Virtual Memories Show 413:
DW Young
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“People have responded very well to The Booksellers in the pandemic moment, because it speaks to an aspect of city living that’s been denied us. It was an access point to that.”
With the wonderful documentary, The Booksellers (Greenwich Entertainment), director D.W. Young celebrates the world of antiquarian books and the personalities who trade in them. We talk about how The Booksellers came together, the need to celebrate book culture, and the experience of premiering the movie during the New York International Antiquarian Book Fair on the cusp of the pandemic. We also talk about each of our realizations that we’re not that obsessive about old books, the ways collectors help preserve history, and the changing nature of what’s antiquarian. We get into his move into filmmaking in his 30s (after working on a novel that didn’t quite work out), DW’s new project on the pandemic, the election, and New York artists, the thrill of the hunt and what we miss about the pre-digital world, the great experience of getting Fran Lebowitz in The Booksellers, a celebration of NYC’s long-gone Book Row, and why he’s optimistic about the next generation in book dealers and what they’ll collect. Give it a listen! And go watch The Booksellers!
“The internet is influencing and impacting us in ways that we don’t understand yet. Trying to come to grips with that is the great challenge of the moment.”
“Sometimes I think it’s odd that I make both documentary and narrative films. To me, it’s about trying to realize an idea.”
Enjoy the conversation! Then check out the archives for more great episodes!
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About our Guest
D.W. Young is a Brooklyn based filmmaker whose work has screened at festivals around the world. His documentary A HOLE IN A FENCE and narrative feature THE HAPPY HOUSE were both released by First Run Features. His short films include the dark comedy NOT INTERESTED which premiered at SXSW, A FAVOR FOR JERRY, filmed on election night 2016, and A BODY OF LANGUAGE for The New Yorker. His most recent film, THE BOOKSELLERS, premiered at the New York Film Festival in 2019 and is distributed by Greenwich Entertainment in the U.S. with Magnolia Pictures handling international sales.
Follow The Booksellers on Twitter and Instagram.
Here are some pix from The Booksellers (and/or outtakes):
The owners of Argosy Book Store, Adina Cohen, Judith Lowry, and Naomi Hample:
David Bergman and a very big centerfold of a fossilized fish:
Past pod-guest Henry Wessells, and a deck of Eno/Schmidt Oblique Strategies:
Credits: This episode’s music is Fella by Hal Mayforth, used with permission from the artist. The conversation was recorded remotely via Zencastr. I used a Heil PR-40 Dynamic Studio Recording Microphone
