by Alex Dueben
“Sometimes I fall very deeply in love with a character I’ve created.”
– Caitlin R. Kiernan
Caitlin R. Kiernan made a splash in 1998 when her novel Silk was released. Since then, Kiernan, who was trained as a vertebrate paleontologist, has written a number of novels including Murder of Angels and The Red Tree in addition to becoming a prolific short writer with more than half a dozen collections. Besides the dozens of magazines and anthologies she contributed to, Kiernan also releases Sirenia Digest, a monthly collection of “weird erotica.” She also was the regular writer for The Dreaming, the comic series which spun off of Neil Gaiman’s Sandman.
Kiernan just released The Drowning Girl: A Memoir, a novel that is arguably her best to date. The book centers around a schizophrenic woman, the new woman in her life, a nineteenth century painting, myth, family history, memory and truth, leaving one pondering what is real and what is not.
This month Dark Horse Comics released the first of five issues of a new comic series, Alabaster, which stars Dancy Flammarion, a character that Kiernan fans know from the novel Threshold and short story collection entitled Alabaster. For the uninitiated, Dancy is a young albino woman who has been sent by an angel to hunt monsters in haunted corners of the deep South. We reached Kiernan at her home in Rhode Island.
Read our exclusive interview with Caitlin R. Kiernan on SuicideGirls.com.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
“When I started in the 1970s I was only into music recorded before 1935. So I was a freak. I’m closer to some weird film/music nerd than like some punk or Goth.”
– Danny Elfman
When one talks about the greats in movie music composing the name Danny Elfman invariably comes up. His collaborations with Sam Raimi, Gus Van Sant and the creation of The Simpsons unmistakable theme song have made his name synonymous with great works.
However, it’s his collaborations with visionary director Tim Burton that has brought him his most acclaim. From his starring role in The Nightmare Before Christmas to his Oscar nominated score for Big Fish, their names have been eternally linked.
Now they have collaborated again on the score and original songs for Tim Burton’s Corpse Bride. Not only did Elfman create a wonderful and romantic score but he wrote and sang one of the best songs in the film, “Remains of the Day,” as the skeleton man Bonejangles.
Read our exclusive interview with Danny Elfmann on SuicideGirls.com.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
“Like we say in the show, pot smokers are really nice people and fun to hang out with as long as you dont get them started on a story.”
– Doug Benson
I’m willing to admit right now in print that I smoke a lot of pot. It doesn’t overwhelm my life so I can safely advocate anyone smoking as much marijuana as they want. That said, please get high and go see The Marijuana-Logues. It is definitely the funniest show I have ever seen in New York City. The show is written and performed by three veteran standup comedians, Arj Barker, Doug Benson and Tony. It originally began as a satire on The Vagina Monologues but it soon developed a life of its own as the three comedians traveled all over America with the show.
Read our exclusive interview with Doug Benson on SuicideGirls.com.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
“Don’t come near me with a knife!”
– Keira Knightley
Keira Knightley is one of the hottest actors in Hollywood. Her most popular roles haven’t given her much of a chance to prove her talent. When the latest film adaptation of Pride & Prejudice is released, Knightley in the role of Elizabeth Bennet, is going to surprise everyone who saw her as an action star in Pirates of the Caribbean and King Arthur.
Read our exclusive interview with Keira Knightley on SuicideGirls.com.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
“I feel like for some of the girls that I’m their voice.”
– Evan Rachel Wood
At the young age of 18 Evan Rachel Wood already has a resume most actors would die for. Since her breakout role in the movie Thirteen she’s worked with James Woods, Cate Blanchett and Vanessa Redgrave.
Her latest role is the evil and manipulative Kimberly Joyce in the Heathers-like Pretty Persuasion. Kimberley will stop at nothing to become famous. She convinces her two best friends to join her in a sex scandal campaign against their befuddled teacher, Mr. Anderson. She entangles the entire Beverly Hills community in her carefully woven web of seduction and deceit.
Read our exclusive interview with Evan Rachel Wood on SuicideGirls.com.
by Fred Topel
“I was a very crazy sick little kid when I was 11 and 12.”
– Whit Stillman
The ‘90s were a vital decade for independent film. That’s when unique voices discovered at the Sundance Film Festival started finding their way into movie theaters nationwide. It was the decade of Quentin Tarantino, Kevin Smith and Ed Burns, filmmakers who emphasized the dialogue their characters would speak. One of the most respected artists of that era was Whit Stillman.
His debut film Metropolitan was a comedy about wealthy New Yorkers discussing their lifestyle with a stranger. His follow-up Barcelona took that sensibility to Spain. But 1998’s The Last Days of Disco was the last we’ve seen of Whit Stillman. He calls the 10 subsequent years his “lost decade,” a more highbrow way of saying “development hell.”
Stillman is back with a new movie. Damsels in Distress still has the unique dialogue found in ‘90s independent cinema, so it may seem even more special in today’s world. The film stars Greta Gerwig as Violet, a college student who leads a suicide prevention center. She and her fellow gals are so committed to helping the student body, she creates a new dance called the Sambola. She thinks if people dance they’ll be too happy to kill themselves.
The film is full of whimsical tangents and concepts. Some of the Seven Oaks college boys practice the Cathar religion, and some of the traffic lights are blue. Stillman took as mellow an approach to discussing the film as his characters seem to have living it. He had some deep thoughts but only in the spirit of having fun and not taking oneself too seriously.
Read our exclusive interview with Whit Stillman on SuicideGirls.com.
by Daniel Robert Epstein
“This sounds cheesy, but I respect a man who’s trying to meet and commit with someone out there.”
– Jason Schwartzman
I am so damn jealous of Jason Schwartzman. He’s gotten to act alongside two of my comedy idols, Bill Murray and now Steve Martin in the film adaptation of Martin’s own book, Showgirl.
Shopgirl stars Claire Danes as Mirabelle, a plain young girl in the middle of Hollywood who is romanced by two men. One is an older wealthy man played by Steve Martin; Schwartzman plays Jeremy, an awkward schlub who borrows money from her on their dates.
Read our exclusive interview with Jason Schwartzman on SuicideGirls.com.
