After becoming accustomed to an intimate one-on-one interview where two dudes,
Franco and Korine on the red carpet
or a girl and dude, or two girls, really crack that Hollywood veneer and get to the bottom of things, a live show can be a bit jarring. It can sound like a routine, and less like the platform I’ve come to love. That’s why I was dubious about Marc Maron’s latest offering. However, I was able to push through my doubts, and listen because of the top-billed guest: Harmony Korine.
I’ve been infatuated with Korine, a forerunner of New York’s bountiful 1990s subculture and the mind behind Kids and Gummo, since my feeble radar picked him up 20 years ago.
His intentional abstractness, and indelible urge to shock, have always inspired me.. So I listened, and man was I happy I did. The show was taped in Austin at SXSW; Franco and Korine were there promoting there new film, Spring Breakers; it started off with NPR’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me host Peter Sagal… which was fine.
Korine took the stage, and did his weird Dylaneseque, slightly evasive thing, which has come to be expected of him. But the guy was actually more forthcoming than I’d ever heard him be in an interview. His brief chat with Maron offered some insight into why Korine is so Korine; he was raised in a socialistic commune in the deep South, and his dad was a documentary filmmaker.
The show really took off when Franco showed up, though. Weird in his own right, Franco talked frankly about his unorthodox approach to acting, learning, art, and the whole show biz experience. The Oscars, General Hospital, and a bunch of other deep shit came up. I’d love to hear Maron continue the discussion back at the garage.
Well done, Marc. Loved this one.
