David Milch - The Idea of the Writer

Started by Mel, February 25, 2014, 03:53:24 PM

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Mel

For those not familiar with David Milch, profile from "The New Yorker": The Misfit.

I don't know where to post this, as this isn't really related to the shows, which he is responsible for. If someone has few hours to waste, here it is.

In 2007 during Writers' Strike, David Milch gave a series of lectures about writing and writers. He provides numerous anecdotes, varying from personal stories to industry insight. Fiction is often seemingly mixed with commentary on current and past events. He is engaging as speaker, yet very outspoken, often crossing boundaries of political correctness. Above all it is great story telling (at least in my opinion) and I don't know how to describe this in more specific manner.

  • Day 1 (82 minutes): /
  • Day 2 (102 minutes): / /
  • Day 3 (100 minutes): / /
  • Day 4 (94 minutes): / /
  • Day 5 (90 minutes): / /

Clip as encouragement:

Simple mind - simple pleasures...

Drenk

Oh. Great! I'll definitely watch it. Everything.
Ascension.

Drenk

Ascension.

Mel

Quote from: Drenk on May 25, 2014, 02:47:21 PM
An hour long interview with Milch by the critic Matt Zoller Seitz.

Same guy made a video essay for "Deadwood". Looking forward to watching it - damn those flash players.
Simple mind - simple pleasures...

Mel

He is very uncomfortable in that interview, didn't like it to be honest. Example: audience did ask some interesting questions, but answers left a lot to be desired. Not surprisingly he likes Altman - which I found a best part.

I used opportunity and searched for some recent interviews with Milch and found this (two and half hour long) via http://www.emmytvlegends.org/interviews/people/david-milch







This is by far best overview of his career - you know it is detailed, since he is questioned about things like his acting in "L.A. Law". This could be a first interview, when Milch sustained an eye contact - he has tendency of closing his eyes or staring into the floor. Still it looks like he is getting old: shaky hands, not so good memory (in some earlier interviews he used to quote from memory a lot, not anymore it seems).

Lot of good stuff in there, example: "Ambitious show should transcend its own conventions" - Milch on "Deadwood" being a Western. Talk about "Milch-speak" was also interesting - grammatical inversions and early negligence from actors to speak this way (concern was it would make them look like idiots). There is a lot about his early carrier. He didn't know how to write a script, when working for the first time on "Hill Street Blues", so he copied a structure without understanding the meaning of INT/EXT.

He explained the cancellation of "Luck": horses, Mann and the budget. He is very humble about his less successful work, pointing out lack of the respect toward the material and not giving it enough of an attention. His take on the earlier television was also nice: form was more a problem than lack of a talent.
Simple mind - simple pleasures...