Knitting Factory Entertainment Newsletter Volume One Issue XV–Straight Outta Compton, FKA Twigs, Mescal and More

Why did you decide the make this film?

Someone sent me the script. I knew immediately it was a big idea. I had a history with Hip Hop and films that married the Hip Hop aesthetic with movies. NWA just felt more grandiose than any of them because of their potent place in the cultural landscape.

What were the challenges you faced in getting it before the cameras?

The big challenge for us (my co EP David Engel & Leigh Savidge, one of the original writers) was getting the music rights. We used six degrees of separation to get to Eazy E’s widow Tomica, who controlled them. Many big producers had tried. But we spent two years connecting the dots and pulled it off. We were not the biggest producers in Hollywood at that time so it’s a bit crazy that we got them.

It seems given their illustrious careers, this film might have initially made sense as a doc. How do you think it works as a narrative?

There was a fairly recent doc on NWA called “The World’s Most Dangerous Rap Group”. It does make sense as a doc, as that was a nice film. But this has an epic quality that really befits a narrative for the big screen and it has potent character arcs because of what happened to Eazy an because of the significance of the group across so many pregnant issues from police brutality, to the first amendment, to AIDS.

Many people seeing this film weren’t even alive when Straight Outta Compton came out. What is it about NWA that has seared their music on our consciousness?

They don’t remember NWA, but they know Cube and Dre and they likely know the music, even if they don’t know they know the music. Happy accident is the wrong wording because there is nothing happy about it, but what has been going on from Ferguson, to Staten Island, to Baltimore is also part of what makes it important for younger viewers. The BLM movement is very much of the moment. The movie is also just incredibly fun. Young people will be bobbing their heads and their adrenaline will be going That may be the best part of the movie. It moves because it’s a great ride. (w. some definite poignant moments).

What do you want audiences to take away from the film?

I want them to realize that NWA were antecedents to the wild west of the digital age where people can say whatever they want in a public forum with virtual impunity. They were not afraid of anything or anyone and that made them special. And they combined this impervious quality with some intellect to back it up. The press conference sequence in the film is a great example. The guns and drugs came from overseas and they didn’t have passports, they explain. They were brazen free thinkers and hope this is imparted on audiences. Hope people remember the film in 25 years, like they remember Boyz N The Hood or Menace to Soceity both seminal films in a similar space.

What’s the one most interesting thing about it you think that audiences might not notice?

I think Jerry Heller is kind’ve the heavy, but I like the scene with the police in Torrance (shout out to my friend Inny Clemmons—not an actor by definition-who is incredible as the racist black cop). I think Gary really tried to portray him evenly—which I think adds to the characters dimension and the drama that we are left with as we get to his ultimate fate. It makes him more interesting. Tomica is also interesting because she is Eazy’s eyes and ears. And she had a big effect on him at the end. That may come across, but may not. Also not sure it hits it that hard, but Cube went to high school in the valley at a predominantly white school called Taft as I understand it. Sort off adds to the complexity of him as a person, I think. His son is incredible in how much he embodied his father. That was Cube. All the acting was great. F. Gary Gray is a very, very talented director that is going to finally get his do, not just for Compton, but for his body of work.

On Saturday, August 22, The Federal Bar in North Hollywood will host Elixir The Show’s 3rd Anniversary Gala Event “Nuit Blanche.” Imagine a time when Mad Men would meet up with the Rat Pack, at the Playboy Club for a martini or three…and you have ELIXIR The Show. Critically acclaimed as “LA’s Best Variety Show,” ELIXIR’s Nuit Blanche is an ultraviolet blacklight party, and all guests are encouraged to dress in white to enjoy the unique immersive experience and décor of show.

Also in Long Beach, don’t miss a special acoustic performance from Sean Danielsen of Smile Empty Soulon Saturday, August 22. As the frontman for hard rock band Smile Empty Soul, Sean is known for his powerful, rage-filled vocals, which had an impact on the early 90s alternative music scene. Sean’s two solo albums, Enjoy The Process and Food Chains, have been well-received by critics. Screamer Magazine acclaims, his “lyrics are tight as usual, and his signature voice and angst-influenced lyrics are clearly represented.”

Why do we bring this up? I’ve personally harbored a lifelong fondess for the instrument even though I’ll never learn to play it. There’s an adage (and a bumper sticker): “Play an accordion, go to jail. That’s the law!” which our friends in Cotati, a normally sleepy burg north of San Francisco, explodes with squeeze box racket every August and this year they are celebrating their 25th anniversary! So behold the Cotati Accordion Festival. Play an accordion? Go to Cotati. That’s the law!

Ozzie Hugo Race did time with The Wreckery and the Bad Seeds before starting a solo recording, performance and producing career, producer and performer with acts such as Dirtmusic and Sepiatone. This week we had the pleasure of DJ’ing the US record release party for Hugo Race + True Spirit’s new album, which is currently only available in Europe and Australia. Variously haunting, melodic, angry, gritty, in the vein of Nick Cave (a mentor of sorts), this artist and band is a worldwide collaboration. The ten musically varied tracks on this disc all share a chewy, deep and occasionally twisted sensibility that rewards repeated listening. European fans will get to see Hugo Race + True Spirit in the fall but US fans must temporarily content themselves with an import disc. And, alone in the US, we have five of them. So, how complicated is this (not very!)? The first five fans to share our newsletter on Facebook and tell us can claim them.