Gregg Araki: It’s really like the characters discover this strange stuff happening to them and I’m discovering it along with them.
George Pelecanos: It’s sometimes difficult to deprogram them, as they’ve learned to anticipate network notes and pre-address them in their writing.
Araki: They’d never heard of Godard, or they thought Godard was nonsense. He specializes in these unbelievably gorgeous photographs of hustlers in fast-food restaurants or hotel rooms or just desolate streets, but they’re lit and composed in this very controlled and precise way.
Pelecanos: Ideally, you learn to achieve as much with far less fat.
•••
Araki: My upbringing was very theoretical.
Pelecanos: So go out and get it.
Araki: It’s not available on video or anything.
Pelecanos: That was kind of a shock at first.
Araki: What’s interesting is taking that reality and creating this hyper-reality.
•••
Pelecanos: I didn’t know enough to be scared.
Araki: But, to tell the truth, I don’t ever really think about it.
•••
Pelecanos: Can you get better, and not stagnate, over time?
Araki: Not necessarily. LA is a place where life is larger than life and everyday experience has a very twisted, cartoonish quality to it.
Pelecanos: We’re also very good at running restaurants and bars.
Araki: [Laughs]