Photo courtesy of HBO That’s the gist behind Christopher Guest’s latest documentary-style comedy series, Family Tree, which lands on DVD today after a well-received run on HBO last summer. On the show, the family closets are bared and the bones go rattling with hilarious and surprisingly tender results.
Here, the 65-year-old comedy legend—best known for This is Spinal Tap, Best in Show, A Mighty Wind, and more—discusses the meaning of family, and the best way to deal with your own odd, endearing clan.
Men’s Health: How much autobiography is there in a project like Family Tree?
Christopher Guest: Literally? In this case, Family Tree started when I began looking into my own past through things my father had left me when he passed away. That’s a parallel, I guess, and the genesis of the show. The other stuff is all made up.
MH: So there are no flavored enemas or hand puppets in your home?
Guest: I’d have to check the other room, but I don’t think so.
MH: Many of us struggle with ways to “handle” our families. What are some methods for doing that?
Guest: I think you have the wrong person. I can give you a couple of numbers to call. There are a couple of mental health clinics not far from here. I wouldn’t be the one to dispense that information. Everyone has to figure it out for themselves. Hopefully, they can look at things truthfully. That’s always a good start.
MH: Does that make Family Tree an exorcism of sorts for you, cathartic in some way?
Guest: No, it’s really just observations I’ve made. The show deals with lots of things. The show’s not just funny. It’s also full of awkward, strange moments. That’s the way life is, I suppose. What I’m doing in the work I do, I prefer not to just have a series of jokes. It’s nice when audiences can connect with the characters as well.
MH: The humor in the show feels more honest, harder earned. How does that happen?
Guest: The method of doing this show, and the films I’ve done, is unusual. I don’t think it’s done anywhere else like this, exactly. There are other people who say they do things improvisational on their shows, but this is entirely improvisational. I write the outlines with Jim Piddick, the back stories on all of the characters, their entire family histories, and we know what needs to happen in each scene, but there’s no dialogue written down and there’s no rehearsal. We just shoot.
MH: This is a style you pioneered.
Guest: This is Spinal Tap was a film we felt really had to be done like that. It wouldn’t have worked any other way. And it turned out to be the first time a fiction film had really been made in a documentary format. I continued to do that, obviously, because it’s a fun way to work.
MH: One of the pleasures in life is amassing families that are not necessarily blood-related. With your repertory company—Jane Lynch, Fred Willard, Michael McKean, so many brilliant performers—you’ve kind of done that. Is calling your colleagues a family too much of a stretch?
Guest: Well, “family” would indicate that they’re all coming over for Thanksgiving, which isn’t true. I would say that this is a group of people that I work with who are fantastically talented. They are some of the only people on the planet who can do this kind of work. It’s not arbitrary, the decision to use them over and over.
MH: What’s the key to doing this kind of work?
Guest: You couldn’t even begin to answer that question, to be honest. There are dozens and dozens of improv classes across the nation, but it really cannot be taught. It’s not just about being quick on your feet, which isn’t even a part of the story. You have to be real and you have to be funny. It’s a gift. It’s kind of like playing jazz. You have to listen. You have to play. There’s a melody, which is like our story outline, and then jazz musicians just start playing. There’s no rehearsal. It’s just happening, and you keep coming back to the melody. How does that happen? It’s inexplicable. I honestly don’t know. But it happens.
If you liked this story, you’ll love these:
Powered by WPeMatico
No comments:
Post a Comment