Gabriel Ricard: Let's start with your latest project, The Outsiders of New Orleans: Tell us a little bit about how the project itself came about.
Wayne Ewing: In 2005, a friend of mine from Hunter Thompson's kitchen circle —Curtis Robinson, who became my co-Producer— asked me to shoot an interview with "Gypsy Lou" Webb since his friend Professor Jeff Weddle was writing a book about the Webbs (Bohemian New Orleans: the Story of The Outsider and Loujon Press) just to preserve her memories on camera since she was in her nineties. We filmed with her on February 20, 2005 in New Orleans, ironically the same day that Hunter shot himself. So I just archived the film, and after making two more films about Hunter —When I Die and Fear & Loathing in Denver— I realized I had a gold mine in Lou's memories and picked up the project earlier this year after a two-year hiatus.
GR: How long has the subject matter of the film interested you? It seems to me that it's a subject you're pretty passionate about.
WE: The story of Jon and Gypsy Lou Webb resonates with me because it is so similar to my own efforts as an independent filmmaker. We're all "outsiders" in the classic sense in this business of making films for niche audiences and distributing them ourselves. The digital age and the internet has made it bit easier to survive than it was for the Webbs in the 1960's, but it is still very much a labor of love to produce a film like The Outsiders of New Orleans just as it was for the Webbs to produce their magazine and books.
GR: Do you feel there's a danger in aspects of New Orleans artistic history, such as the story of Jon and Gypsy Lou Webb, being lost forever?
WE: The artistic history of New Orleans may not be lost since there are quite a few people documenting it in one form or another but there definitely is a danger that it will be under-recognized and not as appreciated as it deserves by a wide American audience.
GR: Are there any other documentaries on the artistic history of New Orleans that you'd like to mention? Were there any that inspired you personally?
WE: No documentaries, but I did read a fascinating book recently by Tom Sancton entitled Song for My Fathers, A New Orleans Story in Black and White that would make a fascinating film. It's an autobiography about growing up in New Orleans as a young white boy in the world of ancient black musicians at Preservation Hall.
GR: To date, you've done three documentaries on legendary Gonzo journalist Hunter S. Thompson, the most well known of which is Breakfast with Hunter. Tell us about the experience of staying with Hunter and capturing him so intimately.
WE: Hanging out with Hunter off and on for twenty years and filming at the same time was definitely a wild ride, and also a master class in writing. He was a great friend, and also a lot of fun most of the time, especially gambling on football in the kitchen, and meeting a fascinating array of characters who came through Owl Farm in Woody Creek. I was blessed to know him.
GR: Were you surprised by his suicide?
WE: Yes.
GR: What did you think of the book Rolling Stone Press and Jane Wenner put out? I understand Anita Thompson was extremely upset by it.
WE: Corey Seymour and Jann Wenner did a good job, except that they tended to discount any writing that Hunter did for anyone other than Rolling Stone, like his columns for ESPN (reprinted in Hey Rube).
GR: I noticed that you also have experience directing for such TV series' as "Homicide: Life on The Streets" and the Stacy Keach version of the long-running Mike Hammer series. Do you have a preference between directing for television and crafting your own documentaries?
WE: I created the visual style of "Homicide" for Barry Levinson, shooting the first season and directing as well for which some critics credit me with changing the look of dramatic television in the nineties. Now that was exciting! But, episodic television very quickly become like factory work, albeit very well-paid factory work, after you set the style. There's an old adage I've seen posted in more than one TV production office: "Theater is life. Film is art. Television is rent."
GR: What would you say are the elements of a good documentary?
WE: A great story, well shot and tightly edited without a television "personality" attached to it. I've never subscribed to the cult of the on-camera talent, even though I've worked with most of them. I prefer cinema verite as a style wherever possible.
GR: Over the last decade and indeed with every passing year, it seems that the theatrical documentary is becoming more and more relevant with even the most casual follower of film or even just current events. Do you have any idea why this might be?
WE: Clearly they're not that many great dramatic films being made these days and reality itself is far more interesting. Nonetheless the box office has not been good in 2007 for theatrical documentaries and most articles in Variety and the other trades predict a slow season ahead as well. It will be interesting to see if anyone gets a decent acquisition for a documentary at Sundance this January.
GR: Any future projects we can look forward to?
WE: I'm working on a documentary about my brother Drew Ewing — a paraplegic who races sports cars with his Fandango Racing Team. It's going to make Murderball look like a picnic in the park by comparison.
Gabriel Ricard is a Staff Interviewer at Unlikely 2.0. You can learn more about him at his bio page.