STEVEN D. KATZ | Writing A Classic, Teaching Michael Jackson, & More
Steve Katz has possibly the most eclectic background and resume of anyone I’ve ever spoken to. His early influences in the 1960s, like Ray Harryhausen and Famous Monsters magazine, mixed with watching rehearsals at the nearby Westport Country Playhouse with visiting directors like Woody Allen to the influence and support of his parents to propel him into an artistic life from the very beginning. That led him to, among other things: learning film cameras via a cousin in New York who worked on TV shows like “Car 54, Where Are You?”; putting together psychedelic light shows in NYC at places like the Fillmore East and working with bands like The Grateful Dead, The Doors, The Byrds, and Sly & The Family Stone starting at age 19; playing bluegrass banjo; working on John McTiernan’s first film; befriending “Saturday Night Live” writing legend Michael O’Donoghue and seeing a legendary short film he directed, “The Clams”, go on to open a season of “SNL” and catch a big break as a TV writer; he continued to work and grow and eventually established himself as a writer-director-producer in Hollywood; created the first digital previz on the feature Clear and Present Danger; and eventually, all his experience brought him to - yes - China, where he has been involved in many projects big and small. But of all the references I just name-checked, the one that originally cemented Steve’s name in my mind back in the day was that he wrote a truly legendary cinema book called Film Directing: Shot by Shot, published by the then-upstart Michael Weise Productions. It was released in 1992, which is when I was in film school, and it instantly became required reading in my Film Production courses! It’s familiar blue cover was updated a few years ago to announce the new, 25th anniversary edition, which was freshly and thoroughly revised for the digital age. It’s easily the film book I have gifted to more people than any other, and it was a real treat to get to hear some of Steve’s stories in-depth. Among the crazy but true tales already mentioned, we scratch the surface on Steve’s several engagements as Michael Jackson’s personal filmmaking tutor - a story he has NEVER told before! Steve was resident at the Neverland Ranch for months at a time, was flown into luxury hotels to work with the star, sometimes just watching movies late at night. He also saw things in his time around MJ that will likely merit another show entirely, but we will have much more on that topic another day. We even overlap on his interest in the intersection between art and neuroscience, among many other wonky and highly specific topics. To top it off, he’s also a good friend of one of my best friends, Kevin Geiger, so the “small world” meter is off the charts with this one for me. More on all that later. For now, though, you can visit the blog post at https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources for links, contact information, and I hope you enjoy this epic conversation with Steven Katz!
STEVEN KATZ links:
BOOK - Film Directing: Shot by Shot - 25th Anniversary Edition: Visualizing from Concept to Screen by Steven D. Katz: https://mwp.com/product/film-directing-shot-shot-25th-anniversary-edition-visualizing-concept-screen/
WEB - https://www.shotbyshotbook.com
SEARCH “If I Knew You Better” in all podcatchers OR LISTEN here - APPLE: https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/if-i-knew-you-better/id1457785319 / WEB PLAYER: http://ifiknewyoubetter.libsyn.com/website/ LINKS https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/knew-resources
ALAN PAUL: Big in China
#040 - Big in China | Alan Paul
This week's guest is Alan Paul. Alan is a former Guitar World and Wall Street Journal writer from the US who somehow became a notable Beijing-based blues musician. Alan wrote a memoir called Big in China about his crazy musical experiences here, and tells the story of how it all began - thanks to a broken guitar, a Chinese repairman who was also a secret musical wizard, and their shared love of Stevie Ray Vaughn. And in a strangely related note, Alan also has a huge connection to legendary Southern rock group the Allman Brothers Band. From writing about and interviewing them over a 25 year period, Alan became an insider in their world, and we talk a bit about his best-selling Allmans book One Way Out. The story of how it came to be, in part, because of Allmans drummer Butch Trucks’ discovery of and respect for Alan’s China book is pretty awesome. Great talk.
"Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom" is sponsored by STACKRY. Stackry is the global leader in international parcel forwarding from the US to anywhere in the world. The way it works is that you shop at any US retailer, have your packages shipped to your Stackry address, and once everything has arrived, Stackry consolidates your stuff and ships it to you anywhere in the world, even China, saving you up to 80% of the shipping costs versus shipping things directly from the store. Stackry provides free storage, same day consolidation of your packages, and a tax-free US address for you to use. Sign up TODAY via the link below, and use the offer code BIGFISH at the checkout to save 10% off your first shipment.
Lastly, the "Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom" Facebook group has really been growing lately, and the show is now also available on the Stitcher platform! Apple Podcasts and iTunes downloads and subscriptions are still as important as ever, but I’d also really like to have a nice showing on Stitcher our first few weeks if possible, so please check out the Facebook group, SUBSCRIBE in Apple Podcasts and/or Stitcher if you want to help the show find new fans, and thanks in advance!
Now, please enjoy the interview with Alan Paul!
Please SUBSCRIBE to “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” at:
Apple Podcasts / iTunes: https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/big-fish-in-the-middle-kingdom/id1237037187?mt=2
Stitcher: http://www.stitcher.com/s?fid=174877&refid=stpr
SPONSOR:
Stackry “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” sign-up link HERE!
Create an account, build an order, and THEN use the offer code BIGFISH at the checkout, and save 10% off your first shipment!
GUEST:
Alan Paul LINKS:
www.facebook.com/alanpaulauthor
www.alanpaul.net/blog
One Way Out: The Inside History of the Allman Brothers Band
Big in China audio book: http://amzn.to/2FaeKcm
Big in China Band
Friends of the Brothers band
HOST / SHOW:
please LIKE “Big Fish in the Middle Kingdom” on Facebook:
Brendan Davis on WeChat: BrendanDavis
Brendan Davis on Twitter: @VeritasInLux
Other links to LISTEN: https://www.crazyinagoodway.com/podcast-links/