carly Pope Photography by Christopher Beyer Stylisting by Nicolas Bru

Spend any time with up-and-coming actress Amanda Crew and you’ll come away certain she’s no fake Hollywood starlet. Being real is at the core of who she is. Born and raised in Langley (”wanna-bang-me”), BC, Amanda, most recently seen in Charlie St. Cloud alongside teen heartthrob Zac Efron, now spends most of her dwell-time in Los Angeles. Her relatively short movie career has already taken her to Montreal, Toronto, Winnipeg, Hollywood, Florida and even the “gypsy lands” of Bulgaria, for filming, but life on the road hasn’t fazed this 24-year-old in the slightest. “Home is not so much a place but a feeling,” she explains. “For me it is feeling safe, happy, loved and free. As long as I feel that, I can bring ‘home’ wherever life takes me.” Wise words for one so young, but nomadic lifestyle or not this BC lady knows where her roots are.

When quizzed to choose between Vancouver and Los Angeles Amanda puts all her money on Canuck country. And there’s no doubt she’s as well-grounded as they make ’em. “My parents never dictated what my life should look like when I grew up,” she says. “They’ve always been good at letting my sister and I make our own choices.”

And it’s precisely those choices over her sevenyear-young career that have seen her notch up a growing résumé of different roles. “Well I guess I’ve done it all... time to retire,” she says, with a wicked laugh. “No, there’s still so much I want to do. For me it has never been about winning awards or fame. The goals I have are more about personal growth, pushing me out of my comfort zone and trying something new.

If a project presents the opportunity to do that, then I know I can be passionate about it.” With a few comedies, romances and horror flicks under her belt already she has managed to negotiate her way around studio films (Sex Drive,The Haunting in Connecticut) and independent movies (The Break-Up Artist, Repeaters). “Both have their appeal. When you work on a studio film you have the luxury of a bigger budget, more time, more takes and more rehearsals. But on an indie, you are guaranteed to be working with a cast and crew that aren’t there for the paycheck but are there because they are passionate about the project and the art. Working with a creative team like that is what it’s all about for me.”

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

It could be this reflective determination that will separate Amanda from the desperate huddle of other young actresses. And she’s taking it all in her stride. “I used to have this idea of success which was basically what everyone else saw as successful,” she says, “but it was never my idea so I never felt accomplished.

This past year I have been shifting my view of success to be more focused on the personal achievements I’ve had through my craft and the journey and self-discovery that comes from working on a project. I’ve realised that there is no prescribed way to stay sane and grounded but to find your own way through trial and error. I keep thinking I have ‘it’ figured out and then something will hit me from the side and make me re-evaluate it all.”

Composed and congenial as she may appear, this woman is no wallflower and she’s ready to take some big leaps for her craft. “The one lesson in life that has meant the most to me is to never play it safe,” she admits. “Nothing interesting comes out of ‘safe’ and you will never know what you could have done or accomplished if you don’t jump.”

More———— www.imdb.com/name/nm1468739/

we love ————— you

More———— www.imdb.com/name/nm0362566/

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— love lab section

Nº III ———— Director

CATHERINE HARDWICKE Words by Michelle Reid Photography by Bryan Sheffield Hair & Make-up by Nicole Hawkyward

It’s no secret Catherine Hardwicke’s interested in teenage life. Just take a look at most of the movies she’s made – Twilight, Thirteen, Lords of Dogtown. And it’s not hard for her to explain why. “This is a time when a lot of crazy things happen,” she says. “Drinking, leaving home, having sex, crashing cars, and figuring out who you are as a person.” Her films, however, focus on some pretty specialized teen activities: whippits and amateur navel piercings in Thirteen; sexual tension with werewolves and vampires in Twilight; skateboarding empires in Lords of Dogtown. No trips to the mall or soccer practice here. Instead, hormone-driven sexuality and aggression play out in moody, detailed environments.

Hardwicke has a degree in architecture from the University of Texas. “I designed and built a bunch of houses in Texas before deciding that real architecture might be a bit of a creativity stifler. I applied to grad school in Film at UCLA and people said ‘You're an architect, why don't you design my movie?’” Her design influences range widely. “Before shooting Thirteen I watched Mean Streets and A Woman Under the Influence. So Scorsese and Cassavettes and also Baz Luhrmann are a big influence. For design, my favorite architect is Antonio Gaudi. I also love European hill towns and lots of third world architecture. Treehouses and surfboards are cool, too.”

While serving as the production designer on films like Vanilla Sky and Tombstone, she waited for the opportunity to direct. “It’s hard to get a movie made. I finally co-wrote a script that I could make for almost no money. I couldn’t be stopped.” That movie was Thirteen (co-written with fourteen-year-old star Nikki Reed); a film that shattered all preconceptions about the level of debauchery to which an eight-grader could sink.

A unifying feature of her diverse films is that they brim with intoxicating images. Just linger over the opening scene of Twilight (haters relax: Teams Jacob and Edward are nowhere to be seen), as the camera tracks a deer tearing through the lush Pacific coastal rainforest. Or the sunsoaked, washed-out world of Venice California in the much underrated Lords of Dogtown.

When beginning a film project, Hardwicke says, “I get an original idea or read a draft of a script or a book and then start getting a rush of images for the scenes and characters. I start

doing research-- how could the sets look? How could the characters look?” The mass hysteria around Robert Pattinson who she cast rather controversially (75,000 fans initially signed a petition saying they wouldn’t see the movie if Pattinson was in it) proves her discerning eye.

When asked what it was like to adapt a movie with such a rabid fan base, Hardwicke replied, “It got more ravenous as we were working on the project-- at first it wasn't so intimidating. In fact, when I asked for a bigger budget, the studio said. “For all we know there are just 400 girls in Utah going online talking about Twilight.”

For a woman with a 100-year-old California beach house, Hardwicke loves to be inside working. “I love creative collaborations with actors, artists, and musicians. I love crazy brainstorming jam sessions.” And while she admits that it’s still “pretty damn difficult” to make the films she wants to, she has a lot of projects in mind for the future. Next up, a gothic adaptation of the Little Red Riding Hood story starring Amanda Seyfried– “It's twisted and sexy and scary” – sounds like a walk in the park for the connoisseur of dangerous drama and teen lust. Ms. Hood might not make it to Grandma’s but Ms. Hardwicke is sure to deliver the goods.

————— 85

we love ————— you

Nº IV ———— Musician

TIMBER TIMBRE Words by Stefana Fratila Photography by Kandle Osborne Styling by Maya Fuhr Hair & Make-up by Liz Furlong

Folk-blues band Timber Timbre began in Toronto as Taylor Kirk’s singer/songwriter recording project. After seeing his friend Jonas Bonnetta (Evening Hymns) perform solo with only a loop pedal, Taylor was inspired to perform his own songs. Three albums later, Timber Timbre is now made up of collaborators Simon Trottier and Mika Posen. Taylor tells me from the sanctuary of his room, “It feels very natural and exciting to collaborate with them and I think we’re far from exhausting the potential of this group.”

to this project. It’s been wonderful. Because of them, we’ve been all over the world with this album.”

Something I’ve always been curious to know is why Timber Timbre is called Timber Timbre.

“The first collection of songs were written and recorded in a timber frame cabin I was living in years ago. Timber Timbre was the name of that collection, referring to that cabin-in-thewoods setting and sound. Later I adopted this as a moniker when I started to perform live.

It seemed to fit and looked good on paper.

By agreeing with this I stand among many, if not all, who have heard Timber Timbre perform. Simon and Mika create beautiful and spooky soundscapes for Taylor’s warm voice and narrative lyrics. This is the kind of music a train might listen to in autumn. I guess that Taylor’s favourite season is autumn, “Yes! Autumn is my favourite. How did you know? Autumn smells best.”

Taylor now lives in Montreal. “By night, Simon and I steal bikes and break into cars.” I ask him what he’s up to and to describe his room. “Right now I am typing, and watching Crimes and Misdemeanors. Very soon I will be baking bread.

My amps are stacked against the wall, guitars are behind the door. There’s a fox head on the wall and a record player in the centre of the room.”

More————

For Timber Timbre, the recording process www.myspace.com/timbertimbre differs from record to record. “I used to make recordings in complete isolation playing all the instruments myself, editing, mixing, mastering, etc., all at home – not a home studio, but in my office or kitchen or closet.” However, there seems to be something that is consistently present no matter the record or the song and that is the feeling of the recording process: “It’s like losing your mind, and then finding it in the cushions of the couch.”

Taylor put out his first two records, Cedar Shakes (2006) and Medicinals (2007), himself. In 2009, his third and self-titled album was released

by Out of This Spark and then re-released

by Arts & Crafts later in 2010. “For the band, it didn’t change much, but for the project, it changed everything. Working with Arts & Crafts has allowed us to devote a lot of time and focus

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— love lab section

————— 87

we love ————— you

Styling by Dina Yassin

Top image —

Hair by Saya Hughes

Dress SUZANNE RAE.

Makeup by Katie Mellinger ( for obsessive compulsive cosmetics @ KESS agency )

Bottom image — Dress SUPER TRASH.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

More———— www.myspace.com/liaices

this is the ————— love lab section

Nº V ———— Musician

LIA ICES Words by Tilly Stasiuk Photography by Kristiina Wilson

Dancing her fingers across the piano, Lia Ices had our absolute attention from her first whisper of an album. Reported as having a “poetic gift for language” in NewYork’s Time Out magazine, this Brooklyn-based experimental-pop-stress, who shares her name with an ice cream spot, is set to release a new album. Recently signed to Jagjaguwar record label, her sophomore release Grown Unknown is already a 2011 must.

Speaking to us halfway through a run of New York shows, Lia narrates her movements from small-town, paper pianist to sharing stages with Iron and Wine.

Born in Westport, on Connecticut’s Long Island Sound, Lia’s youth was scored by Elvis Costello, Gregory Hines and the Beatles’ entire back catalogue, not to mention her own musical contributions when she began taking piano lessons at the age of five. “My parents didn't want me to get a piano; it’s a pretty serious piece of furniture. They made me a cardboard piano with black and white construction paper as keys.

I would come home and practice on my paper piano. So this is where I started imagining music in my head.”

(drums), and Greg Chudzik (bass) who make up the lingering sounds minus the piano and hand-claps.

After collaborating this year with Iron and Wine, at NYC's Abrons Arts Centre, Lia joined indie-imprint Jagjaguwar, (home to Bon Iver, Black Mountain and Ladyhawke). “They trust the integrity and purpose of their artists, and I'm aware of how rare this is,” observes Lia. “I've always admired how they curate their labels, so to sit amongst their roster is literally a privilege,” The new album captures a more wholesome, emotional grace than her last offering with a transcendental approach sure to shake any listener. Lia has unknowingly developed that Bjork-ish nuance of applying operatic timbre to both words and rhythm creating a permeating record. “With my new songs, it's more confident, untamed and free. I spent a lot of time experimenting, getting ready to perform my new album.” Memo in your Moleskine: Grown Unknown is a well-timed and much-needed contribution to your collection… just don't blame us when you're feasting on blackberries and guzzling melted snow.

As one of pop's best kept secrets she launched her debut album, Necima, in 2008 on Rare Book Room Records. Since its release Lia has surrounded herself with nature, becoming more aware of her relationship with landscapes and what this kindles musically. “I lived in central Vermont after Necima was released. It was really important for me to get simple and elemental with my days; to let my mind wander in new surroundings, focusing my time solely on writing music, reading, walking around in the snow and tending to the fire.”

Necima generated three cinematic music videos including one for haunting ballad “You Will”, which depicts Lia in all that calm, natural beauty nesting in a snowy Vermont. “All the videos from my first album were collaborations with people close to me. I grew up with Simone Montemurno who directed the video for ‘Half Life’, and Ruby Macdougall, who did all the choreography, has been my best friend since I was 16 years old.” There’s no doubting Lia keeps her friends close – her band consists of brother Eliot (guitar), and friends Otto Hauser

————— 89

we love ————— you

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— love lab section

Nº VI ———— Director

PARTIZAN Words by Mohammad Gorjestani Photography by Xavier Encinas

Visited your local multiplex recently, only to leave with a major sense of déjà vu? You’re not the only one. It seems now more than ever Hollywood is hot for taking original ideas, putting them on a magic movie Xerox machine and hitting the copy button. So while you may think you’re handing over your cash for something shiny and new, in reality it’s just the same story with a brand new cover. The same could be said for a lot of TV commercials, music videos, and a growing number of viral flicks.

While major studios have taken a hit in recent years independent producers have saddled up and confidently rode into town with a knowing grin. Churning out the same drivel until the well runs dry is something movie makers excel at – superhero movies, Jennifer Aniston-starring rom-coms, horror flicks using a handheld camera are just some recent examples – so it takes a real pioneer to go against the grain and put out something special, something different, something that makes everyone take notice and something the fat cats of Hollywood will undoubtedly try and copy for years to come.

Enter Georges Bermann, founder of production house Partizan. From its inception Partizan has pushed the envelope of new media expectation by conceiving, developing and realising fresh-faced feature films, TV commercials and music videos with a fevered consistency. Launched in 1991, the company’s unconventional approach has stood the test of time and rather than shy away from change its output has adapted to new media, technologies and audience expectations. With a growing portfolio of commercial clients that includes international brands Audi, Coca-Cola, MTV and Nike as well as music artists Kanye West, The Chemical Brothers and MGMT, it’s an understatement to say the Partizan flag is flying high.

the prestigious Palme d’Or at the Cannes Film Festival and numerous MTV, Grammy, and Academy Award accolades.

So how does a person like Georges view the world? With all the work and stress of being in the entertainment industry life must be very serious and scheduled, right? Wrong. His laidback perspective of reality is arguably key to Partizan’s continued success. Since he founded the company he’s been like a kid in a candy store – the rest of the world is visible to him through the storefront window. But why step outside and join the hordes of uninterested, clone-like adults when there are so many delights to explore right where he is. This kid doesn’t need Hollywood’s permission to play and luckily for us he keeps finding new things to share with the world, without a cavity in sight.

More———— www.partizan.com

As a film producer Georges has whipped up some unforgettable flicks including Eternal Sunshine of the Spotless Mind, Be Kind Rewind, and The Science of Sleep. In many ways, he has nurtured the success of acclaimed director Michel Gondry, and has an eye for talent that matches those of George Steinbrenner and Berry Gordy. With Georges’ skill for discovering and mentoring talented directors, Partizan has numerous awards for its dynamic work including

————— 91

we love ————— you

Nº VII ———— Painter

JAMES JEAN Words by Graeme Berglund

Six years ago I was strolling through the Internet when I came across a place that held tones both acrid and pretty. I leaned into the monitor only to be confronted with statues of swans rusting with lichen on pedestals of chromium green, graceful palominos jumping out of their flesh into the gaped mouths of wingless monkeys, a procession of ancient women beneath masks of another’s flesh moving helically down mountainside paths of a regal purple wash.

When I sat back, I was forced to consider what inspired this complex tessellation of beauty that is so entangled with the vile. Born in 1979 in Taiwan, raised in Jersey and currently living in Los Angeles, James Jean hasn’t been able to pinpoint where the narrative originates.

It likely stems from elements of accumulated cynicism and regret that threaten to overtake his natural state of idealism and sincerity.

Whatever the genesis, it is remarkable to see where it has gone. Through his dedication to his craft he has impacted an international audience.

Recognized by the fashion, advertising and editorial industries James Jean is as decorated as his images, picking up the highest honors that an American illustrator can. These include seven Eisner awards, three consecutive Harvey awards, two gold medals and a silver from the Society of Illustrators of Los Angeles, and a gold medal from the Society of Illustrators based in New York City.

While James has been recognized as a commercial illustrator his work has always possessed the sensibilities of fine art. In 2008 he reached the melting point of these two practices.

The Jonathan LeVine Gallery in New York provided Jean with a venue to show some of his more commercial work in a distinct setting to a new discerning audience. This transition was inevitable and ultimately successful.

The work of an illustrator can be somewhat intellectually impure, wherein you are tasked to problem solve for money, and yet the perception of fine artists is that they are more philosophical and less motivated by money. Jean has recognized the exhilarating hypocrisy where both industries are truly driven by capitalist ideals. This seems to motivate him further

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

to keep his head down and just simply create the strongest work he can. Despite his innate talent, the work that has gone into his craft is immeasurable. The appearance of effortlessness in his hand is the result of an unseen history of dedication. In a short time he has amassed a volume of work comparable to the entire careers of other artists.

Being a fan of his work you are commonly rewarded. He has published seven packages of his work that display his fine art, his graphic novel covers and his sketchbooks. He has collaborated with fashion icon Miuccia Prada to develop her entire fall collection. This also resulted in a stunning short film which brought Jean’s world to life set to a soundtrack created by CocoRosie.

This fall he will release a monstrous hardcover book with Chronicle entitled Rebus that will showcase his career within a volume of 240 pages. I, like many others, look forward to what will come from this young artist as he continues to draw us further into the darkest corners of his ethereal vision of beauty.

this is the ————— love lab section

More———— www.jamesjean.com

————— 93

we love ————— you

More———— www.myspace.com/eddiebermanmusic

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— love lab section

Nº VIII ———— Musician

EDDIE BERMAN Words by Robbie Cairns Photography by Linda Arredondo

With melodic guitar, flailing banjo, and rich harmonica, Eddie Berman’s sound is an aural hot shower to warm your mid-winter frostbitten ears. His storytelling style and vivid imagery transcend time and place. Nostalgic, yet timeless, his upcoming debut EP promises to be a precious Americana gem reminiscent of the folk classics of another generation.

A dilapidated hotel in a small French porttown was the setting for Berman’s musical Eureka! moment. He recalls, “Awake one night at the Hotel Sète I stumbled across two CDs: ‘The Freewheelin’ Bob Dylan’ and ‘A Chrestomathy’ by Dave Van Ronk. I listened to them over and over on my Discman for the rest of the trip. It was one of those ‘Amazing Grace’ ‘was blind but now I see’ moments.” It is no surprise that the influence of these iconic artists can be heard in the essence of Berman’s sound.

and that’s all I really try and hope to be. And any messages in my songs are somewhat incidental and secondary to the images and the more visceral joys of music. However, if you do find a brilliant, beautifully complex message in one of my songs, that’s exactly how I meant it.”

At times dark, his lyrics maintain a fragile sense of hope. Referring to “The Gutter” he says, “I wrote that song at a time when I was quitting a job I hated to do something I love.

That rejection of misery makes me hopeful – to be able to step back and see the structures that are keeping you from feeling happy or alive, and then doing something about it.” He muses, “It’s easy to get trapped in your own prison, but I’m hopeful for the escape.”You may not be free yet, but Berman’s ageless sound might just give you the escape you’re looking for.

However, he doesn’t feel part of a Greenwich Village-esque community, or that a modern day equivalent even exists. “I’m sure there are small collectives of artists all over the world creating varying mediums of work in interesting, likeminded ways, but nothing of the scope of what Greenwich was. Our technology-fueled society is too fragmented and disconnected to have a movement like that. But I’m sure if we tried to start one it’d get a lot of ‘likes’ on Facebook.”

Instead, Berman considers his father the most consistent influence on his songwriting. “My dad’s definitely been a part of my progression as a musician. He has a great ear and an unbelievable way with words. When I play new songs for him he has really interesting insights.”

Perhaps it’s not such a bad thing that with every passing moment one becomes more like their parents. In Eddie’s case, they contributed greatly to his artistic foundations. He didn’t end up a cinematographer (though, growing up in a house with Hitchcock, Bergman, and Kurosawa movie nights, he wanted to), but his songwriting has a certain cinematic quality, burning vivid images into your mind.

Rather than begin with a message, Berman’s lucid narratives emerge from a personal place, “My favourite songwriters are just storytellers,

————— 95

GRAVINESE

Diego

a showcase of ————— Diego Gravinese

Nº I————previous page The Strap, acrylic on canvas, 2006, 130 cm x 180 cm.

Nº II———— Floored, oil on canvas, 2009-2010, 180 cm x 140 cm.

Nº III———— Pool Side, oil on canvas, 2009-2010, 130 cm x 180 cm.

Nº IV———— Milk Girl, oil on canvas, 2009-2010, 70 cm x 100 cm.

II

III

IV

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— art section

————— 99

a showcase of ————— Diego Gravinese

V

VI

VII

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— art section

Nº V———— Mimesis, oil on canvas, 2007-2008, 120 cm x 180 cm.

Nº VI———— The Offering, oil on canvas, 2007-2008, 140 cm x 100 cm.

Nº VII———— The Method, oil on canvas, 2007-2008, 120 cm x 180 cm.

————— 101

a showcase of ————— Diego Gravinese

VIII

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— art section

Nº VIII———— In Jessicaland, oil on canvas, 2007-2008, 110 cm x 170 cm.

Nº IX———— Pop Corn, oil on canvas, 2009-2010, 55 cm x 40 cm.

Nº X———— Make Up Artist, oil on canvas, 2000-2001, 40 cm x 40 cm.

IX

X

More———— www.diegogravinese.com

————— 103

an interview with ————— Gregory Crewdson

Untitled Beneath the Roses 2006 Archival pigment print 58 1/2 x 89 1/2 in. (148.6 x 227.3 cm) (incl. frame) © the artist Courtesy White Cube

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— photography section

GREGORY CREWDSON INTERVIEW BY JUSTIN TYLER CLOSE

Even if you don’t recognise his name, you’ve probably seen his photos. Back in 2005 his series “Beneath the Roses” crisply captured the silent pauses of small-town USA living with all the theatrical staging of a blockbuster movie production. The American photographer, whose previous subjects included insects, animals and body parts in “Natural Wonders”, has truly embraced the narrative potential of dramatic scene photography with earlier collection “Twilight” and “Beneath the Roses”.

The production of the New Yorker’s artwork is on a scale that would intimidate many competent photographers. Location scouts, production managers, crews, studios, 6-week shoots... no, Crewdson is no ordinary flash-monkey and the painstaking attention to detail is evident in the photos he makes that cleverly capture the gaps of life – what came before, and what comes after the shutter clicks is left to your imagination.

Unsurprisingly, Crewdson has exhibited all over the world, and his latest international collection is “Sanctuary”. Shot on the back lots of Cinecittà Studios in Rome, these photographs of old film sets, noticeably absent of people, reflect a state suspended between grandeur and ruin. Black and white images of decaying building facades; realities that never really existed, are haunting, evocative and imbued with a true sense of calm. And calm and collected after therapy and breakfast was how The Lab’s Justin Tyler Close found Crewdson when they spoke.

————— 105

an interview with ————— Gregory Crewdson

JUSTIN TYLER CLOSE—What were you doing an hour ago?

GREGORY CREWDSON—I was seeing my therapist.

JTC—Was it productive?

GC—That’s the great end of the story. That song, 25 years later, was rediscovered by an ad agency and the original track was reformatted and used for the actual commercial.

JTC—Are you still talking with the band? Are you guys still friends?

GC—I hope so. I think so. So you got me at a good point. I’m ready to reveal all my secrets.

GC—Yes. In fact just last Friday I went to see The Hold Steady with the other guitarist.

JTC—That’s a good thing. What did you eat for breakfast this morning?

Do you think breakfast is important?

JTC—That’s great that you’ve remained friends, that doesn’t always happen.

GC—Yes I think breakfast is vitally important. This morning I dropped my daughter Lily off at school, and after that I had a coffee and a currant scone.

GC—He’s the one I’m really good friends with – we’ve been really close friends since fifth grade.

JTC—I know you grew up in Brooklyn – what was your childhood like?

JTC—I want to talk to you about dreams a little, because when I look at some of your photography it often reminds me of a dark dream of sorts.

Do you adapt some of your self-conscious thoughts to your conscious thoughts in your work? How do you usually come up with concepts?

GC—That’s interesting because my dreams are fairly uneventful. I come up with a lot of my images when I’m swimming – I’m a longdistance swimmer. I do open-water swimming in lakes, or in the bay, or the ocean. During the winter I swim in the pool, but wherever I go I make sure I have access to swimming every day.

JTC—I wonder what it is about swimming that helps you come up with your concepts – maybe it’s the feeling of floating...

GC—It’s also being submerged; it’s a womb-like state. During the day there’s always distraction so this is a context that allows my unconscious to emerge.

JTC—You’re not hearing anything or being anything; you’re just you.

What were your childhood hobbies? Were you always into art or did you fantasize about doing other things?

GC—I didn’t really arrive at photography until later in life, when I was in college. My first love was always music.

JTC—The Speedies.

GC—That’s right.

JTC—That was a pretty big deal – you guys were selling out shows all over New York. What happened to The Speedies? Where did the band go?

GC—Like any post-punk, teenage pop band it’s a prescribed moment.

That kind of music almost by definition has a short half-life. We had our moment when I was sixteen, seventeen and eighteen. It was in the late70s and it was a great moment in New York and a great moment to be in a teenage band. I was one of two guitarists and one of two song-writers.

Me and the other guitarist, Eric Hoffert, we wrote all the songs together.

We wrote “Let Me Take Your Foto”.

JTC—That’s kind of funny, the title of the song...

GC—I know – that’s before I wanted to be a photographer. I’m sure you know that 25 years later the song was used for the HP Digital Camera ad campaign.

JTC—I didn’t know that.

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

GC—I think I was a product of a very healthy, good, positive upbringing.

I grew up in Park Slope in Brooklyn in a brownstone about half a block from Prospect Park. My father was a psycho-analyst and my parents were, I guess, very progressive. I went to Brooklyn Friends, which was an open-education school.

JTC—And then you went to John Dewey High School. Were you in the in-crowd or the out-crowd?

GC—In the late 70s you were either in two camps. There were the Hitters, I guess that would be the equivalent to what Jersey Shore is now – it was the Saturday Night Fever kind of crowd...

JTC—The slicked hair and the tight shirts?

GC—That’s what it was. You were either that, a Hitter, or a Freak. I was neither. I was more like a hippy. And I barely existed in high school. I was in The Speedies and at that time I was a long-distance runner, I used to run marathons.

JTC—You clearly like endurance fitness with running and now swimming.

That takes some patience.

GC—There’s something that goes hand in hand with some aspect of my work which is some sort of obsessive quality.

JTC—That makes sense, because your work is very methodical. It all seems premeditated, and I think that’s why so many people admire you and your work. It’s very easy for a photographer to adapt their style to someone else’s, because everyone and their grandmother has an SLR camera these days and can go out and call themselves a photographer.

Your kind of work is probably the hardest because it’s so grand. You can look at any one of your pieces and think about what these characters were doing before the picture was taken, and what they might do after. It’s more of a story than a moment, I feel.

GC—That’s nice of you to say.

JTC—How did the concept for your photo series “Beneath the Roses” develop?

GC—In “Beneath the Roses” there are two very distinct ways of making pictures: the photographs that are on location and the pictures that are on sound stages. Essentially, all the interiors are on soundstages.

The location pictures always start with me location scouting for the production. I just look for places that feel they could inhabit one of my pictures and it goes from there. I work very closely with the director

this is the ————— photography section

of photography and location manager and a line producer. And then when I do the pictures on a soundstage, those ideas usually come from swimming, and then I work with an art director and start sketching out ideas for the image.

JTC—I’m guessing the photograph with the lady floating in the water, inside the living room was shot in a soundstage?

Untitled Beneath the Roses 2003 Digital chromogenic print 144.8 x 223.6 cm © the artist Courtesy White Cube

GC—Yes, that was the first one I ever did in the soundstage.

JTC—That’s one of my favourites and I love the girl with the flowers, too.

GC—Oh yes, right. That was done in someone’s house.

JTC—So you just built a garden in someone’s house, they must have loved you for that?

GC—They did. So that’s part of the whole process. Now, the projects are so big we shoot the pictures as part of a production, so it’s like making a movie. You go for six or seven weeks on location and make a series of pictures with a whole crew.

“I come up with a lot of my images when I'm swimming.„

JTC—Looking at your subjects’ faces raises lots of questions about who they are and what they’re thinking about. I’m curious on what kind of direction you give them?

————— 107

an interview with ————— Gregory Crewdson

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— photography section

Untitled Beneath the Roses 2004 Digital chromogenic print 144.8 x 223.6 cm © the artist Courtesy White Cube

————— 109

an interview with ————— Gregory Crewdson

Untitled 2009 Pigmented inkjet print Framed: 28 1/2 x 35 1/4 in. (72.4 x 89.5 cm) © the artist Courtesy White Cube

GC—Well, as you’ve probably noticed, I’m interested in moments in between moments. I almost want to empty it out. So nothing is happening at that moment. By the time someone comes and is in the picture I know exactly where they’re going to be standing and their gesture, so it’s just a matter of trying to get that from your subjects.

JTC—Do you ever give suggestions to the people in your photographs about what they should be thinking about or a back story for their character?

“I'm interested in moments in between moments.„

GC—I say very little. We actually have a description that’s written. It’s not a screenplay or anything and it doesn’t give any motivation, but it says, for example, “there’s a sole man coming out of a house,” and they read that.

JTC—Do you do castings to find the right people?

GC—Yeah. But I don’t use actors, I tend not to anyway. I will find people on the street, or through casting calls.

JTC—Are there any artists you admired or influenced you when you were growing up, or when you first started discovering photography?

the lab magazine ————— issue 03

this is the ————— photography section

GC—The first artist that had a huge impact on me was Diane Arbus – I loved her work. When I was ten years old my father brought me to the Diane Arbus retrospective at the Museum of Modern Art, so that was very impactful. And I always love a wide range of artists and filmmakers and writers that I think explore the same intersection that I’m interested in. For filmmakers it’s a wide range like David Lynch, Alfred Hitchcock, Orson Welles, and then there are a lot of contemporaries now that I’m big fans of and friends with Wes Anderson and Todd Haynes.

JTC—Have you ever gotten into film? I’m sure many people would love to see a moving Gregory Crewdson picture.

having children until later in life, but it’s amazing having children and it definitely changes the way you see the world.

JTC—Do you think it’s changed your work?

GC—Yeah.

JTC—I wonder how?

GC—It’s sort of indescribable in a way.

JTC—I guess you have to do it, to really know the feeling.

GC—This has always been something of interest to me, and I have been in discussions about making a movie for some time, but I think I would only do it under the absolute right circumstances. I definitely wouldn’t be interested in making an art movie; I’d be more interested in making a larger scale movie. There’s always the possibility of that in the future.

JTC—That’d be great. I’d definitely be there watching. Tell me about your new black and white series, “Sanctuary”. Where were those photos taken?

GC—They were all in the back lot of Cinecittà Studios – that’s the historic movie studio in Rome where Fellini made all his great movies.

So in the back lot there are all the collapsed old sets and that’s what those pictures are of. So they’re in some ways dramatically different from what I’ve done previously but of course, I think it ties together in the end.

GC—I recommend it.You never really know how things change you but it does change your priorities, that’s for sure.

JTC—What are you working on right now? Other than hopefully doing a film…

GC—Well that’s one thing I’m in discussions about and the other thing is trying to figure out how to proceed. What’s the next body of work going to be and that’s a slow process for me, but the show just opened for “Sanctuary” in New York and now it’s opening in London in November.

JTC—Which galleries is it showing in?

GC—White Cube in London and Gagosian in New York and Rome.

JTC—I know you received a Master of Fine Arts from Yale. Is it too late to say congratulations? [laughs] GC— [laughs] Well, yeah, it was a gazillion years ago, but I teach there still.

JTC—How do you enjoy teaching? Does it feel like you’re giving something back?

GC—That’s why I do it. I think it’s always great to be connected to the next generation of artists that come up and that’s the main reason I do it.

JTC—What exactly is the course you teach?

GC—It’s an MFA so there are 16 students in a two year programme. It’s purely fine art so it’s mostly critique kind of stuff. I’m only there in the Fall semesters and one day a week.

JTC—So that’s cool – you graduated and now you’re back.

GC—Nothing ever changes in life.

JTC—You mentioned you have a child?

GC—I have two.

JTC—Do you think they’re going to become artists one day?

GC—I hope not. Look, I love them and they should do exactly what they want to do.

JTC—We were talking about music before, and that must still have a big influence on your life. Do you play music on set during the shoot?

GC—It depends. If we’re on a soundstage then I would absolutely play music.

JTC—What would you turn on these days?

GC—I love Arcade Fire. And then I love Wilco and Radiohead... endless list.

JTC—How have you kept up with modern technology? Are you a camera junky?

GC—I’m not a technical person by any means but I have people around me who are. The “Sanctuary” pictures were shot completely digitally.

JTC—They’re so crisp.

GC—I know. It’s the highest end digital camera that exists. It’s a digital camera that’s set up like a view camera with view camera lenses. So that was a big change. And then, of course, all of my printing – everything’s done in the studio now, so it’s all essentially digital. What we can do now would have been virtually impossible to do five years ago.

JTC—That’s refreshing to hear you’re not that much of a technical person, because I try to keep up but it seems impossible.

GC—That’s a big misconception about me.

JTC—Do you cover your house with art and inspiration?

GC—No, not really. But it is hard, because being an artist you’re used to putting all your energies into your work and I actually avoided

More———— www.whitecube.com/artists/crewdson/

————— 111

Join us on ————

Visit us online ———— www.thelabmagazineonline.com