♪♪
-Hi, and welcome to the show.
I'm Nancy Guppy, coming to you from the Egyptian Theater
on Capitol Hill.
Now, it's quiet here at the moment.
But don't let that fool you because in mere hours,
it's going to be rockin'
with the 49th Seattle International Film Festival.
♪♪
-Intercepted a transmission of unknown origin.
-What kind of a transmission?
-[ Speaking indistinctly ]
♪♪
-Over the next 10 days,
this beloved, hugely popular local event
will showcase 264 films -- full-length features,
documentaries, shorts, even secret films,
plus 23 world premieres, including...
-Can't you just wait a year until I graduate?
-..."Year of the Fox" from renowned local filmmaker
and director Megan Griffiths...
-Maybe preppy, safe Seattle's better for you,
away from all us glitzy Aspen trash.
-..."Even Hell Has Its Heroes,"
an innovative documentary about the band Earth
from local director Clyde Petersen...
-Sometimes my fear is, like,
I just woke up from some kind of medical experiment.
-...And "Circus of the Scars: The Insider Odyssey
of the Jim Rose Circus Sideshow" from director Chicory Wees.
-Coming from Montana, I was kind of afraid.
"Oh, everybody in Seattle is cooler than me.
How can I possibly do something where I will be held in esteem
by these cool people in Seattle?"
And I kind of hit on it.
♪♪
-SIFF 2023 runs now through Sunday, May 21st.
For the full menu of movies and special events,
along with ticket and pass information, go to siff.net.
-Explore the movieverse.
-We've got a terrific lineup for you, including...
-If you could have front row seats
to any concert, what would it be?
-Oh, it would have to be Lady Gaga, "Born This Way."
-...63 Questions with Benicio Bryant...
-I just painted some walls white, threw up some lights,
called my friends, and had an art show.
-...Roq La Rue Gallery turns 25,
and a new book from David Schmader.
♪♪
And we'll begin with Roy McAlister,
a master luthier whose handcrafted guitars
are sought after by musicians the world over.
[ Guitar music ]
♪♪
-There's something deeply almost spiritual
about making musical instruments that it's about close
to creating life out of raw materials --
wood and strings and tension and steam bedding these things.
But they really take on a life of their own.
[ Playing guitar ]
I've been making guitars for about 40 years,
professional woodworker for almost 50 years.
I began playing at 10 years old, playing the guitar.
At 15 years old, I was offered a woodworking job
in this woodshop restoring old antiques.
That began me being around tools,
and immediately I started thinking of my guitars,
you know?
How can I customize them?
How can I fix them?
Start tearing apart -- how do these things get made?
A species of Madagascar rosewood.
It's absolutely phenomenal sound wood.
♪♪
In my heart, I really love singer/songwriters.
So, there was a tone that I could hear
that goes better with voice in my mind, making it speak.
Yeah, so... [ Tapping reverberates ]
Oh!
You can just -- you can hear it.
German alpine spruce.
Different flavors of tone with what they do
to add to the voice of the guitar.
[ Wood reverberates ] Beautiful.
There weren't too many luthiers making a living,
so guitars were more of a hobby.
I was ultimately offered a job at Santa Cruz Guitar Company.
It was fantastic.
We made extremely high-end guitars.
♪♪
It was my relationship with David Crosby
that really helped me out.
We built him a couple of guitars,
and he saw some of my work while I was working there.
He loved the craft of lutherie,
and he was talking about a guitar
that he'd always wanted but never found one.
I thought, well, I'm going to make him one.
And he ended up falling in love with this guitar.
-[ Strums guitar ]
-Has used it on every recording, has toured with it.
[ Audience whooping and clapping ]
That changed my life right there.
An article had come out in Acoustic Guitar Magazine,
David Crosby speaking highly about my guitars.
And the phone just went crazy after that.
And then within a week, I got a call from Marc Cohn,
Graham Nash, Jackson Browne.
Since then I've built for Michelle Willis
and Becca Stevens,
guys like Jeff Pevar and Shawn Tubbs, Warren Haynes.
When I first started working with Jackson,
he likes to work face-to-face, so he'd come up to my shop,
and we'd hand a guitar back and forth.
He'd want this tone or wanted that tone.
He'd show me what he liked about certain guitars --
playability, tone.
He as at our house playing.
He's joking around and says, "Oh, any guitar can sound good
when you play it quiet, you know, but when you --"
And he's kind of just joking, he said,
"When you play it really hard is when you..."
and he just starts strumming the hell out of the guitar.
And my daughter's right behind him, and it startled her.
She was only about two years old.
And she puts her hands over her ears really fast,
you know, while he's playing. But it's hilarious!
He loves the photo. He's got one in his house.
[ Shaving wood ]
♪♪
One of my favorite songs that he wrote was a song called
"These Days,"
he wrote when he was 16 years old.
He used my guitar to play that song every time,
every concert, for the next, I think, 15 years.
It still chokes me up.
♪♪
I've built David probably a dozen guitars for him
and a lot for his friends.
[ Audience cheering ]
We really became close over the years.
He really was one of my biggest advocates.
And then I got diagnosed with cancer,
and so we were both in this...
nursing ourselves
and keeping an eye on each other.
You know, up to the day he passed,
he and I had been talking regularly.
We were really concerned about each other.
And we had been talking and laughing just days before.
He left a message on my cellphone,
I think, two days before he passed.
His last words were, "I love you."
Last time I'll hear his voice is him saying, "I love you."
And so it ripped me apart when he died.
I really lost a dear friend.
The music world lost a very creative and driven man.
[ Guitar music ]
♪♪
When you finish one, it goes out in the world
and you hear it come back to you.
A piece of furniture doesn't do that.
You build a piece of furniture, you take a picture of it,
and you enjoy the picture of it. A guitar is different.
You've created this thing that will then go on and develop
and have a voice,
and you'll hear it in different ways.
♪♪
It's very rewarding.
You know, I never get tired of making the guitars,
because you never know where it's going to go after that.
You don't know who's going to be playing it,
who's going to be recording with it.
♪♪
It is more than just a musical instrument.
It can be a musical partner.
♪♪
-For more about Roy's gorgeous, handcrafted guitars
and the artists who play them, go to mcalisterguitars.com.
Next up, Roq La Rue,
one of Seattle's great art galleries,
celebrates its 25th anniversary.
♪♪
-I'm Kirsten Anderson, and I'm the owner and curator
of Roq La Rue Gallery.
My parents were artists,
so I grew up in a very artistic household.
I was exposed to all kinds of art from a very young age,
and I loved it.
And it was just sort of generally understood
I would be an artist. I just assumed I would be.
I tried to be a painter.
I wasn't very good, but I had a big passion for it.
And I was working at Little Art Supply
and a coworker had asked me,
"If you could do anything in the world, what would you do?"
And out of my mouth just popped, "Open a gallery."
And around that time, a magazine called Juxtapoz came out.
And it was a magazine that was devoted
to this new type of artwork
that was springing up out of Southern California
that was very influenced by tiki,
hotrod, like very much kitsch culture,
but also a very sort of a working class art form
that was irreverent and transgressive
but also very technically accomplished.
So growing up as a little sort of punk rock/new wave kid,
all that stuff really appealed to me.
And I wanted to see that in Seattle.
So that's how it all got started.
I figured I'd do it for a summer and see how it went.
I had no money but I just painted some walls white,
threw up some lights, called my friends,
and had an art show.
♪♪
So, I'm from Canada originally,
and my Great Uncle Roq was a hockey player in Montreal.
And he was known for his murderous bouts of rage
on the ice and he was always getting kicked out.
But I always thought of him with a lot of fondness
because he would keep like a little bag of teeth
that he had knocked out in a little bag.
And if I could guess the amount of teeth, I'd get a quarter.
So when it came time to name the gallery,
I was just like, you know,
I'm going to name it after Uncle Roq.
But that's not entirely truthful.
[ Drum roll ]
♪♪
The gallery shows work that is --
it's always very figurative based, very narrative.
It definitely takes its cues
from the Symbolist Movements of the 19th century,
filtered through a pop culture lens.
Everything has sort of a darkly fantastical bent,
sort of magical realism.
Pop Surrealism is symbolic.
It's iconoclastic. It can be transgressive.
It can be just straight up beautiful.
It's very earnest.
There's no satire or jadedness in this artwork,
which I think surprises people.
I know galleries can be very intimidating
for people who are new to the art world.
And so that's why I try to have fun openings.
So people have a glass of something in their hands,
there's music. They can look at the artwork.
They're not feeling like they're going to get
the hard sell or anything like that.
It's sort of a festive environment
and they can stay as long as they want.
♪♪
Having relationships with artists is everything,
and it is the joy that keeps me in this job.
I get despondent about the state of the world
and everybody's terrible.
But then I think about all the artists I work with,
and every single one of them is a cool human being,
a good person, incredibly skilled and talented.
Everybody is just so incredible that I work with.
I'm the luckiest person in the world getting to do this.
♪♪
Come on down and see what's going on in here.
We've been around for 25 years for a reason.
And you are welcome to come check it out.
And I am actually Canadian.
♪♪
-Roq La Rue's 25 anniversary group show
runs now through May 27th.
Gallery hours and location are at roqlarue.com.
♪♪
-And now, 63 Questions with singer/songwriter
and "America's Got Talent" finalist Benicio Bryant.
-Hi! -Good morning, Benny!
-Good morning!
-Are you ready for 63 Questions?
-Uh, yeah.
C'mon in, guys, c'mon. -Thank you.
What were you doing when we arrived?
-I was just feeding this guy.
-Oh, who do we have here?
-This is Louis Vuitton. He's my new boo.
-Do you have a voice for Louis Vuitton?
-I do. You know what?
I feel like he would be Southern.
I feel like he'd be like, "Howdy, there, partner."
-[ Laughs ] -I don't know.
-Who's the funniest person in your family?
-I think it has to be my sister, only 'cause,
I mean, she's so unpredictable.
It's like one week her hair is blonde, the next it's black.
So you never know.
-And who's alpha at your house?
-My dad.
Oh, actually -- wait, plot twist.
It's my mom.
She gets her stuff done.
-Are you in high school?
-I'm getting my GED right now, actually.
-And what's your favorite subject?
-Well listen, I'll tell you this, it's not math.
That's for sure, ew.
-And what's your favorite meme at the moment?
-I think my favorite meme right now is the one --
It's Wendy Williams and she's like,
"Uh, what was that?"
And then it pans to this zombie in the audience.
It's so good, it's so good.
-If you could live at any time, when would that be?
-I would want to live in the future only 'cause
then you get to, like, fly in spaceships
and then you can teleport and stuff.
That's kind of hot. That's cool.
-Do you consider yourself outdoorsy or indoorsy?
-Okay, well look, I'm from Seattle
so you would think outdoorsy.
But I'm really an indoor person.
[ Laughs ] I am.
-What's your current favorite song?
-Oh, my God, okay, "Alone" by Kim Petras and Nicki Minaj.
I've literally listened to that song
like 50 times in a couple days.
-And what song gives you goosebumps?
-The song "Dreams" by Fleetwood Mac.
That song is so nostalgic for me.
I wasn't born in the '70s,
but it reminds me of being a kid.
My mom would always play it.
-So you have an international fanbase.
What have you heard from songs that's really touched you?
-Oh my gosh, okay, I read a comment the other day
and it was like, "Hey, I'm your fan.
I'm from Brazil. We love your music over here."
And I was like, oh my gosh, I've never even been to Brazil.
And I just find it so fascinating
that my music's like everywhere.
-Hey, speaking of your fans, here is a fan question.
-Hi, Benicio! I love your style
and you have an incredible and beautiful voice.
I'm wondering, what was the first song you ever wrote?
-Wow, okay, what a great question.
Actually, I believe I was like around 12
when I wrote the first song.
You know, I wanted to write a love song
but I had never been in a relationship before.
So I just kind of made it up honestly off the top of my head
from what I heard from movies and stuff like that.
-If you were stranded on an island,
what three things would you bring?
-Okay well, one, I would bring my phone.
Two, I would bring Louis 'cause I need him.
Three, I'd probably have some fried chicken with me.
You know, you always see that always.
Okay, I just watered the wall.
-What is one of your quirks?
-Well if you haven't noticed already, I --
See, this is wrong, I don't know why this is here.
I have really bad OCD.
I, like -- everything has to be how I want it...
if that makes sense. -And what gives you the ick?
-Okay, honestly, my biggest ick as a person
is just when people are just rude
to like the waitress or the waiter at a restaurant.
It's just so -- it blows my mind that people are like that, ew.
-Do you have a favorite Pop Tart flavor?
-Okay, actually I'm not that much of a Pop Tart fan.
But I love Toaster Strudel, you guys, oh, my God.
I made one for you.
-You did? -I did, girl.
C'mon, you need to try it.
-Okay. -Oh, it's ready.
-Thank you. -Of course.
-Oh, strawberry! -Uh, duh!
-So your dad has been a beloved chef for the Mariners.
Do you like his cooking?
-You know, a lot of people really do
and he impacts a lot of people's lives.
And it's honestly beautiful.
I am not that much of an experimental eater.
I honestly like, well, Toaster Strudels
and fried chicken. That's about as far as I'll go.
So I haven't tried as much as -- any of his foods that much.
-Is there anything that you just can't stand to eat?
-Well, I know I need to be a big kid
and just kind of grow up a little bit.
But I honestly really do not like vegetables.
I still can't do that whole thing.
I can't do it, I'm sorry.
-And what's your go-to coffee brew?
-Iced caramel macchiato, tall.
-And what do you eat when you go to the movies?
-I really like the Sour Patch Kids
but like the watermelon ones.
They're just more fun, I like them better.
-Do you have a signature dance move?
-Somebody told me this. I was at the club,
and somebody was like, "Yeah, why do you always do that?"
Literally somehow my hands always end up like here.
Like I'm always doing one of these things, but I don't know.
-Are you superstitious? -Oh totally, are you kidding?
Like I'm always doing things in threes.
I'm always like, okay, turn the light switch...one,
two, three.
-What's the bravest thing you've ever done?
-I went to the dentist the other day. Does that count?
-In my book. -Okay, good.
-What's your favorite way to waste time?
-Well, one thing about me, I'm a video gamer.
I love playing video games.
I wouldn't even consider this a waste of time, actually.
But I love playing video games.
-And who is your number one "Mario Kart" character?
-Oh, my gosh, Princess Peach all the way.
She's been my favorite character ever since I was little.
I love her.
-What is it about Princess Peach that you're drawn to?
-Okay, well, one, she's pink.
Two, she's a princess. She's just an icon.
-And is there one show that your whole family agrees on?
-We always tend to turn on "Family Guy,"
like it's just funny.
-What are you binge watching at the moment?
-Okay, I started watching that one show, "Yellow Stone."
It's like crazy. I'm waiting for the next episode.
It's on a break and I'm anticipating it. It's crazy.
-Do you ever get starstruck? -Yeah, yes, okay.
I was at the studio one time and I saw Ava Max.
And I met her and, oh my gosh,
she's such a nice person first of all.
But I was just totally fangirling.
I was stumbling all my words. It was just such a mess.
-What does your TikTok algorithm look like?
-Oh, honestly this is so funny.
I have a lot of, like, Mukbang.
-What is Mukbang?
-Mukbang is like -- Like, they'll eat like octopus,
like a snail or something.
It's like -- It's very random.
-And what's your least favorite thing about social media?
-I think honestly it's the comment section for me.
I think it just is like,
you know, just other people can sit behind a screen
and just say all these things about you.
And it's like crazy, ugh.
-So you've been on "America's Got Talent" multiple times.
What was one of your most magical moments?
-I think when I was able to perform my own original song
that I wrote for the first time ever.
And it changed my life, and I'm so grateful for it.
-Where do you spend most of your time
doing your Instagram content?
-Oh, actually in my room. Here, let's go see it, c'mon.
-Oh, what a colorful closet.
Hey, obviously you have a passion for fashion.
-Thank you. -Have you considered modeling?
-Oh my gosh, I'm not even kidding you.
I literally just signed with an agency like a month ago.
-Wow, congratulations! -Thank you.
-So what accessory do you consider essential?
-Oh okay, wait a minute, this is important
because a lot of people don't really think about it.
It's sunglasses, you guys. Look at this.
-Oh, slay!
-We need -- Period, we need this, you guys.
And actually, you know what?
I have this pair too that I really like.
Just some timeless red.
-Oh, yeah, lovely. -Yeah.
-Do you have any shoe regrets?
-Oh, yeah, you know what?
Actually, I've had these shoes. They are off-white and Nike.
And they're really cute but they're like running shoes,
and I don't run.
So they don't really get used that often.
-How do you feel about a mullet?
-I feel like if you have a mullet,
I feel like you might be a Virgo.
-And if you could have front row seats to any concert,
what would it be?
-Oh, it would have to be Lady Gaga, "Born This Way."
-And what artist would you like to emulate?
-Oh, okay again, Lady Gaga.
She's always been my hero and always will be.
I just remember being a kid and listening to her music
and how it made me feel.
And if I can be someone's Lady Gaga, that's it for me.
-And what is your most memorable duet?
-Okay, when I sang with Brandi Carlile.
I sang her song "The Joke" and she invited me on stage.
And honestly, literally one of the kindest people
I've ever met and so talented.
-So besides music, what feeds your soul?
-Well, if you didn't already know, I love Nintendo.
And I'm a huge video gamer and I collect things.
I collect Mario things
and it's one of my favorite things to do, I love it.
-Does silence scare you? -Yeah, oh, my God, totally.
Everybody always teases me
because I have two TVs on in each room.
And I have to have music going. It's a whole thing.
-What's the best advice your mom ever gave you?
-You know, she told me -- I remember this
because I was really little and she told me this.
She was like, "Honey, listen, you've got to be yourself
because everybody else is already taken."
And that's huge for me. That's, oh, what a great quote.
-Wise words, yeah.
What instrument would you like to learn?
-I feel like -- Okay, I thought about this a little bit.
I feel like I would just learn
how to play the accordion just randomly.
It's just like something I would do.
It's so interesting to me.
It's like it's weird, I don't know.
-Did the pandemic help or hurt your creative flow?
-You know, it's different for a lot of artists.
But for me, I think it really helped
because I was doing a lot of --
Wow, maybe I should sit on the bed, that might help.
-[ Laughs ]
-You know, it helped me because I got to write by myself
and kind of find my voice and understand
what did I want to talk about. It was very important to me.
-Okay, Benny, we've come to our last question.
What project do you have coming down the pike?
-Oh, my gosh, okay, you guys,
I've been so excited for so long.
I just today just got the master back for my next song
coming out with another artist.
I just have to be so secretive about it right now,
but just keep your eyes peeled.
-Oh, my gosh, well, that is very intriguing,
and we can't wait to hear more.
And we're going to wish you a lot of luck and say goodbye.
-Thank you. -Thanks for having us.
-Thanks for being here. You guys can just let yourself out.
-Okay, have a great day. -Bye!
♪♪
-Benicio's highly-anticipated new single,
featuring a super special guest performer,
is set to drop at the end of June.
Keep up with Benicio on Instagram, TikTok, and Facebook.
♪♪
We want to give a shout-out
to award-winning culture writer David Schmader
on the publication of his new book,
"Filmlandia!: A Movie Lover's Guide to the Films
and Television of Seattle, Portland,
and the Great Northwest."
With his concise literary style and signature sharp wit,
David celebrates over 200 titles,
including "Sleepless in Seattle,"
"Twin Peaks," and "It Happened at the World's Fair."
The book features hilarious, insightful synopses,
regional scenic highlights,
behind-the-scene facts and trivia,
plus original artwork inspired by
the primary VHS color palette of the 1980s.
This is a book for any cinephile,
especially those who love and live in the Pacific Northwest.
"Filmlandia!" is available
in your favorite indie bookstore or online.
And join David in conversation with Kathy Fennessy
at Town Hall Seattle on Wednesday, May 17th.
♪♪
And that is a wrap.
Big thanks to the Egyptian Theater
for hosting us, especially Amy and Tim.
And a reminder that the Seattle International Film Festival
runs now through Sunday, May 21st,
with some films streaming on the SIFF channel
May 22nd through 28th.
For all things SIFF, go to siff.net.
And thanks to you for tuning in.
We're going to leave you with Benicio Bryant
performing his original song, "I Can't Dance to This."
Have a great week and we'll see you soon.
-♪ And on ♪
♪ I can't dance to this, baby ♪
♪ Oh, oh, oh ♪
♪ It's calling your name ♪
♪ And hopelessly we fight it for no reason ♪
♪ Giving in's too easy ♪
♪ If they had a way ♪
♪ Ooh, they'd run us out of here ♪
♪ Can't make us disappear ♪
♪ Oh, and then the deejay showed up ♪
♪ Spinning something new ♪
♪ And everybody slowed up ♪
♪ 'Cause they don't know what to do ♪
♪ They said ♪
♪ I can't dance to this ♪
♪ Give me the night, I'll prove it wrong ♪
♪ Come on, turn out the lights, I'll turn you on ♪
♪ So don't you tell me that ♪
♪ I can't dance to this ♪
♪ Give me the night, I'll prove it wrong ♪
♪ Come on, turn out the lights, I'll turn you on ♪
♪ And on ♪
♪ I can't dance to this ♪
♪ Ohhhh ♪
♪ Oh, oh, yeah ♪
♪ I can't dance to this ♪
♪ Oh, oh, yeah ♪
♪ Oh, I can't dance to this ♪
♪♪