Rod Webber

Last updated
Rod Webber
Rod Webber with Chris Canney at AS220.png
Born
Rod Webber

Boston, Massachusetts, U.S.
Occupation(s)Filmmaker, musician, actor
Years active1999–present

Rod Webber is an American musician, filmmaker, and actor. Though in his early music career he shared the stage with anti-folk acts Daniel Johnston ( The Devil and Daniel Johnston ) and Kimya Dawson (former Moldy Peach), [1] Webber is probably best known for his improvisational films and documentaries, many of which were created using Webber's personal manifesto, which is cited in various publications about the filmmaker. [2] Webber has twice directed former mumblecore [3] [4] [5] actress Greta Gerwig, first in his film I Thought You Finally Completely Lost It and next in Northern Comfort , both shot primarily in a three-day shooting frenzy. Webber has also collaborated frequently (three times) with Doug "Tiny the Terrible" Tunstall, an outsider politician, WWE wrestler, [6] and the subject of Webber's documentary A Man Among Giants . [7] In addition to his filmmaking, Webber has released several successful musical endeavors.

Contents

Career

At 21, [8] Rod Webber began climbing the college music charts with Burned My Feet On Meat Street . [9] [10] Webber followed up Burned My Feet with The You I Knew , featuring the lead track, "Blue Hour". [11] According to The Boston Globe , he began a courtship with major record labels such as Columbia, Arista, and Universal Records, but ultimately stuck to his indie roots, and continues to release records without the help of a major. [12]

In 2005, Webber began directing Monkfish starring Lloyd Kaufman, [13] and Tiny The Terrible, which debuted May 11, 2005 at The Paradise Rock Club in Boston. [14] Webber followed up Monkfish with A Man Among Giants, [15] a documentary in which Webber trails Monkfish star Doug 'Tiny' Tunstall aka Tiny The Terrible in his quest to unseat James E. Doyle, the Mayor of Pawtucket Rhode Island. [16] After Tunstall was arrested in 2009 for creating a disturbance in a courtroom, Webber bailed him out of jail. Tunstall was subsequently committed to a prison mental hospital, resulting in a year-long effort by Webber to have him released. Unsuccessful in helping Tiny's case through legal channels, Webber released a new feature-length documentary, American Psych Ward about Tunstall's unlawful imprisonment. After four days of packed screenings, Tunstall was released. [17]

Webber's effort to have Tunstall released from prison indefinitely postponed the release of Northern Comfort , which he had shot with indie 'mumblecore' queen Greta Gerwig the previous year. The film was delayed until May 28, 2010, by which time, Gerwig had gone on to her mainstream acting career with titles such as Greenberg starring Ben Stiller. Despite the delay, Northern Comfort met with favorable reviews. According to The Boston Globe , Webber and Gerwig create "ornery sparks", [18] and The Weekly Dig called him the "Anti-James Cameron" as a result. [19]

Next, Webber began filming Milkweed, a drama starring Webber and Ali Bell who helped him to produce Psych Ward, the year before. Again, despite Webber's speedy filming technique, the film was delayed to promote the release of My America, a politically charged drama which was shot in the spring of 2010 after the production of Milkweed began. The Boston Globe called the film, "a shocking drama on the subject of racism." [20] Time Out Boston described My America as "chilling." [21]

Milkweed was released in 2013 and also stars Mark Wahlberg's eldest brother, Arthur. [22]

Other works

Other information

Filmography as director, cinematographer, composer

YearFilmJobNotes
2006 Postcards From The Den Of Failure Camera
2007 The Meanest Of Times DPShort Documentary
2008Brian McNamee speaks at ANCDirectorShort Documentary
A Man Among Giants DirectorDocumentary
Sweetie ComposerShort directed by A.T. Sayre
I Thought You Finally Completely Lost It DirectorActor: 'Rod'
Monkfish DirectorActor: Stewart Tanner
2009American Psych WardDirectorDocumentary
Virgil & CaesarDirectorShort
Harmony Korine & The Malingerer FishDirectorShort Documentary
Bo Diddley & The Bout With Mike TysonDirectorShort Documentary
2010 Northern Comfort DirectorActor: Horace
DeathWorld DirectorShort
Do It Again CameraKinks Documentary
UtopiaLandDirectorActor: Various
2011 Milkweed DirectorActor: Lonny Robards
My America DirectorActor: E.J. Winston
20212020: The Dumpster FireDirectorPolitical Documentary

Discography

Awards

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References

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  3. ↑ Ty Burr (May 28, 2010). "'Northern Comfort' movie review - 'Northern Comfort' showtimes". The Boston Globe . Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  4. ↑ June Wulff (July 8, 2009). "Larger Than Life, Film 'A Man Among giants' at Somerville Theatre". The Boston Globe . Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  5. ↑ "Greta Gerwig IMDB" . Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  6. ↑ "Tiny The Terrible IMDB" . Retrieved October 4, 2010.
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  10. ↑ David Wildman (October 26, 1999). "CD REVIEW: Rod Webber's Burned My Feet on Meat Street". University Wire. Retrieved October 4, 2010.[ dead link ]
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  19. ↑ Paul Ryan (May 28, 2010). "Northern Comfort". The Weekly Dig. Archived from the original on June 1, 2010. Retrieved October 4, 2010.
  20. ↑ David Wildman (March 7, 2011). "EXPERIMENTALLY ILL 4 PRESS Area filmmakers roll out reel alternatives to big festivals". The Boston Globe . Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  21. ↑ David Wildman (March 7, 2011). "DIY auteurs take over Somerville". Time Out Boston. Retrieved April 17, 2011.
  22. ↑ "Milkweed". IMDb.com . Retrieved October 4, 2010.
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  25. ↑ "Needham rapper armed with potent CD.(Scene) - The Boston Herald | HighBeam Research". 4 November 2012. Archived from the original on 2012-11-04. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  26. ↑ "The best of times - Music Features". Thephoenix.com. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  27. ↑ "McNamee stays strong - BostonHerald.com". Archived from the original on 2012-10-02. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
  28. ↑ Pflaster, Duncan. "BWW Rewviews: Fringe: Viva Los Bastarditos! - The Power of Rock". BroadwayWorld.com. Retrieved 30 December 2020.
  29. ↑ "Image Icon Entertainment - the Indie's Entertainment & Media Network". Archived from the original on 2010-02-25. Retrieved 2010-09-01.
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