annabelle interviews James Spooner, director of Afro-Punk: the rock n roll nigger experience. The documentary follows the stories of four black punk rockers. Each one shares their feelings and opinions about identity, alienation, punk music, and the universal quest for community.
Q. As this is your first effort as a filmmaker, I must congratulate you on the quality of the film. Very impressive stuff! For those of us unfamiliar with the punk rock scene and black punk musicians/devotees, what thoughts or feelings do you hope people will walk away with after seeing this film?
A. Thanks. Since you saw the film it should be apparent to you as well as everyone who sees the film that although all the music in the film and all the people in the film are considered punk to some extent, the film is barely about punk. This movie is about black liberation.
Q. Can you elaborate on this?
A. It's pretty simple, Afro-Punk is about community you have but also desiring the community you don't [have]. It is about being between two worlds and not knowing why they don't match up. There are some answers but there are always more questions. We have to ask more questions.
Q. You write on your Web site that you had a passion to tell your story—that of a teenage punk rocker who is also black—yet you chose to focus on four other peoples' stories. Why not include yourself in the mix?
A. I am in the mix. This film is my story. Told through 90 some-odd people. If you know me even kind of you will recognize me all through it. And if you are really observant you will see me hidden in pictures and crowd shots all over the place. Where's Waldo, kids?
Q. The "kids" interviewed talk about what punk rock means to them. They talk about how it was a way of life (being broke, jobless, sometimes homeless), a state of mind, an experience with struggle, a political message, letting out aggression, etc. What did punk rock mean to you when you were, say, at your peak with it as a teen/young adult?
A. Punk rock meant being able to travel all over the country, it meant putting out records and zines, being independent, and having a family when I didn't have one. It also meant repressing my black identity. It meant being the one biggest scenester on the East Coast so long as I wasn't too brown, or too down. Being politically black in the punk scene would have meant I had no friends. At least no white friends back then. It was really important for me to be well-liked amongst the kids. That is impossible if you are challenging them on their racism.
Q. As far as I can tell from your bio, you were never in a punk band. Did you want to be in a punk band? Any performing aspirations?
A. I was in a couple bands in my time. Music has always been a passion but it never came very natural to me. Playing an instrument is a lot of work. Practice, that isn't really that much fun. I just wanted to rock out. I guess I have to do it from behind the camera.
Q. Any bizarre stories during the making of the film?
A. One fucked up thing was that I was going to spend a week filming this dude in Mobile, the one in the film with the purple hair. The day I flew into Alabama I came to find out he was in jail. Turns out he got jumped by three rednecks because of the way he looks and the cops put him in jail. What else is new, I guess that is not that bizarre; it is true to form.
Q. Matt Davis, one of the four punk rockers you followed, passed away recently at the age of 26. How has his death affected the punk rock community, and how has it affected you?
A. Matt was a huge influence on the scene in the Midwest more than I even knew, but he and his band started scenes in towns by just playing there. His little brother Dan is picking up his legacy and running with it. There will be a lot more music coming out of the Davis family. Matt's death was at first weird for me. He was the first person I knew who died. I wasn't that sad, he lived a fuller life than most people twice his age. The thing that does make me sad is that he never was able to find a black community to be part of. I know he really wanted it. His family was really the only black people in his life. I'm sure if he had a chance to reflect and regret, that would be it. But he is gone so all we can do is learn from him. Live for now. There may not be a tomorrow.
Q. Even though the film is finished, do you feel the Afro-Punk project is over for you? What's next for you? Will you continue making documentaries?
A. I hope that Afro-Punk continues to live in the hearts of people who have seen it. I have a great discussion board [on the Web site] for people of color who want to talk about race or make friends with other people like themselves. Great things are coming out of it already, new bands, pot luck dinners. Community building. My next film is going to be about gentrification and black economics. I'll start on it next year. It is the next step for me.
- S.T.
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