I am actor & filmmaker Crispin Hellion Glover npw appearing in "Aimy in a Cage" available January 8. also appearing with my live shows and feature films "What is it?" & "It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE." at the American Cinemateque at The E...

There was never an agreement reached for me to appear in the sequels to Back to the Future. The producers hired another actor and with a false nose, chin and cheekbones made him up to look like me then inter-spliced a very small amount of footage of me from the original film in order to fool audiences in to believing it was me playing the character. Because of my lawsuit there are laws in the Screen Actors Guild that make it so no producers, directors, or actors are ever able to do this again. I am proud of that. I have noticed however that Bob Gale who was the co-writer and one of the producers on the films and one of the chief architects of the concepts that led to the law suit has been stating false things about me to attempt to lessen his wrongdoing. I do not like his false statements would like to remind that what he did caused rules in the screen actors guild to be changed to protect actors from his kind of wrong doing. I ended up having an excellent working relationship with Robert Zemeckis on Beowulf which was released in 2007. Despite the negative aspects of Bob Gale I am glad that I played the character in the original film. Because of the lawsuit and the fact that what they did was illegal I am not comfortable in promoting anything to do with the Back to the Future sequels. I had not been given a complete screenplay before I was hired for acting in Back to the Future. I analyzed the screenplay after I was hired and during production I asked questions as we approached certain scenes. My feeling is they did not want me to be in the film because during the original production when we got close to shooting the end alternate future scenes I asked questions about the characters getting a monetary reward at the end of the film. I said to Robert Zemeckis that I felt the reward should be that the characters were only in love and that if there was a monetary reward at the end such as the son character having a new car in the garage it tainted the message and the message turned to "Money will bring you happiness" as opposed to "Love will bring you happiness." Please understand I was a 20 year old idealist who had been watching many films from the 60's and 70's that tended towards questioning these things so it did not seem outrageous to question this. Robert Zemeckis got angry with me and I do not think it was forgotten when the negotiations for the sequels came around or when they were writing the sequels for that matter. The illegal actions this led to on the part of the producers as a punishment for a 20 year old actor asking questions is not justifiable. It was not right to producers of Back to the Future to break the law to punish a 20 year old actor in their film for asking questions about the moral content of a screenplay they only aloud to be read after the deal was completed. Bob Gale now makes matter worse because he is making up untrue things to take the focus off the fact that what he and his fellow producers did was illegal, by definition of the word. He does not want to face that fact. To skirt the issue Bob Gale has lied to millions of people on the Back to the Future DVD commentaries about how the negotiations were handled. I would not normally discuss this sort of thing, but people believe what he has stated as true. What people have to realize is that Bob Gale was involved with something that turned in to illegal activity. People who wonder about if what Bob Gale has said is true or not, should understand even if they liked “Back to the Future” it still means that the a creator like Bob Gale who was a contributor to the illegal activity has motivation to create lies to detract the attention from his wrong doing.

I am kind of curious where you would fall on voice mimicry. There are plenty of actors with iconic voices. In the animated arena, I would have to assume it's one of the primary reasons one would get hired.

A contract dispute comes up, an agreement is not reached, and the original "voice," is canned. The producers get someone who can sound just like the original.

What are your thoughts?

I was on a radio talk show recently that specializes in law about my lawsuit for the sequels to Back to the Future. This very subject came up. I know Tom Waits a bit, who of course is a great fellow and has a very specific voice. He had a lawsuit about a Frito commercial that had approached him to be in an advertisement for their product. He did not do their commercial and they hired a person to to an impression of him. There was a lawsuit and the Frito company had to pay. It is strange to me that anyone, especially in the public arena, would approach a performer and then not negotiate a contract with the performer and then steak the persona of the performer and then fake the persona of the performer to then enrich themselves. It is obviously corrupt and disgraceful

Being in the film of course was and is good for me to this day. It was an excellent character to play and of course the film is loved by many people. So this is good for me on many levels. It is unfortunate that the producers decided to do something against the law in the sequels. My experience on the film has helped me to understand how propaganda functions in this culture and it is something I am writing about in the book right now.

I have neither confirmed or denied in public media whether or not that was me on the 1986 Late Night with David Letterman appearance. If asked I go in to a lot of detail about it at my shows I am also currently on page 300 of a book I am writing that has a lot of detail about things that I am careful about when working within public media.

I had a chance to watch Aimy in a Cage a few weeks back. Not really like any other movie I have seen. Can you describe the culture/vibes on the set of the film?

Also, I designed the website for Aimy in a Cage, any feedback on that would be awesome.

This is Hooroo's first film and he was surprisingly open to letting things happen. Not only was he open to it, he seemed to want things to happen. If one is not in the film industry one might think things are very open on a film set, but usually that is not the case. Of course it depends on the style of the film that is being made. Often planning and sticking to the plan is necessary and beneficial. But it is good to have different ways of working and different kinds of films. I am impressed by the way Hooroo self funded the film and the way he edited the film. I am looking forward to seeing more of his work and I would like to work with Hooroo again.

You know how Tom Wilson has that song about Back to the Future and he asks "What's Crispin Glover like?"

Well... Here's your chance Crispin.... What's Tom Wilson like?

Tom Wilson is great guy. He is of course quite a different person than the character that he played in Back to the Future. Tom Wilson is a sensitive person and because of this knew the true awful truth of the bully psychology. But this is because Tom is the opposite of a Bully. I genuinely like Tom Wilson very much and am glad of the work we did together in Back to the Future.

What’s the biggest public misconception about you in your opinion? 


I think people believe that am mentally not adjusted. This is simply not true. I am a person that works in the arts and people mix up the art that I make and the characters I have played with the person that I am. I understand why this happens, but I would say that is a general misconception.

Hello Crispin, I just wanted to take this opportunity to thank you for advocating education that is based upon learning that comes from within. I hadn’t given a lot of thought to this aspect of the word and its etymology until I listened to you talk about it in interviews, and it immediately resonated strongly with me. I’ll try and keep this brief so I’ll just say it means a lot to me!

Now for a question, how did your cameo in Seven Psychopaths come about? (I’m pretty certain you appear in a scene, sitting in front of Harry Dean Stanton’s character). I always enjoy looking out for you in that film.

Also, I was just wondering, in astrology (in terms of the basic sun signs), your birthday is right on the cusp between Aries and Taurus, do you identify yourself more strongly with either sign or as a mixture of both?

Thank you for doing this AMA Crispin. I hope you can visit Australia again soon as last time you visited I was not yet aware of your films. (And if I’ve made any blatant typing errors please blame the time difference, it’s not a nice hour of the morning here!)

Hi Elaine. I am glad the advocating of the etymological understanding of eduction from learning from within has resonated with you. It is a very important element that gets mixed up with the way corporate propaganda functions. Something that is curious to me is that I am not in the film Seven Psychopaths. I have seen this written before. I have not seen then film, but I assure you I am not involved in that production. Alchemy is an interesting study that is of course the body of information that lead to science. Science continues to know how to ask new questions as more scientifically proven information is gathered. There are questions in alchemy that may be more answerable in the future as science gains more knowledge as to how to ask those questions.

Hello Shivan21. Yes it is true that Back to the Future did have a significant impact on my life. It of course was a good thing for me to be in the film and I am glad I am in it. I like these types of forums because I can speak directly as opposed to the filters that corporate media impose and I can go in to more detail in that way. I often see headlines with things written above an interview where Back to the Future is a side topic amongst other things I have been speaking about and then the headline will be "Crispin Glover hates Back to the Future." I have never said I hate Back to the Future to anyone. I don't hate the film. I am grateful that I am in it. There was a situation with a lawsuit resulting from the producers illegal actions in the sequels which is where things happened that I do not like.

I will go in to some more detail with that.

If you could be any kind of bread, what would it be?

You don't have to answer that, and to be honest I really don't think I have any other questions to ask. I've always enjoyed seeing you on screen and I'm happy you could join us here today.

Actually, maybe I do have a couple questions. Do you keep in touch with other cast and crew you've worked with over the years, or is it more like you do your job and move on? Also, is there any director or actor you've been impressed by and really wish you had the opportunity to work with(or anyone you've worked with in the past you really wish you could work with again)?

I try to eat healthfully and for the most part cooked bread made with wheat is from my experience not too healthy. I would rather not be bread. But I often make my own organic raw "bread" with a dehydrator not set above 105 degrees Fahrenheit. In fact something is dehydrating right now. There are so many great people I have had the opportunity to work with. The more I have worked over the years I am glad to say the more it has become apparent that it is one giant amorphous cast and crew. I would say I would be happy to work with everyone I have ever worked with previously again. I mean that. And I look forward to the new people I will work with in the future. Yes there are people I have worked with that I am friends with and I value that. I genuinely consider everyone I have ever worked with a friend.

Hello, Mr. Glover, I had one major question?

I was wondering where I could see your film What is It (2005)? Do you know how I might have access to this film?

I have not been able to find any DVD copies or even clips online. I'm aware when the film was released it was released in a limited capacity with very few (some rumored secret) showings. I have been searching after this film for years and was wondering how I might finally be able to actually watch it?

P.S. Also really loved your performance in Willard. Great story, truly disturbing film, very well structured tragic plot.

Many thanks,

A fan.

I tour with my live shows and films. I have a listing of my shows under the slide show section on CrispinGlover.com. I have been touring quite regularly for 11 years now. This is the way to see the films. I made the films to be projected as 35 mm prints and it is the way I prefer for people to experience what I made. The live aspects of the shows are not to be underestimated. This is a large part of how I bring audiences in to the theater and a majority of how I recoup is by what is charged for the live show and what I make from selling the books after the shows. For “Crispin Hellion Glover's Big Slide Show” I perform a one hour dramatic narration of eight different books I have made over the years. The books are taken from old books from the 1800's that have been changed in to different books from what they originally were. They are heavily illustrated with original drawings and reworked images and photographs. I started making my books in 1983 for my own enjoyment without the concept of publishing them. I had always written and drawn and the books came as an accidental outgrowth of that. I was in an acting class in 1982 and down the block was an art gallery that had a book store upstairs. In the book store there was a book for sale that was an old binding taken from the 1800's and someone had put their art work inside the binding. I thought this was a good idea and set out to do the same thing. I worked a lot with India ink at the time and was using the India ink on the original pages to make various art. I had always liked words in art and left some of the words on one of the pages. I did this again a few pages later and then when I turned the pages I noticed that a story started to naturally form and so I continued with this. When I was finished with the book I was pleased with the results and kept making more of them. I made most of the books in the 80's and very early 90's. Some of the books utilize text from the binding it was taken from and some of them are basically completely original text. Sometimes I would find images that I was inspired to create stories for or sometimes it was the binding or sometimes it was portions of the texts that were interesting. Altogether, I made about twenty of them. When I was editing my first feature film “What is it?” There was a reminiscent quality to the way I worked with the books because as I was expanding the film in to a feature from what was originally going to be a short, I was taking film material that I had shot for a different purpose originally and re-purposed it for a different idea and I was writing and shooting and ultimately editing at the same time. Somehow I was comfortable with this because of similar experiences with making my books.

Every once in a while, but really very rarely, someone will come up to me during the book signing I think two times in the nine years I have been touring, and they have shown me a book they have done something similar with. They described to me that they came in to it on their own. It seems to be a specific art form that rarely people will just discover doing on their own.

When I first started publishing the books in 1988 people said I should have book readings. But the book are so heavily illustrated and they way the illustrations are used within the books they help to tell the story so the only way for the books to make sense was to have visually representations of the images. This is why I knew a slide show was necessary. It took a while but in 1992 I started performing what I now call Crispin Hellion Glover's Big Side Show Part 1. The content of that show has not changed since I first started performing it. But the performance of the show has become more dramatic as opposed to more of a reading. The books do not change but the performance of the show of course varies slightly from show to show based the audience’s energy and my energy.

People sometimes get confused as to what “Crispin Hellion Glover’s Big Slide Show (Parts 1&2)” is so now I always let it be known that it is a one hour dramatic narration of eight different profusely illustrated books that I have made over the years. The illustrations from the books are projected behind me as I perform the show. There is a second slide show now that also has 8 books. Part 2 is performed if I have a show with Part 1 of the “IT” trilogy and then on the subsequent night I will perform the second slide show and Part 2 of the “IT” trilogy. The second slide show has been developed over the last several years and the content has changed as it has been developed, but I am very happy with the content of the second slide show now.

The books and films are all narrative. Sometimes people see thematic correlations between the content of my books and the content of the films.    The fact that I tour with the film helps the distribution element. I consider what I am doing to be following in the steps of vaudeville performers. Vaudeville was the main form of entertainment for most of the history of the US. It has only relatively recently stopped being the main source of entertainment, but that does not mean this live element mixed with other media is no longer viable. In fact it is apparent that it is sorely missed. I definitely have been aware of the element of utilizing  the fact that I am known from work in the corporate media I have done in the last 25 years or so. This is something I rely on for when I go on tour with my films. It lets me go to various places and have the local media cover the fact that I will be performing a one hour live dramatic narration of eight different books which are profusely illustrated and projected as I go through them, then show the film either  What is it? Being 72 minutes or It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE being 74 minutes. Then having a Q and A and then a book signing. As I funded the films I knew that this is how I would recoup my investment even if it a slow process. Volcanic Eruptions was a business I started in Los Angeles in 1988 as Crispin Hellion Glover doing business as Volcanic Eruptions. It was a name to use for my book publishing company.  About a year later I had a record/CD come out with a corporation called Restless Records. About when I had sold the same amount of books as CD/records had sold it was very clear to me that because I had published my own books that I had a far greater profit margin. It made me very suspicious of working with corporations as a business model. Financing/Producing my own films is based on the basic business model of my own publishing company. There are benefits and drawbacks about self distributing my own films.  In this economy it seems like a touring with the live show and showing the films with a book signing is a very good basic safety net for recouping the monies I have invested in the films There are other beneficial aspects of touring with the shows other than monetary elements. There are benefits that I am in control of the distribution and personally supervise the monetary intake of the films that I am touring with. I also control piracy in this way because digital copy of this film is stolen material and highly prosecutable. It is enjoyable to travel and visit places, meet people, perform the shows and have interaction with the audiences and discussions about the films afterwards. The forum after the show is also not to under-estimated as a very important part of the show for the audience.  This also makes me much more personally grateful to the individuals who come to my shows as there is no corporate intermediary. The drawbacks are that a significant amount of time and energy to promote and travel and perform the shows. Also the amount of people seeing the films is much smaller than if I were to distribute the films in a more traditional sense. The way I distribute my films is certainly not traditional in the contemporary sense of film distribution but perhaps is very traditional when looking further back at vaudeville era film distribution. If there are any filmmakers that are able to utilize aspects of what I am doing then that is good. It has taken many years to organically develop what I am doing now as far as my distribution goes.

Hey Crispin! I am a huge fan of you and your movies. I have noticed that some of your movies contain Nazi imagery and symbolism. Do you find any credibility to the argument that it is solely for shock value? And what has influenced you to use this particular imagery?

You are referring to the painting of Shirley Temple with the swastika. The image was a pre-existing image that I had written in the screenplay. Yes this image has taboo quality to it. It was actually written in to a previous screenplay that will eventually be part three of the trilogy of films. I understand the concern about the swastika as it of course in the 1930's and 1940's came to be associated with the national socialists in Germany and now is usually associated with bigotry and white supremacy. Just to be perfectly clear I do not support bigotry of any kind. It is an unfortunate thing if someone would mix this up as I am a great believer in individual uniqueness and the reflection of the universe is within each individual. So something like what happened with national socialism in the 1930's and 1940's and currently with any kind of organization that discriminates against an individual because of their heritage or birth background or their genetic makeup would be repellant to me. The kind of dank poetry that exists in What is it? is something that people could mix up with the opposite or what it means to me so it is important that I clarify that.

I am very careful to make it quite clear that “What is it?” is not a film about Down’s Syndrome but my psychological reaction to the corporate restraints that have happened in the last 30 or more years in film making. Specifically anything that can possibly make an audience uncomfortable is necessarily excised or the film will not be corporately funded or distributed. This is damaging to the culture because it is the very moment when an audience member sits back in their chair looks up at the screen and thinks to their self “Is this right what I am watching? Is this wrong what I am watching? Should I be here? Should the filmmaker have made this? What is it?” -and that is the title of the film. What is it that is taboo in the culture? What does it mean that taboo has been ubiquitously excised in this culture’s media? What does it mean to the culture when it does not properly process taboo in it’s media? It is a bad thing because when questions are not being asked because these kinds of questions are when people are having a truly educational experience. For the culture to not be able to ask questions leads towards a non educational experience and that is what is happening in this culture. This stupefies this culture and that is of course a bad thing. So What is it? Is a direct reaction to the contents this culture’s media. I would like people to think for themselves.

“What is it?” started production as a short film in 1996. It took 9.5 years from the first day of shooting on the short film to having a 35 mm print of the feature film. I wrote it as a short film originally to promote the viability of having a majority of the characters that do not necessarily have Down’s Syndrome to be played by actors with Down’s Syndrome. The way this came about was this. In 1996. I was approached by two young writers and aspiring filmmakers who were from Phoenix to act in a film they wanted to produce and direct. They made a monetary offer to my agents which they really should not have done as they did not actually have financing. Nonetheless it did get me to read the screenplay which I found to be interesting. This screenplay was not What is it? I found interesting things about the screenplay and was interested in the project, but I thought there were things about the screenplay that did not work. I came up with solutions that needed re working of the screenplay and I told them I would be interested in acting in the film if I directed it. They came to LA and met with me and wanted to know my thoughts. There were quite a few things but the main things was that most of the character were to be played by actors with Down’s Syndrome. They were fine with this concept and I set about to re writing the screenplay. David Lynch then agreed to executive produce the film for me to direct. This was very helpful and I went to one of the larger corporate entities in Los Angeles that finances films and met with them. They were interested in the project but after a number of meetings and conversations they let me know that the were concerned about financing a project wherein most of the characters were played by actors with Down’s Syndrome. The title of this screenplay at this point had become IT IS MINE. And will become part three of the “IT” trilogy. It was known yet at this time that there would be a trilogy but it was decided that I should write a short screenplay to promote that the concept of having a majority of the characters played by actors with Down’s Syndrome was a viable things to do for corporate entities to invest in. This is when I wrote a short screenplay en titled What is it? We shot this short screenplay in four days. I edited that over a period of six months and the first edit came in at 84 minutes. The final feature length film of What is it? is 72 minutes. So the first version of the short film is longer than the final version of the feature film, and it was too long for the material I had at the time, but I could see with more work and more material I could turn it in to a feature film. Over approximately the next two years I shot 8 more days and edited this in to what is now the final version of the film. I locked the edit of the film about three years after the first day of shooting what was supposed to be a short film. Then there were a number of years of very frustrating technical problems that mainly had to do with SMPTE time code. Originally I was going to make the film the now old fashioned way of a complete photochemical process and not digital intermediate. An optical house in New York that did not give me enough information to let me know that the SMPTE time code had not been properly put on when the film was telecined. During this time I worked patiently on the final sound edit of the film with a number of interns. Finally that sound edit was finished and it became apparent that the film optical house was not telling me the truth and prices had fallen during this time so I was able to make the film using a digital intermediate to ultimately go out to a 35 mm print of the film. So from the first day of shooting what was to be a short film to having a 35 mm print for the film took 9.5 years. Sometimes people ask me if the length of time it took for me to make the film had to do with working with actors with Down’s Syndrome. This was not the case. Even though the film took many years to make much of the delay were technical issues. What is it was actually shot in a total of twelve days which was spread over several years. Twelve days is actually a very short amount of shooting days for a feature film. The most important thing about working with an actor weather they have Down’s Syndrome or not is if they have enthusiasm. Everyone in I worked with had incredible enthusiasm so the were all great to work with.

The film started production as a short film in 1996. It took 9.5 years from the first day of shooting on the short film to having a 35 mm print of the feature film. I wrote it as a short film originally to promote the viability of having a majority of the characters that do not necessarily have Down’s Syndrome to be played by actors with Down’s Syndrome. The way this came about was this. In 1996. I was approached by two young writers and aspiring filmmakers who were from Phoenix to act in a film they wanted to produce and direct. They made a monetary offer to my agents which they really should not have done as they did not actually have financing. Nonetheless it did get me to read the screenplay which I found to be interesting. This screenplay was not What is it? I found interesting things about the screenplay and was interested in the project, but I thought there were things about the screenplay that did not work. I came up with solutions that needed re working of the screenplay and I told them I would be interested in acting in the film if I directed it. They came to LA and met with me and wanted to know my thoughts. There were quite a few things but the main things was that most of the character were to be played by actors with Down’s Syndrome. They were fine with this concept and I set about to re writing the screenplay. David Lynch then agreed to executive produce the film for me to direct. This was very helpful and I went to one of the larger corporate entities in Los Angeles that finances films and met with them. They were interested in the project but after a number of meetings and conversations they let me know that the were concerned about financing a project wherein most of the characters were played by actors with Down’s Syndrome. The title of this screenplay at this point had become IT IS MINE. And will become part three of the “IT” trilogy. It was known yet at this time that there would be a trilogy but it was decided that I should write a short screenplay to promote that the concept of having a majority of the characters played by actors with Down’s Syndrome was a viable things to do for corporate entities to invest in. This is when I wrote a short screenplay titled What is it? We shot this short screenplay in four days. I edited that over a period of six months and the first edit came in at 84 minutes. The final feature length film of What is it? is 72 minutes. So the first version of the short film is longer than the final version of the feature film, and it was too long for the material I had at the time, but I could see with more work and more material I could turn it in to a feature film. Perhaps more important than realizing the short film should be turned in to a feature film was that it became apparent that what the corporate entity was reacting to was not the viability of having a majority of the characters played by actors with Down’s Syndrome, but it was the concept itself that was the concern. Sometime people think I am stating that having actors with Down’s Syndrome is taboo. That is not what I am stating. That is not taboo. One can easily see movies or television shows that include actors with Down’s Syndrome. It may not be common but it is available. What you will not see in a corporately funded and distributed film is an actor with Down’s Syndrome playing a character that does not have Down’s Syndrome whereas one will easily see an actor without a disability playing a character with a disability. Furthermore that is the kind kind of performance that can get nominated for an academy award in a best acting category. Whereas a

person with a disability playing a character without a disability can cause severe cultural questioning. Questions could be asked like “Why are you doing this? Are you making fun of these people? Are you taking advantage of these people?” Of course I had zero interest in doing any of these things. In the initial screenplay which will eventually be part 3 of the trilogy having a majority of the characters played by actors with Down’s Syndrome solved a structural/conceptual problem in that screenplay. I realized that corporate entities in were concerned about any kind of questioning in general and this is the key problem right now in corporately funded and distributed film. Any kind of real questioning is considered taboo and taboo would not and will not be corporately funded or distributed. I realized that the short film as it was already contained the taboo of having people with Down’s Syndrome playing characters that did not necessarily have Down’s Syndrome and that since it was innate in the structure of the film and since I could see the genuine problem of negative corporate control resulting in no questioning. I might was well make sure that this becomes the central theme of the movie and the forthcoming trilogy.

Over approximately the next two years I shot 8 more days and edited this in to what is now the final version of the film. I locked the edit of the film about three years after the first day of shooting what was supposed to be a short film. Then there were a number of years of very frustrating technical problems that mainly had to do with SMPTE time code. Originally I was going to make the film the now old fashioned way of a complete photochemical process and not digital intermediate. An optical house in New York that did not give me enough information to let me know that the SMPTE time code had not been properly put on when the film was telecined. During this time I worked patiently on the final sound edit of the film with a number of interns. Finally that sound edit was finished and it became apparent that the film optical house was not telling me the truth and prices had fallen during this time so I was able to make the film using a digital intermediate to ultimately go out to a 35 mm print of the film. So from the first day of shooting what was to be a short film to having a 35 mm print for the film took 9.5 years.

I admire films and aspire to make films that go beyond the realm of that which is considered good and evil. I would say that description applies to both “What is it?” and “It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE.” I generally answer with this sort of description of the films when is a moral question about making the films is asked. Films that are currently financed and distributed by the film corporations and distribution corporations that currently exist must sit within the boundary of that which is considered good and evil. What this means is if there is a so called “bad thing/evil thing” that sits with in a corporately financed and distributed film it must necessarily pointed at by the filmmaker so that the audience is dictated to that the only way to think about that so called “evil thing” is that one way. And to repeat it that one way of thinking about that so called “evil thing” is only that, “evil”. Any other way of think about that so called “evil thing” would be considered wrong and it must be made in such a way that they audience understands that the filmmakers

feel that this “evil thing” is only that and no other way of thinking about that “evil thing” could or should be possible. A film that goes beyond the realm of good and evil may have this same so called “evil thing” but the filmmaker may not necessarily point at that so called “evil thing” so that the audience are not dictated to and therefore can determine and think for itself as to what this so called “evil thing” really is to them.

Being that my own film What is it? Is basically self-funded, I have a great interest in how the funding of film ends up influencing the content. “What is it?” conceptually goes beyond the realm of that which is considered good and evil. In current corporately financed film content that does not sit within the bounds of that which is considered good and evil will somewhere along the line of production necessarily become excised, or the project itself will simply not be funded or distributed. To describe this more specifically, if something is considered bad or "evil" within a corporately financed film it must be pointed to within the boundary of the film as being an "evil" thing and then dictated to the audience that it is the one and only way to think about that particular “evil” thing. If the "evil" thing is not pointed to within the film, the film will necessarily not be funded or distributed by corporate financial structures for the fear of possibly offending anyone and halting any kind of revenue for the film. The control of this happens through a cultural understating that is supported by the corporate media itself at large. Within in that understating it is known that if someone in this culture is responsible for the loss of monies for a corporation that they will most likely lose their job. This kind of ubiquitous corporate control has had negative influence on educating the general US for approximately a quarter century now. This is a generation of film goers.

What are your thoughts on the current presidential election? After seeing your live show and hearing your thoughts and studies on corporate propaganda, are you feeling the Bern?

I mentioned somewhere else that the internet has had a positive influence on the culture in terms people starting to see through the corporate propaganda that is still having negative impact on the culture. I have noticed a difference in how people react to What is it? at the Q and A after the film. When I was speaking about the film as being a reaction to corporate propaganda really 20 years ago now when I started shooting the film and 11 years ago now when I started touring with it, I could feel a lot more resistance to this concept. I am very glad that a major candidate for the presidency is now talking about these very issues and getting major interest because of reacting to these issued. Of course Bernie Sanders has been speaking about issues dealing with the corruptive influence of corporate interests and specifically banks in politics which he is correct about. I have been speaking about corporate propaganda and how it influences the content of film. The purpose of corporate media propaganda is to make people feel comfortable with the very issues that Bernie Sanders has been speaking out against. It is satisfying to see that someone is getting a huge positive support by the populace as a candidate for the US presidency. So no matter if he would become the next president or not there is already great positive communication that has happened with the amount of attention he has been getting. Perhaps more importantly than if he were to be president or not is that the populace starts to understand that the US is not a true functioning democracy. The positive aspect of what is happening though it that people are actually truly becoming aware of this and because the US has been called a democracy there is no reason that it can not become a true functioning democracy. This would seem to be the next positive step in making things better for more people. The problem is if course something that has been discussed which is actually getting the US to be a functioning democracy by getting rid of the legalized bribery of politicians that currently exists. If this is gotten rid of with an amendment to the constitution then we could start having a true functioning democracy. There may be multiple movements for this an anyone can see legalized bribery in politics must be stopped. The one I am aware of is wolf-pac.com. Please go to that site and read about it and if you agree sign up for it. It can be done at a a state lever to mandate a federal amendment to the constitution to stop legalized bribery and the ability for corporations to bribe politicians to slant laws in favor of the corporations at the detriment tot the populace at large.

It has been interesting to follow your pictoral diary at your ancestral home. Do you live there for periods of time? Has the time you spend there affected your feelings on ancestry, edifice, or posterity? Thank you, sir. You remain in the top five humans I would like to meet in this lifetime.

Thank you for the compliment bawdyantyme. Zamek Konaroivce is not my ancestral home. It is true I have Czech heritage but I do not know anyone I am related to in Czech. I purchased the property in 2004 after I did three studio films in a row in 2003. It is still to this date the best financial year I had. I purchased the property so that I could build sets in the former horse stables of the chateau.

I had wanted to visit all countries that my great grandparents had heritage from or had been from. This is Germany, Sweden, England and Czech. I know that my mother’s grandparents on her father’s side spoke Czech, my mother's grandparents on her fathers side spoke German. My father's grandparents on his mother's side spoke Swedish and on his father's side his grandparents spoke English. I was first in Prague in September 9- 12 2001. So the World Trade center incident in the US happened when I was there for the first time. It was a strange place to be when that happened. I was supposed to travel back to LA via Paris originally on the 11th or 12th, but there were delays for international travel so I was there a bit longer. It was disturbing to fly internationally just a few days after that incident. On the flight back I kept looking on the flight navigation screen to make sure the plane did not make a hair pin turn. Technically what the Czech word for my property in that language is “zámek” which translates as “lock” “castle” and “chateau”. It was built in the 1600’s in a quadratic structure that is basically is now in a renaissance style. In the 1700’s the chateau was resurfaced in a baroque style. There is no question that there were much earlier structures on the same place that the chateau exists and the structure in the 1600’s was built utilizing these older structures. There are complex and varied architectural styles that reflect different times and tastes. There are hundreds of years of history of the aristocratic owners of the chateau that are written in Czech History books.  Less is written about the property in 
English, but I do know a fair amount about the property but suffice to say for now that in the 1800’s it was owned by Count Harrach. His main residence was in Prague and is now open to the public and is quite a beautiful palace. That chateau is called the Troja Chateau.  My chateau’s official name is Zámek  Konárovice   Here is a site that has a brief history of it written in Czech. I am happy to be listed as the current owner in the last few lines of it’s history. http://www.cestyapamatky.cz/kolinsko/konarovice/zamek   A very interesting part of the history of the chateau I found out only after I purchased it was that Count Harrach was the patron to the father of Czech language opera Beidrich Smetana. What I found out that is extra significant is that the room I use as my office turned out to be a room in which Smetana wrote one of his operas. I had been familiar with his music and loved some of his non operatic work. It is a great pleasure to play his music when I am at the chateau. Another very interesting thing was discovered while I have been at the chateau. I was having the walls scraped in the room Smetana wrote in and it became apparent that there were remaining fresco patterns from the Baroque era. I have had these frescos restored whenever they have been discovered. Perhaps the oldest is in the largest meeting room of the chateau.  On the walls of the main anti room, which before the Baroque era was all part of the same room, were found remnants of a Chinese garden fresco. This has been restored as well. The longer I have owned the chateau and the more I have had restored the more I understand that needs to be done. It is a lifetime project that will be in continuous flux and repair for hundreds of years from now as it has been the hundreds of years before I “owned” it. It is a strange perspective when “owning” it because it becomes apparent that I am merely the current caretaker of something that will be around for a very long time. A few years ago the Czech government stepped in and made me aware that the status of the chateau is that of an historical monument. There are certain guidelines I have to stick with. Luckily my genuine interest is to continue to restore it to proper historical accuracy so what they want me to do is what I want to do. It has actually been extremely educational.

People can see photos on my instagram: CrispinHellionGlover

Crispin, welcome to reddit, huge fan! What happened during the commercial break immediately following your legendary ’87 Letterman appearance, and did you and Dave exchange any words again that night?
Also, today is my daughter’s third birthday. Would you give her the honor of being the first celebrity ever to wish her a “Happy Birthday”? You’re the man!

Hello again Matt Baster. I am a little confused as to how this system works and I wished your daughter a happy birthday in a different area, but might as well do it here in the proper box. Happy Birthday from Crispin to the daughter of Matt Baster!

Hi! What was it like working with David Yorr? He's my cousin and some sort of assistant with the movie.

I had a very good time working on Aimy in a Cage and everyone was very good to work with including your cousin David Yorr. The writer and director Hooroo Jackson is an interesting fellow and he funded the film himself. I very much enjoyed working with Hooroo and would like to work with him again. This was the first film he made and I have funded and directed my own films so it is something I very much admire when someone else does it. Hoorroo has done something interesting with his film in his editing and directing style on his this, his very first film, and I look forward to seeing what he does next.

Happy Birthday to your daughter Matt Baster!

"It is Fine, Everything is Fine!"

Why did you choose to shoot the film in Utah? Did Stephen live there?

Yes Steven C. Stewart was born with a severe case of cerebral palsy and lived in Salt Lake Utah. When he was in his early 20's his mother died and he was placed in a nursing home, where he did not want to be. The people that were taking care of him there called him an "MR" "Mental Retard." This is not a nice thing to call anyone but Steve was of normal intelligence and the emotional turmoil he must have gone through while in the nursing home I can not begin to imagine. When he got out he wrote the screenplay.

Hi Mr Glover,

it seems that you have a pretty good relationship with Werner Herzog, to the point that you appear on several DVD commentaries with him.

How did this come about and, more importantly, what do you guys talk about when you hang out??

Yes. Werner Herzog is another filmmaker I admire greatly and have had the great experience of getting to know him a bit. I have not seen him in the last several years, but I have been away in Czech, touring and acting in other people's projects a lot. Werner Herzog is a great person that is approachable in general. If you met him on the street you would know what I mean. But even if you watch interviews with him on Youtube or something you will get a good essence of what he is like. He will speak with you in the way he speaks in public, that is with great thoughtfulness, sincerity and a unique intelligent perspective. I first met Werner Herzog in 1990 at the Venice Film Festival. I was in a film there that has never been released in the US based on the Polish novel by the writer Witold Gombrowicz Ferdydurke directed by the excellent Polish filmmaker Jerzy Skolimowski. The publicist for the film was the same publicist for a film Herzog had there and I told him how much I admired Werner Herzog and so he set up a lunch. It was great that I got to sit and ask Herzog all the questions I wanted. I gave Herzog some of my books I had published at the time. Then Norm Hill that had worked in Seattle at Scarecrow video that had brought me to Seattle for one of my slideshows and recalled me talking about my admiration of Herzog's work and then he asked me to do commentaries for some of the DVDs with he and Herzog. I chose to do Even Dwarves Started Small and Fata Morgana since they had direct influence on What is it? which was still in postproduction at the time of the DVD commentaries. I did a commentary with Norm Hill and Werner Herzog on the Anchor Bay releases for his films “Even Dwarves Started Small” and “Fata Morgana.” Most of the questions were asked by Norm Hill, but I did ask some questions. It came about was while I was editing “What is it?” I had toured with with my Big Slide Show one hour dramatic narration of eight different books and a rough cut of the film. Norm Hill had organized my show in Seattle. I spoke with him about my interest in Herzog’s work. I had also met Herzog in 1990 at the Venice film festival because the publicist for the film he was there with was the same publicist for a Jersey Skolimowski film I had acted in that was only released in Poland and France. I had told the publicist how much I admired Herzog’s films and he arranged a dinner that was just me and Herzog and the publicist and a woman the publicist knew. Herzog was very easy to talk to and it was a great dinner. Years later Norm Hill was producing the DVD of Herzog’s films for Anchor Bay and he invited me to do a number of commentaries for the DVDs with himself and Herzog and I chose to do “Fata Morgana” and “Even Dwarve’s started small” because those two had influence on What is it? in different ways. I had already locked What is it? when we recorded those commentaries. It is something I am very proud of in my career to have done. Years later in 2005 when I premiered What is it? at Sundance coincidentally Herzog was premiering Grizzly Man and I went and saw his premiere and he came and saw What is it? and was incredibly supportive and has been very kind. I am very grateful to him for that and in relation to that I am also very grateful to David Lynch who had years before I made What is it? had agreed to executive produce IT IS MINE. Which ended up leading to me making “What is it?” I have seen Herzog at various functions and at my house and even at the airport over the years and it always a great pleasure to speak with him and get tidbits of insight in to how he thinks about filmmaking. It is hard to say which of Herzog’s films is my very favorite but some of my favorites are: Fata Morgana (1968-1970) Even Dwarves Started Small (1968-1970) Land of Silence and Darkness (1970-1971) Aguirre Wrath of God  (1972) OUTSTANDING performace by Klaus Kinski The Great Ecstasy of the Sculptor Steiner (1973-1974) The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser (1974) La Soufriére (1976) Stroszek (1977) God's Angry Man (1980) Fizcarraldo (1981) The Dark Glow of the Mountains (1995) Echoes From a Somber Empire (1990) Bells From the Deep- Faith and Superstition from a Somber Empire (1995) Little Dieter Needs to Fly (1998) Grizzly Man (2005) Cave of Forgotten Dreams (2010)

And Herzog continues to make great work. I have been interested in the documentaries about death row and have not updated the above list as I have been working a lot in these past five years since I last answered that question. A fair amount of these replies are partially cut and pasted from interviews I have done over the last 11 years touring with my live shows and films.

How much did you get to interact with Johnny Depp in Dead Man? Also, did you think that Lone Ranger was just a rip off of Dead Man?

I met Johnny Depp on the day he got his first acting job. This was in I believe 1984. I have worked with him on three feature films since that and he is always easy to work with a gentleman. I am glad to have worked with him as much as I have. I enjoyed working with both he and Jim Jarmusch on Dead Man. I ran in to Jim Jarmusch at a film festival a number of years ago and he reminded me that I had improvised a fair amount of dialogue when we worked on that film. I admire that Jim Jarmusch has continued to make films in his own unique fashion as making my own films in my own way is something that is important to me.

Forgive me, I sent same question privately, but did you have any influence on how Layne's personality was to be portrayed, or was is pretty much set in stone in script? A unique character played by equally unique actor.

Thank you. I am proud of the River's Edge and the way Layne came out in the film. That was a very well written screenplay The way the character was written made me think of a certain regional dialect that I had grown up hearing. I am proud of that film. There was an intention change in the character from the way it had been written. The character could have been played as a person who sincerely wanted the best for the murderer character. But I made the choice to play the character as a person who wanted people to believe that intentions of the character were sincere in order for positive attention to be put on to himself.. That is a different intention than what was written. The dialogue was not changed but the intentions was changed. There was a certain dynamic that this brought about in the character within the film. I like my performance in that film and I like the film as a whole.

The repressive culture brings out troublesome actions. The character in River’s Edge and the film itself is not a repressive film but an explorative film and film that brings up questions which is healthy for the culture. I think right now most films are not explorative and unfortunately are more dictatorial in the approach as to how the audience is approached as to how to think about the subject matter. The business interest’s control on how they want the culture to work for their own benefit. I would say that sort of media control can bring out negative repressed actions from people.

Hi Mr. Glover! Big fan of your work. Your character in the Charlie's Angels movies was the perfectly unsettling, and was my favorite character in the movies. What would you say is your favorite role so far?

Some of the performances I like of myself are: Layne in River’s Edge Larry Huff in The Orkly Kid Dr. Abuse in Influence Danny in Teachers George McFly in Back to the Future Andy Warhol in The Doors
The Thin Man Charlie’s Angels Willard in Willard Bartleby in Bartleby Grendel in Beowulf Cousin Dell in Wild at Heart Dueling Demi-God Auteur in What is it?

I am also very exited to be editing my next directorial film that was for myself and my father to act in together for the first time. I will be showing a preview for this at my shows at the American Cinematheque/Egyptian Theatre in Los Angeles March 18 &19 2016. It will be the 10th anniversary of my first appearance at the American Cinematheque. So I am looking forward to coming back.

Did being a fan of David Lynch's movies have an effect on your work with him? And is Eraserhead your favorite film of his still?

Yes. Erasherhead was a very important film to me at age 16. I went and saw Erasherhead at least 12 or 13 times at the Friday midnight shows at the Nuart Theater in Los Angeles in 1980. I had learned how to drive and I was attending a professional acting class and this film had a lot of influence on me. I am very glad to have worked with David Lynch and he has been very nice to me professionally as an actor and filmmaker and personally as well. Eraserhead still is an important film to me and I am glad David Lynch is still working and I always look forward to what his next project will be.

Hello, Crispin. What was your experience with Milos Forman? Could you tell us how his directing style differs from others?

Milos Forman is one of the greatest persons I have ever known. I strongly recommend seeing his communist era Czechoslovakian film The Fireman's Ball. It would be as it George Orwell had been commissioned by the Soviet Russian government to write Animal Farm as a pro communist book. This is essentially what Milos Forman did with The Fireman's Ball and he left Czechoslovakia because of this film. It is especially interesting to me because I have spent a lot of time in the Czech Republic now because I own property there and shot my most recent film at my property. It is about a 30 minute drive from where Milos Forman was from. As a director he wants things to be organic/coming from within/ true to existing. His Czechoslovakian films were particularly in utilization of organic improvisation from what I can tell. He has a great sense of humor and there is something he did that every time I think about it makes me laugh out loud. I was in the midst of shooting What is it? when I worked with him and he was very nice to me in a funny way when he found out about it. It is something I will write more about in the book I am currently writing. I am on page 300 of that book so it is a bit long for a reddit session.

Hi it's me again, and this time I'm not going to make a fool of myself, what do you think has been the largest change in films since you started your career?

There is something going on with the internet that is very interesting. As you may be able to tell I have a lot of interest in the word propaganda and not just the word but the concept itself. Corporate propaganda is a true problem in our culture today. Corporate propaganda often negatively affects the populace that it attempts to control. I see something very positive happening with the kind o communication that the internet has opened and I can feel a difference in the audience when I tour with What is it? and It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE. When I first started touring 11 years ago and talking about corporate propaganda in media there was a lot more resistance, particularly in the US audiences. I feel something very positive is happening now where people at large are much more aware of corporate propaganda. In the long run this will positively affect the content of film

Would you ever want to work with some of the the actors from Back to the Future again or do you feel like they're all tainted with Bob Gale propaganda?

Most of the actors in Back to the Future have publicly stated nice things about me such as Michael J. Fox, Lea Thompson, Tom Wilson, Marc McClure and of course I worked with Robert Zemeckis again on Beowulf and had a great experience working with him again on that. Frankly I had a good experience with Robert Zemeckis on Back to the Future. Bob Gale is a bitter man that ceased to work in the film industry other then pedaling Back to the Future and he seems to find it more valuable to try to hide the fact that what he did was a criminal action by saying negative things. Luckily there are plenty of people that can see through this and I am grateful to my fellow cast mates and Robert Zemeckis who have been kind to me.

Is it true that you have czech ancestors? What is your relationship to this country?

Yes it is tru that I have Czech heritage. I own a chateau that was built in the 1600's there and the horse former horse stables have turned in to shooting stages. I have been posting photos of the zamek Konarovice on my Instagram page CrispinHellionGlover.

I am glad to say that I have just completed principal photography on my next feature film. It is not part 3 of the trilogy.

I should not go in to too much detail for part 3 of the “It” trilogy yet as “IT IS MINE.” will not be the film I shoot next. There are other projects outside of the trilogy that I will shoot next. The Czech Republic is where I own a chateau built in the 1600‘s. I have converted its former horse stables in to film shooting stages. Czech is another culture and another language and I need to build up to complex productions like “What is it?” and the existing sequel “It is fine! EVERYTHING IS FINE.” “IT IS MINE.” is an even more complex project than the previous two films put together, so it will be a while yet for that production. I will step outside of the trilogy for a number of films that deal with different thematic elements from the “IT” trilogy. The sets for my next film productions were in construction for over two years now. At the same time the sets were being built I was in the process of continuing to develop the screenplay for myself and my father to act in together on these sets. My father, Bruce Glover, is also an actor who has appeared in such films as “Chinatown” and “Diamonds Are Forever” and he and I have not yet acted together on film. The project with my father is the next film I am currently preparing to make as a director/producer. This will be the first role I have written for myself to act that will be written primarily as an acting role, as opposed to a role that was written for the character I play to merely serve the structure. But even still on some level I am writing the screenplay to be something that I can afford to make. There are two other projects I am currently developing to shoot on sets at my property in the Czech Republic. These films will be relatively affordable by utilizing the basic set structures that can be slightly re-worked for variations and yand yet each film will feel separate from one another in look and style yet still cinematically pleasing so they will be worth to project in various cinemas. The crew and cast stayed at my chateau in Czech while we shot on sets built in 18,000 square feet of the former horse stables of the chateau.

Hey Crispin! I absolutely loved your part in Charlie's Angels (you were probably the best character). Tell us, was it fun working with all those stars? Was working on Charlie's Angels any fun?

Yes. I had an excellent time working on those films and the actors and filmakers were all excellent people to work with. On the first film I had more influence on that character perhaps than any other film I have worked on other than my own filmmaking. I was very pleased with how the character came out.

Hello. I've been a fan of yours for a long time and would like to thank you for your years of creative output. I can't claim to understand all of your work, but I feel my life has been enriched by exposure to your ideas. "Rat-Catching" has been on the bookshelf in every home I've had since I was a teenager.

One thing that has always intrigued me is the "solution" to your Big Problem album. It's like one of those lateral thinking problems that I just can't figure out— I'm not even sure what form it would take, whether it's a theme, a philosophical argument, a word... Since the project seems to be over at this point, with the associated phone number no longer working, is there any chance you'll share the answer? I totally respect it if you want this to remain a mystery, but I figured this setting was the perfect opportunity to plead for your help!

It is designed to have all those elements as thoughts. But quite simply it is the themes of the various elements in the record.

How do you feel about people approaching you when you are out in public? Because my bestfriend said he met you in 2006 when he was 14 at the Museum of Modern Art and he asked if you were the actor from Willard and he says you flipped him off and walked away. do you think you were having a bad day or something, or do you not like people coming up to you in public?

The person who told you this is not telling you the truth. I would never do that. I don't like that hand gesture in general and do not use it. When people approach me I generally say "Thank you I appreciate it." I have seen this kind of thing written about me and people believe it because of the kind of characters I have played. I am grateful to people when they say something appreciative to me.

You have an eccentric persona that makes you pretty unforgettable. Is any of it a conscious act to appear unique among thousands of other actors in hollywood?

I started acting professionally at age 13. This was something that was my own decision. I had seen how the business worked because my father is an actor and my mother retired as a dancer and actress when I was born. My parents were not super famous or super wealthy. I grew up middle class. But I could see it was a good business to be a part of and I had a realistic understanding of the benefits and difficulties of it.

I always drew and wrote as a child. I always liked Bosch and Dali as painters when I was a child. I saw Tod Browning’s Freaks when I was a child and was quite favorably impressed by that. My father is an actor and my mother retired from her primary profession as a dancer and secondary profession as an actress when I was born. As I was growing up watching my father work in the film industry I did not necessarily equate the business of acting with art as much as seeing it as a business. I became a professional actor at age 13 by my own choice. I emphasize that because there is a large difference in that from when a child is forced in to acting by parents who choose that career for a child. I began studying in a professional acting class at age 15. At age 16 I viewed many revival films of the 1920’s through the 1970’s at the revival theaters that were popular in the early 1980’s before the advent of VHS competition that led to most of the revival houses closing. While watching many of the films and being in acting class I began to understand film and acting as art.

I had gotten two commercials at age 13. Then my first long term experience with professional job as an actor was in 1978 at age 14 for “The Sound of Music” with Florence Henderson at the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion in Los Angeles. I got that through a “Cattle Call/ Open Audition” where literally thousands of people would show up to audition for the cast of the show. My mother had seen the ad for it in Variety for “children who can act, sing and dance.” I was concerned about the dancing and singing in particular. My parents were both supportive. My mother had been familiar with the singing and dancing sort of “Cattle call” from work in New York and made me feel like it was not that big of a deal. So I went through the experience and it is something I will not forget. As the day went on more and more people getting cut and I kept getting called back in till there were very few at the end of the day. As I recall we were then called back for one more day of auditions and then the decision was made that day. Actually that kind of experience was really very confidence building because I was there physically with all the other people progressively getting cut.

I had already started to do good work as an actor in class by age 16 at the point that I went to yet another “Cattle call” audition for “Best of Times” that was advertised in Variety. It was similar sort of cutting out experience as for “The Sound of Music” except the audition was more based on a scene that you were supposed bring in. I had brought in an improvisational scene with someone trying to get their parent to listen to a certain song. The scene was later rewritten by the show writers and changed in to me getting a shop owner played by Jackie Mason to listen to the song. Being cast in that from yet another cattle call at age 16 was of course a good thing and yet by no mean did I think I had “Made it.” Nicolas Cage was also cast in it from the same “Cattle call” and he and I were the only two actors that were of the age that were still in school. So we had a tutor that we would have to be in a special room or trailer and do a certain amount of hours of school work each day. He and I shared a certain sense of humor of the absurd and became friends while making that show.

I was not technically proficient enough of an actor at the age of 16 to take weak writing and make the intentions work in a strong or differentiated way. I saw the clip you refer to on you tube and I still see one moment that I was directed to do that I did not feel good about then or now. I saw it a few months ago and I was concerned about watching it because I had not watched it since it was on the air when I was 16. I did not like my performance in it. I learned a lot and was very careful after that experience to make certain to be very careful about the decisions as an actor to intensify or even change the intentions of the character as written so that it plays. I feel like in that show the lines for the most part are played as written and it makes me uncomfortable still to this day to have public record of a time where I am still learning the craft. In any case I am glad I did the show and learned a lot from doing it.

The sort of training that I had or acting focused on bringing portions of your own psychology to make those characters have an organic quality. Something that is important to understand is that those who appear in corporately funded and distributed films and more importantly the content of are corporately funded and distributed films is not determined by the populace of the culture, but by the corporate interests that are funding and distributing the films. If an actor willingly cheerleads the corporate interests that actor will be rewarded with money, media backup/publicity and consequently more work that sustains the corporate interests.  Around the time I started acting in films in 1982 there was a shift in the kinds of films that were being corporately funded and distributed.

Do you play any instruments? Are you into modern technology like video games or virtual reality?

I took two years of violin when I was the age 11 and 12. My teacher wanted me start doing recitals and that was not the reason I was taking it. I wanted to take it for myself and not for performance. I stopped at that age. I of course understand now the importance of recitals and why it is necessarily as a performing art. I purchased a beautiful violin made in the early 1900's about 20 years ago with the intention of having lessons again. I have it at my property in Czech as there is a a lot of understanding of the importance of non lingual music in that country. Also at my property in Czech in the room I use as my office Bedrich Smetana composed the first Czech language opera. So there is a lot of a musical heritage there and it would be a great place to take it up again.

What do you think of people coming up to you requesting an autograph on something related to Back to the Future? Do you mind it?

I am happy to meet individuals that come up and are happy to meet with me because they have seen me in something. I understand that signatures are a collectable with monetary value on one hand and have become a kind of ritual of proof of meeting someone. There is a part of the collectible aspect of it in terms of monetary value that can cause a strange aspect with people that do it as some kind of source of income. When I do my shows I always will sign at least one thing that someone requests. I do not charge for this. I have see that some people charge a lot of money for signatures and that is fine for them to do, but for me it makes me uncomfortable to do that. At the same time at my shows live shows and film presentations it is a four hour plus show and I have to keep the line moving because the shows can go till early in the morning the day after the show has started. I noticed recently that some of the films I have been in will attract some of the professional collectors and I have had to recently become more strict about limiting signatures to one per person. I was surprised when a professional collector got belligerent at one of my shows because I would not sign about 6 or more things he was claiming were for his friends. I have noticed that on the internet there are fake signatures of mine being sold. I know this because I write specific things about my films on the things being sold. This takes more time, but it means that if there is only a signature without me writing something specific that it is actually a forgery. This is also why I have to limit it to one per person. Anyhow 99 percent of the people that are asking for something to be signed are not professionals and of course I do all I can to accommodate. I also make it a point to sign all my books. Even the books that are sold on CrispinGlover.com I sign.

Hi Crispin! How did Back to the Future change your life?

Hi again Shivan21. I have answered the question in the area above as I am a little confused about where the proper area for the replies is located. I think I have figured it out now.

My experience with Back to the Future does not make me think of humor. I am sure there are things that made me laugh while working as humor is an important part of day to day life, but my experience with the lawsuit and what the producers did that was illegal takes over my memories of the experience as being mirthful and makes me think of other things than humor.

Are you still looking for answers to "The Big Problem?"

Everyone is allowed to answer what the felt the The Big Problem theme is. That was of course part of the thought process of the album.

Hi Mr. Glover! I'd like to ask what your favorite element of Hooroo's film was, maybe what drew you to the story or anything that stood out to you on your first readthrough? Thanks! :)

I like that Hooroo made a self published graphic novel. I publish my own graphic books available on CrispinGlover.com and know that coming from an artistic sense would lead Hooroo to something interesting. When I spoke with Hooroo on the phone for the first time he told me he wanted me to improvise or the film. That is quite unusual for a first time writer/director. I could tell that Hooroo understood the aspect of "Happy accidents" which is an important aspect of creation of good art.

Any updates on whether or not you'll return as the Knave in Alice: Through the Looking Glass? The first movie is one of my all-time favorite movies, and I would love to see you reprise your role.

I am not in Through the Looking Glass. My agents were asked about shooting dates before the production which I was available for, but the role did not make it to the production stage. I had a great time working with everyone on Alice in Wonderland and I am sure Through the Looking Glass will be an excellent production.

Hi Crispin. I am a big fan of River's Edge and your character in it. I was wondering what kind of music you were into in high school...were you a metalhead at all like in the film? What kind of music inspires you now?

Hi charrobot. I am glad you like River's Edge and the character of Laye. I am proud of that film. I have gown up in this culture and am aware of all genres of music and have enjoyed them, but I tend to be drawn most and listen most to classical music and more specifically Baroque era and Beethoven and post Beethoven Romantic era non lingual music.

Do you have any lasting animosity toward those involved with the Back to the Future sequels?

I have no animosity with anyone involve in Back to the Future or its sequels. The only problem I have with anyone is Bob Gale who to this day is lying about me and I would of course prefer if he just admitted publicly that what he did was illegal and appologize instead of blaming the person that he stole something from. It is really bad behavior on the part of Bob Gale to have been publicly proven to have stolen something and then blame the person he stole something from for his own illegal actions.

Good afternoon Crispin! First I just want to tell you how much your work has inspired me for 10 years, your shows and art are spectacular. Thank you for everything you have put out there and for just being yourself! My question: What is in your opinion your favorite song you have done off of your album The Big Problem? And would you ever consider doing another album? Thank you for your reply!

There is another album that one of the producers and I worked on in the 90's. It is almost complete and we have been in discussion to release this album. I have been very busy with my new film production but do want to finish the album and get it out after all these years.

What would be your dream role or project? Is there still something that you feel there is to do or say?

There is always something to do or say. I have multiple productions that I am developing to shoot at my property in the Czech Republic.

How soon do you think you'll tour with the film you did with your father? I'd love to see it and you again.

I currently have a 91 minute edit of the film. I take time with the editing of the film and this is part of why I fund my films myself. I would prefer that any mistakes I make come from my own doing rather than from the imposition of a corporate entity. This also lets me take time with the edit where I can think about things that might make the film better or not

Hello! I have a questions first. Does anyone know how to fix the main first paragraph? I wrote npw instead of now