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I have a great nostalgia for the New York of the 70s and 80s.
New York culture was on the top, and you could feel it.
It all wafted downtown.
Slava instead trained his lens on the art freaks and New Wavers for an outrageous slice of 80s-counterculture Zeitgeist.
(Bona fide junkies pogo during the numerous dance scenes, portraying what Slava calls images of themselves.)
We put them together.
Dont worry about it.)
I wanted an electric circus, but not exactly like that, Slava explains.
It should sound computerized.
I couldnt understand why theyd want to hide it.
This may sound like control-freak behavior, but Slavas tireless work ethic betrayed his earnest intentions.
It first opened in Los Angeles, and critically, it was very successful, Slava says.
The audiences loved it, too, but there werent very many audiences there to love it.
(Theyve also prepared a Blu-ray releasecurrently availableto order.)
The new surge in interest seems to have energized him, however.
Hes been contemplating the idea of a sequel ever since he called cut!
on the final take of the original, and after an extended creative stagnation, hes found new inspiration.
For a while, I had no idea how to move the story forward, Slava admits.
But times change, and I change.
The ongoing fetishization of the era he helped define doesnt bother him as much as it inspires him.
The only way around the problem was through it.
All the streets surrounding used to be empty at times, and now it is always crowded.
What really surprised me is how on University Place, Ive seen every single store and restaurant change.
Nothing lasts, not one.
Its a little bit depressing, but thats normal.
