# My New Video: John Lurie: Are You Famous? (60 seconds long)



## Reid Rosefelt (Feb 18, 2022)

I'm trying something new on YouTube. It's not music, it's stories about my career as a film publicist. What I'm hoping for my VI:Control friends, is that even if you're a composer or a music technology enthusiast, you may also be interested in behind-the-scenes showbiz stories. Plus I'll be talking about how publicity works, and that's something you all can learn from.



Links:
Video #2  THE MOSQUITO COAST
Video #3 WHEN COPPOLA MET JARMUSCH
Video #4  THE TIME I MADE MADONNA LAUGH
Video #5 MY CO-STARRING ROLE IN KING KONG
Video #6 CANCELED!
Video #7 MY MEETING WITH JOHN HUGHES
Video #8 LOUISE BROOKS
Video #9 THE NAKED GUN
Video #10 WERNER HERZOG
Video #11 THE DAY I MET JACKIE O
Video #12 HOW VIVA TOOK OVER THE LETTERMAN SHOW
Video #13 TWO OF THE STUPIDEST THINGS I'VE EVER DONE AS A PUBLICIST
Video #14 THE ONLY THING A PUBLICIST CAN OFFER IS LOVE
Video #15 JOHN LURIE: ARE YOU FAMOUS? (One minute long)


----------



## wst3 (Feb 18, 2022)

I think this sounds like a great idea!! Enjoying the first chapter now...


----------



## Bee_Abney (Feb 18, 2022)

I look forward to watching it. Once my head is working.

I like your music, so if you could bring yourself to post some compositions too, that would be much appreciated.

But, as ever, do what's fun for you! You have lots of great experience that I'm sure plenty of people here would enjoy hearing about.


----------



## Roger Newton (Feb 18, 2022)

I remember this film was a lot better than I expected it to be at the time. Still have the DVD too. A virtually unknown at the time Thomas Newman did the music and very good it is too. Mostly synthesisers if I recall correctly.
I will watch your video soon when I get the chance.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Feb 18, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> I look forward to watching it. Once my head is working.
> 
> I like your music, so if you could bring yourself to post some compositions too, that would be much appreciated.
> 
> But, as ever, do what's fun for you! You have lots of great experience that I'm sure plenty of people here would enjoy hearing about.


I'm glad you like my music, Bee. But don't worry, I'll be able to post _more _music this way. And I intend to, because I enjoy it. 

The music training videos took weeks to do, and I was often stressed and exhausted. I just shot the second one in this series (on Louise Brooks) and I finished it in an hour.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Feb 18, 2022)

Roger Newton said:


> I remember this film was a lot better than I expected it to be at the time. Still have the DVD too. A virtually unknown at the time Thomas Newman did the music and very good it is too. Mostly synthesisers if I recall correctly.
> I will watch your video soon when I get the chance.


The movie was a lot better than many people who worked on the film thought it would be. An amnesia plot? Post-production was rushed and the cuts were not very good even a few weeks before the release. Those last cuts by editor Andy Mondshein made an enormous difference. 

I remember so well that the producers, Midge Sanford and Sarah Pillsbury, sent me cassette tapes of the tracks that he did. I gave them to radio and TV people to use. I loved the music, but made no connection to anybody else named Newman.  An album was released of this and Seidelman's followup, "Making Mr. Right" (which I also worked on), but it's out of print.


----------



## mallux (Feb 18, 2022)

That's a great story Reid, told with warmth and honesty, love it. I had that poster on my bedroom wall as a 12 year old... never once did I stop to think about the chain of events that led to it being there!


----------



## cedricm (Feb 18, 2022)

I haven't seen this movie in ages, but I remember liking it a lot at the time. I guess I had a crush on Rosanna too.
Enjoying your documentary as I type.
OMG you did Crouching Tiger too? Would you have Zhang Ziyi's phone number by any chance?


----------



## Bee_Abney (Feb 18, 2022)

cedricm said:


> I haven't seen this movie in ages, but I remember liking it a lot at the time. I guess I had a crush on Rosanna too.
> Enjoying your documentary as I type.



She's been in a lot of good films. I haven't seen her in anything for some time.


----------



## Akarin (Feb 18, 2022)

This is so great and unique! Instant subscribe. Thank you for sharing, I love these behind the scene stories!


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Feb 18, 2022)

cedricm said:


> I haven't seen this movie in ages, but I remember liking it a lot at the time. I guess I had a crush on Rosanna too.
> Enjoying your documentary as I type.
> OMG you did Crouching Tiger too? Would you have Zhang Ziyi's phone number by any chance?


I only met Ziyi once, when she came in to do some photos. She wasn't very friendly, but of course, she didn't speak English and there were a few people around her.

Michelle Yeoh was a different story. What an amazing experience to meet somebody like her. Let me tell you about the time... Hell no! You'll have to watch the video!


----------



## Bee_Abney (Feb 18, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> I only met Ziyi once, when she came in to do some photos. She wasn't very friendly, but of course, she didn't speak English and there were a few people around her.
> 
> Michelle Yeoh was a different story. What an amazing experience to meet somebody like her. Let me tell you about the time... Hell no! You'll have to watch the video!



I love Michelle Yeoh to an embarrassing degree. She's such a charismatic actress.


----------



## M. vDiva Fabbiani (Feb 19, 2022)

Subscribed! Extremely interesting behind the scenes. Looking forward to the next videos.


----------



## Macrawn (Feb 19, 2022)

Great story to share and enjoyable to watch. You've got a unique perspective from being a publicist on this kind of stuff. You could probably write a book or something. 

I hope you do an instrument vid once in a while too because I'm one of the one hundred views you get on them.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Feb 19, 2022)

Macrawn said:


> You could probably write a book or something.


I used to post stories like these on Facebook and everybody bugged me to write the book. In fact the reason I wasn't going to do the Tiger sale post this year was so I could focus on the book. But writing a book means--to me, anyway--that you have to shape all the random anecdotes into a coherent narrative. And once I started doing that, I began facing stories I was very uncomfortable about telling. Also that certain stories might get me sued. Or worse.

I was very disappointed that all these people on FB couldn't just enjoy what I was doing without getting so upset that I wasn't writing a book. I'm old enough to know that you have to do what you want and not what others want. 

I don't know why it never occurred to me until last week to tell these stories on YouTube. I think it's better to hear me tell them than to read them. There are so many things that don't come out on the page. Anyway I have so many stories and my wife has heard them so many times that she is sick to death of them.  This will be a nice outlet.



Macrawn said:


> I hope you do an instrument vid once in a while too because I'm one of the one hundred views you get on them.


Music is my main interest these days, and has replaced my obsession with movies. So I will continue to do videos on anything that interests me, just for the sake of doing them. It could be music software, it could just be doing something *silly*. As I told @Bee_Abney, I'll put my own music up there. And I'll definitely be incorporating my music in some upcoming memoir videos. 

But there's no question that this is working better than anything I've tried before. I had 953 subscribers when I put it up less than a day ago and I have 970 now.


----------



## cedricm (Feb 19, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> I only met Ziyi once, when she came in to do some photos. She wasn't very friendly, but of course, she didn't speak English and there were a few people around her.
> 
> Michelle Yeoh was a different story. What an amazing experience to meet somebody like her. Let me tell you about the time... Hell no! You'll have to watch the video!


Looking forward to it!
Michelle Yeoh is an outstanding actress too.
In defense of Ziyi, she was/is probably under much pressure from the Chinese power. In fact, a little like the tennis woman who now says nothing ever happened to her, she disappeared for quite a while.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Feb 19, 2022)

cedricm said:


> Looking forward to it!
> Michelle Yeoh is an outstanding actress too.
> In defense of Ziyi, she was/is probably under much pressure from the Chinese power. In fact, a little like the tennis woman who now says nothing ever happened to her, she disappeared for quite a while.


At the time her situation was pretty similar to what Eileen Gu's is now. She had modeling contracts with many big Chinese companies. She was the hottest young actor of the moment for movies. Her face was everywhere and she was making a ton of money. She wasn't all that impressed by how well I thought the film was going to do here. 

I think a lot of people in my business did not understand that to be a big star in China is much bigger than being a star in Hollywood. At least in terms of number of fans and money. The publicist in LA didn't think it was worth her while to personally pick up Michelle Yeoh and her small entourage at the airport.


----------



## kgdrum (Feb 19, 2022)

cedricm said:


> I haven't seen this movie in ages, but I remember liking it a lot at the time. I guess I had a crush on Rosanna too.



About 35 years ago I inadvertently met and hung out with two charming,extremely friendly cool beautiful women for about an hour. We chatted,had a few laughs and they were lovely 🥰 
After they went on their way my friend started giggling and asked me do you have any idea who that woman was? I obviously didn’t,yes it was Roseanna Arquette and a very close friend,yes she was as charming as she was beautiful. After meeting her I’d be more concerned about anyone that didn’t have a crush on Roseanna!


----------



## D Halgren (Feb 19, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> I used to post stories like these on Facebook and everybody bugged me to write the book. In fact the reason I wasn't going to do the Tiger sale post this year was so I could focus on the book. But writing a book means--to me, anyway--that you have to shape all the random anecdotes into a coherent narrative. And once I started doing that, I began facing stories I was very uncomfortable about telling. Also that certain stories might get me sued. Or worse.
> 
> I was very disappointed that all these people on FB couldn't just enjoy what I was doing without getting so upset that I wasn't writing a book. I'm old enough to know that you have to do what you want and not what others want.
> 
> ...


Your stories are a treasure! My wife and I are eagerly awaiting more!


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Feb 19, 2022)

D Halgren said:


> Your stories are a treasure! My wife and I are eagerly awaiting more!


Thank you!


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Feb 22, 2022)

My new video on THE MOSQUITO COAST is up! I hope you like it. I've made a number of technical improvements since the DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN one.


----------



## demattia (Feb 22, 2022)

I enjoy these videos a lot! Thank you for sharing an interesting look into the world of the publicist.


----------



## Owen Smith (Feb 22, 2022)

Love your stories @Reid Rosefelt! This video especially interested me because I lived in a village in the south of Belize for 2 years in the Peace Corps. All the best to you and look forward to hearing more of your fascinating experiences and stories!


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 1, 2022)

Here's the latest. Near the end I got into a story that's a bit painful to remember. I'm not going to be afraid of doing that as this series continues.



I really hate the reflections on my glasses. I'll keep trying to fix that, but I may have to try just taking the glasses off.


----------



## D Halgren (Mar 1, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> Here's the latest. Near the end I got into a story that's a bit painful to remember. I'm not going to be afraid of doing that as this series continues.
> 
> 
> 
> I really hate the reflections on my glasses. I'll keep trying to fix that, but I may have to try just taking the glasses off.



https://nofilmschool.com/2017/05/how-solve-glare-issue-when-lighting-people-glasses


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 1, 2022)

D Halgren said:


> https://nofilmschool.com/2017/05/how-solve-glare-issue-when-lighting-people-glasses


Thank you. I did watch that video and many others like it, plus I read a lot. And when I was doing my old videos, I did spend a lot of time experimenting for hours and hours with different angles, heights, and distances, and so on. He makes it look so simple in the video, but believe me, it is not. He's worked long and hard to find the perfect spot. And the place he is able to shoot in might allow more space than I have. He shows the results, he doesn't show you what equipment he has and where he puts it. "Look, it's bad here--oh it's good now!" Also, he doesn't move his head as much as I like to do. He's not sitting in front of a computer monitor like me.

But yes, with my full light kit and reflector, and some time, it isn't as bad.

But I was doing videos very differently then, with an hour or two setup and maybe a half hour breakdown. Now I put up the backdrop (5 minutes), turn on the camera and go. I use my Elgato desk lights. When I'm done, I take down the backdrop and I'm done. I like it this way. Finally I'm making videos quickly.

So first I'm just going to try taking off my glasses. That's the simplest solution and will work with no fuss. But if I look weird that way, I will experiment, because I do want the videos to be better.


----------



## D Halgren (Mar 1, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> Thank you. I did watch that video and many others like it, plus I read a lot. And when I was doing my old videos, I did spend a lot of time experimenting for hours and hours with different angles, heights, and distances, and so on. He makes it look so simple in the video, but believe me, it is not. He's worked long and hard to find the perfect spot. And the place he is able to shoot in might allow more space than I have. He shows the results, he doesn't show you what equipment he has and where he puts it. "Look, it's bad here--oh it's good now!" Also, he doesn't move his head as much as I like to do. He's not sitting in front of a computer monitor like me.
> 
> But yes, with my full light kit and reflector, and some time, it isn't as bad.
> 
> ...


I figured that you already knew different tricks with your background, but thought I would post just in case. I do remember some sort of spray for this problem, but I'm not sure if it would be a pain on glasses, or detrimental to them. In the end it's the story that counts. I appreciate your dedication to the look though 🙏👍


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 1, 2022)

D Halgren said:


> I figured that you already knew different tricks with your background, but thought I would post just in case. I do remember some sort of spray for this problem, but I'm not sure if it would be a pain on glasses, or detrimental to them. In the end it's the story that counts. I appreciate your dedication to the look though 🙏👍


If anybody knows about a spray that minimizes eyeglass reflections, please let me know.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 1, 2022)

I just shot my second Madonna video and there are less reflections. When I put up the high key soft light, I remembered what the problem was: getting rid of the glasses reflections causes other lighting issues. So I set up a reflector and a bounce card. A lot of experimenting to do in future videos. 

But you'll see... there is improvement in the next one.


----------



## D Halgren (Mar 1, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> I just shot my second Madonna video and there are less reflections. When I put up the high key soft light, I remembered what the problem was: getting rid of the glasses reflections causes other lighting issues. So I set up a reflector and a bounce card. A lot of experimenting to do in future videos.
> 
> But you'll see... there is improvement in the next one.


I used to work G&E, but it's been decades, and I thought I remembered a spray, but it looks like it's to matte shiny surfaces, not really glasses. Maybe, a polarizer would work for pretty cheap? Found this video that makes it look pretty easy for your application 👍


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 1, 2022)

D Halgren said:


> I used to work G&E, but it's been decades, and I thought I remembered a spray, but it looks like it's to matte shiny surfaces, not really glasses. Maybe, a polarizer would work for pretty cheap? Found this video that makes it look pretty easy for your application 👍



I have a polarizer filter somewhere. I’ll explore.


----------



## cedricm (Mar 2, 2022)

Coppola has an ear for music: The Godfather, Apocalyse Now, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and so forth.

Love your videos, here's to the next 100!


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 2, 2022)

cedricm said:


> Coppola has an ear for music: The Godfather, Apocalyse Now, Bram Stoker's Dracula, and so forth.
> 
> Love your videos, here's to the next 100!


Definitely. His father was Carmine Coppola, who composed the score to the Godfather films, plus Apocalypse Now, The Rain People, Gardens of Stone, Tucker, New York Stories, and The Outsiders.

Opera plays a role in a lot of Coppola films, and his movies are often called operatic. That's another connection I didn't make between the two men. I wish I had. Jim was in a band when I met him called the Del-Byzanteens. And now he spends most of his time with the band he has with his producer Carter Logan, SQ*Ü*RL. They scored part of ONLY LOVERS LEFT ALIVE and all of PATERSON. They have a world tour set up for 2023.




__





Live Dates — SQÜRLWORLD







www.squrlworld.com


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 3, 2022)




----------



## aeliron (Mar 3, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> My new video on THE MOSQUITO COAST is up! I hope you like it. I've made a number of technical improvements since the DESPERATELY SEEKING SUSAN one.



Fascinating stuff! Keep it coming!


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 7, 2022)




----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 12, 2022)

When some actors and filmmakers do something terrible, it's like their career is erased--they are gone and don't work again. 

Others skate by with little punishment and soon go back to work. Why does the industry let them off the hook? 

This is my take on it.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 16, 2022)

In 1986, my friend Don Levy at Paramount set up a meeting for me with John Hughes for "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." It was seriously one of the strangest job interviews I've ever had. And the most fun. It was also my introduction to the mysterious ways that business got done in LA vs NY.


----------



## D Halgren (Mar 16, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> In 1986, my friend Don Levy at Paramount set up a meeting for me with John Hughes for "Planes, Trains and Automobiles." It was seriously one of the strangest job interviews I've ever had. And the most fun. It was also my introduction to the mysterious ways that business got done in LA vs NY.



I don't remember if I asked you, but I'm on a real John Lurie kick lately, any stories there?


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 16, 2022)

D Halgren said:


> I don't remember if I asked you, but I'm on a real John Lurie kick lately, any stories there?


Oh yes... many. 

John and I became friends in 1984 when I publicized Jim Jarmusch's "Stranger Than Paradise." We roomed together when the film went to the Telluride Festival. We fell out of touch when he left New York, but then he contacted me (from wherever he is) when I blogged about him about a decade ago.

As you know from the HBO series, he's an amazing musician, artist, and human being. If you are on Facebook, he's a wonderful person to follow, very funny and wise. 

That's a good idea--maybe I'll do something on him soon.


----------



## D Halgren (Mar 16, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> Oh yes... many.
> 
> John and I became friends in 1984 when I publicized Jim Jarmusch's "Stranger Than Paradise." We roomed together when the film went to the Telluride Festival. We fell out of touch when he left New York, but then he contacted me (from wherever he is) when I blogged about him about a decade ago.
> 
> ...


I look forward to that! Yes, I've been watching Painting with John, and he is a wonderful man. Cheers 🥂


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 21, 2022)

In the early 80s, I was hired to promote the first reissue of "Pandora's Box" in New York since it came out in 1929. While I never met or spoke to the great Louise Brooks, I did enter into a correspondence that lasted for some time. When I happened upon a women on the street with Louise's haircut, I took her picture and send it off to Louise in Rochester, New York. A few days later, a brief letter arrived from Louise: "Send more. Love, Louise."


----------



## Bee_Abney (Mar 21, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> In the early 80s, I was hired to promote the first reissue of "Pandora's Box" in New York since it came out in 1929. While I never met or spoke to the great Louise Brooks, I did enter into a correspondence that lasted for some time. When I happened upon a women on the street with Louise's haircut, I took her picture and send it off to Louise in Rochester, New York. A few days later, a brief letter arrived from Louise: "Send more. Love, Louise."




There have never been film stars like her since her the silent era.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Mar 21, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> There have never been film stars like her since her the silent era.


I don't think it's possible to have stars today in the way they existed back in those days. It's the fault of people like me. They are too familiar--we see them on talk shows and read about them in magazines. In the past, we looked at photos and dreamed. And PR people tried to maintain the distance and uphold the fantasy.

But beyond that, I was trying to think of somebody who has a face that commands the camera like that today... the best I could come up with was Kristen Stewart. I would love to see her in a movie playing a silent film actress, to see what that would look like. But I realize it's a reach. There isn't anybody like that today.


----------



## Bee_Abney (Mar 21, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> I don't think it's possible to have stars today in the way they existed back in those days. It's the fault of people like me. They are too familiar--we see them on talk shows and read about them in magazines. In the past, we looked at photos and dreamed. And PR people tried to maintain the distance and uphold the fantasy.
> 
> But beyond that, I was trying to think of somebody who has a face that commands the camera like that today... the best I could come up with was Kristen Stewart. I would love to see her in a movie playing a silent film actress, to see what that would look like. But I realize it's a reach. There isn't anybody like that today.



Stewart is a good choice. Perhaps Rooney Mara? Juliette Binoche and Gong Li both had that special magnetism in a close-up. But none of them are, were or could be stars like Louise Brooks was; it's a whole different world now.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Apr 5, 2022)

Being the unit publicist was one of my all-time greatest experiences on movie sets. There were so many stories I wanted to tell that this got really long. I actually try to make some sense of the ZAZ style from what I was able to gather from watching them work, plus my memories of Leslie Nielsen, Ricardo Montalban, George Kennedy, Priscilla Presley, Reggie Jackson, and yes, OJ Simpson. Highlights include clips from "Police Squad!" and "The Naked Gun," plus Leslie Nielsen farting on talk shows. As usual, there are chapter markers, so you can watch only what you're interested in.



The best part by far is a story I tell about trying to replicate the ZAZ style in my work, and write a parody of pressbooks.There's a good story with me meeting with Priscilla Presley's reps to get an approval on her "quote." It starts *HERE*


----------



## Bee_Abney (Apr 6, 2022)

This was a fantastic video. So much fun, and so many interesting details.

When are you going to start selling merchandise? I want a mug and t-shirt with your face on it. And maybe a quotation. Something pithy and wry. This video was full of suitable lines!


----------



## doctoremmet (Apr 6, 2022)

Reid! You sure know how to tell a compelling story. Plus… you have a lot of cool stories to tell in the first place. This series is addictive. You should sell it to Amazon Prime or HBO Max


----------



## b_elliott (Apr 6, 2022)

I found it fascinating you mention being from Wisconsin. That area keeps popping up on my radar screen with quality American poets & writers. Lotta talent there. 
Heck Wisc. even made its way into one of my favorite books _American Gods_.... 
Cheers from an Atlantic Canuck, Bill


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Apr 6, 2022)

Bee_Abney said:


> When are you going to start selling merchandise? I want a mug and t-shirt with your face on it. And maybe a quotation. Something pithy and wry. This video was full of suitable lines!


Thanks so much Bee, but very, very few people watch my videos. I'm miles away from being merchable. 

I'm not even a YouTube partner yet. 



doctoremmet said:


> eid! You sure know how to tell aompelling story. Plus… you have a lot of cool stories to tell in the first place. This series is addictive. You should sell it to Amazon Prime or HBO Max



Thanks Temme. I appreciate your kind words. 

The reason I'm doing this is to tell my stories. It's not there for me yet with only nine, but when there are 50 it will be the beginning of a video biography. For me, it's not about the specific stories but about the aggregate. I have to keep pounding them out so people can learn about what publicity work was like for me so long ago. Because it's already ancient history today--the business has changed so much. And if somebody watches it a decade after I'm gone... it will really be a different perspective. 

My goal is to keep these stories from dying out. Maybe twenty years after I'm gone, somebody will search for "Leslie Nielsen" or something and they'll get something out of one of my videos. 

So the reason to do it is to do it. I have to keep reminding myself of this when a video like this one, which took over two weeks to do, has less than a hundred views so far. That's a disaster by YouTube standards, but I'm shooting the next one today. I have to forget about everything else and remember the big picture of what I'm trying to do.

I'm so proud that you find my videos addictive, but 95% of the people who watch them don't see them that way. They just watch the one video they're interested in and then they're done.



b_elliott said:


> I found it fascinating you mention being from Wisconsin. That area keeps popping up on my radar screen with quality American poets & writers. Lotta talent there.
> Heck Wisc. even made its way into one of my favorite books _American Gods_....
> Cheers from an Atlantic Canuck, Bill


I am proud to be a fellow Badger with the great @Polkasound!

A lot of talented people came from Wisconsin, that's for sure. It's a nurturing environment for creativity, or at least it was.


----------



## D Halgren (Apr 6, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> Thanks so much Bee, but very, very few people watch my videos. I'm miles away from being merchable.
> 
> I'm not even a YouTube partner yet.
> 
> ...


Reid, I'm sure you are already aware of this, but the more videos you put up, the more the YouTube algorithm will put your videos into people's feeds. So just keep doing it consistently and eventually the views will come. Your videos are very entertaining 👍


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Apr 6, 2022)

D Halgren said:


> Reid, I'm sure you are already aware of this, but the more videos you put up, the more the YouTube algorithm will put your videos into people's feeds. So just keep doing it consistently and eventually the views will come. Your videos are very entertaining 👍


I've heard that, and perhaps that's true. My experience is that YouTube is a search engine identical to Google. People look for stuff. For example, I did a video some time ago comparing Albion One to Symphobia. It took me over a month to do, and like most of my videos, it went nowhere. But... there was a recent sale on the first two Symphobias and this video became my number one video for all the time the sale was on. Much more views than these memoir videos. 

So if you look at somebody like @donbodin or @Simeon who are tirelessly putting up large quantities of videos on music software--they don't know which ones will take off or when. Just ask them or check out the numbers of views. Some do, some don't. It's not like there's a pinnacle they reach and they are "there." Byt some people decide they like the channel overall and subscribe. 

Like everybody, I've heard a lot, but honestly have no idea how it all works. I try to avoid the noise. You can make yourself crazy trying to chase after a computer algorithm. I do know that trying to do these videos well forces me to develop my skills as a YouTuber. In my mind, I am getting better.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Apr 12, 2022)

I worked on the marketing of over a dozen of Werner Herzog's notable early films, including "Aguirre, the Wrath of God" and "Fitzcarraldo." Mostly I did publicity, but I also designed or co-designed some of his American posters, including the one for "Aguirre."

I did have a falling out with him after the release of "Fitzcarraldo," and I haven't spoken with him in 40 years. This is my story.


----------



## telecode101 (Apr 12, 2022)

great stuff. looking forward to watching it. I am a huge Herzog fan. His films changed me and my life.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Apr 20, 2022)

When I was working at New Yorker Films, I got a call from a guy saying that Jacqueline Kennedy Onassis wanted to see Werner Herzog's "La Soufriere." Mrs. Onassis had recently come back from Guadelupe and had been to the Island where Herzog shot the film. I only met her on the day of the screening, but this is what I remember. I also share my thoughts about how Jackie O and Werner H were oddly alike.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (Apr 26, 2022)

I booked Warhol superstar Viva on David Letterman's show for the film "Ciao Manhattan." And then I got worried, because Dave had ambushed Dennis Hopper when I booked him for "Out of the Blue." Would he do that to Viva? It was very possible. I loved Viva and didn't want anything bad to happen to her. But what could I do about it? It was his show. I hatched a plan. And if there was anybody who could carry it out, it was Superstar Viva.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (May 3, 2022)

I told Jim Jarmusch not to make "Stranger Than Paradise." I told my boss that "My Dinner With Andre" should be a play. I have done many dumb things in my career, but I feel that these two things are truly majestic in their stupidity.


----------



## b_elliott (May 3, 2022)

Reid Rosefelt said:


> I told Jim Jarmusch not to make "Stranger Than Paradise." I told my boss that "My Dinner With Andre" should be a play. I have done many dumb things in my career, but I feel that these two things are truly majestic in their stupidity.



Damn good one Reid. This theme has legs, since only yesterday I watched for the first time a film on Jack London's story _"__To Build a Fire"_. In his own way, London was storytelling on stupidity. 

We all have our moments, you luckily lived to share yours.

BTW: A request. If you have a story around NY abstract artist Ad Reinhardt I would love to see whatcha got. 

Cheers from the North, 
Bill


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (May 3, 2022)

b_elliott said:


> Damn good one Reid. This theme has legs, since only yesterday I watched for the first time a film on Jack London's story _"__To Build a Fire"_. In his own way, London was storytelling on stupidity.
> 
> We all have our moments, you luckily lived to share yours.
> 
> ...


Thanks!

No story on Ad Reinhardt, I'm afraid.  He died before I got to New York at age 22 in 1975.


----------



## Reid Rosefelt (May 17, 2022)

ONLY 60 SECONDS LONG!

A publicist once asked John Lurie if he was famous.


----------

