An Evening With Crispin Glover – Unforgettable Entertainment

On June 20, 2013, I was able to make it to the Alamo Drafthouse Cinema for an evening that will linger in my mind for the rest of my life. It was truly unforgettable. Crispin Glover, most widely recognized as George McFly of Back to the Future, is an actor, author and filmmaker that will make you question reality, or at least your perception of reality.

First of all, I feel inclined to talk a bit about the venue: The Alamo Drafthouse Cinema is the only theater I’ve ever been to where you can order food and drinks (including alcoholic beverages) right in the movie theater. There are small, 2-person tables in front of each pair of seats, and servers that snag little paper orders from tables and bring drinks and food in a sort of running crouch. I call them beer ninjas. I’ll be enjoying several more evenings here, though I doubt many will leave an impression the way this one did.

To begin the evening, Crispin Hellion Glover reads excerpts from 8 of his books to the audience. I’ve always considered Crispin Glover to be one of the oddest people I’ve ever heard of, right up there with Hunter S. Thompson, and his books are a particularly large part of the reason for this. At first, when you pick up a book by him, you will wonder what it is you are reading. “Is this an exercise in nonsense?” You may wonder, “Are these the rants of a man on psychedelics?” Many people simply can’t get beyond these first questions, but those that do wind up asking: “What does he mean by this?”

To hear him read from his books really brings them to life. The stories are much more easily followed as you watch and listen to him, and it becomes apparent that the struggle to understand is central to Crispin Glover’s work. Though the stories are more easily followed through his words, his performance clearly indicates struggle and confusion. By the end of the reading, I found myself thinking a lot about the mind: the associations that allow our brain to function can also allow some assumptions to be made. Things that we assume are a certain way, just because we’ve seen it portrayed that way so often.

I was unable to ponder these thoughts for too long, as the next part of the evening was already underway: the film “It Is Fine. Everything Is Fine.” is part 2 in a trilogy being created by Crispin Glover. The first part of the trilogy “What Is It?” is showcased similarly, and I recommend seeing that as well. I will not divulge any details about the film (it must be seen to be believed), but I will say that the general feeling of ‘questioning what I thought I knew’ was only getting started. The film is also very heavy with the struggle for understanding, and by the end of the film I was acutely aware of, and curious about, my own emotional responses to information and images. I highly recommend seeing Crispin Glover’s films if you get the chance: it can be an uncomfortable experience, but afterwards it feels like a cure to the subtle brainwashing of our society’s status quo.

When the film was over, Crispin Hellion Glover again took the stage to answer questions about the film and talk about his work. Much of the discussion affirmed my own thoughts about the evening, and expanded my interest in film as actual artwork. If that wasn’t enough, he stayed for a book signing and spoke to each person or couple privately for several minutes. I can’t speak highly enough of this odd and brilliant artist.

Crispin Glover and I trying to talk while posing for a picture.