David Mamet On Hollywood

I just got done reading David Mamet’s book  “Bambi vs. Godzilla” in which he took the title from a 60’s animation. A co-worker of mine who had worked in visual effects told me it was an animation and it is mentioned in the book. If you don’t know David Mamet, it’s a damn shame. He’s an American playwrite who had some plays turned into movies. A lot of them made specifically to comment on movies. “State and Main” comes to mind when I think about the acidic nature of behavior in the movie business. No wonder many people will only work here when necessary.

He sums up the Hollywood business as I suspect. A town full of ill-mannered children and criminals. Whose sole purpose in life is to remain ill-mannered children and criminals. What I see is that the people who survive in this town and work in movies have to have some mental disability (I’ve been here for 16 years, you tell me). The only people who do sidestep the garbage are working class, in the industry. Some aren’t even immune to the politics that zig zag through the gates of studios. Only that everyone NEEDS to feel important. Very few are. And thus the bad behavior to prove what they can get away with in order to illustrate their importance. I’m not immune to it. Many others have done it on such a low level, it’s laughable an actor who has bad behavior on a student film (yes, I’ve seen it).

If you’ve ever developed a moral compass, anything in this town is truly going to send you running and screaming. To the natives, they refer to these people who see good in people or at least a modicum of humanity: naïve. Which should tell you everything you need to know about the survivalist.

I love this book because it is a no-bullshit angle from someone who has navigated these muddy waters and found success regardless of the garbage that he floats around. To keep any level of awareness to this surely, to anyone with less resilience, is earmarked to go mental. It’s comforting to know someone I respect and admired since my college days knows what it’s really like.