Lance Avery Morgan
When it comes to dynamic storytelling, you don’t have to look much further than our state. From sharing tall tales around the campfire in the pioneer days to T.V. and right here and right now, in the heart of Texas, where a dynamic filmmaking duo has captured the essence of local media legend John Aielli in their poignant documentary. Known for their insightful storytelling and deep-rooted connection to their subjects from many past film projects, this witty, Texas-based team of David Hartstein and Sam Wainwright Douglas of Blue Suitcase Productions have skillfully illuminated the life and impact of Aielli, a revered personality for 50 years at KUT/KUTX radio and beyond. Through intimate interviews and captivating footage, their documentary Faders Up: The John Aielli Experience not only celebrates Aielli’s legacy, but also explores the profound influence he had on the local music and radio community. It’s coming soon to a theater near you on October 4, and also on PBS stations. However, like most film projects, it can always enlist more support through a tax-deductible donation. Here, our Lance Avery Morgan catches up with the witty visionary team as they tell their own hilarious story behind the story.
Three qualities that got me where I am today are…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Showing up every day to get the work done, lots of reading/listening/watching lots of movies, trusting my instincts.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Good looks, sense of humor, and being a weirdo.
Easiest career decision I ever made is…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Working with Sam. The second easiest was leaving reality TV.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: I agree. My easiest career decision was working with David, my collaborator and agitator.
I love supporting the film community in Austin, and Texas, because…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Austin is a place that nurtured my early artistic ambitions and career…and I love to give back while I continue to grow. Texas is such a big, fascinating place full of wonderful opportunities and contradictions that it provides endless material for exploration.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: It doesn’t matter if you make screwball comedies or the most serious of social issue documentaries, filmmakers in Austin are supportive of all the projects happening here. There’s a lot of mutual respect as storytellers. The filmmaking community here still represents the old adage: a rising tide lifts all boats.
Due to my involvement with creating the new documentary, Faders Up: The John Aielli Experience, I have found that…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: I have fallen back in love with Austin (after having many ups and downs living here 24 years).
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Agreed. I was getting burned out on the boomtown vibe around here, and making this film helped me tap back into the weird, because it’s the reason I came here in the first place.
My career in film means that I…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Am living my dream.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: I’m deluded.
A filmmaker I know I’d have fun working with is…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Fun is a prerequisite for all of my collaborators, or put another way, “No assholes.”
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Todd Rohal. Check out Catechism Cataclysm.
How I made my first dollar…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Watering my next-door neighbor’s plants/lawn when they went out of town.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: I got to keep the change when I went to buy cigarettes for my grandmother at the corner store.
Last thing I binge/marathon watched…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Reservation Dogs. It’s amazing how many different tones it can successfully play in just a 30 minute episode, yet it all comes together. Amazing characters, poignant, dramatic storytelling…and it’s funny.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: That new Godzilla show… Monarch.
Book that left a lasting impression on me…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: This one is really hard…My very pretentious answer is Sergei Eisenstein’s Film Form. I read it in college, and it left a lasting impression on how difficult it is to take a cinematic idea and turn it into a fixed reality and vice-versa.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: The Myth of Sisyphus. Here we go again… and again… and again.
On that note, my favorite fiction character is…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: From a recent read…Barbara Kingsolver’s Demon Copperhead.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Holden Caulfield. Duh.
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Ha! Holden Caulfield was the first fiction character to come to my mind.
My real-life hero has got to be…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: My wife. Somehow she does it all, is saving the world, and best of all…puts up with me.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Same. My wife is a true partner, full of support for making this strange filmmaker’s life work. I can excel because she’s there with me.
First music I bought…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: The soundtrack to Ghostbusters on vinyl when I was 6.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: 1984 by Van Halen on cassette tape.
If I could live in a foreign city it would be…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: : Paris. But I’m going to visit Tokyo shortly for the first time…So I reserve the right to change my answer.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: I need to travel more.
If I could compete in an Olympic sport, or create one, it would be…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Fencing is the first thing that comes to mind. I’ve never tried it.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Same answer! I did try it. I took fencing lessons for two years at the local YMCA in Houston when I was kid.
If I weren’t doing what I do I would (be a…)…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Football coach? Chef? My parents would say lawyer. Probably sleeping on a bus stop bench somewhere.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Destitute dreamer.
If I had a superpower, I’d want it to be…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: To get more people to vote. So go vote.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Yeah, to be able to register anyone to vote in the blink of an eye.
A phrase I might overuse would be…
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Sounds like a personal problem to me.
My motto? Easy. It is…
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Here we go again!
Favorite scent these days is (because)…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Petrichor, because I love the word and we don’t get enough rain.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Movie popcorn.
My personal style signifier is…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Black V-neck tee shirt.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Stetson Open Road hat.
An artist whose work I would collect (or like to collect) is…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: David Lynch.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: William Eggleston.
The classic movie star style I most identify with is…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Groucho Marx.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Dennis Hopper.
In my fridge you will always find…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Sweet vermouth for Negronis
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Ricotta cheese. It’s true.
My favorite beverage these days is…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Water, coffee, Negronis
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Iced tea. Community Mosaic IPA. Yum.
On my tombstone, it will likely say…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: It’s Coming For All Of Us.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: Can’t Stop, Won’t Stop.
My perfect day would end…
DAVID HARTSTEIN: Never.
SAM WAINWRIGHT DOUGLAS: With a massive Tex Mex combo platter and a very large, very cold margarita.
