Alex Kustanovich (10)
ACT X -->
HORTON: . . . that you have to be able to work with people to be a screenwriter. You just can't be an egotistical -- 'This is what I want. If you don't wanna do it, I'm not gonna work with you.' That's not gonna work in the business.
KUSTANOVICH: That is correct.
H: Okay . . .
K: I would suggest to people, to young screenwriters . . . to read more books . . . than to watch movies. To read books rather than to watch movies.
H: Did you read Richard Walter's book?
K: Yes, I did because it was a requirement.
H: Would you recommend Richard Walter's book?
K: Yes. Yes, I would.
H: Okay. Actually, I use it in my courses. I like his book. I think it's a great foundation because it cuts to the chase.
K: Yes, no. I agree. It is good. Of course I haven't read Lew's book. But I did read Richard's book, and it's fine.
[But] I would personally . . . I would rather your students listen to Truby's tapes . . .
H: Wow. Okay.
K: Than read Richard's book.
H: Okay.
Now, what was that little snippet of a story . . .
K: Let me stop you for a second and tell you there's another book. I'm looking at my bookshelf right now.
H: Okay.
K: And there's a book that I actually gave as a present to Lew on his birthday . . . a long time ago when we were in school as a suck-up gesture.
There's a book called -- MAKING SHAPELY FICTION. And the book is by Jerome Stern.
H: Wow.
K: And this book is . . .
H: MAKING SHAPELY FICTION?
K: Right.
H: Okay. By Stern.
K: Stern.
H: Okay.
K: And it's a very good book about style.
H: Okay.
K: So -- I'd recommend that.
H: Okay, let me . . . I'm trying to wrap it up . . . and you . . . I very much appreciate . . .
K: I totally forgot that I have to leave . . . whatever.
H: Well, that's okay. We're gonna wrap it up.
There's a little snippet you told me years ago about the agony of writing that you picked up from Solzhenitsyn. What is that? Can you repeat that?
K: Yes, the agony of writing alone. And there was a story that Solzhenitsyn wrote in one of his memoirs . . . called 'The Oak and the Calf.' And he said that when he was in prison, he got use to silence and solitude so much . . . and got used to writing in solitude . . . that when he got back to Moscow . . . after he was released from prison . . . he couldn't write.
You're talking about this anecdote?
H: Yes, that's right.
K: He couldn't write because he would . . . y'know, the tramways and the buses and the cars would distract him.
So he asked his wife to lock him up in their basement and to give him a pot to piss in and a loaf of bread and water . . . just to create the same kind of conditions that he was used to in prison . . . so he could write.
So he was in kind of a locked cell with just a pot to piss in and water . . . and bread. And silence.
H: As far as you know, he used that process to write some of his big tomes.
K: That's correct.
H: Okay. And that was 'The Oak and the Calf' or 'Cat'?
K: 'The Oak and the Calf.' Calf meaning not the calf below your knee, but a calf . . . a small cow.
H: Okay. Now Alex . . . are you the same way? Do you have to be locked up to write? Or does that method work for you or not?
K: No, I'm totally different.
H: You like to get out and work with people.
K: That's right. That's right. And not necessarily . . . and I like to write with people, too, by the way. I really truly enjoy a collaborative process. Because, maybe because it comes from not trusting my own ideas.
That's possible. I do not deny that. It's for my psychiatrist to find out . . . which I don't have yet. Y'know, I never got one.
But maybe. That's a possibility. If I was more secure with my ability to write . . . maybe I would say: 'I wanna write alone.'
But that's a separate issue.
I love collaborating, I do. I'm bored to be alone. Being alone . . . an un-writing. So, when I start writing I work, like, for two hours. And I live in Los Feliz . . . so I just go out to a coffeehouse. And I just go there and sit there and look at the people and write.
So . . . noise . . . and . . . kind of hustle-bustle of the street.
H: So you're the opposite of Solzhenitsyn, actually.
K: Right. I can not write without music, first of all. I've gotta have classical music going all the time.
H: Wow. I didn't know that.
K: Yeah.
H: So, are you glad that you started down 'The Path of the Writer?'
K: Well, yes. I am glad because I can not picture myself working 9 to 5. I can not picture myself doing anything else . . . because it's truly . . . [it] is the thing that brings me joy. When I . . . Dorothy Parker said, and I repeat and quote her all the time on that . . . and it's a famous quote. She said that -- 'I don't like to write. I like having written.'
H: [laughs]
K: And that's basically . . . y'know, I sorta concur with that.
H: It's sort of the opposite of making love, I think.
K: Exactly. Sort of the opposite of making love. That's right. Making love is completely opposite, yeah.
And some people LOVE writing. And I wish that I were one of them. I wish, truly . . . because that would be great. Then I wouldn't have any doubts about becoming a banker, y'know? Or not becoming a banker . . . whatever.
David Mamet, Neil Simon, Steven King . . . many others love to write. The process. Love the process.
For me the process is very painful. However . . . the end of the process is rewarding very often. So . . . that's why I continue doing it.
H: And you like the life of the writer as long as you can pay your bills, I guess.
K: That's correct. I'm willing to live hand-to-mouth . . . as long as I can do that and survive. I would rather do this . . . even though I'm contradicting myself a little bit because before I said that . . . I wish I had a . . . very often I say to myself: 'Y'know, I'm this and this and that. And I wish I was man enough to make money so I could have a family, whatever.'
But . . . in the long run I would say to myself, 'I would rather do this because I enjoy the life of the writer. It's an interesting, challenging life. And also I enjoy being one . . . when my Muse visits me.'
H: You sound like you're doing great, Alex.
K: Well . . . I'm just struggling.
H: Thank you, sir. I appreciate it very much, Alex. And I wish you the best of luck on OUT OF THE COLD.
K: Right. Thank you very much. We'll keep in touch.
H: Okay.
K: Alright.
H: Take care. Bye.
[tape ends]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
< (c) 1999 >
Click on --> "VIP.info."
HORTON: . . . that you have to be able to work with people to be a screenwriter. You just can't be an egotistical -- 'This is what I want. If you don't wanna do it, I'm not gonna work with you.' That's not gonna work in the business.
KUSTANOVICH: That is correct.
H: Okay . . .
K: I would suggest to people, to young screenwriters . . . to read more books . . . than to watch movies. To read books rather than to watch movies.
H: Did you read Richard Walter's book?
K: Yes, I did because it was a requirement.
H: Would you recommend Richard Walter's book?
K: Yes. Yes, I would.
H: Okay. Actually, I use it in my courses. I like his book. I think it's a great foundation because it cuts to the chase.
K: Yes, no. I agree. It is good. Of course I haven't read Lew's book. But I did read Richard's book, and it's fine.
[But] I would personally . . . I would rather your students listen to Truby's tapes . . .
H: Wow. Okay.
K: Than read Richard's book.
H: Okay.
Now, what was that little snippet of a story . . .
K: Let me stop you for a second and tell you there's another book. I'm looking at my bookshelf right now.
H: Okay.
K: And there's a book that I actually gave as a present to Lew on his birthday . . . a long time ago when we were in school as a suck-up gesture.
There's a book called -- MAKING SHAPELY FICTION. And the book is by Jerome Stern.
H: Wow.
K: And this book is . . .
H: MAKING SHAPELY FICTION?
K: Right.
H: Okay. By Stern.
K: Stern.
H: Okay.
K: And it's a very good book about style.
H: Okay.
K: So -- I'd recommend that.
H: Okay, let me . . . I'm trying to wrap it up . . . and you . . . I very much appreciate . . .
K: I totally forgot that I have to leave . . . whatever.
H: Well, that's okay. We're gonna wrap it up.
There's a little snippet you told me years ago about the agony of writing that you picked up from Solzhenitsyn. What is that? Can you repeat that?
K: Yes, the agony of writing alone. And there was a story that Solzhenitsyn wrote in one of his memoirs . . . called 'The Oak and the Calf.' And he said that when he was in prison, he got use to silence and solitude so much . . . and got used to writing in solitude . . . that when he got back to Moscow . . . after he was released from prison . . . he couldn't write.
You're talking about this anecdote?
H: Yes, that's right.
K: He couldn't write because he would . . . y'know, the tramways and the buses and the cars would distract him.
So he asked his wife to lock him up in their basement and to give him a pot to piss in and a loaf of bread and water . . . just to create the same kind of conditions that he was used to in prison . . . so he could write.
So he was in kind of a locked cell with just a pot to piss in and water . . . and bread. And silence.
H: As far as you know, he used that process to write some of his big tomes.
K: That's correct.
H: Okay. And that was 'The Oak and the Calf' or 'Cat'?
K: 'The Oak and the Calf.' Calf meaning not the calf below your knee, but a calf . . . a small cow.
H: Okay. Now Alex . . . are you the same way? Do you have to be locked up to write? Or does that method work for you or not?
K: No, I'm totally different.
H: You like to get out and work with people.
K: That's right. That's right. And not necessarily . . . and I like to write with people, too, by the way. I really truly enjoy a collaborative process. Because, maybe because it comes from not trusting my own ideas.
That's possible. I do not deny that. It's for my psychiatrist to find out . . . which I don't have yet. Y'know, I never got one.
But maybe. That's a possibility. If I was more secure with my ability to write . . . maybe I would say: 'I wanna write alone.'
But that's a separate issue.
I love collaborating, I do. I'm bored to be alone. Being alone . . . an un-writing. So, when I start writing I work, like, for two hours. And I live in Los Feliz . . . so I just go out to a coffeehouse. And I just go there and sit there and look at the people and write.
So . . . noise . . . and . . . kind of hustle-bustle of the street.
H: So you're the opposite of Solzhenitsyn, actually.
K: Right. I can not write without music, first of all. I've gotta have classical music going all the time.
H: Wow. I didn't know that.
K: Yeah.
H: So, are you glad that you started down 'The Path of the Writer?'
K: Well, yes. I am glad because I can not picture myself working 9 to 5. I can not picture myself doing anything else . . . because it's truly . . . [it] is the thing that brings me joy. When I . . . Dorothy Parker said, and I repeat and quote her all the time on that . . . and it's a famous quote. She said that -- 'I don't like to write. I like having written.'
H: [laughs]
K: And that's basically . . . y'know, I sorta concur with that.
H: It's sort of the opposite of making love, I think.
K: Exactly. Sort of the opposite of making love. That's right. Making love is completely opposite, yeah.
And some people LOVE writing. And I wish that I were one of them. I wish, truly . . . because that would be great. Then I wouldn't have any doubts about becoming a banker, y'know? Or not becoming a banker . . . whatever.
David Mamet, Neil Simon, Steven King . . . many others love to write. The process. Love the process.
For me the process is very painful. However . . . the end of the process is rewarding very often. So . . . that's why I continue doing it.
H: And you like the life of the writer as long as you can pay your bills, I guess.
K: That's correct. I'm willing to live hand-to-mouth . . . as long as I can do that and survive. I would rather do this . . . even though I'm contradicting myself a little bit because before I said that . . . I wish I had a . . . very often I say to myself: 'Y'know, I'm this and this and that. And I wish I was man enough to make money so I could have a family, whatever.'
But . . . in the long run I would say to myself, 'I would rather do this because I enjoy the life of the writer. It's an interesting, challenging life. And also I enjoy being one . . . when my Muse visits me.'
H: You sound like you're doing great, Alex.
K: Well . . . I'm just struggling.
H: Thank you, sir. I appreciate it very much, Alex. And I wish you the best of luck on OUT OF THE COLD.
K: Right. Thank you very much. We'll keep in touch.
H: Okay.
K: Alright.
H: Take care. Bye.
[tape ends]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
< (c) 1999 >
Click on --> "VIP.info."
