NEWS: Rest in Peace: Daniel Robert Epstein

It is a very sad day, Daniel Robert Epstein was the man who gave voice to interviews for SuicideGirls has passed away.



Daniel always knew just what to say to everyone he encountered to disarm them, cutting through the armor that we all put up on a day-to-day basis. Remarkably, he was able to extended this gift to some of the biggest celebrities and artists who are infinitely more adept at dodging a question. His interviews were more like a conversation with a friend than someone trying to get the scoop, and his subjects always came across as really liking him. He was most excited when he got to interview someone whose work he loved, whether they were famous or not. It was always about the quality of their work. Daniel gave every interview his all; he researched meticulously and would ask the questions that true fans would want to know -- often eliciting more honest responses than publicists would like but always managing to get the quote in context so that it came off honest instead of sensationalist. Daniel cared about the films and art that his subjects created and met the challenge by creating thoughtful, in depth and intelligent interviews at all times.



He and I talked on IM and on the phone regularly and he always had something funny to say to liven up my day, some little random fact or quote from an interview that made him laugh. He and I met only a handful of times in person but I will always remember the first time we met face to face. It was a squelching hot July day in NYC and I had just thoroughly bombed a talk I had given as part of a book signing. We were packing things up and in rushes this frantic man, dripping with sweat and looking around like he had just missed the last train out of town. He sees me and gives me this huge bear hug and says "Hi! I'm Daniel Robert Epstein" with a smile so big it lit up the room. I am reminded now of that smile and the joy that he brought anyone who met him. Like everyone who knew him I wish that there was more time. He was a joy to be around and everyone that I have encountered had nothing but nice things to say about him.



Recently I asked him for his top 10 interviews and this is the list he sent me: Asia Argento, Paul Mooney, Alejandro Jodorowsky, Terry Gilliam, Bootsy Collins, Lily Tomlin, Dita Von Teese, Exene Cervenka, Les Claypool, and Mike Patton.

Doing an interview with Daniel was an oasis in a sea of, "So, uh, what's being funny like?"



You never felt like you were being "interviewed". It was a conversation. He wasn't afraid of vague answers, or little side-eddies of thought. He thrived on those. He made you feel like a conversation with you was, to him, like discovering a great book. And he was a fan -- of music, writing, comedy, and films.



His death adds to that List In My Head -- of people like Bill Hicks, and Mitch Hedberg -- people who, now that they're gone, not only make me sad in their passing, but also make me frustrated at never getting to see what the would've done next.

He was the master of pop culture. He knew everybody but he still was a fan. He would talk to Bootsy Collins or David Cronenberg but he could still be excited about it and make you excited about it. He always amazed me. That was the awesome thing about his interview…you could see the excitement in it. I knew he was an encyclopedia of Troma knowledge so he was my first choice to work with me on this book. I wanted him because he had insight into that world. He worked his way up. He was the guy that really became something after being an intern back in the day when he lent his car to Troma to drive around. Ten years later he's doing interviews with the best.

Daniel Robert Epstein was a hell of a writer. More than that - he was a great guy. That's part of the reason he was able to accomplish so much in an unfairly short career. The people he interviewed genuinely looked forward to their time with him. For his subjects that meant even while suffering through a press junket that there would be at least one thoughtful, funny experience that day. For his readers, that meant getting to enjoy an engaging piece that dispensed with all formula. The man and his words will be sorely missed.