an IntImate long-dIStance Phone converSatIon wIth PaUl Soter of broKen lIzard, the wrItIng/dIrectIng/actIng groUP that broUght yoU beerfeSt, SUPer trooPerS and clUb dread. Interview by Rob Geisen
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ith another Broken Lizard film on the way, a soon to be launched Comedy Central TV series and his solo debut as writer and director of a feature film, Mr. Soter certainly, as well as the rest of the Broken Lizard crew, has come a long way from the days as a bunch of comedy wannabes living in a bus like unwashed zoo animals for months, traveling from college town to college town in hopes of a few laughs.
little mom and pop video store who has always lived his life vicariously through the movies and fucks up relationships because he always compares the women he meets to his favorite female characters from his favorite movies. Lucy Liu, a kind of weirdo girl, comes into his store and acts as if she’s a movie character herself, taking him on wild, weird adventures. It seems like it would be a perfect match, but she’s so completely adventurous – to the point of being dangerous and unpredictable, that what seems like the perfect relationship ends with her threatening to make his life collapse.
I met Paul in the summer of 2006 while he was on tour promoting Beerfest. It was my anniversary and his birthday; we drank shots until two in the morning and he kicked my ass at beer pong. We got along fine. After that night, we kept in touch. What follows is a partial transcript of a long distance telephone conversation that took place not too long ago, in which the always gracious Mr. Soter talks about his new movie, future Broken Lizard projects, childhood fears, and also provides a semi-detailed analysis of why Jefferson Starship has never really mattered.
The idea was to do a romantic take on films like Double Indemnity; that was the first thing that jumped in my mind. Like the Maltese Falcon, where there’s a dame who walks into a guy’s life and immediately wraps him around her finger, ends up ruining his life, and everyone watching knows that this woman is up to no good right from the start.
Rob Geisen: Talk about Watching the Detectives, your first solo project. Paul Soter: Cillian Murphy plays a guy who runs a
RG: What’s next for Broken Lizard as a team? PS: Broken Lizard is shooting a film in January called The Slammin’ Salmon. So we’re prepping for that.
Most people who live in California think it shits unicorn miracles.
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