OK. Maybe this isn't an exclusive interview. Maybe it's the "exchange" that took place between members of Detroit Ho! and Mr. Lee during his recent visit to the University of Arizona's Centennial Hall. But there was still a back and forth... Our dialogue began after a brief discussion of Mr. Lee's history as a film student, getting a student Academy Award at NYU, living without electricity in Fort Greene, failing at his first feature, and finally succeeding with (my personal favorite) "She's Gotta Have It." Here's the transcript:
Spike Lee: There was an audience for that kind of film... it was "She's Gotta Have It" along with "Hollywood Shuffle" by Robert Townsend. You should check it out if you haven't seen it. Those two films brought about the so-called "Black Renaissance" in film.
Detroit Ho [Aisha]: (Laughter...lone laughter).
SL: Why you laughin'? It was a big thing back then.
[time passes]
DH: I know New York is your city. And you've done some work in New Orleans. But, what would you do in Detroit?
SL: Ooooh. You from Motown?
DH: All my family is.
SL: The Motor City? You know, Detroit is really the most depressed city in the United States of America. There's definitely stories there. And uh, it wasn't once like that. We had the car industry there, uh, things went downhill after the riots. Your mayor... Kwame Whassisname?
DH [Miro]: Kilpatrick.
SL: That wasn't a good look. (Laughter). There definitely is... I'll bet you could do a good TV series, like a Detroit version of "The Wire." Also, all those fans of "The Wire," David Simon's next new show is called "Treme" and it's about New Orleans. But definitely, there's a lot of good stories in Detroit.
Thank you Mr. Lee. We look forward to our next interview...
I'm not keeping good enough track of Detroit Ho! because this interview is totally awesome. Although, if I did a movie about Detroit I wouldn't want it to be Wire-esque. The Wire is awesome, don't get me wrong. I'm just getting tired of people telling me that Detroit is a depressed city, as though it's THE fact to keep in mind. I would want to make a film that reinvents that tired adage. I know, it's probably the easiest film to make. definite>probably.
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