Interview: Jason Blalock

The first time SFist went to an A's game (back when they were only $1 on Wednesday nights) we were struck not by the impressive management, nor the players themselves, but rather by the fans. Not the A's fans, mind you, but the Raiders fans. Yes, Raiders fans at the A's games! We knew that there was something, uh, shocking and aweing about this motley crew.

Jason Blalock combined inspiration from an old SFist fav, Heavy Metal Parking Lot, and his shock and awe-induced state from encountering the Raider Nation, and turned this all into art. Jason's film Oakland Raider Parking Lot is well, amazing. It takes you into the depths of the so called 'Black Hole' of the Raider Nation. Turns out some of those costumes cost THOUSANDS of dollars to make. Make sure you check out Jason's flick while you can at the SF Independent Film Festival.

Oakland Raider Parking Lot screens before 24 Hours on Craiglist and can be seen on Saturday. An additonal screening is TBA, probably on Monday.

Name?
Jason Blalock

Age and Occupation?
32, filmmaker

Home Town?
Laguna Beach, CA

How long have you lived in the Bay Area and Where?
three years, Western Addition, because I can bike anywhere, and there are no bridge and tunnel people to mess up your weekend.

Favorite website?
www.texasmonkey.com

Favorite dot com or local business?
The Saint Francis, a restaurant on 24th

What I'm currently Reading?
The New Yorker. I¹m a really bad reader.

Best Deal in San Francisco?
Cancun Cancun Cancun. Free chips with your burrito.

Favorite mode of transportation?
the ten speed.

Best Band or Musician to come out of the Bay Area?
Crack: We Are Rock, but I heard they broke up, so The Papercuts (http://www.panamericanrecording.com). I'm also a huge fan of the house mariachi band at La Rondalla, every night but
Monday.

Favorite local hangout?
La Rondalla.

SF has the BEST?
unemployment benefits

You've never lived in SF until?
you are a perfectly hot girl and still been single for a year.
Note: Jason, if that doesn't get you a date, well, we don't know what will.

Best View in the Area?
Lusty Lady. Har har.

Favorite Walk or Hike?
Land¹s End.. shhhh!

Favorite Bay area politician of past or present?
Nick Waugh. How many losing campaigns can I work on in one year?

You can tell someone is a local here IF?
they are shitting on my doorstep at work.

Best Burrito?
Cancun

Best Restaurant?
La Rondalla

Best movie scene filmed in or about SF?
Starsky and Hutch. Somehow I saw it three times on planes.

Favorite author to come out of the bay area?
Ummmm Ryan Junell? www.texasmonkey.com

Place you always tell visitors to check out?
The Castro Theatre.

Favorite Bridge in the Area?
Golden Gate. It takes me to Bolinas.

You have two hours and $15 bucks to kill in SF,what are you going to do?
Well I¹m not taking a date to the movies. A dime bag and a burrito?

What have you found/sold/bought the following on craigslist?
Bikes bikes bikes

What do you want all the SFists out there to know?
I have no idea who you are.

Tell us a San Francisco Story?
There is going to be a large earthquake that kills half of us. That is the most interesting thing about living here. Everyone
I look at I think, are you going to be one of the fifty percent that lives or dies?

What inspired this movie?
Can I first just say how exciting this is? No one has ever interviewed me before. What was the question again?

No, reallly, what inspired this movie?
Oh did it seem inspired? I thought it seemed pretty un-inspired. If you must know, a bald guy from Maryland inspired the movie. He and a guy named John Heyn made a film called Heavy Metal Parking Lot in 1986, which is pretty self explanatory and pretty much the awesomest movie I've ever seen. Do you think I could use 'awesomest' in Scrabble? HMPL is like 'Nightline' combined with French New Wave,when documentary filmmakers would walk up to people on the street and ask 'Are you happy?'

What are the best and worst things about the Raider Nation?
Everything about the Raider Nation is perfect. Are you trying to get me killed?

What would you change in the film scene here?
More heterosexual pornography. There is NONE. I've been temping.

Besides the SF Indie fest, where can people see this film?
Nowhere. It got turned down by the Oakland International Film Festival. At least I think it did. I sent it to them, and not
only did they not program it, they never even sent a the rejection letter. Maybe they're trying to save paper. If a festival has 'International' in their name, they¹re pretty much pretentious. I mean, is there a festival in the world where you can¹t send your film? 'Sorry buddy, this is for films made in South Yemen ONLY. Beat it.'

My approach to fests is I will send my movies, but NEVER send money. I just attach a post-it that says 'I'm broke'² which is shorthand for 'This movie costs less to make than I¹m paying you to watch it.' If your movie is good, they will take it no matter what. It¹s worked a few times, but usually, um, you don¹t even get a rejection letter.

Question you'd ask if you were doing this interview?
So can I just make the check out to Jason Blalock?