I don’t know what you do between 3 and 4 a.m. but I often find myself watching interviews on various video websites. The other night I spent more time than I care to share watching clips of interviews done with The Cure, from the 80’s and 90’s. In one interview Robert Smith mentioned that Tim Pope (primary Cure video director) was a big part of the visual aspect of the band for a number of years…
So next I re-watched all of the Tim Pope directed Cure videos followed by a visit to his wikipedia page. What I found there was proof of something I had suspected for a while. There is a link from The Cure to some pop-culture icon imagery. The link is a guy whose name is Alex McDowell, he worked with Tim on a ton of projects as the production designer… until he emigrated to America to work for Steven Spielberg and Tim burton that is. So it goes like this…
and then comes…
Also worked on… The Crow movies
Also worked on… Fight Club (seems like a reach, but Marla Singer is Tim Burton’s wife Helena Bonham Carter)
Now… if you are reading this and you’re thinking “Who cares Josh?” or “Why does this matter?” I have a great explanation for you. You know how some movies or T.V. shows you might watch, they try to pull off the re-creation of something you are very familiar with and they just get it so wrong? You’re watching something, the scene comes where the person who does the thing, you know, the thing you know about from first hand experience… you know what I’m saying, well they come on the screen and they’re doing it all wrong and it just seems so lame. Wait, and then there’s a movie like Edward Scissorhands or The Crow or Fight Club and you watch the movie and it’s just visually awesome, so awesome it becomes posters, lunch boxes, halloween costumes… a movie you actually buy on DVD and leave on with the sound off sometimes…
That happens, in part, because of production designers. These movies are great movies with incredible writing and iconic directors… but do you know where Johnny Depp was before ES? 21 Jump Street… Alex Proyas, director of The Crow? That’s been his biggest victory to date, grossing 4 times what it cost to make… (Oh yeah sidenote: The Cure has a song on that soundtrack). This all matters to me, and hopefully a little to you, because I believe the success of these large scale pop-culture experiments have a lot to do with the help of someone from the sub-culture. This is good news for you if you are obsessed with something that everyone tells you will never have a return… this is good news if you are dedicated to something on the outside of what is already accepted but but willing to work with those who might not understand at first explanation… this is good news for us a viewers and consumers of entertainment because maybe, just maybe this trend of large scale pop-culture experiments inviting the Alex McDowell’s of the world to help make things awesome will become more common.
Until I get that call… I’ll continue my studies…
Posted in: Inspiration | Music | Style
Tags: Robert Smith, The Cure
Comments
I love ES and The Crow The Nightmare before Christmas is also a movie like that… I just don’t get why everyone loves it NOW! It’s so old. My brother introduced me to all these kinda movies when I was little… Always reminds me of my childhood. Thanks for posting
I love the way you think, dude! you’re so rad! thanks for posting this, it gave me something to think about at 5:30 in the morning.
Fascinating! I listen to The Cure everyday like it’s the first time. Thanks for the schooling…makes sense!
I still have that old Boys Don’t Cry poster tucked away somewhere. I remember as kids when you introduced me to the Cure at that old record shop in Georgetown, or was it Old Town? Anyway- love the post, especially your “good news” thoughts. Encouraging words no matter what industry, or project, you’re pursuing.
The Cure is a staple. Burn from the Crow soundtrack is a fav Cure song of mine – one of the few songs I like REALLY loud.
oh, and good job on the research and the write up!
Now I am wondering if there’s a link to Heath Ledger’s Joker…
…your stating the obvious – of course the mainstream stuff is linked with, or, based on subculture texts!
josh next time do us all a favour and just rest on your 4am explanations
rehas, thank you for taking your time to read and comment on all these posts!
I would have never imagined that one day someone that I do not know would take their valuable time to come to a website, read what I write and then be moved enough to respond.
It means more to me than you will probably ever know.I hope you keep coming back and I hope that I can continue writing things that incite some kind of idea and opinion in others.
Thank you.
love all three of those movies and have watched them hundreds of time, but i would have never have descovered the link, maybe i should spend less time on facebook and look at more intresting things ?
Wow. This is some pretty great research, I absolutely love The Cure and both those movies. I should be doing some studying myself. It’s always good to know the background and relations between music, films and the entertainment world. I really enjoyed this, so thanks! 
P.S. Great video to share! Love that song. Cheers!
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