Trying to pigeonhole Tom Epperson into a single category is impossible—and that’s part of what makes his career so compelling. His path as a novelist and screenwriter has been anything but linear, weaving through genres and mediums with equal parts grit and curiosity. He knew early on that writing would be his life’s work, and meeting lifelong friend and collaborator Billy Bob Thornton during boyhood only strengthened that conviction, leading to a six-decade partnership that produced tremendously profound films like One False Move, The Gift, and A Family Thing. Their work has earned significant critical acclaim, including Independent Spirit Award and Saturn Award nominations, and recognition from the Writers Guild of America. As a novelist, Tom’s range is just as impressive, spanning noir, historical fiction, and adventure with titles such as Sailor, Make Believe, Roberto to the Dark Tower Came, the Edgar Award nominated The Kind One, and most recently Baby Hawk—available wherever books are sold. In our conversation, we dived into the origins of his new book, the dangers of group-think, the challenging nature of AI, his first move to Los Angeles, and what it takes to remain grounded in a chaotic world.
Opening Credits: Arana - Jazz at Mladost Club I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Komiku - Old artefact to destroy the patriarchy hidden somewhere I CC0 1.0. Closing Credits: Jalikebba Kuyateh and the Toubabs - Griot and the Family I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.
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Trying to pigeonhole Tom Epperson into a single category is impossible—and that’s part of what makes his career so compelling. His path as a novelist and screenwriter has been anything but linear, weaving through genres and mediums with equal parts grit and curiosity. He knew early on that writing would be his life’s work, and meeting lifelong friend and collaborator Billy Bob Thornton during boyhood only strengthened that conviction, leading to a six-decade partnership that produced tremendously profound films like One False Move, The Gift, and A Family Thing. Their work has earned significant critical acclaim, including Independent Spirit Award and Saturn Award nominations, and recognition from the Writers Guild of America. As a novelist, Tom’s range is just as impressive, spanning noir, historical fiction, and adventure with titles such as Sailor, Make Believe, Roberto to the Dark Tower Came, the Edgar Award nominated The Kind One, and most recently Baby Hawk—available wherever books are sold. In our conversation, we dived into the origins of his new book, the dangers of group-think, the challenging nature of AI, his first move to Los Angeles, and what it takes to remain grounded in a chaotic world.
Opening Credits: Arana - Jazz at Mladost Club I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Komiku - Old artefact to destroy the patriarchy hidden somewhere I CC0 1.0. Closing Credits: Jalikebba Kuyateh and the Toubabs - Griot and the Family I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.
Ep. 48 - Mark Pellington on The Severing, I Melt with You and Nada Surf
How Did They Get There
1 hour 13 minutes 21 seconds
2 years ago
Ep. 48 - Mark Pellington on The Severing, I Melt with You and Nada Surf
Mark Pellington’s pioneering influence on music videos as a modality to convey emotion, story and feeling will never be forgotten. From Leonard Cohen to Linkin Park, Michael Jackson to Public Enemy, Foo Fighters and Alice in Chains to Chelsea Wolfe and Bruce Springsteen, MP had penultimate foresight in constructing some of the most memorable portraits of love, war, loss, spirit and activism. His feature films each brought a tenet to the medium of storytelling. From 1997’s Going All The Way (Ben Affleck, Jeremy Davies, Rachel Weisz, Rose McGowan), to the Grand Prix/Saturn Award-nominated Arlington Road (Jeff Bridges, Tim Robbins, Joan Cusack, Hope Davis); to The Mothman Prophecies, an intriguing parapsychological adaptive tale starring Richard Gere and Laura Linney; the dramedy, Henry Poole is Here; a story of friendship and loyalty in I Melt With You (Jeremy Piven, Thomas Jane, Christian McKay, Rob Lowe); the subtle poetry of grief, The Last Word; Nostalgia, with Catherine Keener and Jon Hamm headlining an ensemble cast; and the dance-expanse, The Severing, in 2022. His latest book, The Visualist, is an essential memoir surveying 40 years of shape-shifting filmmaking experiences. In our conversation, we discussed his approach towards film and music videos; his journey to New York City; the significance of archive; and his recent Director’s cut release of Going All the Way.
Opening Credits: M33 Project - On y va I CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International; Jangwa - Losing Ground I CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International. Closing Credits: M33 Project - Orange Blues I CC BY-NC 4.0 DEED Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International.
How Did They Get There
Trying to pigeonhole Tom Epperson into a single category is impossible—and that’s part of what makes his career so compelling. His path as a novelist and screenwriter has been anything but linear, weaving through genres and mediums with equal parts grit and curiosity. He knew early on that writing would be his life’s work, and meeting lifelong friend and collaborator Billy Bob Thornton during boyhood only strengthened that conviction, leading to a six-decade partnership that produced tremendously profound films like One False Move, The Gift, and A Family Thing. Their work has earned significant critical acclaim, including Independent Spirit Award and Saturn Award nominations, and recognition from the Writers Guild of America. As a novelist, Tom’s range is just as impressive, spanning noir, historical fiction, and adventure with titles such as Sailor, Make Believe, Roberto to the Dark Tower Came, the Edgar Award nominated The Kind One, and most recently Baby Hawk—available wherever books are sold. In our conversation, we dived into the origins of his new book, the dangers of group-think, the challenging nature of AI, his first move to Los Angeles, and what it takes to remain grounded in a chaotic world.
Opening Credits: Arana - Jazz at Mladost Club I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0; Komiku - Old artefact to destroy the patriarchy hidden somewhere I CC0 1.0. Closing Credits: Jalikebba Kuyateh and the Toubabs - Griot and the Family I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.
