Stewart BradleyI became very interested in the work
of people like Jello Biafra, Noam Chomsky,
__________
and Peter Dale Scott who inspired me
to incorporate political and social messages
with my artistic ideas.
of people like Jello Biafra, Noam Chomsky,
__________
and Peter Dale Scott who inspired me
to incorporate political and social messages
with my artistic ideas.
" ... if Obama was really going
to change the way Washington politics
works then he never would have
been allowed to win the election."
to change the way Washington politics
works then he never would have
been allowed to win the election."
The
NEW AMERICAN
DREAM INTERVIEW
DREAM INTERVIEW
STEWART BRADLEY, 39, lives in Lancaster, Pennsylvania.
He is an independent movie producer and blogger.
NAD: Stewart, hello, thank you for taking the time for this.
Where are you from? What have you done, jobs, school, etc.
How did you get into making films?
What is your inspiration?
STEWART BRADLEY:
Hello and thanks for talking to me.
I was born and raised in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, but I'm not Amish.
We get asked that a lot.
Lancaster is actually a pretty hip place with a nice mix of city and country living.
There is a huge art and music community which benefits from being only a short drive away from most major Northeast cities like New York, Philadelphia, Baltimore, and Washington D.C.
When I was 13 I found my fathers old Super 8 movie camera and started playing around with how to do special effects and animation, but the cost of film processing kept me from doing larger projects.
I was 17 till I could afford my first video camera and figured out how to edit using two VCRs and a video mixing board.
My friends and I formed an improv group and started shooting sketch comedy and movie parodies we called the "Mondo Movie", which got a small amount of circulation in our little town.
I worked as a short order cook at a local diner until I graduated Hempfield High School in 1987.
After a few art related jobs and playing music in various local bands I enrolled in the PA School of Art and Design.
My original goal was to work in advertising, but I switched to Fine Art when I realized how morally bankrupt advertising was.
To pay for my education I worked at a movie theater where my love of film really developed.
(No pun intended.)
I began carrying my camera with me and filming things happening in my everyday life which at the time was parties, music, art, and friends, but I lacked any serious vision with my work.
It was about this time I also started a short lived magazine called the "Arrow of Truth" featuring articles on controversial topics like censorship, the war on drugs, and political corruption.
I became very interested in the work of people like Jello Biafra, Noam Chomsky, and Peter Dale Scott who inspired me to incorporate political and social messages with my artistic ideas.
After art school I moved to Philly for a while trying to find work in an art related field with no success.
So I moved back to Lancaster, took a job at a bakery, and started my own independent studio, Bradley Infotainment, where I've been producing film, music, and art ever since.
NAD: How many have you made?
How do you learn to make movies? How much does it cost?
What are your films about?
STEWART BRADLEY:
I this time I've made five feature length movies and about 40 short films, including music videos and coverage of political events.
For the most part I taught myself how to make movies, but I think the first step to becoming a good film maker is watching lots and lots of films paying close attention to how different directors go about telling the story.
Then you can work on developing your own style.
There may be a lot of "purists" who insist that movies must be shot on reel film stock which can cost thousands of dollars for the smallest production, but with the latest advances in digital technology I believe film will soon be obsolete.
Once you have a good digital camera and editing system you can produce professional looking movies without any budget at all which has opened up film making to most anybody who wants to do it.
I try to vary my films, not wanting to be limited to one genre. I've done many serious documentaries as well as light hearted comedies, and even a couple attempts at horror,(huge fan of zombie movies!).
But I usually try to end each on a positive upbeat message.
NAD: Would you like to choose one of these to answer, elaborate on?
We don't ask this to make fun. We ask because we really seek the answers.
— Are UFOs real?
— Did we land on the moon in 1968?
— Did Bush knock down the towers?
— Was Paul Wellstone's death an accident?
— The Oklahoma City bombing? Wasn't that just another U.S. government terrorist exercise? Or not.
— Waco. We burned kids, right? You can see flames shooting out of the tanks. Or not.
— Is Bigfoot real?
— Is there a God?
... What makes you think that?
STEWART BRADLEY:
Those topics are too fun to resist. Tell you what, I'll give you the short answers to each, but elaborate on my favorite.
— I wish they were but I have yet to see any empirical evidence.
— My trusted sources say yes. (Magic 8 Ball)
— Not him personally but members of his immediate cabinet.
— About as likely as ice forming spontaneously on a clear night.
— Local news covered the removal of secondary bombs.
— Yes, flames shooting out the tanks. Kids executed by ATF.
— Again, I wish he was, but I have yet to see any empirical evidence.
...
— I believe there is higher power, but I think of it as more of a collection of "life force" rather than a benevolent old man.
My mother's family are very religious people and I believe in the teachings of Jesus, yet at a very young age I had more questions than my pastor could answer and I began to search for my own answers.
After spending years looking into different religions I had decided there was too much outdated supersticious mythology in most organized faiths and put my belief wholly in science.
I spent years as an atheist and, although I still practiced the "judge not, help the needy, peaceful" teaching of Jesus, I had no feelings of spirituality or faith in God or an afterlife. It was my in study of quantum physics that brought me back to the ancient Taoist religion. The Taoist philosophy envisions all aspects of the universe in terms of two distinct forces called 'yin' and 'yang'.
As the Book of Changes relates it, the cosmos desiring to manifest itself, divided it's nature into two opposing forces that dynamically interact upon each other creating life, while in turn, generating the creative energy that manifests the cosmos. But despite the total opposition between the two principles, when the yin and yang are both present in the same degree, there becomes a state of cosmic balance where they merge into one and create a third principle that is 'greater than the sum of its parts'.
This third principle, known in Taoism as 'the Way', or in Zen as 'the Void', produces life, longevity, and spiritual energy. So for me the basics of Taoism could both explain the natural world of science and allow me to see the miracle and wonder of spirituality.
It is knowing that life needs both pain and joy, for without one the other has no meaning. It is about finding the path to your personal goals by helping others find theirs.
And it's knowing that "God" is life, and surrounds us constantly, every blade of grass a potential soul.
I have written extensively about this "science of spirituality" here: http://bradleyinfotainment.com/pages/index.php?pID=1123
NAD: How did you survive the Bush years?
Do you anticipate having to survive the Obama years, struggle through — or do you have hopes for something better?
What do you think about the election of Obama?
Do you have high hopes?
Hopes at all?
Why? Why not?
STEWART BRADLEY:
I spent the majority of the Bush years doing research to try to expose the many crimes of his administration, from election fraud and 9/11 to torture and wiretapping.
Yet it was even more frustrating trying to get an apathetic public to do give a damn about it.
I certainly hope Obama does better, but I had realized long ago that both the Republican and Democratic parties have been compromised by the money from big business interests and no longer represent the best interests of Americans.
Our system is now based on "government for the highest bidder" and the citizens complacency makes them irrelevant.
This may sound cynical but if Obama was really going to change the way Washington politics works then he never would have been allowed to win the election.
At this point most everything in politics is carefully scripted and staged to give people the illusion of choice and change while keeping the real power firmly on the grasp of the ruling class.
But I do hope I am wrong about this.
NAD: Please tell us more about yourself, the things you have done, what you would like to do, what you did today.
What did you absolutely have to get done by noon today?
How about by Christmas 2009?
STEWART BRADLEY:
I was very influenced by my parents.
My father is a retired military trained computer programmer who is also a Grand Master at Tang Soo Do karate.
He runs a top notch school with emphasis on teaching traditional martial arts disciplines to a wide range of students of various age, race, and economic backgrounds.
He is also very proud of his Cherokee heritage and in his spare time makes ceremonial crafts and weapons.
My mother is a Registered Nurse who volunteers for cancer research and supports humanitarian and ecological groups like Amnesty International and Greenpeace.
Being a very religious person she set an example of compassion and respect for all living things and encouraged me to get involved in political and social causes.
With this unique mix of Eastern and Western values they both taught me how to fight as well as how to use diplomacy in resolving conflicts peacefully.
Today I worked my shift at the bakery till noon, (I had to do it! ), finished a painting for my brother's Christmas gift, and am now watching the news as I finish this interview.
By Christmas 2009? I don't make my plans that far in advance.
NAD: What are you working on now?
STEWART BRADLEY:
My current projects are a new video simulating a criminal investigation of 9/11, a short video for a local film festival, building a set for a new feature length sci-fi film, some new music ideas, and finish a painting series.
I'm sure there will be other small projects along the way but those are the current goals.
NAD: What else would you like to add? What else should I have asked?
STEWART BRADLEY:
As a final message to your American readers, I would ask them to take a closer look at our country.
We have not been told the truth about our history, from the state sponsored genocide carried out against the people who used to live here ...
http://thecanaryeffect.com/
...to the reasons we go to war...
http://www.sonyclassics.com/whywefight/
...to the very promise of the American dream.
http://www.endofsuburbia.com/
We are now living in the "disinformation age" where our schools, media, and very culture serve to only distract us from our very serious problems.
Our political system divides us and prevents us from finding real solutions.
We are all for pushing our way of life to the rest of the world but is our way of life really the best option we have?
I know I'm asking you to question things we have a strong faith in, but I hope you will take the time to seek the truth about America.
Why? Because we need you. We need good, bright, and energetic people on the side of hope and action if we are to ever survive the trials we face.
I still believe that humanity can and will unite in peace to resolve the world's trouble, insuring a good life for our children, and our children's children.
I must believe because nothing can be gained by giving up, but in the end the choice is yours.
Thanks for your time and best wishes to all ... Stew
____________
About
THE New American Dream Feature Interviews
If you search the archives below, you will find, in a sort of order [last to first], interviews with:
Rick Smith, Cleveland area radio host
William P. Meyers, independent book publisher, political activist
Ian Woods, Canadian publisher, 9/11 Truth activist
Richard D. Brinkman, Edmonton, Canada 9/11 Truth
Lynn Berg, New York City actor
Alejandro Rojas, of MUFON, the Mutual UFO Network
Brian Kasoro, publisher of The Liberator magazine
Brother Raymond, walked from Denver to D.C., for truth
Korey Rowe, one of the producers of Loose Change
Dave Zweifel, editor of The Madison Capital Times
Cathleen Howard, expatriate, from Tucson to Mexico, to pursue her dreams
Sander Hicks, Brooklyn radical entrepreneur, writer, publisher
Joe Bageant, America's blue-collar author
Frida Berrigan, a lifetime of faith, hope and love
Denise Diaz, brewing up a revolution, at The Ritual Cafe in Des Moines
Deanna Taylor, Green Party activist, teacher, in Salt Lake City
Rossie Indira-Vltchek, writer, filmmaker in Jarkarta, Indonesia
Nora Barrows-Friedman, Pacifica reporter in Gaza
Delaney Bruce, Friends of Peltier
Keith McHenry, co-founder of Food Not Bombs
Michael Sprong, South Dakota Catholic Worker
Brian Terrell, Des Moines Catholic Worker
Bob Graf, One of the Milwaukee 14
Loren Coleman, Bigfoot researcher
Monty Borror, Sci-Fi artist from Virginia
David Ray, Great American Poet
Jack Blood, radio show host, in Austin, Texas
Danny Schechter, A Real Reporter
Bob Kincaid, host, Head-On Radio Show
Tony Packes, Animal Farm Radio Host, Keeping An Eye on Big Brother
Richard Flamer, Working With the Poor in Chiapas
David Ray Griffin, 9/11 Truth activist author
Barry Crimmins, U.S. comedian, author, social activist
Bret Hayworth, political reporter for the Sioux City [IA] Journal
Lisa Casey, publisher of website All Hat No Cattle
Joe & Elaine Mayer, activist couple in Rochester, Minnesota
Fr. Darrell Rupiper, U.S. priest revolutionary
Whitney Trettien, MIT student, Green Party activist
Meria Heller, radio show host
Phil Hey, professor, poet
John Crawford, book publisher
Steve Moon, Iowa Bigfoot researcher
Carol Brouillet, California social activist, 9/11 Truth
Russell Brutsche, Santa Cruz artist
Kevin Barrett, professor, radio show host, 9/11 Truth activist
A'Jamal Rashad Byndon, social activist in Omaha
Chris Rooney, Vancouver, Canada Catholic Worker, website publisher
Marc Estrin, political novelist, from the left
Peter Dale Scott, poet, professor, author, activist
Anthony Rayson, anarchist zine publisher, works with prisoners
Alice Cherbonnier, editor of The Baltimore Chronicle, an independent newspaper
