Chat Interview

From time to time I receive requests for interviews.

In the past, this was done through e-mail, since, being pseudonymous, I don't accommodate telephone or live interviews.

Recently, though, I did a chat interview, which I think gives a more spontaneous feel than e-mail interview, close to a real live interview.

Since I posted the raw bit (i.e. whole uncut interview) and thus is a bit longish, you will find it as an entry in my old blog at http://anotherlookatscientology.blogspot.com/2008/12/chat-interview.html.

The interview was done by Brian Theobald, reporter with the online GLBT magazine EDGE Publications.

As for most of the interviews I did in the past, I do not know what was made of it.

The Complex - And Other Paranoid Rumors

There are rumors currently that Tom Cruise helped censor a critical book in the U.K.. The claim is made that Amazon U.K. retired the book after he visited them.

This does not make a lot of sense.

Why would the CoS send their highest profile celebrity on a mission when a simple letter from their lawyer would do (which is most probably what happened)?

Why would Cruise bother about a book in the U.K. when it is still being sold in the U.S. where the libel laws are different?

Did Cruise use his tremendous OT powerz to guess the book would come out at the same time of the probably long planned visit to Amazon for the 10th anniversary of the movie store?

Nah - it just does not jive. It's silly, and Shawn Lindseth rightly wrote in a wonderfully written and hilarious article yesterday:

"Cruise is innocent - we think we can explain things right away here. Tom strangely stopped by the Amazon offices to show off his new Valkyrie movie. Seems like a weird choice until you realise that later in the day he’d also let the employees of a local mom & pop grocery store sneak a peak. Then he went to two gas stations and an unimpressed toll-taker, all allegedly with a projector in tow, but we digress."

Anyway, if you still long to hear the non-existent wise beard of John Duignan, you can head to this site, where you will be graced with a vocal rendition of the first four chapters.

Don't expect to be enthraled, though, according to a Scientology critic himself:

"Holy Xenu, this is the most boring story on scientology I heard so far. The female voice reminds me of Delta air (Sung). Always went to sleep before take off."

To me it reminds me of the movie "The Profit", a so-called critical film that was so bad even critics dished it off when it was leaked. Like for this book, though, the producers tried to boost sales claiming harassment and letting loose all kinds of wild rumors.

Just as for paranoid anti-Scientology claims, sensational harassment rumors is not enough to sustain the success of a book. If the content of the book is not worth it, it will eventually take the plunge.

Feel My Finger

Barbara Schwartz has a tread running in ARS about Travolta successfully giving a touch assist to Marlo Brando.

I am not convinced that the fact Marlo Brando told he feels better demonstrates anything, but this is not the point I want to make here.

I remember while "moonlighting" during my time on staff in Belgium that I gave a series of touch assist to the wife of my boss (in his presence). It did not seem to have much effect one way or the other (bad or good), but it did feel odd to repeatedly tell the wife of my boss "feel my finger...".

Epic Sword Guy

"Mario was a friend of mine for a time and some. Let me enlighten you all a little about the guy. Mario was brilliant. Not just an intelligent guy, but the kind of down right scary intelligence that most just gawk at."

From http://www.forum.exscn.net/showpost.php?p=177099&postcount=320

Mario refers to Mario Majorski, the guy who got shot in front of the Celebrity Center by security guards after wielding two Samurai swords at them. There seems to be quasi unanimity between pros and antis to the effect that 1/the shot was justified as self-defense and protection and 2/the guy was nuts.

However, I found that the above-referred to article brings something interesting in the cast, and that is, that before "falling well off his rocker", Mario seemed to be an exceptionally bright character. His case reminds me somewhat of that of Philip Gale (brilliantly documented by Mark Ebner) who had an obsession with jumping off high buildings.