Favourite Film: This is a shitty question to ask a director because I love
so many for so many different reasons. There are dozens I adore and can
watch time and again. Comfort movies like The Big Lebowski, Diner, Ferri
Bueller's Day Off or Wonder Boys that I can just have on and enjoy endlessly
even though I know them back to front. Or there are movies like Terminato
and Aliens - big, smart muscular films that get me pumped...But if I had to
take one movie to my grave it would have to be Blade Runner. And I'm talkin
the original, theatrical cut with the voice over. I know, I'm supposed to
love the definitive voice over free version but I like the true noir nature
of it. To me Blade Runner is the reason I wanted to become a director -
smart, atmospheric, performance driven with great heart, passion and deep,
deep themes.
Food: Not much of a foodie. I like great seafood - preferably caught and
prepared by me and my family. A nice steak is hard to beat.
Favourite Musician: I'm a rocker at heart and I grew up in the 80's when
big hair metal was all the rage. It ain't fashionable but I still love Bon
Jovi to this day. In my quieter moments I love some classical - Vaughan
Williams, George Butterworth's pastoral English vibe and film scores; the
music of Hans Zimmer and James Newton Howard, Harry Gregson Williams and
Klaus Badelt (who did my Solomon Kane score). When I'm feeling the need for
decibels then hand me some Metallica. Right now, I'm loving Mumford and Sons
and Biffy Clyro.
Favourite Quote: I could just spend ages searching through a book of
quotations to make myself seem erudite and well read but I will just go with
"The Dude abides" or the whole of Rutger Hauer's speech at the end of Blade
Runner.
Favourite Restaurant: There are some sea-front restaurants in Sitges in
Spain where the seafood is stunning and I've had some great evenings.
Best Holiday: Any time when the family is with me, the sun is shining and
we can go swimming in the ocean.
Most Embarrassing Moment: Too many to mention. Probably most of my haircut
and fashion choices in the 80's and 90's. I wore stripy spandex trousers to
an 'Accept' concert in Birmingham when I was a teenager (and I wonder why
didn't pick up any girls). These days my kids think everything I say and do
is an embarrassment.
Favourite Album: Again, depends on my mood. Marc Cohn's debut album. The
one with 'Walking in Memphis' simple singer-songwriter stuff. I like some
big rock bombast sometimes. I love and album called 'Operation Mindcrime'
by Queensryche. Massive and relentless - great for writing to.
Worst album: I don't know - I haven't heard them all.
Sport: I don't watch much sports. I like some Mixed Martial Arts
Have a Crush on (Celebrity): I have a total man-crush on Timothy Olyphant.
As for girls...that's dangerous territory. I have a little crush on the BBC
wildlife presenter Charlotte Uhlenbroek - my kinda girl; pretty, smart and
likes to spend time out doors.
Magazine: Wired magazine, BBC Wildlife, Scientific American Mind and
National Geographic are all regulars.
What people don't know about me: I was trained as a wildlife photographer
and used to be a kids TV presenter specializing in science and nature.
I shop in: hardware stores, gadget shops and will occasionally get dragged
into somewhere selling clothes so I can replace whatever the hell it is I wear.
I would like to be for one week: much more successful than I am now; just to
see if it feels as good as I think it will and to confirm it's going to be
worth all the effort.
If I was to live anywhere: South Shropshire by a river with a hundred acres
of my own woodland all around me. Soon enough....
Your own quote: witty bon-mots are not really my speciality. My favourite
quote is whatever people think is the last clever thing I wrote or said.
Tell us about your next few projects and what to expect: I wish I could tell
you what the next definite project is but I'm not allowed to say just yet.
I have a very cool psychological thriller with Jeffrey Dean Morgan attached
that I'm planning to make either later this year or early next. Thomas Jane
and I are trying to get something off the ground as well and I'm figuring
out how to go about adapting to work of my favourite fantasy author, Michael
Moorcock. On top of that there's a comic book I'm just in the early stages
of putting together and a few other scripts that I really need to knuckle
down and finish. There's lots to do and I'm such a fundamentally lazy
person that I really should get out of bed earlier.
You can follow me on twitter
http://twitter.com/michaeljbassett
http://www.facebook.com/michaeljbassett
blog at www.michaelbassett.com
And please go and buy Solomon Kane on Blu Ray or DVD; I'm sure you'll have
an entertaining 110mins.
