Yes, it’s that easy.

Yikes:

You visited a Russian prison to prepare for your role in Iron Man 2. How did you prepare to play an ancient Greek Titan king for Immortals?

I showed up. The director spent three years working on the overall look of the film and that really helped. They paid me a lot of money for a few days of work so I was happy to go. It’s just a shame I didn’t get to work with the hot blond chick, Isabel Lucas. [below] I also loved Frieda Pinto, but she has a boyfriend. She’s a really nice person and I have great respect for her as an actress — and I think most actresses are c*nts with a capital K.

[...]

When are you going to write a memoir?

Why bother? Other people write books about me, so I don’t need to. I’m not interested in my legacy. When you’re dead, you’re dead. I don’t give a f*ck. I will be up in heaven. Hopefully.

Full interview here.

Kurt Loder, a film critic for Reason.com and Creators Syndicate, quotes the legendary Rolling Stones guitarist to explain why most of the reviews in his new book, The Good, The Bad and The God-Awful: 21st-Century Movie Reviews are negative. Loder says he loves movies, but because of the constant demand for new product, the bad movies will inevitably outnumber the good ones.

In this interview with Reason.tv’s Nick Gillespie, Loder offers up a few examples of some recent underrated cinematic gems, some god-awful big-budget fiascos, and why he devoted an entire chapter to the enigma that is Nicolas Cage’s movie career.

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The Vel’ d’Hiv roundup occurred on July 16, 1942, when French police and gendarmes, acting under Gestapo orders, rounded up thousands of Jewish men, women and children and held them in horrific conditions in a large sport stadium for days without working plumbing, and little food or water. Soon after, the police transported the Jews by train to Drancy, a holding camp outside of Paris, and then sent them to Auschwitz, where almost all of them were murdered.

French director Gilles Paquet-Brenner gained recognition for his first feature, “Pretty Things,” in 2001. In “Sarah’s Key,” he shows a knack for capturing powerful emotions realistically, and for putting the audience in the scene. Here are a few comments from a recent interview with him about the film:

“I knew what the roundup was [before reading “Sarah’s Key”], but I didn’t realize what it meant to have the French police banging on doors … taking families and sending them to death,” Gilles said of the roundup. “And so I was very interested that people understood that.” The horror of this is what makes the book, “Sarah’s Key,” stand out. But the story holds personal importance for Gilles too. “I lost some of my family during the Holocaust, so I had a very personal connection. But you know it’s not the number one reason I made this movie. The real number one reason is ‘how can we make history feel closer to us?’”

The film’s power comes not only from its strong source material, but from its exceptional cast. The most impressive performance comes from a young French actress named Mélusine Mayance, who plays the young Sarah.

“I used to say before making the movie that we have to find the French Dakota Fanning, meaning this … old actress in a child’s body,” Giles said. “And that’s what [Mélusine Mayance] is. What’s amazing with Mélusine is that she’s a great actress. She’s not a child who acts – she knows … about how to move, how to place herself for the camera, she knows about pacing.”

The film recently screened at the Holocaust Museum in Washington, D.C.

“You know, I’ve had a lot of screenings all around the world but this one was special,” Giles said of the showing. “It was a whole process to have that [Holocaust Museum] screening. There are top historians that basically checked everything in the film to really make sure it was accurate from a historical point of view, and when they said, ‘Yes it is, we can do that screening,’ it’s not we ‘can’ it’s ‘we want to screen the movie.’ … Can you imagine the pride it is to have such an endorsement?”

“Sarah’s Key” opened this weekend in New York City and Los Angeles. On Friday, July 29 it will open in major cities around the nation. A review will follow soon.

So, for those who aren’t familiar, what is the purpose of the book? How is it structured, and what kind of lessons are you sending to its “little patriot” readers?

It is a teaching tool to help kids learn the fundamentals of America. So, it goes from one nation under God through ten amendments in the Bill of Rights. It’s a counting book, but it covers government structure, history–a little bit of everything. It’s meant for ages 5-8; the counting aspect is for younger children, but they might not really understand the concepts until they’re a little older. Still, good to familiarize them with it early!

What brought about the decision to make a book specifically catering to conservative parents?

It’s not really conservative; it’s more patriotic. It’s all factual things–I guess “one nation under God” is considered religious–but aside from that, things like 10 amendments in the Bill of Rights are pretty straightforward, information for kids.

I wrote it for my friend’s little boy when he turned three, and he’s like a nephew to me. So we were learning how to count, and I just wasn’t crazy about any of his books. I mean, they were fine, but I felt like he could be counting better things, so I wrote him a book for his birthday. Originally, I didn’t think about publishing it at all, but I shared it with a few friends to read to their kids and it was so well received that I realized parents are really looking of books like this. And I’m passionate about helping as many kids as possible learn about our country, so that’s how it came to be.

How do you feel about the lessons and values that kids are receiving from most modern children’s books?

I feel like many are lacking something. One of the first books I bought the same little guy, it was If You Give a Mouse a Cookie–which, I don’t know if you’re familiar with that story, but it’s how, if you give somebody something, they’re just gonna expect something more. So I feel like, even with some of the books that have good messages, the parents still need to extrapolate on what’s being said, and the books aren’t making kids ask more questions or want to learn more as well as they could be.

Do you think that in contrast, your book is encouraging the child to interact with their parents about what they’ve read?

Yes, I hope that it stimulates an interest in the children to learn more, because I feel like having well-informed children is the best chance we’ve got.

What kind of feedback have you been receiving from those who have already seen the book so far?

So far, people love it. I was worried that people might think it’s conservative, but they’re really not. Even people who may not see eye-to-eye with me on politics are just seeing it as a pretty straightforward, patriotic book. Since it is “One Nation Under God,” people of faith are liking Number One. It’s being pretty well received so far; of course, not that many people have seen it yet, so we’ll see what happens.

Who did the illustrations for the book, and how did you get them involved?

A man named Anthony Resto did the illustrations; he is incredible. I actually just found him on Craigslist; I thought it would just be a place to start and get some leads. I didn’t really expect anything to happen from that, but he answered the ad and was perfect.

I see there’s going to be a book tour come September when it’s released. How extensive are the plans for that tour?

That is still sort of being decided. In the next year or so, I hope to cover quite a bit of America. And so far, my Twitter friends and others are pulling together and helping me get into their local bookstores–things like that. So, pretty much whoever will have me, I will do my best to go wherever I’m invited.

And so, it’s being self-published their your Hamilton Oddbody company. What kind of methods are you using to get the book out to different stores?

Yes, my mom and I are the “Hamilton” part of it, and “Oddbody” is Clarence Oddbody from It’s a Wonderful Life. So, we’re doing it with our guardian angel. [laughs] So far, building a market has just been through our network of personal contacts, and it’s coming together amazingly. People really seem to believe in the book, and they’re willing to go to their local bookstores and put in a word for us, and it’s being really well received. We don’t have plans for a digital copy through Kindle or Nook right now, but that’s definitely something we are considering.

You can pre-order Amelia’s book at her website and “Like” its Facebook page here. You can also follow Amelia on Twitter, @gadsdenista.

This article was originally published at the Landmark Report.

Yet despite her butt-kicking abilities and way with witty dialogue in those films, Thurman is actually a very centered and calm presence who’s regarded as one of the most pleasant actresses to work with in Hollywood. No doubt that fact has contributed to her longevity, as she has not only passed 40, but she’s doing it with style and a full resume that includes her latest work in the excellent new indie film “Ceremony” (available with On Demand from some cable services now, but in theaters starting April 8).

In the film, which is squarely in the quirky character-comedy vein of Wes Anderson films like “The Royal Tenenbaums,” Thurman plays a free-spirited and wealthy woman named Zoe who’s about to get married to her longtime fiancé. But when another past boyfriend – the much younger Max (played well by Michael Aragano, who replaced Jesse Eisenberg in the role) – shows up to declare his still-burning love for her, the weekend gets turned upside down as Zoe is torn between two lovers.

“Ceremony” is a fun and often touching romp, a coming-of-age film for Max that doesn’t succumb to sappiness or cliché. And Thurman hits a homer with it. She recently did a round-table interview at the Four Seasons in Beverly Hills to discuss the role and some of her life philosophies.

Q: What was the attraction here in script and character?

UMA: I could tell it was no formulaic pitch for a studio film, it was clearly an independent voice and mind, which tells you it’s going to be a special experience.

What I like is that all of the characters, none are remotely clichéd, all contradictory, he renders people in a very lifelike manner unlike many female characters in film who are devices in plot, room to breathe, tell the truth or lie about it. Max’s characters are all not who they appear to be.

Q: Zoe never says in the movie that she loves her fiancé. Do you think she does?

UMA: I think that I’m sure she has loved her fiancé and has love for him. One of the beautiful things about the piece is it’s all about idealism and compromise, emotionally in some way. She’s been with him a long time, she’s not freshly in love with him, she knows him, and he knows her. She sees a path and a life for herself with with him. It’s different than falling in love with him, she sees him as a partner with her.

—–

Q: Are you as romantic in real life as you are in your work?
UMA: I’m a romantic, I think I’m actually quite an idealistic person in spite of everything. It gives one a good sense of humor, that’s for sure.

Q: You get the sense that neither guy was really right for her at the end of the day.
UMA: Is anyone perfectly right for anyone? How many people do you know like that? Part of his point is that these are multi-faceted characters who interact one way with one person and another with someone else And who’s going to be the best steward and husband. There’s a whimsy and idealism with falling in love with this younger man who’s passionate and sees only the girl with her but maybe what she needs is this less obvious person.

Q: This is Max Winkler’s first film. What’s Max like as director and did he remind you of any of the other directors you’ve worked with before?

UMA: Yeah. I guess I’ve worked with quite a few directors, and actors work with other directors all the time but directors only work with actors. Directors can’t rub off on each other and how they constructed a scene or shot. Directors are very unique, very different from each other. Max you would have thought made 300 films. He was implacable, very very focused and organized and yet completely available to be in the moment and work with the conditions given him. That flexibility and centeredness is very rare and many get completely stuck if they don’t get exactly one way. Max is a very dexterous dodger.

Q: Ever have that kind of strange moment with a fan?

UMA: I can’t make that relationship, sorry. It’s a performance, a character, a shock. It’s a man crashing her wedding party yet at the same time she’s somewhat thrilled by it. There’s a bit of a daredevil in that character, she’s self-destructive and hasn’t laid down her love of the thrill and the moment. She lives, and that’s something I liked about the character that she’s extremely present. Many characters have an agenda and determination but she’s a whimsical soul who’s lived most of her life without an agenda and now she’s trying to impose once because she’s afraid life is passing her by. Just jumping from one moment to the next without any anchor.

Q: How young do you think is too young for a man to be – how big a gap can a relationship have in age?

UMA: I have no idea how young is too young, I’m not a professional. Ask a doctor.

Q: You get to slap and kiss Michael Angarano, your costar. What’s better?

UMA: It was fun (slapping and kissing mike). I’m not really into slapping people, kissing is always better.

Q: You’re working quite a bit, while many actresses fear being over 40 will make them grandmother roles, but not you. What’s your secret to staying viable?

UMA: I have no idea, it’s a sheer miracle. I stay at home most of the time. They just find me. I’m a busy character with a busy life and I like to walk and that helps stay in shape. I have an active life.

Q: Shooting in Long Island seems like a summer camp experience with these guys.

UMA: It was for the boys. I had to drive back and forth because I have two children and don’t drop them and go off to have fun unfortunately. They’re in school but I went back every night. I love these guys and would love to hang out with them more but I have responsibilities.

Q: These people have a really odd take on life.

UMA: Max always wanted these people to be very whimsical and live in their own fantasy, skating through life trying not to pay bills or be affected by its causality.

Q: How do you find humor amid the rough spots Zoe is going through?

UMA: Humor comes from pain and experience, a good sense of humor is always hard-earned and you deserve your sense of humor. What kind of person would be all interesting if they sat around thinking how great they were. There’s only one superman and you can only play it once.

Q: Charlie Sheen seems to think he’s pretty great.

UMA: And he is, he’s highly intelligent and I hope he’ll be alright. I don’t’ enjoy people enjoying other people’s suffering. All of us suffer. The effort of being joyful is a good effort, but it takes effort.

Q: You have a reputation for being pretty green. What’s that involve for you?

UMA: I try to be more green. I’m ashamed not to be green enough. I’m in NYC, so that helps you walk. I try to recycle, be more conscious and more aware. I don’t know if you just cover entertainment but the whole world is exploding around us, seemingly out of control. I try not to be a mindless consumer, and am trying to consciously downsize my whole life. Who wants to build a life built around materials and worrying about that, or spend more time focused on your family, friends, spiritual side and community. Where’s your pride – accumulation of stuff, or acquiring a life of spirit and merit that means something to you.

Q: The film is full of surprises for all the characters. So what was it that surprised you about it?

UMA: The total lack of cliché surprised me. I think what surprised me and what I really enjoyed is I had not seen that much stuff with so much emotional intelligence. When I see the kids are all right or with max, my favorite kind of writing – on my resume I’m jack of all trades master of none – but my favorite is look at our lives today, an emotional investigation into who we are amongst all these explosions and changes in relationships. Life is really quite extraordinary and all the promises have been broken. TO live in this volatile time is fascinating. This is a small film about a weekend but it touches on how contradictory our values are, and can romanticism be preserved and carried on. I like someone taking on our emotional condition these days, that’s my favorite writing.

“I would say it is faithfully adapted—the film from the book. I have had not one negative comment yet that it was untrue to the book or something was not exciting to see. I’m waiting for that to happen, but not yet,” Aglialoro says in the video.

He continues, “My hope and aspiration is one of optimism. I believe that there are many people in Hollywood that will see this and say ‘Oh, there may be something here’—because the movie talks about the liberation of the human spirit. You won’t find words like left-wing, right-wing, or liberal, conservative in this movie. It’s about ideas.”

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In the video, Aglialoro expresses his interest in seeing how the American people will handle the political struggles of today and tomorrow. It will be interesting to see what role this upcoming film will play, if any, in the future of political discussion in America.

Here we continue our conversation with Daniel Smith, also known as Danielson, an independent musician and businessman based in rural New Jersey who’s done much to foster creativity and community for Christian performers through his record label, Sounds Familyre.  Smith has just released his first album in five years, Best of Gloucester County, which you can order here or from your favorite online retailer.

[There is a video that cannot be displayed in this feed. Visit the blog entry to see the video.]

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Before we get back into the interview, I’ve got some thoughts about the record itself, which I’ve listened to quite a few times before its release.  As noted in the last portion of our conversation, this has been a transitional record for Danielson in many ways.  In addition to reassembling a team of supporting players, the band is standing in the shadow of 2006’s imposing concept album Ships.  Rather than try to escalate the sound into more “epic” territory, which would quickly degenerate into self-parody, Danielson scales things back and gets about as back-to-basics as he can.  Since he’s working with a smaller sonic palette that doesn’t change much from song to song, the album has a jammier feel; it takes me back to the 2001 Danielson Famile masterwork Fetch the Compass Kids.

Though there’s still some of the heady, theological musing that made up the majority of Ships, Gloucester healthily revives the overt humor of past Danielson days.  “Lil Norge” is a bouncy ball of pure fun co-starring Swedish pop singer Jens Lekman, drawing good-hearted laughs out of culture clashes between Swedes, Norwegians, and Americans, and the aforementioned “People’s Partay” basks in its small-town idiosyncrasies with clever couplets and wordplay.  It’s a light-hearted song about learning that all you need for celebration is other people, God’s most precious creation, and discovering the joy of belonging to a loving community.

The lighter moments are complimented by heavier rock, which, while less aggressive in their production than Ships, continue the perennial Danielson vibe of cosmic rebellion.  By emphasizing purity, humility, and faithfulness, the music is more subversive than any ho-hum controversy-mongering in the pop music world.  Though there are some detours into ambling soundscapes such as “Olympic Portions” and “Hovering Above That Hill,” each song eventually finds its way to a satisfying pop-rock hook or lyric that sticks with you through your day.

Best of Gloucester County may be seen as a one-off or “lesser” Danielson work by some critics expecting another Ships, but this is a record reminding us that life isn’t just about busy peaks.  Rather than cling to immature desires for constant adventure and stimulation, our life experiences can be richest when we pay closer attention to our gauche and unfashionable immediate surroundings.  And with that rambling out of the way, let’s return to the words of our featured artist:

Instead of jumping around from contributor to contributor on each new song, the album has a primary lineup, like back in the day when it was the Famile.  How did you bring together all your supporting players?

Well, it’s been a couple years in this time of figuring out, “Well, who’s my band now?”  I just started to ask around and to meet and start rehearsals with some various players who were recommended to me or people that I’ve worked with in the past.  And we’ve had various shows on and off throughout these past couple years, where we’d go to L.A. for two shows or got to Spain, just do different short weekend trips, and we did a short tour for the Trying Hartz release a couple years ago.

So we kind of used all these shows and trips to get to know each other musically, and a band formed out of that—just playing live, being on the road together.  I just love playing with these guys, and so it was just very natural, from everything clicking and getting to know each other, when it came time to record, everybody was in place.  It was really awesome, but it did take that amount of time.  It wasn’t the kind of thing where players that I’ve never played with just show up to the studio.  We had a couple years of getting to know each other musically first.

And some of them you had already known—with Sufjan Stevens, obviously, there’s much recorded about your guys’ work together, and Josh Stamper works for Sounds Familyre, so were there a few people you were meeting for the first time?

Well, a couple years ago, my friend Brian McTear, who’s a producer in Philadelphia—I’ve worked with him quite a bit.  He helped make Ships; that’s how I met him, actually, and we’ve gotten to know each other better and better since, and he introduced me to Patrick Berkery who’s been a drummer in the Philadelphia area for years, and we just hit it off.  And then Evan, I got to meet him—he actually filled in on some Ships tours, so I’ve been working with him for a while and met through Vito and Monique from The Welcome Wagon.  He’s an amazing player and composer as well.  And then my friend Andy, I’ve known for some years now.  He’s local around here—or, rather, lives around here, but he’s actually from England.  And so, everything’s settled in place, and we’re just trying not to over-think it.

Is the whole lineup going to tour with you, or will it be modified?

I sure hope so; I mean, Sufjan won’t be making it.  But in terms of the rest of the players, we’re trying our best to make sure that it’s as close to that lineup as possible.

How did you connect with the guests on the album? It seems, between getting Jens Lekman to guest, who’s Swedish, and signing the new Sounds Familyre band I Was a King, and I believe your wife is from Sweden, it seems like you’ve got a lot of connections out there.

Well, my wife is actually from Norway.  And I Was a King is from Norway. [Interviewer kicks self repeatedly.] And the connection with Jens Lekman was—years ago, I was on tour, and we played a show in Sweden.  And a friend of mine from Secretly Canadian said, “Hey, there’s this guy named Jens Lekman who’s opening up for you; see what you think.”  And it was great; he was just up there by himself with a mini-disc player; I just loved his music, it was awesome.  So I met him briefly there and then met him again some years ago at the Pitchfork festival when we were playing through there.

But my wife Elin and I just had this idea for years to have this kind of love song between a Swedish boy and a Norwegian girl, and then eventually she moves to America and meets me, and he was just so perfect. We just love his voice, and he’s got a great sense of humor, and he agreed to do it.  We’ve been talking about it for quite a few years, but it finally happened, and it just fit perfectly on this record.

Daniel and wife Elin

Can’t wait to hear it.  One other thing, with the actual distribution of this album, what’s behind the decision to go with the Sounds Familyre label rather than Secretly Canadian this time around?

Well, first of all, the Secretly Canadian guys are just fantastic and so supportive and amazing.  But I think it’s just a  new season for us; it’s always felt a little strange that we asked friends of mine to be on my label, but I wouldn’t be on it.  [laughs] But for Elin and I, there was very much this feeling that it’s time to put all our chips into the vision, because the Sound Familyre label is a vision of community and friends and art all kind of wrapped in one, and the Tri-Danielson vinyl was the very first release years ago, and it’s just time now to put all of our focus into that vision, including our own music.

I usually don’t try to do anything; that’s an important point for me.  I would say, more and more, it’s about trying less and just trusting my gut—trying to decrease the amount of time it takes to make a record and really trying to decrease the time that my brain can start coming in and start over-analyzing and questioning myself.  So really, just trying to keep things as immediate as possible.  I’ve always tried to do that, and I’ve just continued to try more and more to stay out of the way in that sense, and this record—there was a lot of waiting and this not knowing what’s next, and all of a sudden, it happened, and that’s was really exciting.

Growing up, the model for Christian musicians, and correct me if I’m wrong, appears to have been limited to what your father [Lenny Smith, who is an accomplished songwriter suitable for this series as well] was doing, writing praise and worship songs. But it’s obvious that the Danielson project in all its forms is coming from a different place.  Can you describe, for the people who are new to your music, what approach you’ve taken to writing Christ-centered music?

Well, it’s not even that deliberate.  You know, I’m a Christian, and my everyday life is based on hearing God’s voice and trying to do the few things that he wants me to do today, whatever they may be.  And through that doing, hopefully I’m learning how to love and how to be like Him—allowing the Christ in me to come through; “As I decrease, He increases.”  So in that lifestyle, whatever I’m singing about—well, you know, I hardly ever say say “Jesus” or “God” or anything like that, because I’m not preaching.  My lyrics and my words are just reflections of the day-to-day spiritual journey.  And that’s why I don’t consider it Christian music, ‘cause I don’t have an agenda; I’m not selling anything.  I’m just sharing my life and just trying to be as honest and real from that place as I can.  And, to me, that’s what an artist should do; an artist should just be true to who they are and who their being is every day.

Yeah, I guess once you introduce a utilitarian element to it, it kinda destroys the artistry, then.

I also don’t really have anything to say about what other people do, because I’m not here to judge anyone else, but I just speak from what I feel comfortable about being connected with and what I don’t feel comfortable being connected with.

And that is why the man is the real deal; the fruit of the Spirit is strong with this one.  Big Hollywood and I are very thankful for his time.  As one final note, be sure to check out the tour dates for his upcoming concerts.  You may just catch me at either the Lancaster or Pittsburgh shows.  Or both.

—–

From The Macho Response:

[Sheen's] nothing-can-take-me-down attitude, in the face of this wimpy, middle class, wet rag nanny state finger-wagging opinion is winning. This is a man, owning his actions and insisting everyone else come clean and take responsibility for theirs as well. (Our favorite line? Interviewer: “One of the women said she was afraid she might O.D.”. Sheen [incredulous]: “What’s that got to do with me?”) …

We’ve become a cautious, conformist, inoffensive, non-risk taking, arrogant, lying bunch of NewAge p[**]sies who think if any woman, like this interviewer, says she or others don’t approve, then some form of public contrition and apology is called for. Well, screw that. Neither she, or the public, are Charlie Sheen’s mother and even if his parents disapprove, he’s a grown-assed man who refuses to be a part of whatever milquetoast existence the rest of you think is good for gaining social approval from a worthless feminized culture-killing clique. He didn’t ask for it, doesn’t need it, and isn’t angling for it. He’s a man. He’s rich. And he’s free.

There’s something to be said for that point of view, but when you remember Charlie Sheen has children, that he’s a father, his outrageous, gonzo, go-to-hell behavior is impossible to enjoy, even vicariously. No one should witness their own parent celebrating this kind of behavior. Of course, people should live the lives they want, but once you have kids they come first and in this clip The Rebel Rock & Roll Charlie Sheen who sneers at conformity is kind of fun to watch … until the interviewer reminds us he has children.

Sheen can do what he wants to himself, but who knows what the lasting effect of this last week has been on those kids.

One of the best-kept secrets about the Church is that Christians have often been pioneers and giants in the arts.  You certainly wouldn’t know that from what’s peddled as “Christian” music, that incestuous sub-genre known as CCM (contemporary Christian music) that embodies all the excess of the Nashville-based music industry.  Vain, kitschy, sappy, vapid, and overproduced, it’s an insult for us to offer such tripe in our worship instead of impassioned, finely crafted art.

Over the next few months, Big Hollywood will be highlighting the work of Christian musicians who buck this trend, who don’t use their music’s subject matter as an excuse for sucking but push boundaries for themselves and their listeners.  I’m personally ecstatic that our first contact is Daniel Smith, the founder and leader of the New Jersey-based music project named “Danielson” which has gone through many variations over the years, the first and most search engine optimized being the Danielson Famile.

Starting as a senior project at Rutgers University, the Danielson Famile was an experimental folk-rock outfit that consisted of Daniel Smith and his four siblings, some of whom were still in their teens.  Focusing on the marvelous fact that God has adopted him as a son, Daniel communicated his childlike faith through yelping, falsetto vocals, instruments like xylophones that sound like they’re being played by an out-of-control nursery, and unpredictable song structures.  As a fan, the first album A Prayer for Every Hour, I’ll admit, is off-putting and hard to sit through, but it was miraculously picked up by Tooth and Nail Records, which was then primarily known for releasing Christian punk music, allowing the Famile to tour and build up buzz in the indie world.  The rest is history, well documented in a great film from a few years back.

Over the past decade-plus, Danielson has gained and lost members as siblings moved on to other endeavors, and Daniel himself has settled into a different mode of writing as he’s built up his own family, started a record label, and come to appreciate a more provincial place in this world.  He’s gone from freak-folk ringleader to the frontman of one of the most slyly subversive pop-rock groups around, weaving layered Biblical allusions into poetic lyrics that can take Rubik’s-level effort to unravel.  His voice has given up on its squeakier octaves, and his melodies, while still unpredictable, have grown more accessible.  It’s a perfect time for anyone who’s unfamiliar with Danielson to hop on board and work their way back through his catalog of work.

Daniel was gracious enough to answer some questions about his new album Best of Gloucester County, which is hitting shelves almost five years since his latest (much lauded) release, Ships– an eternity in music years, but as you’ll see below, for good reason.   You can order the album directly from his label, Sounds Familyre, and those who purchase the vinyl LP will receive a digital copy of the album.  Below is the first single for Gloucester, a song called “Grow Up,” followed by part 1 of our exclusive interview.

There’s always been a strong visual element to the Danielson project, a lot of different media are put into it to help communicate the music’s message.  In the video for “Grow Up” you’ve still got the nautical uniforms from the Ships days, and there’s this new imagery with those flags with eyes on them, and they fly around and form a unit like the Trinity.  What kind of allusion are you making through that?

Well, that’s a good question. The theme of the record, Best of Gloucester County, started out, at least, as this idea of celebrating coming back home to my childhood land.  It’s a rural place in south Jersey that, originally, I couldn’t wait to get out of and move on to the big city—you know, find good culture and whatnot. So it’s about coming back here and finding this to be my home and having a family here.  Once I got past what it wasn’t and started to get into what it is, with farmland and fields and trees, I was able to start celebrating it—the nature, the peace, all those things it has to offer.

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The image of the eye—in the fall around here, farmers will put up these balloons with these eyes on them, kind of like scarecrows, to scare away the birds.  So I adopted the image of these balloons with these kind of menacing eyes on them and applied it to these flags.  This kind of triangular flag is an image I’ve been using for a while.  I started to put these flags in the fields and these eyes on various  other things as well.  It hints to this idea of the “all-seeing eye”—the Spirit of God being present in all things.

And there’s also some motifs with farm equipment, grass-cutting, both in the video for “Grow Up” and on the album cover.  The blurb about the album written by Rick Moody describes a theme of the album as “the locally grown opus.”  What is the message you’re trying to send about what’s unique about Gloucester County, about identifying with a particular place in this world?

Well, I use that as an example of, like I was saying, growing up in a place that, at the time, was very un-romantic.  I wanted to live in Philadelphia, New York City, ‘cause that’s where the culture that I was feeding off of—music, mainly—was coming from.  It was hard for me to get excited for a place that I was disconnected from culturally growing up, and I was longing for something else.

So as you grow older, you go away and satisfy those desires for traveling, exploring, and getting your culture elsewhere, and then there’s a point where you realize there were great things happening around you but you didn’t notice them.  I remember going away to college and then coming back on the weekends every once in a while and seeing things almost for the first time.  With nature, everything seemed so green, whereas growing up it just seemed so gray.  So the album’s talking about those kind of things, and just having fun with the idea where we travel around Europe and America playing our music, yet no one around here has a clue who we are, so it’s kind of fun.

Yeah, and it’s almost like you’re bringing the culture there rather than kind of abandoning the place and going somewhere else where there is culture. You’re putting your own stamp on the area.

I hope so.  I don’t know if I would claim that for myself, but I do feel like if I was living in New York City, I’d be so distracted by all the great things happening.  If I’m around here, if I want culture, I just have to go make something.

What other kinds of props and costumes can we expect to see on tour?

Not quite sure.  The uniforms that we wear now—the service uniforms—they’re here to stay.  They’re uniforms that I like because they’re just kind of the common denominator of the music, which is all about providing a service on stage.  We’re up there sharing these songs and working up there and trying to get everyone to join in.  So, it’s always a struggle when you’re introducing visual elements on stage that it could start to get too theatrical.  I never felt comfortable with theatrics, but I do love visual elements—more when it’s symbolic and it supports and works alongside the music.  I never want images to be distracting from the music itself; that’s the most important part.

So, yeah, the uniforms are gonna continue to evolve with more patches and more imagery like that, but I’m not gonna be up there in another tree or anything like that.  I’m starting to plan some backdrops and things like that, but again, it’s always a fine line between theatrics and visual imagery that supports the music.

Yeah, and there’s kind of a theological element to that there, where the Protestant church hasn’t had much in the way of visual tradition in their worship.  Catholics have icons, but because of the whole iconoclasm movement, Protestants haven’t had too much in the way of visuals in art, so I can understand that tension between wanting to communicate visually, but not wanting to cross over into idolatry, as it’s often called.

Yeah, I’m not so much worried about idolatry; for me, growing up as a Protestant, I wished we had a nice building instead of the YMCA.  So that probably had something to do with it.  I remember being in churches where there were no visual distractions, and I feel that that’s too reactionary.  Stained glass windows and beautiful buildings are a wonderful thing, in my opinion.  So I grew up in a place where that pendulum swung too far the other way, whereas I think there should be balance in everything. I’ll walk into a beautiful cathedral and I literally feel a peace just from looking around, and that’s a wonderful thing.

And in the writing process—obviously, it took a while.  You polished off Ships, which was this big, broad, and highly-praised album—and then, we’ve been waiting. Just a slow drip of new Danielson material over the past 5 years– what kind of hurdles kept pushing back the release of Gloucester County?

Well, I think it had to do with a couple things.  One was just kind of regrouping after all that busyness that came from ships.  And it was personnel, because it was kind of the end of my brothers being able to take time out to record and tour, and my friends Chris and Ted as well.  And there’s a point where people have to focus on their own dreams, and there’s such limited time in all our schedules as we get older.  And, frankly, the music business is a terrible business to be in. [laughs]  And Danielson has always kind of been this way—a little heartbreaking—because there are family members always coming and going, depending on the different seasons.  And this time, it happened again in probably a bigger way than ever.  And it’s bittersweet, because you’re excited for family and friends who are pressing on to their vision in their life, and at the same time, there’s a loss there in terms of the community of musicians.

So, there’s been some building with that, and the other big part of it is that the songs just didn’t come.  They were just rendering and just waiting. More and more, I don’t press as hard as I used to.  And when I don’t press—and not that there’s not work involved, there’s a ton of work involved—there’s just a difference between when I’ve got the green light on the inside to go for it, things just come together.  But when there’s a resistance there, where I used to push and push and push with impatience and believing all those things like “you’ve gotta come out with a record right away or your career’s over” and all that nonsense– whereas I used to fall for that over and over and over again, now I just don’t believe it.  I believe that when the music comes naturally, that’s when it’s the good stuff.  So a lot of it just has to do with that kind of mysterious place of where this stuff comes from, and don’t force it.

So did the songs all come kind of recently, or was it piecemeal over the last few years?

Well, the way it always happens for me is I’m constantly collecting song bits and ideas and lyrics and concepts and just writing them on pieces of paper and recording them on the little Dictaphone—collecting, but not getting into the next step, which is actually going through and finding things that sound like they should be songs.  The collecting process is just part of my lifestyle but that next step of, “Okay, now let’s start analyzing and see what’s still alive,” it just wasn’t time for that until about a year and a half ago.

Aside from the band and writing your music, managing the label, Sounds Familyre, and producing records for all its artists, maintaining family life, and I think there’s still some carpentry going on, right?  How does that all come together without driving you totally insane?

Barely.  Yeah, that’s what I’m still trying to figure out, actually.  So, if you have any advice, I’ll take it.  I think it just seems like putting out fires left and right.  You know, things come up, and you’ve gotta do this and do that.  I’m still looking for a place where I can do it all without getting exhausted and freaking out, which is a real struggle.  But at the same time, they’re all projects and jobs and things I love doing.  I’m not sure yet; I’m still trying to figure out how to juggle all these things and not go crazy.

Stay tuned for part 2:  Danielson discusses his changing band lineup, self-distribution, and his approach to songwriting, plus a review of Best of Gloucester County.

I felt mildly sorry for President Obama as he visited the set of the Daily Show Wednesday night.  Not because I support him or his failed policies as they plummet in the polls.  This was purely a human moment.  Like watching Brett Farve get booed at Lambeau Field, or a drunken co-worker singing karaoke amidst mocking laughter.  They all brought it on themselves, but they seem almost incapable of realizing that it’s actually happening.  The decency in me wishes I could’ve stopped it.

President Obama makes a point of staying away from Fox News as well as MSNBC on a regular basis.  His White House often likes to dismiss both networks, as well as talk radio as “too kooky” to legitimize with his perceived “greatness” and “gravitas.”

His preferred stops consist of non-confrontational lifestyle and variety shows like The View, Oprah, and The Tonight Show.  Certainly the White House calculation was Stewart’s “Daily Show” fit that mold.  A little good-natured ribbing from a friendly liberal comic would just humanize Obama, they certainly deduced.  

But Mr. Stewart isn’t just a comic, and he knows it.  His “brand” has been elevated to something far more important to the chattering, Beltway class.  Time Magazine’s online readership voted Stewart “the most trusted man in America” over the big three network anchors in 2009.  His rally today in Washington D.C. has media and politicians panting and panicking about its meaning and lasting impact.

Stewart has been “chosen” as cool, relevant, “sane,” and most significantly – the moderate, legitimate voice in the national debate.  Sounds kind of like what they used to say about a freshman Senator from Illinois, does it not?

Of course Stewart is the furthest thing from an ideologically pure moderate.  His broadside swipes at President Obama’s unmet promises and “timid” leadership were uncomfortable to watch Wednesday night.

It was uncomfortable because the President of the United States was taking a voluntary scolding by a clown on a low-rated cable show.  Uncomfortable, too for most informed voters who realize Stewart’s line of questions made Obama’s radical agenda sound conservative.

“You ran with such, if I may, audacity,” Stewart said. “Yet, legislatively, it has felt timid at times. I’m not sure, at times, what you want out of health care.”

It was at this moment President Obama must have realized he was in no safe environment.  This wasn’t the Oprah Winfrey Show, this was Animal Kingdom and his pride had just been attacked.  The fatal mistake President Obama made was to rise to the challenge.  

There’s a reason anyone who’s been to a comedy club knows you don’t sit in the front row.  It’s the same reason you don’t argue with Jon Stewart on his own show.

“Jon, I love your show, but this is something where, you know, I have a profound disagreement with you,” Obama said. “And I don’t want to lump you in with a lot of other pundits, but this notion that health care is timid . . . ”

The President droned on about the “greatness” of the legislation most of the country hates, yet Stewart mind-bogglingly thinks doesn’t go far enough.  Then Stewart responded:  ”I’ll tell you what I mean, and I don’t mean to lump you in with other presidents,” Stewart said, to roaring applause and laughter from the audience. 

Only a narcissist with a thin skin would try to “educate” a comic with whom he disagrees.  Only a fool would try to legitimately debate a comic at all.  Obama was outmatched, outwitted, and wounded.  Not from the “shadowy, racist” figures in the Tea Party, but by a far-left comic with a growing sense of self-importance in the arena of serious debate.

Members of the House including Nancy Pelosi and Barney Frank learned long ago of the dangers of appearing on the turf of comics like Stephen Colbert.

“I watch it all the time, and I think, ‘Why would anybody go on there,’ Pelosi told New York Magazine back in September.

“I have done many comedic interviews, but I did not appreciate his humor,” Rep. Barney Frank told POLITICO.  “I did not understand that his mission was to make every politician look ridiculous.”

Not that they need Colbert’s help.

Stewart challenged Obama to a duel of liberal bona fides against the backdrop of comedic absurdity.  Obama’s mistake was to ever accept the premise of the challenge.

The President brought a knife to a gunfight.