I was deeply inspired by the Quay Brothers film Insitute Benjamenta or This Dream People Call Human Life. It was based on the 1909 book Jakob Von Gunten by the Swiss author Robert Walser. From Wikipedia: A characteristic of Walser’s texts is a playful serenity behind which hide existential fears. Today, Walser’s texts, completely re-edited since the 1970s, are regarded as among the most important writings of literary modernism. Walser was only rediscovered in the 1970s, even though very famous German writers such as Christian Morgenstern, Franz Kafka, Walter Benjamin, and Hermann Hesse were among his great admirers. Since then, almost all his writings have become accessible through an extensive republication of his entire body of work. He lived in a mental institution for many years and on the 25th of December 1956 he was found, dead of a heart attack, in a field of snow near the asylum.
I first came across David Grisman when I heard Old & In The Way (Jerry Garcia, Peter Rowan, Vassar Clements, and David Grisman’s early 70’s bluegrass band) my senior year in high school. I especially loved his mandolin playing on Wild Horses.
New and Improved. My ode to crabs. Shot in La Conner, Washington.
I directed this video and interview with the legendary musicologist, photographer, filmmaker and musician, John Cohen for American Standard Time. There are two nice big posts up on him over there, so check em’ out. Produced by Greg Vandy and shot by Kent Colony. Kent and I wanted the look of it to be visually reminiscent of John’s films, in particular, The End Of An Old Song and The High Lonesome Sound, so we made it black and white. Within the next couple of months there will be a follow up to it in animation form!
I am very proud about this because, in my opinion, they are the two best animation/illustration related blogs on the internet.
