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. 56 - Matt Williams on Glimpses, Roseanne and Tim Allen
How Did They Get There
49 minutes 21 seconds
12 months ago
Ep. 56 - Matt Williams on Glimpses, Roseanne and Tim Allen
Matt Williams utilizes a character-centric approach in creating and developing iconic television series, including Roseanne and Home Improvement. The Humanitas Prize and 6-time Emmy nominated Evansville native received graduate degrees in directing and acting, and embarked on a host of television commercials, as an actor, before realizing his talent and bliss as the driving force behind impactful, relatable film and television projects. After cutting his teeth as an actor (and de facto writer and re-writer) on the CBN soap, Another Life, Matt produced and joined the writing staff of The Cosby Show during its premiere season. It was there where he learned the relevance of inviting the audience to the family table — a concept that bore fruit with regard to the development of Roseanne. In the years which followed, Matt co-created and executive produced a number of television shows under the umbrella of Wind Dancer, the production company he founded with Carmen Finestra and David McFadzean, the latter whom Matt first met at University of Evansville, which include Home Improvement, Buddies, Thunder Alley and Soul Man. He directed and produced the films Where the Heart Is, starring Natalie Portman and Ashley Judd, about a young woman who delivers a baby in a Wal Mart after being abandoned by the latter’s father in the parking lot, and her journey of growth and self-discovery which follows; and Walker Payne, which he also co-wrote, and starred Jason Patric, Bruce Dern, Drea de Matteo and the legendary Sam Shepard and premiered at the Tribeca Film Festival. Additional producing efforts include What Women Want, Bernie, As Cool as I Am and Wild Hearts Can’t be Broken. The focus of our discussion was his latest book, Glimpses: A Comedy Writer's Take on Life, Love and All That Spiritual Stuff.
Opening Credits: Lobo Loco - Room of Longing B (ID 2240) I CC BY-NC-SA 4.0; Anitek - Bricolage I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0 US. Closing Credits: Útidúr - Grasping for Thoughts I CC BY-NC-SA 3.0.
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.
