What could Quentin Tarantino and David Bowie have in common? Fresh off of yesterday's blog post and news about Bowie's passing, I went with my friend Lauren and a friend of hers to see Quentin Tarantino's new epic The Hateful Eight. We got to see it in this special way; a 70mm ultra panavision print that has various aspects of awesomeness that would only mean something to serious film buffs. My spoiler-free review of the movie was that it was highly entertaining.
But what struck me; juxtaposed with what I posted about yesterday, was this: The Hateful Eight is, without a doubt, the best possible version of The Hateful Eight there could possibly be. What I mean is this: if you didn't like that movie, the way he made it, then you just basically don't like Quentin Tarantino movies. This is not to suggest that everyone will like it; in fact, far from it. Many people will not. Maybe even most. But if what you are looking for is an experience like that one, then it is the best one I've ever seen.
And that brings me back to David Bowie. Many people will like Bowie and not like Tarantino at all, and vice versa. Some will like both, some will like neither. But what the two of them share, in my opinion, is this: they know who they are, they have the guts to stay true to that, and they have the talent to do the best possible job of doing what it is they do. I met Quentin Tarantino once, years ago, in a bathroom in Austin, TX, and I can say this: the man is excited about filmmaking. He loves it. And, just like Bowie, I wouldn't be at all surprised if he puts out a movie the week before he dies.
I think this is something that all artists/actors/heroes I admire have in common; I could not tell them how to do a better job of being themselves. They nailed it. Even if I could magically change something about their art, all I could do would be to make them a different artist. Not better.