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Bonneville Seattle is raising funds for the construction of a second Fisher House at Joint Base Lewis-McChord in Tacoma and we need your help.Subject of Seattle film talks about the movie that almost destroyed him
on June 22, 2012 @ 12:37 pm (Updated: 9:16 pm - 6/22/12 )
Grant Cogswell is the subject of "Grassroots," opening this weekend at the Harvard Exit in Seattle. His campaign inspired the as-told-by-tale by campaign manager Phil Campbell's book, "Zioncheck for President: A True Story of Idealism and Madness in American Politics," that then became a movie.
Cogswell wasn't involved in much of the film. He said he probably would have only been humored if he had made many suggestions to the filmmakers, including director Steven Gyllenhaal. But, this wasn't the poet-writer-former candidate for city council's first foray into film.
In 2005, there was a lot of money floating around the area, he told TBTL. And as he wrote in The Stranger, there were many people in the area that wanted to see Seattle film made by Seattle people.
The film failed. "Cthulhu" was, according to Variety, the lowest performing film from the lowest performing distributor when it came out. Cogswell had invested all of his own personal assets in the film, and the assets of many others. The project, which was filmed in Seattle and along the Oregon coast, cost $1 million to make. But it looked like it only cost a quarter of that.
"You need to do something for 20 years before you're good at it," said Cogswell. While the lighting and cinematography were splendid, it was the directing, the writing, and the acting that were the problems.
The folks that were excited enough about the Seattle film believed that Cogswell and his co-writer and the director knew what they were doing. Were relationships irrevocably damaged by the film - the need for money and the ultimate realization that the movie wouldn't make a dime? "Moving on," Cogswell replied.
While the cash was flowing in 2005, by the time the movie was released, the economy was in the toilet.
Cogswell had sold his condo in anticipation that his film would be good enough to at least recoup the money spent, but just two years later, he was pushing all of his possessions in a shopping cart across the San Fernando Valley. He would ultimately sell that for $7.
"I was basically homeless, but I never slept outside." He bounced from place to place, from couch to couch, and ate most of his meals at food banks.
Then, with only $1,000 in his pocket and a backpack, he moved to Mexico City in 2009.
He owns the metropolis' only independent English language bookstore. He loves the city, his girlfriend, and his job. He also loves the climate.
Are there regrets? "If you can regret anything? Of course." He asked Luke, "Are you sorry you're who you are? Are you sorry you're where you are?"
He's happy in Mexico City, he has one book out, "Dream of the Cold War: Poems 1998-2008," and another one on the way, that will include the story of "Cthulhu." So maybe Cogswell's life will eventually appear on the silver screen when a Hollywood director decides they want to turn the making of "Cthulhu" into a movie.
Listen to Luke's full interview with Grant Cogswell on TBTL Weekends
Alyssa Kleven is an editor and content producer at MyNorthwest.com. She enjoys doting over her adorable dachshund Winnie - named for Arcade Fire front-man Win Butler.
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It's me! Ha ha! wrote...Why is this even a story?June 24, 2012 7:54 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }- Reply
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tinkerbrain wrote...Huh?June 24, 2012 8:01 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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0623 wrote..."movie that almost destroyed him"June 24, 2012 8:38 am{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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soo purletiv wrote...ToughJune 24, 2012 12:01 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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yaddamaster wrote...I appreciate what MyNorthwest is trying to doJune 24, 2012 12:39 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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Alex Mason wrote...After about the first two paragraphs.June 24, 2012 3:43 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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MK wrote...Read TwiceJune 24, 2012 6:36 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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Troll Hunter wrote...Cthulhu was the movieJune 24, 2012 8:46 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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Mako wrote...destroyedJune 24, 2012 8:59 pm{ "Thumbs Up":"1","Thumbs Down":"-1" }
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