Quote:
Originally posted by sparky
Welcome Todd !
So, I think the question of the day - or the central question here is why weren't you able to use Stevie's songs ? Are we even close in our ideas about the subject ?
Can't wait to see the movie at Outfest in LA. Already have a ticket.
|
thanks, sparky!
the big question! you guys had alot of this right, actually.
both myself and my producers had long talks with stevie's managment, trying to get them on board. at first, they seemed receptive.
we also tried to get to stevie directly, which was not an easy task. at one point we got a friend of hers put a script in her hands, but i think she just referred it back to her managment. as far as i know, she never read it.
i had faith that everything would work out, and went ahead and shot the movie thinking the stars would align and we'd ultimately get permission. although i was always careful to shoot two versions of any stevie specific scenes just in case.
when all was said and done, we showed management the film (complete with stevie music). i'm not going to quote what they said, but the jist was that they felt the film was too edgy. (there is a prominent gay character, etc). i begged them to show it to stevie, thinking if she saw it, she would understand. but the manager refused. as far as i know, stevie has no knowledge of the film.
needless to say, i was heartbroken, as i considered GYPSY 83 to be a loveletter made by her fans. (not just me, but many other stevie fans were involved as well -- for example many of the costumes were designed by my friends Susan Childs (rockandrollgypsy.com, who also inspired the character in the first place) and the lovely Bear (brandisdream.com).
luckily, we were able to get the rights to "talk to me", as you all know she didn't write that one.
i also think stevie's spirit still shines though load and clear. in some weird ways the film was actually made stronger, which i can explain another time.
my wish is that stevie someday sees the film, and finally recieves her love letter.
thanks for coming to the Oufest screening, sparky! i believe it is Feb 18th in Los Angeles.
todd
"Oh and just how deep...
Do you hold that dream
In your hands each night"