If ever someone was predestined to become a living surf legend, it’s Laird Hamilton. Growing up on Maui, he had to be dragged out of its famously treacherous Pipeline repeatedly – as a 5-year-old. Attempts to tether him to the shore failed as spectacularly as any attempt to contain his spirit and his drive to do things no surfer (or at least any sane one) had ever attempted before. In this issue, the sport’s elder statesman-philosopher talks about life as an outcast, conquering fear (as hard as it is to believe he has any), and how to pick out a dad on the beach if you don’t already have one.
After an amicable split with Simon Dawes co-songwriter Blake Mills, Taylor Goldsmith’s genius song crafting shines in Dawes, the band whose North Hills debut was hailed by AbsolutePunk as ” the sound of something truly astonishing beginning to take shape”. Already a musical old soul at 28, Goldsmith discusses the authenticity and evolution of his songs three albums in, working with a few fellow rock poets you might have heard of, and his love hate relationship with the city that’s been indelibly linked with his sound. Anyone who’s intrigued by the creative process could spend all day talking to this guy, but even an hour’s conversation left Off Camera completely inspired – we’re pretty sure you’ll feel the same.
Jeff Bridges could’ve just as easily been a musician, painter, photographer or sculptor as one of the best actors of our time. And so he is all of these, because he has the wisdom – and the talent – to not choose between them. He’s arrived at a point in his life and career that affords him unique perspective that comes from a truly collaborative spirit, keen observation of his fellow humans, and the value he still places on a childlike approach to his craft. All of which makes him one of Hollywood’s rarest breeds – an actor sans angst. The dude just…is. Jeff Bridges goes wide on character, storytelling, his multiple artistic pursuits, and the importance of checking your phone book for aliens.
Judy Greer. You may not know the name, but you definitely know the face – you’re probably just not sure where from. The answer is, everywhere. The actress, whose screen credits total well into the hundreds, has made a career of being one of the most successful best friends and sidekicks in the business, and it turns out her journey is just as instructive and – and more entertaining – than most of her A-list colleagues’. Greer drops in to chat about everything from her Midwestern roots and her own star crushes (the woman hearts everyone), to aging in Hollywood, the nature of art and the passion project that fulfilled her lifelong dream of exploring public restrooms. Engaging, enthusiastic and always game, she makes us wonder if being America’s Sweetheart doesn’t pale in comparison to being America’s Best Friend. One person who’d agree? The incomparable and shadowy Dean Johnson, whose name will not be mentioned in this interview more than 18 times.
Growing up, Jackson Browne didn’t think much of his singing, and neither did his friends, one of who politely asked him to stop. But he worked at it, and kept writing. The payoff? A 40-year career, sales of 18 million albums in the U.S. alone, and legion fans. You don’t take a ride like that without learning a few things. Browne talks about coming up during one of the most exciting, volatile times in our musical history, how he came to score one of the rarest publishing deals in the industry and why he avoids writing film scores. Few artists truly possess his ability to tap that elusive combination of lyrics and melody that holds listeners captive to their mood, yet he says he can still be his own worst creative enemy. Browne explains to Off Camera how he’s managed to ruin some of his best songs – and ruins a couple of our host’s favorites in the process.
As memorable first ad-libbed lines go, “Shit, man,” may not seem auspicious, unless you recognize the young actor who delivers it in Mystic Pizza. Matt Damon’s early attempt to over-deliver as an actor foreshadowed a career defined not by a certain type of role, but by his almost magical ability to vanish into a impressively diverse range of characters: janitor-genius Will Hunting, the subtly creepy Tom Ripley, staunch young Private James Ryan, Liberace paramour Scott Thorson and True Grit’s hysterical jackass LeBouf. In this issue he discusses lessons learned from early fame, the magic behind making great scenes and the jobs that get him out of bed. But first, he waxes sentimental about some early-career friends, which our host is proud to have hired for him.
Jon Brion might be the most hyphenated man in the music industry. He’s definitely one of its most gifted. The musician-producer-songwriter-film scorer-hamburger connoisseur (a lesser known talent) is the mad genius behind a who’s who of recording artists and the oddly engaging scores to films like Magnolia, I Heart Huckabees and Punch Drunk Love. In this issue, Brion talks about his one-man campaign to get out of school and on with life, creative problem solving, and the value of the occasional public face plant. We also hear the story of the gig that started it all: his vaudeville-for-the-musical-Mensa set show at Largo. [Insider bonus for Off Camera fans: If you’ve watched the show, you’ve already heard some of his finest work.]
Jon Brion might be the most hyphenated man in the music industry. He’s definitely one of its most gifted. The musician-producer-songwriter-film scorer-hamburger connoisseur (a lesser known talent) is the mad genius behind a who’s who of recording artists and the oddly engaging scores to films like Magnolia, I Heart Huckabees and Punch Drunk Love. In this issue, Brion talks about his one-man campaign to get out of school and on with life, creative problem solving, and the value of the occasional public face plant. We also hear the story of the gig that started it all: his vaudeville-for-the-musical-Mensa set show at Largo. [Insider bonus for Off Camera fans: If you’ve watched the show, you’ve already heard some of his finest work.]
