Rhonda Baughman interviews Andras Jones
Andras Jones: Not Your Average Political Prettyboy
Maybe it would have been easier to typecast Andras Jones – that way, we would not have lost him in the Hollywood machine. The problem is – you can’t. The boy simply refuses to bend to convention.
It pains me to see such beautiful talent not exploited in more mainstream endeavors. I know he lives and loves in the cult, in the underground, on the fringes, near the heart, and behind the gauzy curtain of mystique, but he’s a damn great actor, a fine musician, indeed, and knows more politics than well, current politicians. If you’ve heard of Andras, then you know have some idea of what I’m talking about. If you’ve caught one of Andras’ films, then you’re probably getting that bulb o’light epiphany right now, akin to ‘Oooooh, yeeeaaahhhh … that guy!’ and if you have met Andras – you’re probably reading this article to find out the man’s current agenda. Either way, Welcome to the World of the oft controversial, and definitely tao, Mr Jones.
RB: What, precisely, has Andras Jones been up to these days?
AJ: Thanks for asking. It’s been pretty much Radio8Ball all day everyday. You know I started doing the radio show almost ten years ago on KAOS in Olympia but things have really picked up in the last year. I’ve added a second broadcast of the show on a commercial station in Seattle (Alternative Talk 1150 AM) and have really amped up the live aspect of the show. We’ve presented the theatrical version in Seattle, Boston, New York City, Minneapolis & Los Angeles and so I’ve been bopping all over the country to surf synchronicities with some of my favorite artists in the world. It’s a good life.
RB: Ten years! It seems like yesterday I was just tuning in …. What are your current music and film recommendations?
AJ: Two of the coolest films I’ve seen recently are “Black Snake Moan” & “Fur: An Imaginary Portrait of Diane Arbus.” Neither one really got the recognition that they deserved but I think they will be re-discovered as special films in the coming years. Fur was directed by Steven Shainberg who directed me in his AFI thesis film (The Prom) back in 1990 and it’s great to see him continuing to mine the theme of the invisible freak that he also worked with on his big hit “Secretary.” You can read my thoughts about “Black Snake Moan” on my blog at Reality Sandwich. Oh yeah, and I loved the Clive Owen film “Shoot ‘Em Up.” It might be the coolest unintentional comedy I’ve seen in a while. As for music, the best music I can recommend are the artists who have been guests on Radio8Ball, Jon Auer, The Owls, Mirah, Anya Marina, Steve Poltz, Andrea Wittgens, Jenny Jenkins, Randy Kaplan, Jim Page, Central Services, Sandman: The Rappin’ Cowboy. He hasn’t been a guest on the live show yet but Dan Bern is always great and he recently wrote or co-wrote most of the songs for the new John C Reilly film “Walk Hard.”
RB: I am such a fan of Shainberg – and Sandman: The Rappin’ Cowboy might be the best goddamn musician people need to hear … So, in the 21st century, are you more prone to quantity or quality?
AJ: Quality or quantity? I don’t believe in this whole binary either/or thing. My life is all about having a balance of both. Both, always both.
RB: Good answer. Please tell us what has attracted you to Reality Sandwich and the new masculine …
AJ: Well, I was very honored when Daniel Pinchbeck, whose books have had a powerful effect on me, asked me to start writing for his new online magazine. At first I was excited to write about Radio8Ball and synchronicity but after several conversations with Daniel he felt pretty passionately that what I should be writing about is the emergence of a new masculine archetype. This has been a topic which is of natural interest to me as a raised-feminist child of the 70’s. It seems like there is a lot that men can learn from the women’s empowerment movement but not the lessons that most men have learned so far. Mostly what we have learned so far is how we as men are oppressive and how to be more sensitive to women’s issues. That’s important but what I find more inspirational is the way women have built bonds of solidarity and learned from each other in groups designed for that purpose. The most powerful thing modern men can do is learn to trust each other and ourselves. Most of us aren’t the monsters or clichés that our mothers were rebelling against and if we really believed that I think things would be a lot better for men and for women.
RB: I bet you also have a list of pet peeves in there, too …
AJ: No habeas corpus. Illegal war. Stolen elections. You know, the usual.
RB: I heavily agree. What are your plans for the new year? Will 2008 be a bang or the planning of a bang?
AJ: 2008 is definitely going to be the year that Radio8Ball hits the big stage. It’s the Radio8Year, if you will.
RB: . What was your highlight(s) of 2007?
AJ: The highlights of 2007 were definitely the live Radio8Ball shows all over the country, especially in LA, Seattle and that one show in Minneapolis with The Owls. That was a good one.
RB: If you teach a collegiate level course, what would you like to teach?
AJ: I’d have to think about that. The topics which interest me are the history of US and UK film and music and how trends in art reflect trends in culture. Of course, this would have to be a synchronsitically driven exploration which would address the shifting roles of men and women because that’s what gets me excited. I’d also love to teach a course in musical divination if only so that I could have some help hosting all of the different productions of Radio8Ball.
