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Introduction (01)
Josh Becker's Head (02-137)
Josh Becker's Résumé
Acknowledgments
Articles
Biography
INSIDE THE HEAD OF JOSH BECKER
Introduction
Josh Becker, director and writer
[01] As the director most often involved with Xena: Warrior Princess, director/writer Josh Becker has also been a lightning rod for praise and condemnation due to his openness and outspokenness. On his website and in the press, he has never pulled any punches, and in a fit of perversity, he agreed to answer our odd assortment of questions. Or was it our perversity that we sent them to him? Regardless, what follows is a little different from our previous interviews. Step carefully and welcome to the mind of Josh Becker.
Josh Becker's Head
Interviewer:
[02] How did you get into your line of work? Was it what you expected it to be doing?Josh:
[03] I started making Super-8 films as a kid, with Bruce Campbell and Sam Raimi, and have just continued along on that route. It's not what I expected to be doing, it's what I hoped I'd be doing.Interviewer:
[04] Worst moment in cinematic history?Josh:
[05] Leonardo DiCaprio and Kate Winslett horking goobers over the side of the Titanic.Interviewer:
[06] Ever just want to wrap the camera around an actors head?Josh:
[07] No, but I have wanted to wrap it around a camera operator's and several DP's heads.Interviewer:
[08] If you got a tattoo, what would it be and where would it go?Josh:
[09] It would be a three-headed dragon on my right forearm, or a snake on my face.Interviewer:
[10] Worst movie title imaginable? (whether the movie was made or not)Josh:
[11] No reply.Interviewer:
[12] Are dreams and nightmares the curse of unsolved problems or a source of inspiration?Josh:
[13] I smoke too much pot. I don't remember my dreams.Interviewer:
[14] Who do you trust?Josh:
[15] My family, Bruce Campbell, karma.Interviewer:
[16] Which animal do you most identify with, and why?Josh:
[17] I like cats because they're independent, and furry.Interviewer:
[18] Are you better at theoretical or physical tasks?Josh:
[19] Theoretical.Interviewer:
[20] If you had a pet pig, what would you name it?Josh:
[21] Arnold.Interviewer:
[22] What is your favorite sports team and why?Josh:
[23] I don't like any sports teams. I don't like games. I do like boxing, however, because you don't play boxing. It's not a game. I'm a fan of Felix Trinidad, Oscar De LaHoya, and Lennox Lewis, among others.Interviewer:
[24] What genre or style of film do you believe your talents most suited for? Why?Josh:
[25] I can make any genre or style of films. I can do slapstick comedy, too, which not many people can do anymore.Interviewer:
[26] After finishing high school, college, grad school or whatever have you found that your grades did not determine where you wound up or what you did?Josh:
[27] I was terrible in high school and I never graduated college, so it meant nothing to what I do.Interviewer:
[28] What is the comic book character you'd most like to see made into live action movie?Josh:
[29] I hate comic books and I hope that they never make another one into a movie, because all movies based on comic books suck.Interviewer:
[30] Most ridiculous name for a band you've ever heard?Josh:
[31] Strawberry Alarm Clock.Interviewer:
[32] PlayStation or PlayStation 2? Nintendo 64 or SEGA DreamCastJosh:
[33] Games, I hate 'em.Interviewer:
[34] Have you had a personal experience that made you believe in something others would consider paranormal?Josh:
[35] No.Interviewer:
[36] If you could spend 3 months aboard the international space station (Alpha), would you? Why or why not?Josh:
[37] No. They wouldn't let me smoke.Interviewer:
[38] What song do you most wish you had written?Josh:
[39] The Major-General Song from The Pirates of Penzance.Interviewer:
[40] Name two public figures you would trust.Josh:
[41] None.Interviewer:
[42] If you had to serve in a branch of your country's armed forces, which would you pick? Why?Josh:
[43] The Marine Corps because they're the toughest.Interviewer:
[44] Give us a brief day in the life of Josh.Josh:
[45] My days can be very different depending on whether I'm employed or unemployed, and whether I'm writing something or not. If I'm not working, then I'm probably reading.Interviewer:
[46] How do you handle stress?Josh:
[47] I smoke enormous amounts of marijuana.Interviewer:
[48] Years from now, how would you want to be remembered?Josh:
[49] Once I'm dead, I don't give a s--t what happens.Interviewer:
[50] What is your pet peeve?Josh:
[51] People going crazy over anything that's new. I'm also sick to death of rap music.Interviewer:
[52] Who is Josh?Josh:
[53] Figure it out from my answers, otherwise it's none of your business.Interviewer:
[54] What is the most sensitive part on your body?Josh:
[55] My ****.Interviewer:
[56] What do you see yourself doing in the future? Future projects?Josh:
[57] I have no plans.Interviewer:
[58] How do you handle depression?Josh:
[59] More pot.Interviewer:
[60] What was the hardest thing you ever did?Josh:
[61] Not quitting during the production of the first Evil Dead. Next would be directing Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur, which was a hellish shoot.Interviewer:
[62] What was the easiest?Josh:
[63] Making the film Running Time.Interviewer:
[64] What stupid thing did you do as a teen?Josh:
[65] I sold an undercover narc two ounces of weed, on two separate occasions.Interviewer:
[66] How would you categorize your best work?Josh:
[67] Not stupid.Interviewer:
[68] In your opinion, do you fit your astrological sign?Josh:
[69] Being a Leo, I guess so.Interviewer:
[70] What to you is the worst feeling in the world?Josh:
[71] Rejection.Interviewer:
[72] The best feeling in the world?Josh:
[73] Good sex.Interviewer:
[74] Favorite song of the moment?Josh:
[75] The Gulf of Araby by Natalie Merchant.Interviewer:
[76] What would you say every writer, producer, director needs?Josh:
[77] Intelligence, understanding of the human condition, and a sense of what is a good story.Interviewer:
[78] Do you believe in prayer? Explain.Josh:
[79] No. Prayer is an entreaty to a greater power. I don't believe in God, I believe in myself (to some extent).Interviewer:
[80] What's the most romantic thing anyone has done for you?Josh:
[81] None of your business.
Josh Becker
Interviewer:
[82] What theme would you like to tackle in your next work?Josh:
[83] It doesn't work that way. The theme is entirely caught up with what story you're telling and who the characters are. I don't know what my next work is.Interviewer:
[84] What was the last thing that made you smile recently?Josh:
[85] Bruce Campbell's book making the New York times bestseller list. Go Bruce!Interviewer:
[86] What made you angry?Josh:
[87] Stupid questions on my website from stupid Xena fans.Interviewer:
[88] You now have absolute authority over the world. Omnipotent in all areas. What's your first move?Josh:
[89] Zzzzzzzzzzzzzzzzz.Interviewer:
[90] Do you have stalkers? If so, how have you handled them?Josh:
[91] No.Interviewer:
[92] Do fans ask too much from celebrities?Josh:
[93] I don't give a s--t about fans.Interviewer:
[94] What in your opinion is most dangerous about humankind?Josh:
[95] Our desperate need to cut down all of the trees that produce our oxygen.Interviewer:
[96] What Muppet character do you identify with?Josh:
[97] F--k the muppets.Interviewer:
[98] Name four things you're likely to order to drink at a bar.Josh:
[99] I don't generally drink and I don't like bars, although I do like the coffeeshops in Amsterdam very much.Interviewer:
[100] What is the most idiotic and annoying common prejudice?Josh:
[101] No reply.Interviewer:
[102] Where do you see yourself in 40 years and what steps will you take to get there?Josh:
[103] Given that I'm nearly 43 and I smoke, I won't be around in 40 years.Interviewer:
[104] What's the dumbest thing you DON'T regret doing?Josh:
[105] Making my last feature, If I Had a Hammer, and spending $350,000.Interviewer:
[106] What do you think about UFO's, and if they were friendly would you get on?Josh:
[107] There are no UFOs. Grow up.Interviewer:
[108] What do you like most about the net?Josh:
[109] The way it holds my hair down.Interviewer:
[110] What really bugs you?Josh:
[111] Underwear that's not 100% cotton.Interviewer:
[112] Do you like to drive fast? If so, why do you think that is?Josh:
[113] No.Interviewer:
[114] Where's the most interesting place you've lived?Josh:
[115] I've never lived in an interesting place, just Detroit and L.A.Interviewer:
[116] Where do you live now?Josh:
[117] Santa Monica, CA.Interviewer:
[118] What modern author would you like to have stop writing?Josh:
[119] No reply.Interviewer:
[120] What memorabilia do you have?Josh:
[121] I don't collect memorabilia. I do have all the Best Picture winners on video tape, as well as all the Pulitzer Prize-winning novels in first editions (no one can say I've wasted my life).Interviewer:
[122] What do you find most satisfying about your job?Josh:
[123] Having it all come together and make sense.Interviewer:
[124] What's your idea of a perfect world?Josh:
[125] Where I get financing for my films and distribution.Interviewer:
[126] When you were a kid what did you want to be when you grew up?Josh:
[127] A movie director.Interviewer:
[128] What have you learned from your animals?Josh:
[129] I learned a lot about love from my late cat Stevie.Interviewer:
[130] Does our society glorify violence to the point we have become desensitized to it and the consequences?Josh:
[131] Yes.Interviewer:
[132] What is your motto?Josh:
[133] "They are able because they think they are able," Virgil, The Aeneid.Interviewer:
[134] How do you feel about the ending of Xena and the fans reaction?Josh:
[135] It was fine. I don't care what the fans think.Interviewer:
[136] What questions should I have asked? Then answer them.Interviewer:
[137] No reply.
Josh Becker's Résumé
Feature Films:
http://www.beckerfilms.com/films.htmlIf I Had a Hammer
1999, Writer/Producer/Director
(Panoramic Pictures)Running Time
1997, Writer/Producer/Director
(Panoramic Pictures)Lunatics: A Love Story
1992, Director/Writer
(Columbia/Tri-Star)Thou Shalt Not Kill... Except
1987, Director/Co-Writer/D.P./Editor
(Anchor Bay Ent.)Television:
Jack of All Trades
(Studios USA), Director
Ep: Return of the Dragoon (2000)
Ep: The People's Dragoon (2000)Xena: Warrior Princess
(Universal Television, Studios USA), Director
Ep: Soul Possession (2001)
Ep: Kindred Spirits (2000)
Ep: If the Shoe Fits (1999)
Ep: In Sickness and in Hell (1998)
Ep: Fins, Femmes & Gems (1998)
Ep: Blind Faith (1997)
Ep: For Him the Bell Tolls (1997)
Ep: Warrior... Princess... Tramp (1996)
Ep: A Fistful of Dinars (1996)
Xena: Warrior Princess
(Universal Television, Studios USA), Writer
Ep: Chariots of War, (1995) Co-Story
Ep: Locked Up and Tied Down (1998)Real Stories of the Highway Patrol 1993, Director/six segments
(Mark Massari Productions)Others:
Hercules in the Maze of the Minotaur
1994, Director/TV Movie
(Universal Television)Hercules and the Amazon Women
1994, Second-Unit Director
(Universal Television)Hercules in the Underworld
1994, Second-Unit Director
(Universal Television)Mosquito
1994, Actor
(Feature-length horror film)Hawg Wild in Sturgis
1992, Cameraman, (Full-length documentary)
Battle the Big Tuna
1991, Director/Cameraman/Editor, (Full-length documentary)Evil Dead
1983, Lighting/Sound, (Full-length horror film)Screenplays:
http://www.beckerfilms.com/scripts.htmlFavorite Films:
http://www.beckerfilms.com/movielist.htmlWeb Page:
http://www.beckerfilms.com/
Acknowledgments
Thanks to Kamouraskan for the beta.
Articles
L. J. Maas and Murphy Wilson [Amy Murphy].One Step Beyond ... Uber, That Is. WHOOSH #49 (October 2000)
The "Inside the Head of..." series in Whoosh issues #58, 61-66,68-75
Biography
Amy Murphy
Amy Murphy resides in Indiana, and is an avid reader of Xena: Warrior Princess Fan Fiction. If it exists in the Xenaverse, chances are she has read it! Murphy has also tried her hand at writing fan fiction, turning out two very nice pieces that reside on a couple of web sites throughout the Xenaverse.
Favorite episode: IS THERE A DOCTOR IN THE HOUSE (24/124)
Favorite line: "I Have Many Skills" Various episodes
First episode seen: TITANS (07/107)
Least favorite episode: LYRE, LYRE HEARTS ON FIRE (100/510)
