The possibilities created by AI have reinvigorated my efforts to create work that matches up with my vision. So, before the robots take over, I plan on enjoying this time and making the most of it. My first priority has been making a decent blog, History Think, with its own, custom designed chatbot. Soon I will also be reworking an idea I put on the back burner, the Groucho Marxism Store, to sell some of my visual artwork.
I also have a longterm history project that I have been working on, a book about how people misremember and make up the past to justify their current beliefs. It’s called, The Fake History of America, and you can download a PDF of the current opening, if you’re interested.
I have been experimenting with some new video ideas, but nothing I’m willing to publicly share, yet.
Filmography
Conspiracy Theorists Lie (2015)
Producer / Director / Narrator / Editor
There have been many lies told by conspiracy theorists in the half century that followed President Kennedy’s assassination. This film confronts those lies and culminates with a trip to Dealey Plaza for the 50th anniversary, where a few true believers stubbornly defend every piece of conspiratorial nonsense they have ever seen, read, or heard. You can rent or buy a digital copy on Amazon Video.
Bob Gruen: Rock-n-Roll Photographer (unreleased)
Editor
A documentary based primarily on interviews with rock-n-roll photographer Bob Gruen about his life and famous work (Bob is the guy who took the John Lennon NYC t-shirt photo and many others). The film languished without a budget for music rights, then it was beat to market by Don Letts’ film about Gruen\’s work. Sadly, this production will probably never make it to a screen near you.
Johnny Winter: Live Through the 70s (2008)
Editor
Johnny Winter was a legendary albino bluesman from Texas and one of the greatest guitar players of all time. This collection features rare performances and interviews from Detroit to Denmark, all recorded between 1970 to 1979.
First Avenue: Hayday (2006)
Editor
First Avenue Nightclub is one of the best live music venues in the country. This concert documentary was constructed from footage shot between 1985 and 1992. It provides a unique glimpse into an important time in Minneapolis music history but it also proved to be a legal nightmare, since none of the artists signed release forms and the ownership of the club has changed hands since then. This has prevented the film from being shown outside of a few public screenings.
You don’t know Hitler (2006)
Producer / Director / Narrator/ Editor
This began as my Masters Thesis film, Reel Nazis, and grew into a larger commentary about the misuse of Hitler as an all purpose insult. The film utilizes propaganda footage from the 1930s-40s, and original narration, to shed new light on that evil period.
TV Junkie (2006)
Assistant Editor
Rick Kirkham amassed 3,000+ video tapes of his home life and his work as a TV reporter. This Sundance Award Winning documentary was constructed from those tapes, which reveal the secret that ultimately brought his career crashing down and ended his marriage.
From That Moment On: Three Conversations about Dealey Plaza (2005)
Producer / Director / Editor
This graduate school production was shot during 2003, the 40th anniversary of President Kennedy’s assassination in Dealey Plaza, and won the Student Filmmaker Award at the Deep Ellum Film Festival in Dallas, 2005. It tells the story of the plaza before and after the President was murdered there. It was not publicly released because of copyright issues with archival material provided by the Sixth Floor Museum but much of the raw footage is on YouTube, including some interesting and insightful interviews.
Select Videos
Dan Wilson Free Life (2007)
Editor
This EPK [electronic press kit] was created for Dan Wilson’s solo album, Free Life. Dan made it big with his band Semisonic and now spends most of his time writing with and producing other artists, including his Grammy Award Winning work with The Dixie Chicks and Adele.
“Flowers” (2013)
Director / Editor
This music video was for a friend and former student of mine, Shannon Brunet. We shot it in Studio A at the Minneapolis Media Institute (the former Flyte Tyme Productions building).
You can find several other videos I have made over the years on my YouTube channel, including my most popular one, a video essay about the Precedency of George W. Bush.