James Spooner

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This article is about the American film director. For the British railway engineer, see James Spooner (railway engineer).

James Spooner
Born1976 (age 47–48)[1]
Jersey City, New Jersey, U.S.[1]
Occupations
PartnerLisa Nola[1]
Websitewww.spoonersnofun.com

James Spooner (born 1976) is an American film director, tattoo artist, and graphic novelist. He is best known for his 2003 documentary film Afro-Punk,[2] and for co-founding the Afropunk Festival.[3] He also directed the 2007 narrative film White Lies, Black Sheep.[4] His first graphic novel, titled The High Desert, was published in 2022.[5]

Early life[edit]

James Spooner was born in 1976 in Jersey City, New Jersey.[1] His father is a Saint Lucian professional bodybuilder and former Mr. America and his mother is a retired special education teacher.[1] His parents divorced when he was 8 years old.[1] He grew up in Apple Valley, California and New York City,[6] and attended Apple Valley High School[3] and Fiorello H. LaGuardia High School of Music & Art and Performing Arts.[7] He became fascinated with the punk rock scene in the 8th grade, listening to Sex Pistols, Black Flag, and Misfits.[8]

Career[edit]

Music[edit]

Spooner is the founder of the record label Kidney Room Records.[9] The label put out three records: Frail's single "Idle Hands Hold Nothing", Elements of Need and Jasmine's split single, and Swing Kids' self-titled single.

He worked as a host at On!, a late-night club event in New York City.[10]

In 2021, he was featured on the Broad's three-part documentary video series, Time Decorated: The Musical Influences of Jean-Michel Basquiat.[11]

Film[edit]

Spooner directed the documentary film, Afro-Punk.[12] It premiered at the 2003 Toronto International Film Festival.[13] The film featured black punk fans and musicians talking about music, race, and identity issues.[14] In the DIY tradition, Spooner toured the film across the country like a band, screening it over 300 times at college campuses and film festivals.[15]

The message boards on Afropunk.com became an online community where the users discuss fashion, film, racial identity, and gender politics.[16] After the release of the film, Spooner curated the party series Liberation Sessions, where the film was screened and the bands performed live.[17]

In 2005, Spooner and Matthew Morgan co-founded the Afropunk Festival in Brooklyn.[18] According to The New Yorker, it was "born of necessity, a reprieve from racism in punk spaces and a chance for black punks to build community with one another."[19] The annual festival has grown and been held not only in Brooklyn, but also in Atlanta, London, Paris, and Johannesburg.[20] In 2008, due to philosophical differences with its direction, Spooner ended his involvement with the festival.[21][22]

He also wrote and directed the narrative film White Lies, Black Sheep which was never released commercially.[4] It premiered at the 2007 Toronto International Film Festival.[23]

Writing[edit]

Spooner's first graphic novel, titled The High Desert, was published in 2022.[24] The Washington Post included the book in its list of the "10 Best Graphic Novels of 2022".[25] The book also won the 2023 Alex Awards.[26]

Style and influences[edit]

In a 2022 interview with Harper's Bazaar, Spooner said: "If there's one song in particular that could really just set the course for my entire life, it's Patti Smith's 'Rock N Roll Nigger'."[27] He added: "If you look at the beginning of my film Afro-Punk, it's dedicated basically to her, without saying her name. When I started the project, I was so angry at punk in general, at the audacious whiteness of my friends, and the song 'Rock N Roll Nigger' encapsulated that audaciousness for me. So I had a pointed anger."[27]

Personal life[edit]

Spooner is a vegan.[1] He is also a tattoo artist at Monocle Tattoo, where he and others pioneered vegan-friendly tattooing.[28] He currently lives in Los Angeles with his partner Lisa Nola and daughter.[1]

Filmography[edit]

Feature films[edit]

Year Title Director Writer Producer Cinematographer Editor
2003 Afro-Punk[29] Yes No Yes Yes Yes
2007 White Lies, Black Sheep[30] Yes Yes Yes No Yes

Publications[edit]

Books[edit]

  • The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere. (2022)
  • Black Punk Now (2023), edited with Chris L. Terry[31]

References[edit]

  1. ^ a b c d e f g h Nwangwa, Shirley Ngozi. "An Illustrated Life". Departures. Archived from the original on June 18, 2022. Retrieved January 29, 2023.
  2. ^ Boyer, Maurice (April 20, 2022). "Afropunk Goes Graphic Memoir: 'PW' Talks with James Spooner". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on May 1, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  3. ^ a b Britt, Bruce (August 25, 2022). "The graphic memoir of an Apple Valley 'Afro-Punk' mirrors cross-racial journeys like mine". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on September 1, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  4. ^ a b Harvey, Dennis (September 18, 2007). "White Lies, Black Sheep". Variety. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  5. ^ Lemke, Meg (December 3, 2021). "Spring 2022 Announcements: Comics & Graphic Novels". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on January 18, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  6. ^ Yu, Mallory (May 31, 2022). "New graphic memoir shows how punk rock helped a young Black man find his identity". NPR. Archived from the original on July 6, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  7. ^ "06 James Spooner - Tattoo Artist / Afropunk Founder / Filmmaker / Cartoonist (Kidney Room Records / Zine)". Killed by Desk. November 3, 2020. Archived from the original on February 17, 2023. Retrieved February 17, 2023. i went to laguardia high school (13:40-14:00)
  8. ^ Richardson, Nikita (August 20, 2015). "How Afropunk Became a Full-Blown Movement". Racked. Archived from the original on June 29, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  9. ^ Kendrick, Monica (August 7, 2003). "Music Notes: say it proud–I'm black and I'm loud". Chicago Reader. Archived from the original on October 26, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  10. ^ Owen, Frank (June 1, 1999). "Followers of Fashion". The Village Voice. Archived from the original on August 9, 2020. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  11. ^ Ray, Lexis-Olivier (March 2, 2021). "How Music Steered the Art of Jean-Michel Basquiat". Hyperallergic. Archived from the original on September 21, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  12. ^ Harvey, Dennis (September 18, 2003). "Afro-Punk: The 'Rock N Roll Nigger' Experience". Variety. Archived from the original on March 3, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  13. ^ Tillson, Tamsen (August 14, 2003). "Toronto fest clocks 'Time' world preem". Variety. Archived from the original on January 16, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  14. ^ Pressler, Jessica (January 28, 2007). "Truly Indie Fans". The New York Times. Archived from the original on April 7, 2017. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  15. ^ Brown, August (July 9, 2006). "Outsiders, not entirely by choice". Los Angeles Times. Archived from the original on January 26, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  16. ^ Anderson, Stacey (August 20, 2014). "Rebellious Diversity in Song". The New York Times. ISSN 0362-4331. Archived from the original on July 7, 2015. Retrieved February 5, 2022.
  17. ^ Carter, Mocha (October 20, 2016). "Has Afro-Punk Lost Its Soul?". HuffPost. Archived from the original on April 13, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  18. ^ Maloney, Devon (August 21, 2013). "Afropunk Started With a Documentary. Ten Years, Two Websites, and Eight Festivals Later..." The Village Voice. Archived from the original on December 17, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  19. ^ Giorgis, Hannah (August 26, 2015). "Gentrifying Afropunk". The New Yorker. Archived from the original on September 2, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  20. ^ Holley, Santi Elijah (August 15, 2019). "'We still need to be seen': behind the rise of black punk culture". The Guardian. Archived from the original on June 27, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  21. ^ Bryant, Taylor. "Looking for the Punk That's Gone Missing from Afropunk". Nylon. Archived from the original on September 1, 2018. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  22. ^ Josephs, Brian (August 17, 2015). "Is Afropunk Fest No Longer Punk?". Vice. Archived from the original on June 12, 2021. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  23. ^ Tillson, Tamsen (August 15, 2007). "Toronto sets international debuts". Variety. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  24. ^ Reid, Calvin (May 4, 2022). "Panel Mania: The High Desert: Black. Punk. Nowhere. by James Spooner". Publishers Weekly. Archived from the original on June 6, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  25. ^ Cavna, Michael (November 17, 2022). "'The 10 best graphic novels of 2022". The Washington Post. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022.
  26. ^ Segarra, Edward (January 30, 2023). "Amina Luqman-Dawson's 'Freewater' wins Newbery, more books honored at 2023 Youth Media Awards". USA Today. Archived from the original on February 2, 2023. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  27. ^ a b Greenidge, Kaitlyn (December 8, 2022). "The Beauty and Freedom of Black Punks". Harper's Bazaar. Archived from the original on December 7, 2022. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  28. ^ Scardelli, Larell (September 6, 2016). "Did Your Tattoo Come With A Hidden Side Of Animal Suffering?". Rodale's Organic Life. Archived from the original on September 10, 2016. Retrieved February 2, 2023.
  29. ^ "Afro-Punk". Rotten Tomatoes. July 11, 2006. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  30. ^ "White Lies, Black Sheep". Rotten Tomatoes. Retrieved January 30, 2023.
  31. ^ "Black Punk Now". Soft Skull Press. December 14, 2022. Retrieved November 9, 2023.

External links[edit]

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