Shooting the Ghost

In Part Two of the discussion with Keith and Phil, Keith talks about his father. His father's rebellion against the established order and the connection to the wild he established at an early age through annual trips he took with his father into the remote wilderness. The unique bonding experience that this provided and how this may have had a lasting impact on Keith's ability to participate in groups outside mainstream culture by providing a viable model. The authentic utility of a tough, "manly", more primal persona in order to protect and shield the sensitive and vulnerable artist within. The coarse, brutal persona as a technique to protect one's poetic integrity. The difference between living in the head and living in the heart or the body. Peckinpah's rebellion against the Hollywood System and how he was blacklisted. The difficulty of remaining upright while working within a System that wants you flat on your back or on your hands and knees. The fascinating parallel between the story presented in the Wild Bunch and Sam and his dog brother actors and their refusal to be integrated into the Hollywood System. The natural man vs. the overly sophisticated intellectual/artist. Brando's belief that acting is not a manly thing to do. Peckinpah's mini-consensus as a threat to the System that had to be crushed. In the acting profession how "selling out" and "collecting a paycheck" might if fact be a method of psychic self-defense and a way of retaining personal integrity. Nicholson and Brando as case studies for actors who began in the Method style and the different ways in which they eventually evolved beyond it. Nicholson's clownish performance of The Joker vs. Heath Ledger's heavy emotional involvement. The potential dangers of opening yourself to archetypal forces. Roger Corman as another example of a mini-consensus within Hollywood. The tension during the filming of Missouri Breaks between Nicholson at his peak and the washed up Brando. Although the purpose of Hollywood is not to produce works of art they are allowed to happen by chance as a means to strengthen Hollywood's credibility.