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The Adventures of Dan Clowes by Doniphan Blair
Daniel Clowes in his younger days. illo: D. Clowes
Despite his ornery misanthrope or cynical hipster personae, voiced through his cartoon or movie characters, things have been going pretty well for Dan Clowes. God forbid that affects his unique writing or drawing voice but no indication thereof yet.
Indeed, the cartoonist, graphic novelist, scriptwriter and producer as well Oakland resident has been getting onto quite a few New Yorker covers, is continuing his prodigious publishing, and is finishing the script for his third feature "Wilson"—about a crotchety everyman with a tender heart and mystic's overview— to be shot, probably this year in Oakland, by "The Descendants" (2011) director Alexander Payne [as well as 'Citizen Ruth' 1996, 'About Schmidt' 2002, and 'Sideways' 2004].
To top it off, Clowes currently has a deluxe show of almost hundred oversize pages and other art and artifacts at the Oakland Museum.
Clowes broke into the upper echelons of indie cinema with "Ghost World" (2001), from his graphic novel of the same name, directed by Terry Zwigoff, who also directed the renown documentary "Crumb" (1994), about the iconographic hippie cartoonist now famous for illustrating "Genesis". Clowes and Zwigoff also collaborated on "Art School Confidential" (2006), which didn't do as well but has a lot of self-satire, again from a Clowes cartoon and script, this time with him producing.
"Ghost World" made Scarlett Johansen a star playing an outsider hipster teen alongside Thora Birch, who played her friend and the artist of the two. It was delicious kaleidoscope of escaping high school and home and relating to or teasing men (principally Steve Buscemi) as well as each other, calling each other "bitches" years before it became such a fad.
The cover for the graphic novel 'Ghost World' which became a master film by San Francisco director Terry Zwigoff. illo: D. Clowes
Considering Clowes gets the bestial male mind so dead on, much like his precursor Crumb (to whom he hates being compared) but who has little understanding of women, where did Clowes get his insight into the ever-obscure desires of women? When asked, he declined to answer.
A Hitchcock devotee, Clowes has become quite the film noir-esque stylist. "Slob", a single page strip now showing at the Oakland Museum concerns a poor, well, slob, of a hash slinger who gets back with an old girlfriend [a common Clowesian theme], has a baby, is joyously happy until she runs off and he has to—well, suffice it to say it is a noir narrative that could easily be a film.
Although Clowes does produce—he was the main producer on "Art School Confidential"—it seems unlikely that he would begin directing A) because he is already working with such talented directors B) because he sees himself as a cartoonist, no matter how arty the graphics, and C) he's rather set in his ways. But his arty side is immense, as evidenced by the fabulous show at the Oakland Museum, and who knows where an artist might wander.
His new script, "Wilson" seems to combine his male and female consciousness, in the character of the protagonist, a lonely, mildly pleasant but quick to anger, California-ized cynic who also gets back with an ex-girl friend and gets a child, in a manner of speaking. In keeping with my analysis of Hitchcock—wherein script follows character which illuminates psychology in an equally iconographic setting—"Wilson" is very much an expression of the character of Oakland.
CineSource connected with Clowes by phone in a twenty-minute interview graciously arranged by Oakland Museum publicist Kelly Koski.
The cover for the graphic novel 'Wilson' soon to become a major motion picture shoot in Oakland by acclaimed director ('Sideways', 'The Descendants') Alexander Payne. illo: D. Clowes
CineSource: I was just looking at 'Art School Confidential', it is very funny for someone like me who has been to art school, a rich theme—
Dan Clowes: Broad targets for sure.
Are you making another film and what are your feelings about making films in or about Oakland?
Actually, I am working on a screenplay for Alexander Payne for a movie of my book 'Wilson' which is all set in Oakland.
Fabulous, so that will be filmed here in Oakland?
I never say anything about a film that is coming out until the cameras start rolling because anything can happen.
Have you shot previously in Oakland?
Nope, never have. I think Payne has connections. I have to finish a draft and he has to approve it—follows the book fairly closely.
Does Oakland speak to you or is it just a coincidence because this is home?
No. I am very fixated on Oakland, I have been here for twenty years and I never go to San Francisco, I have no interest at all. I am much happier in Oakland.
I like that it is a manageable city, not overwhelming like New York and San Francisco where there is too much all at once and it tends to negate everything. In Oakland there is one nice art-deco building, two beautiful movie theaters and you can keep tabs on everything.
Oakland is a good working city, if you have to go the post office and pick up art supplies, you can do it in a half an hour. SF is a boutique, air kisses sort of place.
Artists can't live in San Francisco—that is out of the question, so everyone is over here now, everyone who is doing interesting stuff.
Scene from 'Art School Confidential' which concerns the Max Minghella character's attempts to become an artist, which he does—albeit only after he is falsely imprisoned as a serial killer. photo: courtesy T. Zwigoff
It is a kind of level playing field over here. What do you think of the Art Murmur?
It is great to see everyone out on the streets and the all the stuff that is going on. There is some cool new restaurant, cafe or art gallery opening up every week. It feels like things are happening, which is cool.
Unfortunately some of the gallery owners are complaining that the restaurants are getting all the revenue and there is very little art sales.
Yeah, I don't know if there is necessarily any money over here, which might end up killing everything. But it is nice while it lasts.
What do you think of something like Art Murmur but in film?
I am a cartoonist. I am not so involved in the film community or even the art community—you can't have more then one community that you are part of—and cartooning is mine.
Do you look at your [scripts] through your graphic novels and leave the film part secondary.
When I am writing for movies, I certainly think in terms of how it is going to be filmed and how the lines will sound if they are read by an actor. [It] is very different from when you are working in comics which has to have dialogue that sounds right when you read it—reverberates in your head in a correct way. But when you are writing for film, it has to be something a human being would articulate and it wouldn't sound crazy.
Is there comic book style that we have grown up with, a way of speaking which makes sense in a comic but wouldn't sound right in a film?
Absolutely, you can have characters that speak in mannered and odd ways but it sounds naturalistic in a comic but if you had that in a movie it would be over the top and strange.
The New Yorker cover from May 2008 featuring Clowes commentary on the future, a theme figuring in four other New Yorker covers. illo: D. Clowes
Are there any films or filmmakers you look to for cinema dialogue?
I am really interested in the old Hollywood guys like Hitchcock and John Ford and that crowd, just in terms of the way narrative flows. Films that sound utterly distinctive and yet are compelling as a story in a seamless way, that is what I am looking for.
You have any comic heroes you look back on?
In terms, of writing my comics I try to not look to any sources to get inspiration. I try to write from within. I certainly have a lot of heroes. I try to not let that effect what I am doing that much. That is a danger when you study someone too closely, it seeps into your consciousness without even noting it.
It is interesting that you noted Hitchcock: Next month this magazine is doing its first gala issue focusing on one director. It is Hitchcock and his two Bay Area films, 'Birds' and 'Vertigo'.
Oh great! That is the one reason I do go to San Francisco: to show people those locations.
Is that a fact? I just gathered up a couple of my Hitchcock writers and went around to those locations on Nob Hill and under the Golden Gate Bridge.
And on Lombard Street.
Right, we took a shot there. Not doing a reenactment, per se, but a re-vibrating.
Yeah, it is kind of remarkable how much the same it is. You feel like you are in the film, if you go to the right spots.
The only thing changed at Lombard Street was the bush was bigger.
Yeah, but those are the same mailbox fixtures. You would have thought they would have changed those years ago. I feel sorry for the people who live there. I always wonder if it is just some random person who lives there.
It looks so modern. I guess Hitchcock was trying to put a tension between classical San Francisco and cheese-y modern.
He probably tried to figure out where a cop would live—just a normal modern apartment—wouldn't have anything fancy.
A page from Clowes graphic novel 'Wilson', (2010) titled 'Oakland'.. illo: D. Clowes
Under the Golden Bridge, they put up a fence.
You can't do the angle exactly [as it was in 'Vertigo'] but you can approximate it.
The woman we were out there with, she actually had vertigo. I couldn't get her to go within ten feet of the edge.
[laughs] I will definitely look for that [issue]—sounds great.
Are you still in touch with Terry (Zwigoff with whom he did 'Ghost World', 2001 and 'Art School Confidential', 2006], and is he still in over in San Francisco?
Yeah, he is still in the same place. He is just very picky about what films he makes; it takes him ten years to figure out a project.
Yes, well his second film 'Crumb' and third 'Ghost World' were masterpieces, so we are waiting with baited breath—
For whatever he does in his old age.
So he doesn't come to Oakland much?
No, he is like me but in reverse except with him, instead of not leaving San Francisco, he doesn't live the house.
What neighborhood are you in, out of curiosity?
Near Piedmont Avenue.
That has become quite the dining and bookstore center.
I know, when I moved here it was like an outdoor old folks home. Now it has all these great restaurants and five used bookstores.
That's fantastic. Well, I know you are very busy so I will let you—
Yes, I have been doing nothing but promotion for the [Oakland Museum] show for the last three weeks, so I have all this work piled up.