Cellist alert

Tonight I had the good fortune to meet Zoe Keating, a cellist from California... and got to sit in on a recording session with her and Paul Mercer. On a personal level she's aces all the way, and her music is phenomenal.



Zoe's MySpace page Check out the video clips as well as the .mp3's, because the system in which she performs (and accompanies herself) is quite clever.

For those in the Atlanta area, Zoe will be performing at Eyedrum on Friday 6/29 at 9:00 pm. On the same bill, Paul will be performing with his ensemble The Ghosts Project.

With any luck, they'll share some stage time, because they complemented one another beautifully in the studio. Who knows if anything will come of their collaboration earlier tonight, but it's rich with possibilities, because their musical styles are similar enough to make them compatible, but different enough to lead each other into new directions.

Unfortunately, I will be out of town on the night of the show (that's why I bowed and scraped to hang out in the studio).

SINO-PATHIA SEXUALIS

Alright, this is cool. I had heard rumors that PSYCHOPATHIA had been bootlegged on DVD in China, which I was kind of flattered to hear.

Well, someone who travels to China apparently bought a copy, and posted some frame grabs on the web. Why? Well, for some unknown reason, portions of the film are subtitled in English, and it is not an exact transcription of the film's narration.




Now I'm dying to get a copy. Does anyone know how to buy a Chinese bootleg DVD? I know you can download a DVDRip... but I don't know if the rip is of the American DVD or the crazy subtitled edition.



If anyone gets their hands on a copy, please send me a note. I'm not trying to crack down on them, I just want to see it.

PSYCHOPATHIA Writhing

As we had hoped, Psychopathia Sexualis continues to gain attention well after its theatrical and DVD releases. Because it did not debut in a storm of controversy or publicity, it took a while for the word to spread. But thanks to excellent video sales and priceless word-of-mouth, it is spreading. Word on the street is that it's going to be enthusiastically reviewed in one (possibly two) major film magazine(s) later this year.

Just last week, the film was given an "Honourable Mention" in Andrew Boylan's well-regarded UK blog dedicated to vampire culture Taliesin Meets the Vampires. It was especially gratifying to read his piece, because it was so detailed and thoughtful, focusing primarily on the J.H. sequences.

He writes, "This is a marvellous film, though it will not be to everyone’s taste. Obviously, by the nature of the subject matter viewer discretion is advised. For the genre fan, whilst vampirism is involved in a sexual sense, there is no undead or supernatural involvement but the film does capture the underlying sexuality and eroticism found within the genre and the ties to Stoker are strengthened by the Victorian setting."

After the piece appeared, Andrew and I corresponded a bit and discussed some of the other blood themes flowing through the episode.

"I know where you're getting the blood, Jonathan," says the mother at the end of the sequence.

Do you?

Hopefully Psychopathia will continue to seep out into the wider filmgoing consciousness -- at least until I can get another project off the blocks. By the Fall I should know which project is coming next. Hopefully The Seventh Daughter, but there are a couple of other scripts on the stove, including a black comedy called The Cuckold.

For more info on Andrew M. Boylan, check out his website. Or better yet, order his vampire-themed novel Concilium Sanguinarius.

STORY(LINE) TIME

If you're awake at 9:00 am on a Saturday, and live in the Atlanta metropolitan area, you should tune in to TBS Channel 17's series Storyline. This week (June 9), producer Jen Brooks has created a story on Atlanta's emerging film scene. I'm told that my interviews are featured fairly prominently, and that I do not have spinach between my front teeth... so I'm feeling good about it. You can see a promo for the episode on their site:



Please note, the show is not shown on Superstation TBS (via satellite and out of town cable systems). Only on WTBS. So out-of-towners will just have to check back on the website. They often post segments online. I'll send out the red-alert if they do so with this one.

In addition to me, she interviewed local producer Linda Burns and filmmaker Dan Bush (one of the directors of The Signal).