Yoriko Washiyama,
The Ordinary Life of Totally Psycho
December 30, 2016
How did you find out about Joanie 4 Jackie and how old were you at the time?
Submitted my video at San Francisco Art Institute. I guess I was mid-20s.
What interested you about the project?
My professor, Sharon Grace, said to submit my homework to the visiting artist.
At the time you participated in Joanie 4 Jackie did you consider yourself a filmmaker? What was your relationship to making movies?
It was my first video work on Hi-8.
At that time, I was a filmmaking student and used single 8 or super8 film to make narratives.
Do you have any specific anecdotes or memories associated with your movie?
To make a difference between the protagonist and me, I gained 6kg. Because American students said all the Japanese look alike.
Edited on Sony’s Hi-8 machine. Unlike on a computer, every time you dub there’s a loss of quality of picture. Sound was only 2 tracks. Nowadays I use a computer, it made everything so easy.
What did you think/feel about the Joanie 4 Jackie at the time? And now, in retrospect?
I still have VHS tapes and a player as a memory.
If you attended a screening, can you tell us where and when it was and anything else you remember about it?
SFAI.
What institutions, groups, people, publications and movements were inspiring you at the time of your participation in J4J?
SFAI
What do you do now – professionally and otherwise? Are you still involved in filmmaking?
I am Striking Unlimited Combat Sports’s firearms and martial arts instructor.
I shoot video to teach my students.