Director has made a career out of following his own independent muse

Director and writer Alex Cox is a true cinematic original. After helming the cult studio films "Repo Man," "Sid & Nancy," and "Walker," he's chosen the path less traveled by many of his contemporaries: finding funding for his projects outside of the studio system.

In 1987, for instance, after failing to secure money for a proposed punk rock tour of Nicaragua featuring Joe Strummer and The Pogues, among others, Cox decided to instead secure independent funding for the the film "Straight to Hell," a raw, comedic Western, starring the performers whose tours he'd hoped to facilitate. Turning down "The Three Amigos," he instead unleashed a violent, coffee-fueled indie film on the world that would be panned by most critics but appreciated by his fans.

Since then, he's made a "Red Hot and Blue" TV special about an AIDS benefit project; directed the Spanish-language tale of a highway patrolman, "El Patrullero"; made a documentary about Akira Kurosawa; and last year released "Searchers 2.0," a loving and funny ode to classic Westerns and the movie business.

On the eve of his appearance as keynote speaker at the da Vinci Film Festival, Cox consented to an e-mail interview with Jake TenPas.

Jake TenPas: Give us a preview of, or at least let us know some of the themes, of your keynote speech at da Vinci Days.

Alex Cox: It's about making independent films so I imagine I'll be talking about that in relation to my own experiences, and my impression of the current market for them.

JT: What have been the high points of your career, and how might they inform local and independent filmmakers trying to come up in this game?

AC: It depends how you define high points. My best experiences were probably working in Mexico and Nicaragua; how does that tie in to the experiences of an American filmmaker at home, abroad, or in Corvallis? They will all be different.

JT: What have been some of the low points, and how might they serve as cautionary tales for the same people?

AC: Low points were probably seeing two or three percent of the budget of some films wasted on a thing called a 'completion bond.' Not so visible these days, thanks to digital video production: back in the 80s and 90s they were a tax on independent production that studio filmmakers didn't have to pay!

JT: Which film of yours deserves to be seen by more people and why?

AC: "Walker," because it is the most up-to-date, unfortunately!

JT: In your essay on Peckinpah, Leone, and the death of the Western (http://arts.guardian.co.uk/features/story/0,,1767450,00.html), you talk about the very people who championed outlaws in their films steering the genre to a place where it was incompatible with the conformist ideals of Hollywood. Looking back at your filmography, it's easy to see that you're someone who's negotiated your own outsider tendencies with the movie industry, as well. What have been some of your greatest triumphs in this respect, and what have been some of your greatest challenges? Can you give us an example or two of clashes you've had when trying to steer films in your own directions that the studio execs weren't into?

AC: I haven't had very many experiences with the studios. Only on "Repo Man" and "Walker" and "Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas" were studios involved. All my other pics were made with money from other sources - television companies, private investors, state film funds, foreign presales (especially to Japan), and distributed outside the studio system. Thus is an independent feature director. Peckinpah was certainly a great filmmaker - as was Kurosawa, say. But I don't think either would qualify as an 'independent' filmmaker. They worked for the studios.

JT: What did you think about the remake of "3:10 to Yuma"? Any other Westerns of recent years that haven't pissed you off?

AC: Haven't seen it! Not one of my favorite Westerns anyway. Have you seen "Yellow Sky" with Gregory Peck? Or "The Gunfighter"? They're good uns.

JT: Who's been the greatest actor you've worked with, or at least the actor who's best realized a part you wrote for him or her?

AC: Sy Richardson.

JT: Are there any shots, editing choices, or performances by actors in your films that you look back on and go, "What the hell was I thinking?"

AC: Not really: those get cut out, or shot again!

JT: Your two most widely known films are probably "Sid and Nancy" and "Repo Man." What do you think you were saying about the particular times and places those films were set (or made) in that resonated with people?

AC: They had a punk thing going, which was important in London and LA back in that day. And they had relatively wide distribution, which helps in that people get to see the films and resonation becomes possible!

JT: Given the popularity of celebrity bio shows in recent years, does it ever make you wonder how Sid Vicious might be portrayed now?

AC: You can see the real Sid Vicious in Lech Kowalski's DOA.

JT: What projects are you working on right now that you can talk about?

AC: Looking for a million dollars to make four microfeatures.

JT: As a young director, were there films, filmmakers or speeches by filmmakers that changed the course of your career or profoundly influenced your style, specifically that you draw on when speaking to others about your career?

AC: I loved loads of films. But I remember being misled when I read Peter Bogdanovich's book about John Ford - the scene where Ford introduces the producer to all the cast and crew, then kicks him off the set? This is not a good idea. Good directors need good producers. It's too much work for one person. Both are (for the duration of the shoot, at least) full-time jobs.