Werner Herzog career interview: "You have to brace yourself for the bozos"

How an infuriating encounter at an ad agency prompted Herzog to ditch a KZbin series about the internet in favour of making his feature-length connected-world documentary Lo and Behold... and other personal anecdotes from the career of the great German director.
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[@tgmolitor6215]

Werner Herzog. Earth's narrator.

[@justpettet3506]

wow

[@Mr_M_]

Morgan Freeman: Werner Herzog's narrator.

[@leoelliondeux]

He’s humanity’s narrator. Earth’s narrator is David Attenborough

[@neuralnetwork17]

Everyone knows Herzog, Freeman and Attenborough work in eight hour shifts.

[@randykarnell9980]

This is the perfect interviewer. Very charming Woman who consistently asks the precisely-correct question. The question you and I would ask. When Werner gets to his story about 400 monkeys (Werner was bitten over 30 times).? She can barely contain herself - it's almost like stand-up comedy. Everything has a rhythm with Werner - a cadence - it's a great Listen. ...

[@norwegianblue2764]

Yes. Francine's great. Would have been nice to see her lovely face. Strange choice of camera angle.

[@vudu8ball]

I live in Seattle. The art museum here is open and airy and full of light. Then you step into the stair well and it is like a stair well in a prison or a low budget high school, the kind of place you could get knifed by bullies after your lunch money. It is very jarring so I understand what Herzog means by, "repulsive corridors."

[@declanroberts8934]

BFI: Its only Wener Herzog give him the cheap crap mic in the corner...

[@matturner6890]

It's not a cheap mic, it's an industry standard SM58. The problem is they didn't filter/ gate out the background noise. Oh and before anyone else can do it: 🤓

[@halsinden]

hats off to francine stock; so often herzog seems paired with an interviewer who is either clueless or hideously overbearing. this is a great to-and-fro and i really appreciate how she coaxed the best out of the great man himself.

[@tizwah]

Really good interview. It's a pity the sound guys messed it up with a crappy noise gate... :(

[@Freakazoid12345]

What is a, "noise gate" ?

[@tizwah]

@@Freakazoid12345 en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Noise_gate

[@halfadecade4770]

she needs to talk into the fucking mic

[@matturner6890]

​​​@@Freakazoid12345 real, non-flippant and lazy answer for you: It is a device that listens for when the sound being picked up by a mic goes below a certain volume level (the threshold). Once it falls below that threshold, it cuts the sound off to get rid of things like hisses or hums in the background, until the "gate" is opened again by talking/singing into the mic. It is also used on things like distorted guitars and loud drums in order to have them fit in a mix better and pop through clearer, or just to cut the feedback from using lots of distortion. Have a good one!

[@Freakazoid12345]

@@matturner6890 thanks!

[@randykarnell9980]

an added bonus at Werner's film school: You learn how-to forge documents. Pick locks. -with no apologies. Oh - and be prepared to swim across the Mekong. ...

[@leoisforevercool]

Now that's an education that doesn't disappoint

[@shaunbritton939]

Only discovered him yesterday now I'm hooked I NVR realized he did Nosferatu the 1979 with Klaus amazing film maker

[@cristoburn4778]

Have you seen Aguirre yet? Check it out.

[@verginiamatevossian2406]

@@cristoburn4778 i also started a year ago. Have you watched all of the films?

[@cristoburn4778]

@@verginiamatevossian2406 Nice. Not all but a lot of them.

[@thekaiser4333]

Do you meditate? 45:00

[@magnusloven2041]

55:08 No sentence is more Werner Herzog than "Tell me about an encounter with a squirrel"

[@randykarnell9980]

@ 18:10 "Let's do the do-able." (wanting a particular shot that would require too much time to set up) 16 shooting days did not give Werner much flexibility - but of course he's Werner so he made everything work regardless. Wow - ...

[@alexsnelling480]

I love how he pronounces: “monkeys”

[@vudu8ball]

@38:12 I was struck with the similarity between Treadwell and Klaus Kinskey. The mercurial ups and downs, the anger toward authority, the feeling of persecution and his unshakable belief in what he was doing.

[@FrictionBassIgnition]

Both also considered themselves men of nature. They held a fantastical and idealistic view of nature and ignored its more chaotic and capricious aspects.

[@NewWaveFilms]

"Everyone is Royalty, but there are no stars."

[@robsmithadventures1537]

The title 'Lo and Behold' is genius.

[@BrettonFerguson]

@25:56 Going to the site of Dieter Dengler's plane wreck to film would have been interesting, but not added much to the documentary. Most importantly, if you they had been caught, Dieter with them to help find the site, talk, and show them things, Dieter very well may have found himself imprisoned in Laos for a second time, with little food, etc... It would have been bad.

[@fesenzac]

Anyone knows what happened with Herzog s film project about The Mexican Conquest?

[@justpettet3506]

that would be so great

[@newsungsails3651]

I love The Enigma of Kaspar Hauser and Heart of Glass above all of his films, but I haven’t seen one I disliked. What are your favorites?

[@cosmicmauve]

So far, Nosferatu. I just love the opening credits sequence, it sets the tone of real creepiness, and the back story that goes with that is interesting too. I think I will very much like Fitzcaraldo too when I get around to it, have seen bits and pieces. Kinski really was a great actor, even as temperamental as he was.

[@huhnturr]

Watch Stroszek!

[@newsungsails3651]

@@huhnturr Stroszek is incredible! Very haunting.

[@newsungsails3651]

@@cosmicmauve Agreed! Nosfteratu has a great mood. I love the hysteria around the plague later in the film.

[@mikialex252]

...Ein großartiger Künstler.

[@Freakazoid12345]

Was ist das?

[@lorenfulghum2393]

They never did get that clip wound up

[@dancroitoru364]

I thought it was a habit of the nouveaux riches to tell the world about 100 times a day their rags to riches story - lol Couldn't he talk about his film making without this patronizing "I made it" attitude?

[@randykarnell9980]

You'd almost think Werner could make a lyrical ... "horror-documentary." - about corridors. @ 11:15. It's just hilarious - but better to watch for self. ...

[@bfgivmfith]

I was attacked by a spider money as a child, not once but twice, long story. :) Bottom line is, I hate monkeys! LOL! This coming from a man that has dedicated his life to saving animals! LOL!

[@simeonbanner6204]

The interviewer. I don't wish to be cruel but she's totally inappropriate. She doesn't appear to have any insight into the human condition. I think the problem is well educated, upper middle class people in cultural institutions: Oxford, Cambridge wealth and privilege whereas as Herzog is a man of the world who knows the abyss.

[@garrywindshield1]

communistic garbage

[@sellingacoerwa8318]

Oh go be a snowflake somewhere else

[@DrJones20]

How is the interviewer inappropiate?

[@Meidaneh_Shush]

Masochistic poser.

[@robertloader9826]

Dropped a bollock with the sound there BFI.

[@EalainKloapa]

He has an awesome vibe... the dark humour makes him incredibly likeable 😅

[@gordoloboalbondigas]

Ian, I REALLY think you would love to listen to what Herzog has to say---he is so incredibly renegade and at the same time grounded. Check it out!!

[@robinness6321]

Such a master

[@CCervido]

Good interviewer! Who is she?

[@LinoCoriaMendoza]

Francine Stock

[@randykarnell9980]

Everything Werner sez is hilarious. Either intentionally - i.e.punchline-city. or just by complete surprise: "I wanted 100 pigs (literally) ..." (for a specific scene/movie) A friend turned me on to Werner - knows Werner personally - To me Werner is Superman - The Man Of Steel. So it's further occurred to me (that) I've become Soft. either "become" or always-was - I just don't have Werner's strength. or else I do and just don't know it. . ...

[@destybenway]

He sort of has the same Idols as Adrian Veidt. Good thing he became a poet..

[@TSR1776]

If a giant alien squid detonates over NYC, I know who to blame

[@themadplotter]

I guess it's copyright but it's weird they don't show the clips of the movie they are talking

[@TYSLYS]

its sucks eh, and is pointlessly sterile .... its his work....

[@themadplotter]

@@TYSLYS if anybody wouldn't care about pirating his film it would be Herzog.

[@thekaiser4333]

People who watch this interview know the films.

[@pedroqueridomusic]

KZbin "Werner Herzog Masterclass" you will find a video where he shows snippets of the movies/documentaries he's talking about.

[@carmichaelk.5214]

Werner Herzog hates meditation? SHOCKING.

[@thekaiser4333]

Have you ever met people who meditate??

[@EtienneKaleb]

45:10

[@thekaiser4333]

Yes.

[@Rodney17302]

The older Werner Herzog gets, the more he sounds like Arnold Schwarzenegger

[@asynchronicity]

International treasure ❤

[@individuationportal]

50:27

[@kirkmbutterfield]

Podcast 1289

[@mexDpeace]

He edited movie in 9 days?????!

[@thekaiser4333]

Yes, he is very slow. But quality takes time.

[@jude999]

Where? What? When?

[@Reymundodonsayo]

He loves to hear himself speak Great Man.

[@zoezzzarko1117]

As all poets... 💙

[@frosteternal]

we all like to hear him speak!

[@jackedtoeproductions3284]

G . O . D .

[@Michael-hw5wk]

No you don't. I simply refuse to work with such individuals. If imprisoned with them, I will simply keep to myself and read.

[@jimwalsh1958space]

werner is the big brother that was kind and helpful and a good teacher that i never had. i miss werner herzog because i never met him.

[@bahoevel]

maybe should have left it as a youtube; Lo and Behold was pretty ineffective -was quite dissapointed with the film OH HOW I WISH Into the Inferno had been playing at my local theater instead!

[@muhammadziauddinrosyadarro4263]

Bozos ?

[@shoshiwas]

it's a reference to Bozo the Clown. The character was on tv in the US for many years.

[@arturartur1051]

94/5000 Herzog is a genius, but like all geniuses he tells great truths, but also great stupidity.

[@christophersurnname9967]

.... what do you mean by great stupidity?

[@rayiversen8051]

Interesting. What do you mean by the dichotomy of great truths and great stupidity?

[@stanmarshthedarsh]

"I'm not so much into the meditation and sitting in the lotus position. I've never seen anything decent come from one of those"... He's clearly not a fan of David Lynch.

[@IronsteffL]

He clearly made a movie with David Lynch. And you clearly need to drop the meme-style argumentation and learn some differentiation. A world as complex as ours and people as complex as Werner Herzog or David Lynch don't fit into a couple of words, no matter how "funny" you deem them.

[@robertloader9826]

@@IronsteffL chill out babe.

[@cinnamon4605]

To interview werner no one shouldn't ask questions, better way is to let him talk alone.

[@TheSuperQuail]

Then it wouldn't be an interview.

[@bobsbigboy_]

@@TheSuperQuail exactly