Hey Julie, is there something you wanted to do as a kid, that you haven’t done and still want to do?

Hi Pete the Poet. I feel like I’m living my best life right now, this instant and I want it to last and last and last. I recently found some of my art from kindergarten, poems from 3rd grade, and journals from jr. high and high school. I’ve done all the things I dreamed about as a kid, except maybe skydiving. I’ve been a writer, a traveler, a wife, a mom, managed a big career, and now have settled into a life of making art and hanging out with friends, family and pets. I have no desire to skydive now. Why risk it, and maybe break an ankle just for a rush of adrenaline? Life is so incredibly beautiful just as it is, with all the good, bad, joy, sorrow, light and dark. More of that is all I want. I don’t need to jump out of an airplane to appreciate it.

Julie is an artist, writer and teacher who explores the dance between the organic nature of life at the cellular level and what humans have created from it. Her work is filled with “Biology Rising” themes emerging in circles from conception to death and beyond. Join her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliejulieart/ and on her website: https://www.juliejulie.co/

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

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Hey Batt, what film would you pick to be shown with “Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey” for a Midnight Movies double-feature?

Hi Pete the Poet that is an easy one. “Apocalypse Now.” Not just because it is my favorite movie, but because it showcases one of my favorite things to do. Going down rivers, roads, or trails are all very similar types of Odysseys. And we all have a Colonel Kurtz we need to ‘kill.’ Once we kill Kurtz, another one usually shows up. But, an Odyssey gives you a method to dispatch of all these Kurtz clowns in your life. I’d prefer “Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey” to be shown first though, because I often fall asleep during “Apocalypse Now” (and it carries on in a variety of really cool ways in my dreams). Especially for a midnight double-feature, “Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey” runs first!

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

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Hey Snake, what is your strongest memory as an interviewee in Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey?

Answering the question about how I’d want to die — I answered that I’d like to fall to Earth without a parachute. I was interviewed in a forest by a river and I looked up at the sky as I discussed that.

Hey Snake, what’s one “rule” of life you think everyone should break at least once?

Probably all of them. Or none of them. If you designate something as a rule of life, you own that decision.  And so if you think it should be broken, then by definition it’s not one of your rules of life. I’m not going to let anyone else determine my rules of life.

Hey Snake, is there something you wanted to do as a kid, that you haven’t done and still want to do?

Skydiving.

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

The post Q 1, 2, & 3 – Pete the Poet Interviews Odyssey Interviewee Snake appeared first on Uncle Joe's American Odyssey.

Hey Batt, “Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey” was your debut film. Any advice for would-be filmmakers?

Hi Pete the Poet, yeah probably the best advice I can give you is to not listen to anyone’s advice, unless it really resonates with you. Or unless they have been through this exact process themselves. Be fearless and stick with your vision. People will tell you all this stuff, about what to do or what to change, bla bla bla on and on. After that happens, ask them what their favorite movies are. Chances are you’ll not like any of them. So why listen to somebody, or even care in the least what they are telling you, when they don’t make movies and they like a bunch of movies you don’t?

Try to talk to somebody who has done this, and likely the most important things they’ll tell you will have nothing to do with your story ideas or draft edits. They may tell you what an incredible time commitment it is, or how it will take over your life (look at me now, 20 years later finishing this), or how much money you’ll spend, or how frustrating it can sometimes be, or how incredible it is to have simply done this. Follow your vision and forget everything about the number of people who may or may not view it. Do it exactly how you want to do it. And if you don’t do it for yourself (with your inspiration) – you’ll risk possibly tossing to the curb a good chunk of your life.

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

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Hey Rick, what is your strongest memory as an interviewee in Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey?

I remember the wind sitting on the side of the hill behind our new house being built.

Hey Rick, what’s one “rule” of life you think everyone should break at least once?

Sticking with it. Sometimes it’s best to say “Hey, this is not something I want to do. Let’s try something or somewhere else.”

Hey Rick, is there something you wanted to do as a kid, that you haven’t done and still want to do?

Hike in the mountains and sleep in a cabin like Grizzly Adams.

Hey Rick, do you ever use chance elements when navigating your life? If so, share a memorable time you did?

I took the wrong exit on the highway and went to a different place for lunch than I expected to.

RICK AKERS | COMICS BUYER / CONSIGNMENT DIRECTOR
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Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

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Hey Lynn, what is your strongest memory as an interviewee in Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey?

I was nervous and sweaty with lunacy. I also really loved that apartment.

Hey Lynn, what’s one “rule” of life you think everyone should break at least once?

You mean I have to pick just one? Maybe do tug on Superman’s cape. I don’t think he’d be that sore about it.

Hey Lynn, Is there something you wanted to do as a kid, that you haven’t done and still want to do.

Go somewhere like Norway or Alaska and stand in the snow with a friendly herd of reindeer whilst gazing upon the aurora borealis quiescently and with full reverence. Also: make friends with crows and live in the woods for a while.

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

The post Q 1, 2, & 3 – Pete the Poet Interviews Odyssey Interviewee Lynn appeared first on Uncle Joe's American Odyssey.

Hey Batt, you’ve put a lot of time into working on the rerelease of “Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey”—what’s the best snack while editing a film?

Hi Pete the Poet, I start the day with far too much strong coffee. I didn’t drink coffee when editing in 2000-2002. So that is different. As I go through these months my diet only gets worse. It seems like I am bargaining with myself – the value of cheap unhealthy pleasures to reward what can be rounds of over-deep concentration and attention. It’s pretty awful. I’m back to Doritos, my childhood (and onward) comfort food. Too much sugar for a while. Too many quesadillas. Then too many frozen pizzas. Even too much British tea and milk. Whatever I eat goes through phases and is always too much. The best snacks I’m eating are the worst snacks!

Technically, this isn’t the rerelease, but the first release of “Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey”! First was the private screening in Seattle, next was the premiere at the 2003 John Hopkins Film Festival, and finally was a special engagement later that year in Eugene, OR.

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

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Hey Pete the Poet, what is your weirdest memory of The Odyssey?

This is difficult because the whole adventure has taken on such a dream-like sheen. But the memory I keep coming back to is in New Orleans, waiting at a voodoo shop for the start of a walking tour of the St. Louis Cemetery. I went to find a bathroom and accidentally walked in on a voodoo priestess performing a ceremony with some customers. She was not happy! I’ve never closed a door so quickly.

Hey Pete the Poet, did The Odyssey inspire you to go down any other new roads?

I joined up with Odyssey on my 30th birthday and it was such a wonderful way to begin a new decade. My time in the van was short, but the impact on my life was profound. Being with such a free group of truly unique explorers inspired me. Just over a year after Odyssey I left on a nine month solo trip around the world—something I never would’ve even dreamed of before my time with Uncle Joe and the crew.

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

The post Q 1 & 2 – Pete the Poet Interviews Prince Pete the Poet appeared first on Uncle Joe's American Odyssey.

Hey Shave, what is your weirdest memory as a musician working on Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey?

Well, my dear friend Batt was out here in Boston and we all had some drinks and whatnot and ended up at a Chinese karaoke club singing and videotaping Dead or Alive by Bon Jovi. Before that we were at the Blue Moon Cafe and bowling pub in Jamaica Plain. Again, karaoke. Batt did ‘Dead Or Alive’ and freaking jumped off stage and slid across the floor on his knees. Batt always throws the best parties wherever he’s at! Pure gold. I can’t top that, even having done the movie’s ‘theme’ song, ‘Uncle Joe‘. 

Hey Shave, did The Odyssey inspire you to go down any other new roads?

Actually, it turned me on harder to the American Experience. Things we all took for granted from decades before 9/11. An innocence. It inspired me to pursue my SailorSam project which took 8 years. Inspired by America’s Bicentennial year. It also stayed in my mind post 9/11, as a contrast to the way we lived and loved and laughed freely back then.

Brian Riley a/k/a Jack Energy…

shaverecords.com (home of the bands, Echo Detective, SailorSam & Shave Librarian) jackenergyzone.com (powerful short stories, poetry & art)

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

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Hey Batt, of the countless people you met while filming “Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey”, whom do you wonder most about?

Hi Pete the Poet. I often think about Raymond Raymond from the Mission District in San Francisco. When you watch the movie, look for the guy with a red shirt, tie, and aviator sunglasses. I didn’t want to interview him at first. I thought maybe he’d just ramble. I finally set up a meeting time with him, and the next morning it was like he had been awake the whole night—preparing for any question imaginable. For almost half of the questions I asked, he cheered and snapped his fingers as if he anticipated that exact question! He followed through on those answers in a joyful dance of perfection.

Raymond Raymond’s interview could be its own movie from beginning to end. Maybe it will be. He also said something in one of his answers I’ve carried closely with me for the last 20 years. To my ears, it is the most solid piece of advice and philosophy I’ve heard spoken. I really wonder what Double Raymond is doing these days. I wonder what he was doing back in those days! I wish that guy the very best. I wish my best to everyone who gave me their time and heartfelt truths. I hope they all happen to find and watch this movie.

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

The post Q 8 – Pete the Poet Interviews Director appeared first on Uncle Joe's American Odyssey.

Hey Batt, if you could go back and spend a year in one scene in one location in Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey where would it be?

Hi Pete the Poet, wow that is a great question. Especially since it has been 10 years since I’ve spent even 5 months in a single place anywhere.

I’ll have to cheat, because none of our brief time at Heifer International in Arkansas made the film, but it was a beautiful place with wonderful people doing amazing work. I could easily spend a year or more there. I wish our Odyssey could have volunteered there for a few weeks. Maybe I can get back one day. I recommend taking a moment to read a bit about Heifer International!

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

The post Q 7 – Pete the Poet Interviews Director appeared first on Uncle Joe's American Odyssey.

Hey Julie, what’s one “rule” of life you think everyone should break at least once?

Hi Pete the Poet. Following the rules. That’s the rule I’ve learned to break.

I’ve spent a good amount of my life following the rules society told me to follow. Hell, I didn’t even smoke pot until it was legalized in Oregon in 2015, because it was against the law! And I always wanted to follow laws! Turns out when I finally did try pot, I really didn’t like it, so no love lost there, by the way.

I think always following rules helped me feel safe. I wanted to believe that if everyone followed the rules all the time, life would be easier and better. Now I know that this kind of wishful thinking comes from a place of privilege, and a quiet, underlying fear of not having control when things going badly. The advent of cell phones and social media makes it easier to see the vast injustice and disparity of rights of people of color, even when they followed all the rules and lived with extreme inequality or got killed for no good reason anyway. The social justice movement has opened my eyes to the privilege I didn’t even know I had. I tend to want to keep my head down and avoid conflict, but that is not always the best choice for society and the world, or for me personally, either.

I’m not an anarchist or saying we should routinely break laws. I still believe that society should collaborate on making good laws, but if the laws are bad or outdated, we need to work together and change them.  Like: Votes for women! No more slavery! Civil rights! Legalize Pot! But always trying to follow the cultural rules we’ve been taught just to avoid conflict can get us stuck.

As a girl and younger woman, I tried really hard to walk a straight line in the middle of the road of “shoulds” and always do what I thought I was supposed to do. As I approached middle age, I started standing in my power more. I let my hair go gray and settled into my menopausal phase with confidence. I let the rules of “should” and “supposed to” melt away.

Julie is an artist, writer and teacher who explores the dance between the organic nature of life at the cellular level and what humans have created from it. Her work is filled with “Biology Rising” themes emerging in circles from conception to death and beyond. Join her on Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/juliejulieart/ and on her website: https://www.juliejulie.co/

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

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Hey Zariah, do you ever use chance elements when creating your music? If so, share a memorable time you did.

Hi Pete the Poet. In the music I created for this adventure, I was very inspired by the impromptu jams I’ve had in towns up and down the I5. I tried to channel the memories of being in a random shop on main street at 3 AM with my step brother in a pioneer town, as we jammed away with sloppy free formed blues, where emotion and dirt sauce were preferred over timing and synchronicity. Pretty much everything about those sessions were “chance elements.”

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

The post Q 1 – Pete the Poet Interviews Soundtrack Musician Zariah Hazel appeared first on Uncle Joe's American Odyssey.

Hey Effie, what’s one “rule” of life you think everyone should break at least once?

Hi Pete the Poet, allow your dog to run free. And run with him/her. If you don’t have a dog, run free anyway. If you cannot leave home, due to obligations, practice freedom on a simple walk in your neighborhood. Untethered with no direction home as Bob Dylan would say. You will be surprised by what you may find out about the world, people you meet along the path, friends and family, and yourself.

Effie Stana is now known as Heidi Lynne’ Yoga and Wellness. She teaches yoga to students 50+. Her heart soars when a student leaves class feeling relaxed, calm and energized – stronger and more flexible. Heidi also enjoys writing. You can read more about Ayurveda, Yoga, herbs, nutrition and wellness on her blog: https://heidilynneyogaandwellness.wordpress.com.

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

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Hey Batt, when you were filming Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey were there any scenes that “got away”—times that you really regret not capturing

Hi Pete the Poet, I remember that you definitely thought one scene “got away!” I didn’t agree with you at all in that case, but at the time there were hundreds of other things I was certain “got away.” Thankfully now, I don’t feel that way. When I watch Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey, it is more like there are a few dozen scenes I can’t believe I got! I can’t believe how on top of things I was 20 years ago. I’m sure as hell not as on top of doing all those detail-y little things now. I must have been possessed or something, back then. I guess I’m more of a generalist now. Does that make any damn sense? Probably not. I’m probably just in more of a burned-out phase these days. I’ve been traveling a lot this last decade and doing a lot of projects. I think maybe it all got me a bit burned out.

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

The post Q 6 – Pete the Poet Interviews Director appeared first on Uncle Joe's American Odyssey.

Hey Batt, if you were making Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey today, what’s one thing you would do differently?

Hi Pete the Poet. A somewhat flat response, but I’d be using the skills I’ve learned since then to my benefit. That’s the technical part of the answer.

I’ll borrow a second ‘one’ if you don’t mind. My inexperience let me be fresh. So if I filmed Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey now, I’d probably be busy trying to make up for that fresh ‘evergreen’ feeling. The wide open eyes you have when you’ve entered a new world. Maybe more media experience would help. Or for this type of movie, maybe it would really hurt.

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

The post Q 5 – Pete the Poet Interviews Director appeared first on Uncle Joe's American Odyssey.

Hey Batt, what would be the moral of Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey?

Hi Pete the Poet. Wow, what a question. Now I’m wishing I would have asked the people we met on the road in 2000—“What is the moral of your life?”

Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey was simply a practice of having open eyes and open ears. So maybe the moral of this movie is a reminder to wake up every day, and do your best to fully open both of both. -Batt

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

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Hey Batt, if you could go back and ask the people in Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey another question, what would it be?

Hi Pete the Poet, I would have asked “Is there something you wanted to do as a kid, that you haven’t done and still want to do.” The interview answers people gave in Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey were thoughtful and natural. They also branched out into an almost mycelial network of ideas, thoughts, and emotions. It wasn’t so much about the questions—it was about how people explored ideas with their answers. I can only imagine where this question might have taken them. -Batt

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

The post Q 3 – Pete the Poet Interviews Director appeared first on Uncle Joe's American Odyssey.

Hey Batt, America seems a lot more divided than in did when you filmed Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey. What advice do you think people in the year 2000 would give us today if they could know how messed up things are?

Hi Pete the Poet, thank you for your question. I won’t answer it. I know I’m 2 for 2 in not directly answering your questions. But when you watch Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey, you’ll remember what is was like in 2000—and your 2000 self might give some advice and council to your 2020 self. If you were born after 1990 or so, I really want to hear what you think of year 2000 people! -Batt

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

The post Q 2 – Pete the Poet Interviews Director appeared first on Uncle Joe's American Odyssey.

Hey Batt, it’s been twenty years since you filmed Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey. When you watch it now, what are some major changes you notice in our world?

Hi Pete the Poet, for the sake of the viewers I won’t answer that. I feel violated even by trailers! What makes many stories beautiful are the surprises they hold. Surprise is a story’s gift. Surprise can even deeply affect and change us. My yap yap would inject everyone with premature surprises.

I can say I noticed tremendous differences in people between 2000 and 2020, when earlier this year I re-watched Uncle Joe’s American Odyssey. Many more changes in the world and our way of relating to each other than I would have expected. Observing these changes is much of the fun of this movie. I can’t wait to hear how people experience getting back to the summer of 2000. -Batt

Pete the Poet still writes poetry. He also co-edits the online poetry journal http://www.ADozenNothing.com.

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