The following is a set of questions I sent to Tara Jane O’Neil in July 2008. She replied with the answers in October 2008. The questions are specifically geared towards Suki Hawley and Michael Galinsky’s 1995 indie rock film, HALF-COCKED, and Tara’s role in the film. I am not an interviewer by trade, so forgive me if the questions are less-than-exciting. Also, I have yet to ask Tara’s permission to put the answers here, so I hope she doesn’t mind, but I thought others might find it interesting. Her answers are presented here in keeping were Tara’s apparent dislike of the “shift” key. Please to enjoy.
For more information regarding the film, visit: halfcockedfilm.com
For more information on my dissertation, visit: colinhelb.com/dissertation
For more information on Tara Jane O’Neil (TJO), who is on tour this spring (2009) with Jana Hunter and whose new album on K Records drops this May, visit: tarajaneoneil.com
COLIN. What was your initial reaction to the idea of HALF-COCKED? Did you know both Suki and MIchael before? Had you acted before? Did you “prepare” for the role?
TJO. we were kind of surprised that they wanted to use us as their “band”. we did know them from some touring. but none of us were actors, nor did we aspire to be actors.
there was no preparation.
COLIN. At what state was RODAN at during the filming? You broke up like less than a year after HALF-COCKED, right?
TJO. rodan was on a high note when the film came over. our record hadnt been released at that point, it had been recorded and folks were interested.
we did break up a few months after the filming. that had more to do with the constant touring that started after the filming.
COLIN. Was RETSIN already in the works prior to filming HALF-COCKED? Did TRUCKSTOP “inform” RETSIN in any way?
TJO. retsin wasnt in the works. we were all hanging out together for about 3 weeks. doing everything together. there were lots of little side bars, retsin was one.
COLIN. You seem to play with your own performance identity in a way that playfully and thinly veils your identity (performing as TJO). Is this a safe observation?
TJO. its a safe observation. i dont know if its true. that character, to the best of my understanding was lost and a little unproductive. a knee jerk kid.
im sure at some point i fit that bill, but i cant say thats where me or “TJO” is at now.
COLIN. Along those lines, in HALF-COCKED you, under the alias of “Rhonda,” play a character named “Tara.” When I asked Michael Galinsky about it, he said “tara wanted to be someone else.” Do you agree with this observation?
TJO. thats true.
COLIN. Have you seen how confused the IMDb.com entry for HALF-COCKED is as a result of this? It’s kinda funny. http://www.imdb.com/title/tt0109975/
TJO. wow. rhoda. i guess he wasnt in on all the jokes.
COLIN. Was there ever talk of TRUCKSTOP becoming a “real band?” Of RODAN “evolving” to become TRUCKSTOP?
TJO. i dont think so. jon who was in truckstop, had been in the first version of rodan. cynthia and i did retsin. and rodan kind of fell apart. so i guess its all cyclical.
COLIN. In regards to the gigs in HALF-COCKED, I know that they were actual gigs in the sense that the clubs/venues are real places with real people, etc., but what were the gigs like? Did you guys, as TRUCKSTOP, perform sets? Did you have a repertoire or was it improv? Was it advertised as a TRUCKSTOP gig, a gig to be filmed for a movie, or “members of RODAN, etc.?”
TJO. i dont remember how it was billed. i think in louisville we asked friends to come and be in a movie. we definitely had no repertoire.
COLIN. How long did the filming tour last? Was it just between Louisville and Chattanooga? I’ve heard two weeks and that Nashville was involved too.
TJO. nashville happened. i guess it was two weeks, i can really remember.
COLIN. Did Ian Svenonius really slap you? Seemed pretty real.
TJO. yes. i didnt like it. he didnt like that. we had to do several takes. he and i had to go outside and shake it off. but it seems pretty real on screen, thats what we were going for.
COLIN. Despite the lasting impact of RODAN (allow me a moment to sycophantically praise RUSTY), there seems to be little footage/recordings of RODAN as a live band. I make the claim in my dissertation that the footage of the fictional TRUCKSTOP is, in a strange way, sort of close to an authentic document of RODAN live. Do you agree or wildly disagree?
TJO. definitely not a document of rodan. a document of a place where these people could possibly have existed. a document of a time and some of its archetypes. but definitely not a document of the scene in louisville, or the band rodan.
COLIN. Was Jon Cook in RODAN (or had he already been a member of the band) at the time of filming?
TJO. he was the first drummer. i think he had been out of the band for a year or so. but we all lived in the same house and were friends.
COLIN. When was the last time you saw HALF-COCKED?
TJO. i actually saw it for the first time in august with a friend who lived in the house also.
COLIN. Is it weird to see yourself in the film?
TJO. pretty weird, but so much time has passed. i dont really recognize that person anymore. its like looking at photo albums where you get a snapshot that gives some context to the people in it. i had just turned 21 when we shot that.
COLIN. Any thoughts on [other films being analyzed in my dissertation] THE FABULOUS STAINS or ISHTAR that you’d like to share? Paul Williams claimed that only musicians and songwriters admit to liking ISHTAR. And, it seems, that only a certain type of person is even aware of THE FABULOUS STAINS.
TJO. not for long, it was just released on DVD! yes!
COLIN. And of course, feel free to add anything else you want.
TJO. sorry it took so long. im glad you wrote again, id totally lost this in the pile of lost things. i hope its helpful… byetj
