photo: https://dietrichthrall.files.wordpress.com/2008/10/crispin-glover.jpg
Biography
Music
In 1989, during a hiatus from films, Glover released an album called The Big Problem ≠ The Solution. The Solution = Let It Be (1989) through Restless Records. The album features Clowny Clown (which has its own music video), a cover of Nancy Sinatra's "These Boots Are Made for Walkin'," a cover of Charles Manson's "Never Say Never To Always," several original songs, and readings from his art books Rat Catching and Oak-Mot (Glover modified old books by adding or deleting pictures, text, and drawings). He included his home phone number with copies of the album, encouraging listeners to phone when they had "solved" his puzzle. Glover later commented that he was rather surprised how many people figured it out.
The music itself is similar to outsider music, with seemingly absurd, dream-like lyrics.
In 2003, he recorded a version of the Michael Jackson classic "Ben" to coincide with the release of the film Willard. In the eccentric music video for the song, he sings to a rat named Ben. It is available on the DVD of the film.
There have also been at least two songs written about him, both titled "Crispin Glover," one by a New Jersey-based band Children In Adult Jails, and the band Scarling. The band The Warlock Pinchers also released a song entitled "Where the hell is Crispin Glover?".
What Is It? film trilogy
Glover made his directorial debut with 2005's What Is It?, a strange and surreal art film similar in style to the work of Alejandro Jodorowsky and has been described as "The adventures of a young man whose principle interests are snails, salt, a pipe, and how to get home, and is tormented by an hubristic, racist inner psyche." The movie's budget was a mere $125,000 and took almost a decade to complete, originally intending it to be a short film with shooting beginning in Los Angeles. Most of the primary footage was shot in 12 days, stretched over a two-and-a-half year period. From the late-1990s in to the early 2000's, he toured with prints of the film, showing parts of it before it was completed, along with various slides and read excerpts from his works. Production was mostly funded by the actor's roles in Willard and the Charlie's Angels films.
The film boasts an eclectic and unusual cast. Porn stars Kiva, Muffy and Karin Odell appear naked with animal heads. Most of the principal actors are young and have Down syndrome. Fairuza Balk lends her voice to a real snail, and Glover's role in the film is officially described as "Dueling Demi-God Auteur and The young man's inner psyche.". It features swasticas, Shirley Temple in the nude, songs by cult-leader Charles Manson and deals with many types and symbols of racism and prejudice. He defended his choices of imagery in a 2005 interview: "It's really a film to help start these kinds of discussions. Why are these things taboo, and what does that mean for the culture itself? A culture will die a death of stupidity if it doesn't have different points of view." [2] Glover made clear when touring with the film that he had no plans to sell it to a major studio nor release it for home viewing. He also revealved his plans on releasing it as part of a trilogy at some point in the future by including the titles of the next two films in the credits for What Is It?.
It is Fine. Everything is Fine!
The second film, It is Fine. Everything is Fine! has already wrapped on production and is now assumed to be in the editing phase. The film was written by Utah writer-actor Steven C. Stewart, who also appears in What Is It? and It is Fine. He died of complications from cerebral palsy in 2001, only one month after principal filming wrapped. Glover said in an online chat that "it's an autobiographical, psycho-sexual, fantastical retelling of [Stewart's] point-of-view of life." It is Fine. Everything is Fine! was shot entirely at David Brother's sound stage in Salt Lake City, Utah. Glover has stated that it is "probably the best film I'll ever work on in my entire career." No release date has yet been declared for It is Fine.
It is Mine
It is Mine, the final film of the trilogy, was also written by Steven C. Stewart, who began writing the film in the 1970's. Glover has stated that Stewart "wanted to show that handicapped people are human, sexual [and] horrible, and It Is Mine will be much more sexual than the other two." [4]
