NEWS: What Is It? Swastikas, Snails and a Soundtrack To Kill For: Director Crispin Glover Makes His Debut

CELEB: What Is It? Swastikas, Snails and a Soundtrack To Kill For: Director Crispin Glover Makes His Debut

Crispin Glover's reputation precedes him. He is the endearing George McFly of Back to the Future who infamously delivered a high-kick to David Letterman's head during a taping of Late Night With... in 1987, only missing the talk show host’s gap-toothed sneer by inches. He is the fanatical auteur who shocked the film industry when he took vengeance on Steven Spielberg in Adam Parfrey’s Apocalypse Culture II. He is the young prodigy who wrote his first novel Billow Rock by the time he turned 18 and runs his own publishing house, Volcanic Eruptions. Glover instills shock and disgust in some, but in others he summons a mysterious admiration fueled by work that consistently asks more questions than it offers answers.

Certainly, Glover’s an artist—an eccentric one at that. He’s a renaissance man of sorts whose work teases the breaking points of fear and ego with the insatiable curiosity of a boy playing doctor for the first time with the girl next door. The film What Is It?, Glover’s offbeat directorial debut, is the latest of his creations and promises to raise more than a few eyebrows. Featuring a cast comprised mostly of actors with Down’s Syndrome, Glover describes the 72-minute film as, "The adventures of a young man whose principal interests are snails, salt, a pipe and how to get home, and is tormented by a hubristic, racist inner psyche."

According to writer Kelly O of The Seattle Stranger Weekly,

The film’s textured imagery ranges from porn stars donning animal heads as masks to a Shirley Temple-esque actress clothed in a Nazi uniform—all set to a score that includes songs by Charles Manson. Surreal indeed.

What Is It? is the first in a trilogy Glover has been working on for over a decade and is screening as part of his touring avant-garde, one-man show titled “Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Slide Show,” which also includes spoken word performances from his books and albums. I suggest getting tickets to the show when it passes through your town because Glover has stressed that he does not plan on putting the film out on DVD.

Check it out this weekend, Dec. 8-10, in Los Angeles as part of the Egyptian Theater’s American Cinematheque:

The Egyptian Theater
6712 Hollywood Blvd.
LA, Ca

For tickets call: 323-466-3456.

Crispin Glover SuicideGirls interview

Crispin is my all-time favorite! By the way, I think it was Late Night with David Letterman and not The Tonight Show.

Altoid, thanks for the heads up! complete brain lapse on my part but i fixed it

eehee!
i saw this..creation and Crispin's presentation some time ago in Toronto. He's a maniac. Maniac.

SO yes. it is not a debut by any means, but it is definitely worth a look.

I saw the preview for this movie last time we went to the Egyptian.

It looks... I dunno, not like something I'd enjoy seeing. I mean, the preview was funny in a "ha ha, this looks like it's making fun of bad surrealist student films! Weird for weird's sake!" way, but I don't think I'd enjoy seeing it as a full movie.

I love Crispin too, but this is absolutely not new work, this is not a debut, it's very good and in my opinion I wish more people were pushing where he is pushing, but I saw him tour with this 2 years ago, no sequel, no DVD, it's a really hard film not to own because if anything it inspires conversation and it would be nice to relive it in the moment, and of course, forgive me for noticing, not being able to watch it over and over robs us of critical disection, which is crucial for the mantle he is attempting to inherit. Crispin has the same problem I do, he talks too much.

that's my man. i saw the film and slide show last spring, and needless to say it was amazing. truly.

Somehow, your description of you liking it is better than the pic itself...

Crispin Hellion is pure genius.."It" is the shit

Crispin is the shite. I love the way he blends mysticism, vaudville, and pure insanity into one package. What a total original.

He is something else.
And he is hillarious.
Or ... is it Mr. Far?

Hah! That sounds exactly the way I thought it would

He's the kind of actor that I could watch for hours. Even if he wasn't doing anything in particular, it'd still be captivating.

I saw his presentation when this was still a work in progress, and it was a total trip then. I imagine it is inspired lunacy in its final form. This man is a national treasure.

"It Is Fine" will be his second debut.

/signed