Whiz kid Mike Mills, known for his documentary on the band AIR, the film Thumbsucker and doing graphic design work for folks like Sonic Youth, Yoko One and Ol' Dirty Bastard. He was also in the great band Butter 08 with Jon Spencer. Now, he's dating the wonderful Miranda July. He was kind enough to sit down with us and talk about how he's the future of art. Or, just a guy who lives in LA and loves to work. Human people, pay attention.
Blank Screen: Tell us about The Humans Project.
I make posters, fabric patterns, scarves, bags, and t-shirts. It's all available at www.humans.jp It's my attempt to make art that is not expensive or difficult to access, art that is part of everyday life. I have tried to reduce all my graphic work to this project over the last few years, I'm excited
about it, and there's much to do with it in the future.
Blank Screen: How is Humans connected with Japan and Japanese artists?
It's financed by one very nice funny Japanese guy. Moog from Buffalo Daughter has done a graphic for this, but besides that, it's my stuff.
Blank Screen: You are a designer and filmmaker, what came first and do they inspire each other? How?
I was an art student first. Design was a way to not work in a raried/gallery/high art context. To try to be more a part of the public sphere, less a part of very codified language of the art world. I don't think I ever really escaped the concerns of the art world, but that's what I tried to do. Graphics was an attempt to communicate with people with images - but the main high was from being a part of the big public visual conversation. That wanting to converse grew with the filmmaking. Film, with language, and time and music, lets you say more. With videos
I started writing short visual stories essentially, they developed more and more until I did a feature. To me it's all one ball, one project, with different ways of manifesting itself.
Blank Screen: How did you first get into design, painting and other visual arts?
My dad was a museum director, my mom sort of a jack of all trades
artist - I used to draw as a kid.
Blank Screen: You are known for Thumbsucker and Air's documentary as well as your visual art. How have the two mediums of film and design been received? Do you think its more difficult to become popular as a designer than a filmmaker?
Good question, don't really know the answer. One big difference: people don't really think about designers as much, they don't think they are as important, they don't think of them as artists, they don't think of them as authors of cultural statements, and they don't pick on them, you don't get bad reviews as a designer. As a filmmaker, you're much more of a target for praise and criticism, the shit I've read about myself since Thumbsucker came out has surprised me. The film world is much more thumbs up thumbs down, your film is good or bad, you are dumb of smart, popular or a flop, there isn't much room for the idea of experimentation or the idea that art is a process not thumbs up thumbs down situation.
Blank Screen: How did Thumbsucker come about? What ideas did you want to get across?
I adapted Walter Kirn's book, starting back in 99-2000. The book had a lot of echoes with my life, my vulnerabilities, my relationship with my parents. Adapting that book became sort of a film/writing post graduate degree for me. The main idea I wanted to get across is that we're all pretty scared despreate little animals, we pretend not to be, we don't like to think about it, but we're all pretty scared of life, intimacy, love, ourselves, of the quiet, of nothingness - and this isn't anything to be ashamed about.
Blank Screen: Will you be doing another feature film in the future?
I just finished editing my first feature length documentary about people taking anti-depressants in Japan - it's called "Does Your Soul Have A Cold?" and I'm in the latter stages of finishing my next narrative script.
Blank Screen: Do people often mistake you for Mike Mills, the bassist of R.E.M.?
More in the past.
Blank Screen: You used your design skills on Thumbsucker in various ways (titles,etc), do you think that enhances the film?
I think everything I do comes from a pretty simple design aesthetic. And I'm into making films by any means necessary. I could see doing films in the future that were more hybrid. I'm not sure everyone thinks that cross blend enhances my films, but it's my way of seeing things.
Blank Screen: You have done a lot of music videos and music projects, how did
you get into that and do you have any music video plans in the future?
I was in a bad punk band all through high school, and then Butter in my late 20's. So music's always been a big part of my attempt to figure out who I was and what I was feeling. I started doing a lot of record covers, that led to me begging all the bands to let me do their videos, finally Jon Spencer said yes. I'd love to keep doing more, but it's hard to find good ones where they don't just want a glorified publicity shot of the band.
Blank Screen: Tell us about the documentary you made on the band AIR.
I still like it a lot? I don't know what to say.
Blank Screen: What are some of your current favorite artists? (musicians, visual, design, film etc.)
Fischli and Weiss, Joanna Newsom, Experimental Jetset, Miranda July.
Blank Screen: What got you into filmmaking? What are your thoughts on making a feature film versus working on your art?
I hope that doing a feature film is doing my art - I guess I should say it is doing my art. Film is more public and personal at the same time, it can make you cry, it can be it can hit you on a very deep level, and at the same time it's a part of our popular culture -there's nothing better to me.
Blank Screen: Tell us about your design process. Do you have any particular
routine or music that assists in the creative work?
Key songs lead you through all sorts of confusion - the songs change daily. When I can get centered enough to meditate or do yoga I'm always thankful - usually the answers sitting their inside of you while you're looking everywhere else.
Blank Screen: How does LA inspire you? Do you think your work would change if
you lived elsewhere?
I like LA cause it's sort of blank - I'm not super influenced by 8 million cool things happening around me like I would be in NY. It's quieter so I can figure out what I'm thinking. Weirdly, LA helps me do more personal work.
Blank Screen: If you could go back in history and re-design any particular object, what would it be?
I love time travel, do it often. I most like going back to just after WW1 in Europe, visiting the Dadaists and the beginnings of what would become the Bauhuas scene. I'm not so interested in re-design anything, but I'd love to see and feel what it was like when those people were making those things, I think the art world really has developed little since all those strategies began. But what do I know about such things, I live in LA after all, and talk to my dog all day.
