Black tucked into a theater seat for a quick post-show chat. An edited transcript follows. Q: Congratulations.
The show was absolutely splendid. How did you come to be involved? A: They asked me to do it.
They sent my agent some information about Guy Maddin; he's won Best Experimental Director awards twice in the United States. Everything about it was interesting to me. Q: And your career is very indie-friendly.
You've worked with a lot of first-time directors. A: Yes, that's my world - independent features. That's how I started.
That's what I like. It's playful and comfortable and not stressful, and it's an individual's way of creating. You're not in the studio system imitating other people and yourself.
I'm having a good life. Q:You're in a very interesting place in your career. You're loved by indie directors and horror fans and you've become something of a gay cinema icon and then of course there are fans of your '70s work, like "Five Easy Pieces" and "Nashville.
" A: I'm for gay rights. Who you are is very sacred, and should be honored - no matter what gender you were born. You shouldn't feel like you have to dodge some sort of conformity.
I guess I'm not that thrilled about the horror thing, because if you think about it, there's a differentiation that's seldom made between horror movies and science-fiction movies. I'm not actually a fan of horror movies - I don't understand blood, and I don' t know what's interesting about wounds. I can't figure that out.
I don't know what's going on. Q: Uh, have you talked about this with ("House of 1000 Corpses" director) Rob Zombie? A:That was a studio film that everyone was going to see, and my agent really wanted me to do it.
But if you look at my career, you see very few horror movies. ("Trilogy of Terror" director) Dan Curtis never did a horror movie; he only did science fiction. That a house could devour its occupants is completely conceptual; it has nothing to do with being graphic.
That a doll could come to life and scare the bejeezus out of a young woman? Complete science fiction. Nothing to do with horror.
Q: Did I hear you say you're heading straight from here to D.C. to do a one-woman show?
A: Yes. I'm also doing Ernest Thompson's new play in the spring. Ernest Thompson wrote "On Golden Pond," and he has this new play called "Axe of Love" that's extremely funny.
It'll absolutely knock your socks off. People can't even move after they see it. I'm an alcoholic mom in that, and the play checks in with the characters over the decades, and they learn to forgive and they learn to be who they are - the subject of the evening!
All kinds of stuff is coming up. I'm very happy about it. The show I'm going to Washington, D.
C. to do is for the Ganymede gay and lesbian theater festival.
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