PODCAST: Harmony and Me (Bob Byington and Justin Rice)

From the official synopsis for the truly laugh-out-loud funny Harmony and Me, written and directed by Bob Byington (RSO: Registered Sex Offender) and starring indie rocker-turned-actor Justin Rice (Mutual Appreciation):

One of the highlights of New Directors/New Films 2009, Bob Byington's hilariously deadpan slacker film for the cell phone generation takes place in independent film capital Austin, Texas, where a voluble young lyricist named Harmony refuses to let go of the heartbreak caused when his girlfriend became his ex. He remains stubbornly unhappy, perhaps for musical inspiration or perhaps because it’s just the way he is. Although his depression annoys his tough mom, Harmony's friends, as oddball and eccentric as he, seem perfectly cool with his cultivation of misery. Starring musician Justin Rice as the motormouthed Harmony and Kevin Corrigan as his sidekick Carlos, Byington's film presents a goofy portrait of a bright guy and his buddies running in place.

Sitting down with me in a tucked-away room at NYC's Museum of Modern Art, Byington and Rice discussed the film, the various influences on its picaresque-like structure (including Killer of Sheep and a single sentence from Chuck Klosterman's Killing Yourself to Live), and which audiences deserve more pedophile jokes.

To listen to the podcast, click here. (17:49)

Podcast Music
INTRO: Elton John, "Harmony"
OUTRO: Bishop Allen, "Dimmer"

[Harmony and Me is now playing in New York through September 24. For tickets and more info, visit the MoMA website. For the official film website, that's right here.]



Posted by ahillis at September 18, 2009 9:58 PM