James Spooner | |
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Born | 1976 (age 47–48)[1] |
Occupations | |
Partner | Lisa Nola[1] |
Website | www.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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
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]
Year | Title | Director | Writer | Producer | Cinematographer | Editor |
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2003 | Afro-Punk[29] | Yes | No | Yes | Yes | Yes |
2007 | White Lies, Black Sheep[30] | Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Yes |