TONY CONRAD-DREAMINIMALIST Directed By Marie Losier

Shane: Tell us about your film?

Marie: This is a dream portrait of Tony Conrad, the experimental filmmaker,musician/composer, sound artist, teacher and writer. Violin player Tony Conrad was one of the pioneers of New York minimalism  and worked in 1962 on Lamonte Young's "Dream Music" project with the likes of John Cale, Angus MacLise (both future Velvet Underground).  Tony lived and worked with Jack Smith for many years and made the music for his famous film Flaming Creature.

Today Tony shares his memories and sings along "The trouble with this piece is...I’m always playing...a few of the notes wrong.  It’s almost impossible to get all of them notes right in this fucking piece.  I just do the best I can but....oh it always makes me cry when I get these notes all wrong and I go back and try it again"-TC.

In this portrait of Tony Conrad, we discover Tony playing in his studio with costumes and wigs, practicing his violin in his home town-Buffalo, cooking pickled films, performing at Tonics and The Whitney Biennial in NYC, recalling his first hand puppet performances with his mother, his first meeting with Jack Smith and his involvement with Flaming Creature...2 years of footage and stories and laughters to share.

S: How did you come up with the idea for the film?

M: I have made many film portraits, the first one in 2003 about Mike Kuchar and later his brother George Kuchar, then Richard Foreman, Ken Jacobs, Guy Maddin...and now Tony Conrad who is also as in all the films i make very close friends and artists i admire tremendously.

Tony is a close friend and i spent a lot of time with him so it was logical to take the camera and start shooting his life for 4 years and creates scenes and work together.

S: How did you find your cast? 

M: Documentary= Tony Conrad is the one subject of the film and I know him very well.

S: How long did the film take?  (From conception to final edit)

M: 4 years

S: What was the most difficult part of the shoot for you?

M: Doing everything alone! and having no budget working full time and shooting on 16-mm!

S: Tell us about the films festival experience so far?

M: I can not go to the festival because I will be at the Tate Modern in London to show the film on Tony Conrad.

S: What are you most looking forward to at the festival?

M: People reaction to the films, contacts, new connections and knowledge of other filmmakers, programmers...

 S: What has been your most interesting Q&A so far? 

 M: It really depends on the festival, who is there, but all questions are a challenge and a pleasure

 S: What films or filmmakers inspire you?

M: Murneau, Kenneth Anger, Jonas Mekas, W.C Fields, Guy Maddin, George Kuchar, Jacques Tati, Lubitch......

S: What made you decide to become a filmmaker?

M: I always wanted to make films and was a painter for a long time...skipped classes secretly to go to the movies, used to be follow my parents who had a cine-club..and then met Mike Kuchar who just pushed me to make my first film, Bird Bath and Beyound.

 S: What is next for you? 

M: Making movies and preparing for a solo show at the Luxe gallery in NYC.

S: What is your next film?

M: A feature film on Genesis P-Orridge and pshychic TV.

S: If asked to give one piece of advice to a new filmmaker making their first short film… What would it be?

M: Just do it with nothing and with joy and no fear