Keeping Up With The Jonze
How does a man move from directing meisterworks like Being John Malkovich to prodcucing Jackass 3D? Easy. Or so says the extraordinary and unflappable Spike Jonze
Roe McDermott, 01 Dec 2010
I’m always highly suspicious of people who everybody likes. Tiger Woods was sports’ golden boy till we read his text messages; we all thought Bertie was great craic til he lost our money and hid in a cupboard; and hell, apparently Ted Bundy made a delightful first impression.
So after being repeatedly told what a lovely guy Spike Jonze is, I wasn’t surprised when he refused to shake my hand, instead waving me away with a grimace. I knew it. Don’t worry Jonzey, I won’t force you to make physical contact with a mere mortal like myself. In fact, I thank you for waving me away like a wasp at a picnic, as you’ve confirmed my prejudice – there are no nice people in Hollywood, only bloody divas.
Then he sneezes. And smiles. “I’m so sorry, I keep sneezing and don’t want to get you sick. How ‘bout we be ghetto and knuckle-bump, it’ll be safer for you!” Goddamn it, he’s adorable. Let’s hope he has some dead bodies hidden somewhere in this fancy hotel suite! I hate being wrong, even for a minute.
Boasting an incredibly genre-jumping CV, Jonze began his career shooting skateboarding stunts and directing music videos, working with artists such as Bjork, Beastie Boys, Daft Punk and Fatboy Slim. Jonze’s directing talent and quirky humour – not to mention his unique sense of rhythm – resulted in one of the 90s’ most iconic videos, as he bemused movie-goers by performing a hilarious and bizarre dance to Fatboy Slim’s 1999 hit ‘Praise You’ in the foyer of a cinema.
But while most music-lovers remember the song, and could, if plied with enough alcohol, do their own version of the now infamous dance routine, music video directors don’t usually become household names. To combat this deplorable collective failure – and to celebrate the work of notable music video directors – Jonze collaborated with Academy-award winning director Michel Gondry and English music video director Chris Cuningham to form Directors Label, a series of DVDs devoted to notable music video directors.
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