INTERVIEW / TELEPHONE INTERVIEW — TAPE #29, SIDE #2
Q: Mark Russell Bell
J: Allison Jackson, VP, Special Projects
I: Cheryl Boone Isaacs, Ex. VP, Worldwide Publicity
B: Michael Berman, Senior Publicist
A: Riki Leigh Arnold, Senior Publicist/Photo Editor
G: Gregg Brilliant, Senior Publicist
N: Blaise J. Noto, Sr. VP, National Publicity
C: Steven Carrell (Kim’s husband in Oklahoma)
F: Timothy Fielding, photographer
(“BABY”)
Q: By the way, Michael Kochman’s street begins with the word Bell.
J: Oh, another tie-in.
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: MICHAEL KOCHMAN ALSO WORKED IN THE PUBLICITY DEPARTMENT DURING THE TIME I WAS AN EMPLOYEE AT PARAMOUNT. HE LIVES ON BELLINGHAM AVENUE. AS I INTERVIEW CHERYL BOONE ISAACS, DEPARTMENT STAFF MEMBERS ARE IN HER OFFICE AND OCCASIONALLY MAKE COMMENTS.)
Q: I’m in my friend Cheryl’s office.
I: Yike.
Q: She has a magazine in front of her that says “Lords of Hollywood” and it’s the January edition of —
I: Us. (“SSS” “WHO IS THAT”)
Q: Alicia Silverstone from “Clueless” is on the cover. Good work, Cheryl.
I: I personally put it there.
Q: Yes, you did. (“BITCH”)
I: Do you want me to tell you about Gussie?
Q: Is it a strange story? (“YEAH”)
I: Well, I went to a psychic about fourteen years ago — Michael Berman said, “I’m going out now” (“TWO”) — with a girlfriend of mine. And we drove all the way up to Montecito because it was Reverend Daisly who is really a very good, popular person. Have you ever heard of Reverend Daisly, anyone?
Q: Spell it.
I: I think it’s D — A — I — S — L — Y. We went to him and he was very, very good. I mean he told me about a conversation I had with myself in my house about what pair of pants to wear, which I thought was interesting. He said, “Well, you wore the red ones. I’m glad you wore those instead of the black ones.” Heuhhh. He told us about a conversation we had in (“GAY”) the car driving up there. And he talked to my mother and said some things that he would never have known. (“GAY”) But he said to me, “There’s this dog around that is trying to get to you — that’s come from a distance. Know any dog?” “What dog?” “New dog.” “Right.” Suddenly, he talked about a dog. Okay. I went home. I guess it was around Christmas time and there was a little puppy that came to my front door. I realized that was the dog. And that dog came from Ojai. It belonged to the neighbors across the street and I went to them. I said, “I have to have this dog.” And they said, “Oh, okay, you can have the dog.” Daisly told me that the spirit that was born when I was born was traveling in the dog it lost touch with me and has been trying to get back.
Q: It sounds like “Lassie.”
I: “— Come Home.”
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: OTHERS IN THE OFFICE CAN BE HEARD LAUGHING HERE.)
(“NO”)
Q: No, the movie. The recent Paramount movie “Lassie.” Remember the beginning?
I: I never saw “Lassie.”
Q: Oh. (“KAY”)
B: Did you get that on tape? (“I DIDN’T EITHER”)
Q: I didn’t either see it but in the screenplay (“HULA”) the same thing happened. (“GOT THAT”)
I: And I’ve never seen “The Kids in the Hall.”
Q: Did you see it, Mike?
B: No.
G: A dog wanders up on the road. It’s (“SHADOW”) — yeah. (“OF THE SAME”)
Q: The same thing happened.
I: Gussie and I are (“LINK”) linked. That’s it. We got it. I know.
B: Finish your book before you’re committed.
Q: What did you say? (“NOW YOU THINK” “EXACTLY”) Michael just said he hopes I finish my book before I’m committed. Well maybe I already was. (“YOU HAVE BEEN”)
I: You have been committed your entire life. (“RIGHT”)
Q: Exactly. I have been very committed.
I: (while sipping) Um-huh.
Q: Anyway, so is there anything else you want to add or “Good luck on my book” or “It sounds scary” or — (“AMI”)
I: Good luck on your book.
Q: Have you had any weird dreams or anything?
I: Yes. In fact, yesterday — because you know I am a witch.
Q: No.
I: Yes.
Q: You’re a witch?
I: All my closest friends know that. And yesterday I was watching television and they — oh, no, it’s true. We’re sitting here and we’re talking about the plane that skidded off the runway (“ANNA”) and I went into my mind: “Oh my God, I hope there isn’t a plane crash today.” And I went home (“AM”) and I do whatever. I was in bed and I turned on the news just as they went off about how they lost contact with an airplane. And I, literally, you know how (“E E E E”) you almost — (“YOU”) you, like, freeze from inside because your heart literally stops for a second and goes flying down to your toes. And I went, “Oh shit. Oh no. Oh my God. Not again.” Because when I watched the Challenger go up — it was going up and up and up — I turned to Stanley and said, “Oh my God. There’s something wrong. There’s something wrong.” And then it blew up. (“SO YOU’RE” “SLIGHT WIND”)
Q: So you’re psychic.
I: Ohhhhhh, God.
Q: Witch is slang for psychic.
I: Yeah.
Q: There’s no bad denotation.
I: It’s not bad. No.
Q: Right.
B: Did you see who was on that plane that skidded off the runway?
I: No.
B: Two hundred cheap Jews going for $69 on Tower Airways to Florida. (“PLAY”)
I: And good for them.
B: Good for them? Look where they wound up.
I: Well, look at the weather.
B: And now there’s —
I: Did you see the weather? I was thinking, “I can’t believe they let a plane take off in that weather.” Would you?
B: — two hundred lawsuits. (“YEAH”)
I: I couldn’t believe that.
A: I would have gotten off the plane.
I: Well, they won’t let you once you’re on. Remember? (“NO”) They will not open the door. (“WILL NOT”) They will not let you open the door.
A: I wouldn’t get on.
I: No. Anyway, I thought it was — I must admit that was very disheartening.
Q: That’s right. You once worked as a flight attendant.
I: Yeah. And —
B: I once flew with her.
I: — when I (“PICK”) saw it from — it was footage from a helicopter. (“AND”) So it’s different looking down. (“NO”) I remember it was the POV and I thought, (“OH”) “Oh, that’s really bizarre that they would have let that plane try to take off. Even though it’s a 747.” (“YOU KNOW”)
N: Hey. What happened there?
Q: Hi, Blaise. You like my beard? (“VIDEO”) I’m interviewing Cheryl.
B: Talk about witches . . .
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: OTHERS IN THE OFFICE CAN BE HEARD LAUGHING HERE.)
(“WITCHES” “I KNOW”)
I: I have a lot of other witches stories too but those are the two I can think of at this minute.
B: Cheryl, I once told Allison Jackson ten years ago that (“EXHIBIT”) if this was old-time Salem she’d have more frequent (“NO PASSING”) flyer miles in that dipping chair than anybody else in town.
Q: (laughs) (“BUT YOU WERE YOU KNOW”) As a flight attendant (“YOU WENT THROUGH A”) — I just remembered something. Wasn’t ‘Patient Zero’ a flight attendant? (“YOU KNOW AH”) You know, the one who ‘started’ AIDS?
I: You know, I think you’re right.
Q: Right. (“YEAH”)
G: He was Canadian. (“YEAH”)
I: Was he Canadian? (“A GAY”) I know it was an American.
G: He was a Canadian.
I: No no no — it was in Africa.
Q: I don’t know if this is an alien thing or if it’s separate.
I: But which story do you believe? Do you believe the Rolling Stone piece?
Q: I don’t know what to believe. What did the Rolling Stone piece say?
I: Oh, it was all about when the scientists were trying to come up with a vaccination for polio. And they were using (“THE”) rhesus monkeys in Africa and Africans, which is why there’s so many more Africans who have AIDS. And that was in the ’40s.
Q: I don’t think so. (“IN EARLY”)
G: Did you see “The Hot Zone”?
I: No.
G: Because there’s a theory (“WHA”) in “The Hot Zone.”
I: No, there are a couple of them but I must say —
G: This spoke to that.
I: — that one makes so much sense.
Q: Well, I don’t think that.
I: There was, you know, a battle between Salk — and who was the other — (“EH”)
A: Chermann?
I: Chermann and Salk. And they were both battling, remember? At the time?
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: JEAN-CLAUDE CHERMANN AND LUC MONTAGNIER ARE FAMOUS FRENCH DOCTORS AFFILIATED WITH THE PASTEUR INSTITUTE.)
I: Trying to be the first one out of the block to be famous forever? (“BUT I” “WE’RE ALL PART OF A TEAM” “SHORTLY”)
Q: I think HIV is involved with the depletion of the ozone layer or the fact that the rain forest is being depleted —
I: Oh, I don’t.
Q: — and all those germs are coming up.
G: That’s “The Hot Zone” theme.
I: Oh, I don’t think so.
G: There’s this road that’s running through Africa that (“IS”) — major highway and there used to be isolated outbreaks of certain tropical diseases in the villages but never —
I: Went anywhere else.
G: They were always contained and the incubation time was very long and the diseases died out and never really got out. And this highway caused the disease to spread. (“HE”)
I: Well, yeah, that happens everywhere. All sorts of situations that used to be contained in the world aren’t anymore because there are no places left that no one doesn’t go anymore. And I do think that the destruction of the rain forest (“CORRECT”) has a lot to do with a whole lot of stuff. (“THAT’S RIGHT”) But, (“THAT”) you know, in terms of the ability for germs to cultivate — never mind the fact that we buy in the grocery store manufactured food that is full of hormones so, therefore, we as individuals can no (“UH-HUH”) longer fight any illnesses because our bodies have become immune —
Q: I get sick — physically sick whenever I eat meat.
I: — which is why there are so many cancers now — (“THINK SO”)
Q: Yeah. (“GET HER”)
I: — because we cannot fight them. (“UH-HUH” “WELL” “GET A MAP”) We’re so busy having —
N: What are you? The American Medical Association?
I: — great milk and —
Q: Somebody should be.
I: — 9,000 of these chicken places (“THERE GOES”) in a block. (“THERE GOES A”) I mean every once in (“TASTE GOOD”) a while I look around (“QUICKLY”) and say, “Well, where did all these chickens come from?” — that (“I” “THEY COVER THAT UP”) you can go down a city block (“CHICKEN” “ALL THE TIME” “KEN”) and eventually you think, “Well, I just went by twenty restaurants and everyone of them sells chicken.” (“BUT THEY”) That’s on one block. In one city. In one state. In one country. I mean when you start thinking about, “Where do these chickens come from? How can you have so many chickens?” (“A HIDDEN”) It’s scary. (“PROBLEM”) I mean because they’re little. I mean chickens even being a — what? (“FOOT”) It’s really bizarre.
?: Cheryl, did you tell him about Boonesadong?
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: THIS VOICE ON THE TAPE HERE MAY BE PUBLICIST MICHAEL WUETCHER.)
(“SOME OF THE”)
I: No, he doesn’t know about Boonesadong. But he will — (“IT CAN’T WORK”) you will work with me. I’m developing us a new religion.
Q: What is it?
I: Boonesadong. (“THAT’S WHAT YOU KNOW”)
G: (laughs) (“HA” “IT’S THE”)
Q: How do you spell it?
B: They must be getting you — (“WITH HER”)
I: I don’t know? Boone —
B: Let me give (“SA”) offerings to your image.
N: It’s chapter twelve.
I: No no, we’re past all that. (“CHICKEN” “STUNT” “THINK” “TWENTY-FIVE”) I have to tell him what you’re going to do. There’s —
A: (laughs)
I: — I have to come up with it. (“SHERRY’S WILL”) They’re not disciplines. (“THAT ACT LIKE YOU” “IN THE BOAT” “BUDDHISM” “THE PART” “DIME”) They’re not commandments — (“ALL THOSE ARE”)
Q: But The Celestine Prophecy (“BUDDHISM”) was fiction and it was a huge bestseller.
I: Well, you know why Jesus Christ is so famous. (“BUDDHISM” “WHY”) He hired Rogers & Cowan.
Q: That’s where Michael, my brother, works.
I: Well, I know. But that is the truth because St. Paul is the one who did everything. Jesus didn’t do a darn thing. Honest to God, St. Paul was over here as the first publicist in the entire world. He wrote everything. He did everything. You all know about this — you all are religious people? (“EARN”) He let Michael Jackson be the star ([WOODY WOODPECKER] “HA HA HA HA”) while he did everything. He’s the one who (“WHO WHO WHO”) came up with the term Christianity; who went after the gentiles to convert; he is the — (“I” “HE COULD”) everything. He’s the one who made up the nativity story. He’s the one who said that women cannot work in the church. Besides, he was a known (“HETERO”) homosexual at the time and he didn’t like women. And I mean everything. (“RIGHT” “BUT”) Everything.
Q: Who wrote the Bible? (“I DID” “MARY”)
I: He was the editor.
Q: Who was?
I: St. Paul was the first editor of what we know as the Bible.
Q: Really?
I: It’s the truth. (“LET’S BEGIN”) And, you know, (“SHE’LL KNOW ABOUT” “I HAVE GOT” “STRAIGHT AHEAD”) I have gone on (“LOVEY”) for hours — (“THAT I HAVE” “YOU ARE —” “THINNER” “— FINE” “REGGAE”)
N: Did you know about all of this? (“GET IT” “DEAD”)
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: LAUGHTER CAN BE HEARD ON TAPE HERE.)
I: I love religion books. I have to pour through them. And I’ve got this Time magazine at home that’s all about — you know, because it’s (“SO DUMB” “WELL THINK ABOUT”) manipulative. I mean —
G: It’s all about the Bible.
I: — the film business has (“LIFE”) nothing on the early Christians. They were eaten.
Q: But you know what we have in common? (“YOU’RE” “BEL” “MARDUK”) The Paramount (“AT A”) as a mountain symbol. It is like ‘the mount.’
I: Like Moses.
Q: Right, exactly. And Paramount made the movie “The Ten Commandments.” (“PARIS” “MONT BLANC” “RIDGE”)
I: Michael (“YOU HURT MY”) Berman worked on it. (“SOMEBODY”)
B: A guy called me from Australia last week (“WE WONDER WHO THE CAMERAMAN WAS”) and wanted to know who the still photographer was (“COME”) on the first “The Ten Commandments.” 1923.
I: And did you know that?
B: I said George Eastman.
I: Oh, that’s not true.
B: Yes, it was. How am I supposed — the guy’s probably been dead 500 years. But even for the second “The Ten Commandments” (“ALAN KRAMER”) there’s no still photographer credited. (“NO HE DIDN’T” “STILL PHOTOGRAPHER”)
Q: Have you, Blaise, had any (“ONE”) weird phenomena in your life? (“HEAVEN” “NOTHING” “OUT OF YOU”)
I: Wait till he — wait Mike — (“THEY’RE NOT SAD OVER”) Mike? I mean Mark. Mark started work on the Boonesadong.
N: Have I weird phenomena in my life?
I: (tapping on her desk) He started work with me on Boonesadong. (“YOU WON’T REGRET THAT”)
N: (laughs)
I: All the great philosophers who became famous didn’t happen until their forties.
N: Look at Mark. (“HIS FACE” “OHH”)
I: I know — and you’re going to say, “Well what about Jesus then again?” Let me tell you. St. Paul wrote it all. He made him as famous as someone like John F. Kennedy, the youngest President. (“WHA”) He was then ‘the youngest.’ (“THERE WAS A HOPE THAT”)
Q: I think Jesus was a fairy tale.
I: No, he was a person and he was married to Mary.
Q: Married? (“CONFIGURE”)
I: Yes, he was married. (“OHH”) He was married for his whole life.
B: Along came Mary. (“THAT SOUNDS MUCH BETTER”)
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: ‘ALONG CAME MARY’ IS THE NAME OF A WELL-KNOWN HOLLYWOOD CATERING COMPANY.)
I: That was later when they — when, again, you know, women — I mean that was a lot of St. Paul —
Q: Not the virgin Mary but the other Mary.
I: No no no no no. No no no. Virgin Mary is the same —
N: Mary Magdalene was a whore.
I: — is the sister of Lazarus. (“GIVING”) It’s all the same Mary in the Bible. It’s all the same person. And it depended —
Q: Really?
I: — for history — it all depends on what one person will take from what —
Q: No, I don’t believe that.
I: — country had domination over the Bible and how they changed it. When they added miracles. When they went through the whole thing of the madonna-whore syndrome. Again, it’s part of St. Paul’s thing. Women are either. (“SAINTLY” “OH PIFF” “SO WAIT”)
Q: But if there is a St. Paul —
I: There is.
Q: — in the world now, who would he be?
I: No one smart.
Q: Well, that’s for sure.
I: No one smart.
Q: No one’s smart anyway. Who do you know who’s smart?
I: Oh, I know a lot of people. I think they’re all cluttered. They need Boonesadong.
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: EVERYONE LAUGHS ON THE TAPE HERE AND CHERYL SLAPS REPEATEDLY AT HER DESK IN A QUICK TEMPO.)
Q: Okay, spell Boonesadong. Remember, I’m going to transcribe this.
I: I don’t know. I’ve never tried. I don’t know. Boones-a-dong.
A: What’s the central philosophy of Boonesadong?
I: The same as every other religion on the planet. Do unto others as you would have them do onto you. (“WELL THAT’S” “ONLY ONE”)
B: We know this.
I: Oh, but you have to really do it and not get confused with everything else (“WHAT” “THIS POINT ON”) which everybody is now. Everybody’s concerned with all sorts of crap.
Q: I think that’s a good religion.
I: And not that basic goddamn thing. And if you do that and everybody did every single solitary day in every single thing they do with everybody.
( . . . )
Q: So when I got home I started going through my old Paramount tapes again, which is a pretty dull exercise for me in comparison to a lot of transcribing I do except I can definitely hear Michael on the old tapes. I just skipped through some of them and I heard my interview with Naomi Foner, Bob Rehme giving me his thoughts for a speech that I worked on with him as a favor because I had worked on his other films and he needed a speech for an appearance (“UM”) in his home town. I was glad to do it as a favor, thinking that later on I could write him a letter about one of my scripts and see if he’d want to read it — something that I thought was ideal for him, my science fiction screenplay adaptation “To Live Again.” But, apparently, (“THEY DON’T”) they weren’t accepting unsolicited screenplays. (“SO”) So much for favors. (“UH-HUH”) I didn’t get paid for that. Let’s see — I heard Harry Clein. (“U”) The usual people: Blaise, Cheryl, Rita. (“UM”) I found my interview for The Publicists Guild Directory (1991) with Howard W. Koch; (“UM”) Dale Midkiff from “Pet Sematary.” (“UM”) I also remember interviewing Mary Lambert, Fred Gwynne and Denise Crosby as well as the make-up effects people of that film. When I was working on the press kit for “Pet Sematary” and wanted to include some quotes from Stephen King (“YEAH”) I taped some of the EPK interview and on my tape recording of that, I can hear Michael. So (“UH-HUH”) I’m not sure if that’s on the EPK or just on my tape of the EPK. It’s probably just on my tape of the EPK. It’s just interesting, though. It doesn’t have to be me doing the interview for Him to make comments. It’s anything I’m recording. (“YA”) I guess. The next tape I came upon was an interview with Neil Jordan that I taped (“TTT”) wanting to get some better quotes for the production information. It just lasted a few minutes but our conversation encompassed many important (“TTT”) reflections. (“IN DEPTH”) So what follows this tape side (“UH-HUH”) is (“UH-HUH”) a portion from that tape that I have transcribed. As you can see, (“UH-HUH”) there are a lot of Michael (“UH-HUH”) voice (“UH-HUH”) remarks and sound effects. (“I KNOW”)
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING INTERVIEW IS WITH STEVEN CARRELL.)
C: Hello?
Q: Hi. Is Maxine there?
C: Uh, no. She just left.
Q: Hi. Who is this?
C: This is Steve.
Q: Oh, hi Steve. Twyla’s husband or Kim’s husband?
C: Kim’s husband.
Q: Oh, hi. It’s Mark Russell. (“WORK”)
C: Oh, okay. Yeah.
Q: Working on my book. I just wanted to give her an update. How are you doing?
C: Pretty good.
Q: Have you had any phenomena recently?
C: No, not me. I don’t hang around much.
Q: You don’t?
C: Working. (“WE”)
Q: Can you just give her a general message for me?
C: Yeah.
Q: Just let her know that in all of my previous tapes that I had recorded while I was on staff at Paramount — my interviews with people like Neil Jordan and Frank Marshall — I mean all these top people in Hollywood — Michael is talking all through the tapes. So I have a large source of Michael tapes. (“UH-HUH”)
C: Well, that’s strange, isn’t it?
Q: Well, it’s strange but I guess I’m not going to really include much of them in our book together. They’re just something to hold onto, I guess. I don’t really have (“A LO”) a lot of time to listen to the tapes either. But I just transcribed the Neil Jordan one and He talks a lot. (“I MEAN”) The movie was called “We’re No Angels.” And, of course, I think Michael is the angel Michael so there’s a definite connection. Anyway, let her know too that I did get the cover art for the book. I’m going to have it photographed today along with some other things. I’m also going to have a photograph taken of the objects that were thrown while I was there in the house. (“UH-HUH”)
C: Yeah.
Q: So there’ll be a photo in the book of the objects like the nail and things that (“YOU KNOW”) I witnessed because there’s always one of those types of photos in a book of this nature. So, anyway, everything’s going very well. You don’t have to tell Maxine word for word (“WHAT I’M”) what I told you but just generally.
C: Okay.
Q: Just everything’s (“VE”) going very, very well. And, of course, you’re one of the people who are sharing the profits of the book and the film so you must be happy with (“THE”) the progress.
C: Oh yeah. (“I”)
Q: You are? Oh good. Do have (“UM ANYWAY I’LL”) Maxine call me at some point. I did (“UH-HUH”) print out the first 300 pages. So maybe she’ll want to take a look at that. I don’t know really (“WHAT THE”) if the timing (“YOU KNOW”) is right or what-have-you. (“SO I’LL”) I’ll discuss that with her and see what she wants.
C: Okay. (“I KNOW”)
Q: I know she’s not a big reader.
C: You want me to have her call you?
Q: Yeah.
C: Okay.
Q: Well, have a good day.
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING INTERVIEW WITH PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY FIELDING WAS RECORDED INTERMITTENTLY DURING THE PHOTO SESSION.)
Q: I’m here at Timothy’s studio and just like Cheryl told me about the dog she found, I remember Timothy once told me he found this beautiful black cat (“A PIECE”) several years ago. (“AND”) It has green eyes. It looks like my neighbor’s black cat. (“UH-HUH”) Timothy, how did you find it?
F: She came to the door on a rainy, rainy night (“UH-HUH”) at about midnight and just was screaming at the door. She was about three to four months old. (“NO” “OKAY”) she was maybe five months old at the most and I think she was abandoned. I’m not sure. But I let her go and she kept coming back here. I gave her away to two people. And I would go over there. She just (“SSS”) seemed to be so sad and I brought her back here. And this is her home.
Q: She chose you.
F: Yeah, she really did.
Q: And what is her name?
F: Pip. And she is a Pip.
Q: By the way, let me apologize formally for saying that you were the reincarnation of Merlin when I came back from Oklahoma. (“NO IT’S”)
F: (small laugh) That’s okay.
Q: Did that freak you out?
F: No, not at all. Not at all.
Q: But you did say you had been going into magic stores.
F: Oh, a lot. A lot. All my life.
Q: Are you interested in magic?
F: Oh, God, yes. All the time. (“FROM THIS MAN”) I bought a magic thing just the other day.
Q: What did you get?
F: Some cards that I wanted to play with — some cards again. I used to do a lot of card tricks.
( . . . )
Q: I just showed Timothy the mysterious George Washington portrait. (“AM”)
F: And my comment is that there are no strokes on the face but all around the face you can see the strokes.
Q: But the strokes don’t seem to match up with the painting of Washington, though. (“NOT ALL” “WHICH IS”) Which makes it look like it’s a fake of some kind. Yet it’s strange that it’s not over the face. (“SO”)
F: It is not at all over the face. It’s amazing how it isn’t.
Q: Yeah, I don’t understand that.
F: And then it runs together.
Q: I plan asking the curator over at Independence National Park (“IT”) about that as well because maybe she’ll know. (“UM” “I DON’T KNOW”)
F: Why that is?
Q: Yeah. (“TYPICAL”)
F: I mean there are literally none on — look at it upside down. There is no stroke. (“OVER HIS FACE”)
Q: And there’s no signature by the artist, either.
F: Nothing there.
Q: Yeah. Interesting.
F: An interesting look.
Q: So maybe when you photograph it you can make it so you can see these strokes.
F: Okay. Let’s try that.
Q: I think I paid $30 for this.
F: Really? (“PIP”)
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: THIS PORTION OF TAPE CONCERNS THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.)
(“UM” “FULL”)
Q: It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Look here where you can see where they erased it. So that’s really what I want to capture are the erasures — (“UM”) and just capture the fact that this looks like real ink as opposed to a printed reproduction.
F: Okay. Can this come out of the frame?
Q: No, it can’t come out of the frame because, look, it’s sealed in the back. (“IN” “YEAH IT IS”) And I’d be too worried. I don’t know what air would do to it. (“IT WOULD HURT IT”) Somebody cut it in back but it didn’t go all the way through, it looks like. So it’s very well preserved, considering how old it might be.
F: I’m going to use a very detailed lens on this. Let me set that up.
Q: Well, I could hold it for you.
F: Maybe that would be the way of doing this. Try holding it like that. Against the wall.
Q: I can get a photograph of myself. But I’ll put on my cap because I haven’t shampooed my hair.
F: You look great, by the way. You really do look terrific. (“YOU DID NOT”)
( . . . )
Q: What happened, Timothy?
F: I just cut my finger on that, uh, light. (“TTT”)
Q: Do you do this very often?
F: Yeah. (laughs)
Q: You do? (“YES” “AND”)
F: I’m terrible at — (“FIST”)
Q: Some people think that strange things happen when blood mixes with the air. In terms of magic and all (“RIGHT”) those things.
F: There’s a very likely chance of that. (“UH-UH” “SO”)
Q: Part of your magic in making photographs might be (“YEAH”) chemically involved with you.
F: I cut myself a lot just before a shoot.
Q: Is it on purpose or not?
F: No. (“JUST”)
Q: Accidentally. But subconsciously you might be doing it on purpose without even realizing it.
F: That’s very true. (“UH-HUH”) Very possible.
( . . . )
Q: What happened to the CD player, Timothy?
F: For some reason, it stopped. (“HMM”) How come? (“SEE”)
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: SPIRIT BREATHING SOUNDS HEARD ON THE TAPE HERE REMIND ME OF THE SOUND EFFECTS HEARD IN THE “FRIDAY THE 13TH” FILMS.)
F: Do you have any answers for that? (“UH-HUH”)
Q: Yes. Well, you know. (“THINK” “THINK”) Michael, my angel (“OKAY”) is with me and He always does these little things to let us know He’s here.
F: He’s here. (small laugh)
( . . . )
Q: So, Timothy, there is a young woman here and she’s a member of a group —
F: A group called Céblime. And the group was playing in a hotel and they didn’t have any PR beforehand and so they just put a photograph in the lobby at the hotel that they were playing at. And they ended up having a packed house so much so that they had to have the fire department and the police department come to escort people out because there were just too many people in the lobby and all through the whole hotel. The group got on the radio station because of it and had their song played. Now they have a great deal going with this record company (“NO”) all because of this — (“L A” “THAT”) the news about their being there and them (“SANDRA BULLOCK”) selling out that night at this hotel. It literally became a mob scene there at the hotel. And they just replaced one of the girls in the group so I photographed them again. They changed the name to Lollipop. (“CHERRY”) Cherry Lollipop, it’s called. And they have a hip- hop sound and they are coming out with a new hit single now called, “Ret 2 Partay.”
Q: So, Timothy, you work magic.
F: I guess so.
( . . . )
F: This group here is called Sweet Sister Three. (“IT’S”)
Q: On the wall we’re looking at a photo of them that Timothy took.
F: Of these three girls. They’re actual sisters. They came to me and they asked me if I’d photograph them to try to get a record deal. So I did. And they said, “We’re going to send our photographs out with our tapes.” And I said, “I wouldn’t send the tape. I’d send strictly the photograph.” So we sent the photograph out to EMI in New York and one of the executives called me on the phone and asked me, “Can these girls sing?” He was so enthusiastic. He had to meet these girls. He brought them to New York and now they’re opening for Tina Turner in Japan.
Q: Who are these other people?
F: This is David Arkenstone. He’s the new guru of the New Age music right now. I shot that for the cover of his album and then I did a video of him a couple months ago — which is going to be on “Entertainment Tonight.” And this is Gregg Rainwater. He’s an actor that was in the TV series “Young Riders.” I did that for ABC for publicity shots.
Q: Is he an Indian?
F: Yes, he’s half or three-quarters American Indian or something like that. He’s a beautiful man too. And this is Richard Herd. He was playing Cecil B. De Mille and that was shot for the play. It was a poster for the play.
Q: Which play?
F: “Cecil B. De Mille.” And this is Wayne Gretzky. I shot that for a book cover for him. I just thought of him as such a relaxed individual. And he was kind of a keeper of the goal. He had won all these awards for scoring more points than any other hockey player. So I have him very relaxed.
Q: Notice his team is the Kings. My mother’s original last name was King. (“UH” “NOW” “HW”)
F: You can see how relaxed he is laying against the goal with his jersey hanging off.
Q: Of course, that’s a Los Angeles team. (“RIGHT HA HA HEE”) For people who don’t follow hockey.
F: And then this girl here I photographed for the 4th of July. That was a poster I did for a whole series of different models that I shot for each season.
Q: What’s her name? Do you remember?
F: Gabrielle Tutti. (“PSSST”) I think it is. Something like that. (“K”) Two Ts. (“LEADS TO”) Wonderful girl too. (“WE WOULD”) Disney’s Michael Eisner saw her and is so taken by her — he saw these photographs — that he wants to put her in a movie. Eisner wants to try to get her into acting. (“SHHHHHH”)
Q: Really?
F: Yeah. They’re doing that a lot now. They’re trying to get models to act. (“THIS”) The public seems to be looking for beautiful people all the time. As they always have.
Q: Do you think I’m a beautiful person?
F: Of course you are. (“HW”)
Q: Spiritually.
F: No, not just spiritually. Outside too.
Q: Well, thank you. Flatterer. (“YOU’VE GOT BOTH POINTS”)
F: Beautiful blue eyes.
Q: And you also know Marie — our friend Marie.
F: Marie. She’s a gorgeous girl. I mean she sparkles on film when you shoot her. (“I”) That’s what I love about her. Every time you look at her photographs after you’ve shot her, you can see her sparkle. She has a great sparkle about her.
Q: And we have some tape left. Have you experienced any strange, paranormal phenomena recently? Or ever? Or dreams? Or alien or poltergeist material?
F: I’m trying to think. (“JEWELS”) I can’t think offhand right now. I’m sure I could.
Q: Okay.
F: I’m sure I will.
Q: Well, we are listening to “Erasure” which has an interesting song called “Angel” on it. And we were listening to that other singer before this who also had am angel song. What was her name?
F: Jane — (“SZZ”) what’s her last name? (“SIDHA”)
Q: Siberry?
F: (correct pronunciation) Siberry.
Q: So all these people are singing and writing about angels now. And, of course, I have one living with me. So you’ll have to meet Him sometime.
F: Okay. I’d love to.
Q: Maybe He’ll come and visit you. You haven’t lost anything recently? Or had any articles that you couldn’t find?
F: Ohh, just today before you got here —
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: TAPE #29, SIDE #2 ENDS HERE.)
Q: By the way, Michael Kochman’s street begins with the word Bell.
J: Oh, another tie-in.
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: MICHAEL KOCHMAN ALSO WORKED IN THE PUBLICITY DEPARTMENT DURING THE TIME I WAS AN EMPLOYEE AT PARAMOUNT. HE LIVES ON BELLINGHAM AVENUE. AS I INTERVIEW CHERYL BOONE ISAACS, DEPARTMENT STAFF MEMBERS ARE IN HER OFFICE AND OCCASIONALLY MAKE COMMENTS.)
Q: I’m in my friend Cheryl’s office.
I: Yike.
Q: She has a magazine in front of her that says “Lords of Hollywood” and it’s the January edition of —
I: Us. (“SSS” “WHO IS THAT”)
Q: Alicia Silverstone from “Clueless” is on the cover. Good work, Cheryl.
I: I personally put it there.
Q: Yes, you did. (“BITCH”)
I: Do you want me to tell you about Gussie?
Q: Is it a strange story? (“YEAH”)
I: Well, I went to a psychic about fourteen years ago — Michael Berman said, “I’m going out now” (“TWO”) — with a girlfriend of mine. And we drove all the way up to Montecito because it was Reverend Daisly who is really a very good, popular person. Have you ever heard of Reverend Daisly, anyone?
Q: Spell it.
I: I think it’s D — A — I — S — L — Y. We went to him and he was very, very good. I mean he told me about a conversation I had with myself in my house about what pair of pants to wear, which I thought was interesting. He said, “Well, you wore the red ones. I’m glad you wore those instead of the black ones.” Heuhhh. He told us about a conversation we had in (“GAY”) the car driving up there. And he talked to my mother and said some things that he would never have known. (“GAY”) But he said to me, “There’s this dog around that is trying to get to you — that’s come from a distance. Know any dog?” “What dog?” “New dog.” “Right.” Suddenly, he talked about a dog. Okay. I went home. I guess it was around Christmas time and there was a little puppy that came to my front door. I realized that was the dog. And that dog came from Ojai. It belonged to the neighbors across the street and I went to them. I said, “I have to have this dog.” And they said, “Oh, okay, you can have the dog.” Daisly told me that the spirit that was born when I was born was traveling in the dog it lost touch with me and has been trying to get back.
Q: It sounds like “Lassie.”
I: “— Come Home.”
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: OTHERS IN THE OFFICE CAN BE HEARD LAUGHING HERE.)
(“NO”)
Q: No, the movie. The recent Paramount movie “Lassie.” Remember the beginning?
I: I never saw “Lassie.”
Q: Oh. (“KAY”)
B: Did you get that on tape? (“I DIDN’T EITHER”)
Q: I didn’t either see it but in the screenplay (“HULA”) the same thing happened. (“GOT THAT”)
I: And I’ve never seen “The Kids in the Hall.”
Q: Did you see it, Mike?
B: No.
G: A dog wanders up on the road. It’s (“SHADOW”) — yeah. (“OF THE SAME”)
Q: The same thing happened.
I: Gussie and I are (“LINK”) linked. That’s it. We got it. I know.
B: Finish your book before you’re committed.
Q: What did you say? (“NOW YOU THINK” “EXACTLY”) Michael just said he hopes I finish my book before I’m committed. Well maybe I already was. (“YOU HAVE BEEN”)
I: You have been committed your entire life. (“RIGHT”)
Q: Exactly. I have been very committed.
I: (while sipping) Um-huh.
Q: Anyway, so is there anything else you want to add or “Good luck on my book” or “It sounds scary” or — (“AMI”)
I: Good luck on your book.
Q: Have you had any weird dreams or anything?
I: Yes. In fact, yesterday — because you know I am a witch.
Q: No.
I: Yes.
Q: You’re a witch?
I: All my closest friends know that. And yesterday I was watching television and they — oh, no, it’s true. We’re sitting here and we’re talking about the plane that skidded off the runway (“ANNA”) and I went into my mind: “Oh my God, I hope there isn’t a plane crash today.” And I went home (“AM”) and I do whatever. I was in bed and I turned on the news just as they went off about how they lost contact with an airplane. And I, literally, you know how (“E E E E”) you almost — (“YOU”) you, like, freeze from inside because your heart literally stops for a second and goes flying down to your toes. And I went, “Oh shit. Oh no. Oh my God. Not again.” Because when I watched the Challenger go up — it was going up and up and up — I turned to Stanley and said, “Oh my God. There’s something wrong. There’s something wrong.” And then it blew up. (“SO YOU’RE” “SLIGHT WIND”)
Q: So you’re psychic.
I: Ohhhhhh, God.
Q: Witch is slang for psychic.
I: Yeah.
Q: There’s no bad denotation.
I: It’s not bad. No.
Q: Right.
B: Did you see who was on that plane that skidded off the runway?
I: No.
B: Two hundred cheap Jews going for $69 on Tower Airways to Florida. (“PLAY”)
I: And good for them.
B: Good for them? Look where they wound up.
I: Well, look at the weather.
B: And now there’s —
I: Did you see the weather? I was thinking, “I can’t believe they let a plane take off in that weather.” Would you?
B: — two hundred lawsuits. (“YEAH”)
I: I couldn’t believe that.
A: I would have gotten off the plane.
I: Well, they won’t let you once you’re on. Remember? (“NO”) They will not open the door. (“WILL NOT”) They will not let you open the door.
A: I wouldn’t get on.
I: No. Anyway, I thought it was — I must admit that was very disheartening.
Q: That’s right. You once worked as a flight attendant.
I: Yeah. And —
B: I once flew with her.
I: — when I (“PICK”) saw it from — it was footage from a helicopter. (“AND”) So it’s different looking down. (“NO”) I remember it was the POV and I thought, (“OH”) “Oh, that’s really bizarre that they would have let that plane try to take off. Even though it’s a 747.” (“YOU KNOW”)
N: Hey. What happened there?
Q: Hi, Blaise. You like my beard? (“VIDEO”) I’m interviewing Cheryl.
B: Talk about witches . . .
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: OTHERS IN THE OFFICE CAN BE HEARD LAUGHING HERE.)
(“WITCHES” “I KNOW”)
I: I have a lot of other witches stories too but those are the two I can think of at this minute.
B: Cheryl, I once told Allison Jackson ten years ago that (“EXHIBIT”) if this was old-time Salem she’d have more frequent (“NO PASSING”) flyer miles in that dipping chair than anybody else in town.
Q: (laughs) (“BUT YOU WERE YOU KNOW”) As a flight attendant (“YOU WENT THROUGH A”) — I just remembered something. Wasn’t ‘Patient Zero’ a flight attendant? (“YOU KNOW AH”) You know, the one who ‘started’ AIDS?
I: You know, I think you’re right.
Q: Right. (“YEAH”)
G: He was Canadian. (“YEAH”)
I: Was he Canadian? (“A GAY”) I know it was an American.
G: He was a Canadian.
I: No no no — it was in Africa.
Q: I don’t know if this is an alien thing or if it’s separate.
I: But which story do you believe? Do you believe the Rolling Stone piece?
Q: I don’t know what to believe. What did the Rolling Stone piece say?
I: Oh, it was all about when the scientists were trying to come up with a vaccination for polio. And they were using (“THE”) rhesus monkeys in Africa and Africans, which is why there’s so many more Africans who have AIDS. And that was in the ’40s.
Q: I don’t think so. (“IN EARLY”)
G: Did you see “The Hot Zone”?
I: No.
G: Because there’s a theory (“WHA”) in “The Hot Zone.”
I: No, there are a couple of them but I must say —
G: This spoke to that.
I: — that one makes so much sense.
Q: Well, I don’t think that.
I: There was, you know, a battle between Salk — and who was the other — (“EH”)
A: Chermann?
I: Chermann and Salk. And they were both battling, remember? At the time?
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: JEAN-CLAUDE CHERMANN AND LUC MONTAGNIER ARE FAMOUS FRENCH DOCTORS AFFILIATED WITH THE PASTEUR INSTITUTE.)
I: Trying to be the first one out of the block to be famous forever? (“BUT I” “WE’RE ALL PART OF A TEAM” “SHORTLY”)
Q: I think HIV is involved with the depletion of the ozone layer or the fact that the rain forest is being depleted —
I: Oh, I don’t.
Q: — and all those germs are coming up.
G: That’s “The Hot Zone” theme.
I: Oh, I don’t think so.
G: There’s this road that’s running through Africa that (“IS”) — major highway and there used to be isolated outbreaks of certain tropical diseases in the villages but never —
I: Went anywhere else.
G: They were always contained and the incubation time was very long and the diseases died out and never really got out. And this highway caused the disease to spread. (“HE”)
I: Well, yeah, that happens everywhere. All sorts of situations that used to be contained in the world aren’t anymore because there are no places left that no one doesn’t go anymore. And I do think that the destruction of the rain forest (“CORRECT”) has a lot to do with a whole lot of stuff. (“THAT’S RIGHT”) But, (“THAT”) you know, in terms of the ability for germs to cultivate — never mind the fact that we buy in the grocery store manufactured food that is full of hormones so, therefore, we as individuals can no (“UH-HUH”) longer fight any illnesses because our bodies have become immune —
Q: I get sick — physically sick whenever I eat meat.
I: — which is why there are so many cancers now — (“THINK SO”)
Q: Yeah. (“GET HER”)
I: — because we cannot fight them. (“UH-HUH” “WELL” “GET A MAP”) We’re so busy having —
N: What are you? The American Medical Association?
I: — great milk and —
Q: Somebody should be.
I: — 9,000 of these chicken places (“THERE GOES”) in a block. (“THERE GOES A”) I mean every once in (“TASTE GOOD”) a while I look around (“QUICKLY”) and say, “Well, where did all these chickens come from?” — that (“I” “THEY COVER THAT UP”) you can go down a city block (“CHICKEN” “ALL THE TIME” “KEN”) and eventually you think, “Well, I just went by twenty restaurants and everyone of them sells chicken.” (“BUT THEY”) That’s on one block. In one city. In one state. In one country. I mean when you start thinking about, “Where do these chickens come from? How can you have so many chickens?” (“A HIDDEN”) It’s scary. (“PROBLEM”) I mean because they’re little. I mean chickens even being a — what? (“FOOT”) It’s really bizarre.
?: Cheryl, did you tell him about Boonesadong?
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: THIS VOICE ON THE TAPE HERE MAY BE PUBLICIST MICHAEL WUETCHER.)
(“SOME OF THE”)
I: No, he doesn’t know about Boonesadong. But he will — (“IT CAN’T WORK”) you will work with me. I’m developing us a new religion.
Q: What is it?
I: Boonesadong. (“THAT’S WHAT YOU KNOW”)
G: (laughs) (“HA” “IT’S THE”)
Q: How do you spell it?
B: They must be getting you — (“WITH HER”)
I: I don’t know? Boone —
B: Let me give (“SA”) offerings to your image.
N: It’s chapter twelve.
I: No no, we’re past all that. (“CHICKEN” “STUNT” “THINK” “TWENTY-FIVE”) I have to tell him what you’re going to do. There’s —
A: (laughs)
I: — I have to come up with it. (“SHERRY’S WILL”) They’re not disciplines. (“THAT ACT LIKE YOU” “IN THE BOAT” “BUDDHISM” “THE PART” “DIME”) They’re not commandments — (“ALL THOSE ARE”)
Q: But The Celestine Prophecy (“BUDDHISM”) was fiction and it was a huge bestseller.
I: Well, you know why Jesus Christ is so famous. (“BUDDHISM” “WHY”) He hired Rogers & Cowan.
Q: That’s where Michael, my brother, works.
I: Well, I know. But that is the truth because St. Paul is the one who did everything. Jesus didn’t do a darn thing. Honest to God, St. Paul was over here as the first publicist in the entire world. He wrote everything. He did everything. You all know about this — you all are religious people? (“EARN”) He let Michael Jackson be the star ([WOODY WOODPECKER] “HA HA HA HA”) while he did everything. He’s the one who (“WHO WHO WHO”) came up with the term Christianity; who went after the gentiles to convert; he is the — (“I” “HE COULD”) everything. He’s the one who made up the nativity story. He’s the one who said that women cannot work in the church. Besides, he was a known (“HETERO”) homosexual at the time and he didn’t like women. And I mean everything. (“RIGHT” “BUT”) Everything.
Q: Who wrote the Bible? (“I DID” “MARY”)
I: He was the editor.
Q: Who was?
I: St. Paul was the first editor of what we know as the Bible.
Q: Really?
I: It’s the truth. (“LET’S BEGIN”) And, you know, (“SHE’LL KNOW ABOUT” “I HAVE GOT” “STRAIGHT AHEAD”) I have gone on (“LOVEY”) for hours — (“THAT I HAVE” “YOU ARE —” “THINNER” “— FINE” “REGGAE”)
N: Did you know about all of this? (“GET IT” “DEAD”)
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: LAUGHTER CAN BE HEARD ON TAPE HERE.)
I: I love religion books. I have to pour through them. And I’ve got this Time magazine at home that’s all about — you know, because it’s (“SO DUMB” “WELL THINK ABOUT”) manipulative. I mean —
G: It’s all about the Bible.
I: — the film business has (“LIFE”) nothing on the early Christians. They were eaten.
Q: But you know what we have in common? (“YOU’RE” “BEL” “MARDUK”) The Paramount (“AT A”) as a mountain symbol. It is like ‘the mount.’
I: Like Moses.
Q: Right, exactly. And Paramount made the movie “The Ten Commandments.” (“PARIS” “MONT BLANC” “RIDGE”)
I: Michael (“YOU HURT MY”) Berman worked on it. (“SOMEBODY”)
B: A guy called me from Australia last week (“WE WONDER WHO THE CAMERAMAN WAS”) and wanted to know who the still photographer was (“COME”) on the first “The Ten Commandments.” 1923.
I: And did you know that?
B: I said George Eastman.
I: Oh, that’s not true.
B: Yes, it was. How am I supposed — the guy’s probably been dead 500 years. But even for the second “The Ten Commandments” (“ALAN KRAMER”) there’s no still photographer credited. (“NO HE DIDN’T” “STILL PHOTOGRAPHER”)
Q: Have you, Blaise, had any (“ONE”) weird phenomena in your life? (“HEAVEN” “NOTHING” “OUT OF YOU”)
I: Wait till he — wait Mike — (“THEY’RE NOT SAD OVER”) Mike? I mean Mark. Mark started work on the Boonesadong.
N: Have I weird phenomena in my life?
I: (tapping on her desk) He started work with me on Boonesadong. (“YOU WON’T REGRET THAT”)
N: (laughs)
I: All the great philosophers who became famous didn’t happen until their forties.
N: Look at Mark. (“HIS FACE” “OHH”)
I: I know — and you’re going to say, “Well what about Jesus then again?” Let me tell you. St. Paul wrote it all. He made him as famous as someone like John F. Kennedy, the youngest President. (“WHA”) He was then ‘the youngest.’ (“THERE WAS A HOPE THAT”)
Q: I think Jesus was a fairy tale.
I: No, he was a person and he was married to Mary.
Q: Married? (“CONFIGURE”)
I: Yes, he was married. (“OHH”) He was married for his whole life.
B: Along came Mary. (“THAT SOUNDS MUCH BETTER”)
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: ‘ALONG CAME MARY’ IS THE NAME OF A WELL-KNOWN HOLLYWOOD CATERING COMPANY.)
I: That was later when they — when, again, you know, women — I mean that was a lot of St. Paul —
Q: Not the virgin Mary but the other Mary.
I: No no no no no. No no no. Virgin Mary is the same —
N: Mary Magdalene was a whore.
I: — is the sister of Lazarus. (“GIVING”) It’s all the same Mary in the Bible. It’s all the same person. And it depended —
Q: Really?
I: — for history — it all depends on what one person will take from what —
Q: No, I don’t believe that.
I: — country had domination over the Bible and how they changed it. When they added miracles. When they went through the whole thing of the madonna-whore syndrome. Again, it’s part of St. Paul’s thing. Women are either. (“SAINTLY” “OH PIFF” “SO WAIT”)
Q: But if there is a St. Paul —
I: There is.
Q: — in the world now, who would he be?
I: No one smart.
Q: Well, that’s for sure.
I: No one smart.
Q: No one’s smart anyway. Who do you know who’s smart?
I: Oh, I know a lot of people. I think they’re all cluttered. They need Boonesadong.
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: EVERYONE LAUGHS ON THE TAPE HERE AND CHERYL SLAPS REPEATEDLY AT HER DESK IN A QUICK TEMPO.)
Q: Okay, spell Boonesadong. Remember, I’m going to transcribe this.
I: I don’t know. I’ve never tried. I don’t know. Boones-a-dong.
A: What’s the central philosophy of Boonesadong?
I: The same as every other religion on the planet. Do unto others as you would have them do onto you. (“WELL THAT’S” “ONLY ONE”)
B: We know this.
I: Oh, but you have to really do it and not get confused with everything else (“WHAT” “THIS POINT ON”) which everybody is now. Everybody’s concerned with all sorts of crap.
Q: I think that’s a good religion.
I: And not that basic goddamn thing. And if you do that and everybody did every single solitary day in every single thing they do with everybody.
( . . . )
Q: So when I got home I started going through my old Paramount tapes again, which is a pretty dull exercise for me in comparison to a lot of transcribing I do except I can definitely hear Michael on the old tapes. I just skipped through some of them and I heard my interview with Naomi Foner, Bob Rehme giving me his thoughts for a speech that I worked on with him as a favor because I had worked on his other films and he needed a speech for an appearance (“UM”) in his home town. I was glad to do it as a favor, thinking that later on I could write him a letter about one of my scripts and see if he’d want to read it — something that I thought was ideal for him, my science fiction screenplay adaptation “To Live Again.” But, apparently, (“THEY DON’T”) they weren’t accepting unsolicited screenplays. (“SO”) So much for favors. (“UH-HUH”) I didn’t get paid for that. Let’s see — I heard Harry Clein. (“U”) The usual people: Blaise, Cheryl, Rita. (“UM”) I found my interview for The Publicists Guild Directory (1991) with Howard W. Koch; (“UM”) Dale Midkiff from “Pet Sematary.” (“UM”) I also remember interviewing Mary Lambert, Fred Gwynne and Denise Crosby as well as the make-up effects people of that film. When I was working on the press kit for “Pet Sematary” and wanted to include some quotes from Stephen King (“YEAH”) I taped some of the EPK interview and on my tape recording of that, I can hear Michael. So (“UH-HUH”) I’m not sure if that’s on the EPK or just on my tape of the EPK. It’s probably just on my tape of the EPK. It’s just interesting, though. It doesn’t have to be me doing the interview for Him to make comments. It’s anything I’m recording. (“YA”) I guess. The next tape I came upon was an interview with Neil Jordan that I taped (“TTT”) wanting to get some better quotes for the production information. It just lasted a few minutes but our conversation encompassed many important (“TTT”) reflections. (“IN DEPTH”) So what follows this tape side (“UH-HUH”) is (“UH-HUH”) a portion from that tape that I have transcribed. As you can see, (“UH-HUH”) there are a lot of Michael (“UH-HUH”) voice (“UH-HUH”) remarks and sound effects. (“I KNOW”)
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING INTERVIEW IS WITH STEVEN CARRELL.)
C: Hello?
Q: Hi. Is Maxine there?
C: Uh, no. She just left.
Q: Hi. Who is this?
C: This is Steve.
Q: Oh, hi Steve. Twyla’s husband or Kim’s husband?
C: Kim’s husband.
Q: Oh, hi. It’s Mark Russell. (“WORK”)
C: Oh, okay. Yeah.
Q: Working on my book. I just wanted to give her an update. How are you doing?
C: Pretty good.
Q: Have you had any phenomena recently?
C: No, not me. I don’t hang around much.
Q: You don’t?
C: Working. (“WE”)
Q: Can you just give her a general message for me?
C: Yeah.
Q: Just let her know that in all of my previous tapes that I had recorded while I was on staff at Paramount — my interviews with people like Neil Jordan and Frank Marshall — I mean all these top people in Hollywood — Michael is talking all through the tapes. So I have a large source of Michael tapes. (“UH-HUH”)
C: Well, that’s strange, isn’t it?
Q: Well, it’s strange but I guess I’m not going to really include much of them in our book together. They’re just something to hold onto, I guess. I don’t really have (“A LO”) a lot of time to listen to the tapes either. But I just transcribed the Neil Jordan one and He talks a lot. (“I MEAN”) The movie was called “We’re No Angels.” And, of course, I think Michael is the angel Michael so there’s a definite connection. Anyway, let her know too that I did get the cover art for the book. I’m going to have it photographed today along with some other things. I’m also going to have a photograph taken of the objects that were thrown while I was there in the house. (“UH-HUH”)
C: Yeah.
Q: So there’ll be a photo in the book of the objects like the nail and things that (“YOU KNOW”) I witnessed because there’s always one of those types of photos in a book of this nature. So, anyway, everything’s going very well. You don’t have to tell Maxine word for word (“WHAT I’M”) what I told you but just generally.
C: Okay.
Q: Just everything’s (“VE”) going very, very well. And, of course, you’re one of the people who are sharing the profits of the book and the film so you must be happy with (“THE”) the progress.
C: Oh yeah. (“I”)
Q: You are? Oh good. Do have (“UM ANYWAY I’LL”) Maxine call me at some point. I did (“UH-HUH”) print out the first 300 pages. So maybe she’ll want to take a look at that. I don’t know really (“WHAT THE”) if the timing (“YOU KNOW”) is right or what-have-you. (“SO I’LL”) I’ll discuss that with her and see what she wants.
C: Okay. (“I KNOW”)
Q: I know she’s not a big reader.
C: You want me to have her call you?
Q: Yeah.
C: Okay.
Q: Well, have a good day.
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: THE FOLLOWING INTERVIEW WITH PHOTOGRAPHER TIMOTHY FIELDING WAS RECORDED INTERMITTENTLY DURING THE PHOTO SESSION.)
Q: I’m here at Timothy’s studio and just like Cheryl told me about the dog she found, I remember Timothy once told me he found this beautiful black cat (“A PIECE”) several years ago. (“AND”) It has green eyes. It looks like my neighbor’s black cat. (“UH-HUH”) Timothy, how did you find it?
F: She came to the door on a rainy, rainy night (“UH-HUH”) at about midnight and just was screaming at the door. She was about three to four months old. (“NO” “OKAY”) she was maybe five months old at the most and I think she was abandoned. I’m not sure. But I let her go and she kept coming back here. I gave her away to two people. And I would go over there. She just (“SSS”) seemed to be so sad and I brought her back here. And this is her home.
Q: She chose you.
F: Yeah, she really did.
Q: And what is her name?
F: Pip. And she is a Pip.
Q: By the way, let me apologize formally for saying that you were the reincarnation of Merlin when I came back from Oklahoma. (“NO IT’S”)
F: (small laugh) That’s okay.
Q: Did that freak you out?
F: No, not at all. Not at all.
Q: But you did say you had been going into magic stores.
F: Oh, a lot. A lot. All my life.
Q: Are you interested in magic?
F: Oh, God, yes. All the time. (“FROM THIS MAN”) I bought a magic thing just the other day.
Q: What did you get?
F: Some cards that I wanted to play with — some cards again. I used to do a lot of card tricks.
( . . . )
Q: I just showed Timothy the mysterious George Washington portrait. (“AM”)
F: And my comment is that there are no strokes on the face but all around the face you can see the strokes.
Q: But the strokes don’t seem to match up with the painting of Washington, though. (“NOT ALL” “WHICH IS”) Which makes it look like it’s a fake of some kind. Yet it’s strange that it’s not over the face. (“SO”)
F: It is not at all over the face. It’s amazing how it isn’t.
Q: Yeah, I don’t understand that.
F: And then it runs together.
Q: I plan asking the curator over at Independence National Park (“IT”) about that as well because maybe she’ll know. (“UM” “I DON’T KNOW”)
F: Why that is?
Q: Yeah. (“TYPICAL”)
F: I mean there are literally none on — look at it upside down. There is no stroke. (“OVER HIS FACE”)
Q: And there’s no signature by the artist, either.
F: Nothing there.
Q: Yeah. Interesting.
F: An interesting look.
Q: So maybe when you photograph it you can make it so you can see these strokes.
F: Okay. Let’s try that.
Q: I think I paid $30 for this.
F: Really? (“PIP”)
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: THIS PORTION OF TAPE CONCERNS THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE.)
(“UM” “FULL”)
Q: It’s beautiful, isn’t it? Look here where you can see where they erased it. So that’s really what I want to capture are the erasures — (“UM”) and just capture the fact that this looks like real ink as opposed to a printed reproduction.
F: Okay. Can this come out of the frame?
Q: No, it can’t come out of the frame because, look, it’s sealed in the back. (“IN” “YEAH IT IS”) And I’d be too worried. I don’t know what air would do to it. (“IT WOULD HURT IT”) Somebody cut it in back but it didn’t go all the way through, it looks like. So it’s very well preserved, considering how old it might be.
F: I’m going to use a very detailed lens on this. Let me set that up.
Q: Well, I could hold it for you.
F: Maybe that would be the way of doing this. Try holding it like that. Against the wall.
Q: I can get a photograph of myself. But I’ll put on my cap because I haven’t shampooed my hair.
F: You look great, by the way. You really do look terrific. (“YOU DID NOT”)
( . . . )
Q: What happened, Timothy?
F: I just cut my finger on that, uh, light. (“TTT”)
Q: Do you do this very often?
F: Yeah. (laughs)
Q: You do? (“YES” “AND”)
F: I’m terrible at — (“FIST”)
Q: Some people think that strange things happen when blood mixes with the air. In terms of magic and all (“RIGHT”) those things.
F: There’s a very likely chance of that. (“UH-UH” “SO”)
Q: Part of your magic in making photographs might be (“YEAH”) chemically involved with you.
F: I cut myself a lot just before a shoot.
Q: Is it on purpose or not?
F: No. (“JUST”)
Q: Accidentally. But subconsciously you might be doing it on purpose without even realizing it.
F: That’s very true. (“UH-HUH”) Very possible.
( . . . )
Q: What happened to the CD player, Timothy?
F: For some reason, it stopped. (“HMM”) How come? (“SEE”)
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: SPIRIT BREATHING SOUNDS HEARD ON THE TAPE HERE REMIND ME OF THE SOUND EFFECTS HEARD IN THE “FRIDAY THE 13TH” FILMS.)
F: Do you have any answers for that? (“UH-HUH”)
Q: Yes. Well, you know. (“THINK” “THINK”) Michael, my angel (“OKAY”) is with me and He always does these little things to let us know He’s here.
F: He’s here. (small laugh)
( . . . )
Q: So, Timothy, there is a young woman here and she’s a member of a group —
F: A group called Céblime. And the group was playing in a hotel and they didn’t have any PR beforehand and so they just put a photograph in the lobby at the hotel that they were playing at. And they ended up having a packed house so much so that they had to have the fire department and the police department come to escort people out because there were just too many people in the lobby and all through the whole hotel. The group got on the radio station because of it and had their song played. Now they have a great deal going with this record company (“NO”) all because of this — (“L A” “THAT”) the news about their being there and them (“SANDRA BULLOCK”) selling out that night at this hotel. It literally became a mob scene there at the hotel. And they just replaced one of the girls in the group so I photographed them again. They changed the name to Lollipop. (“CHERRY”) Cherry Lollipop, it’s called. And they have a hip- hop sound and they are coming out with a new hit single now called, “Ret 2 Partay.”
Q: So, Timothy, you work magic.
F: I guess so.
( . . . )
F: This group here is called Sweet Sister Three. (“IT’S”)
Q: On the wall we’re looking at a photo of them that Timothy took.
F: Of these three girls. They’re actual sisters. They came to me and they asked me if I’d photograph them to try to get a record deal. So I did. And they said, “We’re going to send our photographs out with our tapes.” And I said, “I wouldn’t send the tape. I’d send strictly the photograph.” So we sent the photograph out to EMI in New York and one of the executives called me on the phone and asked me, “Can these girls sing?” He was so enthusiastic. He had to meet these girls. He brought them to New York and now they’re opening for Tina Turner in Japan.
Q: Who are these other people?
F: This is David Arkenstone. He’s the new guru of the New Age music right now. I shot that for the cover of his album and then I did a video of him a couple months ago — which is going to be on “Entertainment Tonight.” And this is Gregg Rainwater. He’s an actor that was in the TV series “Young Riders.” I did that for ABC for publicity shots.
Q: Is he an Indian?
F: Yes, he’s half or three-quarters American Indian or something like that. He’s a beautiful man too. And this is Richard Herd. He was playing Cecil B. De Mille and that was shot for the play. It was a poster for the play.
Q: Which play?
F: “Cecil B. De Mille.” And this is Wayne Gretzky. I shot that for a book cover for him. I just thought of him as such a relaxed individual. And he was kind of a keeper of the goal. He had won all these awards for scoring more points than any other hockey player. So I have him very relaxed.
Q: Notice his team is the Kings. My mother’s original last name was King. (“UH” “NOW” “HW”)
F: You can see how relaxed he is laying against the goal with his jersey hanging off.
Q: Of course, that’s a Los Angeles team. (“RIGHT HA HA HEE”) For people who don’t follow hockey.
F: And then this girl here I photographed for the 4th of July. That was a poster I did for a whole series of different models that I shot for each season.
Q: What’s her name? Do you remember?
F: Gabrielle Tutti. (“PSSST”) I think it is. Something like that. (“K”) Two Ts. (“LEADS TO”) Wonderful girl too. (“WE WOULD”) Disney’s Michael Eisner saw her and is so taken by her — he saw these photographs — that he wants to put her in a movie. Eisner wants to try to get her into acting. (“SHHHHHH”)
Q: Really?
F: Yeah. They’re doing that a lot now. They’re trying to get models to act. (“THIS”) The public seems to be looking for beautiful people all the time. As they always have.
Q: Do you think I’m a beautiful person?
F: Of course you are. (“HW”)
Q: Spiritually.
F: No, not just spiritually. Outside too.
Q: Well, thank you. Flatterer. (“YOU’VE GOT BOTH POINTS”)
F: Beautiful blue eyes.
Q: And you also know Marie — our friend Marie.
F: Marie. She’s a gorgeous girl. I mean she sparkles on film when you shoot her. (“I”) That’s what I love about her. Every time you look at her photographs after you’ve shot her, you can see her sparkle. She has a great sparkle about her.
Q: And we have some tape left. Have you experienced any strange, paranormal phenomena recently? Or ever? Or dreams? Or alien or poltergeist material?
F: I’m trying to think. (“JEWELS”) I can’t think offhand right now. I’m sure I could.
Q: Okay.
F: I’m sure I will.
Q: Well, we are listening to “Erasure” which has an interesting song called “Angel” on it. And we were listening to that other singer before this who also had am angel song. What was her name?
F: Jane — (“SZZ”) what’s her last name? (“SIDHA”)
Q: Siberry?
F: (correct pronunciation) Siberry.
Q: So all these people are singing and writing about angels now. And, of course, I have one living with me. So you’ll have to meet Him sometime.
F: Okay. I’d love to.
Q: Maybe He’ll come and visit you. You haven’t lost anything recently? Or had any articles that you couldn’t find?
F: Ohh, just today before you got here —
(TRANSCRIBER’S NOTE: TAPE #29, SIDE #2 ENDS HERE.)
