The Bird needles Crispin Glover over his alleged meltdown at Chandler Cinemas

As the owner/operator of Chandler Cinemas, what follows is my formal statement about and response to both the article and the entire experience.

I need to state upfront that this is certainly not the kind of publicity I desired for myself, the theatre or even for Mr. Glover. I find the entire affair (and especially its fallout/aftermath) both distasteful and regrettable, and had no intention of making it public. Indeed, I had already largely left this situation behind, focusing simply on keeping the fragile dream of our humble little independent theatre alive.

Now it has been made public, through a series of circumstances beyond my control. Since the proverbial cat is out of the bag, a response is called for, and I see no reason to refute the essential facts of the piece as related by Mr. Lemons. I can attest to the veracity of these accounts, because I was one of those who lived it.

Mr. Glover’s appearance at our theatre was the culmination of over a year of efforts on behalf of me and my promotional partners, Amy and Steph from the Trunk Space & Perihelion Arts. We had each been separately attempting to book a Phoenix-area appearance for Mr. Glover for some time. When we were made aware of one another, rather than compete, we unified forces, all of us working very hard to make it manifest.

For our collective part, we all admired his work, we were all fans, and we wanted to give Mr. Glover an opportunity to bring his work to the Greater Phoenix area, a market that he hadn’t visited in the better part of two decades. We were certain he had a large number of fans out here who would love the opportunity to see him live and interact with him. None of us had any agenda or ulterior motive beyond that. Our sole intention was to create a successful event for both Mr. Glover and his fans. (That it could be a high-profile event that would draw much-needed attention to our efforts to keep alive alternative art and cinema in the Valley was certainly a bonus, but not a primary motivation.)

And I need to state on the record that he was wonderful with the fans. He was extremely generous with his time despite obvious and increasing exhaustion throughout the weekend. On this score, he was utterly professional, and I admire his fortitude. He stayed till 1am or later each night, personally meeting everyone who stayed (though many left early), signing items, taking pictures, engaging in friendly conversation. I never saw him be anything less than courteous with any of them. For the sake of those 400 people who came out to see him over the three days, I am glad we held this event.

Also, having had my share of celebrity experiences over the years, I can honestly say that for the most part, in the majority of our interactions, Mr. Glover was not that difficult to deal with. As long as things were going right, he was pleasant, approachable and conversational and did not exude any kind of “star trip” aura. We were braced for it going in, being well aware of his reputation for eccentricity. Though it was a scramble, for example, the cash-upfront issue didn’t seem so out of character. As for the catered sushi, I’m aware of rock bands with much more demanding riders than this.

Unfortunately things did get supremely uncomfortable at the end of the weekend. This sequence of events is adequately covered in Mr. Lemons’ piece, so I will not elaborate on it here. Nor will I put myself in a position to public or privately engage in a debate or war of words over what happened. I will simply say that what the article states is accurate, and it left a taint and pall over what was otherwise a highly successful event. I counted myself grateful to have simply survived to the end of it.

(I also need to praise all those who helped and supported throughout the weekend: Doug, Jenni, Alex, Lowell, Justin, Andrew, Tiny, Mez, TJ and above all Angie. I’m afraid this acknowledgment is the only compensation I can offer for their time and hard work.)

While I absolutely stand by my statement that his film was NOT damaged on our premises, I did, in fact, agree to pay for its replacement in order to calm him down and resolve the situation. I still intend to honor that agreement. However, as the article rightly observes, we are struggling. The $610 that this will cost us is quite frankly beyond our present means. We have rent, insurance, taxes, utilities (summer AC!), supplies, payroll, and studio payments that must be met first. Nevertheless, this bill will be paid—when we can afford to pay it. Right now, that $610 is our survival.

This is the ultimate irony of the situation, as my erstwhile partner Andrea has observed. Art, independent, retro, foreign & cult theatres are few and far between—a niche-market that’s been dying a slow death at the hands of home video and multiplex-mania. Mr. Glover claims to champion such “cinephile” movie houses where they do still exist. Well, for the Phoenix area, that’s us.

Chandler Cinemas is the only independently owned and operated theatre in the Valley. Our mainstream “dollar movies” notwithstanding, we are very consciously trying to fill the niche of an “art house/independent” theatre, a longstanding void in the Valley’s cinema market. It’s an uphill battle, exacerbated by the theatre’s location in the extreme southeast Valley as well as its checkered history, and our dwindling resources. But we are proud of what we have achieved and what we offer, not least because it’s something that no one else, especially at our level, has attempted before. I do not speak out of hubris, simply honest pride and acknowledgment of what we have done and are attempting to do. Should we fail, I can’t see that anyone else will pick up the mantle.

Yes, Mr. Glover’s appearance could have been a nice boon to the theatre. Instead he’s attacking the very thing he claims to champion—a fact for which he seems to have little empathy or regard. So be it.

While there had been some discussion of a second appearance later in the year, I feel it is now highly unlikely that the paths of Mr. Glover and Chandler Cinemas will ever cross again. Regardless, I wish nothing but the best to any other venue that wishes to host him.

Likewise I wish nothing but the best for Mr. Glover both personally and professionally. I will not waste the energy harboring any resentment. My only regret, I fear, is that my enjoyment of Mr. Glover’s work will henceforth always be overshadowed by my personal experiences with him. This is a shame, but as has been observed by others, the world is a strange and imperfect place.

Regardless, other than the matter of the $610, I now regard this as a closed issue. My focus is now on keeping the theatre—the dream—alive.

Matthew M. Yenkala

What's the Ridiculous Raven going to squawk about if Arpaio ever leaves office?! The Arpaio bellyaching is getting old. Move on.

The Bernasconis have been around for decades trying to better our town. It was they who called for the special meetings to discuss police protection and it was they who gathered the information about crime rates in various cities, budget information of towns that use MCSO with corresponding square mileage and populations, etc.( I have the packet of information if you would like to see it.) They seem to be the only ones who are actively trying to do something about the situation we are in. I thank them for the hard work they have put in to get that info out to us. I can't speak for Socorro as to why she is personally attacking Mayor Jimenez, but I can tell you that there is always someone who doesn't like the mayor and tries to take them out, no matter who the mayor happens to be-it is almost like a tradition. Mayor Jimenez by all accounts is a real bitch. But it is in fact this bitchiness and attitude that led her to stand up against Sheriff Joe and not take any of his shit and score one for Guad. I have also dealt with her cousin Patty and she was a great help regarding a concern that I had a few weeks back. Both sides have much room for improvement. The Bernasconis should take a page out of the Bible and be more forgiving and/or accepting of one's flaws and mistakes, and the mayor should be friendly and listen to her people more.

Was this article written by your local morning DJ? ("This is Andrea Beesley-Brown, a.k.a. the Midnite Movie Mamacita tweetin' your way at 8:05 in the morning! The temperature in your neck of the Sand Land right now is wowza hot! After the break I've got a wacky tale about a Gloverama dream gone wrong!" /awful radio DJ voice.) I think once I removed all the shtick from this article it was only a paragraph long.

I was going to make the event and have my DVD copy of Willard signed but alas, I couldn't come due to more personal woes in securing an IT job. This city cannot possibly attract an ethical company from anywhere else in the country can they? The ones based or started here certainly aren't.
Glover sounds like the typical Hollywood jackass to me. The guy never lived down his Letterman embarrassment. However I still think he's a gifted and talented person. I believe people like him and their haughty attitudes are one of the main reason our country is going to self-destruct one day. As long as the haves insist on shitting on the have-nots, the haves' days are truly numbered.I commend the efforts of the Chandler Cinemas yet as I've told them on Myspace, this city's populace as a whole will never appreciate them as they should.